Charles Woodson said Monday on ESPN he believes the NFL is catching up to Tom Brady, who’s had a lackluster 2018 season for the New England Patriots.
Woodson, a former Pro Bowl defensive back who played with Brady at Michigan, isn’t alone in noticing that regression, although Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe thinks another factor is responsible for the QB’s decline.
“It’s not the NFL. It’s Father Time,” Sharpe said Tuesday on FS1’s “Undisputed.” “Now, I’ve been ahead of the curve with this. But see, for me, I guess because Charles played with Tom at Michigan and Tom is viewed a little different than Shannon, he’s not going to get called a hater. But when I point something out, I’m a hater. But you know what? That’s OK. I’ll live with it. I don’t mind being called a hater.”
"Over Tom Brady's last 7 games, he's thrown 8 TDs. 20 QBs have more TDs in that span: Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky. Patrick Mahomes has 23 over that same timespan. … That's Tom Brady, but he's not slipping?" — @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/EzFD9PIxe1
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) December 18, 2018
Patriots haters have been all over Brady since New England’s 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Patriots have suffered back-to-back losses and now have five regular-season blemishes on their record for the first time since 2009.
While Brady isn’t the only player deserving of blame amid the Patriots’ struggles, he certainly hasn’t played up to his usual standards at age 41, opening the door for his critics to come out in droves as New England limps toward the playoffs.
