Tom Brady Floats A Bold Idea For Running Quarterbacks Who Slide Late

Say it ain't so, Tom!

During an appearance on The Colin Cowherd Show, Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady appeared to come to the defense of Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who was suspended three games after a devastating (and by some accounts intentional) forearm-led hit on a sliding Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars quarterback would end up immediately going into the ‘fencing’ position, signifying a head injury that was later ruled a concussion. 

"Defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature. I was trying to be aggressive on offense, we tried to block aggressively, and at the same time the defense tries to tackle aggressively," Brady told Cowherd. "There's an aspect to me that I think the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves. I see Josh Allen run it a lot, I see Lamar Jackson run it a lot, and it’s a great skillset to have. A lot of times I wish I had that skillet," he continued.

THEN CAME THE "BUT" PART

"Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it is also the reality of a very physical sport that we play."

"At the same time, when you run you put yourself in a lot of danger. And when you do that I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense."

Brady didn't need that skillset, considering that he had what was deemed the ‘Brady Rule’ going for him, which penalized a player for tackling a quarterback with his helmet or shoulder, as well as below the knee. No need to scramble then, Tom! 

Shaair has since apologized, however he also had a "but" in his statement as he said he was unfairly being targeted by the media and "racist and Islamophobic fans."

BRADY SUGGESTS PENALIZING THE OFFENSE

Brady, who is also an NFL on FOX game analyst, would later put the blame not only on the scrambling quarterback, but also the coaches for putting them in that position in the first place. It's the latest "hot take" by the 47-year-old, who just two weeks ago eviscerated another quarterback in former Giants leader Daniel Jones. 

"Are we really trying to protect quarterbacks? Because if you are trying to through the rules, then why are the offensive coordinators not protecting their quarterbacks by keeping them out of the pocket and not designing as many quarterback runs?"

Then, to really put the icing on the cake, Brady suggested that "Maybe they [should] fine or penalize a quarterback for sliding late."

I'm sure Tom's quarterback friends didn't appreciate that comment, regardless if it's correct or not. One has to wonder if he'd have the same opinion if he was still strapping on shoulder pads every Sunday rather than sitting in a luxury press box.