Tom Brady Misses Practice; Belichick Mum As Pats Prepare For Broncos

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The New England Patriots are taking Tom Brady's absence from practice in stride.

Four days before the AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos, the star quarterback missed practice Wednesday because of illness and his right shoulder, the Patriots said in their practice report.

Brady said last week that he had a cold. Then he led the Patriots to a 43-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC playoff game on a rainy Saturday night. Earlier in the season, he was listed on the injury report with the shoulder condition but usually practiced with it.

TALE OF THE TAPE: AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Backup Ryan Mallett did double duty Wednesday. He was the quarterback for the offense and also emulated Denver quarterback Peyton Manning for the defense.

"I'm not worried about Tom because I know Tom," Mallett said.

Wide receiver Julian Edelman, who caught 105 passes from Brady this season, said practice is different without him.

"But Ryan came in and he ran the offense," Edelman said. "And, more importantly, I was just kind of worrying about what I had to do to get my assignments and get my work in. I'm sure other guys were thinking the same thing."

Edelman said he wasn't sure how Brady was feeling, and offered no clue as to whether the quarterback will play Sunday.

"You know, I'm not a trainer, nor am I a doctor, so you'd have to ask him," Edelman said.

Brady's scheduled media availability was canceled. He's scheduled for another one Friday.

As for Mallett, "it was fun," he said. "I took a lot more reps, though. I was a little more fatigued at the end than normal so that was the only difference."

Coach Bill Belichick provided no details on Brady's absence.

Asked the last time that Brady surprised his coach of 14 years, Belichick said, with a smile, "this morning."

What was the surprise?

"We'll keep that between Tom and I," he said.

Long snapper Danny Aiken also missed practice with an illness. Punter Ryan Allen, who hurt his shoulder against the Colts, practiced on a limited basis.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.