Brady Coach: QB Had Broken Finger, 3 Broken Ribs

By KC Downey in Featured, Patriots, Top Story ⋅ July 3, 2010 at 11:40pm ⋅ Post a comment

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady (Picture courtesy of blogs.mysuccessgateway.com)

According to an ESPN.com interview with personal throwing coach Tom Martinez, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had a broken finger and three broken ribs toward the end of last season. Think that might have been why he had three straight games with a QB rating under 75.0?

CBS’s Charley Casserly had reported during the season that Brady had three broken ribs, a report which coach Bill Belichick vehemently denied, saying “Who’s been wrong more than Charley Casserly?” OK Bill, he may be wrong sometimes, but it appears he was right on this time.

“He had a broken finger and three broken ribs,” Martinez said, ostensibly confirming reports Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Brady himself denied during the season. “He wasn’t throwing well.

“It’s one of those things where I can see right away what he’s doing. He trusts me, so when I tweak him, it’s right back to where he wants to be. Then, at that point, it probably is psychological.”

So there you have it. Brady needed Martinez’s help after that rough stretch…and went 23-26 with 267 yards and four touchdowns the following week against the Jaguars in a crucial game, giving the Patriots their 10th win to clinch the AFC East title.

Some have suggested that the Patriots should be penalized for not disclosing the injuries per NFL rules, but Belichick did list Brady on the injury report, unlike Brett Favre when he was injured and not listed on the Jets injury report during the 2008 season. Brady, meanwhile, was listed as probable with “right shoulder, finger, rib” injuries, so the Pats will probably be off the hook.

The Globe’s Albert Breer argued that the injuries weren’t fully disclosed so Brady couldn’t use the injuries as excuses for his sub-par performance. To be honest, most fans knew Brady was injured, so is that really a surprise to NFL officials?