The Sports Xchange

FOXBOROUGH, Mass — Quarterback Tom Brady isn’t one to get into a war of words. It’s not his style. Nor is it the New England Patriots way.

If ever there was a time for the reigning Super Bowl MVP to stray from that approach, it might be this week dealing with some questionable comments made by Cowboys pass rusher Greg Hardy.

In his first meeting with the Cowboys media since serving his four-game league suspension due to domestic violence issues, Greg Hardy had a strange tone to his comments. He also made statements that seem inappropriate for any player, never mind a guy who was found guilty of domestic violence.

When asked about facing Brady in his return to the field, the Dallas defensive end first stuck with a football response initially before going off on a tangent about the quarterback’s wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

“I love seeing Tom Brady, he’s cool as crap,” Hardy said Tuesday. “Have you seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game, all her friends come to the game. One of my favorite games of the year, guys.”

Brady was asked about Hardy’s unprofessional remarks on Wednesday. He, too, started with football before giving a bit of an honest reaction when asked for his response to the comments.

Did it tick him off at all when he heard what Hardy said?

“No, I’m just getting ready to play,” Brady began. “I’m focused on my job. He’s a great player. It takes a lot of different things to handle a guy like that. He’s been a great player since he’s been in the league. We’re going to have to prepare for him and be ready for all the different types of moves that he’s got. They have a good D-line anyway. They count on getting pressure from their front four to get to the quarterback.

“I don’t really care about his personal feelings.”

–Coach Bill Belichick has a lot of respect for Sean Lee. And, as the coach revealed this week, a history with the Cowboys linebacker that dates to the then-young boy visiting Belichick’s Browns in Cleveland.

“Sean is probably one of the most instinctive linebackers in the league — maybe as instinctive as probably anybody I could think of,” Belichick raved of Lee’s skills. “He’s got a great nose for the ball, has a good anticipation in both the running game and the passing game, shows up in the right place at the right time, just really knows what’s happening a lot of times before it occurs.

“He’s a kid that came up and visited us when I was in Cleveland — Pittsburgh — I remember him when he was just a little guy.”

Not surprisingly, that drew a curious follow-up on how Lee ended up at Browns practice.

“He’s a Pittsburgh guy, friend of a friend kind of thing,” Belichick added. “He came out to practices a couple times. He wasn’t the star that he is now.”

–Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks had the benefit of the bye week to get a little extra time with the Patriots playbook upon arriving in a trade from the Saints last week. The 6-5, 325-pounder started the first three games this season for New Orleans and certainly could add some versatility and beef to a New England front that’s allowed 4.7 yards per carry on the ground in its three wins.

“He’s worked really hard,” Bill Belichick said of Hicks trying to get up to speed in Foxborough. “I mean, he’s a sharp guy. He’s been in the league, so he’s got a familiarity. And Rob (Ryan)’s defense, I’d say there is probably some carryover from what he did in New Orleans to what we do here. I’m not saying it’s the same, but there is some part of the family of each of those that’s connected. But yeah, it’s just kind of learning our words and our terms and relating them to things he’s done in the past. I don’t think we’re going to be asking him to do things he’s never done before. I think he’s working hard to pick it up. We’ll see how quickly it all comes together. I’d say he’s making good progress. Having a few extra days, that’s helped, too.”

NOTES: Offensive lineman Ryan Wendell (illness) was on the practice field again on Wednesday, listed as a full participant. The veteran offensive line captain returned to practice this week after missing multiple weeks because of the unspecified illness. … Cornerback Tarell Brown (foot) was limited in practice. Brown dressed but did not play in the Patriots Week 3 win over the Jaguars leading into the bye. The veteran suffered a foot injury last season in Oakland that limited him throughout the offseason. … Defensive lineman Trey Flowers (knee/shoulder) was limited in practice on Wednesday. The rookie has yet to play in a game this season.