FOR HATERS, BRADY’S FALL IS AT HAND
The haters, cynics, full-time contrarians and Deflategate truthers now have a new “Doomsday is Nigh in New England” storyline to nurture.
Tom Brady hurt his right throwing hand at practice yesterday. Or so we’ve been told. There’s something about a Brady injury scare to liven things up four days before another AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. Especially one such as this that reportedly occurred during practice as a case of team-friendly-fire.
Brady and the Patriots’ injury report have had a fickle history. He appeared on the team injury report each week for three straight seasons starting on opening day in 2005. “Probable — right shoulder.” That long-running inside joke was never well-received by the NFL.
The week that streak ended, Brady was lost for the 2008 season with a very real ACL injury courtesy of Bernard Pollard. Karma demands respect for the NFL injury report.
In the nine seasons since, Brady has yet to miss a game due to injury. Heading into this season, Brady appeared 186 times on the team’s injury report during his career — the overwhelming number of times for that infamous if not inflamed right shoulder.
Brady made his case this season for a third MVP award by throwing for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns. He appeared on the injury report because of his Achilles after the Week 12 loss in Miami. He had been listed with a left shoulder problem earlier in the season.
Truth is often the most elusive target in Foxboro. There is always unease when it comes to the Patriots, Brady and injuries. Much like within the walls of the Trump White House, facts have become qualitative — and not so much quantitative — commodities inside One Patriots Place.
By the time you read this, we could be hearing from “team sources” that Brady hurt his hand after a fall inside the TB12 clinic or at home while making buckwheat lentil footballs.
In July, Gisele Bundchen let it slip that her hubby suffered a concussion last season and had endured similar injuries in the past. Yet, the words “Brady” and “concussion” have never appeared on the same line in a Patriots’ injury report.
This time, the biggest mystery surrounding Brady’s injury is: “How could this happen in the first place!?!?”
Was it a clumsy offensive lineman? Did a soon-tobe-cut running back miss an assignment? Is James Harrison a Jacksonville spy?
Brady did not meet with national media as scheduled yesterday. The truth of what happened or didn’t happen or how long Brady’s hand may or may not have been hurt will remain a mystery.
But count on Brady playing Sunday against the Jaguars unless Tom Coughlin manages to slip that 18.1-pound block of Kryptonite inside Brady’s locker. The 95.2 percent of America currently holding the Patriots in contempt of everything has been given a morsel of hope. Meanwhile, Blake Bortles remains undefeated in the postseason.
This will be just enough fuel to sustain those folks until they choke on their disappointment Sunday evening.
Hands down.