Bryan Stork The Lone Absence From Patriots' Wednesday Practice
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots got to work on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for Sunday night's AFC Championship Game against the Colts, but they did so without their starting center.
Rookie Bryan Stork was not present during the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, the Patriots' lone absence.
Stork suffered a knee injury in the second quarter against the Ravens on Saturday night, when linebacker Terrell Suggs made a diving tackle attempt on Tom Brady. Stork, standing between Suggs and Brady, took the brunt of that blow. He remained down on the turf for several moments before getting himself to the sideline, and he did not return for the rest of the game.
There have been no reports yet regarding the severity of the injury.
Second-year lineman Josh Kline entered the game at guard, with veteran Ryan Wendell sliding over from guard to center for the remainder of the game (save for the three plays when the Patriots opted to use just four linemen).
"Josh has come a long way," Belichick said on Wednesday. "Undrafted player, spent time on the practice squad, spent time on the roster, hasn't had a lot of playing time but I think he's a very tough, competitive guy. He's smart, he learns well, he's been a multi-position player for us in his roles and he's tough and he's a battler. When he's had to play, he's played very competitively for us."
Stork made his first NFL start in Week 4 against Kansas City. Though that loss remains the worst mark on the Patriots' schedule, that night signaled the beginning of a much more cohesive, effective offensive line that consisted of Wendell, Stork and Dan Connolly on the interior. Though the line did suffer some slip-ups, the majority came when either Stork, Wendell or Connolly missed time. Fill-ins during that time included Kline, Marcus Cannon, Jordan Devey and Cameron Fleming, but it appears the job will be Kline's on Sunday if Stork is unavailable.
Overall, thanks in large part to improved play on the offensive line, Brady took just 21 sacks this season, a major drop from last year's 40 sacks. Brady also improved his completion percentage from 60.5 percent to 64.1 percent while throwing eight more touchdowns and two fewer interceptions, all of which boosted his passer rating by a full 10.1 points.
Despite the trade of Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay, the 2014 Patriots scored 24 more points than the 2013 team.
The complete injury report from Wednesday's practice is below.
PATRIOTS
Did Not Participate
Bryan Stork, knee
Limited Participation
Brandon Browner, knee
Dont'a Hightower, shoulder
Chris Jones, elbow
Brandon LaFell, shoulder/toe
Full Participation
Tom Brady, ankle
COLTS
Did Not Participate
Vontae Davis, knee
D'Qwell Jackson, rest
Greg Toler, groin
Limited Participation
Erik Walden, knee
Tune in to the Patriots-Colts AFC Championship game on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. WBZ-TV kicks off coverage Friday night with a special edition of Patriots GameDay at 7pm, a LIVE edition of Patriots All Access Saturday night at 7pm, and a 90-minute Patriots GameDay on Sunday morning at 11:30am. After the game, switch over to myTV38 for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter. 98.5 The Sports Hub begins its coverage Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm, with three full hours of postgame reaction and analysis following the game.
