Getty Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady on June 1, 2022 in Las Vegas at Wynn Golf Club.
Trent Dilfer is long past his analyst days and sharing an opinion. But, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Super Bowl winner with the Baltimore Ravens delivered a “hydrogen bomb of a take” regarding two NFL legends regarding the state of today’s quarterback play.
Dilfer shared one eye-grabbing soundbite during the airing of the ESPN 30 for 30 “Bullies of Baltimore” that premiered on Sunday, February 5, which chronicled the 2000 Ravens’ Super Bowl team. Dilfer, who made his final NFL appearance with the 49ers in 2007 before calling it a career, dropped what Taylor Jenkins of the Plant City Observer in Florida called “an absolute hydrogen bomb of a take” while Dilfer singled out Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
“The modern-day game does not impress me. It’s super easy when you don’t get hit as a quarterback and when you can’t reroute receivers and when you can’t hit guys across the middle,” Dilfer is seen ranting about in the clip from the documentary.
He then dropped this hot take: “I love Tom Brady. I love Aaron Rodgers. I love these guys. It’s not impressive. What’s impressive is what (old-school QBs) did.”
Dilfer labeled himself an old school QB for playing in a time the league didn’t have overwhelming rule changes on how defenders can hit quarterbacks. He also played his college football in the early 1990s before suiting up for five different NFL franchises including the 49ers in the end.
Analysts & National Outlets Slam Dilfer
Once the clip went viral, there were many who didn’t take too kindly of Dilfer’s words. Including national media.
CBS Boston’s Michael Hurley was one who ripped the Super Bowl winning quarterback.
“As far as takes go, it’s not great,” Hurley said. He not only continue to call out Dilfer for his take, but added “It’s kind of beyond the need for explanation, right? Like just about everyone who’s graduated kindergarten can know very confidently that Tom Brady actually had an impressive career. Right? Same goes for Aaron Rodgers. Though Rodgers only has one Super Bowl compared to Brady’s seven, he’s been a wizard at quarterback for almost 15 years.” He also included how Dilfer isn’t that much older than Brady or Rodgers.
Hurley wasn’t the only one reacting to Dilfer. Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report said Dilfer was “channeling his inner Shania Twain” when discussing the two QB legends. Another words, it was with Dilfer used the famous song from Twain “That Don’t Impress me Much” in talking about the Super Bowl winning QBs.
Meanwhile, Clutch Points’ Colin Gallant was one who blasted Dilfer, saying “Cue the old man yelling at the cloud GIF.”
Lastly, Andy Nesbitt of Sports Illustrated had this wording in his byline directed toward Dilfer: “Really, dude?”
Dilfer With 49ers
Again, Dilfer’s tenure with the 49ers was his last in the ’07 season.
Dilfer started in six games, going 1-5 overall. He completed 113 of 219 passes for 1,166 yards, tossed seven touchdowns and was intercepted 12 times. That 49ers team finished 5-11 under former head coach Mike Nolan.
Dilfer is now moving into the college football realm. He’s soon to take over the head coaching reins at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, which is now his second head coaching gig after winning the state title at Tennessee high school power Lipscomb Academy and earning two more trips to the state title game.