Tom Brady might be a little sick ahead of his matchup with the New England Patriots.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback sounded noticeably hoarse while speaking with reporters Thursday afternoon. Brady acknowledged as much when eventually asked about his condition.
"I don't know," he said. "I've had a few of these days. I don't know what the deal is, so I gotta try to figure this out. I said my throat's more tired than my arm. Imagine that."
Take a listen:
When a reporter noted that Brady sounded similarly rough at one point during the summer, the 44-year-old quarterback added: "Same thing -- I know. It came back. I know. Very strange. Something must be a little -- I can't explain that, so."
Brady then (jokingly) suggested the Bucs' busy early-season schedule might be a contributing factor.
"First four weeks have been tough on me," he said. "The home opener, and then California (last week), Patriots. So after this, I'm like, done for the year. I'm tired of it, so maybe that's the problem with my voice."
To be clear: No reporting indicates that Brady's availability for Sunday's game in Foxboro, Mass., is in any doubt. He'll be on the field at Gillette Stadium, barring injury.
His Bucs will enter the matchup as heavy favorites, though there is a (narrow) path for the Patriots to pull off a major upset.
