Is Tom Brady really hurt? High ankle sprains can be pretty bad, requiring 4-6 weeks to heal. What is a high ankle sprain anyway?
When the syndesmosis (the ligamentous material that joins the two lower leg bones together) is injured, it is called a high ankle sprain. So in this case, I heard Tommy’s injury termed a “mild high ankle sprain” which should heal in 2–3 weeks. And then there are all the “Tom in a boot” and “Tom with a taped ankle” and “Tom with a noticeable limp” sightings — you’d think he was important or something! So is he really hurt, or is it a vast Patriot conspiracy to lull the Giants into a false sense of security? More importantly, will it affect him? 
If he truly is injured, I think it may, at least to some point. It’s been my observation that the only way to stay with the Patriots is to put pressure on Brady, you know, knock him around a little. If he is not 100%, maybe he’ll be a little slow stepping up in the pocket, allowing the Giants to get some pressure on him. Then maybe he throws a pick or two. Then again, maybe not. Is that high ankle sprain going to affect the outcome of this game? I doubt it.
New Years Day. The venison chili is on the stove, football is on the TV and it’s snowing – it doesn’t get much better.
The Michigan – Florida game is on TV. As a Penn State graduate, I am obligated to despise Michigan for 364 days a year (365 in the leap years). That being said, today I can root for them as they are fellow Big Ten members playing against a hated SEC opponent. For anyone who follows college football, this is a classic Big Ten vs. Southern Speed game, but Michigan is up by 7, no, make that 14, in the 3rd quarter. No, my beloved Nittany Lions did not get to a New Years Bowl Game this year, but they did beat Texas A&M on Saturday night.
Later today, we have USC and Illinois, and on January 7, the championship between Ohio State and LSU. I have to admit, I don’t like the idea of having to stay up to watch a game during a week night – I have to work in the morning! But sacrifices must be made. How about the NFL? The Giants actually showed me something on Saturday night. I didn’t think Eli had it in him. I will not be at all surprised if someone beats the Patriots in the playoffs. Watch out for the Jags – they’re playing like the Steelers are supposed to.
I generally don’t make New Years resolutions – too much pressure. However, there are some things, in no particular order, which I would like to see in the next few months – MAU basketball, boys and girls, to win a state championship. Cambridge boys basketball, led by my nephew Shea, to win a Section II championship. Cambridge girls basketball (my niece Amelia this time) to win. Penn State basketball to compete in the Big Ten. One day without hearing anything about politics. One day without hearing anything about the New England Patriots. Lot’s of snow. An accurate snowfall forecast. My dog, Duncan, to stick around for a little while longer – we still have things to do, buddy. My kids, Ben and Stasia, to continue to amaze and delight me everyday. Good health for my friends and loved ones.
Look at that – Michigan just upset Florida
That’s it. Happy New Year
Well, 3 more chances for the Patriots to lose. They have the Jets and Dolphins and then the Giants. I guess, of the three, the Giants have the best chance. Of course the Eagles and the Ravens could have and should have beaten them, except for some rather creative officiating. At least there weren’t any really questionable calls in the Steeler game – the Steelers were flat out beat.
That brings me back to the Giants game – it’s a Saturday game and is on the NFL Network – what a great scenario – an undefeated Patriot team trying to finish out a perfect season. I actually think the Giants might give them a game. Here’s the problem – if you have cable, you probably will not get the game. For those of us with DirecTV, we’ll see it. It seems the NFL Network and a few cable companies cannot come to an agreement as to how the channel is to be offered. What a great situation for the NFL – a potentially undefeated team and the game is on their own network. It can only serve to increase the pressure on the cable companies to make a deal with the NFL Network.
School’s over and summer vacation is here. What are you going to do? After all, practice for that fall sport is a mere 8 weeks away. Time to sit back, relax, get a summer job, make some money, and train. That’s right, I said TRAIN. 
This is pre-season, and you have to get ready to go. If you don’t, long about August 15, you may be coming to see me with some kind of overuse injury. If I had a dime for every case of shin splints, hip flexor strains, hamstring pulls, and knee pain I see at the beginning of the fall season, I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog, because I would be independently wealthy.
So what do you need to do? If your coach has given you a summer program, follow it. If your coach has not given you a summer program, ask. From a strength and conditioning standpoint, you need to work on speed, agility, and speed endurance in the offseason, not to mention the strength training requirements. Everyone knows what speed and agility are, but what is speed endurance? Put simply, speed endurance is what gives you the ability to beat your opponent at the end of the game – it is the conditioning of the anaerobic energy system which gives you that extra “spurt” when everyone else on the field is sucking wind.
You will not get speed endurance by running 5 miles a day – all that does is train you to run 5 miles per day. You will get speed endurance by pushing yourself to the limit through careful interval training. Speed endurance should only be trained 1 – 2 days per week – it is very stressful on the system. Of all the things I train, my athletes universally say that speed endurance training is the hardest thing I make them do. However, the pain you go through now will payoff next fall – guarantee it. If you have questions, do your research or contact me. If you want to be the best conditioned athlete on the field this fall, you need to start now.