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Two of the New England Patriots’ most important players are getting healthier as they prepare to head to Minneapolis for Super Bowl week.

After getting stitches in his right hand and thumb prior to the AFC championship game last week Chris Jones Jersey , quarterback Tom Brady was on the practice field Saturday, gripping the ball without a glove on his throwing hand. Tight end Rob Gronkowski also was at practice, returning to workouts after starting the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Both are positive signs for New England, which has just one practice remaining in Foxborough before the team heads to Minnesota to resume its Super Bowl preparations. Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, who also missed practice time this week with a concussion, joined Gronk in the team stretching period that is open to reporters.

Gronkowski hadn’t been on the practice field since his second-quarter exit from the AFC title game following a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jaguars safety Barry Church.

”It’s always great to have him out there. He’s a great player, a great person Khairi Fortt Jersey , a great teammate and a big part of what we do,” Brady said of Gronkowski. ”It obviously hurts when he’s not out there for a lot of reasons. But he’s doing the best he can do and we’re all hopeful.”

While Gronkowski and Wise were on the field, it’s unclear whether they have been officially cleared from the protocol. The team isn’t required to file its next injury report until Wednesday.

Gronk played just eight games last season and missed the Patriots’ entire playoff run after undergoing season-ending back surgery.

Since the start of last season, New England is 12-1 without Gronk. But last season it had Martellus Bennett to fill in the gap without him. Bennett signed with Green Bay in the offseason, before being released by the Packers in November. He then re-signed with the Patriots, but only appeared in two games before being placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Brady said he wants to spend the rest of the time leading up to the Super Bowl avoiding all possible distractions.

That includes not talking about a new series that debuted on Facebook recently and provides viewers a rare glimpse at his life off the field.

”What? Let’s talk about distractions,” Brady joked when he was asked about the series Saturday. ”We’ll stick to football this week Chris Wormley Jersey , too. I like that no distractions part.”

Though this will be Brady’s eighth trip to the Super Bowl, the 40-year-old said he still has an appreciation for what it takes to be playing at this point of the season.

”I’ve never taken anything like this for granted, and I think we’re all very fortunate to be in this game,” he said. ”Being a part of a couple of these losses, those are pretty tough to swallow, but I think you realize how much effort you have to put in to prepare. It’s a very unique environment, unique game Terence Newman Jersey , and you have to be at your best. But in order to do that, you have to prepare as well as you possibly can.”

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The New York Giants interviewed Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur on Saturday for their vacant head coaching job.

Shurmur met with co-owner John Mara, general manager Dave Gettleman, and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The Vikings (13-3) have a first-round bye in the playoffs.

The 52-year-old Shurmur, who had a two-year stint as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach, was the fourth person the Giants have spoken in their search to find a replacement for Ben McAdoo Cody Latimer Jersey , who was fired on Dec. 4 after less than two years on the job.

Giants interim Steve Spagnuolo was interviewed Wednesday and New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were interviewed Friday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Shurmur has been a part of teams that have qualified for the playoffs nine times and won seven division titles. He was Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach when the Eagles played in the Super Bowl against New England in the 2004 season.

Shurmur is finishing his second year with the Vikings. He began last season as the tight ends coach and for the final nine games was also the offensive coordinator, the title he retained this season.

The Vikings finished 10th in the NFL in scoring (23.9 points), 11th in total yardage (356.9), and seventh in rushing yardage (122.3) this season. He also helped quarterback Case Keenum have a career year.

Shurmur posted a 9-23 record in his two seasons (11-12) with the Browns, going there after a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator with the Rams. He spent three seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator after being fired.

Shurmur’s NFL coaching career began with a 10-year run (1999-2008) in Philadelphia. He coached in college at Stanford and Michigan State.

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