Tom Brady is known for carving up defenses, but his ill-fated encounter with a pair of scissors was all anyone wanted to talk about on Tuesday.
The Patriots passer sat out last week's preseason game against the Bears after slicing his thumb with the shears while trying to "get something out" of his shoe, an incident Brady called a "silly accident," adding: "I let out a pretty loud word I wouldn't say in front of my kids."
Brady told reporters that he lobbied to play against Chicago and would have dressed were it a regular-season game, telling the room, "I wish I could have played."
The future Hall of Famer was also absent the past few days to "take care of something," but called this a "big week" as New England prepares to face the Panthers on Friday night in the regular-season dress rehearsal.
"I'd like to be out there every time I get a chance to play," Brady said. "You only get so many opportunities to play a year, and I'm getting so many opportunities left in my life, so I'd like to take advantage of any and all of them if possible. When you see your teammates out there in their uniforms, ready to go, you want to be out there with them."
Look for Brady to finally make his preseason debut against Luke Kuechly and Carolina's defense. Playing him deep into the game is unlikely, though, as coaches continue to prepare Jimmy Garoppolo for his critical four-week, season-opening run as the team's starting quarterback.
