Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Reporter Charles Robinson spoke with the seven-time Super Bowl champion about the current state of NFL quarterbacks, his year away from football and his advice for Patriots rookie Drake Maye. Tom joins Yahoo Sports on behalf of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.
Video Transcript
We have had some pretty notable guests.
I have to say he’s a seven-time Super Bowl champion and a future Patriots ring-holder.
Well, let’s just say an up-and-coming Fox analyst, football analyst.
And if I’m not being too presumptuous, I don’t think he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2028.
Tom Brady.
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
Thank you very much.
Thank you Charles, I appreciate it.
Few players have had the opportunity to have such a long and successful career, followed by another one waiting for them.
I guess that gap year taught me a bit about myself and my thoughts about football in general because, you know, it’s very rare that you have a moment to stop and reflect not only on the past but also on the future.
I think for me, not playing for 28 years was a transition period.
I played high school football for 32 years.
September 1st was a holiday.
I got the opportunity to sit back and be a fan and watch sports.
I watched the game from a completely different perspective, as an analyst rather than a quarterback.
Well, I tried really hard to talk to a lot of different people whose opinions I could respect.
Well, I’ve been enjoying some time with my kids, taking some time off, and enjoying different parts of life that I may have missed a little bit before.
Thinking back to when you first came into the league, I’m curious if you were still looking at Polaroids on the sidelines and how far technology has come at the quarterback position.
But projecting out to 2045, is there still room for innovation at the quarterback position?
Do you think there’s still a ceiling there to reach?
Well, I think the level of quarterbacks has regressed a little bit in the NFL.
I don’t think it has been improved.
I don’t think teaching has improved.
I think the physical fundamentals might improve a little bit because there’s better information for quarterbacks to study on their mechanics.
But I don’t think the quarterback is the commander of the field like he was in the old days.
That’s a broad statement, sure, but I was in complete control.
I had all the tools I needed and was coached to do so.
I was raised to have the tools I needed to get out on the field.
Whenever something happened, I made the right play, the right formation, the right audible, the right check at the line and ultimately controlled the 11 players on the offensive side to make a good, positive play.
We saw the same thing defensively, where I think there’s an element of trying to control it from the sidelines among coaching staffs, where the coaching staff wants to control it but isn’t teaching or developing the players the right tools so they can go out on the field and make the decisions for themselves that are best for the team.
The Patriots are likely to select Drake fairly high in the draft.
Is there anything Drake can learn or advice that will really help him succeed at the NFL level?
So I’m very lucky to be around him and I like him a lot.
I’ve heard great things about him, but I think it depends on how he takes the opportunity, how he wants to develop it, and how he wants to approach his profession, just like we all do.
It’s not about where you are when you’re 22, it’s about who you’re around when you’re 22. Who inspires you to be better and helps you grow.
I was very lucky.
Looking back at my career, I watched other contenders like Peyton Manning, Steve McNair and Vinny Testaverde play for the Jets.
When Brett Favre was playing, I looked around at some incredible quarterbacks and had some incredible coaching staff.
The competition was fierce.
My coach was strict.
I needed to grow and develop and I wanted the same for them.
I just don’t see it the same way I did back then.
The players and coaches have slowed down and they are no longer coaching.
There is less time to teach.
There are many reasons, but the reason I want to see this game is because I hope that first we need to become aware of it and then take some steps to make a change.
Tell us about the importance of this program to being part of the H Family and what it has meant to you.
I have been an ambassador for four years.
But to me, the big thing is the experience they provide to their customers and being part of a great team, and I think they’re very focused on winning.
They are very focused on providing for the consumer.
At Herds, we want to provide a seamless experience every time you book.
The campaigns we have run so far range from our “Let’s go” campaign to our latest campaign, where we talked about the experience of skipping the counter, going straight to the airport, going to the car park, picking up your car, earning your points and rushing to your final destination.
We wanted these to be fun to watch, but also fun for consumers to join our team.
Yes, Tom, thank you for your time.
We wish you a great time at our booth and all the best with your Let’s Let’s Go campaign.
We are delighted that you have joined.
thank you.
appreciate.
