NFL Old-Timers Hate 'Brady Rule' Too

Last week, the NFL clarified an existing rule to protect quarterbacks from the kind of hits that sidelined Tom Brady for virtually the entire 2008 season. The clarification "specifically prohibits a defender on the ground who hasn't been blocked or fouled directly into the quarterback from lunging or diving at the quarterback's lower legs."

Shorter version: All players are equal, but some players are more equal than others. And while I get the idea, I just don't know how this already-on-the-books-but-just-now-being-enforced rule can be uniformly called. I mean, dancing is one thing, but once we start asking officials to make judgment calls, we're inviting an entirely new set of problems.

Whatever, we can add NFL old-timers to the list of people who are less than jazzed about the clarification. And that now brings the grand total of dissenters to "everybody but Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Gisele."

Via the Naples Daily News, Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen, Jack Youngblood, and Mike Ditka; as well as former NFL quarterbacks Jim Hart and Billy Kilmer all shared their opinions on the "Brady Rule."

I think it's a BS rule ... How can they not let a guy finish a play?" -- Kilmer

"What's a guy supposed to do? Knock him down and he's supposed to stay down, put his hand up and say, 'I'm down.' It's stupid." -- Hart

"Absolutely freakin' ridiculous ... With this new rule, I might be able to go back and play. I could get cut down on every play." -- Youngblood

Ditka, serving as the voice of reason, tried to approach the news philosophically.

"You gotta understand," he said. "The game has changed dramatically. You're paying these people so much money, you have to keep them on the field. But you have to be careful when you're doing all this legislation against hitting people, you don't take the essence of football away from what it is.

"(Vince) Lombardi made a great statement years ago, 'Dancing is a contact sport, football is a collision sport.' First rule we had when the quarterback threw an interception was to knock out the quarterback. It was universal. Everybody taught it.

"It's about the owners. It's about money. It's not a complex thing to figure out. You got that much money invested in a guy, you can't afford to have them knocked out. The thing about Brady is it wasn't a dirty play, it was an unfortunate play."

And there you go: owners and money. That's the bottom line. Even though, as Ditka rightly points out, the play that sidelined Brady wasn't a dirty one, it's not good for business. Well, unless you're Matt Cassel, who led the Patriots to 11 wins in Brady's absence, and parlayed four months of solid football -- after riding the pine for the previous nine years -- into a nice little pay day.

via Fifth Down Blog

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-30-2009 @ 5:37PM

golfguru40 said...

The NFL is turning into a sissy sport

3-30-2009 @ 6:52PM

wayne stanton said...

if Jack Lambert were dead, he would be turning over in his grave

3-30-2009 @ 6:59PM

nleo909091 said...

i think the rules are ok.. they need to protect the indiviuals from getting hurt.. with that said.. when are they going to address the free safeties and corners who dont play the ball but just want to cause damage.... if they played the ball you may see more interceptions and less violence that to me takes away from the game.. i realize its a hard hitting game.. but when you hurt the people you've paid to see.. then it's not worth it anymore.. hitting a man when the ball is gone by and the recievers lets up.. i feel is something they should look at....tackling is lowering your shoulder and wrapping your arms around the back.. not using our head as a spear.. thats just not how the game is meant to be played.

3-30-2009 @ 7:18PM

gallierl said...

It is a business, and when the big money players get hurt, the league, and teams lose money. We live in an R.O.I. world now folks. Get use to it. Even the players know this. The days of knocking players out of the game, or ending their careers are long gone. Patch

3-30-2009 @ 7:36PM

nickstoli said...

Aren't these the same guys whining about all the injuries they sustained while playing such a violent sport?

When Ditka is one of your leaders, you know brain power is lacking, but still...which one is it, dumdums?

You either applaud rules making it safer to play football, or you suck it up and deal with your injuries. You can't do both.

3-30-2009 @ 9:16PM

gernjewels24 said...

Don't let Deacon Jones here about this!!!

3-30-2009 @ 9:33PM

oh yeah, it's still legal to chip the QB's fingernail polish, but if you tear his skirt it's a 10 yard penalty & an automatic 1st Down! heh,heh...

3-31-2009 @ 2:34AM

claytor said...

This is definitely the Brady rule. Couldn't possibly be the Palmer rule. As in Carson Palmer, the guy who was blatantly dispatched via the SAME contact, but hey, refs weren't going bonkers over it until Tommy Boy got hurt, in a more legit looking version at that.

The thing that annoys me most is the retarded nature by which the owners have addressed the public. Robert Kraft's smarmy clown ass babbling on and on about "wanting to protect the Peyton Mannings of the game."

Uh...really? Peyton Manning, Bobby? You sure?

Just put them all in boy shirts and choreograph the plays already, Big ups to the New England suckfish for steadily "enhancing" the game of football by needing a new rule for Brady every offseason.

3-31-2009 @ 5:06AM

snowy said...

www.goocd.com you can find more things about him.

3-31-2009 @ 7:36AM

fc4u2do said...

Enough already''it,s football not danceing with the stars.................

3-31-2009 @ 9:23AM

country said...

"Football is a collision sport"...just not in the NFL anymore.
If the owners dont want there high priced women to take hits, then either dont pay them so damn much or dont play them at all.
Its part of the damn game to get hit! If this crap keeps up I think the next rule should be that QB's cant complete a pass for more than 10 yards at a time.
Money and Owners, problems and cry babies!
Theres a flag league near all NFL teams, maybe these guys should look to play there instead?

3-31-2009 @ 4:42PM

jmsprusack said...

Let's make the q-backs wear a long dress, like Jack Lambert said they should do, make it fit tight so it can't pull down and show there pussies, (Oops) this way the defensive lineman can tug on the skirt and tackle him, so he won't get hurt.

Whoever comes up with the stupid rules can't be very smart. Maybe if we quit watching the overpaid brats, they would get the message, or would they, their not too smart.

GOOOOOOOOOOO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3-31-2009 @ 9:25PM

bambamisbad85 said...

i played football for 12 years . i am sorry but i was a quarter back too . i lovrd getting hit . and it to the point that i dont watch the nfl anymore . cause it is stupid of all the rules to protect a quarterback . if they cant take the heat then dont play the game . better football watching college quarterbacks and coaches dont whine about gettin hit . they might as well give nfl quarterbacks to flags and use flag football rule . call it the nffl national flag football laugue

4-01-2009 @ 12:27AM

wmjasmith6 said...

With this rule the NFL will turn into a flag football league. The owner are killing the game.

4-01-2009 @ 10:53AM

Cray said...

Brady's injury was an extremely rare occurrence. It's on the players to deal with these situations. If it's a career ending injury? So be it.

You get paid a lot money to do (play) a dangerous job.

4-02-2009 @ 8:34AM

caninescreed said...

I didn't realize it was called the brady rule? Isn't it just a clarification of an existing rule? I don't think Pollards play was dirty, but it was irresponsible to say the least. There is no way he could have hit Brady anywhere higher than his knee from his position. Don't the rules state you can not hit a QB at the knee? QB's are not able to pay attention to what is happening around them, they are looking to throw the ball. They should not have to worry that a defender can dive into their knees. Not to mention that there was alot of talk about Brady's foot. Not 2 days before the season started, I'm watching a sports show where one of the guys, Marshall Faulk? says if he was the other team, he would hit brady hard and often to see what is going on with that foot. The guys around him look at him like "what are you saying?" He says, "well not dirty, but you know" So you have to wonder if Pollard was gunning "extra" for Bradys leg.