Brady Says Not To Worry About His Hand: 'It's Perfect'
BOSTON (CBS) - The right hand of Tom Brady has been a hot topic over the last 48 hours, and the quarterback's rough start against the Dolphins on Sunday didn't help matters.
During the TV broadcast of the Pats' 27-17 win over Miami, there were multiple shots of Brady's throwing hand, which appeared be swollen.
The Patriots posted a picture on the team's facebook page on Saturday that showed Brady's middle and ring finger taped up, fueling the speculation that he suffered an injury last week against the New York Jets.
But Brady shot down any injury talk after Sunday's win.
"It's perfect," he said.
When asked if it was bothering him at all, he gave a stern "absolutely not."
"I didn't know anyone knows what the back of my right hand looks like, but it looks fine to me and it feels good," he said at the podium. "I'll be out there next week; you don't have to worry about that."
4 Ups, 4 Downs: Defense, Ridley Help Lead Comeback vs. Dolphins
Brady finished Sunday's win over Miami 13-for-22 for 116 yards and a touchdown. The first pass he threw on the afternoon was picked off Dimitri Patterson, and Brady finished with just 25 passing yards in the first half.
But adjustments were made at halftime, and the Patriots offense fed off another strong performance by the defense.
"We didn't do much good in the first half. The second half was great," said Brady. "We started with the great job there in the third quarter and got the lead, had some really big momentum plays. The strip-sack was big and then the long drive there to start the fourth quarter was great too."
"It was a good team effort," he said. "It wasn't easy; we're still grinding away. We obviously have a long way to go, but it feels good to be 6-2."
While Brady struggled at times with his arm, he had a big fourth-down conversion with his legs. Facing a fourth-and-four at the Miami 34, Brady scrambled for eight yards and the first down. A few plays later, Stevan Ridley ran one in for the final score of the afternoon.
It wasn't pretty, not that any of Brady's scrambles are, but Brady got what he needed and earned some praise from his head coach.
"One thing about Tom, he's a smart player, he knows when to run," Bill Belichick said after the win. "The only time he runs is when there's a whole lot of space. He made a great decision there, the Dolphins were in man coverage, they were all locked up and he saw some space and it was a huge first down for us. As usual, a great decision by Tom."
"It was pretty tight," said Brady. "I found a little space. It doesn't happen often, but it ended up being a good play for us and we needed it. It was tough going that direction into the wind today, so that touchdown was really critical – a critical drive for us."
While it's been a frustrating ride, the Patriots improved to 6-2 on the season and 3-1 in the AFC East with their win on Sunday. There is plenty to work on, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but Brady is confident his team will make the needed adjustments going forward.
"I know a lot of people are frustrated, but to be 6-2 is not bad," he said. "We'll just try to win next week and get to 7-2. That's what we'll try to do."
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