Krause: Pats pragmatic when it comes to Brady’s injury

It was the first day of preparation for the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium yesterday – a good time to glean the mood of the team going into next Sunday’s game ? and a good time to see what everybody thinks of Tom Brady and “Bootgate.”So, we asked a few of the players. And here’s what they said ? pretty much in unison.”Huh? What? Tom Brady? What about his foot?”Well ? just about.As the team is wont to do in these circumstances, the players acted as if they didn’t know anything was wrong ? and coach Bill Belichick acted as if someone had asked him to unveil an embarrassing family secret.Belichick wouldn’t comment, but said – with a sly grin – “Well, we’ll go out there. I don’t know. The injury report will be out next Wednesday and we’re excited to give that to you ? I can’t wait to give that to everybody. I know you’re anxious for it, so when it’s due on Wednesday, we’ll have it for you. Don’t worry about that.”Of course, that’s what any sane person would have expected.As for some other teammates ?”I think that’s something you have to talk to Brady about,” said defensive lineman Richard Seymour. “I have just as much information as you, so I’m really not sure about that issue.”And this ? from Adalius Thomas: “I didn’t know anything about it until, I think, yesterday,” he said.That means he missed the breathless “reporting” on the incident Monday night. Lucky him.When he was asked whether he felt Brady would be 100 percent, Thomas toed the party line.”I’ll let Tom answer that,” he said. “I don’t know anything about a boot or a cup or a shoe. I don’t know anything like that. I don’t know anything – slippers, I don’t know. His slippers cost more than my shoes, I don’t know.”Of course, the person to ask – Brady – was nowhere to be found. He didn’t come out for interviews, and he wasn’t at practice, either. So we’re left to speculate, again, just how badly this injury is.But face it. What practicing does Brady really need to do this week? I think we’ve established that he can throw the ball. We’ve established that he can find open receivers. The team is just beginning to formulate its game plan, so other than to go out in the freezing cold, with a “mild” high ankle sprain, run around, and risk further injury – silly.It’s repetitive almost to the point of being arrogant, but there isn’t much about Super Bowls that Tom Brady doesn’t know by now. He’s been in three of them, and won them all. He got hurt during the AFC championship game in 2002, had only a week to prepare instead of two, and led the team downfield in the last two minutes for a victory over the St. Louis Rams.Therefore, there is really no point in reading any more into this than we already know: Brady has an injury, and the Patriots – as any smart franchise would do – are protecting him as long as possible.Simple.Steve Krause is sports editor of The Item.