With Yahoo’s Michael Silver and WEEI’s Ron Borges reporting that Tom Brady is done for the year with a torn ACL, the question now becomes what this means for the 2008 Patriots.

It goes without saying that it’s going to be awfully hard for the Pats to reach the Super Bowl, let alone win it. While they have proven incredibly resourceful under Bill Belichick since 2001, they’ve never had to overcome a loss anywhere close to this one. And though Ellis Hobbs, for one, noted that a similar circumstance led to Brady becoming the Pats’ quarterback in 2001, this is different for two reasons:

1. Drew Bledsoe then was nowhere close to Brady now; he had one Super Bowl loss as opposed to Brady’s three titles.
2. The Pats are unlikely to hit that jackpot again with Matt Cassel, even though he played pretty well today.

The Pats still have enough to make the playoffs, for whatever that’s worth. Their schedule looks pretty easy, there’s an outstanding core on both sides of the ball, and Belichick should never be underestimated. It’s just hard at this point to view them as legit Super Bowl contenders without Brady. They’re instead part of the pack fighting it out merely to reach the postseason.

It looks like this is Cassel’s show. He’ll be replacing Brady on WEEI tomorrow morning at 8:40 and whatever the Pats think they can find on the street (Vinny Testaverde, Chris Simms, Tim Rattay), there’s no disputing that Cassel knows this system better than any free agent. He has spent four years here building for this moment and we’re about to see what he’s got.

What a day. Anyone who saw this coming … man.

WEEI’s Ron Borges is reporting that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL today, citing an NFL source close to the situation. If true, Brady is likely done for the season.

Word of Tom Brady’s injury spread like wildfire throughout the league. During his post-game press conference, Brett Favre was asked about the Pat’s quarterback.”Yeah, I just heard. That’s terrible. terrible. I guess it’s an ACL or something,” Favre said, referring to an anterior cruciate ligament. ”They’ve always overcome injuries. But that’s pretty difficult, with Tom Brady.”

There were differing opinions on whether the hit that injured Tom Brady today was dirty. Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard, who hit him low after being blocked to the turf by Sammy Morris, told the Herald’s Dan Duggan that he saw the ball in Brady’s hand and was trying to make a play. But in his postgame press conference, Pats receiver Randy Moss said he thought the play was dirty.

“I don’t really want to get into it, but for me personally, I think it was dirty,” Moss said. “I’ve never been a dirty player. I honestly don’t even know how to play dirty. I just play the game. Anytime you see something like that that looks foul, that looks dirty, it opens your eyes. So for me personally, it looked dirty.”

Pollard told a different story.

“The play was not intentional,” Pollard said. “You can call me a dirty player, you can call me whatever you want, but that wasn’t a dirty play. When you have 230 pounds on your back and you’re trying to move forward, things can happen. I saw the ball was still in his hands and tried to get him.”

He added that he heard Brady scream in pain, and hopes that he’s OK.

While the Patriots initially listed Tom Brady as “questionable” in terms of returning to today’s game, they just officially announced he would not return, which does not come as a surprise. Brady suffered a left knee injury during the first quarter.

Will Carroll has crafted a niche for him as an expert in sports injuries over the years, particularly baseball and football. A regular contributor to FootballOutsiders.com, Carroll saw Tom Brady go down this afternoon, and based on what he saw on the replays, theorized that Brady could be looking at an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament.

Carroll stressed that he’s only going on what he saw on TV and that his opinion is not a diagnosis. We will further caution: this is just one man’s educated opinion. But his thoughts are interesting nonetheless.

“The way he got hit, it looks like a PCL,” Carroll wrote in an e-mail. “His foot was down and his leg went backwards.  It’s the usual mechanism. I still haven’t seen a really good angle to be sure, but I didn’t see any twisting.”

Carroll said if it’s the PCL, there aren’t really any comparables for a quarterback trying to play through a tear.  He noted that the injury sidelined both Reggie Bush and Roy Williams at the end of last year, but added that it’s the same ligament Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman tore and is trying to play through as we speak.

“Really can’t say on how long he’s out until we know more,” Carroll wrote.

Hello, worst nightmare.

When the Patriots struggled throughout the preseason, the fallback reason for why everything would be OK was a good one – Tom Brady hadn’t played.

Brady played today, but he didn’t last very long. And depending upon the severity of his injury, the Patriots’ season outlook just got very, very cloudy.

Brady hit the turf in pain in the first quarter when he was tackled low in the left knee while striding into a pass to Randy Moss. His knee bent awkwardly, he immediately grabbed it, and he stayed down until being helped off the field. He eventually limped to the bench before leaving down the steps behind the bench.

What does this mean? Deep breath. Right now we don’t know the severity of the injury. The good news, as it were, is that he hurt his left leg and not his right, the one that has given him so much trouble over the last few months.

The bad news is obvious. If Brady is out for any length of time, the Pats become a completely different team.

Credit should go to quarterback Matt Cassel, who led a 98-yard touchdown drive on his first series – highlighted by a 51-yard bomb to Randy Moss from his own goal line – and has been three and out since.

Thankfully for the Pats, their defense has been solid, albeit unspectacular, keeping Kansas City out of the end zone. Cornerback has not yet been an issue with Ellis Hobbs, Lewis Sanders, and Deltha O’Neal holding down the fort.

But all of that is secondary to Brady. If he’s seriously hurt, the Patriots just became a seriously different team. Stay tuned.

The Patriots just completed their first meaningful drive without Tom Brady since Drew Bledsoe helped lead the Pats to an upset in the 2001 AFC title game at Pittsburgh, and it ended well. With Matt Cassel looking calm and in control, the Pats marched 98 yards in 4:51, culminating with Cassel’s 10-yard touchdown strike to Randy Moss. The Pats lead 7-0 and there’s still no sign of Brady. Don’t be surprised if this is Cassel’s show for the rest of the game.

The Patriots just announced that Pats QB Tom Brady has a knee injury, and his return is questionable. Brady has not been seen since leaving the field.

The Pats appear to be in good hands, at least momentarily, with Matt Cassel, who just completed a 51-yard pass from his own end zone to Randy Moss. The perfectly placed pass was nearly a 99-yard touchdown. Moss already has four receptions for 101 yards today, giving him 13,014 yards for his career and passing Jimmy Smith for 13th all time.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady just completed a 28-yard pass to Randy Moss, but was hit low by the Chiefs’ Bernard Pollard and appeared to twist his left knee. He was helped off the field by the training staff.

It’s too soon to tell how serious the injury was, but Brady has been removed from the field for further examination.

It’s important to note the injury appeared to be to his left knee, and not to the right foot that has given him trouble all preseason. Brady was striding into the throw to Moss when Pollard hit him low. The hit was mildly reminiscent of the one that Vince Wilfork was fined over for hitting Bills QB J.P. Losman last year.

Moss fumbled the reception, incidentally, and it’s now Chiefs ball. We’ll bring more word on Brady as soon as we have it.

There’s still no Brady sighting on the sidelines, incidentally. He was helped down the steps behind the Patriots bench and has not returned. Backup QB Matt Cassel is currently talking with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, with his helmet on.

One training camp question has been answered — veteran corner Lewis Sanders gets the start today opposite Ellis Hobbs. Sanders is on the defensive left side, with Hobbs on the right.

It’s 12:14, and Tom Brady just jogged out onto the field with Matt Cassel and Kevin O’Connell. he’s being featured on the Jumbotron. He’s moving well, going through some drop backs and throws.

Among the list of inactives, the one surprise is rookie linebacker Shawn Crable, who wasn’t on any injury report during the week. Also, rookie Kevin O’Connell is listed as the third quarterback. 

Here’s who won’t be playing for the Patriots:

WR C.J. Jones

C     Dan Connolly

T     Wesley Britt

TE   Benjamin Watson

WR  Sam Aiken

DL   Le Kevin Smith

LB   Shawn Crable

In a minor move, the Patriots a short time ago announced the release of punter Reggie Hodges, who was signed to the practice squad Sept. 4. His departure leaves a spot open on the eight-man squad. 

He was in Oakland earlier in the week, but today, Chad Jackson was giving Miami a whirl, as the Dolphins had the former Patriot’s receiver, who was cut Sunday, in for a workout.  Jackson, of course, went to school at the University of Florida, and was drafted in the second round by the Pats in the 2006 NFL draft. It’s possible during Week 3, when the Fins visit Foxboro, Chad Pennington could be throwing passes Jackson’s way.

Tight end Benjamin Watson was among three players missing practice today, along with center Dan Connolly and wide receiver Sam Aiken. Kevin Faulk was also out, but he’s not eligible to practice while serving a suspension.

Quarterback Tom Brady, fresh off the injury report, was on the field and looked comfortable. The media didn’t see him do much more than stretch and throw a few warmup passes.

As for pre-practice news, head coach Bill Belichick admitted he still gets butterflies before the season and told an amusing story of his first game as Browns head coach, which came against the Cowboys. Dallas was one of the league’s elite teams. Cleveland was rebuilding. Years later, Belichick was fishing with good friend Jimmy Johnson, who joked that Dallas didn’t even game plan for Belichick’s Browns, so assured were they of victory. So how did it turn out?

“About like you’d think,” Belichick said.

The Cowboys won 26-14. Belichick got his first victory a week later in New England with a 20-0 shutout of the Patriots.

Here are the Patriots’ captains for the upcoming season, courtesy of colleague Karen Guregian. Note the inclusion of Randy Moss on the offensive list. Moss has been a model citizen since arriving last year and has been rewarded:

OFFENSE
Tom Brady
Matt Light
Randy Moss

DEFENSE
Tedy Bruschi
Mike Vrabel
Vince Wilfork
Rodney Harrison

SPECIAL TEAMS
Larry Izzo

On Wednesday, the Patriots listed Tom Brady on the league’s participation report as having fully participated in practice, while listing him with right shoulder/foot injuries. Today, Brady was removed from the list, suggesting the injuries are no longer a factor.

While kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed practice, it was reported to be not injury related.

Here’s the full breakdown:

Did not participate in practice:

WR Sam Aiken - Knee

OL Dan Connolly - Knee

K Stephen Gostkowski - Not injury related

DL Le Kevin Smith - Knee

TE Benjamin Watson - Knee

Full Participation in Practice:

C/G Russ Hochstein -  Groin

The same injured players (Sam Aiken, Dan Connolly, Benjamin Watson, Le Kevin Smith) were missing from practice, with one addition. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was also not present during the media viewing window.

Also, the Pats announced several roster moves. Tight end Jason Pociask was released, while Stephen Spach was signed to the active roster. Meanwhile, punter Reggie Hodges was signed to the practice squad, while tightend Tyson DeVree was released.

Why add a punter to the practice squad? It would appear the club is not all that enamored with Chris Hanson, and want to provide a little competition.  Hanson took some heat from Pats coach Bill Belichick on the sideline after not kicking away from Desean Jackson during the preseason game with Philadelphia. Jackson returned that kick 76 yards for a touchdown.

The Patriots just released their first practice participation report. Of note was Tom Brady listed as a full participant in practice, with right shoulder/foot injuries.  Tight-end Benjamin Watson, meanwhile, who had off-season ankle surgery, is listed with a knee problem.  Here’s the full breakdown.

Did not participate in practice:  wide receiver Sam Aiken (knee), center Dan Connolly (knee), defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith (knee), tightend Benjamin Watson (knee).

Limited participation in practice: guard/center Russ Hochstein (groin).

Full participation in practice: quarterback Tom Brady (rt. shoulder/foot).