Tom Brady: The QB position isn’t as mentally developed as it was when I entered the NFL

Tom Brady says quarterbacks are physically more talented than ever, but NFL teams are so focused on the physical attributes of quarterback prospects that there’s less of an emphasis on their mental development.

Brady said on Cris Collinsworth’s podcast that when he was learning to play the quarterback position, quarterbacks were learning more about how to run an offense, which is ultimately what the quarterback’s job is.

“I don’t believe the quarterback position is as mentally developed as it was when I entered the league 25 years ago. There was a premium on understanding defenses, on understanding matchups, on I’d say pre-snap reads, getting your team in and out of the right play, and I felt the way I learned to play the position over a period of time . . . you’ll truly give your team the best chance to win, to be a field general.”

Brady said his own lack of athletic ability forced him to learn the mental side of the game, and now NFL teams are overly focused on a quarterback prospect’s physical tools.

“I think you better have a mental advantage on the field and I think sometimes that’s more important than the physical advantage,” Brady said. “Now did I wish I could have run? of course I wished I could have run. But because I couldn’t run, I had to double down on those things more than anybody else.”

Brady said quarterbacks who run the ball are some of the most exciting players in football, but he believes his own long career was attributable in part to the fact that he didn’t run the ball.

“I think it’s terrible for the longevity of a quarterback,” Brady said of running the ball. “It’s certainly very exciting, and it’s fun to watch.”

But for Brady, what’s really fun is to see a quarterback read through his progressions and find an open receiver, and he doesn’t see as much of that from the next generation of quarterbacks.