Bedard: Don't panic over Tom Brady missing practice

So Tom Brady appeared on the Patriots' injury report this week with a knee injury, and then wasn't spotted on the practice field Friday.

While it's never ideal for the franchise quarterback to be a) listed on the injury report, and b) miss practice time, I wouldn't be too worried about it.

Here's why:

I was told last week by a source that Brady was going to start missing one practice a week — or at least having his participation in one cut back — as part of normal veteran rest during a long, taxing season. This is not unusual in the NFL or with the Patriots. Plus, as we all know, Brady is 41-years old. He may have discovered the fountain of youth in many respects, but his bones are still 41 and he needs more rest than his 25-year-old teammates.

This also isn't unusual with Brady if you look back to last season.

When he was listed with an Achilles injury, Brady missed one practice in the following weeks:

- Week 12
- Week 13
- Week 14
(Week 15 vs. Steelers, he did not miss any practices ... I wonder why)
- Week 17
- AFC Championship Game week
- Super Bowl bye week

So while everyone else freaks out over Brady missing practice and starts Zaprudering the game film to find where he was injured, remember to take a breath and remember what you read here.