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Brady in walking cast?

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 22, 2008

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was photographed yesterday with what appears to be a walking cast or boot on his right foot.

The Boston Herald and Boston Globe had the photos on their Web sites. A video of Brady walking with a slight limp from an SUV to girlfriend Gisele Bundchen's apartment in New York is available on TMZ.com.

When asked yesterday if his leg is injured (before the photo and video emerged), Brady said on WEEI radio, "Ah, you know, there's always bumps and bruises. I'll be ready for the Super Bowl. I'm not missing this one. I'd have to be on a stretcher to miss this one. There will be treatment this week. In games like this, you get a little nicked up. It's nothing serious."

Patriots spokesman Stacey James wrote in an e-mail to the AP late last night that the team had no comment on the situation.

- The Associated Press

Familiar recent foe

Bill Belichick didn't say he was rooting for the Giants to beat the Packers. But he did admit that having to face a familiar opponent in the Super Bowl - the Patriots and Giants met in the regular-season finale Dec. 29 - gives the Patriots an advantage they wouldn't have enjoyed otherwise.

"We know what we're dealing with the Giants," he said. "We had a great game with them last month. It looks like they've done nothing but get better."

He added that most of the legwork, video archiving and tendency charting already is completed for the Giants.

"If we had [to play] Green Bay, we would have spent a lot of time getting the material ready to analyze," he said.

Instead, the Patriots spent yesterday organizing their logistics - they'll practice in Foxborough on Thursday and Friday and leave for Phoenix on Sunday - and dissecting their less-than-spectacular performance against the Chargers in the AFC title game. Belichick said they'll start "digging into the Giants" in the next couple of days.

- TOM ROCK