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On several occasions this season, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has shown up on the injury report with various minor ailments, all of which he overcame very quickly.
But there’s one injury he hasn’t seemed to recover from this season, and it concerns his right elbow. He most recently aggravated the injury in New England’s loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs when he banged it off a helmet during a pass attempt.
Though he hasn’t shown up on the injury report, there’s a reason to be concerned Brady’s right elbow injury is more serious than the team or the quarterback himself are letting on.
On Thursday, the Patriots held their final walkthrough of the week ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Buffalo, practicing in the stadium for the first time this season. Brady was spotted as a full participant but showed worrying signs early when he shook out his arm after a couple of routine tosses in practice.
Take a look to judge for yourself:
It wasn’t the first time this week Brady had done it either, shaking it out on Tuesday and Wednesday during the early portion of practice.
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Why Else Would Brady Shake Out His Arm?
There’s many who feel Brady shaking out his elbow could mean he is dealing with a nagging injury. But there are other explanations for it as well, seeing as he was not listed on the injury report this week.
Brady could perhaps use that as a means for getting loose considering he did it three times on three straight days. Since people are keying in on his ailing elbow, it’s possible this is something Brady does often when he’s throwing the ball around early in practice.
It was also extremely cold in New England over the past few days, including on Thursday when morning temperatures plummeted into the teens with sub-zero wind chills. With freezing rain on Tuesday and temps hovering around the freezing mark on Wednesday, it wasn’t much better in the days prior.
How Could the Injury Affect His Play?
If Brady really is hurt, it could explain why his passing has been off in recent weeks. Brady has completed passes at around a 50 percent clip in the past few weeks, far lower than his career average of 63.8 percent and putting him on track for his worst completion rate ever.
The fact that Brady could be playing through such an injury is a testament to his toughness and his status as the greatest player of all time. But at age 42, it could be a sign of his career soon coming to a close.
The worst-case scenario for his elbow injury would be similar to what Ben Roethlisberger dealt with this season which was damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. That would require surgery and months of rehab. But more than likely, Brady is still feeling the effects of hitting his elbow off a helmet, something that has clearly diminished his passing prowess.
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