Brady behind schedule in recovery

[JohnR]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28399629/

By Tom E. Curran
NBCSports.com
updated 10:43 a.m. ET, Sun., Dec. 28, 2008


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Tom E. Curran
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When the New England Patriots' 2008 season ends, quarterback Matt Cassel will be set to become a free agent.

But before Cassel hits the free-agent market, the Patriots will look long and hard at the medical reports of star quarterback Tom Brady. And, according to a league source, those reports will give New England pause.

Brady, who had the ACL and MCL in his left knee ripped in the first quarter of the season’s first game, is well behind schedule in coming back from the surgery performed in early October, the source said.
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The problem began with the infection that set in soon after the Oct. 6 surgery performed by Los Angeles-based doctor Neil ElAttrache.

After the infection was detected, Brady went through six weeks of antibiotics and surgical irrigation of the infected area. The infection finally cleared but as it currently stands, both the ACL and MCL remain “loose,” the league source said. Meanwhile, scar tissue that built up in the knee as Brady’s body battled the infection is still present and might need to be surgically removed.

Additionally, because of the scar tissue, Brady’s knee doesn’t have close to full mobility, the league source said. That means the process of regaining strength in his quadriceps — the most important muscle to build up after a knee injury — hasn’t begun in earnest.

Even if Brady gets the scar tissue removed, regains greater mobility in the knee and is able to get the strength back in his quad, the looseness in the ligaments won’t go away without a second surgery, the source said. At this point, deciding to have that second surgery would cost him the 2009 season because a second surgery wouldn’t be recommended this soon after the first, especially with the current condition of the area.

If he doesn’t have a second surgery, he’ll almost certainly have to wear a brace on the knee when he returns and the area will be susceptible to another blowout, the source said.

If that occurs, what then for the Patriots?

That’s where Cassel’s situation becomes interesting. After three full seasons working as a backup to Brady, Cassel has played brilliantly this season, especially relative to the expectations of how much he could deliver.

He’s thrown for 3,615 yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 picks and completed more than 63 percent of his passes. And the Patriots, entering Sunday, are 10-5 with a chance to win the AFC East. This after spending his entire college career at USC without starting a single game.

On the free agent market, the 26-year-old Cassel would certainly be as appetizing an option as any quarterback coming out in April’s draft. By way of financial comparison, Matt Ryan, the third overall pick last April, got a six-year, $72 million deal from the Falcons, which included more than $34 million in guaranteed money.

But if the condition of Brady — the NFL’s MVP in 2007, a three-time Super Bowl winner and a two-time Super Bowl MVP — is still tenuous, the Patriots might use the franchise tag on Cassel. That would mean Cassel would be paid the average of the top five quarterback salaries in the league. That probably would come in around $12 million.