New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick hasn't changed his philosophy on revealing more than he has to on injuries. In essence, the less we know the better — that remains status quo.
But there seems to be legitimate concern over the health of quarterback Tom Brady's injured right hand, even if Belichick deflected questions in typical fashion when asked Friday morning.
"We gave out the injury report [Thursday]," Belichick said, "and we'll update it today."
Brady — wearing red gloves on both hands — was kept out of Thursday's full-pads practice after taking part in warmups. In the past, Brady has said he does not like wearing gloves on his throwing hand when practicing or playing.
Asked how much Brady's injury, which he suffered during a midweek practice, changes the team's preparation for Sunday's AFC title game matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Belichick said: "I don't know."
Belichick added: "We're going to continue to get ready for Jacksonville all the way through until game time."
The only other quarterback on the roster is Brian Hoyer, who was signed following the trade of Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers. Once again, the Garoppolo trade, which reportedly caused some of the friction laid out in an extensive ESPN feature about the Patriots last month, has become the center of attention.
If the Patriots must turn to Hoyer, Belichick said of his backup QB, "Brian does a great job for us. Works hard. Practices hard."
Asked if Brady would be a game-time decision, Belichick said: "Today is Friday."
Brady was supposed to speak to the media on Wednesday, the day he reportedly suffered the minor collision that caused the hand injury. That was canceled, and Brady is now scheduled to speak Friday afternoon.
Is there legitimate concern? If there is, we likely won't hear it directly from him or Belichick.