Posted: 1 hours 26 minutes ago
Practice reports: Brady practices for Pats; Burress sits for Giants
NFL.com
Editor's Note: Below are the pool reports filed Thursday from team practices.
Patriots practice report
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Quarterback
Tom Brady's ankle injury continued to look like a non-factor in practice Thursday. Brady moved well, threw well and did not appear to limp. His ankle was not taped over his shoe.
Receiver
Jabar Gaffney's participation in practice was limited because of a shoulder injury.
After an inconsistent showing Wednesday, the Patriots had a crisp practice on a sunny day at Sun Devil Stadium on Thursday.
The Patriots don't always wear pads on Thursdays, but they did in preparation for Super Bowl XLII.
Coach Bill Belichick said his team practiced better. "Another day always helps," he said. "These guys care. They want to practice well. When we make mistakes, we've got to correct them. They want to get it right the next time."
Asked where the team was in terms of overall preparation, Belichick said, "We're pretty close. We'll review some stuff tomorrow. There won't be hardly anything new. Just reviewing situations. We're as ready as we're going to be. We could spend four weeks preparing for the Giants. But we'll be ready to go."
-- Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune
Giants practice report
TEMPE, Ariz. --
Plaxico Burress, who didn't practice Wednesday because of his chronic right ankle injury, missed Thursday's workout because of swelling and soreness in his left knee.
As he did Wednesday, Burress dressed for practice, loosened up and tried to run a few routes and catch a few passes in the first few minutes. Five hours earlier, at the team's interview session, Burress said he anticipated being able to practice.
Burress shut it down early Thursday and spent the remainder of the one-hour-50-minute practice in the training room receiving treatment.
"He has an ankle that always has been a problem, but he also has some issues with a knee that off and on in the past has bothered him," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "That's the thing right now. Between the two of them, that's why he's not working. He comes out and tries to go and can't go."
Coughlin said he's hopeful Burress will feel better for Friday's practice. The problem for Burress on Thursday was swelling and soreness in the left knee.
"Who knows, it may be related," Coughlin said of the knee and ankle issues. "It's a matter of how fast the swelling goes down so he can deal with it."
Cornerback
Kevin Dockery, who missed four of the past five games with a hip flexor, and guard
Rich Seubert, who suffered a knee injury in the second half of the NFC Championship Game against the Packers, participated in all of Thursday's practice and should be ready for Sunday's game against the Patriots. Both players took about half of the snaps on Wednesday.
The Thursday practice, which took place at the
Arizona Cardinals' facility, was spirited. Plus, it was slightly noisier than the Wednesday workout. A noise machine was used to simulate some of the distractions the Giants will face during the Super Bowl. The volume wasn't cranked up as much as it would be for a normal road game, but Coughlin indicated the players like to practice at times with the noise.
"The energy level has been really high," Coughlin said of the spirited workout. "They were obviously flying around pretty good. I thought the execution was OK. We're moving toward the game. We're getting there. We're sure getting there."
Fox analysts Troy Aikman, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson were in attendance. Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer watched practice with them.
-- John Clayton
rayer
