I'm sick.  Mentally and physically sick.  Minutes into the first quarter,  Brady drops back and then steps up to launch a pass to Moss that was a little short.  Moss moves back a bit, grabs the pass and then fumbles.  But that's not the worst of it.  As Brady stepped up, Morris was on top of Pollard after completing a block and Pollard went to tackle Brady and fell into his knee.  You can clearly see the knee flex in a way a knee shouldn't flex.  In a story from Yahoo Sports, Michael Silver reports Brady has a torn ACL and is most likely out for the season (props to BigBlueShoe for this fanpost).

First, let me say THANK YOU to all the fans, both Patriot and rival, who have dropped by to offer words of encouragement.  It means a great deal to us New England fans.  I don't want to sound egotistical, but the NFL is not the same without Brady.  I believe he has that big of an impact on this sport.

Second, I'm sure Brady's sick over this.  He's a super competitive guy and wants the ball in his hands ALL...THE...TIME.  I'm sure the heartbreaking loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII left a bad taste in his mouth and he wanted to come back in 2008 and prove 2007 wasn't a fluke.  But, it looks like that's not going to happen.  It only takes a few seconds and BANG.  Season over.

I'm waiting for official reports from the Patriots to put my stake in the ground, but things aren't looking good.  If he's truly out, let's send our good thoughts his way as well as to Matt Cassel.  This will be his chance to step up and show he's ready.

Have faith, my friends.

Gang, a quick fanpost to say that I DO NOT, in any way, consider the injury to Tom Brady to be a dirty play by Bernard Pollard.  Pollard was doing his job trying to get to Brady and the ball.  You'll find the same reaction from a Poll I put up over at Pats Pulpit.  Unfortunate, no doubt, but not dirty.  Pollard seems genuinely upset about causing the injury in the course of doing his job.  No harm, no foul.

Some folks in the media are crying foul on Tom Brady's knee injury caused by Chiefs' safety Bernard Pollard.  Pollard had this to say:

"The play was not intentional," Pollard said. "People can call me a dirty player, you can call me whatever you want to call me, it’s not a dirty play. When you have 230 pounds on your back, and you’re trying to go forward, things will happen. I saw the ball was still in his hands and I tried to get to him. I tried to get up and get to him. But I couldn’t get up, so I just tried to grab him. It was not an intentional play."

Pollard expressed remorse at the result of the play. He also detailed what he heard on the field after the hit.

"All I heard was him scream and yell. When I heard him scream and yell, I knew something was wrong," he said. "That [stinks], because he’s a great player. He really is. He’s a top-notch guy. I’ve never really personally talked to him, but from seeing his interviews and everything else. … I’m sorry and that’s immediately what I said afterward. I went to my coach and let him know – ‘Coach, this was not intentional.’ Coach said ‘I know, I saw.’ My coach knows me and my teammates know me. I’ve never been a player like that, never been tagged as a player like that ever. It’s unfortunate."

 Check out the video and you decide.

Wow, too close for comfort.  With both starting QBs in the locker room, the Patriots eek out a win.  Discuss away, faithful.  A full wrapup will be in the works.

Here is your game thread, gang.  Let's hope the boys dust off the cob webs and continue on where they left off...prior to their final meeting with the Giants, that is.  Blog away, faithful.  Blog away.