The Facts: Brady, who had the ACL and MCL in his left knee ripped in the first quarter of the season’s first game, is well behind schedule in coming back from the surgery performed in early October.

Diehards Line:According to NBC's Tom Curran (formerly a Patriots beat writer for the Providence Journal), both the ACL and MCL remain “loose." Meanwhile, scar tissue that built up in the knee as Brady’s body battled a post-surgery infection is still present and might need to be surgically removed. Even if Brady gets the scar tissue removed, regains greater mobility in the knee and is able to get the strength back in his quad, the looseness in the ligaments won’t go away without a second surgery, Curran's sources said. At this point, deciding to have that second surgery would cost him the 2009 season because a second surgery wouldn’t be recommended this soon after the first, especially with the current condition of the area. ... Obviously a situation worth watching in coming weeks -- and we'll do just that. Stay tuned.