04/19/24
January 22, 2008
Tom Brady Wearing Walking Cast: The Patriots quarterback was spotted leaving a New York apartment Monday wearing a walking cast on his right foot, as shown in photos and a video on TMZ.Com. Brady's 124 consecutive starts at QB are the third longest streak in NFL history.
Didn't seem to bother him walking up the steps. The limp could have been simply the cast causing a different footing.
posted by Hillerby at 04:01 AM on January 22, 2008
If it's a ploy, what has the sporting world come to?
posted by Prophite at 05:57 AM on January 22, 2008
If it's a ploy, what has the sporting world come to? So, Tom Brady faking an injury would just be the straw that broke the camel's back for you? Subterfuge has always been a part of sports, to some extent. Coaches play fast and loose with the injury report all the time, with the tacit approval of the league, which rarely does anything about it; players do anything, up to and including illegal practices, to get the most meager advantage. Even if Brady was faking, it wouldn't even be the worst example of sportsmanship we've seen this year; in fact, it wouldn't even be the worst example of sportsmanship we've seen this year, from the Patriots.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:15 AM on January 22, 2008
Um, like the Giants are all sitting around going "ok, Brady's definitely out. He was limping, so we can scratch our regular game plan. We must prepare for .... (wait while I look up the backups name) ....Matt Cassel. Yes, we must worry now about Cassel. Forget Brady."
posted by scully at 06:43 AM on January 22, 2008
I think his foot feels better now than it did before he got to the apartment.
posted by beaverboard at 07:15 AM on January 22, 2008
I'm going to go out on a limp and predict he'll be ready to play on Feb. 3. Oh yeah, and what terrapin said.
posted by dyams at 07:17 AM on January 22, 2008
Probably part of Belachick's "genius". Maybe the Patriots are really the underdog. Yeah, right.
posted by whitedog65 at 07:55 AM on January 22, 2008
Matt Cassel slowly rises from his chair. "I knew this day would come. I have spent many nights preparing for such a scenario, and many days waiting.... And now that it is here - I know I'm ready." (Quickly grabs pre-packed bag of essential items, fake passport and one-way ticket to Bora Bora)
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:56 AM on January 22, 2008
Yea, I'm really worried about this, oh no. LOL
posted by B10 at 08:07 AM on January 22, 2008
This is Cassel's chance to takeover the reins in New England just like when Brady came in for Bledsoe several years back. Super Bowl MVP Matt Cassel
posted by bender at 08:11 AM on January 22, 2008
Matt Cassel slowly rises from his chair. "I knew this day would come. I have spent many nights preparing for such a scenario, and many days waiting.... And now that it is here - I know I'm ready." (Quickly grabs pre-packed bag of essential items, fake passport and one-way ticket to Bora Bora) posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 7:56 AM CST on January 22 If Brady cannot play, which seems highly unlikely, Guiterrez (sp?) is probaly going to be the starter at QB for the Patriots, he seems to have passed Cassel on the QB depth chart and in the few chances that he has had, seems to play more like Brady (makes smart choices) than Cassel does.
posted by Cave_Man at 09:37 AM on January 22, 2008
This is Cassel's chance to takeover the reins in New England just like when Brady came in for Bledsoe several years back. Super Bowl MVP Matt Cassel posted by bender at 8:11 AM CST on January 22 My bet is that Guiterrez (sp?) is the starter if Brady cannot play.
posted by Cave_Man at 09:39 AM on January 22, 2008
wow, it's déjà vu all over again. Thanks for clarifying that Cave_Man. According to NFL.com (my link above), Cassel is still listed as the #2. But I doubt it will be an issue in this year's Super Bowl.
posted by scully at 09:48 AM on January 22, 2008
Go back to week 7 at Miami: Cassel, two attempts, zero completions, one interception as compared to Gutierrez' one attempt, one completion for 15 yards. It seems plainly obvious Gutierrez is the choice to bring the next Super Bowl to New England should Brady be unable to go. Now excuse me while I go lie down.
posted by dyams at 09:57 AM on January 22, 2008
This stinks of conspiracy; Matt Cassel clearly hired Tanya Harding and Jeff Hostetler.
posted by 1651 Naismith at 10:06 AM on January 22, 2008
Three passes? We're supposed to decide which quarterback is most likely to fill in based on three combined pass attempts that were thrown, what, three months ago? If the Patriots have to use a backup QB I'm sure the decision will be based on something more concrete than three pass attempts.
posted by apoch at 10:18 AM on January 22, 2008
Brady is really hurt! I saw the play that injured him. I don't remember who sacked him. But he ducked to avoid the brunt of the hit and an O-linemen fell on his leg. He briefly grabbed the back of his knee&calf muscle. I am assuming it might be a sprained MCL or calf muscle. However, there is no way Brady is not ready to play.
posted by momplapa at 10:21 AM on January 22, 2008
Three passes? We're supposed to decide which quarterback is most likely to fill in based on three combined pass attempts that were thrown, what, three months ago? I was being sarcastic, apoch. It was meant to be funny, but from now on when I make an attempt at this, at the end of the post I'll type SARCASM, NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY, SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY, DON'T TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, I DIDN'T REALLY MEAN IT......
posted by dyams at 10:25 AM on January 22, 2008
Are you being serious?
posted by yerfatma at 11:04 AM on January 22, 2008
I love the way conspiracy theories start with something so small. Brady is playing and probably just trying to help a very small injury fully recover in time for the game. It happens all the time especially in football. Everybody finishes a tough game with some soreness and spends the next week getting ready to play again. Brady has two weeks to baby what is probably just a minor injury. I wasn't enough to take him out of the game with San Diego and it won't keep him from playing in the Superbowl even if it were tomorrow. He just being cautious and allowing everybody to make a big deal about it. Any distraction he causes for the press or the other team will only help New England. Let's hope the Giants don't give it a second thought.
posted by Atheist at 11:08 AM on January 22, 2008
Three passes? We're supposed to decide which quarterback is most likely to fill in based on three combined pass attempts that were thrown, what, three months ago? If the Patriots have to use a backup QB I'm sure the decision will be based on something more concrete than three pass attempts. posted by apoch at 10:18 AM CST on January 22 You are right on decisions not being made on limited pass attempts, The Hoodie is much too smart to do that. My intuition says that the true backup is Guiterrez (sp?). There was one key instance this season where Cassel could have and should have been sent into a game, but Guiterrez was sent in - that surpised Boomer Esiason, who I am sure had the NFL.com depth chart - Esiason implied after Guiterrez was sent in that the Patriots' depth at QB may have changed. Since the purpose of sending a backup into a game (even one that is on it's way to being won) is to get the person real game experience. The game was one where the Patriots were ahead for a win, but the offense needed to get a first down against the opposing #1 defense to seal the victory, Guiterrez being chosen for that assignment over Cassel says a lot, IMO. On the NFL.com depth chart, how often is that updated? Also, the website does not track day to day decisions that are made based upon how well a player is picking up a complicated offensive system.
posted by Cave_Man at 11:09 AM on January 22, 2008
Think about it: He goes to visit his world-famous supermodel girlfriend (who also is usually surrounded by paparazzi) on an off day in the biggest city of the country which also happens to be his team's opponent in the biggest game of the year... and he allows himself to be videotaped limping around? I hate TMZ. They're scum and they're kind of like the KGB of paparrazzi. But they are good at what they do (just like the KGB was). So I don't know that he "allowed" himself to be videotaped this way as much as he was ambushed by them. On the other hand, it would be a brilliant ploy by him as well.
posted by cjets at 11:50 AM on January 22, 2008
Go back to week 7 at Miami: Cassel, two attempts, zero completions, one interception as compared to Gutierrez' one attempt, one completion... These statistics are not for game action, but refer to the individuals' success rates in the clubs at South Beach. Obviously, Brady's completion rate of such attempts to his favorite receivers is much better.
posted by Howard_T at 12:03 PM on January 22, 2008
Boston.com has him out last night at a club without the cast.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:05 PM on January 22, 2008
I bet he's got gout.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:25 PM on January 22, 2008
ESPN say he was filmed out later that night without the cast. Wearing cowboy boots, apparently. Who's Gisele's backup if Brady can't go?
posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:01 PM on January 22, 2008
Who's Gisele's backup if Brady can't go? Is she famous enough for Romo?
posted by dyams at 01:07 PM on January 22, 2008
I wondered if anyone else noticed Brady on the bench with his head hung down as if something was bothering him. I thought perhaps the three interceptions he had just thrown was the problem. I guess the sack by Olshansky and Cooper may have contributed to a foot injury. It matters not. I believe that there is no way in hell that Brady misses his 127th consecutive start. Just stay tuned. I’m sure this will continue to be in the news leading up to the Super Bowl.
posted by amigo59 at 01:45 PM on January 22, 2008
The "boot" cast is gone... reported a few minutes ago: quote By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 14 minutes ago FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Has Tom Brady given the boot to the boot? Hours after being photographed with a walking boot on his right foot as he followed girlfriend Gisele Bundchen into her New York apartment on Monday, other pictures showed the New England Patriots quarterback wearing black shoes — and no boot — when he showed up at a New York hotspot. enquote
posted by Fly_Piscator at 02:05 PM on January 22, 2008
I bet he's got gout. posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:25 PM CST on January 22 Does Gout happen in healthy people that are Brady's age? Brady got twisted on the sack by SD, maybe what one posted posted about seeing the back part of his leg near the knee taking some trauma is accurate, although, if he was wearing a brace, it seemed to have been around the ankle. I don't see Brady not playing as long as he can do anything that resembles walking. Rivers showed amazing guts Sunday, Brady probaly has at least that in him.
posted by Cave_Man at 02:09 PM on January 22, 2008
Does Gout happen in healthy people that are Brady's age? I was being facetious, Cave_Man. I don't really think he drinks that much red wine.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:34 PM on January 22, 2008
Bobby Hill (of King of the Hill) got gout when he was about 12 or so.
posted by whitedog65 at 02:43 PM on January 22, 2008
So it can happen.
posted by yerfatma at 02:47 PM on January 22, 2008
Brady ain't hurt- he was just making fun of the Giants field goal kicker, the one thats being waived after the Super Bowl.
posted by irunfromclones at 02:58 PM on January 22, 2008
Highly doubtful Brady will not play in Super Bowl XLII. It'll take more than a sore foot to keep him from playing!!!Although Brady didn't look that good against the Chargers,look for Brady to be on top of his game come S.B. Sunday.
posted by Ghastly1 at 03:16 PM on January 22, 2008
I've got gout. But that's because I used to drink beer like water, and I love to cook rich foods. Has to be one of the top 3-5 pains ever. But I take my cherry pills and limit my alcohol to 2 beers a week. More or less. And eat MUCH less. If Brady needs my cherry pills, or any advice on how to deal with the pain, well, too bad. Go Giants.
posted by THX-1138 at 05:28 PM on January 22, 2008
Black hand, to be on the verge of doing what they (may be)about to do and pulling a stunt like that (if it was a ploy), what would have been the point? You can't be labeled the greatest team ever if you feel the need to pull something like that. (Again my comment was made based on it maybe being a ploy). Toying with the injury report is one thing, risking real injury (tripping and falling with a walking cast on)is another. How would that have played out: Tom Brady sprains left ankle while faking injury to right ankle. That would have been kind of ironic.
posted by Prophite at 06:12 PM on January 22, 2008
Does Gout happen in healthy people that are Brady's age? I was being facetious, Cave_Man. I don't really think he drinks that much red wine. posted by lil_brown_bat at 2:34 PM CST on January 22 Subtleties escape me LBB :-))
posted by Cave_Man at 06:23 PM on January 22, 2008
Brady ain't hurt- he was just making fun of the Giants field goal kicker, the one thats being waived after the Super Bowl. posted by irunfromclones at 2:58 PM CST on January 22 I can't imagine kicking a ball of any type in sub-zero weather. I find it amazing that the kickers on both teams were able to make one field goal between them.
posted by Cave_Man at 06:29 PM on January 22, 2008
Has to be one of the top 3-5 pains ever. I have had it. It is extrodinarily painful, the only pain that I have had that was worse was ripped tissue along my shins.
posted by Cave_Man at 06:33 PM on January 22, 2008
I wondered if anyone else noticed Brady on the bench with his head hung down as if something was bothering him. I thought perhaps the three interceptions he had just thrown was the problem. I noticed that too ... but he was sitting that way even BEFORE the first interception. Also after Gafney's TD he didn't sprint to the endzone to high-5 Jabar but instead merely headed off the field, head-down ... not looking at all healthy. We were thinking he was more than a bit under the weather the entire game.
posted by MAYANKEE at 06:58 PM on January 22, 2008
I have had it. It is extrodinarily painful, the only pain that I have had that was worse was ripped tissue along my shins. Now you know you're gonna have to give us the story behind that. My top three pains: 1. Migraine. One particular migraine. 2. Dislocated shoulder that wasn't reduced for 3+ hours. 3. Rheumatoid arthritis. Thanks to Chinese herbal medicine, 1 and 3 are no longer issues -- and I am very grateful for that. I have no plans to acquire gout by way of atonement.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:47 PM on January 22, 2008
“but he was sitting that way even BEFORE the first interception” Thanks for chiming in MAYANKEE. I wasn’t sure about the timing of what I saw. He didn’t seem to be sick to me, but rather seemed to act as if he WAS in pain, but attempting to hide it. If he were sick or “under the weather”, I feel it would have been more noticable in is post game press confrence. And as you said, he wasn’t in a celebrating mood after big plays. You would think that as big as this game was, he’d be a lot more pumped about the game situation. Like I said, I think there is more to come on this story.
posted by amigo59 at 08:49 PM on January 22, 2008
Matt Cassel slowly rises from his chair. "I knew this day would come. I have spent many nights preparing for such a scenario, and many days waiting.... And now that it is here - I know I'm ready." (Quickly grabs pre-packed bag of essential items, fake passport and one-way ticket to Bora Bora) I dunno if Brady has gout or what, but he will take a few snaps against the G men and then go out. As for Cassel, rotf, from my hometown, I think he will go to the Dinka Tribe or Rio, somewhere extremely crowded or unable to reach. The Pats are suddenly heavy underdogs. If they win it, Cassel will win it, and he will rise like no other.
posted by SFValley_Dude at 09:52 PM on January 22, 2008
You've all missed it. Before the Giants played Dallas, who was the biggest distraction, and where was she living at the time? Now we see another quarterback being distracted, in what city? Just happens to be the same city the Giants are from? ...players(teams) do anything, up to and including illegal practices, to get the most meager advantage.
posted by canstusdis at 10:27 PM on January 22, 2008
Who says it's a distraction?
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:55 AM on January 23, 2008
Who says it's a distraction? This entire (non)issue is just a convenient topic for everyone to talk about during this horrible two-week break leading up to the Super Bowl. The guy goes to the apartment of his girlfriend, and that's a potential distraction? Wow. People are just grasping at stuff to talk about, because every other aspect of the Patriots, from Spygate (wretch!) to the undefeated season, have been played out to death! So Brady has a sore ankle? Even though I've never played NFL football, I'm assuming guys get sore body-parts every so often. So the Pats didn't blow out the Chargers or Jags by 40 points each? They won the games. So Brady goes to a girl's apartment? It's a far cry from jetting off to the tropics so some attention-starved, blonde bimbo you've only been dating a short time (and her family) can have photo-ops to keep her sagging popularity on the front burner. And as for Brady and ANY distractions, he will always get a pass when it comes to handling those potential issues because he's got a pocket full of Super Bowl rings. He's been there, done that, while some of these other "stars" are still struggling to get there.
posted by dyams at 10:15 AM on January 23, 2008
Boston.com reports that its a high ankle sprain. Wearing the boot is a smart thing to do to protect it, but it isn't a major injury.
posted by Joey Michaels at 01:01 PM on January 23, 2008
According to a link on patriots.com that reads "View current depth chart" (as of December 28, 2007) the #2 QB is Cassel. But thanks, Cave_Man. I'm sure The Hoodie will drop in here and change that based on your expertise on such things. I mean it does make more sense to play a rookie (Gutierrez) instead of Cassel. I mean, after all, Cassel had a bad day in mop-up duty against the Washington NFL football team. I am surprised he still has a job.
posted by scully at 01:33 PM on January 23, 2008
No, I would agree with C_M on that. If Brady were out for any extended period of time, I think Gutierrez would be the starter, at least based on this pre-season. Cassel has had a couple of years to establish himself as a useful backup, but he really hasn't. He had one good spot of mop-up duty last year and that's about it. Gutierrez has even less of a track record, but the thinking in the press is he'd be the pick.
posted by yerfatma at 02:05 PM on January 23, 2008
The nice thing for the Patriots here is that there is two weeks between the AFC championship game and the Super Bowl. Reports indicate that it is only a minor sprain and I believe Brady will be just fine for the Super Bowl. Also, he can obviously walk on it which indicates that it isn't a very serious injury. Of course, if the Patriots lose the Super Bowl this incident will definitely come up just like the Jessica Simpson incident has been repeatedly brought up following the Cowboys loss to the Giants.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:56 PM on January 23, 2008
You just compared Jessica Simpson to an ankle sprain. I heart the interweb.
posted by jerseygirl at 06:45 PM on January 23, 2008
...SARCASM, NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY, SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY, DON'T TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, I DIDN'T REALLY MEAN IT......
posted by canstusdis at 08:33 PM on January 23, 2008
You just compared Jessica Simpson to an ankle sprain. Well, ankle sprains can smart, whereas Jessica Simpson isn't, well, umm........ LOOK!------canstusdis is typing all in caps!!
posted by THX-1138 at 08:55 PM on January 23, 2008
Don't forget italics.
posted by jerseygirl at 09:03 PM on January 23, 2008
True, Ms. JG. (slinks back to dark corner)
posted by THX-1138 at 09:08 PM on January 23, 2008
Now you're all piling on me! I can't take it! I'm calling the speech police!
posted by canstusdis at 10:27 PM on January 23, 2008
Here's an off-the-wall conspiracy theory for us to ponder. (It's got to be good, I just made it up.) Randy Moss has some trouble with a woman in Florida. Having nothing else newsworthy, the press would be all over him. Tom Brady puts on the walking boot and suddenly nobody is thinking about Randy Moss. Wouldn't Brady cover his favorite receiver's back? I'm not saying the injury was faked. It is possible that Brady made it look worse than it was just to deflect attention from Moss.
posted by Howard_T at 05:39 PM on January 28, 2008
Interesting theory. It's certainly valid, the press was all over Brady's injury and left Moss' troubles by the wayside.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:38 PM on January 28, 2008
The first thing I thought of was Brady must be confident he'll be ok in the Super Bowl or it's a ploy. Think about it: He goes to visit his world-famous supermodel girlfriend (who also is usually surrounded by paparazzi) on an off day in the biggest city of the country which also happens to be his team's opponent in the biggest game of the year... and he allows himself to be videotaped limping around? If it were a serious injury, I would expect it to be kept under wraps as much as possible, for the element of surprise, like Rivers' surgery between divisional playoffs and the conference championship. Maybe it's because I don't have the luxury of a world-famous supermodel girlfriend either, but if I were injured, my fiancee would be insisting I stay resting and she'd be coming over to see me. I guess we'll see, but I'm guessing there's about a 90% chance he'll be playing.