Tom Brady Back At Practice, Will Likely Play Friday
Tom Brady returned to practice on Thursday and is expected to play in Friday’s preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady was off the field on Wednesday after he suffered a bruise to his left knee during the Patriots’ joint practice with the Bucs.
While the quarterback did tweak his knee, it didn’t appear that the injury was bad enough to force him to the sidelines, reports NFL. Instead, Brady was seen in Thursday’s session wearing a hinged knee brace, but otherwise showing no sign of injury.
The injury happened when Bucs defensive end Adrian Clyborn bull-rushed the Pats’ defensive tackle, Nate Solder. The hit caused Solder to fall into Brady.
He was taken off the field and underwent tests and an MRI to see if there was any damage to the left knee. Thankfully for the team, and for Tom Brady, the MRI results showed no structural damage to the knee.
ESPN notes that Thursday’s practice was also light. The team wore just shells and helmets, rather than the full-pads practice on Wednesday when Tom Brady suffered the injury.
The teams did situational drills, 7-on-7, and 11-on-11 at half speed against the Bucs. There was also no hitting in the much more relaxed atmosphere. After the practice, Pats offensive lineman Logan Mankins explained that Brady “felt great back there, making all the throws, not hobbling around.”
Brady declined interview requests on Thursday and spent time with his family on the field before he left the field. The injury is on the same knee Brady underwent surgery on in 2008. The quarterback tore his ACL during the 2008 season opener against the Chiefs.
Since then, the quarterback has worn a knee brace during games. However, he had a sleeve over the knee when the latest injury occurred. Thankfully, it doesn’t appear to be lasting. He described symptoms that were more consistent with a bruise than a sprain.
Do you think Tom Brady should play on Friday, or should the Patriots rest him for a few days to make sure his knee is okay?
[Image by Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons]