FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady’s work with body coach Alex Guerrero to improve his flexibility appeared to pay off Sunday.
Brady was hit low and from behind by Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, forcing the New England Patriots quarterback to bend almost completely backward. Brady was spotted limping after the Patriots’ 20-10 loss, but he’s moving much better just three days removed from the sprained ankle.
“I’m feeling better than I was a couple days ago,” Brady said Wednesday during his weekly news conference at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots’ playoff bye is very important to provide rest for a team seemingly plagued by injuries this season. Their regular-season bye came in Week 4, so the team hasn’t had time off for 14 weeks.
“A lot of guys have been fighting through different kind of bumps and bruises over the course of the season,” Brady said. “We’ll try to take advantage of that (the playoff bye) as best as you can to feel good, because we’re going to need everybody a week from Saturday to be at their very best. It’s just a lot of time, obviously preparing for a lot of different scenarios. You try to do your best mentally to get ready, and physically, you’ve just got to put as much effort as you can to make yourself feel better.”
The Patriots were without starting wide receiver Julian Edelman (foot), starting linebackers Dont’a Hightower (knee) and Jonathan Freeny (hand), starting left tackle Sebastian Vollmer (ankle), starting defensive end Chandler Jones (toe/abdomen) and slot cornerback Justin Coleman (concussion) on Sunday against the Dolphins. Defensive end Rob Ninkovich (shin), slot receiver Danny Amendola (knee), safeties Patrick Chung (foot) and Devin McCourty (ankle), guard Josh Kline (shoudler) and wide receiver Brandon LaFell (foot) also were banged up but played in Week 17.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
