Across every sport, legends always have something to say about how the game is ‘not what it used to be.’ And this time, it was none other than the Dallas Cowboys’ greatest quarterback ever, Troy Aikman, stepping up to share his take. Let’s just say, he’s not exactly a fan of what football’s become.

“Now, we look at these off-schedule plays and they say ‘you gotta be able to do this, that’. I still think there’s a job for Peyton Manning in his prime. There’s still a job for Tom Brady, Drew Brees, guys who weren’t all that athletic,” Aikman said.

“But we lose sight of that. I believe the ball’s just gotta come out. And I just don’t see that enough. So at some levels, the game is frustrating to me. I don’t know if the structure within the system is what it used to be,” he added.

Aikman’s basically calling out how today’s QBs are improvising way too much. The league’s become obsessed with “off-schedule” plays that break structure and pretty much rely on pure athleticism. The modern QB isn’t just a precise passer anymore. He needs to be part running back, part escape artist.

Today, QBs are running a lot more than we’re used to. Just look at the numbers. In 2024, the top rushing quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson (915 yards), Jayden Daniels (891 yards), and Jalen Hurts (630 yards). These numbers were not common for a quarterback back in the day.

Peyton Manning, who threw for 71,940 yards, never rushed for more than 157 yards in his storied 17-year NFL career. The most Tom Brady rushed for in a season was 110 yards back in 2002. Even Aikman himself, who rushed for 302 yards in his first season, doesn’t come close.

And Aikman’s “ball’s gotta come out” line? It would make sense when you look at the numbers. Data from Next Gen Stats shows quarterbacks today are taking longer than ever to get rid of the ball. The 2023 season had the most QBs averaging over 2.80 seconds to throw since the stat started being tracked in 2016. But amid all the criticism, he made sure to give props to one guy who got it right.

Troy Aikman had high praise for Tom Brady

Talking about today’s QB play took Aikman back to the old days. And he couldn’t help but reminisce about Tom Brady‘s genius. “The reason Tom Brady won so many games. One, he was a good player; he had good players around him. But he knew how to win. And there’s something to be said for that,” Aikman said.

And honestly, he’s right. Brady might not have been the most athletic or the flashiest, but he was the smartest. His arm was as accurate as it gets, and he was the ultimate competitor. Surrounded by legends in New England, sure. But his biggest strength was knowing how to win.

Because after all, you can be part of the greatest dynasty the sport has seen, have the best play caller in the game, and still come up short. Brady rarely ever let that happen. The man won the Super Bowl in his first year as the starter, not to mention the third and fourth years.

That is exactly why he has seven Super Bowl rings and 35 playoff wins to his name. These numbers are pretty much enough to back up Troy Aikman’s case. Peyton Manning had a version of it, too, but no one embodied that killer winning mentality like Brady did. No one ever will, probably. But here’s to hoping.