'Dumbing Down': Tom Brady Criticizes Ascension of Rookie Quarterbacks, Commanders' Jayden Daniels

One man's triumph is another man's tragedy.

While the Washington Commanders gleefully announced this week that rookie No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels had - as expected - won the starting quarterback job, one of the all-time greats at the position is severely downplaying the achievement.

Tom Brady was famously drafted 199th overall in 2000 by the New England Patriots and didn't start until veteran Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury in 2001. Unlike Daniels, he wasn't whisked into NFL stardom, but rather paid his due holding a clipboard on the sidelines as a backup.

“I think it’s just a tragedy that we’re forcing these rookies to play early," Brady said in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith . "But the reality is the only reason why they are is that we’ve dumbed the game down, which has allowed them to play.”

While not specifically naming Daniels, Brady is obviously taking an indirect shot at the Commanders' quarterback of the present and future. Along with, for that matter, other promising rookie quarterback who are set to start for their respective teams this season such as Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, Drake Maye of the Patriots and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos.

Clarifying his remarks, Brady also blamed college programs for not developing quarterbacks properly.

Related: Commanders' Jayden Daniels Reacts to Starting Job: 'Surreal'

“The reality is, we don’t have the processes in place for those players to be better year after year,” he said. “I look at what could be a little dangerous is now there are players transferring from schools when they’re not playing and they’re going to different programs and they’re going to different techniques they’re learning They’re never advancing in an individual system You’re no longer learning a program, you’re learning a playbook."

While most in the NFL are heralding the Commanders for what appears to be a smart pick in Daniels, the new lead analyst at FOX is attributing his quick ascension to the sport of football becoming "dumb."