By A. Sherrod Blakely
CSNNE.com Celtics Insider
Follow @sherrodbcsn
FOXBOROTom Brady is known for many things -- being a masochist is not one of them.
And yet the New England Patriots quarterback will be the first to tell you that for a quarterback, getting hit once or twice can actually be a good thing.
Brady just might get his wish -- maybe more than he would want -- on Saturday when the Pats take on a Detroit Lions team which features one of the league's better defensive lines.
"That's part of the preseason process, to have guys sack you and knock you on the ground," Brady said. "So your body can kind of become callous to those hits. Hopefully not too much, but enough where you canthat's a nice thing to have happen to a quarterback, to get hit."
No matter how good an offensive line you have, at some point the quarterback is going to get popped pretty good.
With Brady flanked by the red (non-contact) jersey in practice, preseason games are the only moments he'll be hit prior to when games really start to count.
And while avoiding getting hurt is the goal, balancing that with the need to be physically prepared for the hits he will take at times during the regular season is also important.
New England Patriots
"You kind of settle into the game," Brady said. "Everybody goes out there with some anxiety, some nerves. The offensive linemen, it gets knocked out of them pretty quick because they're able to hit someone right across from the line of scrimmage. For a quarterback, it's sometimes nice to take a hit to really settle into the game."
A. Sherrod Blakely can be reached at sblakely@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Sherrod on Twitter at http:twitter.comsherrodbcsn