During “Sunday NFL Countdown” on ESPN, former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith did not hold back when asked about recently retired Tom Brady’s remarks regarding the league.
During his recent visit on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion expressed his opinion regarding the NFL’s current state.”I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL,” Brady stated. “I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.”
“I don’t think the coaching is as good as it was,” he stated. “I don’t believe the young players’ growth has progressed as much as it did. Many negative habits have been incorporated into the game’s actual play via the regulations. Simply put, I feel that the product is not as good as it once was.”
Smith was questioned on ESPN on Sunday about whether he had a response to Brady’s remarks.
“His retirement wasn’t for very long. He was merely having fun. Smith cried, alluding to his 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl triumph. “He just won a Super Bowl in the current game,” Smith said. “Is he discounting that one?”
Then, following a clumsy pre-apology to his co-hosts, Tedy Bruschi and Randy Moss of the Patriots, as well as former Jets head coach Rex Ryan, Smith plunged into his raw emotions on New England.
“He played in the most uncompetitive division, I think, in NFL history,” remarked Smith. “I mean, you come out of training camp in the biggest cupcake division, you gotta take it to the playoffs right away.”
Former Pats Moss and Bruceschi, along with Ryan, the coach of an AFC East division opponent, laughed at the assessment.
Smith went on, “I completely disagree with this,” while Ryan winced. Though I believe the game has improved, I understand that he is referring to the regulation changes that affect the receiver across the middle. The league is more evenly distributed. I believe that quarterback play in the NFL is at an all-time high. The best athletes are occupying the position. This wasn’t available thirty, forty years ago.”
Despite considerable hostility from 49ers supporters when Smith’s tenure in San Francisco came to an end, a lot has transpired since 2013.In order to save his leg after a horrifying complex fracture that occurred in 2018, Smith underwent nearly 20 operations and needed skin transplants. Surprisingly, he decided to retire the next year despite making a comeback to the field in 2020. A few months later, ESPN signed him as an NFL commentator. He has now become a comparatively well-liked pundit and has won back the trust of 49ers supporters.
