Believe it or not, Tom Brady isn’t a huge fan of all the flags we’re starting to see in the NFL. The seven-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer compared today’s game to “flag football” on his Let’s Go podcast.
During the episode, Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray talked about the final play of the Giants-Bills game. Officials let a clear defensive holding penalty slide, ending New York’s chances at a last-second-victory. Buffalo went on to win 14-9.
Brady said it was a clear penalty that officials missed … or just didn’t call. But after providing his assessment, the former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback talked about the alarming amount of penalties he sees across the league.
“Football is a physical sport, there’s a physical element to all of this,” Brady said. “You throw a 15-yard flag for something that, you know, 20 years ago maybe wouldn’t have had a flag. That affects the game in a big way.”
It’s interesting to hear that perspective from a former quarterback. With the league implementing more rules to protect passers and offensive players, you’d think he’d be in favor of these types of calls.
Quite the opposite. Instead, Brady believes it takes some of the physicality out of the game.
“There’s so many people that want it less and less physical, it’s more like flag football, which is going to be in the Olympics in 2028,” Brady said. “Maybe football goes to flag football over a period of time.”
Brady wasn’t the only former player to gripe about officiating this weekend.
J.J. Watt blasts NFL over officiating issues.
Former Texans and Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt also had a few words for league officials over the weekend.
During Sunday’s game, Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke was flagged for roughing the passer on Josh Allen. Watt quote-tweeted the video and called out the league and officiating.
“Lack of accountability for refs is infuriating for players because they don’t receive the same leniency,” Watt said on X. “Players get flagged, fined & can potentially win/lose games on erroneous calls.
“Refs get ‘corrected’ privately after the fact and ‘may’ lose out on postseason opportunities.”
To be fair, that did appear to be a pretty weak call. Okereke made contact as Allen was releasing the football and didn’t do anything egregious on the play. The official should have kept the flag in his pocket.
As a former defensive player, Watt might possess a slightly biased angle. But in this regard, the future Hall of Famer provided spot-on analysis. Sometimes, officials make mistakes. They still should be held accountable, though.
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