SBLII: The Brady Watch

Reverend

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The actual worst nightmare is reading a Cimini hot take on the Patriots.
Until I saw that Cimini piece, I never imagined Belichick and Brady hanging out at that roadside bar just sitting back trying to recapture a little glimpse of the glory that might have been but has, alas, been so foolishly squandered.
 

Average Reds

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ESPN is of course taking another shot at the Patriots, this time via Rich Cimini... http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4810617/ill-advised-jimmy-g-trade-will-haunt-patriots-if-tom-brady-isnt-right

Likely no need to click through as most of the article is stuff we already know. Here is the key contention:

"The Patriots have a mini-crisis, and they'll have no one to blame but themselves if this turns into the worst-case scenario -- if Brady struggles and the defending Super Bowl champions lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. If that's how it plays out, the Patriots will be subjected to an offseason of massive criticism, and it would be justified because they sold off the NFL's best insurance policy -- Jimmy Garoppolo -- for 50 cents on the dollar."​

And the shrill scream of self-righteousness that follows:

"[Having to turn to Brian Hoyer on Sunday] would be the Patriots' worst nightmare, and it would shine a harsh light on the Garoppolo trade and the story behind it. ESPN the Magazine recently reported that Belichick wasn't on board with it, and that he was "furious and demoralized" when the deal went down at the trading deadline. The story reported that owner Robert Kraft, perhaps influenced by Brady, ordered the trade. Kraft, in an interview with The MMQB.com, told a conflicting version, saying Belichick was the driving force behind it.

Someone isn't telling the truth."​

And the oh-so-skillful conclusion:

"New England is in the business of winning now, and they left themselves vulnerable. It's ironic, because they've been two steps ahead of the competition for nearly two decades, winning five Super Bowls. This season, they made one move too many, creating their current predicament.

[Paragraph about other players using comments about Brady's looks]

They can joke about it now. If Brady isn't Brady and the Patriots fall one game short of the Super Bowl, the offseason fallout could get ugly."​
I'm astounded at the press coverage of this. Hell, the Philly news media looks stable and reasonable next to this.

With that said, I have two thoughts about the quoted portions of the article:

1. Hindsight is the very best kind of sight.
2. As Marciano said earlier in the thread, it's too bad the Pats have nothing to fall back on if this season doesn't work out.

BTW, I will believe that Brady doesn't play when I see him glued to the bench.
 

Leather

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Until I saw that Cimini piece, I never imagined Belichick and Brady hanging out at that roadside bar just sitting back trying to recapture a little glimpse of the glory that might have been but has, alas, been so foolishly squandered.
If only Brady could have thrown that speed ball by ‘em in that one AFC Championship.
 

CoffeeNerdness

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Here's another photo from yesterday.



Enhance!


Personally, I don't see a brace, but his thumb seems to be cocked in an unnatural position as in the other photo (which could just be a timing of the photo thing.)
 

TheoShmeo

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Sally’s most insightful point:

In a way, McCourty’s joking around was the first illuminating moment of the day: Would he be so cheerful if there was a serious danger that Brady could sit out? You had to figure not. Brady has staunchly played through injuries throughout his 18-year career — broken fingers, cracked ribs, sore ankles, stress fractures — without letting a complaint sideline him. This season he has battled a bad shoulder and an Achilles’ problem. Though he has missed assorted midweek practices, he has always played. He hasn’t missed a game, in fact, since 2008, when he blew out his anterior cruciate ligament. He is not likely to miss this one.
 

DaveRoberts'Shoes

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DRS, correct me if I’m wrong, but if it was the UCL wouldn’t he be in a cockup splint or a spica splint to fully immobilize it for the time being? Outside of surgery it’s just rest and industrial strength anti-inflammatories for something like that, right?

Since it isn’t fully immobilized that’s a good sign, right?
Not necessarily in this case - they may be just playing around with different forms of bracing to see what can make him comfortable but still allow him to throw. They’re not doing his definitive treatment at this point, just trying to temporize things to get him through. If he even needs any “definitive treatment”, who knows
 

loshjott

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Sally’s most insightful point:

In a way, McCourty’s joking around was the first illuminating moment of the day: Would he be so cheerful if there was a serious danger that Brady could sit out? You had to figure not. Brady has staunchly played through injuries throughout his 18-year career — broken fingers, cracked ribs, sore ankles, stress fractures — without letting a complaint sideline him. This season he has battled a bad shoulder and an Achilles’ problem. Though he has missed assorted midweek practices, he has always played. He hasn’t missed a game, in fact, since 2008, when he blew out his anterior cruciate ligament. He is not likely to miss this one.
She's brilliant!

Patriots Injury News Thread
 

Marciano490

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Here's another photo from yesterday.



Enhance!


Personally, I don't see a brace, but his thumb seems to be cocked in an unnatural position as in the other photo (which could just be a timing of the photo thing.)
Not trying to pick on you in particular, but I can't imagine anyone here or really anywhere has ever looked at pictures taken of people's hands at random intervals. Anyone trying to find anything unnatural about positioning is probably just picking up on the fact that we have ten fingers and they all have a bit of flexibility and if you take a picture of them at any given second a couple of them are bound to look weird.

I mean, look at the pinky on his right hand! That's no normal angle!!!
 

edmunddantes

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Not necessarily in this case - they may be just playing around with different forms of bracing to see what can make him comfortable but still allow him to throw. They’re not doing his definitive treatment at this point, just trying to temporize things to get him through. If he even needs any “definitive treatment”, who knows
The Shadow knows.
 

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CoffeeNerdness

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Not trying to pick on you in particular, but I can't imagine anyone here or really anywhere has ever looked at pictures taken of people's hands at random intervals. Anyone trying to find anything unnatural about positioning is probably just picking up on the fact that we have ten fingers and they all have a bit of flexibility and if you take a picture of them at any given second a couple of them are bound to look weird.

I mean, look at the pinky on his right hand! That's no normal angle!!!
That's why I added "which could just be the timing of the photo".
 

Dogman

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Excellent response by McCourty when asked about Brady's hand: “When you look at Tom, (you look at) the facial (region), it’s hard to look at anything else. So, I really only saw his face.”


Also Kyle van Noy when asked about how Brady looked: "Tom always looks good. He’s handsome, and he’s good at football."
I must say, I heartily applaud and endorse these quotes and I promise I have not written them.

He is very handsome.
 

PayrodsFirstClutchHit

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Still no roster move to sign another QB huh?
This was my point yesterday. There is zero chance BB goes into the AFCCG with one usable QB on the roster. Since they have not made a move, it seems clear to me that Brady will play and that he is just avoiding the potential to aggravate the injury further by not practicing.
 

twothousandone

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I will believe that Brady doesn't play when I see him glued to the bench.
While the distraction is a bit amusing (and I imagine it will end up as more of a distraction for Jacksonville than for New England), I think the real concern should be the impact on what Brady can do when he is on the field. It's still tough to imagine him not playing, so:

Is his grip slightly compromised, so a blind side sack is more likely to knock the ball loose. (Can Brady compensate by keeping two hands on the ball longer?)

Will either his accuracy throwing or his ability to throw deep be compromised? If ether of those is the case, I'm glad it is Tom Brady adjusting to his physical ailments, and not someone else.
 

Captaincoop

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This was my point yesterday. There is zero chance BB goes into the AFCCG with one usable QB on the roster. Since they have not made a move, it seems clear to me that Brady will play and that he is just avoiding the potential to aggravate the injury further by not practicing.
I get this, but if Brady can't go, and Hoyer plays and then gets hurt, does it really make any difference if you let Ryan Lindley or whoever stand back there and hand the ball off, or just snap it directly to a running back? The game is 100% lost at that point, they're not going to be throwing the ball downfield with a quarterback they signed off the street on Friday.
 

8slim

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I get this, but if Brady can't go, and Hoyer plays and then gets hurt, does it really make any difference if you let Ryan Lindley or whoever stand back there and hand the ball off, or just snap it directly to a running back? The game is 100% lost at that point, they're not going to be throwing the ball downfield with a quarterback they signed off the street on Friday.
Zolak's up in the booth. They can sneak him down and put Hogan's jersey on him.
 

wiffleballhero

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I get this, but if Brady can't go, and Hoyer plays and then gets hurt, does it really make any difference if you let Ryan Lindley or whoever stand back there and hand the ball off, or just snap it directly to a running back? The game is 100% lost at that point, they're not going to be throwing the ball downfield with a quarterback they signed off the street on Friday.
Against Pittsburgh, yes. Against Jax, with some of the short stuff the Pats do and Gronk, I don't know. A doomsday situation at QB still contains the possibility that the Pats are still only 13 points away from winning.

Who is the third QB in this situation? Ghost was a pitcher in college. He should be fine back there.
 

Saints Rest

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Against Pittsburgh, yes. Against Jax, with some of the short stuff the Pats do and Gronk, I don't know. A doomsday situation at QB still contains the possibility that the Pats are still only 13 points away from winning.

Who is the third QB in this situation? Ghost was a pitcher in college. He should be fine back there.
I seem to recall Vince Wilfork saying that he could play any position on a football field including QB. They might even have let him do so during a pre-season practice.
But knowing how BB plans for every contingency, I have 100% confidence that Bill knows exactly who gets put back there if both QBs went down.
My guess as to who that guy would be: Jacob Hollister. From the Pats website:
  • Helped lead Mountain View High School to the 5A state championship as the team’s quarterback in his senior season, giving the city of Bend its first state title since 1940. Finished the 2011 season 112-of-172 passing for 1,855 yards with 31 touchdowns and three interceptions.
 

leetinsley38

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A friend's cousin is friends with Will Middlebrooks. Supposedly Will is friends with Nate Solder. The word through that chain is that Brady has 14 stitches in his hand.

So needless to say, it doesn't look good.
 

wiffleballhero

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Hollister know the offense and presumably could pick up yardage on his own now and again. That would be a riot. Someone should have asked about how many snaps he is taking under center in practices. Would have loved to seen Bill's expression for that one.
 

Adrian's Dome

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A friend's cousin is friends with Will Middlebrooks. Supposedly Will is friends with Nate Solder. The word through that chain is that Brady has 14 stitches in his hand.

So needless to say, it doesn't look good.
I hope you're kidding with this. There's "I heard a rumor", then there's this 8th down the line shit.

I really can't wait for Brady to light it up.
 

mostman

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A friend's cousin is friends with Will Middlebrooks. Supposedly Will is friends with Nate Solder. The word through that chain is that Brady has 14 stitches in his hand.

So needless to say, it doesn't look good.
To believe this would be to believe that Solder casually told his friend about the health of Tom Brady. Do you believe this?
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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This is all really upsetting, but the solace is five championships.

A sixth would be awesome. Losing a chance at a sixth after being this close because of a practice injury would be just absolute shit.

But, on the other hand, what if we won with Hoyer? I know we have no information yet about Brady's readiness, but I'm still just playing the what if game that five championships gives you the opportunity to play. If somehow Bill Belichick won with the next man up, it would in many ways be our finest hour. I'm not rooting for it, obviously. But there are some luxuries you get rooting for this team.

We've seen an amazing come back. We've seen a goal line interception. We've seen 19-0 dashed. Ups and downs. We've been the luckiest fans in sports for 2 decades. Why do you watch? Why do you care? Losing 17-3 with Hoyer is not why I watch. But winning 21-17 with him, as improbable as it might be, would be absolutely incredible. I'm bummed to have the championship run up sullied with this crap but fuck it I'm just going to ride the wave.
 

Al Zarilla

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Has Tom thrown a football since this happened? Sounds like not at the official Patriots practices. Maybe at a secret practice field, or to Gisele in the back yard?



They haven’t put another QB on the squad, so it’s Tom and Hoyer. I can’t believe he goes into Sunday without demonstrating he can throw a football like Tom Brady. It’s only Friday, I know.