Welcome to the NFL in the 21st Century: No Game for Old Men

I am a fan of the NFL. However, I am not a fan of NFL announcers and analysts in the 21st Century. They conspire with the league office to hype the game for more than what it is, with the intention of increasing viewership, and hiding their failures. That’s another part of the story, but not relevant to this story about sports and their relationship to the profits of billionaires.

On October 16, 2022, I was reminded of the many changes I have watched since I saw my first NFL game on television in 1956. Rule changes, the evolution of the quarterback position, and the change in the collegiate program, which has adopted a more professional approach to the game, have created a faster and more exciting game at the professional level.

Every Team is a Super Bowl Contender Until They’re Not

I celebrated as two old, extremely talented, arrogant, and overrated quarterbacks lost today, but that’s for discussion later in this story.

What did happen was teams which had terrible seasons in 2021 revealed talent and effort unexpected by the “experts.” For example, both New York teams, the New York Giants, and the New York Jets won games they were predicted to lose.

The most anticipated game of the day was between the Buffalo Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, and the Kansas City Chiefs, led by the best quarterback in history, Patrick Mahomes. It did not disappoint. A last-minute interception by Buffalo decided the game, and a rematch will surely come in January of 2023. These are the best two teams in the NFL and my only regret is that they are both in the AFC and will never play against each other in the Super Bowl.

There were other unexpected victories by teams heavily favored by the oddsmakers. As Chris Berman used to say, “that’s why they play the games.”

Change is Inevitable and We Must All Accept This Fact

This brings me back to two players who are continuing to participate in NFL games, although they are well past their prime, and cannot compete in 2022: Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

Tom Brady, who has been referred to as the “GOAT,” the greatest of all time when the discussion becomes about quarterbacks, lost to a team rebuilding after their own Hall of Fame quarterback retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for the New England Patriots between 2001 and 2019, and now for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His success must be attributed mostly to his longtime coach, Bill Belichick, and the owner of the Patriots, Robert Kraft.

Throughout his career in New England, he was seldom sacked or harassed by the defense without an ensuing penalty. Brady is well-known for his fear of physical contact. His first two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were similar with Bruce Arians as his coach. However, things have changed and he is now displaying the influence of aging. I have often questioned how Kraft’s close relationship with Commissioner Roger Goodell affected his career, and how he was protected by the officials on the field.

The Level of Talent in the NFL is Amazing

There is no lack of talent in the NFL. All 53 players and the owners and coaches are relevant to creating a championship team. My other old man on the field is Aaron Rodgers. He is complaining about his teammates; not openly but to those who know him. He refuses to accept the fact that the game has become faster, and his age and experience are detrimental to winning in the first quarter of the 21st century.

The NFL is Constantly Changing and Players are Safer

No professional sport has experienced the changes which became necessary like the NFL. Player safety became a priority after it was discovered that dozens of former players had or were suffering from traumatic brain injury. As it always does, the pendulum of change swings as far forward as it does backward. This continues to display a failure by officials and coaches today. However, this is always a result of the change. In 2022 the game is far more entertaining, and the players are receiving greater protection for their future after they leave the game. This brings me to my final question; “when is it time to retire?”

There is no answer because this decision is personal for every player on all 32 teams. Most realize that professional football is a game, and playing a child’s game cannot last forever. There are many other elements to life that are of far greater importance than the satisfaction of playing a child’s game offers to an adult male.

Every Profession has an Expiration Date

Here’s the bottom line from an old man who has seen every Super Bowl and many NFL Championships before the “biggest game in the world” existed. I am glad that I saw the game as it was designed in my youth. It was brutal and exciting, and I had an opportunity to watch men I believe were the toughest and most ‘macho’ in the world. However, after I ceased to be an old man who resisted change, I now know that professional football is a much better game than it was 60 years ago. There is only one caveat to this admission. Tell broadcasters to stop their fallacious claims about the greatness of players today versus those of the men I watched in my youth. There is no comparison. They are two completely different games.

When It Was a Collision Sport, instead of a Contact Sport

In the 1950s and 60s, nearly every player was bloody at the end of a game, many of them having played both offense and defense. Today I am happy to watch them walk off of the field without the aid of another player, crutches, a wheelchair, or a stretcher. The jerseys of quarterbacks are often clean at the end of a game. Quarterbacks were football players 60 years ago. Today the game centers around him, and therefore he is the most valuable player in the sport: and salaries reflect this fact. With few exceptions, when the starting quarterback is unable to play, their team begins to lose games.

One thing is common in all major sports: when is it time to leave the game?

Arrogance and Ego Replace Common Sense and Reality

Two current quarterbacks come to mind when retirement enters the discussion: Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Sports announcers continue to lavish praise for both older players, Brady the oldest by far at age 46. However, the game has moved past them. It is faster, and the young men who play their position today have abilities far beyond what was needed by them in their prime.

Protecting quarterbacks was priority number one during their best days. However, defensive players are bigger, faster, and have a quickness unexpected 10-20 years ago.

In yesterday’s game between the rebuilding Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady was harassed constantly; knocked down, pushed around, and forced to move out of his comfortable pocket. He was not accustomed to this and was witnessed screaming at his offensive linemen when the Steelers walked off the field victorious.

Others displays

Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers were at home against the formerly worst team in the NFL, the New York Jets. The Packers seldom lose at home. Like Brady, Rodgers was consistently under attack by the defense and looked like the player he is, past his prime.

Rodgers has lost the respect of fans and players for multiple reasons. Brady has lost a family. Although he promised to retire in 2020 and did for a short time, he reneged, and he and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, separated immediately. They are now preparing for a divorce.

I ask these final questions:

Is your health, and how it affects the next 50 years of your life worth playing a child’s game until you are seriously injured? Is the loss of those you love more important than your ego? When is it time to grow up?

By James Turnage, Novelist

Sources:

Bucswire: WATCH: Tom Brady goes off on teammates during loss to Steelers
NFL Football Operations: Imagine the NFL if the rules of play had never changed:
ESPN: Scoreboard roundup — 10/16/22

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Brook Ward’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License