New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Friday he gets motivation from his teammates to win a fifth Super Bowl — and not from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed down Brady's four-game suspension to open the 2016 season over the Deflategate scandal. "I'm motivated for my teammates. They're all the motivation I need," Brady told reporters Friday ahead of Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons on Feb. 5 at NRG Stadium in Houston. "It takes a lot of work to get to this point. Nothing that has happened in the past is going to help us win this game. What's going to help us win this game is going through that process we talked about and being ready to go. That's enough motivation for me." Brady continued to sidestep questions on Friday about Deflategate and Goodell, while earlier this week Goodell said it would be "an honor" to hand the Lombardi Trophy to Brady if the Patriots win the Super Bowl. ***** Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Julio Jones returned to limited participation in practice while recovering from a toe sprain in the team's preparation for the Super Bowl. Falcons coach Dan Quinn said earlier in the week that the initial plan was to rest both Jones and center Alex Mack, who has a left fibula injury, during the bye week ahead of the Super Bowl. "Julio Jones participated some today," Quinn told reporters. "He was limited. And we held Alex Mack, like the plan. We'll get both those guys back into action for next week." Jones aggravated the toe sprain in a 36-20 divisional playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks, while Mack was injured in last Sunday's 44-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. ***** Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan says the team's high-scoring offense will face its toughest test yet against the defense of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Some critics have discounted the Patriots' No. 1 scoring defense — despite giving up only 15.6 points per game — but Shanahan thinks the criticism is ridiculous. "That blows my mind that people would be doing that," Shanahan said. "It's the best defense that we've seen in the NFL this year. The numbers show it." The Falcons' offense, led by MVP frontrunner Matt Ryan, averaged 33.8 points during the regular season and in the playoffs scored 36 and 44 points in dominating wins over the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. ***** Dallas Cowboys defensive ends Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford underwent surgeries, coach Jason Garrett told reporters. Lawrence had back surgery for the second consecutive offseason. Crawford underwent surgery on his right shoulder. No timetable was given for their returns. — Reuters Lawrence dealt with back issues most of the season. He played in just nine games, missing three due to injury and sitting out the first four while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Crawford injured his rotator cuff in the second game of the season and played through the pain. He was held out of the final two games of the regular season before playing in the divisional playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. ***** Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman considers the football future of offensive tackle Michael Oher, who missed the final 13 games in 2016 with a concussion, uncertain. Coach Ron Rivera said earlier this month that he felt Oher would be ready for the 2017 season. Speaking from the site of the Senior Bowl, Gettleman said the Panthers are not counting on Oher. "We're going to look at players, because right now we just don't know," Gettleman told the team website. "We want what's best for Michael." ***** Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will likely miss the entire 2017 season due to his horrific leg injury suffered five months ago, according to Bleacher Report. The website reported that doctors have told the Vikings that Bridgewater's knee injury will require 19 months to heal. That timetable would prevent Bridgewater from returning in 2017. Bridgewater dislocated his left knee and tore the ACL during a late August practice. — Reuters
