Brady calls a play against the Titans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- After Tom Brady cancelled his last two press conferences amid swirling rumors about the injury to his throwing hand, fans are asking just how serious that injury is--and wondering about Brady's status for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Jaguars.
ESPN's Mike Reiss told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman that there was initial concern about the severity of the injury, but that the team thinks it's something Brady can manage.
"They're confident that he can play through it and be effective," Reiss said. "When I look at it, this is obviously their most important game of the season, and on Thursday, they just went through their most important practice--their only one that they'd have in full pads--and their most important player wasn't there."
"This is significant, and not just something to dismiss," Reiss added.
But wouldn't Head Coach Bill Belichick have added another backup quarterback if Brady's injury really had the potential to keep him from playing?
"If this was a major emergency in the sense of Brady's availability was in question, certainly makes sense to think they would have tried to rush another quarterback in here," Reiss said. "So when you frame the context of it, you say, Brady's going to play, the question is more, how effective will he be?"
Reiss added that Brady's played through injuries before.
"Tom Brady is as tough as they come, and this'll be one on the list of many things that he's fought through to play through," Reiss said.
Reiss and Kaufman also talked about the readiness of backup QB Brian Hoyer, whether or not the mid-season Garoppolo trade was premature in the light of Brady's injury, and more.
Listen to Adam Kaufman's full interview with Mike Reiss here: