BSJ Daily Briefing 01.23.18: As Tom's thumb turns

Good morning!

A few random thoughts while we start the longest two weeks in sports...

• I'm not sure what to make of it, but it's definitely curious that while Tom Brady doesn't do much to minimize the injury he had last week — "My season can't end on a handoff," — Bill Belichick continues to go in the other direction.


• First, there was the, "we're not talking about open heart surgery here" comment after the game. Then Belichick goes on WEEI on Monday and says this: "I think this was more of a media circus than it was a football crisis. I never really saw it that way, I don’t think anybody did. So … it was what it was. Sometimes things happen during the week and usually if they happen early enough and they’re not too serious, they have a have a chance to resolve and that’s basically what happened."


• Why is Brady saying his season could have ended, and Belichick continues to say it was basically nothing? I don't get it.


• This is where Felger says, why do you think Belichick keeps talking that way? Then I get into trouble.


• Could it be Jimmy Garoppolo related? Yes. Could it be Alex Guerrero related? Yes. Could it just be Belichick is a hard ass and doesn't like players playing up injuries? Yes. Your guess is as good as mine.


• Thumb vs. Time.


• What's going to be the most played out storyline next week? I'm guessing it's Chris Long and LeGarrette Blount.


• What's going to be the anti-Patriots story? Oh, and oh, real nice Jake Tapper, Eagles Honk.


• Celtics are on the West Coast. We'll all be bored this week, so time to snap that three-game skid, fellas.


• Weird news about Charlie McAvoy but sounds like it's nothing. Will be interesting to see how the defense holds up these two weeks.

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Completed Q&A: McAdam on Red Sox, 01.22.18

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