The Patriots are Facing the Cowboys About as Injured as They’ve Ever Been
From Belichick’s Friday press conference:
Q: Do you have a sense of the status for Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett for this weekend?
BB: I have a sense, yeah.
Q: Can you share?
BB: Yeah, we’ll share when the injury report comes out after practice. We’ll make sure you get a copy, 100 percent. There’s no point in guessing on it. Might as well go out and practice and see what they can do, and then make an accurate report. I’m not going to sit here and try to Ouija board it here this morning and tell you how a guy’s going to feel before he’s gone out there and done anything. I mean, that wouldn’t be responsible on my part.
And now as it turns out, we pretty much know Belichick can let the dead Rest In Peace. He doesn’t need to summon the spirit world because by all accounts neither Mohamed Sanu or Phillip Dorsett are likely to play against Dallas today. Marcus Cannon is sick enough that he might be replaced with a coach who was hired during Season 1 of “Cheers.” And Tom Brady is dealing with something involving the most important throwing elbow in the world. Something significant enough to be worth mentioning on a man who hasn’t missed a single snap due to injury since 2008. And who won the AFC championship game over Jacksonville two years ago after almost having his hand Luke Skywalkered that week in practice.
So yeah, no big deal. Nothing to worry about.
All of which means the Patriots will be taking one of their biggest tests of the year - a midterm that count for a large percentage of their final grade against a team that is top seven in the league on offense and defense - without a pen or a writing hand and half their brain tied behind their backs.
Honestly I can’t recall them ever going into a game this thin before. A 38-year-old tight end, an elite 3rd down running back a great but banged up slot receiver, and two rookies with a coming 18 receptions are all Brady’s injured elbow have for targets. And just to add an extra element of fun, it’s been pouring all day and playing on that field is going to be like running through the shower at the gym.
They’ve faced harder challenges in the recent past. But none where they were this hurt and thin in key areas. Hell, as bad as things were on the injury fron for the 2015 AFCCG at Denver, they still had Edelman, Danny Amendola and Gronk. Right now that team sounds like the 1989 49ers by comparison. And they somehow find a way to pull this game out, everyone forfeits the right to say the Pats haven’t beaten anyone or they’re not the favorites to win the Super Bowl. This is one of those Nut Up or Shut Up times.