Patriots QB Tom Brady won't face Eagles in Monday Night game

Brady and plenty of teammates get Monday night off in preparation for a busy week. (Getty Images)

Injuries have been one of the biggest storylines of the preseason so headlines like "Tom Brady won't play against the Eagles" reflexively made us think the worst. Fortunately, Brady's fine and the Patriots are still most peoples' favorites to win the division and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. But for one night in August, Brady will be watching from the sidelines -- and he won't be alone.

According to the Boston Herald, coach Bill Belichick made the decision to rest some of its big-name healthy players ahead of a hectic schedule this week. The team heads to Tampa on Tuesday for two joint practices with the Buccaneers in the coming days before facing them in Friday's Week 3 preseason game.

At this stage of the proceedings, Pats fans would probably prefer Brady sit out the entire preseason and only take off the bubble wrap once the games actually count. This development, meanwhile, will come as a disappointment to the Eagles' defense, which was looking to rebound from a pedestrian effort against the Steelers last week.

“Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks to play this game and the way he understands defenses and schemes is just unbelievable, but I feel like we're on the same page right now,” Eagles safety Kurt Coleman said earlier this week according to CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank. “We've corrected a lot of errors we made, and I'm excited about this week. I'm excited to see where we are. This is really a great chance for us to get out there and let loose, fire on all cylinders, play as a team and communicate.¨

"The Patriots have so many guys they can go to, different formations they can hit you with, and a lot of our emphasis has been on communicating so we can get lined up. Really, if you're not lined up you can't play ball, no matter how talented you are."

So it won't be quite the test Philly was hoping for. Instead of Brady, they'll get a healthy dose of Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett."

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