Mayo On Injured Reserve, Brady Called Crybaby

The New England Patriots have placed veteran linebacker Jerod Mayo on injured reserve after he suffered a shoulder injury in the team's divisional round win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 29-year old suffered the injury in the third quarter of the game.

Mayo, a longtime team captain, has been a part-time starter for the Patriots this season as part of a linebacker group that also includes Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins. In 16 regular-season games, Mayo logged eight starts and 47 tackles to go along with a sack on 36.2 percent of the defensive snaps. He bounced back to play a full regular season after missing 10 games apiece in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Injuries have been a theme for the Patriots throughout the season, though the team entered the playoffs in good health with the return of wide receiver Julian Edelman and offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer, among others.

Brady Called Crybaby

The Denver Broncos might be bringing some tissues onto the field for Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

With Tom Brady and the New England Patriots set to visit Denver, Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith said it's fair to call the four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback a crybaby.

"That would be an accurate statement. I've never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady," Smith told reporters Monday, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. "Every time he gets sacked, he looks at the ref like, 'You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty on him. Get him fined.'"

Smith wasn't all negative about Brady. He praised the veteran's competitiveness and drive -- even if there are a few tears involved.

"He's not going to rattle just because you hit him hard. I've tried over the years," Smith told the Gazette. "That's what D-linemen think: 'The harder you hit the quarterback, the better it will make it on the secondary.'

"With Brady, he's a great competitor. You know it's coming. He's going to cry about getting hit, but he's going to take the hit and keep going."

One of Brady's favorite weapons, Rob Gronkowski, was also a target of some Broncos criticism this week. Linebacker Brandon Marshall said the tight end gets away with more than he should.

"I say because he pushes off," Marshall told NBC Sports' "Pro Football Talk Live" radio show on Monday. "I mean, he pushes off, and he gets away with it about 98 percent of the time."