Not even Tom Brady, who is devoted to doing whatever it takes to keep his mind and body right, is immune to the grind of an NFL season.
The New England Patriots quarterback is quick to tout the virtues of his diet and workout regiment, but not even all the exercise bands and leafy greens in the world can prevent every injury that comes with being a professional football player.
Brady has dealt with a nagging elbow injury over the past month or so, popping up on the injury report here and there. Then, in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Brady banged his right throwing elbow on the helmet of a defensive player. Brady did his postgame press conference with a wrap on his arm.
In his weekly radio interview with Westwood One Sports, however, Brady — listed as a full participant on the injury report Wednesday and Thursday — sounded upbeat and positive, saying he responded well to treatment.
“I had an ice bag on it after last game. Got hit on it pretty good,” he told Jim Gray. “It’s responded well, I’ve been getting a lot of extra treatment with Alex (Guerrero), my body coach. It’s been good to be out there the last couple of days (to) participate and doing everything I can do. Any time you come off a tough loss, you want to be on the practice field and try to improve with your teammates. I’m feeling good, I’m excited. It’s Week 15 — everyone’s dealing with a couple of bumps and bruises at this point, some worse than that, but I’m fortunate to be out there getting ready to go (for) a competitive game against Cincinnati on Sunday.”
That practice time is especially valuable for Brady and the Patriots’ offense right now. New England hasn’t scored more than 22 points since Week 8, and their 4.9 yards per play over their last three games is 22nd in the NFL over that same time.
