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Brady Listed as Questionable for Sunday's Game

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is listed as questionable in the team's final injury report for Sunday's game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Brady finally spoke Friday, but said little, refusing to answer questions about his much-discussed hand injury. He even wore gloves so no one could see his hand.

"Not talking about it," he said when asked how his hand is doing.

"We'll see," he added, when asked if he'll play on Sunday. "I have no idea."

He didn't say much, but Boston College professor Joe Tecce, a body language expert, studied his every move looking for clues.

"He is more nervous today than he was two weeks ago," Tecce said. "The important thing here is he is nodding up and down throughout the interview, suggesting he is trying to say to himself, 'Yes, it is alright, everything is OK.'"

Brady reportedly jammed the hand at practice Wednesday when a player accidentally ran into him. X-rays showed no structural damage and most observers still expect Brady to play in Sunday's AFC title game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Michael Felger of 98.5 The Sports Hub and NBC Sports Boston reported Friday that Brady did not suffer a fracture or any ligament damage, "Just a cut from hitting the buckle on someone's helmet." He said the cut required four stitches.

Brady did attend practice on Friday and was seen stretching and running. He said at his press conference that he took part in the entire practice. He was officially listed as a "limited participant" by the team.

"I was out there," he said. "For the whole practice. It was fun."

He wouldn't say if he threw any footballs.

Brady appeared at practice Thursday as well, but did not participate. 

Asked why he was wearing gloves inside, Brady said, "I've worn them before."

Brady also spoke glowingly about backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, and praised Sunday's opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"It's a great challenge," he said. "The team's worked hard to get to this point. It'll be a great game. We're going to have to play really well."

Brady's entire press conference lasted less than five minutes.

Head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media Friday morning, but also shed little light on Brady's condition.

"We gave out the injury report yesterday, we'll update it today," Belichick said.

Brady appeared on the Patriots' weekly injury report several times during the latter half of this season with injuries to both his Achilles tendon and his left shoulder. The four-time Super Bowl MVP has never missed a playoff start during his 18-year career.

If for some reason he can't play, the Patriots would look to backup Brian Hoyer. His last playoff start was the antithesis of a Brady performance. For Houston in its 2015 AFC wild-card matchup with Kansas City, Hoyer completed 15 of 34 passes for 136 yards, with no touchdowns and five turnovers (four interceptions) in a 30-0 loss.

Hoyer, a former Patriot, was acquired in midseason when the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco.

"I'm always preparing to play because the truth of reality is you never know when your name's gonna be called," he said Thursday.

No Patriots quarterback's name has been called in the playoffs other than Brady's since the 1990s.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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