Tom Brady: Knee feels good, excited to return to work

“It feels good now. I mean, it was not my favorite offseason of all-time,” Brady, who turns 44 on Aug, 3, said Friday after the final practice before the Bucs don pads for the first time in training camp.

“I haven’t had surgery in a long time, so you kind of forget the rehab process and so forth. So it’s kind of a long arduous offseason when you go through rehab like that,” Brady added. “I got a lot of time with my family, so that was really enjoyable. But (I’m) happy to be back to work.”

Despite playing with an injury the quarterback said personal trainer Alex Guerrero helped him deal with throughout his first season with Tampa Bay, Brady threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns vs. 12 interceptions in 2020.

Including four postseason wins, the Bucs finished on an eight-game winning streak and are trying to become the first team to win consecutive Super Bowl titles since Brady led the Patriots to back-to-back crowns in 2003 and ‘04.

Players who are not practicing still must wear masks if they haven’t been vaccinated against the coronavirus. They also must wear face coverings for weight sessions, all outdoor meetings, and the post-practice periods even when family — which the league is terming “cohabitants” — is allowed on the field.

The league also loosened restrictions on what those cohabitants can do after practices. They now are allowed to join players and all Tier 1 and Tier 2 personnel — those who deal directly with players — on the field. Outdoor social events are permitted at the facility, with some restrictions.

For teams with fewer than 90% vaccinated players, the visitors must produce proof of vaccination that teams must verify. Children under 12 will be allowed on the field or for such social events. However, unvaccinated players, staff and children under 12 must wear masks and practice social distancing.

But for teams with more than 90% vaccinated players, there will be no requirements for proof of vaccination. The same restrictions apply to those who are not vaccinated.

Injuries kept quarterback Carson Wentz and center Ryan Kelly out of the Indianapolis Colts practice .

Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said Wentz was injured during Thursday’s workout and missed the final practice period. Doctors were still evaluating the injury Friday and Brady said it was unclear when Wentz may return.

Kelly was diagnosed with a hyperextended elbow and is expected to miss a couple weeks.

The biggest concern was Wentz, who has an extensive injury history.

Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, who requested a trade via Instagram, did not practice because of an ankle injury.

Howard, an All-Pro selection in 2020 after leading the NFL in interceptions with 10, jogged off the field after the team’s warmup Thursday before resurfacing some 40 minutes later and watching the end of practice from the sideline. He watched part of practice again Friday.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores did not speak to the South Florida media Friday, but appeared on NFL Network before practice.

“We love coaching him,” Flores said. “Obviously he’s a very talented player, makes our team better.”

Zach Wilson dropped back for his first pass of his first practice of training camp and let loose.

A pretty, rainbow-like toss was snagged in coverage by Elijah Moore, and the 40-yard play had the New York Jets’ offense fired up. It turned out to be the best moment of the understandably rusty rookie quarterback’s day.

Wilson missed the first two practices of camp while waiting to have his contract issues settled, and then was on the field trying to quickly get up to speed.

The No. 2 overall pick signed a four-year, $35.15 million contract Thursday, ending his brief holdout after the Jets and Wilson’s agents worked out the deal following haggling over some of the terms.

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