FOXBORO -- Tom Brady’s training camp workload’s been a little lighter in the past week and he didn’t take a snap in Thursday’s preseason opener against Washington.
Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports that Brady sat because he is “dealing with a sore back.”
How dire is it? Not dire enough to put Brady out of action completely. He did warm up before Thursday’s game and was in uniform on the sidelines and not showing signs of discomfort.
Also, to offer a little further evidence he’s not ready for traction, on Tuesday of this week Brady launched a downfield bomb intended for wide receiver Philip Dorsett on one of the few reps Brady did take in a Danny Etling-heavy practice.
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Even if Brady weren’t 41 years old, any physical issue limiting the defending league MVP is news.
New England Patriots
When you take Brady’s age into account and consider the Patriots’ possible reluctance to cast their lot with him long term, any missed time with an ache or pain ratchets up the stakes.
Asked on a conference call Friday morning if he had any updates on Brady’s reportedly sore back, Belichick said, "No. Sorry, I don't."
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.
Not only is Brady entering his 19th regular season, he’s also played more than two seasons worth of playoff games over his career (37).
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Belichick, responding to a question from Mike Giardi about managing preseason and training camp reps, said, "Playing late into the season the year before is definitely what we want to do, so we're not complaining about that, but it does affect the following season, there's no question about that.
"In the end, we try to take everything into consideration that we have, what our opportunities are, where we are as a football team collectively and individually with certain players that may need a modification of their workload . . . and try to do the best we can with that time and those opportunities for our players and the team development as a whole. That's a balance we talk about every day."
When asked about Brady in particular, Belichick said, "We have a number of players who are in various [situations]; their workload is affected by other factors."