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Bruschi puts out welcome splat
Veteran delivers big hit on rookie Maroney
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | July 30, 2006

FOXBOROUGH -- The screen was run to the right side, the ball softly arced in the direction of rookie running back Laurence Maroney.

Making the catch and preparing to turn upfield, Maroney ended up on the receiving end of more than just a football. Boom! It was a welcome-to-the-NFL hit by linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who dropped his right shoulder to make contact and send Maroney to the ground.

The play excited the defense, with Bruschi high-fiving nearby teammates. Meanwhile, Maroney reacted just as Bruschi hoped he would.

``I see him get up, go back to the huddle, and he's ready for the next play," said Bruschi, who also delivered a fairly powerful pop on Maroney during the first practice of camp Friday. ``That's all I want to see, and that's what he did. No talking, just, `All right, it's a good hit,' and he's ready to go again."

Maroney had a feeling he'd be on the receiving end of some type of hit, although he acknowledged he wasn't expecting such a powerful one.

``I was about due for one; you hear that everyone wants to hit the first-rounder," he said. ``But that one snuck up on me."

The 21-year-old Maroney was busy on the practice field yesterday morning, breaking free with quick acceleration on one running play outside the hash marks. He also had a power run in which he initiated contact with outside linebacker Chad Brown, the force of the contact dislodging Brown's helmet.

The plays illustrated the varied running skills of the 5-foot-11-inch, 220-pound Maroney, who rushed for 3,933 yards and 32 touchdowns at the University of Minnesota. He has speed in the open field to outrun defenders, but also has power when running between the tackles.

Maroney's greatest challenge at this point, however, has little to do with running the football. It's his involvement in the passing game.

``Identifying defenses, blitz-pickup responsibilities, routes, techniques, catching the ball, all those things," explained coach Bill Belichick. ``That's something he didn't do a lot of in college, and didn't have a lot of opportunity to do. He's probably done more of it since he's been here than maybe he did the whole time he was at Minnesota."

One area that stands out to Maroney, who totaled just 21 receptions over three college seasons (17 coming in his senior season), is the preciseness in which everything in the passing game must be executed.

``It's basically learning the routes and knowing that if they want a 4-yard route, they want a 4-yard route. It's not a 3, not a 5," he said. ``There are a lot of things that tie into that. Just getting all that down has been tough, but I'm learning."

Belichick agrees, saying Maroney has made progress in the passing game, in part because of his time spent with assistant coach Ivan Fears and the team's other running backs. One of those backs, Corey Dillon, has occasionally pulled Maroney aside and offered guidance.

``He's helped me out a lot, telling me insights about things like how to read a defense a little bit better, proper footwork, small things like that," said Maroney, adding that he was simply following Dillon's advice to ``hit the defense first" when he rammed into Brown during yesterday's morning practice.

Earlier in July, though, Maroney was wondering if he would even be on the practice field with the Patriots for the start of training camp. He said he would occasionally call his representatives to check on the progress of contract talks and was surprised to learn that discussions had yet to take place.

``I was like, `Wow, do they not want me in at camp?' Then they started talking about it and everything started moving fast," he said. ``It seemed like we got the deal done right in time."

He felt it was crucial to be on the practice field with the rest of the team for the first day, which was made possible when a five-year deal was struck the night before training camp started.

``I'm starting from square one," said Maroney, a St. Louis native. ``These guys already know the game, know the business, know the plays. I felt like I had to get in on time, so I could stay up with the program."

And to keep pace with his fellow running backs, Dillon, Kevin Faulk, Patrick Pass, and Heath Evans.

``I think the whole running back group is pushing each other," he said. ``We have nice depth at running back. We all know we can bring something different to the team."

As for the hit from Bruschi, Maroney didn't appear flustered. He said ``it probably won't be the last time" so he plans to ``just get used to it."

Bruschi, for one, was impressed with Maroney's resolve.

``I think everyone's sort of looking at Laurence and how he responds, because he is young and this is his first training camp," Bruschi said. ``So far, I have no complaints about the kid."

Bruschi puts out welcome splat - The Boston Globe

Bruschi’s back with a vengeance: LB already going full-tilt
By Tony Massarotti
Boston Herald Sports Columnist

Sunday, July 30, 2006 - Updated: 10:16 AM EST

FOXBORO - He is back again, from the very beginning this time, following an offseason spent doing what he does best and loves most: working. Tedy Bruschi looks healthy, sounds fit, and he has the parking spot to prove it.

Now, as the Patriots continue formal preparations for the 2006 season, the journey for Bruschi has changed back to something far more familiar. The senior statesman of the Patriots defense drives to Gillette Stadium, every day, and pulls into one of the prestigious parking spaces reserved for those players who had perfect attendance during the offseason.

If 90 percent of life is showing up, as Woody Allen once suggested, the brutish Bruschi is back at full tilt.

“I’ve got a whole offseason conditioning program in the bank,” a beaming Bruschi said yesterday as the team continued training camp workouts. “I’ve got the minicamp under me and I’ve got training camp now. It’s like night and day.”

Night and day? Truth be told, this is more like life and death. One year ago at this time, Bruschi was still recovering from a stroke, still rehabilitating his body and his mind. Bruschi began the season on the physically unable to perform list, then made his emotional return to the Patriots by recording 10 tackles in a nationally televised game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7.

Along with Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, Bruschi ended up a co-winner of the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award last season, but this much we now know: He will not be defending his title in 2006. Bruschi jumped into uniform midway through last year, at times acknowledging he was out of sync. He played well at times, so-so at others, but the mere fact that he stepped on the field was a near miracle.

Sometimes, simply showing up for work is the most courageous thing a man can do.

“Jumping in the way I did last year was a bit uncomfortable,” admitted Bruschi, referring to the challenge of joining a team in midseason. “You don’t have a minicamp or a training camp, and the first game back you play 70 plays. That’s different.”

Now Bruschi appears to be his old self and he seems to always be operating on a fully charged battery. He speaks quickly, the words frequently running together, entirely devoid of punctuation. On the field, he cannot seem to stand still, bouncing in place, agile as a cat.

Can’t the others see? Training camp is a chore to many players, a succession of tedious, tiring days in the 90-degree heat. To Bruschi it is part of a glorious life. Players play, as Bill Parcells taught us; that is just what they do. And Bruschi is nothing if not the consummate football player, a man who approaches training camp as he does those anticipated Sundays in autumn.

cw2cw2“This is no joke. It’s serious business,” said Bruschi, who has delivered precisely that message with a pair of jarring hits on rookie running back Laurence Maroney over the first two days of camp. “It’s not just something where the young guys get looks. I need this.”

Said Patriots coach Bill Belichick: “I think Tedy’s a high-energy player. He plays that way all the time, whether it’s practice or a game. That’s just his style of play. I think he’s just infectious to the other players on the team.”

Infectious, too, is the joy with which Bruschi performs.

Some people play football for fun and some have fun playing football, and Bruschi is clearly one of the latter. That is why he came back. That is why he is entering his 11th consecutive season in New England, more than any player on the roster but wide receiver Troy Brown. That is why he showed up, time after time, all offseason.

That is why he now looks as happy as ever.

“I am,” Bruschi said. “I was more excited about the offseason workouts this year than I’ve been in a long, long time. I’m proud I’ve got the parking spot out there. I’m a little more thrilled this time around just because of everything that happened last year and happy to be part of the process again.”

Wouldn’t you be?

BostonHerald.com - Patriots & NFL: Bruschi’s back with a vengeance: LB already going full-tilt

Patriots won't be soft in the middle
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | August 1, 2006

FOXBOROUGH -- Middle managers can make or break a business. A football team, too.

The Patriots had a whirlwind year in the middle-management ranks in 2005, as their personnel at the heart of the 3-4 defense -- the inside linebacker spots -- underwent significant change.

Tedy Bruschi was sidelined by a stroke, then Ted Johnson unexpectedly retired on the eve of training camp. The season started with two newcomers, Monty Beisel and Chad Brown, and ultimately ended with Bruschi returning to action and teaming with Mike Vrabel.

This year, after seven training camp practices, the Patriots appear to have settled on a new middle-management team: Bruschi and Beisel. While the two suited up for nine games together last season, they hardly were in action at the same time. Bruschi was a starter and Beisel his backup.

So, in many ways, they're in the beginning stages of what they hope will be a productive working relationship.

``I really haven't gotten to play with Monty a lot," said the 33-year-old Bruschi, now in his 11th season. ``I'm looking forward to developing that chemistry with him this year, and we've had the minicamps and the offseason to try to do that. I think we're going to be a good team inside."

The importance of that team was evident during yesterday's morning practice, as coach Bill Belichick spent time exclusively working with Bruschi and Beisel when the Patriots broke down into individual position groups. Belichick played the role of quarterback, handing off to a running back who was following a lead blocker. After making the handoff, Belichick then coached the proper defensive technique for taking on blockers. Some of the work was also focused on the linebackers making adjustments in pass coverage and recognizing pass patterns.

While players at other positions were working on more individual-type drills, the fact that Bruschi and Beisel were paired up illustrated how important it is for them to develop cohesion. In some ways, it's like a quarterback gaining a feel for a receiver's tendencies through repetition.

``To be successful as an inside linebacker in this system, you want to be in tandem," explained fellow inside linebacker Don Davis. ``That means you're reading the same things, you read your keys, look at the backfield set, and anticipate the plays. It's working as a team, because one without the other doesn't work. It doesn't make for good linebacker play."

Beisel, who turns 27 Aug. 20, said a few changes have put him in position to produce better linebacker play than he did last season.

One is that he has had a full year in the system. He also said he has added 10 pounds (he's listed at 6 feet 3 inches, 240 pounds) without sacrificing speed, one of his greatest assets.

And he's initially being asked to focus solely on the weak-side position; last year, he was learning both the weak-side and ``mike" position.

The weak-side player generally has more freedom to run and isn't ``covered up" by opponents, while the mike -- which Bruschi said he played throughout 2005 -- is more of the traditional run-stuffing spot.

``I'm much more comfortable," said Beisel, a six-year veteran who recorded 57 tackles (32 solo) in six starts last year. ``Not only do I know the system better, but I know the guys I'm playing with and know what is expected. I know the mistakes that are happening before I even get inside and watch them on film, whereas last year, you really didn't know what you were supposed to do and when you were supposed to do it. It's a little bit of a different atmosphere."

In terms of in-depth knowledge of the Patriots system, Beisel couldn't ask for a better sidekick than Bruschi. Belichick said part of what makes Bruschi so effective is that he ``reads plays very quickly and understands our system very well and knows where he fits on everything."

Beisel has made gains in that area as well, according to Belichick.

``It's hard to go from one system to another when they're different," he said, noting that Beisel's former team, the Chiefs, played a different scheme, a 4-3. ``Monty made some progress last year and he's already way ahead of where he was last year. Hopefully he'll keep building off that."

If he does, that will allow the Patriots to keep Vrabel -- who made a remarkable transition to inside linebacker in 2005 -- at his more natural outside position. Bruschi likes the makeup of the top linebacker group, which has Vrabel and Rosevelt Colvin on the edges and him and Beisel inside.

``Every one of us can make plays," he said.

Of the group, the most untested player is Beisel, whose career high in starts came in 2004, with nine. But Bruschi has faith in his partner in middle management.

``My game is different than Monty's, but I think that's good," he said. ``I'm looking forward to him having a better year this year."
 

Patriots won't be soft in the middle - The Boston Globe

Source: Bruschi may have broken wrist
By John Tomase/ Exclusive
Boston Herald Sports Writer

Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - Updated: 08:05 AM EST

FOXBORO - Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi suffered a possible wrist fracture at practice Monday and will be sidelined for at least a week while the team determines the severity of the injury.

According to a source, Bruschi will be put in a cast or splint for a week before a more definitive prognosis is reached.

He apparently hurt himself during Monday’s morning practice. He did not participate in drills that afternoon and missed both sessions yesterday.

Bruschi, 33, is in his first full season back since suffering a stroke last year. He had been a major physical presence early in camp, blasting rookie running back Laurence Maroney with big hits on consecutive days.

“Offensive guys, they don’t want to mess with Tedy,” defensive back Eugene Wilson said earlier in camp. “He’s done hurt a couple of guys it’s looking like already. He’s got a chip on his shoulder.”

Depending on how long he’s sidelined, the loss of Bruschi would be a huge blow to a defense that’s already thin at middle linebacker. Monty Beisel has been paired there with Bruschi, allowing Mike Vrabel to play outside, where he’s best suited. With Bruschi out, Vrabel may be forced back inside.

The good news is that the season doesn’t open until Sept. 10, so there’s time for Bruschi to heal. There’s also a chance that if he did suffer a break, it’s relatively minor.

Whatever the final prognosis, Bruschi has overcome worse. He was expected to miss last season - if not retire - after his stroke. But he made a dramatic return on Oct. 30 against Buffalo, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors with a 10-tackle effort.

He clearly gained strength as the season progressed, recording 72 tackles and two sacks in nine games, sharing Comeback Player of the Year honors with Carolina wideout Steve Smith.

He arrived at camp fully healthy. This latest setback is just another challenge he’ll have to overcome.

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Source: Bruschi may have broken wrist

Patriots may be without Bruschi for 2 weeks
LB reportedly has injured wrist, will take tests to see if it’s fractured
MSNBC staff and news service reports


Updated: 1:53 a.m. ET Aug 2, 2006
The New England Patriots are hoping the latest blow to Tedy Bruschi's health isn't serious.

Bruschi, the Pats' middle linebacker and emotional leader on defense, is nursing a wrist injury and could miss at least a week of camp, the Boston Herald reported. He'll have further tests to determine if the injury is a fracture.

He was reportedly hurt during drills Monday and did not participate on Tuesday.

Patriots officials did not comment on the report.

Bruschi, Bruschi suffered a stroke in Feb. 2005, then had surgery to repair a small hole in his heart. He was expected to miss all of last season, but returned in October. He would share AP Comeback Player of the Year honors with Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith.

If Bruschi is out for an extended period of time, it would add to New England's injury problems. The team has tried Monty Beisel at that spot and may have to move outside linebacker Mike Vrabel to the middle.

"I really haven't gotten to play with Monty a lot," Bruschi, now in his 11th season, told The Boston Globe on Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to developing that chemistry with him this year, and we've had the minicamps and the offseason to try to do that. I think we're going to be a good team inside."

Prior to his injury-shortened 2005-06 season, Bruschi had enjoyed the best two years of his career while leading the Patriots to Super Bowl championships in 2004 and 2005. He totaled 128 tackles in 2003 and 120 in 2004 and intercepted three passes each year.

Pats may be without Bruschi for 2 weeks - NFL - MSNBC.com

PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Bruschi misses practice again
Linebacker's wrist is 'probably sore'
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | August 3, 2006

FOXBOROUGH -- Linebacker Tedy Bruschi missed his fourth straight practice yesterday, fueling speculation he sustained an injury earlier this week.

Asked to confirm that Bruschi injured his wrist, coach Bill Belichick said, ``His wrist is probably sore. I'm sure he has a lot of sore body parts. He's day to day."

Players took note of Bruschi's absence. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs, for one, looks to Bruschi for inspiration.

``We all get banged up, we all have our nicks and bruises," Hobbs said. ``When I sit down at my locker and look over to my far right and see a guy like him and what he's been through, who am I in my second year to be complaining about something minor? This guy has been through life-threatening situations."

Quarterback Tom Brady isn't concerned with how Bruschi will handle his apparent setback.

``Tedy has been through a whole bunch, so I'm not worried about him at all," Brady said. ``Tedy has the most positive attitude of anybody I've been around, so I'm sure it won't be long before he's out here."

Nose tackle Vince Wilfork believes the Patriots must focus on not breaking stride despite Bruschi's absence.

``We have to just keep rolling," he said. ``Whatever his situation is, I'm sorry, but we have to keep rolling. We have a season to play."

With Bruschi missing yesterday's lone practice, and Monty Beisel held out for the second straight workout, the Patriots turned to veterans Don Davis and Barry Gardner at inside linebacker with their top unit. Second-year player Eric Alexander and rookie free agent Freddie Roach also took practice repetitions at the position. The 29-year-old Gardner, though, appears to be the player who would step into Bruschi's role, as he led the huddle and set the front seven during drills yesterday.

An eight-year veteran who entered the league in 1999 as a second-round draft choice out of Northwestern, he signed a free agent deal with the Patriots in May. He's played in 110 games, with 24 starts, although he hasn't been a regular starter since 2000.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 245-pound Gardner, who has suited up for the Eagles (1999-2002), Browns (2003-04), and Jets (2005), has never played in a 3-4 defense. Belichick, however, said he's a quick study.

``Barry is a smart guy, he is a very instinctive player," Belichick said. ``He picks things up pretty quickly and he understands concepts, so even though he hasn't played in this style of defense or this system, fundamentally there are a lot of instinctive skills that he has. He understands defensive adjustments."

Banged-up Bruschi misses practice again - The Boston Globe
 

Bad break for Bruschi? Scaphoid injury requires a closer look
By John Tomase
Boston Herald Sports Writer

Thursday, August 3, 2006 - Updated: 06:18 AM EST

FOXBORO - Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi suffered a possible break to the scaphoid bone in his wrist - an injury that could sideline him for at least six weeks if it requires surgery.


The Patriots do not yet know the severity of the injury, which could simply be a sprain. Scaphoid injuries are tough to diagnose because the bone is the size of a peanut.

Dr. Bill Morgan, former team doctor for the Red Sox and chief of the Bone and Joint Center at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, said it sounds as though Patriots doctors are right to be cautious. In assessing the nature of scaphoid injuries in general, Morgan stressed that he has not examined Bruschi himself.

“Scaphoid fractures can be very difficult to deal with,” Morgan said. “Usually, early on you suspect the injury but don’t know for sure. You can get fooled because it’s a little peanut-shaped bone in three dimensions and an X-ray is only two-dimensional. The better part of valor is treat it like a fracture and get a follow-up X-ray.”

Misdiagnosed or left untreated, the injury can be severe. Carolina Panthers linebacker Dusty Renfro broke the bone in training camp in 2001 and never played again, eventually winning a worker’s compensation suit. Reached at his office in Texas yesterday, Renfro declined comment, citing ongoing appeals.

In hockey, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Sheldon Souray missed the 2002-03 season with a scaphoid fracture that didn’t heal properly. He returned in 2004 and played well enough to be named an All-Star.

Morgan said the Patriots appear to be taking the proper approach by putting Bruschi in a splint for a week in advance of further testing. Morgan said he dealt with similar situations that simply couldn’t be diagnosed immediately.

“I used to hate when people would second-guess with no idea of reality,” Morgan said. “For these fractures, you really have to be cautious. If it doesn’t heal properly, it can be a huge problem, even in Joe Blow, never mind a high-performance athlete.”

The injury typically is incurred while breaking a fall. An athlete sticks out his hand, hyperextends his wrist and breaks the scaphoid. It’s often misdiagnosed as a sprain because the bone’s location within the wrist produces limited swelling and bruising.

If, in fact, Bruschi has merely suffered a sprain, he’d likely miss just a week or two. If it’s broken, Morgan said the next step is usually to insert a screw into the bone to ensure proper healing.

“You’re still talking six weeks to heal at best,” he said of that scenario. “You don’t just put a screw in and say, ‘Now I can go play.’ You still have to heal, rehab, regain range of motion and strength. It needs to be healed for the intensity needed to play.”

A broken scaphoid limits the ability to perform most wrist functions. For a linebacker, that would mean difficulty in grabbing ball carriers, engaging blockers and pushing through a pile.

“The big problem is pain. You can’t extend your wrist,” Morgan said. “It becomes extremely difficult even for an athlete to do a push-up.”

Bruschi’s teammates have no doubt he can play through pain.

“You want 11 guys on your defense like Tedy Bruschi,” nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “Bumps and bruises don’t keep that guy down. He finds a way to keep ticking. He’s got a lot of heart, a lot of class, a lot of toughness.”

Added cornerback Ellis Hobbs: “A lot of (injured) guys in sports are just milking it. I’m not calling anyone out. I’m just calling it how it is. To see a guy who wants to be out there, wants to be part of the things we’re doing is gut-wrenching.”

Morgan said one of the biggest concerns with the scaphoid is blood flow. The bone has a limited blood supply as it is, and depending on the location of the break, may not get enough blood to heal.

“People look at bones like they’re sticks,” Morgan said. “Bones are like livers, spleens and skin. They need blood to heal.”

The Patriots should know more in the next week. Bruschi has already overcome a stroke, but a break to this bone couldn’t be rushed. Morgan said there’s a good chance the Bruschi and the Pats will be dealing with the best-case scenario.

“The people taking care of him are very good,” Morgan said. “They’re probably, and hopefully."

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Bad break for Bruschi? Scaphoid injury requires a closer look

Pats confirm Bruschi’s wrist injury
By Michael Felger
Boston Herald Patriots Beat Columnist

Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - Updated: 02:15 AM EST

The Patriots confirmed last night Tedy Bruschi has a broken wrist, but the key question regarding the inside linebacker - whether or not he needs surgery - won’t be answered until today or tomorrow.

A Pats spokesman said Bruschi will miss the entire preseason. Unfortunately, that could be just the beginning of Bruschi’s time on the shelf. According to sources, Bruschi broke the scaphoid bone in his wrist, an injury that, if it requires surgery, can take at least six weeks to heal.

Bruschi, who suffered the injury the first few days of training camp, will be examined by doctors in the next 48 hours, and if he has to go under the knife, the Pats probably won’t have him back until the end of September or beginning of October.

Most scaphoid bone surgeries involve inserting a screw in the bone to ensure proper healing. Unlike other breaks, this one does not allow for players to play through the healing with a cast covering the break.

Even when Bruschi was healthy, the Pats were thin at linebacker. Now they’re decimated, with Mike Vrabel and Rosevelt Colvin the only proven, productive starters.

Monty Beisel, a disappointment in 2005, has been working with the starters when healthy at camp. The rest of the depth chart is made up of special teams regulars (Don Davis, Larry Izzo and Tully Banta-Cain), veteran bubble players (Barry Gardner and Chad Brown) and rookie free agents (Freddie Roach and Corey Mayes).

With Bruschi down, Vrabel has seen more time as an inside linebacker the past two days. The Pats likely will have to acquire another veteran to fill out the ranks.

Because Bruschi did not begin the year on the pysically unable to perform list, that option is not available to the Pats. They will have to carry Bruschi on the active roster until he is ready to return.

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Pats confirm Bruschi’s wrist injury

Patriots linebacker Bruschi out again By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 51 minutes ago


Three days before he broke his wrist, Tedy Bruschi didn't want to compare training camps — the one he missed last summer because of a stroke and the one he felt fine in this summer.

"This is a new year," the New England Patriots linebacker and defensive signal-caller said on the opening day. "I had a great offseason and this year I'm looking just to have a good year."

The comparisons were unavoidable when Bruschi underwent surgery Wednesday and his teammates addressed his loss for at least the entire exhibition season.

"His presence, his leadership, his vocal (presence), his mental understanding of the game is huge for us," safety Rodney Harrison said. "Right now, Tedy has an issue and, fortunately for us, we have time right now. We have other guys. We get a chance to look at other young guys."

Bruschi, entering his 11th season with the Patriots, was hurt on July 31, just the fourth day of camp, and hasn't practiced since. Two days later, coach Bill Belichick said, "His wrist is probably sore. I'm sure he has a lot of sore body parts. He's day-to-day."

On Tuesday night, after Bruschi missed his 10th straight workout, Belichick confirmed that Bruschi had a broken wrist and would not play in any exhibition games.

"The information was new information and I was asked a question so I answered it truthfully," Belichick said Wednesday, "as I did the week before."

He said he didn't know if Bruschi would need surgery, then added, "I said everything I'm going to say about that."

A few hours later, team spokesman Stacey James said Bruschi had surgery Wednesday.

Belichick hasn't said which wrist Bruschi broke or whether the player would be ready for the regular season opener on Sept. 10 at home against Buffalo.

The Patriots didn't have Bruschi last training camp, so they might be better able to adjust to his loss this time.

"I don't know," Belichick said. "We're on a new year, so we've got new people this year."

Bruschi had a stroke on Feb. 16, 2005, and the Patriots began last season with newcomers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown at inside linebacker. Bruschi returned for the seventh game.

This summer, Bruschi and Beisel began camp as the first-stringers inside. Now Patriots veterans Don Davis, Larry Izzo, and free agent pickup Barry Gardner, primarily a special teams player in his other seven NFL seasons, are among those filling in for Bruschi.

"Any time you come in a new system, you definitely have to learn from those who come before you," Beisel said, "and (Bruschi) has definitely been a guy that's been around here for a number of years."

The Patriots linebacking corps has been thinned out by the retirement of inside linebacker Ted Johnson the day before training camp last year and the loss of outside linebacker Willie McGinest as a free agent to Cleveland after last season.

"We've been having to deal with that for the last few years," Davis said, "so a guy goes down and that makes an opportunity for somebody else to step up."

The Patriots also lost kicker Adam Vinatieri and wide receiver David Givens to free agency and have been without their top receiver, Deion Branch, who is holding out for a new contract.

The team did get Harrison, center Dan Koppen, defensive end Richard Seymour, cornerback Randall Gay and defensive lineman Johnathan Sullivan back Monday from the physically-unable-to-perform list.

Without Bruschi, their leading tackler over the last five seasons, the only remaining starting linebacker from the 2004 season, when the Patriots won their most recent Super Bowl and third in four seasons, is linebacker Mike Vrabel. He is back at his outside spot after starting the last 11 games last season inside next to Bruschi.

"I like playing with Tedy just because he's a great friend and we know a lot about each other," Vrabel said. "We're pretty similar so I think that when you see us out there there's a lot of interaction."

There's another similarity: Vrabel also missed a good portion of last year's training camp after hurting his ankle in the first exhibition game and sitting out the remaining three.

"I don't think it helped me. I think that the games are important," he said. "To what extent, I think that's personal."

The Patriots play their exhibition opener Friday night in Atlanta without Bruschi.

They probably won't have Brown either. He re-signed just before training camp but has been out with a hand injury of unknown severity.

"He's got a sore hand," Belichick said.

Might it be broken?

"I'm not sure," he added.

Patriots linebacker Bruschi out again - Yahoo! News

Bruschi braces for yet: Despite surgery, sets sights on Pats’ opener
By John Tomase
Boston Herald Sports Writer

Thursday, August 10, 2006 - Updated: 07:02 AM EST

FOXBORO - Tedy Bruschi had a screw implanted in his broken wrist yesterday and, according to a source close to the Patriots linebacker, hopes to return for the season opener.

Bruschi broke the scaphoid, a peanut-sized bone under the thumb that helps with tasks essential to a linebacker - gripping, pushing and pulling. When the bone is broken, experts say even a world-class athlete would be hard-pressed to perform a pushup.

There had been hope that Bruschi merely fractured the bone and would require only the short-term immobilization of a cast, but undergoing surgery meant he suffered a more serious break. The Patriots haven’t said which wrist Bruschi broke or how long he’s projected to be out.

According to Dr. Bill Morgan, head of the Bone and Joint Center at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and former Red Sox team physician, surgeries such as Bruschi’s usually require a minimum of six weeks to heal.

That would keep Bruschi sidelined until the third week of the season. However, a source yesterday indicated that Bruschi believes he can return in time to face the Bills in the regular-season opener on Sept. 10.

The Patriots on Tuesday announced he’ll miss the entire preseason.

“I’d say everybody’s got the standard Tedy Bruschi line,” linebacker Mike Vrabel said. “He’s going to be out for the preseason and that’s where we’re going to leave it.”

Bruschi’s surgery was performed yesterday morning at Mass. General. He broke the bone during practice on July 31, but an immediate diagnosis could not be made because of the small size of the scaphoid and the resulting difficulty in spotting what are often tiny breaks on an X-ray.

It’s possible, though not medically advisable, that Bruschi could play with a cast. North Carolina State running back T.A. McClendon played the last nine games of the 2002 season with a cast protecting a broken scaphoid and managed to rush for more than 1,000 yards, a figure he did not reach the rest of his college career.

Conversely, Carolina Panthers linebacker Dusty Renfro broke his scaphoid in 2001 and never played again.

“You don’t just put a screw in and say, ‘Now I can go play,’ ” Morgan said last week. “You still have to heal, rehab, regain range of motion and strength. It needs to be healed for the intensity needed to play.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick predictably had little to add on Bruschi’s situation yesterday. When asked shortly before noon if the team knew whether the linebacker would have surgery, Belichick said, “I don’t know.”

“I said everything I’m going to say about that,” Belichick said. “I made a short statement and that’s the truth and that’s what I know. That’s it.”

Bruschi is no stranger to comebacks. He missed the first six games of last season while recovering from a minor stroke suffered Feb. 16, 2005, but went on to share the league’s Comeback Player of the Year Award with Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith.

He was off to a good start at camp, setting the tone physically with a pair of crunching hits on rookie running back Laurence Maroney and playing with a passion many players admit was missing last season.

The 33-year-old former Pro Bowler is entering his 11th season. He’s a key component to the defense and the team’s signature 3-4 alignment.

Without Bruschi in the middle, Monty Beisel and Barry Gardner have taken many of the reps in practice. Vrabel could also slide in from outside linebacker, or the team could alter its style and play more 4-3 fronts, taking a linebacker off the field.

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Bruschi braces for yet: Despite surgery, sets sights on Pats’ opener

Bruschi appears

Tedy Bruschi made his first public appearance since breaking his right wrist at the start of training camp. The injured linebacker attended the team’s Kickoff Gala and signed autographs for about an hour, his line dwarfing everyone else’s.

Each fan wanted to know about his wrist, to which Bruschi gave the stock answer of, “It’s coming along. It’s coming along.” He politely declined an interview request from a trio of reporters as he prepared to sit down for dinner, saying he’d talk next week.

Bruschi wore a removable cast on his right hand. Fortunately for him (and to correct an earlier story), he’s left-handed, which made signing autographs a lot easier.
 

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Green’s work earns salute

Tedy Bruschi


BOSTON Papa Gino's said it has signed New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi to star in the pizzeria chain's latest campaign.

The ads were created by Boston-based independent Gearon Hoffman, and new iterations featuring Bruschi will break next week and run through December. TV, radio and print are all in the mix. The work promotes the chain's "Crowd Pleaser" meal offering.

"Papa Gino's is a quality, family-oriented, caring organization, and I'm proud to represent them," Bruschi said, in a statement. Indeed, the chain bills itself as "The family pizzera since 1961."

Bruschi is a stroke survivor, and Papa Gino's said it has donated $20,000 to Tedy's Team, an organization dedicated to raising funds through donations and athletics sponsorships for the American Stroke Association and Train to End Stroke Foundation.

Papa Gino's has frequently engaged local sports personalities, employing Pats kicker Adam Vinateri and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in past promotional efforts.

Another Pats star, Richard Seymour, recently signed to appear in commercials for Dunkin' Donuts.

Based in Dedham, Mass., Papa Gino's Holdings owns the Papa Gino's and D'Angelo's dining chains. Overall, there are 375 company-owned and franchised Papa Gino's, D'Angelo's and dual-location eateries, concentrated in New England.

The client spends $2-3 million annually on ads. Gearon has worked on the business for the past two years.

 

Patriots' Bruschi to Tout Papa Gino's

Bruschi returns to practice
LB bears down, could play in season opener
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | September 8, 2006

FOXBOROUGH -- Tedy Bruschi went back to his roots yesterday.

Returning to practice for the first time since July 31, Bruschi reflected on the slogan of his alma mater -- the University of Arizona -- for inspiration. Written in black letters on the cast that covered his right wrist was a reminder for him to ``Bear Down!" That's been the rallying cry for Arizona's athletic department since 1926.

As the regular season bears down on the Patriots, Bruschi took a step toward suiting up Sunday against the Bills by participating in the team's full-pads workout. The number of drills in which Bruschi participated is unknown, and at what intensity he worked. On their injury report released yesterday afternoon, the Patriots noted Bruschi missed at least a portion of team-specific drills.

Before practice, coach Bill Belichick was asked how Bruschi was progressing and said, ``He's getting better every day."

Bruschi, who underwent surgery on the scaphoid bone of his wrist Aug. 9 at Massachusetts General Hospital, remains questionable, giving him a 50-50 chance of playing in the opener. Bruschi had targeted Sunday for his return since the surgery, and told fans at the team's Kickoff Gala last week that the wrist was making progress.

If Bruschi plays Sunday, he'd do so with the cast.

``I'm sure that at some point that will be part of his equipment just like it is with all players that have injuries that need a little support," Belichick said. ``I don't think there's any doubt about that."

The cast will make it more challenging for Bruschi to secure the football, which was evidenced during practice when he attempted to pick up a loose ball, with cornerback Randall Gay nearby, and it squirted free. The 33-year-old inside linebacker ultimately corralled the ball after tipping it in the air a few times.

Bruschi's return to practice strengthens one of the thinner positions of the roster. Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau are the projected starters at inside linebacker in the 3-4 defense without Bruschi, leaving Rosevelt Colvin and Tully Banta-Cain on the outside. The team's top backup at outside linebacker is rookie free agent Pierre Woods, while the backups inside are Don Davis, Larry Izzo, and Eric Alexander, all of whom make their marks more on special teams.

As Bruschi works his way into game shape, the likely scenario is that he splits time with Seau. Bruschi has been taking part in meetings and has been a coach of sorts to the 37-year-old Seau, who said he's been asking ``a lot of questions" of Bruschi and his teammates.

At one point early in practice yesterday, Bruschi, with his white socks pulled up to his knees, shared a laugh with Vrabel. The two have spoken in the past about how much they enjoyed playing together in the middle of the defense.

``I like playing with Tedy because he's a great friend and we know a lot about each other," Vrabel said earlier in training camp. ``We're pretty similar. So I think when you see us out there, there is a lot of interaction, and I enjoy that.

``It's not only the success we've had, but just having fun playing with a great friend."

Prior to his injury, Bruschi had set the tone in training camp, welcoming rookie running back Laurence Maroney to the NFL with a big hit on a screen pass. He also felt he had ``a great offseason" in the team's conditioning program.

Bruschi's return to practice wasn't a surprise to his agent, Brad Blank.

``Knowing him, I'd never rule him out," said Blank.

Bruschi returns to practice - The Boston Globe

Tedy’s back in line -- Bruschi returns to practice
By John Tomase
Boston Herald Sports Writer

Friday, September 8, 2006 - Updated: 06:40 AM EST

FOXBORO - The words scrawled on Tedy Bruschi’s cast were unmistakable, and offered a reminder he probably didn’t need.

“Bear Down!”

No one gives more on a football field than Bruschi, which he demonstrated yesterday by returning to practice for the first time since breaking his right wrist July 31.

Bruschi stretched in pads alongside fellow linebacker Mike Vrabel. He wasn’t wearing a red non-contact jersey, and looked ready to practice, though there is no way to know for certain, since media were hustled out after roughly five minutes of stretching. Bruschi was listed as questionable on the injury report, which stated that he missed a portion of team drills during practice.

Regardless, the fact that No. 54 could take the field at all speaks well to his returning in the near future, despite a fracture of the tiny scaphoid bone below his right thumb.

“Tedy’s good,” said coach Bill Belichick before Bruschi took the field. “He’s getting better every day.”

There still is no indication of whether Bruschi will play Sunday in the season opener against Buffalo. He is on the injury report as questionable, which means there is a 50 percent chance he will suit up.

If he does play, odds are good he will be wearing the removable cast he sported yesterday.

“I’m sure that at some point that will be part of his equipment, just like it is with all players that have injuries that need a little support,” Belichick said. “Yeah, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”

Bruschi’s teammates didn’t have much to say about him yesterday for fear of giving away his playing status, but they said he is in good spirits despite the setback.

“Tedy’s always walking in here with a smile,” linebacker Larry Izzo said. “He’s a great teammate and a great friend. I know any time I’ve been out, it’s frustrating. I can understand if he has those feelings.”

Recently acquired Junior Seau, who is slated to start in Bruschi’s place alongside Mike Vrabel at inside linebacker, said Bruschi is needed on the field.

“Going through practices, with him not being out there, he was heavily missed,” Seau said. “He’s just a great guy, a guy that loves the game.”

Unable to play, Bruschi has instead made his presence felt in team meetings.

“Tedy has been very involved in everything and he’s great about that, just like he was last year with some of the new guys that have played in there,” Belichick said. “He’s really good with pointing out things, ‘Here’s how we played this,’ and that type of thing. Overall it’s a good (linebacking) group and they work well together. Tedy is a big part of that.”

Bruschi’s return would shake up the linebacking corps. As it stands now, Seau and Vrabel will start inside, with Rosevelt Colvin and Tully Banta-Cain the outside backers. A healthy Bruschi likely would push Vrabel outside and Banta-Cain into a situational pass rushing role. Seau is expected to come off the field in obvious passing situations either way.

Since suffering the injury, Bruschi has been telling friends he hopes to play in the opener, which seemed optimistic. Former Red Sox team doctor Bill Morgan said scaphoid injuries can be tricky and often require six weeks in a cast. Bruschi underwent surgery on Aug. 8.

Then again, as the reminder on his cast attests, Bruschi is not one to take the easy way out. Seau marvels at the way Bruschi has become synonymous with the three-time Super Bowl champions.

“Not only with the team, but with this whole city,” Seau said. “When you have a guy that’s able to merge his personality, his work ethic, his persona, not only in the locker room, but outside the locker room, it’s someone that’s special. There aren’t that many guys who can do that.”

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Tedy’s back in line -- Bruschi returns to practice

The three wise men: Bruschi, Brown, Faulk have seen it all
By John Tomase/ Pats preview 2006
Boston Herald Sports Writer

Thursday, September 7, 2006 - Updated: 09:58 AM EST

They remember Pete Carroll, Foxboro Stadium, and what it’s like have a losing season in a Patriots uniform.

Two of them were there for Super Bowl XXXI, and the third had little reason to believe the team would ever see a big game during his tenure.

They are Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi and Kevin Faulk, and as far players go, they are New England’s institutional memory.

Brown is the longest tenured, having arrived in the eighth round of the 1993 draft. According to Patriots research, he is the last active eighth-rounder in the league, the draft shrinking to seven rounds starting in 1994.

Brown still views his formative years with frustration. It took him five seasons to crack the receiving rotation and he was cut once in 1994.

‘‘Early in my career I didn’t have a chance to feel like a part of the team,’’ he said. ‘‘I always felt expendable. I wanted to go out and make plays that meant something.

‘‘There were five or six years there where I hardly ever touched the field. Then to go out and have three straight years catching 80 or more balls makes you wonder what could have happened if I played a lot early in my career. If I could have gotten the same chances other guys got because they were high draft picks, I feel I could have grown into a good receiver early in my career.

Those were some upsetting, frustrating times, but built on it, I didn’t dwell on it.’’

Brown remains a vital part of the offense at age 35, where he’s Tom Brady’s most trusted target, just as he was Drew Bledsoe’s. Bruschi’s career trajectory is more like Brown’s than many realize. Selected in the third round of the 1996 draft, he recorded just 11 tackles as a rookie and spent most of his time on special teams. But he steadily improved each season thereafter, culminating in a 2004 All-Pro berth that preceded the stroke that nearly ended his career.

The Patriots open the season against Buffalo and Bruschi hopes to be on the field despite a broken wrist. He made his emotional return last year against the Bills in Week 7.

‘‘I can’t relate to you just how emotional the two weeks before the first Buffalo game were,’’ Bruschi said before his latest injury. ‘‘We had a bye week leading up to it. There was a lot of time to sit there and think about it.

‘‘The emotions of that game, I can’t equate to any other I’ve played before or since. It was all the aspects of it — me coming back, the stroke, everything. I’m always going to hold that game separately. Because the way I felt in the third and fourth quarter, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that emotional.’’

That leaves Faulk. The 30-year-old running back was selected in the second round of the 1999 draft out of LSU. Fumbles plagued him early in his career, but in recent years he has emerged as a complementary playmaker out of the backfi e l d on draws and screens. He’s often Brady’s safety valve.

‘‘You just go in year after year and work as hard as you can,’’ Faulk said. ‘‘That’s what I’ve been doing since Day 1 and that’s what I’m doing now. I feel like I’ve learned a lot of things since I came into this league, and I’m still learning every single day.’’

Brown, Bruschi and Faulk may continually have things to learn, but after years and years here, they have plenty to teach.

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: The three wise men: Bruschi, Brown, Faulk have seen it all

Patriots leave Bruschi on inactive list

Associated Press
Posted: 1 day ago

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who broke his right wrist on the fourth day of training camp and didn't return to practice until Thursday, was inactive for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

Bruschi was the NFL's co-Comeback Player of the Year last season with Carolina's Steve Smith after playing in 10 games despite an offseason stroke. But he missed all four exhibition games.
Coincidentally, Smith was inactive for the Panthers in their game against Atlanta because of a hamstring injury.

Also inactive for New England were receivers Chad Jackson and Doug Gabriel, who recently was acquired from Oakland.

FOX Sports - NFL - Patriots leave Bruschi on inactive list

Captain of comebacks - Bruschi close to another return
By John Tomase
Boston Herald Sports Writer

Saturday, September 16, 2006 - Updated: 12:33 PM EST

FOXBORO - The bag was a good sign, as was the fact that Tedy Bruschi packed it with two hands, cast free.

He gathered his things in anticipation of tomorrow’s encounter with the Jets at the Meadowlands. Whether he plays remains to be seen, but at least it appears he’ll be in attendance.

Bruschi’s come a long way since the first weekend of training camp, when he broke the scaphoid bone in his right wrist. Yesterday, he discussed his injury for the first time, accepting it in the long view as an occupational hazard and making it clear he won’t play until he’s ready.

“I’ve just looked at it as you play football, you can break bones,” Bruschi said. “You can pull muscles. You can get injured. That’s what happened to me. Ever since I broke my wrist I’ve been trying to get back to play football again.”

And how close is he?

“Practice has gone all right,” Bruschi said. “We’ll see how it is (tomorrow). Then coaches and trainers will make a decision.”

Bruschi broke the wrist at practice on July 31. He doesn’t know how it happened, but by the end of the day he knew something was wrong.

“I realized it after practice was over,” he said. “I was able to finish the practice. Once I took my tape job off and let my hand move around a little, I figured something was wrong.

“I’ve had sore wrists before. I’ve had pain before. I thought I’d just rub it out and throw some ice on it. It continued to give me some pain, and I figured we needed to take a look at it. And that’s when we discovered there was a problem in there.”

Surgery followed a week later, and Bruschi began his rehab. He’s no stranger to comebacks. Last year, he returned from a stroke and shared Comeback Player of the Year honors with Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith.

Given everything he’s overcome, it would be understandable if he took a “Why me?” attitude following his latest setback. But he doesn’t look at things that way.

“I don’t relate the two,” he said. “I can’t relate the two. I refuse to. This is totally different. All this is is a broken wrist.”

It’s an injury that can prove problematic if it doesn’t heal properly. Montreal Canadiens forward Sheldon Souray missed an entire season with a misdiagnosed scaphoid injury, and former Panthers linebacker Dusty Renfro literally had his career end with one.

Bruschi recognizes the old saying about discretion being the better part of valor and won’t force the issue tomorrow.

“We’ll see what decision is made, whether I can be out there or not,” he said. “I’m sure once we see how I am (tomorrow) and how I feel and communicate to Jim (Whelan, trainer), that’s a decision the coaches and trainers will make, and we’ll take it from there.”

Bruschi has been adjusting to wearing a removable cast in practice. It envelops his hand and makes tackling and shedding more difficult.

“Practice has been going all right,” Bruschi said. “Of course, I’ve got some padding on there, and as you guys have seen, I have a cast on there. It takes some getting used to, but it’s something I have to get used to. I have to. When you have an injury like this, initially there is going to be some adjustment you have to deal with.

“All I know is for now we want to protect it. That’s natural, whether it was the wrist or something else that suffered an injury. We’re trying to prevent reinjury.”

Bruschi joked that the injury hasn’t prevented him from playing the saxophone. He also noted that whereas six weeks ago he had never heard of a scaphoid, he can now name all eight bones in the wrist.

“There’s a saying doctors use to name all eight,” he said. “Something catchy. I wasn’t knowledgeable on the wrist before this injury. You learn things about your body once something happens to it. I think I learned a lot about my heart and brain last year.

“If you want to go through my entire body citing all the football injuries I’ve had, I can name every one. When something happens, you focus on coming back as quickly as you can.”

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Captain of comebacks - Bruschi close to another return

09/16/2006
Bruschi a game-time decision
By:Michael Parente , Journal Register News Service

FOXBORO - Tedy Bruschi probably couldn't spell "scaphoid" in August, let alone point out where it was on his body.

After breaking the peanut-sized bone in his right wrist, the veteran linebacker now has an advanced understanding of the human anatomy.

"You learn things about your body once things happen to them," Bruschi said Friday. "I know now that there are eight bones in the wrist and there is a saying doctors use to name all of them out - something catchy."

The injury forced Bruschi to miss the entire preseason and sit out last weekend's opener against Buffalo, but he's participated in five consecutive practices and will be a "game-time decision" Sunday at the Meadowlands when the Jets host the New England Patriots.

"He's done well. He's had a couple of good weeks now," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. "I think he's getting closer."

Bruschi is questionable on the injury report - as he was last weekend - but he'll make the trip to New York on Saturday and participate in the team's walkthrough before Sunday's 4 p.m. kickoff. He's encouraged by his performance in practice. He's been able to shed blockers and hasn't endured any physical limitations despite wearing a hard cast on his right hand. Last week, he only wore a wrap around his wrist, indicating he's one step closer to playing.

"Practices have gone OK," he said. "I've got some padding on and, as you guys have seen, I've had a cast on. It takes some getting used to. It's something I have to do. That's what you do when you come back from an injury. Initially, there is going to be some adjustment you're going to have to deal with."

The real test will come when he plays his first game of the season and attempts to tackle an opposing ball-carrier without having full use of his thumb.

"We'll see once the decision is made whether I can be out there or not," Bruschi said. "I'm sure, once we see how I am on Sunday - how I feel, how I communicate to them and the decisions that the coaches and trainers make - we'll see once I'm out there."

Bruschi appeared upbeat Friday despite having to deal with his second setback in as many years. Last year, he suffered a stroke in February and missed the first six games of the season. His remarkable recovery earned him the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award. He was on pace to start this year's opener at Gillette Stadium until he broke the scaphoid bone in his wrist on July 31.

"I finished the practice, then afterward I took my tape off and I was sort of thinking something was wrong with it," Bruschi said. "It was sort of throbbing a bit. I threw some ice on it and thought it was OK, but it continued to bother me. That's when I went in there and talked to (head trainer) Jimmy (Whalen) about it and he decided that we had to take a look at it a little bit closer."

Although a wrist injury pales in comparison to suffering a stroke, Bruschi took every necessary precaution to make sure he'd recover in time to help the team during the regular season. He tried to play against Buffalo, but the coaching staff decided to hold him back at least one more week.

"If you want to go through my entire body, and cite the football injuries I've had, I could go over every part," Bruschi said. "What I know is when something happens to them, you have to focus on coming back as quickly as you can. That's all I've done, and that's all I've ever done. I think in terms of coming back from injuries, I've been able to do it quicker than the next guy."

With help from the coaching staff, Bruschi altered his workout regimen to maintain his upper body strength without putting too much stress on his wrist.

"I did the best I possibly could," he said. "I think, along with our training staff, we have a great strength staff. Mike (Woicik) has had experience with these injuries also and he said, 'OK, Tedy, we have to do this,' 'We have to do that,' or, 'You can't do a certain lift, so let's do this next one that I think you can still get similar results from.'"

Bruschi's presence would allow the Patriots to move Mike Vrabel back to outside linebacker. Bruschi would play next to Junior Seau in the middle. The Patriots allowed 99 rushing yards last weekend after a sloppy first half, so they're looking for more consistency on defense against the Jets.

Bruschi's not sure whether he'll be able to play, but he now knows where to find his scaphoid bone. As long as it doesn't hurt, he'll be ready to make his 2006 debut.

"Any game to be held out of - even a preseason game and training camp practices - is tough for me," Bruschi said. "What am I faced with? What do I have in front of me? I had a broken wrist, so how do I get better the best I can? I trust Jim and his staff. I'm sure we'll go out and test it before the game, see how it is, and then we'll go from there."

The Herald News - Bruschi a game-time decision

Bruschi Makes Season Debut

A/P

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi was in the Patriots' starting lineup against the New York Jets on Sunday after missing the season opener last weekend with a broken wrist.

Bruschi broke his right wrist on the fourth day of training camp and didn't practice until Sept. 7. He was inactive for the Patriots' 19-17 victory over Buffalo last Sunday. Bruschi was the NFL's co-Comeback Player of the Year last season with Carolina's Steve Smith after playing in 10 games despite an off-season stroke.

Inactive for New England were safety Artrell Hawkins, offensive tackle Nick Kaczur, tight end Garrett Mills, wide receiver Jonathan Smith, guard Gene Mruczkowski and nose tackles Le Kevin Smith and Johnathan Sullivan.

New York starting left guard Pete Kendall was inactive after injuring a hamstring in the Jets' season-opening 23-16 win at Tennessee. Kendall was replaced on the line by Norm Katnik.

Also inactive for the Jets were wide receiver Tim Dwight, running back Cedric Houston, linebackers Trevor Johnson and Anthony Schlegel, offensive tackle Trey Teague and nose tackle C.J. Mosley.

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - NFL: Bruschi makes season debut

Quite refreshing to have a Bruschi
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | September 18, 2006

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Linebacker Mike Vrabel shook his head in amazement when asked about the return of Tedy Bruschi in yesterday's 24-17 win over the Jets.

``Only Tedy comes back with a cast on his stinking arm and has an interception," Vrabel said. ``That's him, though. It was great to see him back."

Bruschi, who was playing for the first time since breaking his right wrist July 31, finished with six tackles, the game-sealing interception on a Hail Mary throw, and two pass deflections. He rotated with Junior Seau as the Patriots primarily played a 4-3 defense, and he wore a black cast to protect his wrist. He didn't start, making his first appearance at the beginning of the second quarter.

Bruschi said his interception was naturally ``more difficult than it would have been if I had both hands. But when you have an injury, you deal with what you have. I had to protect it a little bit, but I was still able to cradle the ball and finish the game, which was nice."

Bruschi said his black cast was a ``scaled-down version" that the team's medical staff ``tried to make as light as they could but still give support."

Players were happy to have Bruschi back on the field.

``You always get better with Tedy Bruschi," said safety Rodney Harrison. ``He's one of the best linebackers in the game and one of the best players on the team. He's definitely a leader."

Bruschi said the team yesterday relied on something the coaching staff always emphasizes -- coming through in specific situations.

``We've always been able to win close games," he said. ``I think we practice well in situational football and when the game gets close, we know what to do."
 

Quite refreshing to have a Bruschi - The Boston Globe

Boston Herald Sports Writer

Monday, September 18, 2006 - Updated: 09:03 AM EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Tedy Bruschi left Mike Vrabel shaking his head.

The linebacker returned to action in yesterday’s 24-17 victory over the Jets. Wearing a cast on his broken right wrist, Bruschi recorded six tackles (four solo), two passes defensed and a game-clinching interception on the Jets’ final play.

“Only Tedy could come back with a cast on his stinking arm and get an interception,” Vrabel marveled.

Afterward, Bruschi seemed pleased.

“I feel good,” he said. “I was able to finish the game. That’s a positive sign.”

Bruschi, a gametime decision, appeared in the middle of the Pats’ 4-3 defense with 13 minutes left in the second quarter. He made his first official tackle of the season on Derrick Blaylock’s 3-yard run at 6:16 of the quarter.

“I felt good enough to go,” Bruschi said. “It’s been long enough, so we decided to tape it up and throw me out there. Practice went good, so we took it into the game. I rotated in there with Junior (Seau), and it was great. It was nice playing again.”

His teammates recognized his presence.

“You always get better with Tedy Bruschi,” strong safety Rodney Harrison said. “He’s one of the best linebackers in the game. He’s one of the best players on the team. He’s definitely a leader. You’re always better with him on the field.”

Bruschi wore what he described as a “scaled-down” version of the cast he had sported in practice. It wasn’t a hindrance on the interception, which he corralled off a deflection.

“It was probably more difficult than it would have been if I had both hands,” Bruschi said.

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Bruschi front and center in return

Parade Magazine
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOT TEDY BRUSCHI COMES OUT VICTORIOUS ON AND OFF THE FIELD AFTER STROKE

New York, September 21 – “I want people to know that, if I can come back after a stroke and play pro football, you can do whatever it takes to get your life back, too,” Tedy Bruschi tells PARADE magazine for this Sunday’s special Guide to Better Health issue. “I feel like it’s a victory for all stroke survivors every time I put on my uniform.”

Bruschi made one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of pro sports. His story is an inspiration to millions who have endured health setbacks and worried whether they would ever rebound. In February 2005, Bruschi awoke at 4am with a severe headache and experienced numbness in his arm and leg. He decided to tough it out and go back to sleep. “That was exactly the wrong thing to do,” he says. He woke up again a few hours later and realized that he had lost his field of vision in both eyes. After being told he suffered a stroke, Bruschi thought the neurologist at Massachusetts General was joking. “I was 31 years old, in the best shape of my life. I thought a stroke only happened to elderly people. But I learned a stroke can hit anyone at any time, and if it does, you need to get to a hospital as fast as you can.”

Bruschi really took stock of how much he’d lost. “I couldn’t even pick up my own children. I figured I’d never play football again.”

Initially, his goals were modest. Working with a physical therapist, he learned how to walk without stumbling and to throw a ball. “I tried to celebrate the small victories,” he says.

On October 30, 2005, Bruschi got clearance from his physicians and took the field as a Patriot. He made 10 tackles in a victory over Buffalo and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year for the 2005 season.

Stroke can occur without warning, and many victims and bystanders do not recognize the early symptoms. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience sudden…

• trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• severe headache with no known cause.
• numbness of the face, arms or legs, especially on one side.
• trouble speaking or understanding speech.

PARADE Magazine | Press Releases

Press Release:

Papa Gino’s, Home Safety Council and More Than 125 New England Fire Departments Team Up to Promote Fire Safety.

Papa Gino’s, the Dedham, Mass.-based pizza chain, and the Home Safety Council will work with more than 125 Fire Departments in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island to promote fire safety at fire department open houses throughout October -- National Fire Safety Month. To further spread the word on fire safety, Papa Gino’s tapped its celebrity spokesperson, Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots, to promote its fire safety program throughout the New England area. Bruschi recorded a 30-second public service announcement, which will air on radio stations throughout New England this October.

Papa Gino’s, Home Safety Council and More Than 125 New England Fire Departments Team Up to Promote Fire Safety

10/2/06

Consistency yields turnovers

New England Patriots

Kyle Psaty

After weeks of waiting, the Patriots defense was finally able to produce turnovers resulting in points. It seems practice and consistent play made the difference this week.


In his Monday press conference, coach Bill Belichick said he thought the team played more consistently, admitting there had been flashes of quality play in previous weeks mixed in with lower-quality play.

“I just felt we were more consistent, closer to throughout the full game than we had been in the other ones,” said Belichick. “It’s all about consistency. Anybody in this league can go out and make a play or two plays. There’s plenty of talent on the field in every team to do that, but if you want to be a good team you’ve got to sustain it play after play, week after week. That’s the big challenge.”

The Patriots defense gelled on Sunday against a Bengals offense that showcased Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Rudi Johnson, only allowing the star-studded offense to convert two of their 11 third-down attempts.

“Obviously we’ve been frustrated with our overall third down conversion percentage,” said Belichick. “We really put a lot of emphasis on it – we’ve been emphasizing it, don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we just started talking about it, but we put an even heavier emphasis on it this week and I think Dean [Pees] really did a good job of taking the players and going over the situations, putting a few more plays in practice on it, getting a few more reps and trying to coordinate the pass rush and the coverage and tighten everything up so we could have it as good as we could going into the game.”

Though the players were in shorts at practice all week, it seems that’s where the difference was made.

“Everybody’s playing together. Guys did their jobs. As far as what we practiced during the week, we got it done on the field,” said Jarvis Green, who came up big with a strip-sack and subsequent fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.

“It’s been a stingy year for us as far as trying to get what we want to get out on defense,” said Green, who had a career-high three sacks in the game, which pushed the Bengals back a total of 30 yards. His three sacks earned him a game ball and marked the first time any Patriots player recorded three sacks since October of 2003. “We came out and forced turnovers - the fumble. The next series Ty Warren made a big play. That was really big for us as a defense, just getting out there and getting together and causing turnovers.”

That big play by Warren was also a strip-sack, which Warren recovered for seven yards. It came on the following defensive series.

“It was more than encouraging,” said Tedy Bruschi of the turnovers. “It was outright fantastic, to put them away on the road. It really feels especially good when you win on the road, because you’ve got the atmosphere and the fans are really fired up about the game. And of course, the whole area of Cincinnati felt so great about the team at that point – they hadn’t lost a game. So, for us to come in and win a game was great.”

Bruschi led the team with seven tackles.

“We put together an entire game,” Bruschi said. “Not only did we do that, we played well up until the fourth quarter and then we were able to finished them. Being able to do that was great.”

“It was good team defense,” said Belichick. “We were able to get either just enough rush or just enough coverage to get the other part of the defense an opportunity to make the play.

“I’m happy to win. It’s tough to win in this league, tough to win on the road and certainly tough to win against a good team like Cincinnati. To be able to come out of there with a win, that’s the most important thing. I’m proud of the way the players played. They played hard for 60 minutes, all three units, and they complimented each other and were able to take advantage of opportunities. The players, they did a great job. They really did.”

Quote of note: Asked what their streak of 53 wins without consecutive losses says about the veterans and the team, Belichick seemed unsatisfied, saying, “I think what’s coming up is trying to win consecutive games. I’d really like to see if we can win two in a row here.”

Consistency yields turnovers

Papa Gino’s Launches “Crowd Pleaser” Campaign and Recognizes High School “Crowd Pleaser” Student-Athletes at New England High Schools

Building off its successful “Crowd Pleaser” campaign, Papa Gino’s has extended its program to recognize stellar high school student-athletes throughout New England. The “Crowd Pleaser” campaign which features Tedy Bruschi, a New England favorite and quintessential “crowd pleaser” will enable athletic directors in Papa Gino’s communities to nominate outstanding student-athletes. Nominated student-athletes will embody the traits that Bruschi possesses – dedicated, responsible, hard-working, caring and an overall good teammate. The “Crowd Pleaser” student-athletes will be recognized at their local Papa Gino’s, as the “Crowd Pleaser” athlete for the months of September, October and November.

Dedham, Mass. (PRWEB) October 2, 2006 -- Building off its successful “Crowd Pleaser” campaign, Papa Gino’s has extended its program to recognize stellar high school student-athletes throughout New England. The “Crowd Pleaser” campaign which features Tedy Bruschi, a New England favorite and quintessential “crowd pleaser” will enable athletic directors in Papa Gino’s communities to nominate outstanding student-athletes.

Nominated student-athletes will embody the traits that Bruschi possesses – dedicated, responsible, hard-working, caring and an overall good teammate. The “Crowd Pleaser” student-athletes will be recognized at their local Papa Gino’s, as the “Crowd Pleaser” athlete for the months of September, October and November.

PATRIOTS 20, DOLPHINS 10
Patriots grind out a win
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | October 8, 2006

FOXBOROUGH -- Linebacker Tedy Bruschi said the bottom line is points allowed, and in that case, the Patriots' defense has been on top of its game this season. No opponent has scored more than 17 points against New England's stingy `D'.

But still, something had been nagging the Patriots' prideful defenders.

``I think the biggest complaint we had about ourselves early on was that we weren't forcing turnovers," Bruschi said. ``We wanted to win that battle. It was a big goal for us."

The Patriots achieved that goal yesterday in a 20-10 victory over the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium, as the defense forced three turnovers, which led to 17 points. The team also blocked a field goal and tackled Miami punter Donnie Jones when he fumbled a snap in the third quarter.

Coach Bill Belichick called the turnovers ``huge", as cornerback Asante Samuel had two interceptions and safety Rodney Harrison forced a fumble that Bruschi recovered on the Dolphins' opening possession. The Patriots, who had just one interception and two fumble recoveries entering the game, took over in Dolphins territory after each turnover.

Yesterday's victory puts the Patriots (4-1) in a commanding position in the AFC East, with the Bills (2-3), Jets (2-3), and Dolphins (1-4) all lagging behind. The Patriots have a win over each division foe this season, and improved their AFC East record to 28-7 since 2001, the best mark of any team in the NFL.

The team opened a 13-0 lead midway through the second quarter before the Dolphins closed to 13-10 at halftime. But the Patriots scored the lone points of the second half after Samuel's second interception gave them the ball at the Miami 24 yard-line with 10:43 to play.

On perhaps the key play of the game, a third and 8, quarterback Tom Brady (16 of 29 for 140 yards, 2 touchdowns) lofted a pass to receiver Doug Gabriel in the right hand corner of the end zone. Dolphins cornerback Will Allen, who didn't look back for the ball, was flagged for pass interference. That gave the Patriots the ball on the 1, and Brady promptly found Heath Evans for a 1-yard TD reception on the next play.

Miami coach Nick Saban was irate at the penalty, marching down the sideline and vehemently pleading his case with the nearby official. After the game, he snapped at reporters before they could ask him his thoughts on the call, reminding them he could be fined by the league for any remarks.

The score provided the breathing room the Patriots needed, as they improved to 53-2 when holding a halftime lead with Brady at quarterback.

``We just had too many penalties [10] and turnovers to overcome it," Saban said. ``The turnovers were definitely the difference in the game. Then we got the pass interference, which broke the game open for them."

The Dolphins' first turnover came on the game's third play, when Harrison lowered the boom on running back Ronnie Brown (39 yards, 17 carries), jarring the ball loose, with Bruschi recovering at Miami's 37. That set up a 35-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal, giving the Patriots a 3-0 lead just 3:21 into the contest.

With Joey Harrington (26 of 41 for 232 yards, 2 interceptions) starting at quarterback in place of the injured Daunte Culpepper, the Dolphins then marched to the Patriots' 22. The drive stalled and Olindo Mare's 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked by defensive lineman Mike Wright. Mare's plant foot slipped on the torn up playing field, much like Gostkowski's did against the Broncos Sept. 24.

The Patriots responded with a 15-play, 56-yard drive, ending in Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal with 10:13 left in the second quarter.

Then, on Miami's ensuing possession, Samuel intercepted Harrington at the Dolphins' 36 and returned it to the 10. Two plays later, Brady zipped a pass to Troy Brown in the end zone and the Patriots led, 13-0.

``I was able to beat the guy inside and [Brady] kept his eye on me and was able to put it down where he needed to put it," said Brown, who is now six catches shy of breaking the team's all-time receptions record of 534, held by Stanley Morgan.

Yet Miami gained some momentum with an 80-yard drive midway through the second quarter, culminating in Ronnie Brown's 2-yard touchdown run with 2:56 left in the half. A 40-yard Mare field goal with 24 seconds left accounted for the 13-10 halftime score.

Miami advanced into the Patriots' territory three times in the second half, but came up empty each time -- first on the fumbled punt, then on a Patriots' defensive stop, and finally on a missed Mare 50-yard field goal.

After the game, several Patriots spoke about the positive momentum the team had created heading into their bye week. And almost to a man, they all agreed that turnovers were the key to yesterday's victory.

``I've been preaching about turnovers the entire year," Harrison said. ``We're starting to create some. Guys are doing a good job of flying around and getting their hands on the ball."

Patriots grind out a win - The Boston Globe

Strong as ever -- One year after returning from stroke, no one’s questioning Bruschi
By Karen Guregian
Boston Herald General Sports Reporter and Columnist

Thursday, October 12, 2006 - Updated: 08:23 AM EST

FOXBORO -- Some scars remain. That’s the best way to describe how Tedy Bruschi feels about the events of last October.

If you turn back the clock to almost exactly a year ago today, Bruschi was at the center of a storm he had no idea he would create.

The linebacker’s decision to return to the football field eight months after suffering a stroke triggered a heated and emotional debate in New England and beyond.

When he returned to practice Oct. 17, the Monday of the Patriots’ 2005 bye week, he was being hailed by some as an inspiration for stroke survivors, and criticized by others as a fool for risking his health and his future. It seemed as though everyone had an opinion about what Bruschi should, or shouldn’t do with his life.

His values and integrity were challenged. It didn’t matter how many doctors had cleared him to play. A reflective Bruschi revealed for the first time how difficult that sideshow was to deal with last year, as he was also attempting to get his life back, as he made preparations for his Oct. 30 return to game acation against Buffalo.

“Some people were critical of me for trying to come back after a stroke,” Bruschi said. “Some came into my home and criticized decisions I was making as a husband and father. That doesn’t happen a lot. It’s an entirely different type of pressure than what you have on the field.

“For me, personally, it’s something I had never dealt with, people criticizing my decision-making as a family man. That made it more difficult for me (last year). ... It’s not whether you missed a tackle or dropped the ball, you’re talking about who you are as a man, your values. You really have to be mentally tough to deal with that type of criticism.”

Today, Bruschi’s stroke is hardly mentioned anymore. The doubters and naysayers have been silenced. Bruschi has proven he can still play, and perform at a high level on the football field.

At the bye week, he is at the heart of one of the best defenses in the NFL. He’s the field general of that unit, and nearly a year to the day he confirmed he would be returning to the Patriots as an active player, he continues to be one of its most valuable assets.

On Sunday against Miami, Bruschi led the team in tackles with 10, while he also made a fumble recovery. Without question, it’s the best game he’s played this season, while being forced to wear a removeable cast on his right wrist to protect the scaphoid bone he broke in training camp. Wherever the ball went, partically when Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown had it, that’s where Bruschi seemed to be.

But the beauty and significance of Bruschi as a player really has nothing to do with statistics and numbers of tackles. It has to do with setting the defense, establishing a tone, and having an uncanny ability to make big plays at the most impactful times.

Has he reached the point of being the same player he was prior to thestroke? If not, he’s pretty darn close, but this is how he tackled the question: “The only thing wrong with me right now, is I have a brace on my wrist. I’m playing with it. That’s the only thing wrong with me.”

Bruschi continues to show his toughness and amazing resiliency. No obstacle appears too great for him to overcome.

Asked if he somehow felt vindicated by his performance in light of those who had criticized his decision to return, Bruschi initially said he never saw it that way.

“Did I have some feelings of animosity? Yes. I didn’t understand why at times I was getting criticized,” Bruschi said. “I mean, I was just trying to get my life back. As you know, there were a lot of mixed reviews. There were comments I had to deal with and push through.

“I think I knew it was going to be an evolution of how I was talked to, and how I was going to be perceived. I just plugged along because I knew I had to put my head down and continue to play football, and it would get to the point it is now. I haven’t had to address the issue in a long time.”

The topic of stroke, however, is never far from Bruschi’s mind. He’s still promoting awareness. He’s still fighting the good fight.

“I feel I have a responsibility,” he said. “At first, it was me trying to regain my life, trying to come back from stroke. But now it’s evolved for me. With my partnership with the American Stroke Association, I feel I’m someone a lot of people look at as strictly a stroke survivor who happens to be playing football, not the other way around. I’m proud of that. I’ve talked to a lot of stroke survivors. It’s something I take great pride in. It’s who I am, and what I’ve had to overcome.”
 

BostonHerald.com - N.E. Patriots: Strong as ever -- One year after returning from stroke, no one’s questioning Bruschi

Healthy Again, Patriots Defense Looks Impressive
October 24, 2006

By ALAN GREENBERG, Courant Staff Writer FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- At about 3:30 p.m. Monday, linebacker Tedy Bruschi sat on the metal folding chair, his back to the cavernous and otherwise empty Patriots locker room. Empty, that is, except for the 15 or so media members hovering in a ragged, three-deep semicircle around his stall, waiting for Bruschi to get dressed.

"Isn't anybody else around here for you guys?" Bruschi said without turning around.

At that minute, no. Which is why nearly the entire media corps had scurried in Bruschi's direction the second he appeared, a rather comical scene that occurs often in the Patriots locker room. Bill Belichick's players usually play a good game, but few stick around to talk one.

After beating the Bills 28-6 Sunday in Buffalo, the Patriots (5-1) returned home in the same place they've been all season, atop the AFC East (4-0), which they have won in four of the last five years. The exception was 2002, which is also the last time the three-time Super Bowl champions lost back-to-back games, finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

The Patriots have a 11/2-game lead over Eric Mangini's Jets, but nobody expects the Jets to seriously challenge the Patriots' AFC East reign this season.

Asked how he felt about the Patriots' play at this juncture, Bruschi said he felt encouraged because the Patriots are playing considerably better than they did early in the season - "You don't want to be playing your best ball your first two weeks," he said - and because they have rebounded impressively from their 17-7 loss to the Broncos at Gillette Stadium Sept. 24.

"I think you find your identity, first and foremost, by how you respond after you lose," Bruschi said.

One reason the Patriots respond so well?

"We've got a great work ethic," Bruschi said. "Guys here want to work."

The work of the defense has been impressive. The Patriots have allowed 80 points. Only three NFL teams - the Broncos (44), Bears (59) and Ravens (69) - have been stingier.

Given the vagaries of NFL schedule-making, it's probably unfair to compare the Patriots' stinginess to their first six games last season, when they allowed 164 points but faced a tougher schedule - the Raiders, Panthers, Steelers, Chargers, Falcons and Broncos.

Still, it's obvious that the defense is performing better than it had at this juncture last season.

A year ago, the defense was a mess. It lost Rodney Harrison, the most important player in the secondary, for the season with a knee injury Sept. 25. It lost Richard Seymour, its best lineman, with a knee injury Oct. 2. He was injured playing fullback on a short-yardage play. Seymour didn't return until Nov. 13.

And the defense also was playing without Bruschi, who sat out the first six games while recovering from a stroke. Two veteran newcomers, Monty Beisel and Chad Brown, started at inside linebacker, and their play was so spotty that Mike Vrabel had to be moved from outside linebacker to improve a shaky situation. The Patriots cut Brown and Beisel at the end of training camp this season, and while Brown was recently signed by the Steelers, Beisel is out of football.

The Patriots signed Junior Seau, 37, the former Charger and Dolphin and future Hall of Famer, Aug. 18. Seau has stayed healthy, and he and Bruschi have been a far better inside tandem than Beisel and Brown. With Harrison healthy again and playing with his former verve after a slow start, the secondary has stabilized.

The only question now is the health of Seymour, who has started every game this season but injured his left elbow with two minutes left in the first half Sunday and did not return.

Seymour, who had X-rays immediately after the game and had more tests in Boston Monday, talked briefly to the media Sunday. He was also seen carrying something in his left hand without any apparent discomfort.

But Seymour wasn't in the locker room when the media was allowed in Monday, and Belichick, as usual, declined to even hint at Seymour's status for Monday night's game against the Vikings (4-2) in Minneapolis.

Check the injury report, Belichick said, which the Patriots don't release until 4 p.m. Wednesday.

courant.com | Healthy Again, Patriots Defense Looks Impressive

Bruschi, Pats feeling Minnesota

BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 11:24 PM CDT

Tedy Bruschi (54) and Bill Belichick are preparing to play Minnesota for the first time in a long time. (Staff photo by KEITH NORDSTROM)
FOXBORO - There is no rest for the weary, especially when you're about to play a team you haven't played in four seasons.

The DVD players have been working overtime this week in the homes of your 5-1 New England Patriots as they prepare for a team they haven't seen since 2002, the Minnesota Vikings.

It will be like blazing new ground for the Patriots when they take the field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for their first appearance on ESPN's incarnation of Monday Night Football (8:30 p.m.; ESPN and Ch. 5), and that means lots of study.

"This isn't the first day that we've dived in to start watching film," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said Wednesday. "You really start early after the game of last week because you're not really familiar with a team like this."

The Patriots' last meeting with the Vikings was a 24-17 victory at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 24, 2002. Their last trip to the Metrodome was a 23-18 loss on Nov. 2, 1997, from which only two current Patriots remain - Bruschi and Troy Brown.

Hence, the heavy commitment to extra film work this week.

"It increases it a lot … especially in the film room, studying their players," Bruschi said. "You try to remember when you played against certain guys in the past. But it's different schemes and a whole different team that we haven't played in a while."

The biggest concern for the Patriots' front seven, Bruschi said, will be the running talents of the 4-2 Vikings' Chester Taylor, who has 590 yards on 137 carries and broke a 95-yarder last week at Seattle.

"I don't think he's fumbled yet," Bruschi said. "When you've got a running back like that who's doing as well as he is and doesn't cough the ball up, that's going to do good things for you offensively."


But of course, the success of a running game doesn't always rest solely upon the running back. The Vikings' offensive line is one of the strongest in the league, buoyed immensely by the offseason free-agency acquisition of 6-foot-5, 313-pound guard Steve Hutchinson from the Seahawks.

"We look at their running game, first and foremost. Taylor's one of the leading rushers in the NFL," Bruschi said. "Then you've got to look at the offensive line because of all the yards that he's gained, and you're looking at five guys that are good. It's probably one of the better offensive lines that we've faced to this point, and we know as a front seven, with a running back like that and the offensive line that they have, it's going to be a challenge to stop the run."

The Vikings' line shows up on film as controlling the line of scrimmage at the point of attack and well beyond it, the veteran linebacker said.

"It's staying on blocks … staying on blocks," Bruschi said. "They don't just try to block you and see if the running back is squirting through the line, they really look to stay on blocks and they do a good job at the second level, on linebackers and defensive backs, and that's a tribute to their athletic ability. They're able to stay with the more athletic guys down the field.

"You judge how good the offensive line is by where's the running back in terms of league leaders in rushing, and Taylor's up there as one of the top rushers in the NFL," he added. "I'm sure he would give credit to the offensive line, first and foremost, and they do deserve the credit … they've got guys like (Steve) Hutchinson, (Bryant) McKinnie and (Matt) Birk, players that have been around a while and they really are great players."

Add the supercharged atmosphere that should accompany the Vikings' first home Monday Night Football appearance in five years, and it will behoove the Patriots to be well prepared, Bruschi said.

"I just know it's a big game against a good team," he said. "They've done what a lot of teams in the NFL haven't been able to do, which is go into Seattle and win, and they're riding high right now.

"It's a Monday-night game, they've got a lot of momentum going their way, they've got a lot of players and it's going to be a tough game for us to win," he added, "so we've got to play our best."

The Sun Chronicle Online - Sports

It's a year he'll never forget
Bruschi reflects on his recovery
By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Staff | October 31, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS -- Do you remember what you were doing a year ago?

Tedy Bruschi does -- with clarity. Did you think he had forgotten? Did you think he had filed all those memories away, like snapshots in a scrapbook?

Yes, being a football player requires a mind-set that puts the past where it belongs: behind you. Devastating injuries must be conquered, then forgotten.

But what happened to Bruschi was not an injury. It was a stroke, a life-altering experience that shook him to his very core. The man who has anchored the New England linebacking corps this season -- recording 36 tackles, picking off 1 ball, and recovering 2 fumbles -- had no peripheral vision after his Feb. 15, 2004, stroke. He could not walk. His speech was impaired.

His life was impaired -- possibly for good.

Bruschi was frightened, angry, confused. He had taken impeccable care of his body. He was a team player and a team leader. He had a beautiful wife and three gorgeous young sons, and had been to his first Pro Bowl just days before he was stricken. Why him? Why?

You know his story. Bruschi defied skeptics and critics by painstakingly rehabilitating himself. While speculation ran rampant that he had played his last football game, he met with one, then two, then 10 doctors, and not one could come up with a concrete reason why he should not play again.

So, on Oct. 30, 2005 -- one year ago yesterday -- he strapped on his helmet and returned to the field against Buffalo. He played mostly on adrenaline, and, as the sports world watched and held its collective breath, he recorded 10 tackles to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. New England won the game, 21-16, and just like that, Tedy was back.

He would play the rest of the season without incident, except for a calf injury that knocked him out of the regular-season finale against the Dolphions; he dressed but was unable to play against Jacksonville in the first round of the playoffs.

His remarkable recovery soon faded from the headlines. The football world moved on from "Linebacker Returns From Stroke!" but you must understand why No. 54 never quite will move on himself.

"I haven't forgotten," he said last week. "I think about it every single day."

Where does an experience like that leave you? How does it make you feel when you look back?

" 'Blessed' would be a good word," he said. " 'Grateful' is another. And throw in 'thankful' and 'fortunate,' too. I truly am glad for every single day I have."

The stroke has changed him. He has certain responsibilities now. He decided to become a spokesman for stroke awareness. He has done public service announcements warning people not to do what he did -- ignore the symptoms of an oncoming stroke -- because it could kill you.

It could have killed Tedy Bruschi. And he never will shake that.

"I realize the magnitude of what I went through when I hear from people who have had a stroke, or had friends or relatives who had a stroke," he said. "When I hear how it affected them, then it really brings it home.

"What really gets me is when my doctors tell me of calls they've gotten from people who heard me talking about my stroke, or about stroke prevention, and because of what I've said, it convinced them to go in and see their doctors.

"When I hear someone say, 'Tedy Bruschi saved my life,' then I know this whole thing is much bigger than my own personal experience."

His resurgence is a bona fide feel-good sports story, but there's something else Bruschi hasn't forgotten: the number of pundits and so-called experts who vilified him for returning to the field. Some expressed concern for his health, others questioned his wisdom, and still others went further, claiming he was selfish, exhibiting a complete disregard for his family.

The accusations hurt and angered him. His family was everything to him. How dare they question his motives?

"I remember the names," he said, with an unmistakable flash of anger. "I remember what they said. Am I able to loo