As the Ravens get set for their playoff game today against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, here's the best news they've received so far: There's no snow in the forecast.

I say this because weird things happen to opposing teams when they play the Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., in the snow.

Remember the infamous "Snowplow Game" of 1982?

That was the game between the Patriots and Miami Dolphins played in a near-blizzard at old Schaefer Stadium.

With the game scoreless late in the fourth quarter and the field covered with snow, Patriots coach Ron Meyer actually ordered a snowplow onto the field to clear a spot for kicker John Smith.

Miami coach Don Shula went ballistic protesting; it looked like his head was about to explode.

But Smith's kick was good, and the Patriots held on to win, 3-0. And here's a nice touch: The Patriots awarded one of their game balls to the snowplow operator.

Who happened to be a convict on a work-release program.

You can't make this stuff up.

It wasn't until the following year that the NFL honchos got together and thought: Hmm, maybe that wasn't fair, letting the Patriots bring their own snowplow onto the field to do a little house cleaning for a game-winning kick.

So they issued a rule banning the practice, although that didn't help the Dolphins or Shula, who was still muttering about the snowplow years later.

Then there was the "Tuck Rule" playoff game between the Patriots and Oakland Raiders 20 years later at Foxboro Stadium.

Played in another heavy snowstorm, that was the game in which Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson sacked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter and caused what appeared to be a fumble.

But the play was reviewed, and the officials ruled Brady's arm was moving forward, making it an incomplete pass.

They cited a rule that said when a player is attempting a pass, "any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body."

So the Patriots got the ball back and kicked a field goal on the last play of regulation to tie the score at 13. Then they kicked another field goal in overtime to win it, 16-13, as the Raiders seethed and complained about being robbed.

No, the Ravens probably don't want to see any snow falling in Foxborough today, even though their revived running game could give them an edge in sloppy conditions.

The other big questions hovering over today's game are: How badly is Brady hurt? Is he even hurt at all?

The answer to both questions is: Outside of the Patriots, nobody really knows.

After New England's 34-27 loss to the Houston Texans last week, the first reports about Brady made it sound as if he had been in a car wreck.

He was said to have three broken ribs, mangled fingers and all sorts of other bumps and bruises.

Then a day or so later, the reports were saying, well, he might have cracked ribs instead of broken ribs. And he might have bruised fingers instead of mangled ones.

This will probably shock you, but in a conference call with the Baltimore media a few days ago, Brady didn't shed much light on his injury situation.

In fact, he shed none.

"Coach [Bill] Belichick doesn't like us to talk about injuries," he said, "so I kind of defer to whatever's on the injury report at this point."

Translation: "If I say anything, he'll kill me."

Belichick would have fit right in back in the old Soviet Union.

I can picture him stalking around KGB headquarters in Moscow in that ratty-looking hoodie, terrorizing everyone on his staff and sending secretaries off to Siberia if they misplaced a stapler.

So we're still not sure how healthy Brady will be for this one, although the Ravens are preparing as if the guy could drop and give you 200 push-ups right now.

"I think that's the biggest setup ever," Ray Lewis told the Boston media about the Brady health rumors. "You look at all the great ones, and every time you think they're hurt, they come out and have their best game."

Yep, the Ravens don't have to worry about snow. But they do have to worry about Brady.

That's enough to have on their minds as it is.

(Listen to Kevin Cowherd Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with Jerry Coleman on Fox 1370 Sports.)

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