What we're hearing: Brady has painful thumb injury

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First things first, this is not a drill. Tom Brady’s right thumb is messed up. This isn’t a Patriots’ ruse, this isn’t a misdirection, and this isn’t what the team was looking for as it tries to get to its eighth Super Bowl since 2001.

What’s given me the most pause since learning there was an injury is that I just haven’t heard from any sources, “Pffffttt, it’s nothing. He’s fine.” The truth is, nobody with what I would consider first-hand knowledge is saying anything. It’s quiet. Too quiet.

Which leaves a guy working the periphery. Our bright and informed readers understand the periphery isn’t as reliable.

So as of Friday afternoon, I don’t know precisely what the situation is. Best I can do is ask you to settle for “chatter.”

This isn’t a “reporting” or a “breaking”. It’s just a “what I’m hearing”. And if you’re not gonna live with that caveat, stop reading.

Brady’s right thumb bent back badly when he was smashed into by a running back. Somehow, the ball got jammed back into the webbing between his thumb and index finger and it caused a cut. Might have been the laces. There may be stitches. He’s not taking snaps under center. He can take them in shotgun. He’s trying not to aggravate the thumb between now and kickoff so the reps are at a minimum. He can throw. I have no idea how hard, how far or how accurately.

He's listed as questionable on the injury report. He may take a shot of Toradol prior to the game since the area still hurts from the trauma (hence the X-ray on Wednesday to rule out any structural issues).

That’s what we got.

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