Tom Brady on his knee issues, switch back to his old helmet, and the challenge of the Vikings

Tom Brady sounded a hopeful note Thursday when asked about his knee. In his appearance with Jim Gray on Westwood One, the Patriots quarterback said his knee — which led to an appearance on the injury report last week and this week — is OK.

“I’m doing good,” he said. “You know, every NFL player deals with some bumps and bruises this time of year. We've been at football for quite a long time, but I'm feeling really good, I'm feeling really excited about this week and we got a big game against the Vikings. They're a really good football team on both sides of the ball. and it's a huge game for us, so we've got to have our best game. We've got to have our best week of practice and we're off to a good start.”

Brady was asked if the knee has impaired him this week, and if he expects it to be an issue Sunday against Minnesota.


“I certainly hope not,” he said. “In my view, I feel really good and I feel really excited for the game. So hopefully I can go out there and be the best I can be.”

Brady was also asked about his helmet — he’s gone back and forth between the old and new model this year. Last Sunday against the Jets, it was the old one. This marks the last year he can wear the old one before the new helmet regulations go into effect.

“Yeah, I've gone back-and-forth quite a bit,” he said. “You know, the old one has just treated me so well over the years, so hopefully I can get grandfathered in. That's what I'm going to try to do this offseason, see if I can keep playing with it. I love the way it fits. I love the way it feels. It's been a great helmet for me. So I've just been thinking about it and think that's what works the best for me as we continue on this season.”