New England Patriots’ Tom Brady returns to practice, downplays absence – NFL News Update
Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots made a return to practice on Thursday after having missed the practice session a day before.
Brady sounded as if it was no big deal having missed practice for just a day.
"It's not the first practice I have missed over the years. When coach feels it's best that you do other things to get yourself ready, that's what you do, and you still use all that time very wisely", Brady said.
Brady’s return to the field comes as good news for the Patriots who are gearing up for a duel with the Baltimore Ravens in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game this Sunday, January 22, 2012.
He had invited trouble when he sustained an injury to his left shoulder while playing against the Miami Dolphins. The injury never surfaced and the Patriots were found little speaking about it over the time. Apparently the injury had not seemed to be of
any concern as it did not force him to miss any of the games.
It seemed that the injury that had been downplayed all the time took its toll on the quarterback and that was the reason why he missed practice on Wednesday.
The injury was not evident when Brady played the Denver Broncos as he threw six touchdowns in that game, equalling the record in National Football League (NFL) history while showing no signs of an injury or stress. However, he had his name removed from the
injury list just two days prior to the AFC divisional playoff game.
This could suggest that Brady did continue to suffer from the injury.
However, as he practiced on Thursday, taking part in a few drills and using his left shoulder to carry the ball, he seemed far away from being unfit for the next game.
“You come off a game Saturday or Sunday and you’re just doing everything you can to be prepared. You’re just putting in extra work and making sure you’re getting prepared", Brady said showing determination to be part of the game this Sunday.
Brady added that they were now faced with the best team they have played all year and every one needed to be at full strength stating that the next game would be a very “tough” one.
He has not missed a single game after having sustained the injury and was present on the field against the Buffalo Bills along with every offensive series against the Broncos in the divisional playoff game.
All the Patriots players were present on Thursday’s practice.
Earlier on, 12 Patriots players had been listed as limited in practice on Wednesday while tight end, Aaron Hernandez, also made a comeback to practice after having sustained a head injury in the fourth quarter of the game against the Broncos.
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