You can’t hit a defenseless receiver high in the NFL anymore. If Tom Brady had his way, you won’t be able to hit them at all.

Terrell Owens Wants To Play Football More Than Rob Gronkowski

When asked about the injury sustained by Rob Gronkowski in the Patriots’ 30-24 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, the Patriots QB said, per ESPN: "It's obviously a contact sport, guys are going to get hit, [but] I do think they should change some of those rules with those defenseless receivers.

"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 as well."

Admittedly, player safety remains top priority in the NFL. The less injuries sustained the better.

Tom Brady Is A Horrible Father

But there’s a fine line in transforming the NFL from this:

To this:

Not to say that defenseless receivers shouldn’t be protected, but this is the reality the NFL embraced after a stern emphasis was made to avoid helmet-to-helmet hits.

Simply put: players are so fearful of a fine, penalty or suspension, that they’ve resorted to aiming lower. Taking that away would limit an elite-level athlete traveling at unconscionable speeds to a six-inch window for delivering a hit.

A virtual impossibility for the modern athlete in today’s NFL.

At some point the league must decide what's most important: player safety or the integrity of the game?

Because eventually, you can't have both.

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