Aaron Rodgers says NFL rule changes have created 'flag football' environment for quarterbacks, compares it to a 'softening of society'

Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady played across multiple eras of the NFL and have seen a lot of changes in the game, some for the betterment and some for the detriment of the league.

One area that they are in agreement about is that the games are too regulated.

"Rule changes have created a lot of bad habits," the former Green Bay Packers quarterback said Tuesday during his regular appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" while reacting to Brady's interview on Stephen A. Smith's YouTube show earlier this week.

Brady made headlines on Monday when he said he doesn't see "the excellence" that he saw in the past when giving his thoughts about the state of the NFL in a wide-ranging interview.

"There is a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL," Brady proclaimed.

Brady said besides coaching and the development of players "not as good," he brought up that the rule changes are playing a big role in this.

Comments from Brady, who has a lot of clout in the game from his seven Super Bowl championships and 20-plus-year career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, got people's attention.

Aaron Rodgers reacts to Tom Brady's comments about NFL rules

Rodgers agreed with Brady ‒ two future Hall of Famers who each were severely injured on hits by defensive players in their careers ‒ that it's very "tough" to play defense in today's game.

And Rodgers compared the NFL to the world as a whole.

"If looking at big picture," Rodgers said, "the softening of society has caused things like this."

"Look at all the sports," he continued. "Hockey doesn't have the enforcer position. People want to see football as a collision sport but not to the point where guys are getting mangled on the field."

Rodgers, like Brady, said he came into a game knowing certain players "were big hitters" and he would adjust his strategy when they're on the field.

That goes for teams as well.

"You play the Lions you know you're getting rocked just about every snap you're taking," Rodgers said. "Go back to some of the film from '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, the game was refed differently."

Rodgers isn't saying that player safety shouldn't be considered but it's just that some rules have "gone too far."

"Some of the quarterbacks are getting rewarded for sliding late sometimes and taking very light shots," he claimed. "Being hit is part of the game."

What was the Anthony Barr hit on Aaron Rodgers?

Rodgers knows all about that during his 19-year career that has been put on pause while he recovers from a torn Achilles he suffered in Week 1 of this season as a member of the New York Jets.

Rodgers brought up one hit in particular on Tuesday that brought about a change.

It was Week 6 during the 2017 season with the Packers playing the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers, coming off an NFC title game appearance, came into that game 3-1 after winning a shootout with the Dallas Cowboys. But everything changed for the Packers, Rodgers and the NFL on one hit.

After Rodgers released a pass in the first quarter as he was rolling to his right, Minnesota's Anthony Barr tackled him outside of the pocket and landed on him. Rodgers stayed down. He had a broken collarbone. The Packers turned to Brett Hundley and the team finished 7-9, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.

A penalty was not called and over six years later it sounds like Rodgers is just fine with that.

Rodgers said he "didn't feel like it was a dirty hit."

"I didn't get the ball out quick enough," Rodgers said Tuesday. "He was able to grab me in a certain way. Unfortunately, it was a football play that went bad for me."

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Did Anthony Barr's hit on Aaron Rodgers from 2017 change the rules?

In Tuesday's interview Rodgers said the Barr hit "changed one of the rules" in the NFL.

Following the 2017 season, the NFL did in fact change how defenders can tackle a quarterback after Barr's hit on Rodgers.

To protect the quarterback, players could no longer land on top of quarterbacks with all or most of their body weight while the passer is in a "defenseless posture."

The NFL showed the Barr hit in a video to teams on what wasn't allowed ahead of the 2018 season.

Rodgers said there has to be a balance between safety and not treating the quarterback position like a "flag football environment."

"Nobody wants the crazy spearing out there but there's a happy medium somewhere," Rodgers said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aaron Rodgers reacts to Tom Brady interview, Anthony Barr hit in 2017