Originally Posted by Shalise Manza Young

When media are allowed to observe the New England Patriots' organized team activity on Thursday at Gillette Stadium, one gets the distinct notion that it will have a circus-like feel.

You can almost hear the carnival barker: Step right up, folks, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Tom Brady on the field for a Pats practice!

And if Randy Moss and Wes Welker are to be believed, Thursday will just be the warmup to a season full of circus-like catches and three rings of offensive fun. ...

Brady back under center, comfort for Moss and Welker, a healthy and speedy Joey Galloway in the mix, and a backfield of Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and the seemingly ageless Kevin Faulk — step right up folks. It's the show you've all been waiting for.

Originally Posted by Mike Reiss

Jim Miller, a backup for the Patriots in 2004 and now an analyst for Sirius NFL Radio, explained that the left leg is the "guide leg" for a right-handed quarterback. If a quarterback's mechanics are sound, his left toe will be pointed in the direction of the target to whom he is throwing.

So keeping an eye on that left toe and if Brady is overcompensating in any form is one area to watch.

Originally Posted by Mike Reiss

Former Patriots backup quarterback Scott Zolak added that "everything with the throwing motion starts with the left toe, left foot."

Although the right leg is the right-handed quarterback's plant leg -- and that generates power in throws -- Miller noted that there will be certain times that Brady will have to push off his left leg, such as on stretch plays to the right. So another area to watch is whether the Patriots have any stretch plays in 7 on 7 work for Brady to test his left leg.

Originally Posted by Dan Shaughnessy

You'll probably hear Tom say all this again when the Patriots finally unveil him at Gillette Stadium tomorrow, but for now we know these things only because the intrepid King scored an exclusive interview with Tom at practice last week.


Good for King. These days, it's rare when anybody at Gillette grants an interview of substance without cash changing hands.


The scramble for Brady nuggets has been particularly challenging since Bernard Pollard plowed into Brady's knee Sept. 7, 2008. Tom would show up for charities on occasion, but for most of the last eight months, he has been more scarce than a David Ortiz home run. And the chase has only been compounded by his courtship and recent marriage to one of the most famous women in the world.

Originally Posted by Karen Guregian

“I think you’ll see a much different Tom Brady because he’ll likely be wearing some hardware on that left knee,” said Sirius NFL radio analyst Jim Miller, a former backup to Brady with the Pats. “I have to believe he’ll be wearing it to stabilize it, and make sure there aren’t any tweaks. But I think the main thing for him will be getting accustomed to that, and performing like he always has.”

Brady, who is returning from Oct. 6 surgery to repair the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee, will get a feel for throwing with that brace. The push off and power typically come from the plant leg, or right leg for Brady. The front leg, according to Miller, is more of a “guide leg, where you’re guiding the football toward your target.”

The other adjustment with the brace, and this is more down the road, will be when Brady does have to move around a bit if the play calls for it, or if he has to scramble to avoid a rush.

“If he’s out there on a stretch play, or a play-action pass, or something like that,” said Miller, “he’s hoping to build confidence in being able to push off on that leg, and getting familiar with that again.”

Originally Posted by Mark Farinella

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, all is right with the world today. Amid the sweet songs of a heavenly choir, Tom Brady returned to the practice field Tuesday in an "official" capacity with the New England Patriots.

OK, I've got to admit, I don't know about the heavenly choir part. I wasn't there. Neither was anyone else in the New England media, because Tuesday was the first day of another "organized team activity" and no one from the media will be allowed to watch any of it until Thursday.

Seriously, that's not that big of a deal. The Patriots deserve some time away from us. We deserve some time away from them, too. It's not as if I don't have other things to do, and there's not a heck of a lot that anyone can learn from watching pad-less OTA practices that won't be covered in the June minicamp - except, of course, confirmation that Brady can stand straight up, take seven steps back and fire the ball into the hands of his wide receivers without crumpling into a heap at the center of the Gillette Stadium practice complex. And I think we already know that.

Brady's return, however, isn't just your every-day story. There's an awful lot of interest in how well one of the best quarterbacks in the game (if not the best) is responding from a serious knee injury. So, there will probably be a very good media turnout at Thursday's practice to see how he's doing, and we'll all probably leave taking Brady's word for it that he's fine. The pre-practice hype got a boost this week from Sports Illustrated's Peter King, who got to sit with Brady and chat about the twists and turns of his life since last season's fateful opening game. There aren't many blockbuster revelations within the story, but it does serve as a tasty morsel of football within what's usually a break from the day-in, day-out coverage from July through free agency and the draft.

Originally Posted by KSK

Hmmph. All in all, he sounds disgustingly well adjusted for a two-time Super Bowl MVP/baby-daddy of a Hollywood actress who instead got married to a supermodel. And that’s probably the most infuriating thing about Brady: for all the “Best Dressed Man Alive” articles and goat-holding photoshoots, he never comes across as an ignoramus or a total a-hole.

Which is why we should hate him even more.

Originally Posted by Kathryn Tappen

Patriots fans will forever remember the emotional return of Tedy Bruschi to the playing field, just eight months after suffering a stroke. Bruschi took the field at Gillette Stadium against the Buffalo Bills, recorded 10 tackles in that game and was later named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.

Tom Brady’s return will be chronicled much like those of the past and when Thursday comes around, fans and teammates will have their eyes focused on the quarterback. I am one of the journalists who will be responsible for telling Brady’s story. It’s exciting, it’s historic, and it’s exactly what New England football fans have been waiting for. If I get a few bumps and bruises along the way, so be it. These stories don’t come around every day.