FOXBOROUGH, MASS. – Tom Brady could have waved everyone off Friday with both red gloves and said, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wearing gloves, even during interviews
The Patriots QB isn't talking about his injured hand.
January 20, 2018 at 5:27AM
But he didn't. The Patriots quarterback kept the intrigue brewing over his injured throwing hand, about 48 hours before Sunday's AFC Championship Game against Jacksonville.
Teammates said Brady looked good throwing passes at Friday's practice, but when he took the podium at Gillette Stadium, he said, "I'm not talking about [the injury]."
Asked if he's confident he'll be able to play Sunday, he said, "We'll see," and those words came rather testily.
So the heart palpitations will continue all weekend for New England fans. Brady is a four-time Super Bowl MVP, and the Jaguars have the NFL's best pass defense.
If the 40-year-old Brady can't play, the Patriots must turn to backup Brian Hoyer, and here's where the story gets even stickier.
The Patriots traded former backup Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco at the midseason trading deadline for a second-round draft pick and watched him go 5-0 as a starter for a previously woeful 49ers squad.
Last month, an ESPN the Magazine story reported that Patriots owner Robert Kraft orchestrated that trade, with Brady's blessing. The story said Belichick was "furious and demoralized" when the order came to make the deal.
On Friday, Belichick was asked if Brady's injury left him "any regrets" about trading Garoppolo.
"We're getting ready for Jacksonville," the poker-faced Belichick said, sidestepping the question.
The Patriots listed Brady as a "limited participant" in practice, one day after he missed practice and two days after sustaining the injury. The Boston Globe reported that Brady "jammed his right hand and suffered a cut on a handoff drill."
Speculation mounted that Brady suffered a thumb injury, which could be especially problematic for a quarterback. Belichick revealed nothing, of course.
Asked what his level of concern is that Brady will be able to perform like his usual self Sunday, Belichick said, "Yeah, I don't know. We'll see."
Brady was just named to his 13th Pro Bowl and has a strong case to win his first full-season MVP award since 2010. Brady tossed 32 touchdown passes with eight interceptions and led the NFL in passing yards (4,577).
Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler said Brady threw no interceptions in Friday's practice.
"He looked pretty good to me, throwing pretty good, laughing and joking like he always does," Butler said.
Receiver Danny Amendola said he caught passes from the veteran QB and said he looked "like Tom Brady."
Brady delayed his NFL-mandated media appearance by two days before taking the podium. He had worn the gloves to practice, but keeping them on for the news conference was peculiar.
Has he ever done that for a game?
"It has been a while," he said.
But there is little doubt Brady will play. He hasn't missed a game because of injury since he suffered a torn ACL in the 2008 season opener.
Seven months before that injury, the Patriots were gearing up for the Super Bowl, trying to complete a 19-0 season. Brady was seen wearing a protective boot on an injured ankle.
He answered the bell, throwing for 266 yards, but couldn't prevent the Giants' 17-14 upset.
Still, Brady's toughness and durability are the stuff of legend.
"Tom always tends to show up in big games," Amendola said. "This is a big game."
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
