Brady Will Play in Super Bowl
Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady Says Ankle is Okay
New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady said he suffered a slight sprain in the AFC Championship game, but he'll be ready to play the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady acknowledged Sunday he suffered a “mild high ankle sprain” while playing in the AFC Championship game Jan. 20.
Brady confirmed the injury – perhaps the worst kept post-season secret of the NFL this year – after the team landed in Phoenix, Arizona to continue preparations for the team’s Super Bowl XLII showdown with the New York Giants.
The poster boy quarterback was photographed Jan. 21 with an orthopedic boot on his right foot while in New York City visiting his supermodel girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen.
“It’s feeling good,” Brady told the media. “I’ll be ready to go.” He said he didn’t practice with the Patriots last week, but assured Pats’ fans he’ll be 100% for Sunday’s Super Bowl confrontation. “I’m not concerned about how it’s going to affect my play.”
Brady played all but a couple of sets of downs throughout New England’s 18-0 march to the championship match. He’s played through a variety of minor injuries in the past. He confirmed an analysis performed last week by ESPN commentators that Brady “tweaked” the ankle during a play against San Diego in the third quarter of the AFC Championship contest.
"It was in the San Diego game, I think in the third quarter," Brady remarked.
The night of Jan. 21 was the first and last time the media saw Brady wearing the boot. Since then he’s been seen in public walking normally with no noticeable limp. The New York media blew the matter all out of proportion, sending New England fans into orbit, fearing that the All-Pro quarterback wouldn’t be available for action in the Super Bowl.
Many sports commentators poked fun at the hoopla surrounding Brady’s boot, publicly thanking their lucky stars that a good story line was forthcoming two weeks before the season’s climax.
Brady set a new NFL record during the regular season by tossing 50 touchdown passes, many of them early in the season when the Pats were regularly blowing the opposition out of whichever stadium they were playing in. After opponents’ pass defenses stiffened against Tom Terrific he still threw enough TD passes when it counted, usually late in the game when the Patriots were trailing.
New England head coach Bill Belichick, normally a closemouthed, taciturn person, ignored questions posed to him last week when asked about Brady’s physical condition. His standard response was that the QB would be ready to play on Feb. 3.
