Tom Brady Back to the Playing Field

Tom Brady is expected to start for New England in their regular season opener. That’s the latest from the usually secretive coach Bill Belichick. Brady practiced Wednesday and both he and coach said afterwards the quarterback is considered ready for Sunday’s game against Kansas City.

The NFL’s reigning MVP has been dogged by an injury to his right foot during the preseason, and it’s not the first time the foot has been an issue for Brady. Going back to the playoffs of last season, Brady was seen wearing a protective boot in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. In that game against the Giants, Brady appeared somewhat immobile, absorbing five sacks and the loss. Whispers have continued that Brady’s foot may have been a major factor in the Patriot’s disappointing end to an otherwise perfect season.

Even before the infamous boot though, the star quarterback has had a long history of playing hurt. Brady has been listed as injured in some capacity by New England nearly every week over the last few seasons; including every week last year during the Patriots perfect regular season. And that right foot isn’t the only sore part on Brady’s body. This week, with his foot garnering all of the attention, Brady’s right shoulder is also listed as injured on the practice report.

Knowing first hand Brady’s medical history, and his importance to the team, it may come as no surprise that Belichick has gone the way of caution in regards to his star quarterback and team leader.

Without Brady, the Patriots would go from arguably the best team in the AFC, to struggling for a playoff spot. Backing up Brady the Patriots have Matt Cassel, who was unable to lead the Patriots to a single touchdown this preseason. Behind Cassel, there is rookie third round pick Kevin O’Connel and second year quarterback Matt Gutierrez. So if Brady were to go down, even for a few games, New England would not have a proven backup they could turn to. And with the much improved AFC looming around them, the Patriots will need Tom Brady’s expertise and experience to get back in the Super Bowl.

That experience that Brady brings is also another excuse to let him sit during the preseason. A truly elite NFL quarterback, the three time Super Bowl champion has been running the same system throughout his career. We can rest assured that learning the playbook won’t be an issue for him. Chemistry with his wide-outs shouldn’t be an issue for Brady either, as his two top receivers from last season are returning. Playing this preseason would have only been about getting up to game speed for Brady. And tempo should not be a big problem for a guy who threw a record setting fifty touchdown passes last season.

Any lingering health concerns over Brady’s foot may be eased knowing that the quarterback himself insists he could have played every preseason game. New England was predictably hushed on the subject, not easing anyone’s fears, or hopes, that the quarterback may actually miss a regular season game. But consider that Tom Brady has currently played in 128 consecutive games. That gives him the third longest streak in all of NFL history in that category, behind Brett Favre (275) and Peyton Manning (173). Toughness is one of Brady’s more admirable, less mentioned traits as a player.

He lobbied for playing time every week this preseason, but Belichick and the coaches decided it wasn’t worth risking their franchise’s golden arm. They spent their time evaluating three backup quarterbacks instead, choosing to keep their most important player out of harm’s way for the most meaningless games of the season. They’re betting Brady is talented and tested enough to step right in and find his groove once the games count.

The same good faith was used with Randy Moss last preseason, who missed all four games with an ankle injury in his first season with New England. He opened the season with 189 receiving yards on nine catches, including a touchdown. Brady and Moss went on to put up huge numbers together, along with Wes Welker during New England’s perfect regular season.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that New England sees the potential upside to letting their star veterans use the preseason to get rested and healthy. They would much rather have Tom Brady asking to play hurt in the preseason, than to have to ask Tom Brady to play hurt in the postseason.

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