Brady returned yesterday, joining his teammates in sweats and shells for their penultimate practice session before Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Ravens.
“It’s going to be the best team we’ve faced all year,’’ Brady said. “It’s going to be a very tough, physical hard-nosed game and we need everybody at full strength.’’
While Brady fully participated yesterday, the Patriots had 14 players who were limited: Deion Branch (knee), Wes Welker (knee), Aaron Hernandez (concussion), Marcus Cannon (ankle), Nate Solder (concussion), Sebastian Vollmer (back/foot), Logan Mankins (knee), Patrick Chung (knee), James Ihedigbo (shoulder), Rob Ninkovich (hip), Brandon Spikes (knee), Tracy White (abdomen), Dane Fletcher (thumb), and Kyle Love (ankle).
Brady also missed a practice during the bye week before the Broncos’ divisional-round game.
“It’s not the first practice I’ve missed over the years,’’ said Brady. “You come off a game Saturday and Sunday and you just do what you can to be prepared. If Coach [Bill Belichick] goes, ‘It’s best for you to do other things to get yourself ready,’ then that’s what you do. You still use all that time wisely. You just don’t lounge around and take a nap. You just put in extra work and make sure that you’re getting prepared.’’
Memory tucked away
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the Tuck Rule game, the Patriots’ 16-13 overtime victory against the Oakland Raiders at Foxboro Stadium, which is now a parking lot at Patriot Place.
The win was a watershed moment in the franchise’s history, as it catapulted the Patriots to the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh and then Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
“It was a great game, it was a great night, and, of course, a lot of fond memories,’’ Belichick said. “But [we’re] really just trying to get on to Baltimore.’’
Tedy Bruschi, who was announced yesterday to be the third of four honorary captains for Sunday’s game, said, “That game was the beginning of a run that still hasn’t ended.’’
