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2000
IS THE PRICE RIGHT? INTEREST IS PIQUED AS BRUSCHI
MEETS WITH BROWNS
Boston Globe - Thursday, March 2, 2000
By: Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff
Patriots linebacker
Tedy Bruschi is beginning to get interest in the free agent market,
but it remains to be seen if he gets $2.5 million to $3
million per year.
Bruschi met with Cleveland officials yesterday,
and at least one other team, in addition to the Raiders and
Seahawks, reportedly is in the mix. The Patriots still hope to retain
Bruschi, but at far less than what he's seeking.
Former Patriots cornerback Steve Israel is mulling a
proposal from the Bengals.
The Patriots will try out former Jets defensive
lineman Bobby Hamilton this week. Hamilton is 6 feet 5 inches, 280 pounds,
but was used mostly on special teams. The team looked at Giants linebacker
Marcus Buckley Tuesday and were going to talk to defensive end Shane Burton
(Bears) and cornerback Robert Bailey (Lions).
The Patriots are looking
into defensive lineman Mike Frederick (Titans) and running back
Anthony Johnson (Panthers), but the team is having
problems attracting veterans because they are not offering much in signing
bonuses.
Bruschi deals cards
Kevin Mannix
Boston Herald
Thursday, March 9, 2000
You know that TV spot during which golfer David Duval and a
corporate suit-type second-guess decisions the other made and say of the other:
"What was thinking?"
Well, people around the NFL were saying that about Tedy
Bruschi, the Patriots linebacker, as well. Not for any decision he made on the
football field, because in that regard, the four-year veteran made all the right
decisions.
His performance for the Patriots during the last four years
indicates that: making a smooth professional transition from undersized
defensive end in college to pass-rush specialist in the NFL and then to
full-time linebacker.
Bruschi was so good, in fact, that he made himself a viable
commodity in free agency. He spent his four years with the Patriots and became
an unrestricted free agent last month.
That's where the eyebrow-raising took place.
People couldn't believe that Bruschi decided to be his own
negotiator through the free agency process, a difficult, time-consuming,
aggravating and potentially humbling and antagonistic experience.
Other than Bruschi, there may not be another player in his
situation handling his own contract talks.
"It was just something I felt confident I could do," said
Bruschi, who is juggling negotiations with the Patriots, Green Bay, Seattle and
Cleveland. "I've been in the league for four years. During that time I paid
attention to what was going on and took notes. Saving the 3 percent (the
standard fee charged by a registered agent) was one of the factors. But it was
more a case that I felt negotiations were something I could handle.
"I realized it takes a certain temperament to make it work.
You need to be patient and you need to be able to communicate with people."
It is working to date.
"So far it's been pretty much what I thought it would be.
I've been visiting places, going to dinner with coaches and club executives and
conducting contract talks. A year ago, when I was a restricted free agent, I was
close to reaching agreement on a new four-year contract with Andy Wasynczuk (the
Pats vice president in charge of contract negotiations)."
Bruschi's preference is to return to the Patriots.
"Offers are on the table from those four teams and I think
the Patriots are at the top," he said. "I talked with (Pats coach) Bill
Belichick (yesterday) and we're both on the same page. New England is where I
want to play this year. I want to continue being a Patriot."
With the start of the offseason conditioning workouts
scheduled for next week, he added that he'd like to get something done by then.
If it is resolved that quickly, however, the chances are that it won't be with
the Patriots.
Wasynczuk said yesterday that discussions with Bruschi
"aren't making a lot of progress" and added that the recent restructuring of
Chris Slade's contract was not done with an eye toward freeing money under the
salary cap to make room for Bruschi.
"That's been teed up for a while now," Wasynczuk said. "It
made sense to get it done now because we've been doing a lot of mining in
various areas and if the opportunity arises to get something done in one of
those directions, we now have the flexibility to make it happen."
Bruschi also retains his flexibility by continuing
negotiations with the other teams. In fact, while he was mentioning his options,
he received another call.
"I've got to go now," he said. "That might be Green Bay."
March 09, 2000
Packers chase versatile linebacker Bruschi
By Pete Dougherty
Press-Gazette
The Green Bay Packers are making
a hard push to sign free-agent linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who could have a
contract by the end of the week with one of the four or five teams
interested him.
Bruschi was a pass-rush
specialist for the first couple of seasons in his career with the New
England Patriots, but the fifth-year pro has played as a conventional
linebacker for the last 11/2 seasons. The Packers brought him in
for a visit late last week and are trying to sign him as a possible starter
at strong-side linebacker in place of George Koonce.
Bruschi, only 26, also is being
pursued by New England, Cleveland, Seattle and perhaps Oakland, according to
published reports. Reports from the New England area say he's hoping to get
a deal that averages $2.5 million to $3 million a year, but it seems
unlikely the open market will be quite that lucrative for him. It's
difficult to believe the Packers would sign him for much more than $1.5
million.
Bruschi, who is serving as his
own agent, said Wednesday night that the Packers remain strongly in the
running to sign him.
"I'm very excited about going to
Green Bay," he said. "There are other teams in the mix, but Green Bay's a
great situation, and I'm hoping to work things out."
Bruschi, whose name is pronounced
"Brew-ski," is 6-feet-1 and 245 pounds. The Patriots selected him in the
third round of the NFL draft in 1996.
In his first two seasons, they
used him mostly as a designated pass rusher, and he had four sacks each in
'96 and '97. But in 1998, he started the final eight games of the season at
weak-side linebacker, and last season he played a conventional linebacker
all year and was second on the team in tackles with 106.
Bruschi wouldn't say how much
money he's seeking or how far along negotiations are with any of the
prospective teams. But he said negotiations with the Packers have begun, and
with that many teams interested in him, the talks are likely to move fast.
"The thing is, I'm very
versatile," Bruschi said.
"I don't just play one position,
I'm able to do a lot of things."
BRUSCHI IS OPTING TO DEAL OWN HAND
Boston Globe - Thursday, March 9, 2000
By: Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
FOXBOROUGH - In this big-money world
of professional sports, most multimillion-dollar
athletes sit back and leave the negotiating to their agents.
Not Tedy Bruschi.
Bruschi, an unrestricted free agent, decided to
represent himself and currently has offers on the table from Cleveland, Green
Bay, and Seattle as well as the Patriots.
"I've definitely seen
the other side of things," said Bruschi from his home in Tucson. "It's
been interesting. I just wanted to handle it myself. It's my contract, so I
wanted some control over what was happening."
As of yesterday afternoon, he was waiting for final offers.
The Patriots seemed eager to bring Bruschi back when
they restructured Chris Slade's contract by accelerating $1.56 million of
his $2 million salary, providing $780,000 in salary cap
relief. The Patriots now have $1.1 million in cap room, more than enough to sign
Bruschi.
"I'd love to be back with the Patriots," said Bruschi. "Of
all the teams I've talked to and dealt with, they're my No. 1
choice. They're the team that drafted me, and I
feel there's some unfinished business in New England."
Bruschi doesn't want to sit around mulling his options. "I'd
love to get this done in two or three days and just wrap it all up," he
said. "I'd say that I'm getting closer to making
a decision, but I need to get final offers before I can do that."
Bruschi was asking for an
average salary of $2.5 million with a $3 million signing
bonus, not dissimilar to the deal Troy Brown recently
signed. Whether he gets it, in what has become a very tight market, remains to
be seen.
If Bruschi returns, the Patriots
may be able to switch to a 3-4 alignment. "I
want to put the blue uniform on again; Hopefully that can happen,"
said Bruschi the player.
"I think I'll know better in the next
day or two," said Bruschi the agent.
BRUSCHI FINDS REASON TO STAY
Boston Globe - Thursday, March 16, 2000
By: Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots' negotiations with
unrestricted free agent linebacker Tedy Bruschi were coming to a head last
night while the team was close to signing offensive tackle Grant
Williams, a free agent who played with the Seattle Seahawks last season.
After Patriots coach Bill Belichick
said talks with Bruschi were "getting closer" at
an afternoon press conference, Bruschi himself said, "There's a strong
possibility something could happen pretty soon."
Bruschi has been mulling bids
by the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Seattle.
But the Patriots made a push Tuesday night and into Wednesday by offering a
two-year deal for an average of about $1.6 million.
Bruschi told the other teams he would
require contracts for more than two years.
Because the Patriots are only
$700,000 under the salary cap, it appeared they would have to make a move to
find room to sign Bruschi and Williams.
The Patriots might part company with veteran tackle Zefross
Moss because Williams started 15 of the Seahawks' 16 games at right tackle.
Belichick also
said the team was "moving closer" to
re-signing cornerback Steve Israel, but "close is a relative thing. We've
seen it get closer and it's fallen apart," he said.
Williams, 25, is 6 foot 7 inches tall and weighs 323
pounds, but he was deemed expendable by the Seahawks. The Patriots see a lot of
upside.
Moss was present at yesterday team meeting, but
he's scheduled to earn $1 million this season and the Patriots can get Williams
for less.
The Patriots are also pursuing Giants free agent receiver David
Patten, who caught nine passes for 115 yards in 16 games. The 5-9 receiver and
kick returner started his career with the Arena League Albany
Firebirds after starring at Western Carolina.
PATRIOTS PICK UP WILLIAMS, LINE UP BRUSCHI
Boston Globe - Saturday, March 18, 2000
By: Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH - As expected, the Patriots
signed unrestricted free agent offensive tackle Grant Williams
to a two-year deal yesterday, with the re-signing of linebacker Tedy
Bruschi to follow soon.
Williams, who was
Seattle's right tackle last year, signed a two-year deal worth $2.5
million, including a signing bonus of just under
$1 million. To make room for the 6-foot-7-inch, 323-pound tackle, the Patriots
rescinded the contract tender they made to restricted free agent linebacker
Vernon Crawford, which saved them $427,000.
The Patriots needed about $950,000 of their
available $1.2 million in cap space for Williams. Until
they release another veteran, they do not have room for Bruschi.
Williams, 26, has been told
he will compete at left tackle, his natural position. But if the Patriots are
able to re-sign Bruce Armstrong, Williams could move to right tackle, as it
appears Zefross Moss will not be with the team in the fall.
The Patriots have made contact with Armstrong's agent.
Even though they signed Williams, they also appear to want Armstrong to stay.
Though they may
not be the final terms, Bruschi had a two-year deal worth $3
million, including a $1 million signing bonus, on the table from the Patriots.
Bruschi was not available for
comment, but he told Green Bay he was likely to sign with the Patriots
after the Packers would not move on their four-year deal, which
averaged about $1.6 million. The Seahawks, who were also making a
push, were slightly lower than the Packers, leaving Bruschi little option other
than re-signing with the Patriots.
The Patriots have a list of
veterans they may cut if they need cap space. The list is led by Moss, wide
receiver Vincent Brisby, fullback Tony Carter, and free safety Chris Carter.
Bruschi, Pats ink 2-year deal
Kevin Mannix
Boston Herald Wednesday, March 22, 2000
FOXBORO - Tedy Bruschi will be a Patriot for at least the next two years. The
free agent linebacker yesterday signed a two-year contract with New England
reported to be worth $3.2 million.
Bruschi is scheduled to fly to Boston today from his home in
Arizona to join the team in its offseason conditioning camp in Foxboro.
"I was close to a deal with both Green Bay and Seattle and
had discussions with both of them on multi-year, multi-million dollar deals,"
Bruschi said.
"But in the end I had allegiances to New England and I
wouldn't have felt right leaving. It's for two years and it's signed, sealed and
delivered."
Bruschi has played four years with the Pats, who selected him
in the third round out of Arizona in 1996.
"The Patriots are the team that drafted me and they've
treated me well," Bruschi said. "I've said from the beginning that my preference
was to remain with the Patriots and I kept in contact with (Patriots negotiator)
Jack Mula throughout the free agency period. I told them I wouldn't sign with
any other team without letting the Patriots know."
His ties to New England were strong enough that Bruschi
passed up a four-year deal worth an average of $1.7 million from Green Bay to
take the Patriots' offer. The fact that the Pats' deal is for only two years was
a plus from Bruschi's perspective because it will allow him a couple of more
years to develop as a full-time linebacker before he becomes a free agent again.
A defensive end at Arizona, Bruschi was converted to outside
linebacker late in the 1998 season and started 14 of the team's 16 games last
year. Despite missing two games because of a sprained right knee, Bruschi was
the team's second-leading tackler with 138 and also had two sacks. Only Lawyer
Milloy (173) had more tackles among Patriots defenders.
Bruschi also handled his own negotiations during the free
agency period, one of the few NFL players to attempt to be his own agent.
"It's just something I felt confident I could do," Bruschi
said. "I've been in the league for four years and I've paid attention to what
was going on with other players. I even took notes. Saving the 3 percent (the
standard fee for agents) was a factor in the decision, but it was more a case of
my being confident that negotiating a contract was something I could handle."
The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Bruschi was the 86th pick in the '96
draft and spent his first two seasons as a situational player, primarily as a
pass rusher who lined up in a number of positions.
When starting linebacker Todd Collins was injured late in the
'98 season, Bruschi was moved to the right side for full-time duty down the
stretch. He showed enough promise at the position that the team decided not to
re-sign Collins, who jumped to the St. Louis Rams as a free agent.
With Bill Belichick taking over from Pete Carroll as the
team's head coach, the Patriots will be running the 3-4 defense as well as the
4-3, making Bruschi a critical factor.
Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Chris Slade and Andy Katzenmoyer are
the only regulars with any experience at linebacker now that veteran backups
Marty Moore and Vernon Crawford were recently let go.
Patriots get Bruschi back on board
Telegraph Online 03/24/00
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The New England Patriots
finalized a two-year contract with linebacker Tedy Bruschi on Thursday,
releasing offensive tackle Zefross Moss to clear salary cap space. Bruschi, who
has spent all four of his NFL seasons with the Patriots, was an unrestricted
free agent before agreeing to a contract reportedly worth more than $3 million.
By releasing Moss, an 11-year veteran, the team freed up $1.6 million.
Bruschi, 26, received interest from several teams and visited Green Bay, Seattle
and Cleveland after recording a career-high 138 tackles last year.
"It was a tossup between Green
Bay and Seattle and New England," he said Thursday. "The team that had the upper
hand, really, was the Patriots all along."
But he said he came close to
leaving until New England made its last offer. One reason he returned was
Bill Belichick, who replaced the fired Pete Carroll as coach after last season.
Belichick was defensive coordinator in Bruschi’s rookie season in 1996 when the
Patriots went to the Super Bowl. "There’s sort of a loyalty I felt to the
Patriots," said Bruschi, a third-round draft pick in 1996. "Forget all the other
teams. This is my team. This is where I want to be."
Bruschi, undersized at 6-feet-1
and 245 pounds, is a key to Belichick’s possible switch from a 4-3 defense to a
3-4. Bruschi and Chris Slade would start at outside linebacker with Ted Johnson
and Andy Katzenmoyer playing inside. "Why I got so much interest was how
versatile I was. I can play in the 3-4. I can play in the 4-3," Bruschi said.
"Either defense doesn’t matter to me when I’m out there. No matter what position
I’m playing, I’m going to be doing the same thing."
He negotiated his deal without an
agent and plans to do the same when the contract expires in two years.
"It was something I felt I could
do. I felt like I didn’t need anyone," he said. "I’m a very independent person."
He said he stayed in touch with the NFL Players Association as the negotiations
progressed. Moss, 33, had spent the last three seasons with the Patriots.
His release leaves them without last year’s two starting offensive tackles. New
England chose not to keep 13-year veteran Bruce Armstrong but is negotiating to
bring him back at a salary below his previous contract.
One of those spots likely will be
filled by Grant Williams, who played last year for Seattle and agreed this week
to a two-year, $2.025 million contract with New England.
Bruschi back, veteran Moss
sacked
By Bryan Morry, PFW 4/2000
One player is just now reaching his full potential as an NFL
linebacker, the other staked his claim as a solid offensive lineman throughout
his 11 years in the league. One is back with the Patriots for 2000 and the
other was cut loose by the team to scrape up some more salary cap space.
Those paying attention to new Head Coach Bill Belichick’s
offseason personnel moves can figure out which one was kept and which was cut.
Four-year veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi, a self-proclaimed
"Belichick guy" inked a two-year, $2.1 million offer with the Patriots in
March with a $1 million signing bonus after declining larger offers from Green
Bay and Seattle. To clear the nearly $1 million of cap space needed to make
the transaction official, 11-year veteran right tackle Zefross Moss was
released, ending a three-year run with the team that started when he signed as
a free agent following the 1996 season.
Bruschi, 26, started 14 games for New England in 1999 and
finished second in tackles (138) behind strong safety Lawyer Milloy (173)
while also totaling two sacks, six pass deflections and a forced fumble.
"It’s a big thing when you sweat with guys, bleed with guys
and you’re on the same page with guys for four years of your career," Bruschi
said explaining why he chose to re-sign with the Patriots. "It’s tough to
leave guys like that in my case. I want to be with these guys for as long as I
possibly can."
His re-signing gives the Patriots four capable starting
linebackers (Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Andy Katzenmoyer and Chris Slade) and may
indicate the Patriots will switch to a 3-4 defensive scheme. Belichick has
hinted that he will use at least a variation of a 3-4 and will afford himself
the flexibility to use the 4-3 as well. Bruschi, who represented himself in
negotiations, is comfortable in either scheme.
"One of the reasons I got so much interest in free agency
was my versatility. Coach Belichick knows I can play two positions out there
and I can play in a 3-4 or a 4-3. It doesn’t matter to me."
Depth is a concern if the team uses the linebacker oriented
3-4 scheme because reserves Marty Moore and Vernon Crawford are no longer with
the team, meaning there are no experienced linebackers beyond the top four.
New England originally drafted Bruschi in the third round in
1996 (86th overall) out of Arizona as a defensive end. He moved to linebacker
under Belichick’s tutelage upon joining the Patriots. He was the third
unrestricted free agent to re-sign with the team following Milloy and wideout
Troy Brown.
Moss’s release and left tackle Bruce Armstrong’s termination
follow the free agent departure of guard Heath Irwin. It also leaves the
Patriots without 60 percent of last year’s starting offensive line. Only
center Damien Woody and guard Todd Rucci remain.
The addition of Grant Williams, who started 15 games at
right tackle for Seattle last year, helps enhance the competition to claim the
vacant tackle spots heading into training camp.
But he will compete for either the right or left tackle job
along with Max Lane, Ed Ellis and possibly Jason Andersen. Ellis could also
move inside to guard and compete with Rucci, Derrick Fletcher and Andersen
there as well. Woody’s center spot is the only one secure along the front
line. The versatile Andersen backs him up. The Patriots are expected to
address the line in the upcoming draft as well and that will add to the depth
chart and competition.
It also remains possible that Armstrong could return to
reclaim his left tackle job, but the $2 million originally offered after his
release may not be available any longer. Instead, the team may offer the
unemployed Armstrong the league minimum with incentives that could put him
into the $2 million range.
Bruschi looks at Moss’s release as business. "That’s the way
you have to look at it," he said. "You have strong emotional ties to your
teammates, but when one of them gets released, you have to look at it from the
other side of the coin."
2001
Owners struggle with realignment - Bruschi Rewarded
by Paul Perillo, PFW 4/2001
From an effort standpoint, no one gives more or gets more out of his body
every NFL Sunday than Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi. Whether it be as an
every down linebacker or playing on one of the many special teams units where
he draws an assignment, Bruschi plays up to the sign that hangs near the north
end zone at Foxboro Stadium for each home game — “Full Tilt Full Time.”
While his team did very little winning in 2000, Bruschi saw his efforts
rewarded individually in triplicate. In December of last season, he received
the Shaw’s Supermarket 12th Player Award in voting by the fans and then added
to his trophy case by winning the New England Patriots Unsung Hero award and
the Ed Block Courage Award, which his teammates selected.
“My mom said they come in threes,” Bruschi joked after completing a workout
in the team’s offseason conditioning program. “My teammates are the most
important because they know you on the field. They know you off the field.
They know you in the locker room. They know everything you do for the team.
“It’s a gratification [to receive the awards], but the best result you can
get for the effort I put out is winning football games. This is like
second-tier gratification.”
After a 5-11 season that featured many more downs than ups, Bruschi can at
least take something away from the season, but he knows that he and his
teammates must build.
“I want to maintain what I did last year, but take it up another level in
terms of making bigger plays — making interceptions, scoring touchdowns —
changing the course of a game,” Bruschi said of his own play.
In fact, his high-motor attitude would be helpful in a few of his teammates
who maybe didn’t buy into the team concept like Head Coach Bill Belichick
would have preferred.
“There needs to be more of a team-goal situation,” Bruschi said. “Maybe
guys see things one way and should see things more as a team. If we win,
everything’s cool. Don’t worry about how many tackles or how many picks. Just
worry about winning games and that should be the bottom line.”
That sounds simpler than it actually may be. Last year, not everyone
embraced that approach and the team felt the effects. Of course, the awful
start to the season didn’t help anyone’s attitude.
“When you start 0-4, it tough,” Bruschi stressed. “It’s climbing Mt.
Everest. The character of guys comes out. How many guys will stay the course
and really try to focus on winning one game at a time and how many guys are
thinking about where they’re going to be playing next year? There were certain
guys thinking that way,” he confirmed without specifics.
One reason some of the attitudes may have went sour was a void in
leadership, something getting a lot of ink this offseason. There are enough
players on the roster that can offer leadership by example, but not enough to
speak up and say what oftentimes needs to be said while also backing those
words up through example.
Perhaps Bruschi will start to assume some of that role. In 2000, he called
the defensive huddle, played almost every defensive snap, played special teams
and did it all with a reckless abandon that left him looking like he couldn’t
play another snap as he walked off the field. He also studied opponents with
diligence and thoroughly knew Belichick’s defense.
“I know what’s going on out there,” he said. “I know the offenses. I know
tendencies. I know the defense inside and out. I probably know three or four
positions out there. My ability to think is a strength.”
While filling a leadership void is a must, Bruschi is keenly aware that an
infusion of young talent is necessary after some poor drafts.
“I hold drafts up to my draft. First round: Terry Glenn. Second round:
Lawyer Milloy. Third round: me. Fourth round: Chris Sullivan and Heath Irwin.
I hold every draft up to that standard. This draft is very important. We have
the sixth pick and this is where Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick earn their
money. They have to bring in players who will help us out and get the job done
because we need some young players to step up.”
Actually, the Patriots need some veterans to step up and young players to
step in. Young or old, any player would be well served to model his effort
after Bruschi’s. Perhaps if he had more competition for those awards, the
Patriots would have finished with more than five wins last year.
2002
Bruschi grows as dad, too
A solid NFL career is fine, but the Roseville High grad sees the big
picture.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2002
If it wasn't enough having one Tedy Terror ransacking the place, poor Heidi
now has to deal with -- gulp! -- two Tedys.
Every morning. Every night, like twin Tasmanian terrors, zipping from one room
to the next, rolling around on the floor as if in a chaotic fire drill. Like,
cap the sugar intake, already.
Tedy Bruschi, is Heidi's hearty husband of five years. He is a household
football name and now shares the house with bouncy little Tedy Jr., all of 13
months.
From his roots at Roseville High School to the desert landscape of Tucson --
where he was hailed as a hero at the University of Arizona -- to the
snow-covered landscape of New England these days, Bruschi remains the heart and
soul of his gridiron environment. He has played inside and outside linebacker
and on special teams, and he's served as general good-guy team leader for the
Patriots, the heart and soul of a defense that has the Patriots on the verge of
another Super Bowl.
For Bruschi, the song remains the same. The man with the wild black mane who
can't be blocked has long been characterized as a fellow with the uncanny knack
for turning a game without even touching the ball. And that's all fine for
Bruschi and the hordes of fans -- of all ages -- who have come to embrace him.
Holding his son for the first time, moments after his birth, affected pops in a
way he fully can't explain. Never at a loss of words, Bruschi was silent,
emotional, overwhelmed.
And some of his greatest joy remains far away from the football field. Playing
the clarinet or the saxophone for little Tedy. Quality time.
"Tedy being born, that was the most incredible experience," Bruschi said Friday
afternoon, after his team's last practice before today's AFC championship game
against the Pittsburgh Steelers. "His arrival totally changed my life. I was
thinking, 'I'm a family man now.' It really clarified for me what life is about.
It's faith, family, football, and my main job is to be the best husband and
father I can be.
"Yeah, football's important. It's my job. But nothing's bigger than Tedy Jr. and
Heidi."
Well, for a time, Heidi was bigger than Bruschi. At least a bit wider in the
middle.
"During pregnancy, for the man, it's pretty simple," Bruschi explained. "It's,
'OK, I don't really change. I look the same.' My body doesn't change, but
Heidi's going through all kinds of changes. And then it really hits me,
that it's really real, when I'm holding my son in my hands for the first time.
It was awesome."
And soon, there will be another handful. The Bruschi Three will swell to The
Bruschi Four as another boy is expected in May.
"We'll have to get some more football pajamas," Bruschi said.
The next arrival will happen in Tucson, where the family resides in the
offseason. It's also where they met, where Bruschi made his second step to
football greatness. He was lightly recruited coming out of Roseville, primarily
because he was only 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds.
Never mind he was controlling games on the lines, blocking kicks, chasing down
ballcarriers who seemed much swifter. Only Arizona gave him a serious flyer, and
all because Dick Tomey, the coach then, declared, "The kid was just crazy, and
you need that in football."
Bruschi never slowed down, tying the NCAA career mark for sacks with 58.
Along the way, he met Heidi Bomberger, a volleyball star for Arizona. She was a
defensive specialist, of course.
"We met over the phone," Bruschi recalled amid laughter. "There was a rumor
going around that there was this volleyball player who wanted to meet me. We
chatted for three days before we met, and we hit it right off. Fortunately, I
knew a little volleyball from intramural play."
One could only imagine what sort of player Tedy Jr. might be, considering the
gene pool includes Heidi's father, who played on the 1971 Nebraska national
championship football team.
One thing is certain. Young Bruschi will surely overcome obstacles. Bruschi fed
off the notion he wasn't big or fast enough to play at any level.
He's basking on the pinnacle now. He was drafted in the third round by the
Patriots six years ago, made the Super Bowl his first season as a special-teams
ace and has since settled in nicely as a rock to the foundation, averaging 96
tackles his past three seasons. He helped the Pats get nasty on defense again as
they reversed last season's 5-11 mark to 11-5 and earned a berth in the AFC
final.
And he's done it with toughness, savvy, sheer will and instincts.
"I think the key aspect of me sustaining an NFL career this long is my
intelligence," Bruschi said. "I know the defenses, different positions. I have
had to learn a lot, under different coaches. I value my intelligence in football
and what it's done for me. And I go all out -- always have.
"There's a sign at our stadium that reads 'Full Tilt. Full Time.' That's my
section. I've adopted those guys because I like that motto."
BRUSCHI NOW A PLAYER OF NOTE: EARLY MUSICAL TALENT GAVE A HINT OF HIS JAZZY
PLAY IN THE NFL
Boston Globe - Sunday, January 27, 2002
By: Bob Duffy, Globe Staff
There seemingly was nothing the kid couldn't play on the football field.
At halftime. Alto or tenor
sax? Trumpet? Clarinet? Trombone? Name that tune; Tedy Bruschi could make
it shout hallelujah in a variety of melodious languages.
"He was an excellent high school musician," says Mark Toffelmier, band
director at Roseville High just outside Sacramento.
It was no surprise, really. While Bruschi was growing up in downtown San
Francisco, his mother, Juanita, had steered him toward music, and even
before he handled an instrument, he was using his voice as one, touring at
age 7 and 8 with a boys choir that could rattle the rafters of the city's
churches.
But it wasn't strictly nurturing. Prodigy was as much a factor as
parenting in creating Bruschi's one-man ensemble, and that's why he was a
coveted member of Toffelmier's marching band that had the stands hopping at
intermission on football Friday nights.
"Tedy had the ear," says Toffelmier.
The pupil demonstrated that to the teacher one day during his sophomore
year when he suggested that the band try a new pop song. Thirteen years
later, Toffelmier doesn't remember the number. But he recalls what Bruschi
did with it.
"How does it go?" Toffelmier asked.
Bruschi proceeded to show him by blowing up a storm on the alto sax. The
bandleader was enthralled.
"That's excellent," he told Bruschi. "Where did you learn that?"
"I heard it on the radio last night," said Bruschi.
The ear for the beat became legendary.
Sizing up prospects
There seemingly was nothing the kid could play on the football field.
During games.
It wasn't necessarily lack of talent, though that was unknown. Tedy
Bruschi's football potential was as much a mystery to others as football
intricacies were to him.
It was amazing, really. His father, Tony Sr., was a football coach. His
stepfather, Ron Sandys, was a tennis pro. But the family never pushed Tedy
toward sports.
Unlike music, his gridiron background was a cappella. In San Francisco,
he and the neighborhood kids would play on the communal field behind their
homes. No pads. No helmets. When they talked about smashmouth football, it
wasn't a figure of speech. And watch out for those sprinkler heads and
rocks and potholes.
Little Tedy didn't know what he was doing, but it didn't matter. He was
tumbleweed tearing through a ghost town, and he made a whirlwind
impression.
"I always played with bigger kids," he says. "And I was always picked
first or second. I wish I'd caught on then that I could go someplace in
football."
He was still ignorant of football's possibilities and peculiarities
when he walked into the Roseville freshman team introductory meeting
because, well, why not? At freshman orientation, some six months after the
family had migrated 110 miles northeast of San Francisco, he'd spied a
couple of buddies sitting at a table with two pairs of cleats each and a
cooler at their feet.
"What are those for?" Bruschi asked.
"We're on the football team," they told him.
That was his grand inspiration for stumbling into the locker room, still
not knowing a hip pad from a hip pointer. Freshman coach Don Hicks
delivered his welcoming spiel, then instructed the candidates, "Break up by
position."
Bruschi stood still. Hicks wondered if the kid's position was statue.
"Coach," Bruschi implored, "where do I go?"
Hicks surveyed the 14-year-old's 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound frame,
shrugged, and decided, "You're a lineman."
He was partially right. As in music, it wasn't so much nurturing as the
combination of prodigy and passion that, unbeknownst even to him, made Tedy
Bruschi a one-man band in football, too.
A dynamic defensive tackle in high school who recently was selected the
top scholastic player in Sacramento history by the local newspaper, the
Bee. A devastating defensive end for the University of Arizona's vaunted
Desert Swarm who tied the NCAA record for sacks with 52. And now, in the
sixth season of a pro career he never was supposed to have because of his
modest dimensions (6-1, 245), the middle linebacking fulcrum for a Patriots
defense that will try to continue a storybook season today in the AFC
Championship game at Pittsburgh. That could earn Bruschi his second Super
Bowl trip to New Orleans, a bookend for his rookie year, which he began as a
clueless outside linebacker.
As their playoff pretensions were at the start of the season, the
Patriots' chances against the mighty Steelers are considered nil.
"I like that underdog theme," says Bruschi. "I've been the underdog all my
life, and I've been one of the most successful underdogs in history."
Bill Belichick, a man who embodies understatement, doesn't consider that
bragging. In fact, Bruschi may be selling himself short - and that's no
height joke - if you listen to the Patriots coach. He places Bruschi in the
same exalted company as his overachieving counterpart on offense, Troy
Brown.
"Guys like Troy and Tedy Bruschi, you can't tell them every play that's
going to happen in a game, every situation," says Belichick. "They just
seem to know when to do the right thing and try to do it consistently.
There's no question they're what you call clutch players, because they come
through when they're needed the most."
The latest example of Bruschi's emergency instincts occurred as the
Patriots were about to sled out of the playoffs against Oakland eight days
ago in the Mark Henderson Bowl II. With snow and wind swirling in Foxboro
Stadium, the Raiders were on the verge of retreating to their igloo with a
13-10 AFC second-round triumph. All they needed was to convert on third and 1
at their 44 with 2:19 left in the fourth quarter. But Bruschi and Ty Law
mashed Zach Crockett like a snow cone, forcing an Oakland punt and an
improbable reversal of fortune that resulted in a 16-13 New England
overtime verdict.
By now, such Bruschi plays have ceased being revelations. The nose for
the ballcarrier has become legendary.
Directional move
Obviously, none of this was by design. "I've just taken every day as it
comes," says Bruschi, "and lived my life that way."
It had the makings of a potentially wayward life on the streets of San
Francisco. Bruschi once said he was destined to attend Galileo High in the
city except that his mother feared earthquakes. Now he acknowledges that
the tremors that jolted Juanita were the cosmopolitan temptations that
threatened to ensnare Tedy, his older brother, Tony Jr., and his younger
sister, Natalia. Juanita had divorced Tony Sr. when Tedy was 5, and she
wasn't wild about the direction her children were taking. "We were getting
into too much trouble living right smack dab in the middle of San
Francisco," says Tedy. "Just general mischief."
Juanita was wary that it
might escalate, and so, having remarried, she uprooted the family to sleepy,
suburban, middle-class Roseville in Tedy's second semester of eighth grade.
He considers that one of the watershed events in his life, "because
otherwise, I probably never would have played organized football."
First he had to overcome culture shock. "In San Francisco, I was having
too much fun with my buddies," says Bruschi. "We were going all over the
city, gallivanting. Just put a nickel in the bus and we could go anywhere.
Then we moved, and there was nothing to do."
Nothing quickly turned into plenty. By his sophomore year, Bruschi was
playing junior varsity football on both sides of the line, including
offensive guard, then performing in the varsity games - on alto sax. "I was
living right as a sophomore," he says. "I had music and football."
He excelled in both, but the dual idyll couldn't last forever. As a
junior on the varsity, Bruschi realized that football was a much more
serious - and perhaps rewarding - enterprise. So Toffelmier lost the
recruiting battle to varsity coach Larry Cunha. "I made my pitch," sighs
Toffelmier. "I would love to have had him for three years."
Cunha was thrilled to have him for two years, both of which wound up
with the team in the sectional playoffs. The coach raves about Bruschi's
football exploits, recalling two plays that served as his signature. On
one, Roseville was facing a private school, protecting a precarious late
lead, when the upper-class rival went for it on fourth and 1 - only to run
into a ramrod named Bruschi. On another, in the playoff quarterfinals,
Bruschi sundered the line and blocked a bid for the deciding field goal.
"He put together a very good junior year," says Cunha, "and his senior
year, he was just everywhere."
Cunha had encountered Bruschi's aplomb before he ever coached him.
Teaching world history, he was taking roll call on the first day of class
when he called the name "BROO-she."
"No, Coach," the unabashed student corrected him, "it's BREW-ski, as in
`Have another.' "
"OK," Cunha chuckled to himself, "here's a kid with some charisma."
Wildcat strikes
That's the type of insouciance the Patriots take for granted from
Bruschi, whose joy in playing football is as uninhibited as his style.
"When we're in the huddle, that's the guy I'm glad
to be with," says rookie defensive lineman Richard Seymour. "He gives 110
percent. He brings a sense of freshness out there. If you're having a bad
day, he's the guy laughing, loosening you up."
Bruschi's linebacking partner, Mike Vrabel, considers it a matter of
perspective.
"The key is he's got a great attitude," says Vrabel. "He looks at it as an
opportunity to have fun, make plays, play a kid's game, get paid for it, and
do it well."
It was hardly a given that Bruschi would get to play the game as
anything except a kid, despite his prowess.
"He's a great athlete," says Roseville athletic director and wrestling
coach Casey Griffin. "He can dunk a basketball and all that kind of stuff.
There's no doubt he could have been an excellent basketball player."
Instead, Bruschi became an excellent heavyweight wrestler and shot
putter/discus thrower during his spare moments. He was an all-sectional
wrestler, an all-state thrower, even though he says those endeavors were
nothing more than busy work: "The coaches said it would help with football,
but it was just to pass the time."
It appeared Bruschi would have plenty of time to kill after high school,
because the tape-measure drones couldn't get past his dimensions. The
college recruiting of Bruschi was the antithesis of the band-vs.-football
competition.
Cunha, who also was Bruschi's coach in track, recalls in disgust that,
per tradition, a college assistant approached him before his star lineman's
senior year and said, "Who are your best players?"
"He is," said Cunha, pointing to Bruschi.
"Forget him," sniffed the college talent genius. "He's too short."
Only Washington State, Brigham Young, and Arizona didn't share that
opinion. And when Arizona offered him a scholarship on the spot during his
recruiting visit, Bruschi was sold.
Shifted to the end of the line, he went on to one of the most prolific
careers in NCAA history, exemplified by the sack record he still holds -
and holds dear.
"But please don't say I set the record," implores Bruschi with typical
self-effacement. "I tied the record."
Indeed, it was set by the late Alabama All-American and Chiefs All-Pro,
Derrick Thomas. "Sharing it with a guy like Derrick Thomas makes me very
proud," Bruschi says.
That attitude left as lasting an impression as did Bruschi's exploits
for a Wildcat team that was a national powerhouse during his career from
1992-95.
"He's a hero in Tucson, I promise you," says Arizona defensive
coordinator Larry MacDuff, who returned to the Wildcats this past season
after spending four years as the New York Giants' special teams coach. "He
was just a champion of a guy off the field, with really good values. He was
heavily involved in the community, great with kids. He had outstanding
integrity."
Of course, it didn't hurt that he could wreak a little havoc, too.
"He was the leader of our team," says MacDuff. "He was a tremendous
difference-maker to our program. He did things right. He was an outstanding
effort player, a big-play guy."
Just not a big guy, by NFL standards. So when the Patriots expended a
third-round draft choice on him in 1996, MacDuff was pleasantly surprised.
"I know all the charts, the heights and weights," he says, "but this kid is
an exception. When they drafted him, I said, `Tedy's not just going to make
a team. He's going to be a great player and great leader.' I applaud the
Patriots for taking him and finding a spot for him."
That spot was linebacker, which Bruschi's father - who died last month -
had foretold would be his son's destination.
Tony Bruschi said, "I've coached everything from football to fishing,
and I'm telling you, your future is at linebacker."
"But Dad," protested Tedy, "I like rushing the passer."
That triggered what the junior Bruschi recalls as animated debates, but he
was adamant.
"To me, getting a sack is the toughest thing in football, that and being
on an island as a defensive back," he says. "It's drawing a line in the
sand and crossing it to get the prize."
But NFL employment was a more remunerative prize. So Bruschi stepped
back from the line, which in football terms was tantamount to moving from
San Francisco to Roseville.
"It's probably one of the toughest things I've ever had to do," he says.
Making smart choice
It was no picnic for his tutors, either. During Bruschi's first NFL
training camp in 1996, assistant coach Al Groh was explaining an
assignment.
"If you see pass," he said, "drop back and pick up the hook."
"Uh, Coach," said a perplexed Bruschi, "what's the hook?"
Groh closed his eyes, shook his head, and said, "OK, I see we're going to
have to start from scratch."
Bruschi eventually learned the hook - a receiver curling into the center of
the field - and the hooks. It was a painstaking process.
"It took me a couple of years not to chuckle when I said I was a
linebacker," he says.
That's why he's indebted to the likes of Groh and Bo Perini and Pete
Carroll and Pepper Johnson and Belichick, among sundry mentors.
"I always tell kids I talk to that you should pay attention to your
coach," says Bruschi, "because you can really benefit."
There was a great deal of self-help involved, too, since there wasn't an
alternative: "I said to myself, `Tedy, you're going to have to dive
headfirst into this if you're going to stay in this league.' "
And here he is, having progressed from special teams terror and
situational pass rusher, to starting outside and weak-side linebacker, to
the man in the middle calling the shots, where Bruschi has been a fixture
since Nov. 25, first because of injuries to Bryan Cox and Ted Johnson, and
now because of his impeccable transition.
He has rearranged his priorities - "I get just as much pleasure now out of
stopping the rusher" - and capitalized on his diligence.
"I feel confident in my athletic ability," says Bruschi. "But I feel my
strongest point is intelligence. I know the game, know the various
positions."
The mere suggestion that football acumen has eased Bruschi's adjustment
causes cornerback Otis Smith to stare incredulous holes through the
observer.
"He's a smart man," says Smith, drawing out each word for emphasis, as
if to indicate that applying any qualifier to Bruschi's intellect is
shortchanging him.
One-man operation
Actually, he's proven that on his own. While his close friend, Tucson
attorney Burt Kinerk, handled Bruschi's first contract, the client has
turned negotiator for the last two. With Kinerk's blessing. And with
lucrative results: a two-year, $3 million extension with a $1 million
signing bonus in 2000 and a three-year, $4.6 million deal with a $2 million
signing bonus last month.
An athlete bargaining for himself might as well be facing a financial
firing squad, but Bruschi downplays the unique situation.
"It wasn't as if I was all alone," he says. "I'd call Burt and I had the
players' union. And the Patriots were very fair. I believe in loyalty. I
want to be known as a Patriot. I don't want to be one of those guys jumping
around the league."
An admiring Kinerk believes Bruschi is one of the few self-negotiators
who can jump into shark-infested waters at the give-and-take table "I
think you have to be a special person to do what he did," says Kinerk.
"There aren't too many people who can do that, because you're a piece of
meat. But Tedy really wanted to do this. He's a very unusual person."
And probably a lot richer one than if he hadn't surrendered his band
uniform, no matter how reluctantly.
"I chose the cleats over the sax," he says. "But only on the field. I
still play."
If he plays well enough today, Bruschi will get another chance to jazz it
up in New Orleans.
Stars come out - for golf
Ex-Wildcat Bruschi serious about sport, helps his
group win
By Terrance Harris
Thursday, February 21,
2002
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tedy Bruschi seemed to be all smiles and
laughter during Wednesday's Bank of America Celebrity Pro-Am.
But the former UA
All-American and linebacker of the New England Patriots was all business at
Tucson National when he stepped up to the tee.
Bruschi and his group, including PGA pro
Carlos Franco and amateurs Skip Corley, Dominic Mastronardi and Craig Starkey,
were so serious, they won the event with a 21-under-par 51.
"I take it
seriously, because I'm playing with a pro," Bruschi
said. "I know if it was a pro-am football game, I would want the people I'm
playing with to take my game seriously. I sort of want to do the same thing.
"We joke around,
have fun and keep it light, but I want them to know that I respect their
game."
Bruschi turned in the shot of the day when
he hit the flag on a shot about 300 yards away on No. 5.
Bruschi birdied the par-4 hole with a 4-foot
putt on the next shot.
Bruschi said his showing Wednesday was a
vast improvement from his other time playing the pro-am.
"They asked me what
my handicap was, and I said maximum, which was 21,"
Bruschi said. "I'm a little bit better than that, but this is a tough
course, so I need a few extra strokes to give me a little more encouragement."
While
Bruschi played well, it was actor Kevin
Costner who played to the crowd. And what a crowd it was. Costner drew a
galley crowd of about 200 spectators, by far the largest following of the day.
The fans were not
disappointed as Costner constantly conversed with the crowd and signed
autographs throughout the 18-hole event.
Joining Costner and
Bruschi as celebrity draws were White Sox
center fielder and former UA basketball player Kenny Lofton and musician Alice
Cooper. Costner and Cooper were in the same group, paired with PGA pro Brian
Hull. They shot a 57, six shots behind Franco's group.
For
Bruschi, Wednesday's Pro-Am was his first
opportunity to unwind since the Patriots won the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Bruschi makes his off-season home in Tucson.
"Ever since we left
the AFC Championship, I've been on the go," Bruschi
said. "We left for New Orleans the next day.
"Then after winning
the Super Bowl coming back to that parade in Boston with 1.2 million people,
it's been a roller-coaster ride. It's now settling down, now that I'm back in
Tucson."
Bruschi will tackle the sax at
Symphony Hall
By
Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff, 5/23/2002
You expect to see Tedy Bruschi preparing for a performance in the
video room, or the meeting room, or the locker room. But on a warm, sparkling
day, the ferocious linebacker for the Patriots was getting in touch with his
artsy side in a music room at the prestigious Longy School of Music in
Cambridge.
He was rehearsing
the upbeat Eubie Blake tune, ''Fizzwater,'' on his alto saxophone, which he
will perform with a saxophone quintet in a benefit gala for the Longy School
at Symphony Hall June 17.
The goal is to
raise funds for the school's scholarship and outreach program, which benefits
students who can not afford music education.
It was only his
second practice with saxophone instructor Andrew Cook, who was accompanying
Bruschi on soprano sax.
''This is going to
be more exciting for me than it will be for the kids,'' said Bruschi. ''I've
been looking for something to get me back into my music. This is all I was
before I played football.''
Growing up in
Roseville, Calif., music was important to Bruschi and his parents.
''I started playing
football when I was 14 and I had six or seven years of music before then,''
said Bruschi. ''I started out in the boys' choir, then played clarinet and
alto saxophone. When I got to be 16 or 17, I had to make a decision, so I
chose the cleats over the sax. It worked out well. This gave me a perfect
excuse to get back into music and play with other people because I hadn't done
it for so long.''
The Patriots'
Charitable Foundation has come up with a catchy ad for Bruschi's night: ''From
sacks ... to sax.''
Bruschi's
participation in this event was inspired by a story about Bruschi's musical
roots by the Globe's Bob Duffy during the Patriots' improbable Super Bowl run.
Longy's Julie Fresina's brother Michael, who works at Street and Smith
Business Magazine, contacted the NFL Players' Association, which contacted
Bruschi
.
''I stopped playing
in the band when I was on the JV football team,'' recalled Bruschi. ''I'd go
from the JV football team and play in the varsity band in the varsity game. I
went to the varsity as a junior, and I had to make a choice. But I always
played a couple of times a year just to stay up on it.''
Bruschi's ability
came as a bit of a surprise to Cook, but ''It's a nice surprise. It's good to
see someone can balance athletics and arts and have that as an influence in
his life.''
Cook, an avid
football fan, said, ''It's the first time I've taught a celebrity and it's
been a lot of fun. He's great to work with.'' Bruschi also plays
his clarinet when he returns to his Tucson home for the offseason.
''It's really
important that kids have something that taps the artistic side of them,
whether it be their voice, whether it's an instrument, whether it be a brush
or a pen,'' said Bruschi. ''To tap the artistic side is very important. Sports
is a good outlet, but for me it's just violence and intensity a lot of times,
so this keeps me in balance.''
Bruschi said his
teammates don't know about his upcoming performance, but ''a lot of them will
know when the article runs. When I was in high school I got a hard time for
it. We'd practice at 6:30 in the morning and sometimes it was marching band.
We'd be in the street practicing and here comes the football players and they
see me and they give me a hard time. And I didn't care because it's what I
loved and it's part of who I am.''
He often plays
jazz, but he breaks out the Christmas tunes around the holidays.
His old saxophone
is still in decent shape, but he was battling a leaky pad, which prevented him
from hitting his low ''D.''
''It's my original
sax,'' he said. ''I have a birthday coming up and I might ask for a new sax.''
Asked if he'll be
nervous playing the Symphony Hall stage, Bruschi said, ''I've actually been
there to hear the Pops play a couple of times. It's going to be quite an
experience, one I'll never forget, and one that we can do as long as I'm here
with the Patriots.''
Bruschi will be
part of a June 9 ceremony in which Patriots players will be given their Super
Bowl rings, according to the team's Web site ... Patriots coach Bill Belichick
will receive the Baldwin Medal at commencement ceremonies at his alma mater,
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn., Saturday.
From Sacks to Sax
Michael J. Fresina
Streets and Smith's Sports Annuals
His heart raced as he wiped the sweat from his palms and brow. He
had done all the interviews and greeted all the dignitaries. Now it was time to
play. Tedy Bruschi, the soul of the New
England Patriots, couldn’t wait to take the stage. This was the moment he had
prepared for since he was just six years old.
This scene was not played out in a corner of a locker room in the
bowels of the SuperDome
minutes before Super Bowl XXXVI. It was June 17th,
2002 and Bruschi was about the play
Boston’s Symphony Hall. A guest performer at the Longy School of Music’s annual
fundraiser, Bruschi admitted he, “was more
nervous getting ready for this than the Super
Bowl.”
Bruschi, who didn’t start
playing football until he was fourteen, began playing music when he was six
years old and his instrument of choice was his voice. Singing in a boys’ choir
known for blowing the roofs off churches, Bruschi
fell in love with music. After a couple of years in the choir, he gave up
singing for the clarinet and later moved on to the alto saxophone. Until his
junior year in high school, when he had to pick between varsity football and
playing in the band, music was Bruschi’s
greatest passion.
“Music”,
Bruschi says, “is still a big part of who I am. I don’t get to play as
often as I would like, but this fundraiser gave me the perfect reason to get
back into it and play with other people. For year s
now, I’ve just been playing alone. I have really enjoyed listening to other
people play and working on some harmonies.”
Bruschi took to the
Symphony Hall stage as part of a saxophone quintet including two
thirteen-year-old girls, a fourteen year-old boy and their instructor from Longy,
Andrew Cook. The piece they played, Eubie Blake’s Fizzwater, is an up-tempo,
ragtime jazz number – one Bruschi had never
even heard before he began practicing a few weeks before the event. “Heading
into Symphony Hall, I am really glad I kept up with the sax over the years.”
Bruschi said. “The ability to read music never
left and when the music was sent to me, I knew immediately what parts would be
easy and which I would need to practice more.”
Bruschi got together twice with Cook before
having just one rehearsal with the whole group. Listening to them play, and
judging by the enthusiastic response they received from the audience at Symphony
Hall, one would never know the ensemble hadn’t been together for years.
Bruschi’s ties to the Longy School are still
new, but should remain strong long into the future. Staff members at the small,
but renowned school in Cambridge, Massachusetts read a blurb in a Boston
newspaper about Bruschi’s love of music and
decided to seek him out. Once Bruschi learned
about the school and its philosophy of teaching, he was hooked. “I remember
every one of my music teachers”, Bruschi said.
“Each one had a huge impact on my life, my playing and my love of music. I have
to admit, I don’t remember all of my football coaches.”
Bruschi is concerned as public schools around
the nation cut budgets that fund music and arts departments. “Maybe”, he said,
“there should be more schools like Longy and fewer football factories.”
With his Symphony Hall debut behind him, Bruschi
took a moment to reflect on the whirlwind year he’s had. “I can’t imagine ever
having a better year. First, the Super Bowl. Then, the birth of my second son
and now the opportunity to play with this quintet and benefit the Longy School
of Music, it’s been perfect for me. With my sports, my family, and my music, I’m
in perfect balance.
2003
Bruschi hopes for
familiarity at safety
03/25/2003 BY TOM
E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer
FOXBORO
-- Tedy Bruschi doesn't like the thought of a Patriots defense without Tebucky
Jones and Lawyer Milloy behind him.
On the first day of voluntary
offseason workouts yesterday, Bruschi weighed in without any prompting on the
Patriots' safety situation where the franchised Jones, the cap-heavy Milloy and
newly acquired Rodney Harrison are on the 2003 books for nearly $9 million.
"I would love to see Tebucky
back," said Bruschi. "Certain things are happening now. Does it look impossible
that he comes back? Are we going to trade him? I don't know. I think something
will happen here with Tebucky's situation. We've got a lot of good quality
safeties but I'd like to have [No.] 34 back. Tebucky brings a presence, Tebucky
brings an attitude. Tebucky Jones and Andy Katzenmoyer are the best examples
I've seen of size, speed, strength and athletic ability. To have
him there at free safety with his
range and attitude . . . receivers knew where Tebucky was. That presence at
safety is a valuable asset. If it works out where Tebucky's here, that would be
nice."
As for Milloy, Bruschi said, "I
can't see (the Patriots defense) without Lawyer. I can't. But we've got a lot of
good safeties and obviously something's going to happen."
Bill Belichick likes his players
to be versatile, but it's unlikely that Bruschi will be making many personnel
decisions this season.
Still, the veteran linebacker's
right when he says something's going to happen. And whatever it is will most
likely involve Jones, whom the Saints covet, but are so far unwilling to deliver
the second-round pick the Pats are said to be demanding.
The Pats could still work out a
long-term deal for Jones (but not until after July 15) or go into the season
with him counting an inordinate $3 million against the cap, which seems to be
the least likely scenario.
Jones, who said earlier this
offseason that he wouldn't participate in offseason workouts under the franchise
tag, had not shown up at Gillette Stadium to work out by midday. There is no set
schedule for workouts, however, so the chance exists that Jones did show later.
Milloy, who is far less likely to be moved but will be asked to rework his
growing contract, was at Gillette yesterday.
And so were many others, said
Bruschi, who worked out around 8 a.m.
"It was one of the biggest
(crowds) I've seen," he said. "We all came in at one time and the 8:30 a.m.
running group was all the way across the field from sideline to sideline. With
us not even being in playoffs, there's excitement in there. We all want to be
back (working out) and we all want to get back to where we were (two years
ago)."
Bruschi had a difficult 2002. He
injured his right knee in the preseason, missed the third game of the year
against Kansas City, then hurt it again on Thanksgiving against the Lions. He
missed the final four games with a partially torn MCL. He said he did not have
surgery on the knee.
"Last year was the year I had the
most injuries in my career -- high school, college, seven years in the NFL," he
said. "It's one of the reasons I wanted to be here today."
Bruschi met the team's blue-chip,
free-agent recruit, Rosevelt Colvin, yesterday. As an outside linebacker,
Colvin's presence will no doubt impact Bruschi and the rest of the Pats veteran
linebackers in some way.
"I'm sure the coaches have a
plan," Bruschi said. "Maybe a little outside linebacker/pass rusher (for
Colvin). You never know how a free-agent signing will turn out. You have to wait
until training camp. Then after the first week, maybe I'll be able to look and
say, 'Hey, he'll do great.' "
How might it impact the rest of
the linebackers? "Somebody's going to have to sit and watch while others play,"
Bruschi shrugged. "Somebody will have to come off the bench. It may be me. If my
role is the same in December as it (was at the start of the '03 season) I'll be
surprised."
Bruschi also cast a vote for next
month's draft.
"When they drafted (defensive
lineman) Richard Seymour (in 2001), I was the happiest guy on the team," he
said. "Being an inside linebacker, when you see a man like that in front of you?
Get another one of those. That's what I want. Another big guy to take up blocks
so the linebackers can make plays."
Bruschi hopeful Jones will show up
by Michael Felger
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
FOXBORO - Tedy Bruschi
looked down the line at teammates who showed up for the first running session of
the Patriots' offseason conditioning program yesterday morning and took note.
``It was big,'' Bruschi said of
the turnout. ``One of the biggest I've seen. That 8:30 (a.m.) running group was
virtually the whole team.''
Well, not exactly. As expected,
``franchise'' safety Tebucky Jones was not in attendance. He was still in the
thoughts of Bruschi, however, as the veteran linebacker lobbied for the return
of his teammate.
``I would love to see Tebucky
back,'' Bruschi said. ``Does it look impossible where he'll be back? Are we
going to trade him? I don't know. I think something is going to happen here
pretty soon with Tebucky's situation. We have a lot of safeties. We'll see how
it pans out, but I'd like to have No. 34 back.''
Bruschi may get his wish, as
trade talks with the New Orleans Saints have apparently cooled.
``Tebucky brings a presence.
Tebucky brings an attitude,'' Bruschi said. ``Tebucky Jones and Andy Katzenmoyer
are the two best examples I've ever seen of size, speed, strength, athletic
ability - combination of all those things put into one. Receivers knew where
Tebucky was, believe me.''
Bruschi said there was little
doubt the Pats coaching staff would be able to come up with the schemes needed
to keep Jones, Lawyer Milloy and the newly signed Rodney Harrison involved in
the defense. Bruschi is also aware of the numbers crunch at linebacker. With
free agent outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin in the fold, Bruschi will be
battling for time with the returning linebacking corps of Ted Johnson, Mike
Vrabel, Roman Phifer and Willie McGinest.
Whether it's a 3-4, or another
variation, Bruschi is expecting the unexpected.
``Met Rosevelt today. Seems like
a good guy,'' Bruschi said. ``How he's going to fit in, I'm sure the coaches
have a plan. . . . Somebody is going to have to rotate. Somebody is going to
have to sit and watch, somebody is going to have to come in off the bench. It
may be me. That's the way it's been. If my role is the same in December as it is
in September, I'd be surprised.''
Bruschi spoke for all linebackers
when he expressed his desire for the Pats to bolster the defensive line at the
draft next month.
``When they drafted Richard
Seymour (in 2000) I was the happiest guy on the team,'' Bruschi said. ``To get
another one of those - that's my vote. That's what I want. Give me another big
man up there that's going to take up those blockers.''
Bruschi said he didn't need
surgery on the knee injury (torn MCL) that kept him out of the final four games
last season. He said he's back to 100 percent and participating fully in the
conditioning program.
``It's amazing what a little rest
will do,'' he said.
Tedy Bruschi - Sacks And The Sax
16 Oct
03 / by Luke Sacks, NFLPLAYERS.COM
Patriots
linebacker Tedy Bruschi performs each weekend in front of stadiums packed to the
rafters with thousands of screaming fans. He has been cheered, booed and
everything in between. But playing football in front of people isn't something
the eight-year NFL veteran gets nervous about anymore. Playing his saxophone in
front of a crowd, however, is another story.
When Boston's Longy School of Music recruited Bruschi to perform live at
Symphony Hall in 2002, he couldn't resist despite not having played his alto sax
in front of people for a while. But after some convincing and some practice,
Bruschi came through and performed Eubie Blake's famous "Fitzwater" piece as
part of a quintet with students and a teacher from the Longy school. "It was
great," Bruschi recalled. "I really had to practice a lot to do that. It's a lot
different for me doing that in front of a lot of people compared to playing
football."
Despite the time off from playing music live, Bruschi was able to work up the
courage to go on stage and play the piece. While the butterflies may have been
fluttering in his stomach, he was able to get through it unscathed. "It had been
so long," he remembered. "When I was in junior high and high school I used to
perform in front of people a lot. But then when I did the event a few years ago
at Symphony Hall, it was something where I had some nerves but once I got out
there and played the first note, I was fine."
As a result of that performance, Bruschi found himself playing his sax more
frequently. "I was looking for an excuse to get back to playing often and that
was it," he said. "It was a lot of fun and since then, I have started to play
more often again."
Bruschi can't remember exactly how long he has been interested in music. But he
does know that his love for it pre-dates his love for the gridiron. "I was
playing the saxophone before I was playing football," he said. "I probably
started when I was around 10 years old."
Bruschi was influenced by his mother, Juanita, to pick up a musical instrument.
While most kids were getting pressured into playing football, baseball or
basketball, Bruschi was being nudged towards music. "My mother never pushed
sports, she pushed music instead," he recalled. "That was one thing that stuck
with me. I started with the clarinet and then switched to the sax because it was
a little more interesting of a sound to me."
As an adult, playing the saxophone provides a creative outlet and some
relaxation from the rigors of life in the NFL. "I try to create when I play and
I do it to relax," Bruschi explained. "It is really my number one interest after
football."
While football hasn't been a part of his life as long as music has, the game has
certainly provided plenty of challenges and rewards. After finishing his
University of Arizona career tied with Derrick Thomas as the NCAA's all-time
sack leader, Bruschi was forced to switch from defensive end to linebacker in
order to play in the NFL. He calls the move, "the hardest thing I've ever done."
But he managed to absorb the nuances of linebacker over a period of time and the
Patriots were patient and allowed him time to grow into the position. "I really
didn't know what I was doing when I first came here and it took me three or four
years to adapt to the linebacker position," Bruschi said. "But fortunately, I
was still able to rush the passer, play third downs and play special teams as I
was learning to play linebacker."
While he had to adjust to not chasing the quarterback on every play as a
linebacker, Bruschi found chasing running backs could be just as much fun. "It
wasn't hard as long as I was chasing the guy with the ball," he mused. "Now, I'm
a full-time linebacker and I'm glad I made the transition."
2004
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It's good to be Tedy Bruschi
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