Tom Brady Injury: New England Patriots Foolish to Start Brady vs. Bills

Tom Brady is the New England Patriots. Without him, the rest of the team does not work. That is why there was a lot of panic surrounding the star quarterback's shoulder injury this week. It sounds like he will be able to play against Buffalo, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.

But are we so sure that is the right move for him or the team with the postseason starting next week and them already having a first-round bye?

I understand that home-field advantage is at stake for them in this game, and Brady is just 103 yards shy of the 5,000-yard mark, which would help his MVP candidacy. 

Unfortunately for Brady, the MVP is going to come down to Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. And the Patriots are 6-2 on the road this season, so it is not like this team is incapable of going on the road and winning. 

There is no discernable evidence that the Patriots are a significantly better team at home than on the road, so the only reason to start Brady in this game is simply for his and the team's ego. 

The Patriots are going to go as far as they can with Brady playing quarterback. There is no reason to risk him doing further damage to himself when they already have a bye locked up. 

The Bills do not exactly possess a powerhouse defense, but you know that if they have an open shot at Brady's shoulder they are going to take it. That is how the NFL works: Opposing players target any weakness possible and exploit it to their advantage. 

The Patriots need to be focused on the big picture of the postseason and Super Bowl. Everything else has to be secondary. 

I can appreciate this team wanting to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but if Brady isn't on the field to play when the postseason starts, it won't matter where they are playing. 

Follow @adamwells1985