Good news out of NFL training camp Thursday — it appears Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady didn’t suffer any structural damage and won’t miss a beat. He was, however, wearing a knee brace in practice.
The Patriots wore just shells and helmets for Thursday’s walkthrough practice and Brady, who was wearing a brace on the knee, had no limitations. The teams did a lot of situational drills, 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, at half speed against the Bucs. There was no hitting.
The session was much less intense and strenuous than Wednesday’s full-pads practice, during which Brady went to the ground after left tackle Nate Solder was pushed into him after he released a pass….
…The preliminary diagnosis after an MRI on Brady’s knee Wednesday indicated there was no structural damage. Although there have been reports that the knee is sprained, Brady has described symptoms more consistent with a bruise.
This news is obviously a huge breath of fresh air for anyone even considering taking (or already has) Brady come draft day. No Brady pretty much ensures the Patriots will be as about as exciting as this.
Let’s also remember how secretive teams — especially the Patriots — tend to be in releasing information about their player’s ailments. Brady could still very well be in a lot of pain. Watch him closely Friday night as he plans on playing the team’s second preseason game against the Bucs at Gillette Stadium and monitor how he throws off that knee.
Also note — before you start to feel too sorry for him, remember Brady is married to her.
Josh Helmuth is the editor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JHelmuth or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports for the latest in sports on your newsfeed.
