Tom Brady thinks low hits on receivers should be illegal

It's hard to tackle Rob Gronkowski high, defenders already have a ton of rules against hitting players up high, but there's something wrong about what happened on Sunday night.

The NFL is not a better place with safeties diving at receivers' knees, as Denver Broncos safety Darian Stewart did to Gronkowski, the New England Patriots' all-time great tight end. Stewart dove at Gronkowski's knees once early in Sunday night's game. The second time he did it, Gronkowski was taken off on a cart. Gronkowski was very lucky it was just a bone bruise and a sprain and not a season-ending injury.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn't have the answer on Sunday night after the game, when he just said hits like Stewart's on Gronkowski is just how the game is played now. But with some time to think about it, Brady realized that diving at a defenseless receiver's knees just isn't right.

"I do think they should change some of those rules with defenseless receivers," Brady said Wednesday, according to CNNNE's Tom Curran. "I don't think there's anything different from a chop block. Everyone else has their legs protected in the NFL. Quarterbacks get their legs protected. Defensive linemen get their legs protected. Linebackers get their legs protected. I don't see why a defenseless receiver shouldn't get his legs protected either. Maybe that's something they'll look at in the offseason."

This has been an issue in the past, notably when tight end Dustin Keller's career ended on a preseason hit by then-Houston Texans safety D.J. Swearinger in 2013. Nobody who saw that play would say that's good for the game. It's dangerous and offensive players in question have no chance of protecting themselves. But after Keller's injury, the discussion just kind of faded away.

Having one of the league's biggest stars out for at least a week should start the conversation again, and having Brady speak out on it brings more attention as well. What happened with Gronkowski shouldn't be legal. Outlawing those hits would make defensive players' jobs tougher, but that's probably a better option than a few blown ACLs or another career ending.