Notebook: Tom Brady limited at practice because of right hand

FOXBOROUGH — Tom Brady (right hand) was one of four players who were limited at Patriots practice on Wednesday afternoon.

This is the first time Brady has been on the injury report this year because of a right-hand injury. The quarterback has been on and off the report all season because of Achilles and left shoulder issues. His Wednesday media availability was pushed back to later in the week. The same thing happened multiple times during the regular season.

As far as the hand, Brady has been seen flexing it during games on and off since the midway point. It's not known if this is a new issue — perhaps he hit his hand on a helmet during practice — or a continuation.

According to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, Brady did indeed bang his hand at practice but x-rays revealed no damage.

Brady was joined on the injury report by defensive lineman Alan Branch (knee), running back Rex Burkhead (knee), offensive lineman LaAdrian Waddle (knee) and running back Mike Gillislee (knee), all of whom were also limited.

Taking out the trash (talk)



Players were asked on several occasions Wednesday about the statements from Jacksonville corner Jalen Ramsey, and why they never seem to “go there” when it comes to trash talk.

“I will answer that with a question: Why do we need to go there?” replied special teams captain Matthew Slater.

“Why does it work for (us)? Look, we just come in here to play football, try to do our job. I think we have a lot of guys here that understand how fortunate we are to be in the position that we’re in. We play professional football for a living, so I hope we all understand how blessed we are. And then when we come in here, we try to take advantage of that opportunity because there are no guarantees in this league. From day to day you just try to come in and do what you can to contribute to the team and hold on to a job.”

Asked specifically about Ramsey’s comments, Devin McCourty smiled.

“Nobody plays in this game to lose,” he shrugged. “I understand that. We’re out here, we’re preparing, we’re doing everything that we can to try to win. I’m sure he’s doing the same thing.

“Everybody’s approach is different, and obviously they have a very confident group, I think across the board. Not just defensively, I know a lot of people are writing about how they are a confident defense, but I think across the board. You go out there (and) you win two playoff games on the road, you should be very confident. So, we know they’re coming in here, they’re going to be physical, they’re going to be ready to go and confident. So, we’ve got to match that intensity and make some plays of our own.”

Wide receiver Danny Amendola took a more practical route, saying the reason they don’t engage in a lot of pregame talk is because it’s what the Patriots are “coached to do. We listen to him.” (Presumably Bill Belichick.) Asked if he’s ever been tempted to return fire, Amendola smiled and said, “Of course.”

Why not?

“Because he signs my checks. That’s it.”

He said he hadn’t heard about Ramsey’s proclamation, but did acknowledge the talent level in the secondary, particularly Ramsey.

“They’re good. They play well. There’s no question about that. That’s why they’re here,” Amendola said. “(Ramsey is a) great player. He’s done a lot of good things this year. He has good ball skills, I’ve noticed. He’s a good player. We’ll be ready for him.”

McCourty: When I look at Bortles, I ‘see a winner’

This season, there were several big-name players who were quick to dismiss the talents of Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles. Jadaveon Clowney. Jurrell Casey. And others. Not McCourty

“I’ve seen some of his interviews. It seems like he has a great attitude, laughing about it and cracking jokes,” McCourty said of Bortles. “I think you kind of see that out on the field. The guy is a winner. Dropping back and throwing the deep ball on a drive where Pittsburgh cuts it to seven and you have to make a big play.

“To me, you see a winner. A quarterback who is smart and makes all the right plays. When he’s out there, he’s trying to put the team in the best situation, and it shows up. I think you can throw out stats and do all that stuff, but at the end of the day, all anyone cares about is winning. And obviously, his team is in the AFC championship. They’ve won a lot of games this year.”