Season could be over for Patriots QB Brady

Sep 8, 2008 - 3:12 AM FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- It's looking more and more like the season is over for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady was knocked out of Sunday's 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs midway through the first quarter after he was hit in the back of the left knee by safety Bernard Pollard.

According to multiple media reports, Brady suffered major ligament damage, which is expected to be confirmed when the reigning league Most Valuable Player undergoes an MRI exam on Monday.

Yahoo! Sports, citing a team source, first reported that Brady suffered serious ligament damage and will miss the remainder of the regular season.

"It's bad," a team source told the web site. "We're going to have to play without him."

WEEI radio station in Boston, which has a weekly spot with Brady, also reported on its web site that the quarterback has a torn ACL.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the game that he did have any update and that tests were still being run on Brady.

However, word of Brady's injury quickly reached South Florida, and was addressed by New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre during his postgame conference following a 20-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

"I just found out about that. That's terrible. I guess it's an ACL or something," Favre said. "They've always overcome injuries and things like that but that's pretty difficult."

The two-time Super Bowl MVP crumpled to the turf following the hit by Pollard, clutching the knee with 7:27 left in the opening quarter.

Brady was attended to by team officials before hobbling off the field and heading directly to the locker room. He finished 7-of-11 for 76 yards.

Matt Cassel replaced him on the Patriots' next possession.

Randy Moss, Brady's favorite target, sounded like he was resigned to Brady being out.

"I think it hurts. By him being the face of the New England Patriots and Tom being who he is, it hurts to be honest with you," Moss said. "I know the show must go on and hopefully, Matt Cassel is ready to step in. From a team standpoint, we are ready to embrace him and let him lead us."

Moss called the tackle by Pollard a "dirty" play.

"I didn't really see anything because I was running down the field. It looked dirty to me," Moss said. "I have never been a dirty player. I honestly don't know how to play dirty. I just play the game.

"Any time you see something like that that looks foul and looks dirty it opens your eyes. To me personally, it looked dirty."

Pollard was remorseful after the game.

"Things happen, but I can't do anything but send my prayers out to him," he said. "He's a competitor and tough guy. As soon as I heard him scream, I knew something wrong. That's something you don't want to see happen to another competitor."

In 2007, Brady set an NFL record by throwing 50 touchdown passes and leading New England to a perfect 16-0 regular season that ended with a crushing loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Brady did not take a snap this preseason due to an injured foot, but he was not listed on the injury report for Sunday's game - the first time he has not been on it since the 2005 season.

Entering the season, Brady had started 128 consecutive regular-season contests, the third-longest streak in history behind Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.

An injury to Drew Bledsoe in Week Two in 2001 put Brady in the lineup, and he has not missed a game since. He led New England to its Super Bowl championship that season, establishing his reputation as a clutch performer by leading a last-minute drive in a stunning 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

A sixth-round choice (No. 199 overall) of the Patriots in 1999, Brady directed the team to two more Super Bowl titles in 2003 and 2004 and had New England on the precipice of another before a last-second loss to the Giants this past February.