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Unsung Bruschi epitomizes great linebacker play


Lesley Visser Jan. 7, 2008
By Lesley Visser
CBS Sports


Is there such a thing as an unsung superstar? I offer New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi. He has been in the league 12 years, won three Super Bowls, been to the Pro Bowl, yet most people think of him as, "Oh yeah, the guy who had the stroke."

He might even be the best No. 54 in the NFL. There is Zach Thomas, who has had an outstanding career with the Miami Dolphins but has never been to a Super Bowl. There is Brian Urlacher, who lost the Super Bowl last year with the Bears. And there is Hall of Famer Randy White, the defensive end who was the co-MVP of Super Bowl XII when Dallas beat Denver.

"I never think about something like that," said Bruschi. "My entire career has been thinking about tomorrow. What do I have to do to get better tomorrow?"

Like every fan, Bruschi watched the Pittsburgh-Jacksonville game on television. But unlike every fan, he was trying to figure out how to personally stop Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

"They're a terrific one-two punch," he said. "Jones-Drew is small and compact, hiding behind the line, then he pops out somewhere. And I voted for Fred Taylor to go to the Pro Bowl. He still has take-it-to-the-house speed."

Bruschi, who knows the Patriots have struggled stopping the run, said the Jaguars have another interesting aspect to their running game.

"They rotate the running backs, so they're always fresh," he said. "They try to wear down the defense, so it's double the challenge. They're a tremendous threat and they're always ready to go."

Bruschi said he's typical of a Bill Belichick linebacker.

"Bill wants smart, tough, low-to-the-ground linebackers," he said. "It's a philosophical tree -- from Bill Parcells to Bill Belichick to Romeo Crennel. My coach, Pepper Johnson, has us look at film of the Giants' linebackers -- Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, Carl Banks, and Pep. Coach Belichick wants it done the same way."

He even said -- are you sitting down? -- Belichick is funny.

"You should hear him in the meetings," said Bruschi. "He'll say something kind of quietly, and it may take a second to get it, but then you burst out laughing."

Former Patriots linebacker Steve Nelson said Bruschi has what all great linebackers have.

"A lot of people think being a linebacker is about technique," he said, "square your shoulders, keep your head up. But it's really about getting a guy to the ground. That's what Tedy Bruschi does."

Bruschi quickly agreed.

"That's absolutely right," he said. "Being a great linebacker is about instinct and tackling. First you need a sense of where the running back is going, and then you have to bring him down."

Bruschi didn't even play football until his freshman year in high school. Raised in a tough section of San Francisco, of Filipino and Italian descent, he only played pickup games in the street. When his family moved to Roseville, outside Sacramento, he began to play organized football.

At the University Arizona, he tied an NCAA record for sacks when he played for Dick Tomey's famed "Desert Swarm."

But his greatest challenge came two days after the Pro Bowl in 2005, when Bruschi felt numbness down the left side of his body and couldn't see his son out of his left eye.

"I knew something was wrong," he said, "but I never thought it was a stroke. I thought that was something that happened to your grandparents."

More than 750,000 people a year have a stroke, according to the American Heart Association. With the help of his wife, Heidi, and their three sons, Bruschi was careful and consistent about his rehabilitation.

In an emotional day for everyone, Bruschi made his first public appearance in April 2005, when the Red Sox asked him, along with Bill Russell and Bobby Orr, to throw out a ceremonial pitch when the Red Sox received their 2004 World Series rings. He wore No. 47 as a tribute to Terry Francona.

"Terry also went to Arizona," said Bruschi, "and throughout my recovery, he called me every week."

Bruschi, 100 percent recovered, was cleared to play Oct. 30, 2005, against the Buffalo Bills. At Gillette Stadium that night, it was the loudest ovation he'd ever heard.

"I'm proud to be a stroke survivor," Bruschi said. "I hope I can be a symbol to others."

"His greatest asset is his leadership," said Brad Blank, his well-respected Boston agent. Bruschi had always represented himself, but after the stroke, he hired Blank. "Tedy understands the responsibility of helping other people."

Bruschi is nothing if not a competitor.

"I can't wait for this game," he said. "Jacksonville reminds me of us. They're hard-nosed, physical and tough. Jack Del Rio is like a Bill Cowher or a Bill Belichick. They'll be ready and so will we. And I hope the conditions are brutal. I love to play in bad weather."

Persistence helped Bruschi reach top | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal#####

Bruschi’s road long, worthwhile
By Steve Buckley | Wednesday, January 9, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | N.E. Patriots
Photo
Photo by Matthew West

FOXBORO - It’s always good form when a professional athlete stands in front of his locker and tosses out a lot of obligatory smack about how it’s all about the team, that he just wants to contribute, and, of course, that winning a championship is all that matters.

But it’s not always true. When you’re young and inexperienced and still a little vague about how to get from the parking lot to the locker room, it’s only natural that other things are going to be on your mind.

You want to fit in. You want to stay in, hoping you’ll make the team. Maybe your new coach wants you to learn a new position.

Case in point: Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi.

Let’s roll the Wayback Machine to the summer of 1996. This was before Bruschi played in four Super Bowls, winning three. This was before he became a local football icon, respected by fans and media, teammates and opponents. This was before his personal struggles were pressed into print via a best-selling book written in concert with Michael Holley.

This was back when Bruschi couldn’t find his way from the parking lot to the locker room.

OK, perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But not by much.

“Yeah, my goal back then was to learn to play linebacker,” Bruschi said yesterday at Gillette Stadium. “Coming out of college and being a defensive lineman, never taking a hook-drop in my life, coach (Al) Groh asked me to drop to the hook, and I asked him where that was. I knew I had a long way to go, so I think that was my first and foremost step coming into the league.

“The other goal I had was (to) keep myself on the team as best (as) I could with what I could do, being a third-down pass-rusher and playing special teams. As I continued to learn to play linebacker . . . I said, ‘OK, let’s take it to the next level.’ ”

And what would that be?

“Now, I just want to keep winning and winning,” he said. “My motivation right now is winning. I have no other goals right now other than winning a championship.

“The playoffs have to be your final goal. You get to the tournament to win. There are only a handful of teams that deserve to be there, and each round you progress, that means your final goal is closer and closer.”

How could you not believe him? He is way, way past the days of learning his way around, of learning a new position. He no longer must worry about making the team. And the betting here is that there is some money in the bank, some financial security for his family, ridding himself of yet another issue that worries many young players.

Incredibly, Bruschi has played in 19 playoff games. If the Pats make it back to the Super Bowl, it’ll be 22.

After all these years, does he get them mixed up?

“Sometimes,” he said. “I’ll ask, ‘What year was that?’ We’ve had a lot of success here, but I can still point out plays and what the weather was like and where we were and what were the game-changing plays in certain games.”

He is our postseason expert, our playoff king. Nineteen playoff games. That’s one entire NFL regular season plus three games. And let’s be honest: The man’s career is winding down. If he makes it to another Super Bowl, it’s not unfair to wonder if it’ll be his last.

“I didn’t use it as motivation because when somebody would say, ‘Hey Tedy, you’re getting old,’ I’d say, ‘Yes, I am,’ ” he said. “I’m 34-years old, and I’m still playing linebacker in the NFL. I’m a realist, also. I’m not 24 anymore.

“But I know this one thing, and I’ve always known this, that I can play football. Football is what I’m meant to do, and I know that I’m still good at it.”

Bruschi’s road long, worthwhile - BostonHerald.com

Patriots' Bruschi expected to 'spy' on Garrard


Jan. 9, 2008

David Garrard’s 32-yard scamper to set up Josh Scobee’s game-winning field goal in the Jaguars’ victory over the Steelers last week confirmed what Patriots defenders already knew: Garrard runs well. Just how well is something the Pats will make a concerted effort to avoid finding out. As they’ve done in the past against mobile quarterbacks, we hear the Patriots are likely to employ a “spy” technique — having a defender shadow Garrard whenever he has the ball. While instinctive S Rodney Harrison seems to be a natural candidate for the role given the likelihood that New England’s cornerbacks can handle Jacksonville’s receivers one-on-one, look instead for ILB Tedy Bruschi to assume spy duties. For starters, Bruschi has historically been tabbed for the position. Secondly, CB Ellis Hobbs insinuated on Monday that the defensive backs won’t be responsible for containing Garrard when he escapes the pocket. “Obviously, you try to contain (him) and try to immobilize him, making him one-dimensional,” Hobbs said. “The main focus (of the secondary) is not worry about that. That’s not our job. The up-front guys, they’ll take care of that.” Of note is that the Patriots haven’t faced a legitimate running quarterback this season. The last time they did face one, in Week 17 last season, they gave up 29 yards — including a 28-yard TD jaunt — on two carries to the Titans’ Vince Young. They previous week, they held Garrard to 11 yards on two carries.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/AFC/AFC+East/New+England/WWHI/2007/wwhi010908.htm

Persistence helped Bruschi reach top

Thursday, January 10, 2008

BY ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer



FOXBORO — Tedy Bruschi never dreamed of being a Pro Bowl linebacker when he came out of the University of Arizona in 1996.

He didn’t even play linebacker for the Wildcats. He was a defensive tackle. But with a lot of hard work, Bruschi, a third-round choice by the Patriots (86th overall), became one of the top linebackers in the NFL , and one of the most well-known Patriots linebackers in team history.

“Yeah, my goal back then was to learn to play linebacker,” Bruschi said. “Coming out of college and being a defensive lineman, never taking a hook-drop in my life, coach [Al] Groh asked me to drop to the hook and I asked him where that was. I knew I had a long way to go, so I think that was my first and foremost step coming into the league, and then the other goal I had was [to] keep myself on the team as best [as] I could with what I could do, being a third-down pass rusher and playing special teams.

“Then, as I continued to learn to play that linebacker position and I realized that I could do that, I said, OK, let’s take it to the next level, and the next level, and now I’m to the level where I know I can play. Now I just want to keep winning and winning.”

Bruschi finished the regular season as the Patriots’ leader in tackles for the second consecutive season.

After amassing 124 tackles last season (67 solo), Bruschi has been credited by the Patriots’ coaching staff with 99 tackles (69 solo) this year. Since the beginning of the 2003 season, no Patriot has recorded more tackles than Bruschi, who has more than 560 during that span (including the playoffs).

He has averaged more than 111 tackles per season over the last five seasons.

New England head coach Bill Belichick has watched Bruschi grow from a rookie to a Pro Bowl selection (2005) during his career.

“He’s been great for this organization,” Belichick said. “I was here the first year that Tedy was here in ’96 when we drafted him, and it’s a great story. [He] played defensive line in college, [was] converted as a linebacker, played on special teams and then rushed the passer a little bit early in his career and then converted to being an inside linebacker. He’s gotten a lot of recognition for what he’s done at that position.

“It’s a difficult transition, probably one of the hardest to make, but he’s made it, made it well, and he’s been exemplary for us in every phase of the game — on the field, defensively, on special teams. Off the field, he’s been elected a captain pretty much every year since I’ve been here. He’s one of the most respected players on this team [and] in the league, and he’s been one of the best players in this organization.

“[We’ve] won a lot of games with him out there on the field. He’s done a lot of different things for us. He has great versatility and leadership and determination. A lot of guys didn’t think he had the skills to play in this league. He’s certainly proved all of them wrong.”

Return to health

Several Patriots got healthy during the team’s bye week. Starting right tackle Nick Kaczur (foot), starting right guard Stephen Neal (shoulder) and tight end Kyle Brady (foot) have all been practicing this week.

Kaczur missed the regular-season finale against the Giants. Neal has been sidelined for four games and Brady was absent for the final two regular-season contests.

It would be a big lift if they are able to play on Saturday night because the Patriots’ offensive line will be challenged when it faces a Jaguars team that ranks 12th overall in yards allowed (313.8), 11th in rush defense (100.3), 15th in pass defense (213.5) and 10th in points allowed (19.0).

“It’s a big challenge for us,” said offensive lineman Logan Mankins, who was sporting New England’s newest T-shirt, which read, “As hairy as we want to be,” featuring the Patriots’ bearded offensive lineman, that is for sale at www.todayschamps.com. The proceeds will go to the Matt Light Foundation.

“[Jacksonville has] got big guys. They’re solid against the run and they’re solid against the pass. [We] have to try to crease them in the running game and [we] have to hold up in the passing game.”

Tight end Stephen Spach (knee) and cornerback Antwain Spann (hamstring) were the only Patriots who did not practice yesterday.

Jacksonville defensive tackles John Henderson (hamstring) and Grady Jackson (knee) didn’t practice.

Learning from Steelers

Belichick said yesterday the Patriots learned a lot about what Jacksonville will do against New England’s 3-4 defense by watching film of the Steelers game, because the Steelers also play a 3-4 defense.

“For us, we could see a lot more from the Pittsburgh game than some other teams they play,” Belichick said. “Pittsburgh plays it a little bit differently than we do, but still, that being said, there’s certainly some things that we can learn from that game.”

roblee@projo.com

http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/sp_fbn_patsjo10_01-10-08_248IBI3_v6.24303e6.html

Patriots refuse to lose focus in spotlight
 

Thursday, January 10, 2008

By JIM DONALDSON
Journal Sports Writer



FOXBORO — Keep it simple.

That, say the three-time, Super Bowl champion Patriots — who certainly ought to know — is the key to winning a pressure-packed, one-and-done, lose-and-you-go-home, NFL playoff game.

“I’ve always believed,” Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi said this week, “that when you have games that get bigger and bigger in magnitude, you have to break them down to their simplest form.”

Veteran defensive end Richard Seymour agreed.

“The pace picks up in the playoffs,” he said. “Every play is magnified. You never know which play is going to be the big one, and you never want to be the guy who doesn’t take care of your responsibilities.

“In situations like this, the best thing you can do is just simplify the game. Take your responsibility, do your job, and, hopefully, the guy beside you takes that same approach.”

It may be simple, but it’s not easy.

It requires a focus that is difficult to attain, and even more difficult to maintain.

Longtime PGA Tour player Brad Faxon has often said: “You have to putt as if it doesn’t matter if you miss.”

Which, in theory, is absolutely correct. In practice, however, it can be all but impossible to do — especially if, for example, a golfer has a 6-foot putt to win The Masters. You’d better believe it matters then, and there’s almost no way to block that knowledge out.

In the blocking-and-tackling business of professional football, emotions and nerves have to be kept in check when so much is on the line; when one play — one mistake — can mean the difference between victory and defeat, between going home or advancing to the next playoff game.

“You realize the finality of the playoffs,” said Bruschi. “You realize that, if you don’t have good preparation, and you don’t play well on game day, that’s it.

“It comes down to the preparation from day-to-day, up to that game — what quarter is it in, what situation is it in, what down is this, and what are the team’s tendencies on that down. What are my responsibilities?

“If I just break it down that simply, it helps me forget about the magnitude of ‘if we lose, the season’s over.’ I just focus on how to win and how to beat the opponent.

“Because of that,” Bruschi continued, “you dive headfirst into your preparation. You’ll watch more film, you’ll pay a little bit more attention. It’s in the back of your mind that this is the playoffs and, if you don’t win, the season is over, so you dive into your preparation even more. You take it home with you, you do whatever you can — it’s all you focus on, every single minute of your day.”

Bruschi and his teammates walk a fine line in that regard because, while they want to focus intensely, they also want to be “loose” on the field — they don’t want to feel “uptight” during the game.

“You can’t put pressure on yourself because it’s a playoff game,” said running back Kevin Faulk, who, like Bruschi and Seymour, has played on all three of New England’s Super Bowl championship teams.

“You have to be mature enough,” Faulk said, “to understand what’s at stake but, at the same time, understand that you have to play a football game.”

Seymour understands that perfectly.

“You can’t come in and be tense, be tight, not have fun,” he said. “This is something you work for all year long. This is one of the reasons that you play this game — to be in situations like this, to have great opportunities.”

The 16-0 Patriots have the opportunity to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as only the second team ever to finish as undefeated, NFL champions, and the first to go 19-0.

But they’re not thinking about the Super Bowl right now. Nor are they entertaining thoughts of a possible rematch with the defending champion Colts in the AFC Championship Game next weekend.

That kind of thinking only complicates matters. Instead, they are thinking simply — and only — about the Jaguars. They will approach the playoffs, not just one game at a time, nor even one quarter at a time, but one play at a time.

“You just do your job, whatever it may be,” linebacker Adalius Thomas said. “Your job doesn’t change, just because it’s the playoffs.”

The Patriots know the task ahead of them. More importantly, they understand how to get the job done.

“We’ve put ourselves in a great position to finish our goal,” said Seymour, “and Saturday night will be our first step.”

They’ve walked this road before. They know the route to success.

Simply put, don’t expect the Patriots to trip themselves up.

jdonalds@projo.com

Patriots refuse to lose focus in spotlight | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal####

U of A's Bruschi a true Patriot

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 11, 2008 12:00 AM
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - He entered the league with concern. Not so much about talent, but position.

Tedy Bruschi was a 6-foot-1, 242-pound defensive end at the University of Arizona, a fierce pass rusher who tied the then-Division I-A career sacks record set by former Alabama standout Derrick Thomas.

But in 1996, he was too small to play along an NFL defensive front - and that was fine, former New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells told him. "You're going to play linebacker."

"I sort of chuckled," Bruschi recalled Thursday, "because I really didn't know how to do it. So my first expectations were learning how to make the team, learning how to play linebacker and doing what I could do to stay on the field (through special teams and as a third-down rusher)."

The unbeaten Patriots enter Saturday's AFC divisional playoff game against Jacksonville polished and poised. Their experience isn't just a strength, it's their guiding force. And much of that starts with Bruschi, a 12-year veteran who has played in three Super Bowls.

"It's a great story," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said this week. "(Bruschi's) gotten a lot of recognition for what he's done at that position. It's a difficult transition, probably one of the hardest to make, but he's made it, made it well and he's been exemplary for us in every phase of the game."

If you think of the decade's better linebackers - Baltimore's Ray Lewis comes to mind, as do Tampa Bay's Derrick Brooks and Miami's Zach Thomas - Bruschi probably belongs in the conversation, not solely for performance but also leadership.

A defensive captain, he led the Patriots in tackles (99 total, 69 solo) for the second consecutive year. He has finished second four times. More impressive, the Patriots are 24-2 when Bruschi records a sack.

"He seems to come up with big plays in big games and he has been a very productive football player for a number of years," Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said on a conference call with reporters.

When linebacker Pierre Woods arrived from Michigan two years ago, all he knew about Bruschi was the stroke he suffered in 2005. It didn't take long for Woods to see Bruschi's worth to the organization.

"He's taught me how to be a professional," Woods said. "And how to be a leader on and off the field. Be a family man. There are so many things you can learn from Tedy. Just being a jokester and having fun at times, being at ease, and at the same time being serious when it's time to be serious."

Bruschi, 34, has three children, all younger than 7. Asked whether this season's success is important so they might remember this potential Super Bowl run, he shook his head and smiled.

"I sort of have a different philosophy," he said. "I'm sure there will be times when my kids can go back and see stuff and remember it. But I really want them to know me as a regular person. I don't want them to say, 'Yeah, my dad did this or my dad did that.' I want to possibly have them look at me and say, 'Hey, that's just my dad.' "

And then maybe one day he'll tell them about a career that began in Tucson, a place he hasn't forgotten. Bruschi said he often talks with UA coach Mike Stoops, and he's convinced a reversal is coming soon.

"That's a tough geographical area," Bruschi said. "You got Arizona State, UCLA, USC, so I know it's tough to recruit.

"I know it takes a lot of time, but it will come. I think he (Stoops) is doing a great job."

U of A's Bruschi a true Patriot

An age-old question
Does ‘D’ have enough gas in tank?
By Karen Guregian | Friday, January 11, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | N.E. Patriots


FOXBORO - In sports, age translates into experience. And during the playoffs, that can be an invaluable asset.

Age, however, also can cause concern, which is why the Patriots [team stats] defense faces questions entering tomorrow night’s divisional playoff game against the Jaguars and their second-ranked rushing attack.

How will 38-year-old linebacker Junior Seau and 34-year-old linebacker Tedy Bruschi [stats] - both of whom have taken a full share of snaps since Rosevelt Colvin’s season-ending injury in Week 12 - hold up, especially against Fred Taylor [stats] and Maurice Jones-Drew, the leaders of Jacksonville’s knock-down, drag-out ground game?

The pundits have pointed to the Patriots’ aging linebacking corps since the start of the season. They’ve targeted the unit as one of the team’s few weaknesses.

Toward the end of the regular season, the defense as a whole looked a bit fatigued at times. Issues with poor tackling weren’t all about poor technique, particularly against the Giants and their mammoth back Brandon Jacobs.

The first-round playoff bye surely has helped rest some of the Pats’ weary bodies, but that will only go so far if the Jaguars backs get going behind their massive offensive line.

Seau, who defies his years, believes age is a non-issue.

“We don’t have to say a word (to those worried about our age),” he said. “We just keep playing and keep winning. That takes care of everything else.”

The veteran, who is seeking his first Super Bowl ring, said he has never felt his age out on the field.

“You know, I really haven’t. I don’t think I’ll ever know how,” Seau said. “When you go through the course of a year in the National Football League, you’re going to feel injuries, you’re going to feel pain, you’re going to feel pulled muscles. If that’s age, well yeah, I’ve felt that. But you persevere through those times. Being old is just a number. I hate to allow the world to limit me and put barriers on me as to what I should be doing and how I should be doing at 38.”

According to statistics compiled by the team, Bruschi leads the Patriots in tackles with 99. Seau is fifth with 76. The other two 30-something linebackers, Adalius Thomas (30) and Mike Vrabel (32), were third and fourth with 82 and 77, respectively.

Bruschi claims he hasn’t used the naysayers as motivation. He knows he’s not 24 but also knows he can still play at an effective level.

“I’m sure all of us linebackers, we don’t go out to prove anyone wrong,” Bruschi said yesterday. “We just go out to win football games no matter how we can do it. Whether we answer critics or don’t answer critics, we don’t care.”

The Pats, however, haven’t exactly been the most effective defense against the run this season. They finished 10th overall in rushing yards allowed per game (98.3) and 26th in rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.4).

Safety Rodney Harrison [stats], who turned 35 in December, scoffed at the age question.

“If this is an old defense, I’ll take old any day,” he said. “I always say youth is overrated. You can run fast, but if you don’t know where you’re going, guess what? You’re just running in circles.

“We’ve heard (the knocks about our age), but we don’t care. Junior is 38 years old. He hasn’t missed a practice. He’s been playing every game. Bruschi, Vrabel, Adalius, all them guys as well as myself. Call us what you want, you still have to play us.”

And that’s exactly what the Jaguars plan on doing.

An age-old question - BostonHerald.com

Published: Friday, January 11, 2008
NFL Playoffs
Old? Who's old?
Bruschi, Seau provide guiding hand
By TOM KING Telegraph Staff
sports@nashuatelegraph.com

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – They're not exactly playing on borrowed time but New England Patriots veteran linebackers Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi hear the clock ticking and have only one goal in sight:

A Super Bowl ring.

For Bruschi, of course, it would be his fourth if the Patriots get by Jacksonville on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in their first playoff test and go on to conclude a 19-0 season. Seau, meanwhile, still hungers for that first Super Bowl ring, having been on the losing side with the San Diego Chargers in 1994 at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

"I'm not here for anything else," he said. "I'm not here for anything else. I'm not here to practice. I'm not here to go to meetings. It's a great game and I do love the game, but you would love to finish it the way you dreamt of finishing it when you were a kid."

And that's with the Vince Lombardi Trophy being held high up over your head.

"I have no other goal but to win championships," Bruschi said. "That's the way it's always been for me . . . That's really my motivation right now for playing."

It's quite possible, depending on what happens in the playoffs, that neither could be back next year. Some felt Bruschi was debating after last year's AFC title game loss whether to come back. Seau, at age 38, isn't supposed to be here, either. He retired in August of 2006 only to answer the Patriots' call a few days later. Then he got hurt late last season and missed the playoffs and figured he'd come back for one more try at that ring.

"I knew coming here there was a chance of winning," he said. "Not to win just the Super Bowl, but to just win. And I knew that in this league if you win consistently enough it allows you greater things and that's the formula that I've been going with ever since I started. And the chance of winning has led us to where we are today. That's all we have – just a chance."

Many observers believe that the first team in NFL history to finish the regular season 16-0 a lot more than that. It will certainly be a special occasion for Bruschi, despite his previous three rings, because after the third he suffered what may have been a career-ending stroke. But he recovered and has recaptured his job as the team's middle linebacker in the 4-3 and inside LB in the 3-4. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick this week expounded on what the 34-year-old has meant to the team and the franchise.

"He's been great for this organization," Belichick said. "I was here (as an assistant) the first year that Tedy was here in '96 when we drafted him and it's a great story. He played defensive line in college, was converted as a linebacker, played on special teams and then rushed the passer a little bit early in his career, and then converted to being an inside linebacker . . . It's a difficult transition, probably one of the hardest to make, but he's made it, made it well and he's been exemplary for us in every phase of the game."

enlarge

"Yeah, my goal back then was to learn to play linebacker," Bruschi said. "Coming out of college and being a defensive lineman, never taking a hook-drop in my life. Coach Al (former Pats defensive coordinator Groh) asked me to drop to the hook and I asked him where that was. I knew I had a long way to go."

But Bruschi soon developed other goals once he got the nuances of the position down.

"I think that was my first and foremost step coming into the league, and then the other goal I had was to keep myself on the team as best I could with what I could do, being a third down pass-rusher and playing special teams," he said. "Then, as I continued to learn to play that linebacker position and I realized I could do that, I said, 'OK, let's take it to the next level and the next level' and now I'm to the level where I know I can play. Now I just want to keep winning and winning."

But off the field, he's been just as important, a key component in the locker room.

"He's been elected a captain pretty much every year since I've been here," Belichick said. "He's one of the most respected players on this team and in the league, and he's been one of the best players in the organization. (We've) won a lot of games with him out there on the field.

"He's done a lot of different things for us. He has great versatility and leadership and determination. A lot of guys didn't think he had the skills to play in this league. He's certainly proved them wrong."

Some 14 years ago, Seau was hoping to prove the skeptics wrong, as his Chargers were heavy underdogs in Super Bowl XXIX and got whipped by the Steve Young-led 49ers, 49-26. He hasn't been back to a Super Bowl since. It's a stinging memory.

"You just try to forget about it," Seau said. "Going to the Super Bowl and facing the San Francisco 49ers and all of the talent they had, they took it to us. Sitting in the airport – what was that, 12 years ago, even more, 13 – it was embarrassing. As an athlete, as a professional athlete, to go in there and compete at the high level that you had hoped to and to go out there and have it handed to you on national TV as the world was watching, it was embarrassing. I've always dreamt to have another opportunity and another chance, and that's why I'm here."

And he's here with enthusiasm.

"Every day, every practice," Belichick said. "He's here early, stays late, has a lot of energy out on the field, very vocal, communicating guy. Every time we go in the huddle he has an energy and a presence about him that's pretty much non-stop. I think he's obviously one of the most respected players in the league, certainly on this team. He has a good message and people listen to him, and they should. He has a lot of experience and (it) comes from the heart."

And what is that message?

"I never doubt myself playing the game of football," Seau said. "I've always said to not only myself, but people around and in the locker room and what have you, is never allow the world to put barriers on you as a person, or as a player, or as a human being, as to what you should be doing, what you should be saying at any age you may be.

"And I've never allowed that to happen. I believe that with good health, experience and god-given talent, do what you want to do and do it with a positive light and everything else will work out. It will all pan out, that's what I believe."

Many playoff games have panned out for Bruschi. They are all etched in his mind, in one way or another.

"Possibly," Bruschi said. "Yeah, I guess sometimes I'll ask, 'What year was that?' because we've had a lot of success here, but you still remember. I can still point out plays and what the weather was like and where we were and what were the game-changing plays in certain games.

"I think the games you remember most are the games when you win, you advance and the games that you lost and your season was over."

Indeed, Seau has had that feeling. He never imagined he wouldn't get to another Super Bowl, and that could be the case if the Patriots don't get past the Jaguars on Saturday.

"You think it's easy and it's going to come back again," he said of early success. "It's going to come back around, but it doesn't always work that way . . . Would I have thought I'd be here after 18 years? No, I would have never thought that. It just worked out the way it did and here we are. Now we're going to have to face that."

Bruschi doesn't get angry when anyone calls him old.

"I'd say, 'Yes, I am'," Bruschi said with a smile. "I'm 34 years old and I'm still playing linebacker in the NFL. I'm a realist, also. I'm not 24 anymore. But I know this one thing, and I've always known this – that I can play football. Football is what I'm meant to do and I know that I'm still good at it."

Same with Seau. And now, starting with Saturday night, both he and Bruschi take a step on a path where their future is unknown. It will either end in frustration or fruition.

"Hopefully, at the end of the day we can meet on this and talk about something else," Seau said. "But, until then, we just . . . we have a job on Saturday."

Nashuatelegraph.com: Old? Who's old?

After 12 seasons, Bruschi still loves playing the game


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tedy Bruschi hears footsteps. He doesn't know when they'll overtake him. Only that they will.

"I would be the first to tell I'm not at the beginning of my career anymore. I'm in my 12th season now and how many more can you possibly play?"

He didn't say he was walking away from the Patriots after the season ends. He probably wasn't hinting. He was deviating from Bill Belichick's script of keeping eyes on the prize to give context to his own career. Bruschi has earned that right, don't you think?

Some three years ago he had a hole in his heart. He had three Super Bowl rings. The price of a fourth seemed too high.

Bruschi turned a deaf ear to voices urging him to retire, that he had nothing left to prove or gain. Now he's two victories away from an incomparable season.

"One thing you learn as you get older and experience season after season after season," Bruschi said, "is that the bigger the games get, the better feeling when you win them because you don't know if you'll be back."

He was a kid in 1996, a 23-year-old rookie linebacker who had two sacks in Super Bowl XXXI against the Packers in New Orleans. The Patriots lost, but young Bruschi wasn't worried.

"You come away from that game feeling like, we're a great organization, I'm part of a great team, we're going to go far," he said. "All of a sudden we're looking for a new head coach, we go on a downward spiral until we turn it around again."

Pete Carroll followed Bill Parcells and then Belichick arrived. The Patriots returned to New Orleans to beat the St. Louis Rams for their first Super Bowl victory and now Bruschi had perspective. So this is how it's done.

Bruschi turns 35 in June. Some days he can look weary.

"I guess when you're a rookie or second-year player, toward the end of the year, you sort of still feel like a young man. But as every player gets into double-digit years, it gets tougher and tougher toward the end of the year, yes. Come Friday, Saturday, you start to feel good again and get ready to do it on Sunday."

Four times this season he led the Patriots in tackles. Against Dallas, in that big 48-27 win in October. Against Baltimore, in that emotional 27-24 win on a Monday night. Against Pittsburgh, when the Steelers believed they would be the team to derail the Patriots but instead lost 34-13.

Big games challenge good players and Bruschi has never played small.

"I think this is my sixth AFC Championship. You realize it's a big game, it's the game that gets you to the game that you want to be in," Bruschi said.

"You really try to break down the biggest games to the simplest forms. You learn how to prepare from your own experience."

His experience includes the stroke that might have killed him in February 2005. He doesn't play that card when he talks about football. That was an intensely personal experience and maybe the ultimate distraction. Who among his teammates didn't hold their breath when he returned to the lineup to make 10 tackles against Buffalo in late October?

He smiled Friday when someone asked why the Patriots are so good at dealing with distractions.

"You know, I hate to say it, but we are sort of used to it. We sort of feed off it," Bruschi said. "Whoever is being scrutinized, whoever is the target for any type of criticism, we rally around that person, whether it is our head coach or our all-star wide receiver or whoever it may be. We become stronger for it."

Tedy Bruschi is a football player, a linebacker. He hasn't talked publicly about what he'll do after the tap on the shoulder points him in another direction.

He'll be ready for that, too.

After 12 seasons, Bruschi still loves playing the game

Courant.com
Mind Over Chatter
Pats Not Bothered By Distractions

By DAVID HEUSCHKEL

Courant Staff Writer

January 19, 2008

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

— Distractions? What distractions?

Real or perceived, the Patriots seem to have thrived off any this season to the point that it becomes a psychological advantage over their next opponent.

From quarterback Tom Brady's private life to Spygate to accusations of running up scores, there has been one constant: victory.

"I hate to say it, but we are sort of used to dealing with them," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said Friday. "I think this year has been a year of distractions since opening day, hasn't it? To tell you the truth, week after week there's something different we have to deal with.

"The way we do that is we sort of feed off of it. If we feed off the distractions and we become closer for it, we just bond together. Whoever is being scrutinized, whoever is the target for any type of criticism, we rally around that person whether it is our head coach or our All-Star wide receiver or whoever it may be. Some types of problems that sometimes you don't know about, we will rally around our teammates in the face of criticism and become stronger for it."

When coach Bill Belichick was attacked for the videotape controversy the first week of the season, leading some to say the three Super Bowl titles were tainted because the Patriots were caught cheating, the Patriots responded with a 38-14 victory over the Chargers in a nationally televised Sunday night game.

Bruschi, who has played with the Patriots since 1996, embraced Belichick afterward and spoke passionately about defending his coach's honor and protecting the Patriots logo like a boy scout would the American flag.

"There's a very strong sense of team unity here," tight end Kyle Brady said. "Coaches and players are all considered on the same boat, and when you attack somebody kind of within the family, there's a sense of loyalty and lashing out sort of at whoever the defender is, the attacker is. I've gotten that sense since I've been here, certainly."

The latest episode involves a he-said/she-said incident involving Randy Moss and a Florida woman who had a temporary restraining order served against the All-Pro wide receiver this week.

Naturally, the timing was bad. But the Patriots (16-0, 1-0 playoffs) did not let it become disruptive as they prepared for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Chargers at Gillette Stadium.

"I think it's pretty simple," quarterback Tom Brady said Friday. "There's a sign when we walk in the door and right at the top of the sign, it's, 'What's expected of you' and No. 1 is 'Do your job.' And every time you walk in and you see that, you understand that you've got to show up and put whatever else is going on in your life to the side and focus, and you have a responsibility to your teammates to do what you need to do."

When Tom Brady reported to training camp in July, some wondered whether his life off the field would interfere with the way he performed on it. He was dating model Gisele Bundchen while his former girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan, was pregnant with his child.

"If you're a quarterback, you show up and do what's expected of you and if you're the offensive tackle you do the exact same," said Brady, who won his first MVP this season. "You don't have to come in here and worry about what the guy next to you is doing or what he's going through.

"The camaraderie we have as teammates here, it's been a special thing to be a part of. But at the same time, you rally around each other, and it's almost like this is a safe haven for everybody as well."

Patriots center Dan Koppen said the team has good leaders and coaches who ensure the players remain focused.

"Our job is to go out there and play football on Sundays," Koppen said. "We can't control anything that's going on in the media. All we can control is what goes on out on the practice field and [in] meetings and how we play Sunday. That's what we're supposed to deal with. When you're worrying about other things, you're letting that affect how you play on Sunday."

The way the Patriots were playing in the middle of the season generated controversy. Belichick was accused of running up the score in consecutive lopsided victories over the Dolphins and Redskins in October. As a result, the Patriots became the most hated team in America and Belichick went from evil genius to just plain evil.

"Every negative, you can turn into a positive. It's just the way you do it," running back Kevin Faulk said.

Contact David Heuschkel at

dheuschkel@courant.com.
 

Mind Over Chatter -- Courant.com

SATURDAY JANUARY 19, 2008
Tom Brady has a moment of reflection during Friday's press conference.

Fond memories

BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

FOXBORO - For Tedy Bruschi, the opportunity to play in another big game has become more precious with the passage of time.

For Kevin Faulk, the responsibility that comes along with his captaincy has been cherished from beginning to end of this special season.

And for Tom Brady, the significance of his status as one of the game's great quarterbacks is constantly put into perspective by the memories of his youth, sitting in the stands at Candlestick Park and watching Joe Montana and Steve Young lead the San Francisco 49ers to glory.

All of these athletes took the opportunity to reflect upon matters beyond the immediate challenge of the San Diego Chargers during their last press conferences leading up to Sunday's AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium (3 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12).

In a series of brief question-and-answer sessions televised live over the NFL Network, Brady, Faulk and Bruschi offered heartfelt answers to questions about the significance of this game, and what it represents to each of them.

For Bruschi, Sunday's game will be the sixth AFC Championship Game in which he has played, dating back to his rookie season of 1996 under then-coach Bill Parcells. He has won four of those games, and gone on to win three Super Bowls, but also endured the ultimate of emotions at the other end of the spectrum when he suffered a stroke not long after playing in Super Bowl XXXIX.

He returned to good health, and now, near the end of his 12th NFL season, he has a chance to return to the pinnacle of his profession. But because he knows he can't play forever, this one may be more precious than the others.

"Absolutely," he said, "I would be the first to tell, I'm not in the beginning of my career any more. I'm in my 12th season and how many can you possibly play? I've had great examples in my career, guys like Roman Phifer who played 15 (seasons), like Willie McGinest, who's still playing, like Junior Seau, who's played 18, and they've taught me a lot of things on how to take care of yourself and how to have longevity in this league.

"But if there's one thing you learn as you get older and you experience season after season after season," he continued, "It's that the bigger the games get, the better feeling you get when you win them because you don't know if you will be back."

Bruschi's pro career began on both a high and low note, because of the heights he reached as a rookie and the rocky course the Patriots had to follow in order to evolve into the dynasty they are today.

"I was in the Super Bowl in 1996 when we lost to the Green Bay Packers," he said. "And you come away with a feeling from that game like, 'man, I'm a part of a great organization, a great team and we're going to go far.' All of a sudden, we're looking for a new head coach and we started down on a downward spiral until we turned it around again."

Bruschi said that experience comes into play at times like this.

"You realize it's a big game, it's the game that gets you to the game that you want to be in," he said. "But you learn how to prepare from your experience. You really try to break down the biggest games you've had in your career to the simplest forms, how do I prepare better to help us do a better job on offense or defense."

Some people react to pressure differently. It's a part of Patriot legend that Brady, just in his second year in the NFL and about to quarterback the Patriots to their first Super Bowl championship in New Orleans against the Rams, took a catnap during the lengthy pre-game show that followed the teams' on-field warmups.

"I was naïve back in the day," Brady said. "My first couple of years, I thought it was easy. I got to the Super Bowl and thought, 'hey, it's no problem, you know start a few games and you're in the Super Bowl.' U2's out there playing on the field, and it was a great environment.

"Any time it's the first time, those experiences you have when everything felt it was so out of control, you can look back and realize how much fun it was," he said. "Now you know kind of what to avoid, so you lose a little bit of that naïveté, as Mr. (Robert) Kraft would say."

Brady's repeat appearances in Super Bowls, and his record setting 2007 seasons, have transformed him from the skinny kid from San Mateo to the same sort of larger-than-life figure that he once idolized.

"I always feel, what better job would you ever want," Brady said. "I remember sitting up 10 rows from the top of Candlestick Park, looking down with binoculars at Joe Montana and Steve Young growing up, and I'm thinking I was this kid with a dream, and now all of a sudden, I'm the one on the field. To think back on those days and how this has progressed to the point where it's at, it's extremely fulfilling."

But there has been a less enjoyable side to Brady's fame, and he touched upon that briefly Friday. He didn't refer to the attention given to the breakup of his relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan, her pregnancy and his current estrangement from her as she raises their son while he dates supermodel Gisele Bündchen, but the inference was clearly there - and he said that the locker room has often become his sanctuary.

"In a lot of ways, as you grow older, people who were once part of your life move on to do different things, and there's other people that become even more important in your life, and you share experiences with them and you grow with them," he said. "The people that I trust become less and less. That's why, when I come into this locker room and I come around this environment, whether it's coaches I've been with for eight seasons, or teammates like Kevin Faulk and Tedy Bruschi that have been through a bunch of experiences with me both on the field and off the field I can rely on those guys for anything I may need."

"You enjoy both parts of it," he said. "Like with everything in life, there's give and take. And you've got to understand if there's a take, you've got to give too."

For Faulk, the last legacy of the Pete Carroll-Bobby Grier personnel era, the team represents the same sort of protective, supportive environment as Brady sees it. So when Patriots' coach Bill Belichick announced that Faulk was going to be one of the captains this year, it moved the veteran running back in a profound manner.

"It means so much to me," Faulk said. "It's one of the most important things in my life. When coach announced it, it was such a surprise to me but at the same time, I knew how hard I've worked, and to get to this point throughout my whole career, and being able to hear your name being called as captain was a very special honor."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com

The Sun Chronicle Online - Sports

Harrison sets the tempo, say Pats

01:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 19, 2008

BY SHALISE MANZA YOUNG

Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO — What kind of difference will it make, Tedy Bruschi was asked yesterday, to have Rodney Harrison on the field against San Diego?

Hearing Harrison’s name, Bruschi’s face brightened.

“To me, Rodney is our tone-setter,” Bruschi said. “He really sets the tone for us. He’s probably the most physical and violent teammate I’ve ever [had], and his aggression he uses to his advantage.”

The veteran safety was injured when the Patriots faced the Chargers last year in the divisional round of the playoffs, and in Week Two, Harrison was serving his four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

Last week against Jacksonville, Harrison’s late-game interception clinched the win for the Patriots. It was his fourth consecutive playoff game with a pick, and the seventh of his postseason career with New England.

Mike Vrabel knows Harrison has a fondness for making the big plays in the biggest games.

“You see him making a huge play to end the game last week, and he’s always played very, very, very well in playoff games that he’s been healthy for, that I can remember,” Vrabel said. “The best players, they’ve got to play great in the big games, so I don’t expect anything less from Rodney. Certainly he’s done that in the past and shown that he can do it when he’s out there.”

Bruschi mentioned Harrison’s aggressiveness, and that got the best of him a bit last week when he was flagged for two fourth-quarter unnecessary roughness penalties. Harrison was not happy with himself for drawing the 15-yard penalties, but said he won’t change his play in tomorrow’s game.

“He’ll be the first to tell you that sometimes he’s a little too aggressive,” Bruschi said. “But for us to have him is a big plus. He can do so much — he can be a linebacker, he can be a safety, a defensive back, and cover one of the best tight ends in the league.”

Rivers practices; still listed as doubtful

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers took some snaps in practice yesterday and said he’s “optimistic” he’ll be able to play against the Pats. Rivers, who already had a sore left knee, injured his right knee last week against Indianapolis. The team said he has a strained medial collateral ligament, but the San Diego Union-Tribune has reported that he also has a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Rivers is officially listed as doubtful for the game, as is tight end Antonio Gates, who has a dislocated toe. Gates has not practiced all week; he was listed as doubtful before the game with the Colts, but played, though he was not effective.

Nose tackle Jamal Williams (ankle) is questionable; linebacker Shawne Merriman (illness) is listed as probable.

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) was removed from the list.

Few Patriots remain on injury list

The Patriots had a relatively short injury list yesterday, with special teamer Mel Mitchell (biceps) declared out; Mitchell did not participate in practice all week.

Tom Brady (right shoulder) and Rodney Harrison (thigh) are probable. Harrison did not practice yesterday. Left tackle Matt Light (flu), who missed practice on Thursday, was on the field.

Also notable is Stephen Neal’s absence from the list. It is the first time since Week 13 that Neal, who has battled a shoulder injury throughout the season, that he has not been among the Pats’ injured.

smanza@projo.com

Harrison sets the tempo, say Pats | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal#####

Old? Patriots linebackers prefer savvy and 'seasoned'
By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — They are old.

There is no reason to sugarcoat any description of New England Patriots linebackers Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau, for their ages are as much a part of the team roster as their names.

Vrabel is the youngster at 32. Bruschi is 34. Seau, by NFL standards, should have retired to mow his lawn long ago. He unretired to join New England two years ago and turned 39 on Saturday.

PERFECTION RUINED? Giants relish the thought

That was one day before Seau made a huge stop to help the perfect Patriots to a 21-12 victory against the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game and a berth in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3.

Vrabel, Bruschi and Seau don't seem to mind hearing about their years of service probably because their play indicates they are aging like fine wine.

"You can spin that however you want," Bruschi says of the age issue. "Old, seasoned, experienced — we're all of those things. We're not 24 any more."

Yet these thirtysomethings compete with the energy, enthusiasm and athleticism of twentysomethings.

"We have an older crew, a wise crew, but a crew that cares," Seau says. "There's a difference between caring and just wanting to play the game."

The time-tested trio is joined by 30-year-old free agent Adalius Thomas in a 3-4 alignment that has risen up to fit the magnitude of the games. New England limited San Diego to four field goals and has not permitted a touchdown since Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard tossed 6 yards to Ernest Wilford at 7:46 of the second quarter in the Patriots' 31-20 divisional playoff victory.

Helped greatly by a sturdy defensive front, Bruschi, Vrabel and Seau provided New England with three of its top five tacklers during the regular season. Bruschi made a team-leading 99 tackles, 69 unassisted. Vrabel (77 tackles, 53 solo) and Seau (76, 55 unassisted) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

Before the start of the season, some analysts wondered how much the 6-1, 247-pound Bruschi had left. If that helped to stoke his competitive fire, he does not acknowledge as much.

"I didn't use it as motivation because when somebody would say, 'Hey, Tedy, you're getting old,' I'd say, 'Yes, I am. I'm 34 years old and I'm still playing linebacker in the NFL.' I'm a realist also. I'm not 24 anymore.

"But I know this one thing, and I've always known this, that I can play football. Football is what I'm meant to do — and I know that I'm still good at it."

The same is true of Vrabel and Seau. The 6-4, 261-pound Vrabel used his 11th season to reach new heights. He set a career high with 12½ sacks and matched his personal high with four forced fumbles in earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Seau, in his 18th season, established a career high with three interceptions.

Predictably, all three rose to the occasion in the AFC Championship Game. Bruschi provided textbook defense when he knocked aside a second-and-goal pass from New England's 8-yard line that was intended for tight end Antonio Gates early in the second quarter. It was one of three times the Patriots would hold San Diego to a field goal after the Chargers had penetrated inside their 10.

On San Diego's next possession, heavy pressure by Vrabel led quarterback Philip Rivers to be intercepted by cornerback Asante Samuel. His 10-yard return set up the Patriots at the visitors' 24.

Two plays later, Tom Brady rifled a 12-yard scoring pass to Jabar Gaffney for a 14-6 advantage.

On third-and-1 at New England's 4 midway through the third quarter, Seau broke through into the backfield to pull down Michael Turner for a 2-yard loss, prompting the Chargers to settle for yet another field goal.

Vrabel, Bruschi and Seau are all defensive captains who will undoubtedly make certain during the next two weeks that younger teammates avoid distractions and remain focused on what is at stake.

"What we shoot for every year," Vrabel said, "is to make it to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/patriots/2008-01-21-linebackers_N.htm

They found dead ends in red zone

By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | January 21, 2008

FOXBOROUGH - In a joyous on-field celebration following yesterday's AFC Championship game, linebacker Tedy Bruschi was embracing Bill Belichick. Even then, Belichick still found the time to offer some analysis.

"When you hug your coach after you've won the AFC Championship and the first thing he said was 'great job in the red area', you know it was important," Bruschi said.

The red area, or red zone as it is more widely referred in NFL circles, was indeed the key to the Patriots' 21-12 victory over the Chargers yesterday.

San Diego had three trips inside the 20-yard line. All three ended in field goals. Even more painful for the Chargers, or impressive for the Patriots depending on the point of view, was that each drive stalled inside the 10.

Teams that settle for 3 points instead of 6 generally don't have much of a chance in the NFL, especially against the Patriots.

Yet yesterday was different, because New England's normally potent offense never truly hit its stride. That's why the defensive effort was crucial, as outside linebacker Mike Vrabel felt the performance was reflective of "the Patriots of old, making the big plays when it counted."

"All year we were either giving up touchdowns or we were playing great, there was no in between, and I think you saw the great tonight," Vrabel said.

Players and coaches provided different reasons for the success in the red zone.

Belichick felt the effort was a result of the players rising up in the critical moments, winning the one-on one-battles. Certainly, that was part of it.

On the other hand, Vrabel credited the coaches for making the right calls, both during the game and in the week of preparation. Vrabel cited one example to support this thinking, saying players knew that if there was a running back offset in the backfield, he would be running a wheel route, which is exactly what happened.

"The coaching staff really had a good grasp on what they were trying to do, and we'd see a formation, and we'd be able to check into something and get the right play called," he explained.

The red-zone defense got its first test late in the first quarter, when the game was scoreless and the Chargers advanced to the 9.

On first down, running back Michael Turner was stuffed up the middle, gaining just 1 yard as defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork teamed up on the tackle. After an incomplete pass to Lorenzo Neal, receiver Chris Chambers was ruled out of bounds after making a catch in the back of the end zone under the goal posts.

One of the keys to the Patriots' red-zone stop was first down. When the defense struggled in the red zone for much of the regular season, part of the problem was the inability to stop the run.

The next challenge came early in the second quarter, the Chargers again advancing to the 9. On first down, Turner was stopped on a rush for a 1-yard gain, with Wilfork and Ty Warren sharing the tackle. Again, locking down in the running game was big.

On second down, Bruschi delivered a clutch play in pass coverage, batting the ball away from tight end Antonio Gates. Bruschi explained he made an adjustment as he was initially double-covering Gates with linebacker Junior Seau, but when Seau rushed the quarterback, Bruschi had to reposition himself.

Then on third down, quarterback Philip Rivers delivered a short pass to Chambers to the left side, but cornerback Ellis Hobbs came in low to make a decisive tackle.

"All I was thinking is that he can't move without those legs," Hobbs said. "I knew he wasn't going to see me coming and I just shot at those legs."

The final red-zone stop came early in the third quarter, the Chargers setting up at the 13. San Diego went to the air on first down, with Rivers hitting Vincent Jackson for 6 yards on a short pass to the left side. A 3-yard run by Turner followed, setting up third and 1 from the 4.

The Patriots called on their goal-line defense with extra defensive linemen, and Turner was stuffed for a 2-yard loss over left tackle as Seau burst through the hole to make the stop.

Players felt the coaching staff was instrumental in that result, making the correct "out route charge" defensive call.

"The call that was made was one that could shoot the gap," Seau said. "I don't know if he called it because he knew I was going to shoot it any way, or he called it because he felt something, but it was a great call."

The red zone had dogged the Patriots all season, the defense ranking 27th out of the league's 32 teams by surrendering 24 touchdowns in 41 trips.

Safety Rodney Harrison explained that because the field is condensed inside the 20, a different style of defense is required inside the red zone. He felt the biggest difference yesterday was that players simply did their job without trying to do too much.

"It's trusting in your fellow teammate," he said. "We'd watch film and see four guys doing their job and one guy doing his own thing, and you can't have that with the type of defense that we play, which is assignment oriented."

The red-zone defense came through yesterday when it counted.

"They were just better than us down there," Rivers said.

Patriots caused Chargers to find dead ends in red zone - The Boston Globe

Red-zone stops make Bruschi feel great

10:47 PM EST on Sunday, January 20, 2008

FOXBORO -- Three times, the San Diego Chargers moved the ball inside the Patriots' 10-yard line.

Three times they settled for field goals, failing to score even one touchdown against a determined New England defense.

"It was crucial that we had those 'red zone' stops," said Tedy Bruschi, a 12-year veteran who'll be going to his fifth Super Bowl with the Patriots.

"I mean, when you hug your coach after you've won the AFC championship and the first thing he says was: 'Great job in the red area,' you know it was important

"It's something we've been emphasizing. We had our struggles early in the year, and then we make some progress, and then give ground a little bit, and then make more progress.

"It's great," Bruschi continued, "to see that, in the biggest game of the year, we come up and force them to kick field goals.''

Offense has been what has carried the Patriots throughout their undefeated season, as quarterback Tom Brady threw a league-record 50 touchdown passes -- 23 of them to Randy Moss, which also is an NFL record -- and the Pats set a record for points scored (589.)

But, with Brady throwing a season-high three interceptions yesterday, including one in the end zone, it was the New England defense that was the difference in the game.

"I think our defense always does what we need to do to win," Bruschi said. "Holding them to field goals today was what we needed to do to win."

-JIM DONALDSON

http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/projo_20080120_redzone.4161336e.html

Bruschi tackles past, embraces the future

By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff | January 21, 2008

FOXBOROUGH - Tedy Bruschi's résumé includes four Super Bowl appearances, three of them victories, as he went from the brash rookie who was ready to tackle the world when he came out of the University of Arizona in 1996 to savvy veteran. It includes the thrill of victory in 2001 when he was a key defensive contributor in the Patriots' 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. It includes back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 2003 and 2004 when the Patriots were establishing themselves as the NFL's dynastic force of the decade. And it included the bitterness of defeat a year ago in the AFC Championship game when the Indianapolis Colts rallied in the fourth quarter to end the Patriots' season.

And yesterday, on the coldest day of a season in which the Patriots have yet to feel the agony of defeat, Bruschi walked into the New England locker room with the warmest of feelings after a 21-12 win over the San Diego Chargers that sent the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.

"This feels great probably because it's my most special one yet," said Bruschi. "Larry [linebacker and special teamer Larry Izzo] and I were talking about that," said Bruschi, whose eight tackles and one key knockdown of a Philip Rivers pass at the goal line were crucial elements in a Patriot defense that bent but never broke in holding the Chargers to four field goals. "We were talking about how different it was when we were walking off that field [in Indianapolis] last year. Sometimes you have to experience the other side, too."

Bruschi, a third-round pick in the 1996 NFL draft, has been with the Patriots longer than anyone except wide receiver Troy Brown, who joined the team in 1993. He has seen the highs and lows on the field and off, a mild stroke in the winter of 2005 putting his career in jeopardy.

At 34, he is clearly in the winter of his career, but that perspective allows him to appreciate being part of the first perfect NFL regular season in 35 years and talk about it in a context that seems perfect for the moment in a season now down to its final game.

"If I felt any pressure this year it was before the Giant game [the final regular-season game]," Bruschi said, "when we realized the impossible could be achieved. It was history."

But just as quickly, Bruschi makes it clear he has left the regular season behind him. "We have been in the postseason so many times [we know] it's about winning the next game," he said. "We win the AFC Championship game and we can put that in the trophy case."

Bruschi said yesterday's win was as much about Patriot football as any game this season. "We have a good team," he said in an understatement. "Everyone wants to focus on one thing, but it's much more than that."

Then Bruschi looked back and talked about where he had been and what he had endured.

"Back in 2005 after we won the Super Bowl, I never thought I'd be a regular person again after I had a stroke," he said. "I didn't know if this was possible but I just kept working and here I am."

He got together with Brown as the clock ticked off the final seconds yesterday.

"We're the only ones still left from the 1996 team" said Bruschi of the squad that lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. "I told him, 'We're going back. We're going back again.' "

And it'll be nice to for Bruschi to play in a Super Bowl in a familiar setting, Glendale, Ariz.

"I have a lot of friends out there," he said. "That's where I played college football, at the University of Arizona. My wife is from there and she's got family. It's going to be a great finish for me to go out there and, hopefully, we can win this game and finish the year out. I've come a long way from thinking I was never going to play again to being here now.

"It's very satisfying."

Patriots' Bruschi happy to look back, happier to look ahead - The Boston Globe

News and Notes:

With Troy Brown inactive against San Diego, it's possible Patriots fans may not get another chance to cheer on the 15-year veteran. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who shared a tender moment with Brown after the AFC Championship game, said Brown, who is going to his fifth Super Bowl, is still very much a part of the team. "To see Troy is special because he's been here since my first day and we have a special bond among ourselves," said Bruschi, who passed Brown for the most playoff games played in Patriots history (21). "I know his year has been up and down in terms of playing and not playing, but I need him around. It feels good to have Troy Brown around."

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/01/22/they_were_possessed_to_the_end

Tedy Bruschi's 'most special' Super Bowl yet

By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tedy Bruschi is the embodiment of the New England Patriots' resilience.

The 12th-year inside linebacker savors this Super Bowl title shot more than his three rings won since 2001, and not because the defensive co-captain made one of the biggest defensive stops to key unbeaten New England's 21-12 AFC Championship Game win against the San Diego Chargers.

This Super Bowl XLII appearance was never promised to New England's inspirational leader.

After suffering a career-threatening stroke that left him with blurred vision, numbness in his left arm and leg (in addition to a halting gait) days after playing in his first Pro Bowl in February 2005, Bruschi has arguably come farther than any player to arrive at New England's Feb. 3 Super Bowl showdown against the New York Giants.

The longest-tenured Patriot other than receiver Troy Brown, Bruschi, 34, is returning to the Arizona desert, where he played collegiately for then-University of Arizona Wildcats coach Dick Tomey.

Nicknamed "Tedy Ballgame" by fans for his heart-and-soul passion, tireless work ethic and instinctive big plays, Bruschi is still playing at a high level after most doubted he would play again.

"This is the most special one yet," Bruschi told reporters an hour after the Patriots became the first NFL team to go 18-0 in one season. "Back in 2005, when we won the Super Bowl, I never thought I would be a regular person again after I had a stroke.

"Sometimes you think that something is impossible. I didn't know this was possible. But I just kept working, kept working, and here I am."

With the Patriots leading 7-3 Sunday and the Chargers inside the New England 10-yard line, Bruschi made a diving knockdown of Philip Rivers' pass intended for Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates at the goal line on second-and-goal.

In all, the Patriots held the Chargers to 6 yards on eight downs inside the New England 10-yard line, forcing San Diego to settle for Nate Kaeding field goals of 26, 23 and 24 yards.

"It was crucial that we had those red-zone stops," Bruschi says. "I mean, when you hug your coach after you've won the AFC championship and the first thing he says was, 'Great job in the red area,' you know it was important.

"These are the games we are used to. This is what we consider Patriot football."

Says Tomey, who now coaches at San Jose State: "I know how much hard work went into getting back with the stroke. At Arizona, his will to win and love for the game made players around him better.

"He's negotiated his own contracts with the Patriots. He's never wanted to leave them. He's just a unique individual in the present-day NFL.

"Tedy was as impressive a player on tape as I've ever seen coming out of high school. Yet people doubted him because of his height. He's proven everybody wrong throughout his entire life because of his intelligence, competitiveness and commitment to excellence.

"He does it right whether it's being a parent or a husband or teammate. He's the best."

Bruschi's wife, Heidi, and her family are from Tucson, so Bruschi will enjoy a sweet family reunion in his fifth Super Bowl as a Patriot, a trip that would have seemed improbable just three years ago.

"I've come a long way from thinking I was never going to play again to being here now," he says.

The ultimate Patriots survivor is one win from finding the perfect ending to a Super Bowl XLII comeback story like no other.

"With everything he's meant to that organization and overcoming his stroke, it's an extraordinary story," Tomey says.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/patriots/2008-01-24-sw-bruschi_N.htm?csp=34

Tedy reaches destination
Completes long road after stroke
By Karen Guregian | Tuesday, January 22, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | N.E. Patriots


FOXBORO - His emotions were raw. A million thoughts raced through Tedy Bruschi’s head, and it was hard for him to put each one into words. But soon enough, they spilled out.

The Patriots  were going to the Super Bowl. They had a date with the New York Giants in the biggest game of the football season.

Granted, this isn’t the first time for Bruschi. It will be his fourth trip.

The thought of being at the Super Bowl, however, is an immediate, emotional trigger for the Pats linebacker. It was 10 days after the Patriots’ last appearance and victory in a Super Bowl that Bruschi suffered a stroke, one that left him wondering if he’d ever be the same, much less play again.

Maybe that’s why he kept grabbing his oldest and dearest teammates, like Troy Brown and Rodney Harrison  and Junior Seau, and hugging them tight, and telling them how special another trip meant.

“Back in 2005 after we won the Super Bowl, I thought never I’d be a regular person again after I had a stroke,” Bruschi said. “Sometimes you think that something is impossible. I didn’t know if this was possible. But I just kept working, and kept working. And here I am.”

Bruschi has written about his ordeal in a book. He raises money and does commercials promoting stroke awareness. But nothing will come close to the exposure of him being in the spotlight of the Super Bowl, and again, talking about what happened on the night of Feb. 15, 2005, and how he’s managed to persevere and resume a normal life.

Playing football in the NFL isn’t exactly the job one would attach to a stroke survivor.

“I think his story is incredibly inspirational,” said Dr. David Greer, a renowned specialist in stroke neurology at Mass. General who treated Bruschi. “It’s a pretty amazing thing what he’s been able to do. I couldn’t even imagine anyone better to be a spokesperson for stroke survival and beating the odds.”

Each year, about 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke - a sudden injury to the brain caused by a blood vessel bursting or becoming blocked. Only 10 percent of victims recover almost completely, while 25 percent more recover with minor impairments.

In Bruschi’s case, a blood clot had passed though a small hole in the upper chamber of his heart and lodged in his brain. He has stated if the clot had moved a few more millimeters, it might have killed hiim.

At the time, he had problems with vision in one eye, along with movement in his left arm and left leg, but with hard work, overcame those issues.

Greer said he often brings up Bruschi’s name to his patients to try to encourage them, and help push them through a difficult time.

“I use him as an example that will often light up patients’ faces to hear about him, and hear how he beat the odds,” Dr. Greer said. “Sometimes I have patients who had the same type problem as him. He’s talked about the little hole in the heart. That comes up in two or three of every 10 patients. So that’s something in particular that’s helpful.”

When asked if he could have pictured Bruschi the way he is now, leading the team in tackles and preparing to play in another Super Bowl, Dr. Greer said he actually envisioned the day.

“I didn’t know that he’d be totally normal by the end, but he is. He’s completely normal,” Dr. Greer said. “I put him through the ringer, and the football field has put him through much more of a ringer than I ever could, and as you can see (Sunday), when he laid out for that ball to block (Antonio Gates) from getting it before the end zone, he’s performing at an extremely high level.”

Said Bruschi about his upcoming journey to Arizona: “I’m overjoyed. I’m elated. I’m excited. It’s going to be a great finish for me to go out there and hopefully we can win this game and finish the year off. I’ve come a long way from thinking I was never going to play football again, to being here now. It’s very satisfying.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1068207&srvc=rss

Bruschi Leads By Example
Symbolizes Pats' Persistence

By DAVID HEUSCHKEL

Courant Staff Writer

January 26, 2008

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

— Rodney Harrison looked over his left shoulder at the helmet hanging on a hook and proceeded to encircle the Patriots logo with a finger.

"This is Bruschi right here. That emblem right there, that's Bruschi," Harrison said. "In my opinion, that's Tedy Bruschi. That sums up Tedy Bruschi, what this Patriot team is about: unselfishness, commitment, dedication, teamwork, hard work, just everything."

At that moment, team officials began notifying reporters the locker room was closing. The 45-minute session couldn't have ended any better than Harrison's symbolic characterization of his teammate to a few reporters.

Bruschi, a 12-year veteran who has long been considered the heart and soul of the Patriots' defense, is a pro at this Super Bowl thing. His first was as a rookie in a 35-21 loss to Green Bay and Brett Favre in January 1997. But Bruschi would get another opportunity ... and another ... and another ... and another.

The proud owner of three championship rings, Bruschi will join a handful of players to appear in five Super Bowls with the same team when the Patriots and Giants play Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz., joining Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who spent his entire career with the Broncos, and five players from the Cowboys teams in the 1970s.

Bruschi talks about Super Bowls the way most remember vacations, holidays or a backyard barbecue.

"My favorite memory is running on the field with my kids before the Super Bowl in Jacksonville," Bruschi said Friday, recalling his last one three years ago, a 24-21 win over Philadelphia. "That's probably one of my favorite memories. The Super Bowl is a time when you enjoy things with your family and sort of celebrate the year that everyone's made sacrifices for. My kids, my family, all of our friends and families have made sacrifices for us because of all the hours we put in here. To have a moment with them on the field before the biggest game of my career is something I'll always remember."

What happened 10 days later blurred his vision and threatened his football career. Bruschi had a mild stroke that temporarily left him partially paralyzed, a condition believed to be brought on by a congenital heart defect. Less than a year later, he returned to the field. Three years later, he is back in the Super Bowl.

What distinguishes this one from the others to Patriots fans is the team's unbeaten record. Bruschi isn't thinking about the historic aspect as much as playing in a place where he has fond memories. He played at the University of Arizona in Tucson, about 90 minutes south of Phoenix, and his wife Heidi is from the state. So the couple and their three children will see family and friends.

"This one's a little bit more special for me than all the others in terms of where I'm going," Bruschi said. "Coming back from the stroke that I had in 2005, there's a lot of things that I can sort of smile at and realize that I'm back in the Super Bowl and it feels really good to be here."

It will be the first time the Patriots played in Arizona since his stroke. However, there is one place Bruschi is not looking forward to visiting.

"Coach Belichick said we're going to be practicing in Arizona State's practice facility and I'm still like, 'Ugh, Arizona State, the scum devils' and stuff like that," Bruschi said about his alma mater's Pac-10 rival. "That's how I still remember it. That's how it was."

Bruschi, 34, remembers feeling a bit awe-struck by his first Super Bowl experience.

"It seemed like it was one big party at times in New Orleans back then," Bruschi recalled. "I think we had good veterans back then that helped me learn, like Chris Slade, Willie McGinest, Bruce Armstrong, Ben Coates, Keith Byars was on the team, and they stressed to us how lucky we were to be here and to really focus on the game."

Five years later, Bruschi returned to New Orleans. And this time the Patriots celebrated, beating the Rams 20-17 on Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time ran out in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.

"We were an overwhelming underdog back then," said Bruschi, one of 10 players still with the team from that season. "A lot of us that are still in here now were a lot younger and still up and coming in terms of success or individual accolades or anything like that.

"If anything, now we're the favorites and everyone looks at us as the team to knock off. That's a big jump. That's a big jump to come from a bunch of young kids who no one's ever heard of before to now everyone's sort of hoping we get knocked off."

 

Bruschi Leads By Example -- Courant.com

Bruschi focused on present
By Karen Guregian / Patriots Notebook | Saturday, January 26, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | N.E. Patriots


FOXBORO - Tedy Bruschi [stats] was asked yesterday if he had thought about the possibility of walking away, of retiring as a Super Bowl champion should the Patriots [team stats] win on Feb. 3.

It’s something that’s certainly in the realm of possibility for Junior Seau and Troy Brown [stats]. How about Bruschi?

At first, Bruschi seemed a little taken aback by the question, but finally answered. Essentially, his approach to the end of the year will be the same as it was in recent seasons.

“That’s something where I’m focused on what we’re doing now. I’m in the moment right now. We’re right in the middle of it,” Bruschi said. “I’m in Year 12 now. I take it one year at a time now and reassess after every season.

“I’m going down to have a good time, prepare to play a great Super Bowl game. Any thoughts of it being a culmination or anything like that are not in my mind at all.”

A University of Arizona alum, Bruschi was a bit peeved to find out where the Pats will practice during Super Bowl week.

“Coach (Bill) Belichick said today we were going to be practicing in Arizona State’s practice facility,” Bruschi said with a shrug. “Arizona State, the ‘Scum Devils.’ That’s how I remember it.”

Tedy Patriot

Safety Rodney Harrison [stats], when asked to describe Bruschi, pointed to the Patriots logo on his helmet.

“That’s Tedy Bruschi right there. That’s my opinion of Tedy Bruschi,” Harrison said, once again pointing to the logo. “That’s what this Patriot team is about: unselfishness, commitment, dedication, teamwork, hard work, just everything.”

Harrison, who has been nursing a thigh injury the past few weeks, was back at practice yesterday. Other than Tom Brady [stats], offensive lineman Ryan O’Callaghan was the only player missing during the media-access portion.

How did Harrison explain his absence Thursday?

“Old age,” he said with a smile. “I’m fine. It’s a long season. I’m fine. I’ll be there (for the Super Bowl).”

Asked if anyone’s feeling 100 percent at this point in the season, Harrison cracked, “Yeah, probably Brandon Meriweather. He’s 21 years old and he’s running around like he’s 21 years old. Those young guys are 100 percent, but us old guys with some mileage, we’re not 100 percent.”

Corps issue

Plaxico Burress seems to think the Giants receiving corps is as good as, if not better than, the Patriots record-setting crew.

At least, that’s what the headlines in the New York Daily News screamed yesterday. And Burress did utter the following: “We have guys that can go out and do things just as well or better than some of those guys. That’s the way we look at it.”

The Pats’ reaction?

They’ll let their game do the talking on Super Bowl Sunday.

“The good thing about the National Footbal League, and I think in life, is you that have opportunities,” Harrison said. “And guess what? Our offense and their offense, our defense and their defense, our special teams and their special teams will have an opportunity to make sure that comes to light. So we’ll see.”

Did Harrison feel the Pats had the better receivers?

“Yeah, no question,” he answered. “You’ve got Wes Welker with 112 catches. You’ve got Randy Moss with 23 touchdowns. Donte’ Stallworth has come up big, as well as Jabar Gaffney [stats]. It’s the best I’ve been around.”

No blowing up

Harrison was asked if he was surprised that Moss hasn’t gotten upset or “blown up” over having just two catches in the playoffs.

“I don’t know why you’d expect a guy to blow up,” Harrison said. “His No. 1 thing when he came to the New England Patriots [team stats] was to win. . . . Coach Belichick tells you whether you’re an undrafted free agent or a five-year veteran, check your ego at the door. And that’s what Randy has been doing.” . . .

Kelley Washington got a little advice for the opening kickoff for Super Bowl XLII.

“Veterans say you’re supposed to close your eyes the first second after the kickoff because of the cameras and lights,” he said. “That should be an experience.”

Harrison, however, thinks that’s bad counsel.

“You close your eyes, you get your head knocked off in this league,” he said.

Bruschi focused on present - BostonHerald.com

Bruschi basks in the moment
Saturday, January 26, 2008
BY DAVID WALDSTEIN
Star-Ledger Staff

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi is on his way to his fifth Super Bowl, and his fourth in the past seven seasons. But this one is going to have even more meaning than the others.

He already has won three championships, but a few weeks after the last one in February 2005, Bruschi suffered a stroke that left his life and career in jeopardy. Somehow, with a plug inserted in a small hole in his heart, Bruschi came back in the middle of the 2005 season. Two years later, he has been given another chance in the ultimate game.

"Coming back from the stroke that I had in 2005, there's a lot of things that I can sort of smile at and realize: I'm back in the Super Bowl, and it feels really good to be here," Bruschi said.

There may have been doubts about whether Bruschi could come back from the stroke, and even questions about whether he should. But Bruschi has played in 45 of a possible 46 games since the stroke, including all 18 Patriots victories this year, and now is being rewarded.

"This one's a little bit more special for me than all the others," he said. "I mean, also in terms of where I'm going. I have fond memories of the state of Arizona, where I played college football at the university about an hour and a half south from where we'll be."

Bruschi played at the University of Arizona, less than 100 miles from Glendale, where Super Bowl XLII will be played a week from tomorrow.

While leading Arizona's "Desert Swarm" defense, Bruschi had 52 career sacks, which tied the NCAA Division 1 record originally set by Derrick Thomas. Bruschi probably won't have a chance to get down to Tucson next week, which is fine, he said. But the news got worse when he found out where the Patriots would be practicing all week in Phoenix.

"Coach (Bill) Belichick said we're going to be practicing in Arizona State's practice facility," Bruschi said with a laugh, "and I still am like, 'Oh, Arizona State, the Scum Devils. That's how I still remember it. That's how it was."

It's these little things that make each Super Bowl appearance different for Bruschi, who was drafted in the third round in 1996 (86th overall). His first trip was in his rookie season with Bill Parcells, and the Pats lost to the Packers.

Since then, the Patriots are 3-0 in the Super Bowl, which is why he said it never feels repetitious.

"No, each and every championship we've had here is held in its highest regard individually because the best goals are the ones you can share with others," he said. "Those teams were special people that I knew in my life. Hopefully, we can share that thing together in this locker room also."

So, for the past few days, as the Pats' players walked around Gillette Stadium, in and out of meetings and to the lunch table, Bruschi has been running into one of those people who has been around for all of those Super Bowl appearances, veteran Troy Brown, drafted by New England three years before Bruschi.

Even though he isn't expected to be activated for the game because of a knee injury that has kept him sidelined most of this season, Brown is still a vital part of the team, especially for Bruschi.

"Troy and I walk around the locker room this week, and we give each other a nod and say, 'We're back again,'" Bruschi said, smiling.

While this is clearly the end of the line for Brown, it may be Bruschi's last game, too. But in true Patriots fashion, he wouldn't answer the question, saying only that his sole focus is on the Giants.

"I'm in the moment right now," he said.

David Waldstein may be reached at

dwaldstein@starledger.com

Bruschi basks in the moment - NJ.com

 Patriots Linebacker and Author Bruschi Reaches Pinnacle of Comeback: Just Three Years Removed From Debilitating Stroke, Bruschi on Verge of History

Thu Jan 24, 2:01 AM ET

With days to go before Super Bowl XLII, New England Patriot linebacker Tedy Bruschi is on the verge of the greatest comeback, one that far exceeds the NFL. Just three years ago, Bruschi suffered a stroke.

Hoboken, NJ (PRWEB) January 24, 2008 -- With days to go before Super Bowl XLII, New England Patriot linebacker Tedy Bruschi is on the verge of the greatest comeback, one that far exceeds the NFL. Just three years ago, Bruschi suffered a stroke.

As the New York Giants and New England Patriots prepare for Super Bowl XLII, one player in particular will be thankful to be on the field and even playing at all. Just 3 years ago, weeks after the Patriots last appearance in the Super Bowl, Tedy Bruschi, a 32-year old linebacker, husband, and father of three sons suffered a stroke. A professional athlete in the prime of his career and in excellent health, Bruschi was forced to retire from the NFL to concentrate fully on his grueling rehabilitation. As he began to recover, though, he started thinking about a return to the NFL, and its ramifications on his family and his health.

Now in good health, Tedy not only returned to the NFL, but returned at the highest level. On February 3rd, his team will attempt to become the first NFL team to finish a season 19-0, besting the previous mark of 17-0 by the 1972 Miami Dolphins. What makes the story all the more remarkable is Tedy is not just a role player on a decent team. He is an important cog and one of the team captains of a team that, with a win against the Giants, will become the best team in NFL history.

In NEVER GIVE UP: My Stroke, My Recovery and My Return to the NFL (Wiley; 2007; $24.95; Cloth; ISBN: 978-0-470-10869-7), Bruschi, along with best-selling author and radio personality Michael Holley, reveals how he and his family faced the physical and emotional challenges of this life-threatening event and how he managed to rejoin the team just eight months later--earning himself a share of the Comeback Player of the Year Award and full ownership of the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award. From the morning of the stroke and his initial plans to retire through his rehabilitation and ultimate decision to return to the NFL, Bruschi shares his incredible personal journey of recovery, including powerful insights he gained from his experiences as well as the support and encouragement he's given to other stroke survivors. NEVER GIVE UP also details the long aftermath of his recovery, how it challenged his faith, his marriage, and his career.

Patriots Linebacker and Author Bruschi Reaches Pinnacle of Comeback: Just Three Years Removed From Debilitating Stroke, Bruschi on Verge of History - Yahoo! News

Tedy Bruschi back, feeling Super

By RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Sunday, January 27th 2008, 4:00 AM

With confetti falling from the sky, and with U2 blaring from the stadium speakers — an all-too-familiar scene for the Patriots — Tedy Bruschi sought out Troy Brown amid the pandemonium last Sunday and gave him a great big hug.

"We're going back again!" Bruschi screamed to his injured teammate moments after earning a trip to Super Bowl XLII.

For Bruschi and Brown, the only holdovers from the Patriots' 1996 team that captured the AFC title, it will be their fifth Super Bowl appearance. In Bruschi's case, his legacy will transcend that of a football champion.

He's a champion and a stroke survivor.

Nearly three years ago, a few days after playing in his first Pro Bowl, which came a week after the Patriots' third Super Bowl title, Bruschi was struck down by a life-threatening stroke that caused blurred vision and temporary paralysis in his arms and legs.

To make it back to the field was a miracle; to reach another Super Bowl … well, the emotion almost got the best of him after the Patriots' win over the Chargers for the AFC Championship.

"I don't know what word I want to use — overjoyed, elated, excited," Bruschi said in front of his locker. "I've come a long way, from thinking I was never going to play football again. To be here now, it's very satisfying.

"I never thought I'd be a regular person again after I had my stroke," he continued, some of the words catching in his throat. "Sometimes you think that something isn't possible. I didn't know if this was possible. I just worked and worked, and here I am."

That the Super Bowl will be played in Arizona is entirely fitting, considering Bruschi, 34, was a college star at Arizona in the mid-1990s. He said, "It's going to be a great finish for me," perhaps a subtle hint that he's planning to retire after the season. If so, he'd go out on his own terms, hardly the circumstances he faced three years ago.

The stroke, which hit him in the middle of the night, Feb. 15, 2005, forced him into his first "retirement." The cause of the stroke was a hole in his heart, which doctors told him had been there since birth. The hole allowed the blood to flow freely between the ventricles. A clot had formed and had gone to the back of the right side of his brain.

The hole was repaired with surgery, but Bruschi still had major concerns. In his book, "Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery & My Return to the NFL," Bruschi recalls an emotional family meeting.

"It was hard for me to say it," he writes, "but through the tears I was able to tell them that my football career was over."

Bruschi actually went through the trouble of cleaning out his locker and telling coach Bill Belichick, "I'm going to retire." He was going to take a marketing position in the Patriots' front office, but his rehab went so well that he went from retiring to sitting out the '05 season to missing only six games.

Even though he did it with the blessing of several renowned doctors, Bruschi was heavily criticized for his decision, with many in the soap-box media claiming he was nuts for risking his life to play a sport. He turned out to be one of the lucky ones. About 700,000 Americans suffer strokes each year, and only 10% fully recover.

Bruschi has turned a potential tragedy into a positive. A few months after his stroke, he hooked up with the American Stroke Association. He created "Tedy's Team," which raises money and helps promote stroke awareness.

"He has been, and continues to be, an amazing advocate, spokesperson and inspiration for stroke survivors," said Zack Blackburn, senior director of "Tedy's Team." "His reach is great."

For now, Bruschi is focused on one thing — the Giants. He cherishes this opportunity because, in his 12th season, he knows time is running out.

"The bigger the games get," he said, "the better the feeling when you win them, because you don't know if you'll be back."

Tedy Bruschi back, feeling Super

Bruschi proud of Harrison

Faulk plays many roles ...East Coast showdown ...Going to Disneyworld?

RICH GARVEN’S NFL NOTES


The Patriots did not celebrate their AFC Championship last Sunday in over-the-top fashion with champagne and chest-thumping. They are