Two days after Tom Brady injured his right hand in Wednesday's practice, some details came out on Friday, although not many at that.
According to reports, namely NFL Network and Tom E. Curran, Brady suffered a cut somewhere in the area of his right thumb and needed stitches. The thumb itself was also impacted, which is where the X-ray report came in. Those came back negative.
Brady missed practice on Thursday, was limited Friday and officially was listed as questionable on the injury report. When asked directly if he would play in the game Friday afternoon, Brady responded, "We'll see."
So, in reality not much information is known, but it is a lot more than was known Thursday night after he missed practice.
It's likely not more information is known until Sunday when he takes to the field for pregame warmups.
Here's some things to keep an eye on.
GLOVE OR NO GLOVE?
Brady has been on record saying he isn't a fan of wearing a glove on his throwing hand, but he may need to on Sunday. If in fact he does have stitches, his thumb will need to be taped, have to wear a glove, or both. When Brady first runs on to the field to his signature Jay-Z music just over an hour before the game, it will tell a good amount as it relates to the seriousness of the injury.
If he's wearing a glove on the throwing hand, it's definitely going to be a thing to monitor. If he's not, it eases some concerns about it being a factor. Although it's worth noting Brady could have the thumb taped, which could still be a factor when it comes to him being comfortable with the ball in his hand and making throws. Since the injury happened just four days ago, the stitches have virtually no chance of being removed, especially considering the area of the cut.
From Brady's standpoint, he doesn't want to have the glove on, as he wants to have the best grip possible. If he cannot grip the ball properly, not only is it an issue throwing the ball, but just standing in the pocket with the Jaguars pass rush coming after him. They love to swat at the ball and if Brady doesn't have the best grip, it leaves him susceptible to fumbles.
HOW IS HE THROWING THE BALL?
We should have a good idea of how Brady is throwing the ball well before the game starts. Reports said he was throwing it well in practice Friday, but we won't know for sure until we see it with our own eyes. Brady's typical warmup has him throwing short passes, intermediate passes and deep passes. The first answer will be is Brady's warmup altered in any way? Obviously, if it is then it's a concern. Otherwise, the next thing to look at is how much velocity is Brady throwing the ball with? Can he make the throws outside the numbers with enough velocity to get past the strong Jaguars corners? Lastly, it will be worth seeing how far he can throw the ball. If there is any discomfort then this will certainly be impacted. If any of these things are off, then the Patriots might need to make some last-minute adjustments to the game plan.
SHOTGUN OR UNDER-CENTER?
Brady may need to be in shotgun more often than usual because of the stress on the thumb if he needs to take snaps under center. It would appear a major part of the offensive game plan is taking advantage of the Jaguars' 21st-ranked rushing defense, so if Brady is in shotgun a good amount, maybe the thumb actually is affecting him. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Jaguars test Brady early on and crowd the box and make him throw — see just how far he can throw the ball. If Brady is in shotgun most of the game it also may give the Jacksonville pass rush an advantage in getting after the quarterback. For the Patriots to have their best game plan play out, they need Brady to be able to go under-center with no limitations.
