Yahoo Sports senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson spoke to the seven-time Super Bowl Champion about the state of quarterbacking in the NFL, what he's done in his year away from football, and his advice for Patriots rookie Drake Maye. Tom joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.

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Video Transcript

We're welcoming in fairly distinguished guests.

I must say a uh seven time Super bowl winner, uh Patriots Ring of Honor inductee uh future.

Well, let's just say budding fox analyst, football analyst.

And if I'm not being too presumptuous and I don't think I am a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2028.

Tom Brady.

Thank you so much for, for dropping in with us today.

We really appreciate it.

Thanks Charles, I appreciate it, man.

Few players have had a chance to have such a, a long illustrious career and then another career waiting for them.

I'm curious in that gap year that you've kind of learned maybe about yourself, your thoughts on football just in general that um you know, it's, it's just rare to have that moment to pause and both reflect on your past, but also your future.

You know, I think for me, it's been a transition not playing 28 years.

I played in high school, 32 years of football.

I had my 1st September off.

I got a chance to sit back and be a fan and watch the sport.

I watched the game from a totally different perspective not that of a quarterback but that of an analyst.

Um I worked hard to, to talk to a lot of different people who I really valued their opinion.

Um, enjoyed some time with my kids, you know, took a little time off to enjoy the parts of life that I've maybe missed out on a little bit.

I think about, you know, when you came into the league, I'm curious if you're still looking at Polaroids on the sideline, how much the technology is advanced for the quarterback position?

But I wonder, you know, projecting out, let's say to 2045 is there still room to innovate at the quarterback position?

Do you think there's still a, a ceiling to be reached there?

Well, I think the quarterbacking has gone backwards a little bit in the NFL.

I don't think it's improved.

I don't think the teachings improved.

I think maybe the physical fundamentals might be a little bit improved because there's better information out there for quarterbacks to study on mechanics.

But I don't think quarterbacks are really field generals right now like they used to be.

It's a broad statement, certainly, but I had total control.

I had all the tools I needed and I was coached that way.

I was developed to have the tools that I need to go on the field.

So that whenever something came up, I had the right play, the right formation, the right audible, the right check at the line to ultimately take control of the 11 guys on offense and get us into a good positive play.

I saw the same thing on defense, I think now there's this try to control element from the sideline between the coaches where they wanna have the control and they're not teaching and developing the players the right tools so they can go on the field and make their own decisions that are best suited for the team.

Patriots have Drake may obviously select him very high in the draft.

Is there something Drake may can take away or a piece of advice you can give him that is really gonna be fundamental to some success for him at the NFL level.

So I'm very fortunate to be around him and I like him a lot.

I've heard great things about him, but you know, his opportunity is gonna be really what he makes of it and how he wants to develop it and how he wants to um attack his profession like we all do.

It's not where you're at when you're 22 it's who you're around when you're 22 you know, who inspires you to be better, who develops you.

I was so fortunate.

I look at my career, I was looking around at other competitors like Peyton Manning like Steve mcnair, um Vinny Testaverde was playing for the Jets.

Brett Favre was playing, I mean, I was looking around at quarterbacks who were unbelievable and I had coaches that were unbelievable.

The competition was tough.

My coaches were tough.

I had to grow and develop and I would want those guys to have the same thing.

I just don't see it the same way that I, that I saw it back then.

I see a lesser developed player, lesser developed coaches, they're not teaching anymore.

There's less time to teach.

There's a lot of reasons why and I would like to see the game, you know, hopefully, first of all, we got to become aware of it and then we need to put some things in place to make those changes.

Tell me about the importance of the program being part of, of the H family and really what, what it's brought to the table for you.

So I've been an ambassador for going on four years.

But I think for me, it was always about the experience that they delivered for the customer and joining a great team and they're very focused on winning.

They're very focused on delivering for the consumer.

Every single time you book with herds, they want to deliver a seamless experience.

And I think the campaigns that we've had been Let's go campaign to this latest one where we talked about the experience of you skipping the counter walking straight to the airport straight to the lot, grabbing your car, earning your points and then zip it off to your final location.

We wanted to make these all fun to to view but also very fun for the, the consumer to, to kind of join our team.

Yeah, Tom, I appreciate your time.

Good luck with your time in the booth and, and the let's let's go campaign.

Thanks for joining us.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

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