Belichick Quiet On Removing Brady From Start After Scissor Incident: 'I Made A Decision Before The Game' [VIDEO]

BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick was never going to elaborate on the report of Tom Brady's thumb injury that caused him to miss an expected appearance in the Patriots' preseason game Thursday night. But the question had to be asked, and the Patriots head coach responded with as little information as possible.

Belichick had said in his pre-game interview less than an hour before the game against the Chicago Bears that all three Patriots quarterbacks would play Thursday at Gillette Stadium, but something obviously changed between then and the opening kickoff with Brady, who reportedly cut his thumb with scissors trying to pry something out of his cleats.

When asked after the game what led to the decision to remove Brady from what was expected to be his first start of the preseason, Belichick said, "I made a decision before the game to just play Jimmy [Garoppolo] and Jacoby [Brissett]." When asked if he had an update on Brady, he said, "I made the decision for him not to play tonight."

Brady's sudden absence from the game created an opportunity for Garoppolo to step in under unexpected circumstances. Besides his second straight slow start, Garoppolo had a good night throwing the ball in the first half and heading back out for a drive to start the second half.

"That's part of football," said coach Bill Belichick. "Things happen that are unexpected, and he's been prepared for that since the day he got here."

These kinds of responses will likely only create more questions and speculation, but if anyone can handle the added scrutiny that will inevitably come with such a mysterious injury to such a high-profile player, it's Belichick.

In:
• Bill Belichick
• NFL
• Tom Brady