It was a very Brady Thanksgiving.
“That was always a great day,” New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said, reflecting on Thanksgivings past in San Mateo, Calif. “We used to have our own football game on Thanksgiving Day in the neighborhood. Usually … always at our house and my mom would cook. (I have) great memories of sitting around watching football all day.”
Times have changed.
Come 12:30 this afternoon, a football nation will tune in to watch Brady’s Patriots play the role of holiday guests to the Lions at Ford Field in that team’s 71st edition of Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Assuming he plays – Brady (right shoulder/foot) was one of three players the Patriots listed as questionable on Wednesday night’s updated injury report – the game will mark his third in Detroit on Turkey Day.
As a sixth-round pick out of the University of Michigan in the year 2000, Brady made his NFL debut in a mop-up role on Nov. 23 of that. Listed fourth on first-year head coach Bill Belichick’s depth chart behind Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz and Michael Bishop, Brady came off the bench in the fourth quarter of a 34-9 loss to the Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome, throwing three passes and completing one for 6 yards to tight end Rod Rutledge.
Two years later, the Lions’ first at Ford Field, Brady quarterbacked the Patriots to a rather nondescript 20-12 victory over the Lions, completing 18-of-30 passes for 210 yards with one interception in a game in which New England’s lone offensive touchdown came on a 1-yard run by Antowain Smith.
“It was a very inconsistent day on offense,” Brady recalled. “Tedy (Bruschi) had an interception return for a touchdown (27 yards in the first quarter). I hit Troy Brown on a late third down that helped the game, but other than that we didn’t do much offensively.”
As for Wednesday’s injury report, the questionable designation (50/50) marked a downgrade for the quarterback who traditionally is listed as probable (75 percent chance of playing) on the report with a right shoulder ailment and hadn’t seen his status change since the foot injury was added following the Patriots’ 34-14 loss at Cleveland on Nov. 7.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday (following a walk-through, the team flew to Michigan on Wednesday), Brady sounded like a quarterback who fully intends and expects to play.
“As football players we adjust,” Brady said, speaking of the short turnaround the team faced in going from its 31-28 win over Indianapolis on Sunday to today’s game with the Lions. “We do what we’ve got to do.”
Injury report: In addition to Brady, safety Jarrad Page (calf) and running back Fred Taylor (toe) are questionable..
Offensive tackle Mark LeVoir (elbow) guard Stephen Neal (shoulder), nose tackle Myron Pryor (back), cornerback Jonathan Wilhite (hip) and defensive lineman Mike Wright (neck/concussion) have been declared out.
The Lions listed place-kicker Jason Hanson (right knee), defensive end Lawrence Jackson (concussion) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (right shoulder) as out of today’s game.
Tight end Tony Scheffler (rib) is doubtful.
Defensive end Cliff Avril (quadriceps), linebacker Isaiah Ekeliuba (knee), center Dylan Gandy (calf) and defensive tackle Corey Williams (shoulder) are all questionable, while running back Jahvid Best (toe), quarterback Shaun Hill (quadriceps), linebacker DeAndre Levy (groin) and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (knee) are probable.