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Tom Brady Hopes To Have Turned Corner With Knee Injury

BOSTON (CBS) -- At this point in the season, no one is really healthy in the NFL.

That includes Tom Brady, who went in great depth about his health during his Monday evening interview with Westwood One's Jim Gray. Brady was on New England's injury report last week, limited by a knee issue on both Wednesday and Thursday. He was then absent from Friday's practice with the knee and an illness, listed as questionable for the team's Week 12 matchup with the New York Jets. He was under center on Sunday but the Pats QB did appear to be off at times during New England's 27-13 victory. He still finished the game 20-for-31 for 283 yards, two touchdowns, no picks, and his 115.4 rating was the best he's had all season.

Brady says he's kicked the flu that has been making its way through the New England locker room, and his balky knee is feeling better as the Patriots prepare for their Week 13 clash with the Vikings.

"I'm certainly doing better this week," said Brady. "We had the game against Tennessee where I got a little nicked up and then had the bye week and was hoping to have a full week of practice, and it just didn't allow for it. I think a lot of NFL players are nursing things at this point. I'm nursing a couple of little things. I'm feeling a lot better. A little flu has been going around, but I'm feeling a lot better and hopefully I really turned the corner with my knee this week."

Brady has never let minor injuries keep him from taking the playing field on Sundays, and it's not something he's going to let that start now. He believes the knee will get better even if he does play the final five games of the regular season -- and beyond.

"It can definitely heal. My take on injuries is you're really susceptible every time you go out," Brady said of the knee injury. "You can go out and you can be a little nicked up, and if you get hit again you could make it worse. But the reality is you could wait for it to be fully healthy and then go out and take a hit and get hurt again. Really, if I can play, that's what I'm always going to prefer to do and that's what I've always done, realizing that there are risks that come with playing when you're not fully healthy or things aren't fully healed.

"That's just part of the nature of the game. I think in many ways it would hurt me more to not be playing and watching than it would to be dealing with whatever I'm dealing with," he said.

Brady said he did have to make some minor adjustments Sunday in New Jersey, but it's nothing he hasn't dealt with before over his 19-year career.

"As a veteran player, I've been dealing with a lot of things over the course of a long career. I'm pretty in-tune with my body and have worked pretty hard at it. I know what I can and can't do, and sometimes you do have to adjust a little bit," he said. "There were things I had to adjust [Sunday] but I'm glad we came out of it with the win, and I'm excited to get back out there and go again this week."

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