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Tom Brady insists his left knee is 100 percent, though others are wondering

Frank Schwab
NFL writer
·3 min read

If something is going on with Tom Brady’s health, specifically with his left knee, he isn’t saying.

New England Patriots beat writers wonder about it. On Sunday, he didn’t do his normal pregame run to one end of the field and back, as he famously does to Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement.” He stopped at about midfield and turned back.

Then Brady came out of Sunday’s game with 6:39 left and the Patriots leading 24-6. Not that the Buffalo Bills were going to come back and win, but it was at least a little odd. Jeff Howe of The Athletic started his postgame piece on Brady with: “Tom Brady’s left knee​ isn’t right.” On Dec. 19, NFL Media’s Mike Giardi told 98.5 The Sports Hub he thinks Brady is dealing with an MCL issue.

Maybe it’s nothing, and just the Boston media getting worked up and speculating over the Patriots’ most important player. Brady himself said he’s fine.

Tom Brady says he’s 100 percent

After Sunday’s Patriots win, which clinched the AFC East for a 10th straight time, Brady denied any injury.

“I feel great,” Brady said, according to Howe. “I feel 100 percent.”

Brady also said, “I’m not injured.” He was not on the injury report last week.

Brady was a little more vague on his weekly Monday spot with WEEI.

“I am not getting into specifics with injuries,” Brady said via Ryan Hannable of WEEI. “It just doesn’t make any sense. … It is football. There are a lot of guys dealing with a lot of things.”

The speculation goes back to the Patriots’ loss to the Titans on Nov. 11. New England called a trick play in which their 41-year-old quarterback caught a pass. He stumbled, got hit at the end of the play and a still shot of Brady’s left knee bending awkwardly has been passed around.

None of the speculation proves he’s hurt, nor does any screen shot of a tackle. And if you ask any NFL player, they’re all playing with some kind of ailment by Week 17. That’s how the game goes. Maybe it’s nothing more than normal wear and tear. But everyone is curious why Brady’s numbers are down across the board from his 2017 MVP season, whether it’s just him showing some age or something more. If Brady was injured, he likely wouldn’t tell the media about it. And neither would the Patriots.

Bye week could be good for Patriots

If we figure Brady is probably a little less than honest with his “100 percent” claim, what happened on Sunday is great news for New England.

Nick Foles led a last-second Philadelphia Eagles comeback win over the Houston Texans, just after the Patriots had finished their win over the Bills. That means the Patriots clinch a first-round bye with a Week 17 win on Sunday at home against the New York Jets.

Anyone at this time of the season would like a week of rest. Maybe it’s a little more important to Brady and the Patriots, though nobody would ever say if that’s the case.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was taken out of Sunday's game with six minutes left and New England holding a big lead. (AP)
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was taken out of Sunday’s game with six minutes left and New England holding a big lead. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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