QBs are put in a tough position

Brady says he expects to practice

By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff, 1/30/2002

EW ORLEANS - There are no crutches, boots, or casts. There's little sign of a limp. Tom Brady is able to bend his left ankle, a sign the swelling isn't that bad, and that the pain is tolerable.

Barring a setback in practice today, or signs that Brady can't perform his duties at close to 100 percent, Brady will get his job back for the biggest game of all - Super Bowl XXXVI.

''We've got to practice to play, and I anticipate being out there ready to practice,'' said Brady at yesterday's Media Day. ''It's not as big of a deal to me as it is to a lot of people. You go out there and, as Coach always says, `You just suck it up.' I know if you want to play, you've got to practice, so I anticipate going out there ready to practice.''

Brady has performed a lot of mind over matter the past couple of days since being relieved by Drew Bledsoe in a 24-17 win over the Steelers late in the second quarter. Brady sprained his left ankle when safety Lee Flowers rolled over the back of his legs on a blitz.

Brady never returned.

Coach Bill Belichick said after the game he thought Brady could have returned. But Bledsoe provided the Patriots a relief touchdown and there was no need to take the chance.

Brady, who will go to his first Pro Bowl a week after the Super Bowl, knows he can't fool the medical and coaching staff. If he's not moving around well today, the Patriots may hold off their decision until game time. Of course that would open the doors for wild speculation.

Brady said he's been treating the injury with ''just a lot of ice, a lot of elevation - that type of stuff, I've been in the training room just trying to get ready. Just what you'd normally do for this type of injury.''

Brady said no cortisone shots have been administered.

Asked how much weight he's been able to place on the ankle, Brady said, ''I put a lot on it ... everything. It feels good. It feels real good.''

Brady indicated he's never had to run on an injured ankle. He said he normally runs on Monday and Tuesday, but ''because there hasn't been a real need to go out there and run on it yet, I'll just practice on it. I anticipate going out and taping it like I normally do. It's going to be business as usual for me. I'm just going to go out and do what I can do, and I think I'll be able to do everything.''

Brady acknowledged that he thought Belichick would want to see how the ankle reacted to practice before the coach made his decision. The anticipation probably hasn't been as tough for Brady as Bledsoe.

Bledsoe said yesterday his body was a ''little sorer than usual. I mean I hadn't been out there for over three months, so I expected it. But it's a great kind of sore.''

Bledsoe found amusement in the hundreds of ways reporters tried to get him to say who would start Sunday. He often complimented the next best attempt at circumventing the question.

''I want to play,'' said Bledsoe. ''I want to play as badly as I've ever wanted anything in my life. This is the Super Bowl. It's what you play for. Obviously, I'd love to be in there, but ultimately it's Bill's decision, and like I said, whoever plays has got to win.''

Truer words were never spoken. If Belichick goes back to Brady and Brady struggles, Belichick could be more apt to pull his young quarterback, knowing Bledsoe has played and succeeded.

And if Brady struggles, Belichick will have to answer as to why he didn't go with the ''hot hand'' in Bledsoe.

''After sitting there for so long, I got a little taste. It doesn't satisfy the hunger, though,'' said Bledsoe.

''My love for the game and the will to play has never wavered. Nor has my confidence in what I can do. I've played this game for a long time, and as long as I've played, I've had the desire to win a championship.''

All Belichick would say about the situation yesterday was, ''There's nothing really new there.'' He was waiting for his assistant coaches to come in to go over the game plan. Whichever quarterback plays, Rams coach Mike Martz isn't sweating bullets; he knows both players are similar in style.

And Brady said neither he nor Bledsoe have speculated on Belichick's decision, either.

''We don't talk about stuff like that,'' said Brady. ''I know he wants to play and he knows I want to play. We haven't gotten into the hypotheticals ... if I'm 70 percent or 80 percent, or 100 percent. The fact of the matter is, we both have to be ready to play.''

As for Bledsoe, ''It was good for me to get the feel of being hit again,'' he said. ''I've been throwing the football around, and running plays and doing all of those things, but until you're in a game and feel the speed of the game and the contact, you're not really back.''

Most league officials polled on the subject feel Bledsoe did his future a lot of good by playing last Sunday.

But when asked about next year, Bledsoe said, ''Let's leave that for the offseason.''

Bledsoe earned $11.5 million between bonus and salary this season, but he paid a hefty price with his health.

Yet the veteran quarterback said when all is said and done - even if this is his last hurrah with the Patriots - ''I can look myself in the mirror and know I did everything I possibly could.''