Several members of Pittsburgh Steelers media didn’t agree with the NFL’s decision to suspend safety Damontae Kazee for the rest of the season because of his helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
He’s definitely not part of the Steelers media, and has yet to fully become an NFL analyst. But former quarterback Tom Brady implied that he agreed with the idea that Kazee received too much of the blame for the hit.
Brady explained why in a long social media rant on December 18.
“Nobody likes seeing players get hurt. But hard hits happen,” Brady wrote. “QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits.
“Coaches need to coach better, QBs needs to read coverages and throw the ball to the right places and defenders should aim for the right hitting areas.
“To put the blame on the defensive player all the time is just flat out wrong. Need better QB play!! It’s not OK QBs to get your WRs hit because of your bad decisions!”
On the play where Kazee received his ejection in Week 15 and subsequent suspension, Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew delivered a pass to Pittman that set him up for a big hit.
Brady didn’t address Minshew’s throw specifically. But based on the timing of his rant, it seems Brady would likely argue the throw shouldn’t have been made.
On top of the poor decision, the throw was inaccurate. Minshew’s pass was too far up field, leading Pittman into Kazee.
Tom Brady Previously Critical of ‘Mediocrity’ in 2023 NFL
Brady’s comments on December 18 echoed what he said about a month ago on The Stephen A. Smith Show. During his guest appearance on that show, Brady put NFL quarterback play and the league’s coaching on notice.
“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL. I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.” Brady said on November 20. “I think the coaching isn’t as good as it was.
“I don’t think the development of young players is as good as it was, I don’t think the schemes are as good as they were.”
It’s hard to argue against the idea that quarterback play is down this season. That’s true in large part because of all the injuries behind center around the league.
The Steelers-Colts Week 15 matchup, which was between two playoff-hopeful teams, is a great example. Both teams started backup quarterbacks on December 16 due to injuries.
Minshew outshined Mitch Trubisky on the stat sheet (by a mile). But it’s pretty evident that Brady would argue Minshew displayed the questionable decision-making he has throughout his career on the throw to Pittman that led to the collision with Kazee.
NFL Media Criticize Gardner Minshew for Pass That Led to Damontae Kazee Hit
Several Steelers reporters voiced their displeasure with Kazee’s suspension on X (formerly Twitter) on December 18. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly simply referred to Kazee’s suspension as “bulls***.”
Some members of the national NFL media agreed with that sentiment and made the same argument as Brady — Minshew should shoulder some of the blame for Pittman’s concussion.
“So if Minshew’s throw doesn’t force Pittman to be fully extended to catch the ball, Kazee would be completely fine,” wrote NFL draft analyst Jon Ledyard. “But because the QB threw a bad ball that made the WR’s head be lower than it should have been at contact point, he gets suspended.
“Absolutely insane process by the NFL.”
So if Minshew’s throw doesn’t force Pittman to be fully extended to catch the ball, Kazee would be completely fine. But because the QB threw a bad ball that made the WR’s head be lower than it should have been at contact point, he gets suspended. Absolutely insane process by NFL.
Heavy.com’s Paul A. Esden Jr. agreed.
“Maybe if Gardner Minshew didn’t give him a hospital ball he wouldn’t have gotten smacked,” Esden tweeted with a shoulder shrug emoji. “Why are defenders getting punished for bad QB play?”
Despite the growing narrative that Minshew should receive some blame for Pittman’s concussion, CamIsMoney still argued the quarterback’s throw on the play isn’t being discussion enough.
“Not enough people are talking about Gardner Minshew setting up Pittman for his hit,” he wrote.
Not enough people are talking about Gardner Minshew setting up Pittman for this hit
With Brady weighing in on the topic, though, it’s very likely that more people will take notice of Minshew’s role in Pittman’s concussion.
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Tom Brady Comes Down Hard on NFL After Steelers’ Kazee Suspension