Tom's WEB Blog

The New England Patriots denied a report Thursday that they were upset with quarterback Tom Brady for opting against the team’s preferred doctors and undergoing surgery on the West Coast. After published reports said Brady needed two more operations to clean out an infection in his knee, ESPN.com, citing a source it did not identify, reported that “the Patriots, as an organization, are upset with the situation because they were clear that they wanted Brady’s surgery done under the direction of doctors of their choosing in Boston.” Later yesterday, the Patriots issued a statement affirming their support for the quarterback who led them to three Super Bowl titles.

“This unsubstantiated report does not represent the team’s views whatsoever,” the statement said. “We have supported Tom Brady one hundred percent from day one of this process and will continue to do so. … Today, we reiterate our total support for Tom as he recovers from his injury.”

Doctors are concerned about an infection in Tom Brady’s surgically repaired left knee, and have performed a total of three more procedures to remove it. The New England Patriots’ quarterback had surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL on October 6 in Los Angeles, and confirmed a second surgery on Wednesday after he developed an infection. Citing an anonymous source, the Boston Herald reported on Wednesday that Brady has had two more procedures since that time. The newspaper reported that doctors fear that the patellar tendon graft used to replace Brady’s ACL is in danger of becoming compromised. In that case, the entire ACL reconstruction would have to be removed and redone from scratch, causing a major setback in his rehab. Brady wrote on his web site, www.tombrady.com that, “The infection is very treatable and, through a course of antibiotics, it will be knocked out of my system.” Brady referred to the second procedure as being “proactive,” on the part of the doctors, and that the results have been positive. Brady is on a course of IV antibiotics, which he will continue for a six-week period, according to the Herald’s source.

The Patriots will face the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium this Sunday in an AFC East divisional clash. New England will attempt to begin the season with a 3-0 record for just the eighth time in the franchise's 49-year history. This game can be seen on CBS. Go Pats!

The Patriots open divisional play this Sunday on the road against the New York Jets. New England will face its first road test of the season with a trip down I-95 to face its division rival. This game can be seen on CBS at 4:15. QB Matt Cassel starts for the Pats!

The New England Patriots have signed quarterback Matt Gutierrez to their practice squad and could activate him for Sunday's' game at the New York Jets. Gutierrez was released on the team's final roster cutdown for the regular season after spending all last season with the Patriots as the third-string quarterback behind Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. He originally signed before last season as a rookie free agent out of Idaho State.

The New England Patriots have issued the following statement on the status of quarterback Tom Brady...

"After extensive tests this morning, it was revealed that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's left knee, which was injured in the first quarter of yesterday's game, will require surgery. He will be placed on injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the 2008 season."

Coach Bill Belichick stated during his afternoon press conference that Matt Cassel will be the starting QB for Sundays game against the Jets. He also stated that no other Quarterbacks have been considered at this time. This leaves the Pats with only 2 QB's.

Though the New England Patriots had not confirmed it as of early this morning, several reports claim quarterback Tom Brady suffered a season-ending tear of his anterior cruciate ligament in yesterday's win over Kansas City. Brady was hit by Chiefs' safety Bernard Pollard in the first quarter and was replaced by backup Matt Cassel. The Patriots went on to win 17-10. Multiple reports say Brady will likely miss the season and that the Patriots are planning to bring in former Tampa Bay QB Chris Simms in for a workout. Other possible replacements include former Pats QB Vinny Testaverde and former Minnesota QB Daunte Culpepper, who retired. Although no test results were revealed, one Patriots player went so far as to tell ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer after the game, "Cassel's our quarterback for the rest of the year."

*This sucks but don't count the Pats out yet!