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2001 Season
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Bruschi experiences work reduction
By Paul Kenyon,
The Providence Journal 10/06/01
FOXBORO -- Given his choice, Tedy Bruschi would like to be on the field
for as many plays as possible whenever the Patriots play a game.
Regular defense, nickel package or goal-line unit,
Bruschi wants to be there. Punting team, kickoff-return team or any special
team, count Bruschi in. The sixth-year linebacker from Arizona can't get enough
action.
 "I'd like to be out there every down, to tell you the
truth," Bruschi said Thursday.
Last season, Bruschi got his wish. He was on the field more than any other
Patriot.
"He played 1,200 plays, or whatever it was, last year,"
coach Bill Belichick pointed out. "That's a lot of plays for anybody."
This season, Belichick has cut down Bruschi's workload.
Bruschi is now part of a linebacker rotation with Bryan Cox and Ted Johnson, a
rotation that allows each player to get some rest. The change is not a
reflection on Bruschi's play, Belichick said, but rather an example of why he
feels his team is better defensively this season than last: It has more depth.
"Last year, it was hard to take players out of the game
because a lot of times you felt like the ones you were putting in were very
inexperienced or there was a dropoff in play, particularly on defense,"
Belichick said. "This year, when everybody's healthy we have good depth at the
linebacker and the secondary positions."
The goal, Belichick said, is to keep his players fresh.
"I think what happens is that guys get worn down," the coach
said. "To play 16 games, 60 or 70 plays for 16 games straight, every week, that
takes a toll . . . Realistically, the guy's not going to be at the same level
all 16 weeks. Some weeks he's going to be fine and feel good. Other weeks
there's going to be things that are going to nag him. He never has a good chance
to turn a corner and get over it because he's taking every play in practice and
he's taking every play in the game."
The added depth could be especially useful this week.
Sunday's game in Miami, where the temperatures are expected to be in the mid or
high 80s, will be one where a rest would be appreciated, even for Bruschi.
The defensive backs will continue to take turns, as will the
linebackers. Ty Law, Otis Smith and Terrell Buckley have been sharing time at
the corners all season.
"I think that rotation has been good," Belichick said of his
cornerbacks. "All three guys have given us a pretty solid level of play. We
really don't care who's in there." The Pats are doing the same thing at free
safety. There, Matt Stevens and Tebucky Jones are sharing the job.
Beyond keeping the players fresh, another benefit of
rotating the players is the team is able to strengthen its special teams.
Special-teams coach Brad Seely is using more players than last year on the
kicking and punting units.
"For example, at the safety position, you've seen Tebucky in
the kicking game, you've seen Matt Stevens in the kicking game, you've seen
Lawyer (Milloy) in the kicking game, as well as our back-up safeties, like
Je'Rod Cherry and Antwan (Harris) when he's been in there," Belichick noted.
"Rather than just pick out two guys (to play regularly) and kind of limit them
from the kicking game, and just use the third or fourth guy in the kicking game,
we've been able to get plays out of all those players (on special teams)."
For Belichick, the ideal situation would be to have players
involved in 35-50 plays per game, including special teams, rather than 60-70.
The line is the only area on the defensive unit where Belichick would like more
depth.
"We're still a little light on the defensive line in terms
of numbers," he said, "even though all those guys usually play and contribute in
the game."
Bruschi has had to adjust to the lighter workload, although
he is not reluctant to campaign for more work.
"It was nice to know last year that I could do that when
asked, and my body could hold up," he said. "Still, it's nice this year that we
have more guys available, that we've brought in more guys who can take a little
pressure off me.
"I can't really tell the difference right now," he said. "My
adrenaline is going. It's bubbling out there all the time. I'm still a young 28.
I feel good no matter how many plays I get.
"I realize that guys deserve to be out there. Coach
Belichick told me we were going to get a little rotation thing going in there,"
Bruschi added. "We've got good linebackers that are very capable. So, I said,
'All right, coach, if you don't need me to go every down, I'll accept my role
and go all-out when I'm out there.' "
The goal is to have everyone on defense work less and
produce more. While the results have been mixed thus far, Belichick thinks the
difference will be evident by the time the season concludes.
"Yes," Belichick said, "it's a much better situation than
what we had last year."
COUNTING ON THIS GUY BRUSCHI'S PLAY
MAKES HIM BELICHICK FAVORITE COACH COUNTS ON THIS GUY
Boston Globe - Tuesday, November 27, 2001
FOXBOROUGH - You get the sneaky suspicion that Bill Belichick has his guys. Tom
Brady is one of his guys. Terry Glenn is not one of his guys. Tedy Bruschi?
He is most definitely one of Belichick's guys.
You may not have noticed over the last two games, but the undersized
Bruschi has stepped into the middle linebacker position and acquitted
himself quite well. In Sunday's 34-17 dismantling of the Saints, Bruschi
drew some unsolicited praise from Belichick for his four-tackle
performance.
"That kid is a football player," Belichick said. "Even though he
playing on regular downs, he is playing some on third down, he is on the
punt team, he is on the kickoff-return team. You can't say enough about
Tedy. You put him out there and he just plays good no matter what you ask him
to do. He would probably play on offense if we needed him."
All Bruschi wants to do is play, period. He's an outside linebacker by
trade, but he made his reputation in college as a down lineman - he tied a
Division 1 career record for quarterback sacks with 52 at Arizona - and he
figures he's played all seven front defensive positions in his five-plus
seasons in New England. Last year, he was one of three Patriot defenders to
start all 16 games.
Lately, with both Bryan Cox and Ted Johnson sidelined, Bruschi has taken
over at middle linebacker. By NFL standards, he's a bit lean for the
position at 6 feet 1 inch, 245 pounds. But all that means is that he'll
adapt, adjust, and do whatever he can to make it work. He says he knows no
other way.
"I'm not going to just run over guys the way Ted does," Bruschi said.
"Ted is the physical presence in there. I'll use my angles. I'll use my
leverage. I'll use my balance. I'll use my quickness. Maybe I'll give them a
changeup once in a while."
Johnson may be back this weekend for the Jets game. Then again, he may not,
which means Bruschi would be back in the middle. In his last two games there,
he's had 11 tackles, one interception, and a deflected pass.
"I've been the man in the middle the last couple weeks," he said. "It's
something I haven't done in the past. But as a football player, you never
know what's going to happen and there are going to be certain weeks where
you're going to adjust your style of game to fit the team and to try and
stop an offense. That's what I've been doing for the last couple weeks. If I
have to do the same thing again, I'm prepared to do it."
That's the kind of thing Belichick loves to hear. Yesterday, at his
day-after news briefing, Belichick again tossed some unsolicited bonbons at
Bruschi.
"You can't say enough about Tedy," Belichick said. "He's a good football
player. He's smart. He's instinctive. For a middle linebacker, he's quick and
active in there, a contrast in style to Bryan and Ted. I think he's a very
versatile player."
The head coach first crossed paths with the impetuous Bruschi in 1996.
That was the year Belichick joined Bill Parcells's staff and the year that
Bruschi was drafted in the third round, 86th overall. He played in every game
as a rookie and had two sacks in the Super Bowl.
The two were reunited last season when Belichick took over the Patriots. The
coach made a lot of changes, but Bruschi was not among them. Belichick said he
not only liked Bruschi's attitude and play, but he also thought Bruschi was a
serious student of the game.
"I am a student of the game," Bruschi said proudly. "But I also have
faith in my coaches. I don't just look at my position. I look at every
single spot and what those guys have to do, because a lot of times we have to
direct traffic.
"I'm the type of guy, when something is put before me, I'm going to
accept the challenge and get the job done. Tell me what to do, and I will find
a way to get the job done."
He'll have a busy week planning for Curtis Martin and the hated Jets.
Bruschi called Martin the league MVP "for what he has done to that team.
They find a way to get it done." The Jets not only lead the division, they
also have won four straight and seven of the last eight against New
England.
"They're a great team," Bruschi said. "And that makes me want to beat
them that much more. We haven't done it in so long. It's a game we've got to
get and I want to get because they've been getting the best of us.
"We have an opportunity now. Before, it always seemed like we were
digging ourselves deeper into a hole or digging ourselves out of a hole.
Now, we're in a position to have big games and that's all you want, to get in
the big games. We have that opportunity now, but that's all we have, an
opportunity. We have to decide what we're going to do with that
opportunity."
Good riddance to Terry Glenn.
(The Providence Journal)
Jim Donaldson 12/01/01
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ This is when you'd like to cross Knute Rockne with Dr.
Frankenstein.
This is when a football coach would love to be able to create the perfect player
by putting one guy's heart in another guy's body.
Because if Terry Glenn had Troy Brown's heart, his work ethic, his desire oh,
what a player the Patriots would have then.
But they don't have Glenn for today's monster of a game with the hated, dreaded,
archrival, AFC-East leading Jets at the Meadowlands.
He's not injured this week. At least not so seriously that he couldn't play.
He's suspended. Again.
Bad news. Good riddance.
The Patriots do, however, have Brown. And, despite Glenn's exceptional and
varied talents his speed, his hands, his moves most coaches would rather
have Troy Brown than Terry Glenn.
Especially at this point in the season, particularly in a game as important as
this one.
"The most important thing at this point," Pats coach Bill Belichick said, "is to
understand that anything could make a difference. Any play, any one thing, any
one situation, could make the difference.
"We have been in a lot of tight games and there have been a lot of close
situations, close plays, plays where just one or two little things could make a
huge difference. I think that is the message that our team needs to understand.
Every ounce of preparation, the smallest thing that they cover, and get right,
and are able to use in the game, can make differences in our season. That is the
point of the season that we are at right now."
The Patriots are at a crucial point in this surprising season in which they
suddenly have a shot at the playoffs a critical point where they desperate
need players who will play strict attention to even the smallest detail that can
make the difference in the game.
Players like Brown.
"He dots the I's and crosses the T's," Belichick said. "He's very diligent in
his preparation.
"He knows the way that (Jets cornerback) Ray Mickens plays is different than the
way that (Saints CB) Fred Thomas played last week, and so we have to do things a
little bit differently to try to adjust to the personnel, or the scheme, that
they're using. Those little things are critical.
"Several of our runs this year, Troy has really been a big factor because he has
made a block on a defensive back _ he's come in and cracked a guy, or screened
off a defender and so, instead of it being a six- or seven-yard run, it
goes for more than that.
"Those are the little things that don't show up in the stats, and they don't
show up in the receiver rankings and all of that, but he does a lot of them. He
does a lot of little things that help make you a good football team, just like
Tedy Bruschi does. It's hard to overstate those things."
Ah, yes, Tedy Bruschi.
As is the case with Brown, it's hard to overstate what Bruschi does for the
Patriots. Like Brown and unlike Glenn Bruschi is a guy you can count on.
"That kid is a football player," Belichick says of Bruschi. "He plays on regular
downs. He plays some on passing downs. He's on the punt team. He's on the
kickoff-return team. He's on our `hands' team for onside kicks. He's on the
field-goal block team.
"You can't say enough about Tedy. You put him out there and, no matter what you
ask him to do, he plays well. He'd probably play on offense, if we needed him."
Just as Brown would play on defense, if necessary.
Brown is the Patriots' prime offensive threat, with twice as many receptions as
any other player. He has 70 catches, for 885 yards and 5 touchdowns also
team-highs. Fellow wideout David Patten is second on the receiving list with 35
catches, for 529 yards and 4 TDs.
The sure handed Brown also returns punts. He's averaging 11.2 yards on 15
returns.
"Troy has exceptional hands," Belichick said. "He's very quick, and has good
upper-body strength. So there are a lot of defensive players who, if they're
strong enough to cover him, have trouble with his quickness. And those who are
quick enough to cover him, they have trouble with his strength."
Quickness, rather than strength, is Bruschi's strong suit. That and his
tenacity.
A defensive end at Arizona, where he tied an NCAA record by making 52 career
sacks, he was shifted to outside linebacker in the NFL because he's only 6-1 and
245 pounds.
But, with Bryan Cox and Ted Johnson sidelined by injuries, Bruschi has moved
inside to middle linebacker in Belichick's revamped, 4-3 defensive alignment.
It's a difficult transition, but Bruschi's made the switch without complaint,
and with effectiveness.
"I'd rather be a player with desire and heart and fire," he said, "then a player
with all the talent in the world.
"I've seen so many guys with talent who should be here, but they're not, because
they didn't have the heart or the desire.
"To be successful, you've got to want it. You've got to have a burning desire to
go out and accomplish whatever it is you're determined to do.
"With me, I've always gone all all out. I give it all I've got and, whatever the
result is, it is. Whatever I'm doing, I do it hard."
It would be hard no, make that impossible for the Patriots to be doing
what they have this season without Bruschi and Brown.
Obviously, they've done it and will keep doing it without Glenn.
Bruschi give Browns a little something
extra.
Kevin McNamara 12/09/01
FOXBORO, Mass. As each week passes, the New England Patriots seem to hit
harder and harder. That collective toughness is quickly becoming this team's
calling card.
Take Tedy Bruschi, for example. The veteran linebacker prides himself on
hitting. The bigger the crunch, the better. After Sunday's 27-16 victory over
Cleveland, Bruschi and his defensive partners knew they had accomplished what
was needed in extra-special fashion.
"We're playing defense the way I like to see it," Bruschi said. "Everybody's
hitting and that's forcing big plays for the defense. I think there's a
collective toughness with the defense right now."
The team's goals also change as weeks fall off the calendar. Early in the year,
the Pats were focused on digging out of a 1-3 hole. Winning yesterday was all
about knocking out a competitor in the playoff mix. Now, with three games left,
a playoff berth is clearly within view.
"I guess it's a new step because we haven't been in this territory in a little
while," Bruschi said. "It seems like a couple of weeks ago we were trying to
climb up and get over the .500 mark and now we're trying to put some space
between us and other teams. That's squashed and done now. So now we have three
games left and it's about are we going to be one of the teams in the playoffs.
It's something we have to do."
With more defensive efforts like yesterday's, the 8-5 Patriots could become a
major post-season force. Cleveland's Tim Couch came out firing, but the Patriots
never allowed an offensive touchdown. A Tebucky Jones interception on the second
play from scrimmage welcomed Couch to Foxboro Stadium. The Pats took advantage
with Adam Vinatieri drilling a 54-yard field goal for the game's first points.
Cleveland was much more successful the next time it had the ball, driving all
the way to the Patriot 10-yard line. But the Patriot's bend-but-don't-break
defense came through, beginning a day of outstanding red-zone efforts.
This one was helped a bit by the officials. On a third-and-goal play, Couch
appeared to hit Dennis Northcutt in the back of the end zone. After the Patriots
challenged the catch, the officials ruled Northcutt bobbled the ball on the
turf.
The Patriot's defensive players were spectators when the Browns scored their
only TD of the game. Cleveland cornerback Corey Fuller picked off a Tom Brady
pass and raced 49 yards for a score, giving the Browns a 10-3 lead. The Pats'
defense responded with a dominating second quarter.
Couch was sacked twice on crucial third-down plays to end drives. Then, Terrell
Buckley intercepted a Couch pass when the Browns were threatening to score at
the Patriot 20. The interception set up another Vinatieri field goal and helped
the Pats to a 20-10 halftime lead.
The domination continued in the third quarter. Brady was intercepted again and
that gave the Browns the ball at the Patriot's 37-yard line. But Cleveland made
just one first down and had to settle for a field goal.
Cleveland was back in the red-zone at the start of the fourth quarter, thanks to
big pass completions to Jamel White and Kevin Johnson that gave the Browns a
first down at the four-yard line. But Couch couldn't complete two short passes
and the Browns kicked another field goal to cut New England's lead to 20-16.
Bruschi said that with the Pats clinging to that four-point lead, the defense
knew its job wasn't finished.
"With that four-point lead with about 9:24 to play, the defense was rallied up
in the huddle. We had to do something to help win this game," he said. "We
needed to do something to close the game."
That's just what the defense did when Couch, again under heavy pressure, threw
over the middle for Northcutt. Otis Smith crashed into Northcutt and the ball
squirted high in the air. Lineman Anthony Pleasant scooped up the ball, but,
while doing his best running-back imitation, let it slip out of his hands. Smith
jumped on the ball.
"I went for the hit and didn't see the ball," Smith said. "I saw (Pleasant)
running with the ball, and then he dropped it. He dropped it, he didn't throw it
forward."
That proved to be it for the Browns. A great pooch punt by Vinatieri pinned
Cleveland back to its one-yard line and Couch couldn't escape. The Patriots
followed up with a touchdown by Antowain Smith and New England had its fifth win
in the last six games in the bag.
"We've been answering. We've come up with big plays when we've needed them,"
said Bruschi. "Troy's (Brown) punt return for a touchdown kind of negated their
interception for a touchdown. Adam missed a couple of field goals and instead of
asking him to make another long one, we've practiced that (pooch) punt every
week and we executed it well."
With remaining games at Buffalo and at Carolina sandwiched around hosting Miami,
the Patriots are in great shape for the postseason. If they get there, the
defense might be the defining reason why.
"This defense is really evolving into something special," said safety Lawyer
Milloy, the leader of the Patriots' defensive hitters. "Lots of guys have the
same mentality. It's not one or two guys. We've got guys in the secondary,
linebackers and the defensive line all playing. I knew this group could keep
getting better."
Bruschi shines
as middleman
by Michael Felger
Wednesday, December
12, 2001
FOXBORO - For the better part of a month, the Patriots have not had the full
services of veteran middle linebackers Ted Johnson and Bryan Cox. Incredibly, it
hasn't affected the bottom line.
The Pats have Tedy Bruschi to thank for that.
Bruschi has been many things to the Patriots over his six-year career - special
teams stalwart, pass rushing specialist, weak-side linebacker in the 4-3 and
inside linebacker in the 3-4. Now Bruschi, who is slated to become an
unrestricted free agent after the season, is playing perhaps the best football
of his life in yet another role.
Bruschi is playing in the middle, or ``mike,'' in the Pats' new 4-3 alignment.
Some would say Bruschi's physical attributes are not ideally suited to the
position. The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder is not what coaches would consider a classic
middle linebacker. Then again, that's what people said when he played defensive
end in college, outside linebacker in the pros and everywhere else in between.
Bruschi has heard this assessment most of his career, and it sounds like he's
sick of it.
``I'm not a classic anything. I'm just a classic football player,'' Bruschi
said. ``I've always been characterized as not this or not that. Whatever, man.
Put me out there and I'm going to get it done no matter what.''
True enough. Bruschi is relentless in pursuit and good in coverage. He has an
excellent vertical leap and a constant motor. He's smart, instinctive and a sure
tackler. So what if Bruschi doesn't quite have the size of other middle
linebackers? So what if he isn't exactly dominant at the point of attack? All he
does is make plays.
That's certainly been the case the past four weeks, as Bruschi has recorded 27
tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. Johnson and Cox have been
returning to health of late and should be near 100 percent shortly. Given the
play of Bruschi and fellow linebacker Roman Phifer, however, Johnson and Cox may
find their opportunities limited.
Bruschi's timing is impeccable. Because of his versatility and production, the
Pats may have to dig deep into their pockets to retain his services. Bruschi
will let his play do the talking.
``I don't want to say I do this or I do that. I'm tired of saying that,''
Bruschi said. ``What I do is what I do. When they ask me to play inside, I'll do
that. And when they ask me to play outside, I'll do that.
``I'm not a classic middle linebacker. Coming out of college I wasn't a classic
outside linebacker. What is classic? Put me out there, I'm going to get it done.
That's all I have to say.''
As
for the improved play of the whole defense, Bruschi said the most important
factor has been the work of the four guys up front. While rookie defensive
tackle Richard Seymour continues to improve and make plays, veterans Bobby
Hamilton, Anthony Pleasant and Brandon Mitchell have also excelled.
``The job that they're doing, the pressure they're putting on quarterbacks and
the blocks that they're occupying is awesome,'' Bruschi said. ``That's what
you've got to have to be a successful defense to start with: the presence of the
front four.''
Tedy Bruschi is the Patriots' do-it-all player
by Karen
Guregian
Sunday, December
16, 2001
FOXBORO -- Finding an agent who wouldn't
want to represent Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is about as hard as finding a
kid who doesn't like Christmas.
Right now there are few better clients around, given that Bruschi is slated to
become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and is having what many
experts consider the best football season of his life while playing a variety of
positions.
Let's just say as
paydays go, Bruschi is on target to receive a pretty hefty raise based on what
he's done on the field for the Pats over his six-year career. After all, the
price tag on a linebacker who continually makes plays to win games, performs
with relentless and infectious abandon, and succeeds no matter where the coach
puts him must be mighty high.
The question is, who's Tedy's guy? Who
gets to play contract ball with Bob Kraft, Andy Wasynczuk, Scott Pioli, Bill
Belichick et al? Who's the lucky representative who gets to shop Bruschi around
to the highest bidder, and reap some of the reward?
``You're looking at him,'' Bruschi
answered with a sheepish grin. ``I did it before with my other contract, and I
plan on doing it again this time.''
What he's really doing
is making it hard to keep track. Inside linebacker in the 3-4 formation. Outside
linebacker in the 4-3. Special teams kamikaze. Pass rushing maniac. AND agent
extraordinaire?
Not many athletes want
to be bothered with haggling over the numbers, and selling their statistics, but
Bruschi, much like former Bruins star Jason Allison, sounds game. Already, the
28-year-old fan favorite seems to have the agentspeak down cold. In fact, he
sounded a bit like Monty Hall the other day, giving his best ``Let's Make A
Deal'' pitch.
``The Patriots could
make it a lot easier on me if they would call me up there and say, `OK, let's
get it done before the season's over,' '' Bruschi said. ``That'd be the easiest
case scenario, and probably the best case scenario. But I don't know if that'll
happen.''
Big enough for the job
Given the versatility
Bruschi exhibits, he would be an attractive catch for any team. He may be
undersized at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, but he's a football player in the truest
sense of the word. He's the defensive unit's version of Troy Brown.
Said teammate Roman
Phifer: ``I always tell Tedy I like his style. He plays hard. He goes 100 miles
an hour every play. It's fun to play with a guy like that. He inspires other
people. He has the right attitude and approach to the game. I feed off of him.''
One would think the Pats would go the
extra mile to lock up such a dynamic player, but Bruschi has played the contract
game before -- he negotiated his last deal (a two-year pact reportedly worth
upwards of $3 million). He knows things sometimes have a funny way of working
out.
``After representing
myself the last three or four years, I've come to the conclusion anything can
happen,'' Bruschi said of negotiations. ``I want to say I want to be here, but I
don't know if I will be. I don't know if they'll want me back. They might not
want me back. Maybe they will, maybe they won't.
``There's always
another side of the coin, especially what I've seen happen here this year with
Drew (Bledsoe). Anything can happen. There are no givens. Am I going to be here
next year? I don't know. We'll have to wait and see.''
Hitting the right note
In the meantime, he'll
just continue to make big plays, and play a fiery, inspirational brand of
football. And to think, he almost ended up being the next Clarence Clemons to
somebody's E Street Band.
Bruschi was a musician
long before he donned a set of shoulder pads. He plays a mean alto sax, and also
can toot a pretty fine clarinet. He won't dare perform for his teammates -- none
of them had any idea he played -- but Bruschi plays for himself and his family.
``I do it to pass the
time when I have some free time,'' Bruschi said. ``I'll just take my sax out of
the closet and play. Mostly, I just mess around. I'll play some songs I knew
when I was younger to help me relax, or I'll hear a song on the radio and play
that.''
Bruschi also sings. He
even admitted he was once in a boys choir. Knowing how he plays football, it's a
little hard to picture the musical side of such a hard hitter. And as teammate
Ted Johnson remarked last week, Bruschi was born to make tackles, not melodies.
``He's just a great
football player. It's what he was put on this earth to do,'' Johnson said.
``There are some guys who are meant to play this game, and some that aren't.
Tedy was definitely meant to play football. If you see him in street clothes,
your first guess might not be that he plays football, but if you turn on the
film, and you see him play, there's no question. He plays for the pure reasons
of playing, for the sport of it.''
A late starter
Bruschi actually came
to the game relatively late in life, not beginning to play in earnest until in
his mid-teens. That didn't matter. The sport came naturally. Like most kids, he
learned by playing tackle football in his backyard with the neighborhood kids.
``We had no pads,''
Bruschi recalled. ``We'd just put on a bunch of extra layers of clothes and
pretend we were playing tackle football with shoulder pads on. It was great. I
guess I just had a knack for it.''
But even Bruschi
sometimes has a hard time figuring out how he's able to summon up the energy and
force with which he plays. This season, he's looked more like a springboard
diver than a football player on occasion, doing somersaults and flips over
blockers to get at the quarterback or opposing ballcarrier.
``Sometimes I think I
have problems,'' Bruschi said with a smile, ``because I'm so different off the
field. I get home and just want to relax with my family. A great night for me is
having friends over, having a nice dinner and seeing a movie. Something that's
low profile.''
Bruschi is anything but
laid back on the field. He's a human wrecking ball, plowing through any and all
comers while in pursuit. That competitive drive allows him to play practically
any position. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in smarts and instinct
along with sheer will and determination.
Coming on strong
During the past four
weeks alone, Bruschi has notched 27 tackles, a sack, forced a fumble and made an
interception. In short, his nose for the ball seems like the fire burning in a
man possessed.
``It's just a battle I
have to win,'' Bruschi said when asked what he thinks about when he sees a
ballcarrier. ``Football is a game where you have to physically try to beat
another man -- another man that's trying to do the same thing to you.
``In some sports, your
goal is to put the ball through a hoop more times than the other guy. Our goal
is to stop someone carrying the ball, and there's 10 other guys in front of you
to get through. In my opinion, to do that, you have to physically defeat a man
in front of you, whether he's bigger, stronger or faster. You have to find a way
to get that done.''
He learned some of that
competitive philosophy by wrestling in the heavyweight division in school. He
also learned it by watching some of the elite athletes in other sports.
Bruschi was raised out
west, initially in San Francisco, then in Roseville, Calif., but his
appreciation of the Boston sports scene took shape long before he arrived in New
England in 1996 as a third-round draft pick (86th overall) out of Arizona.
Somehow, in the land of
the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, Bruschi became a rabid Celtics fan.
Following his older brother's lead, he got hooked on Larry Bird, Kevin McHale
and Robert Parish. He still spouts Jerry Sichting and Danny Ainge stats.
``That was a great time
in my life watching those teams,'' Bruschi said. ``And you know, when I first
came here, they had an offer. They were selling off bricks of the old Garden and
I bought one. I have it in my room.''
The three most
important elements in Bruschi's life, however, don't involve bricks or
basketballs. He lists ``faith, family and football'' in that order. His son,
Tedy Jr., who is pictured on the flip screen of Bruschi's cell phone, turns
1-year-old on Wednesday. He and his wife Heidi are expecting their second child
in May.
``Some of my friends
told me what fatherhood was going to be like, but I still never anticipated the
sense of love I get from my son and the feeling of family I have,'' Bruschi
said. ``You feel like you have a purpose in life, and what I feel I'm really
here to do is to be a good father to my son and make sure he turns out all
right.''
Between Tedy the
player, Tedy the agent and Tedy the musician, chances are the Bruschi children
are going to turn out just fine.
Bruschi File
AGE -- 28.
HOMETOWN -- San Francisco.
HEIGHT -- 6-foot-1.
WEIGHT -- 245 pounds.
POSITION -- Linebacker.
COLLEGE -- Arizona.
NFL EXPERIENCE -- 6th year.
HOW ACQUIRED -- Drafted by the Pats
in the third round (86th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -- College --
Tied Derrick Thomas' all-time NCAA Division 1-A record with 52 career
quarterback sacks for Arizona's "Desert Storm" defense. Professional --
Registered more than 100 tackles in each of the last two seasons (105, 139). ...
Sacked Brett Favre twice in the Pats loss to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.
For Patriots, oh, what a feeling.
Jim Donaldson
12/23/01
FOXBORO, Mass. Talk about joys of the season.
"Those last 10 minutes out there on that field I won't forget them for the
rest of my life," Patriots' linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "I'll be telling
stories about it 20 years from now. They'll start with: `I remember when we were
playing the last game in Foxboro Stadium, playing Miami for first place in the
division . . .' "
And what wonderful stories those will be.
There'll be no need for Bruschi to embellish them. They won't be stories that
will improve with age, because they couldn't get any better than they are right
now.
As for the end of those stories, it always will be a description of the victory
lap taken by Bruschi and all his teammates, along with the Patriots' coaching
staff going around the field, shaking and slapping hands with elated fans
leaning over the wall to touch their heroes.
It was one of the most memorable moments of the 31 seasons that the Patriots
have been playing in this most utilitarian of stadiums.
Instead of "Who Let The Dogs Out?" the rum-pum-pum-pum of "Little Drummer Boy"
was playing over the antiquated stadium's sound system as the Pats bounded
delightedly about the field like kids on Christmas morning.
"Oh, man, that was a great day!" coach Bill Belichick said.
Was it ever.
It was a day no one who was in the stadium that September afternoon that Drew
Bledsoe was leveled in the loss to the Jets ever could have envisioned.
Which was one reason that the AFC East standings, with the Patriots on top at
10-5, were displayed on the DiamondVision even after the final fan had filed
out.
Happy as those fans were, none could have been more thrilled than Randy "Zip"
Pierce of Nashua, N.H., who not only left with the "Fan of the Year" award, but
also with a Gatorade bottle filled with turf and dirt that Bruschi gave him.
"He's been supporting me since my rookie year, back when I was just playing on
special teams and rushing the passer," Bruschi said.
At first, Pierce, who wears Bruschi's No. 54 jersey to every game, didn't know
what his favorite player had given him because he is visually impaired.
"The guys around him had to tell him what it was," Bruschi said. "There was just
so much emotion running through me. I didn't anticipate being as emotional as I
was."
Bruschi and his defensive mates play with a great deal of emotion and
tenacity, intensity, and intelligence, as well.
They had racked up a string of 14 consecutive quarters without giving up a
touchdown, going back to the first quarter of the comeback win over the Jets at
the Meadowlands, before yielding a scoring pass of 10 yards from Jay Fielder to
Jeff Ogden with 1:28 remaining.
"I can't say enough about the defense causing those turnovers," Belichick said.
The New England defense forced three turnovers the most important coming midway
through the fourth quarter when the Dolphins, in a 4th-and-7 situation at the
Pats' 10-yard line, completed a pass to running back Lamar Smith at the 3.
But Smith didn't hang on to the ball for long, coughing it up when free safety
Tebucky Jones leveled him with a jarring hit. Linebacker Roman Phifer recovered
at the 2.
It was the second fumble caused by Jones, who in the first quarter had knocked
the ball loose from tight end Jed Weaver after a 19-yard gain to the N.E. 48.
"If I can make a big hit," Jones said, "hopefully, they'll drop the ball. Today,
they were dropping it."
In addition to the turnovers, the New England defense also had a key stop in the
third quarter, stuffing Smith on 4th-and-1 at the Pats' 21.
"The key," cornerback Ty Law said, "is playing together. It's reminiscent of
1996 (when the Patriots went to the Super Bowl.) We're playing with confidence,
supporting each other, and having fun."
The Patriots are off next weekend, and Bruschi says the "bye" week couldn't have
come at a better time.
"I'm glad," he said, "that we have a week to enjoy what happened out there.
"I won't be here for the last game at CMGi Field," Bruschi added with a smile.
"I'm glad I was here for this one."
TEAM'S POSTGAME CELEBRATION WAS FAN-TASTIC
Boston Globe - Sunday, December 23, 2001
By: Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots' 237th and final regular-season home game at
Foxboro Stadium ended with a nice touch by the players, who took a victory lap
and shook hands with, waved to, and blew kisses to fans.
Some players, such as linebacker Tedy Bruschi and defensive end Bobby
Hamilton, even went into the stands to acknowledge the fans.
Willie McGinest was moved by the scene at the end of the stadium's final
regular-season game. "It was our way of showing how much we appreciate our
support from the fans over the years," said the defensive end. "These fans have
been with us through thick and thin. They deserve to get the chance to meet us
up close like that, and we're happy to be able to thank them."
Bruschi made a special gesture for the Patriots' Fan of the Year, Randy
Pierce of Nashua, N.H. While the other players were taking their lap around the
field, Bruschi scooped up a cup of dirt from midfield and brought it to Pierce.
Cornerback Ty Law and wide receiver Troy Brown took their laps, then ran to
midfield and bowed to and applauded the fans.
Said coach Bill Belichick, who did a similar lap at the Cleveland
Stadium finale in 1995, "I'm a veteran at closing stadiums down. The fans have
been great all year, so supportive and enthusiastic."
Belichick was once again overcome by emotion at game's end, hugging and
patting his players as they left the field.
"I'm really thrilled for our football team," said the coach. "Each week
somebody steps up and makes plays to help us win the game. We've done what we
could do the last five games, and we need to do it one more week."
Just call
Bruschi ‘Mr. Versatility’
Linebacker does it
all for Pats
B~ PAUL TEVES
Journal-Register
News Service
FOXBORO — Just call
him Mr. Versatility; but in the New England locker room. he is simply known as
"Tedy."
The Patriots outside linebacker, Tedy Bruschi,
has played every position a defensive player could play on the defensive line
and at the linebacker positions when asked to do so.
The last two Sundays, Bruschi was asked to move
from his normal outside linebacker position to middle linebacker due to
injuries to everyday middle linebackers Ted Johnson and Bryan Cox -- who could both return as early
as this Sunday for the Jets game.
Bruschi has been solid in the middle the last two
weeks, collecting 12 tackles, while also intercepting a Kurt Warner pass in
last week’s 24.17 loss to St. Louis.
"I’ve been the man in the middle the last couple
of weeks with the guys being down and it’s something that I hadn’t done in the
past, but as a NFL football player you never know what’s going to happen,"
said Bruschi. "There are going to be certain weeks where you have to adjust
your style of game to fit, for the defense to stop an offense and help your
squad win. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks.
"Maybe we get one or both of them back this week,
but if I had to do the same thing again, I’m prepared to do it."
Bruschi’s move to the middle has not been as
difficult as one might think, having already played several positions in the
front seven for New England since being drafted by the Patriots with the 86th
overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft.
"Going to the middle just makes you more of a
tackle to tackle guy;" said Bruschi "You’re inside taking on fullbacks and
taking on guards, before I had been more of a scrape guy, running around and
having to mix it up in there once and a while, but not as consistently as I do
now. I just had to mentally change my attitude towards defense by being more
physical."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick had nothing but
praise for the six-year veteran following the Patriots 34-17 win this week
over the New Orleans Saints, "I think Tedy Bruschi is a llttle bit of an
unsung guy (tonight)," said Belichick of Bruschi’s play against the Saints.
"The last couple of weeks he stepped in there for Ted and Bryan and really
played well in the middle both in the run and pass, and he made a couple of
plays last week. I think
he has done a nice job."
Bruschi’s play helped the defense hold
the Saints’ Ricky Williams to just 56 yards on 15 carries. Three of his
tackles stopped Williams for runs of fewer than three yards.
Bruschi’s strength’s at the NFL level is playing
the outside position, but he has adjusted his game to play in the middle.
"I am not going to run over guys in there like
Ted does," said Bruschi, "Ted’s the physical presence in there, I’ll
use my angles, my balance, my quickness, but basically I’ll do what I have to
do within the confines of my physical ability."
Bruschi, who p1ayed defensive end at Arizona, has
played several positions including defensive end and defensive tackle. His
versatility has proven to be one of his biggest additions to the team over the
years.
"I can honestly say I have played almost every
position along the front seven, so I don’t just look at my position. I look at
every single spot and what those guys have to do, because a lot of times we
have to direct traffic in
there," said Bruschi. "I am the type of guy that when something is put before
me, I am going to accept the challenge and get the job done. Tell me what to
do and I will find a way to get it done.
Johnson, Cox and Bruschi have yet to spend much
time on the field together and each player has filled in well when the others
were out. The trio has only been together for a total of four of the Patriots
11 games.
"We are a three-man rotation and that’s what I
tried to tell you when I first got here," said Cox, who might return from his
lower-leg fracture this week. "Tedy and Ted have done a really good job, but
we have complemented each other throughout, When Tedy was out, me and Ted held
it down, and then when Ted got hurt, me and Tedy held it down and now I am
hurt and Tedy held it down. We have gotten help from all over the place, with
Mike Vrabel and Roman Phifer. Our unit is very versatile and we have been able
to make up for some injuries."
While Bruschi has yet to play in the defensive
backfield, he has taken tips from teammate Lawyer Milloy in terms of pass
coverage.
"We have had some calls where the linebacker has
had to drop 16 yards deep and look at the end cut, so myself and Ted have had
to do that," said Bruschi jokingly; "So I have been back there chatting with
Lawyer about coverages every once in a while."
Bruschi's game in any situation
Friday, January 4, 2002
By CHRIS KENNEDY
Patriots notebook
Tedy Bruschi has been seeing the bulk of the time at middle linebacker of late,
but New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said part of the reason for that
has to do with how a game unfolds.
Fellow inside linebackers Ted Johnson (knee) and Bryan Cox (leg) have been ready
to go for a few weeks now after battling injuries in November.
In
their absence, New England played more with three linebackers rather than four,
and Bruschi has played superbly filling the middle linebacker spot. The Patriots
have stuck mostly with a 4-3, even with Johnson and Cox back.
Belichick said Bruschi played more in a 20-13 victory over Miami Dec. 22 because
the Dolphins were trailing and needed to throw the ball. The coach said Bruschi
is much more involved in situational defenses such as those that require extra
defenders in pass coverage.
"Had it been a normal game, they would have played more," Belichick said. "If
this (Carolina game Sunday) is a normal game, I think they will play more. If it
becomes a running game and field position game, then I am sure they will play
more."
At
least of late, however, Bruschi has been the one the Patriots have been
depending on the most.
Cox recently told the Boston Globe that he would not be complaining about his
lack of playing time. The linebacker said he responded to Belichick's choice of
Tom Brady over Drew Bledsoe to finish out the season by preaching that whatever
the coach says goes. He said he would not be a leader if he said anything else
now.
Bruschi recovering from head injury
|
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 |
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BRUSCHI |
ESPN.com 01/09/02 The Patriots said the injury to the head of linebacker Tedy
Bruschi suffered during Sunday's 38-6 win over Carolina is not considered
serious. As a precautionary measure, Bruschi did not return to the game after
leaving in the first half. Bruschi reported feeling fine after the game, but
admitted to the Boston Herald that he played five minutes of the first half
without knowing he was out there. Bruschi made a sideline hit on Brad Hoover
late in the second quarter, "and from that point I started feeling woozy,"
Bruschi told the Boston Globe. "I tried to shake it off. I was groggy, but I
wanted to go back in there. But the doctor told me I'd been out too long and I
was too confused."
Different role for Bruschi
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 01/12/02
FOXBORO -- When the Patriots went to the Super Bowl in 1996, Tedy Bruschi was
a seldom-used rookie.
Now he's the heart and soul of a Patriots defense that has allowed more than
17 points only once in a game since November.
When Bruschi came into the league from Arizona, where he had an NCAA
record-tying 52 career sacks, he was a situational player. He played in every
game his rookie season, but his primary duties were on special teams.
Bruschi's role has expanded since coach Bill Belichick took over last season.
The 28-year-old has finally gotten used to playing linebacker after playing
four seasons at defensive end in college.
"I can finally look at people and tell them I'm a linebacker without
laughing," he said. "It wasn't until my third year that I became comfortable."
Bruschi has started 45 games over the last three years and has averaged 95
tackles per season. But even though his playing time has increased
significantly, the fiery California native hasn't been happy -- watching the
playoffs on television the past two seasons isn't his cup of tea.
"To me, we're back where we belong," he said. "When I first came here, we went
to the playoffs three straight years. It was hard those two years we didn't go
-- even though I had a much bigger role."
Bruschi was almost filling that role somewhere else. He was extremely close to
leaving New England for Green Bay or Seattle before last season before signing
a two-year deal to remain with the Patriots.
"That kid is a football player," Belichick said of Bruschi earlier this
season. "He plays on regular downs. He plays on passing downs. He's on the
punt team and he's on the field-goal block team. He'd probably play on
offense, if we needed him."
Bruschi will be ready to go next Saturday in the second round of the playoffs
despite having to sit out the second half against Carolina in the final game
of the regular season.
"I just got my bell rung when I hit someone in the first quarter," he said. "I
was out of it for a while and the team doctor decided to hold me out. It was a
good call. I feel fine now."
Bruschi practiced in full pads on Thursday afternoon and is ready to take his
usual spot in the middle of New England's defense. Although he's not a
household name throughout the league, Bruschi is slowly starting to earn the
respect of teammates and opponents for his relentless style of play.
"He's real fast and does a great job of running and quarterbacking the
defense," said Patriots veteran linebacker Bryan Cox. "I was very surprised at
how versatile he was when I got here. He can play anywhere and is able to do
it all. You don't find that very often and you've got to have that for your
team to be successful."
Bruschi's signing helps keep defense
intact
By Len
Pasquarelli
ESPN.com January 16, 2002
The New England Patriots have retained one
of their key defenders.
ESPN.com has confirmed the team has kept
linebacker Tedy Bruschi off the free agent
market, signing him to a new three-year contract extension worth $4.6
million-$4.8 million.
A complete breakdown of the contract was
not yet available, but Bruschi is expected to
receive a signing bonus of $2 million. Without the extension,
Bruschi would have been eligible to become an
unrestricted free agent this spring.
Bruschi,
28, is a key member of a New England defense that carried the team to its first
AFC East championship since 1997. He played much of the year out of position, at
middle linebacker, and performed well there, notching 73 tackles in 15
appearances and 10 starts. He also added a pair of sacks, two interceptions,
three forced fumbles and three passes defensed.
At just 6-1 and 245 pounds, some skeptics
doubted Bruschi could handle the pounding in
the middle as he replaced run-stuffer Ted Johnson, but he held up well.
The former University of Arizona standout
has played his entire six-year career with the Patriots, joining the team as a
third-round choice in the 1986 draft.
For his career,
Bruschi has appeared in 93 games and started 48 of them. He has 401
tackles, 15 sacks, three interceptions and 21 passes defensed.
Bruschi was used primarily as a "nickel"
player early in his career, but moved into the starting lineup in 1999.
Bruschi
had 100-plus tackles in both 1999 and 2000.
FOOTBALL: PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK; Bruschi
signs on for three more
Boston Herald
Thursday, January 17, 2002
By Michael Felger
FOXBORO - The AFC divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders
Saturday night at Foxboro Stadium could have been the final game in a Patriots
uniform for veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi.
Instead, it will mark the beginning of a new
relationship.
The Pats signed Bruschi, who was slated to become an unrestricted free agent
after the season, to a three-year contract extension worth $4.6 million
yesterday. The deal includes a $2 million signing bonus.
Bruschi has been a crucial piece of the Pats defense this year, as the
sixth-year veteran took over as the starting middle linebacker in Week 10 after
injuries to Ted Johnson and Bryan Cox. Thanks to Bruschi's playmaking, the Pats
were able to make a seamless transition from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3.
Bruschi finished the year with 73 tackles, third on
the team.
Bruschi negotiated the deal on his own and did not employ an agent.
While Bruschi's future is clear, the same cannot be said for the rest of the
linebacking corps. Cox and fellow veteran Roman Phifer are on one-year deals and
slated to become unrestricted free agents.
Meanwhile, Johnson ($6.5 million) and Willie McGinest ($8.3 million) have
big cap numbers next year and could be candidates for release or the expansion
draft. Decisions on both players will likely be made before March 1, when each
has a $1 million roster bonus due.
Good news for Bruschi, Brown.
Paul Kenyon
January 17, 2002
FOXBORO, Mass. _ Tedy Bruschi and Troy Brown came in for considerable ribbing
from their teammates on Thursday, but neither was complaining. They were
celebrating good news.
For Bruschi, it was a new contract. For Brown, it was being named to the Pro
Bowl.
Bruschi, who could have been a free agent at the end of the season, confirmed
that he had agreed to a new contract, reportedly for $4.6 million over the next
three years, including a $2 million signing bonus.
"It's nice to be with a team consistently. You don't really see a guy in the NFL
that sticks with a team for a long enough time. I really wanted to do that,"
Bruschi said. "I wanted to stay with the Patriots and be known, when I'm done,
as just a Patriot."
As he had done with his previous contract, Bruschi did not use an agent and
handled negotiations himself. The talks began about two weeks ago, he reported.
"Bill (Belichick) just came up to me and said, `Tedy, why don't you go up (to
the front office) and let's see if we could get it done.' I went up there off
and on over the last two byes weeks and we got it done."
Bruschi told team officials that the deal would have to get done relatively
quickly.
"I had told them there was a certain point in time where, if it's not done by
this point, I don't want to get it done because I don't want it on my mind. The
playoffs are coming up. They understood that," Bruschi said. "I've negotiated
the last two contracts on my own. They've always dealt with me professionally.
They understood what I was saying. They also didn't want it to be weighing on my
mind. So we got it done."
The agreement was reached last Friday. Minor details were ironed out earlier
this week.
"I chose to do it myself because I can separate the two. I can separate the
front office from the playing field," Bruschi said. It's not a job he wants to
do for others.
It was his lack of faith in agents that led him to represent himself.
"I really don't like the type of people some of them are, to tell you the
truth," he said.
The six-year veteran from Arizona had considerable negotiating power since he
has had three straight strong seasons. He is third on the team in tackles this
season after moving in as the key middle linebacker when fellow linebackers
Bryan Cox and Ted Johnson were injured.
FOOTBALL: PATS PLAYOFF PREVIEW; It's
happening all over once again
Kevin Mannix
Boston Herald
Thursday, January 17, 2002
FOXBORO - Tedy Bruschi looks around the Patriots locker room and doesn't see a
lot of faces from the 1996 team that surprised people by winning the AFC East
and getting to the Super Bowl.
In fact, counting himself, there are only nine players on this roster
(excluding Terry Glenn) who were with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Of them,
only five - Bruschi, at inside linebacker, wide receiver Troy Brown,, safety
Lawyer Milloy and cornerbacks Ty Law and Otis Smith - are starting. Quarterback
Drew Bledsoe, linebacker Ted Johnson and linebacker/defensive end Willie
McGinest are backups. Chris Sullivan has spent his return time in Foxboro on the
inactive list.
But familiar faces are only part of the story. The attitude of the players
who are here and their performance level has brought on a feeling of deja vu.
"There are times when I shake my head, saying, 'Man, this has all happened
before,' " Bruschi said. "There are some familiar faces and there's the timing
of some of the wins and how we got the bye week. There are similarities. Both
teams lost the first two games but then came back and made a run."
Like this team, the 1996 club was 3-3 after six games. This team won six
straight and eight of its last nine. The 1996 team won 7-of-8 during one stretch
late in the year, offsetting the sluggish start.
That team started the playoffs as the AFC's second seed but wound up hosting
two playoff games because the Jaguars went to Denver and knocked off the
top-seeded Broncos in the divisional round while the Pats were dominating the
Steelers, 28-3. The Pats got to stay home to host Jacksonville for the AFC
championship, winning, 20-6.
This team is also the second seed and can qualify for two home games if it
beats the Raiders on Saturday night and the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens
knock off the top-seeded Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Both teams also
brought in a familiar defensive guru from Cleveland.
In 1996, Bill Belichick, who spent five years as the Browns' head coach, was
fired when the team moved to Baltimore. Belichick, who had spent years with Bill
Parcells in New York on the Giants staff, reunited with Parcells as the Pats
assistant head coach in '96, installing his defense.
Belichick, though, doesn't think any comparisons are accurate.
"In the end, other than the color of the uniform, there are so few
similarities between the two teams," he said. "To me it's really a stretch of a
comparison. Even the players who were on that team, it was so long ago, they're
at a different point in their careers. So much has changed and so many of the
players are gone that it's hard for me to make a good comparison between the
two."
This time the role of Belichick is played by Romeo Crennel, another
assistant on the 1996 Pats. Crennel had been with both Belichick and Parcells
with the Giants, Pats and Jets but moved on to Cleveland in 1999 and 2000 to be
Chris Palmer's defensive coordinator. After that coaching staff was fired a year
ago, Crennel came back to the Patriots, this time as Belichick's defensive
coordinator.
"This is a very similar situation to 1996," Crennel said. "I think that team
had a little more confidence because the team had been together longer. This
team hadn't come together before this year and had to gain confidence and trust
in one another. That's developed as the year's gone on."
That's what has struck Sullivan since returning to the Pats as a free agent
a month ago. He was a rookie in 1996, playing in all 16 games. Even though he's
been with this team for only three games, he feels this group has something
going for it.
"This team is so focused and there's a lot of camaraderie," Sullivan said.
"Guys enjoy practicing. You can tell there's a feeling that these guys have that
they just can't lose when they're out there. That's
something that develops over the course of the year. When something bad happens,
the players don't get down in the dumps. They expect something good to happen.
That's the kind of thing that makes everybody play harder."
Charlie Weis, the current offensive coordinator, was a Pats assistant from
1994-96.
In 1994 we were also coming off a 5-11 season," he said. "That 1994 team
learned how to win as the season went on. The only problem back then was that
the team was satisfied just to have made the playoffs after having to win seven
straight to (finish 10-6 and) get in.
"I don't believe this team will be
satisfied ending at that point."
In 1996, Milloy was the rookie who provided a spark to the defense. This
year it's Richard Seymour.
"There are ironies here," Milloy said. "The Super Bowl will be played in New
Orleans again and the Packers are still in the playoffs. One difference I want
to see between this team and the 1996 group is one more win. That team got to
the Super Bowl. I want this team to win the Super Bowl."
SUPER BOWL XXXVI; Bruschi relishes his
role
Ed Gray
Boston Herald
Thursday, January 31, 2002
NEW ORLEANS - Tedy Bruschi is the poster child for the Patriots.
"You're looking at a guy who's been an underdog his whole life. I'm used to
the role. I'm comfortable with the role, and there are a lot of guys who are
also comfortable with the role," said Bruschi, who has steadily established
himself as a solid NFL linebacker despite being undersized at 6-foot-1, 245
pounds.
The sixth-year veteran won't let the oddsmakers make him hang his head while
considering his team's chances against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
The Pats are considered double-digit underdogs as they prepare to play the NFC
champions.
"You could look at it as a little lack of respect," said Bruschi.
"We're past that now. We're the best team in the AFC, everybody knows that.
We passed the two supposed best teams in the AFC to get here, and here we are. "Underdog? We'll take it, if that's the way we're labeled, but sometimes the
underdogs win it all."
Yet, the Patriots have a history as the underdog in Super Bowls played at
the Superdome. They were dominated by the Chicago Bears, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX
in 1986 and fell to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.
Bruschi, one of only a handful of current Patriots to play in the loss to the
Packers, expects to have much more to offer this time around.
"The last time I was here I was a third-down guy - situational rushing the
passer," said Bruschi, who was a rookie when he made his initial Super Bowl
appearance. "I got to (Green Bay quarterback Brett) Favre a couple of times in
the game. I also played on special teams. Now I'm a starting linebacker for the
defense. So from 1996, I've sort of evolved as a player step by step each year.
Now I can call myself a regular contributor, down to down."
The Patriots lost to the Rams, 24-17, in the regular season, on Nov. 18 at
Foxboro Stadium, keeping it close despite allowing Kurt Warner to pass for 401
yards and three touchdowns.
"At times they can be unstoppable, that's what I learned," said Bruschi. "We
were down seven points in the fourth quarter, and we were telling ourselves,
'We've just got to get a three-and-out and give it back to our offense and see
what they could do with it to try to tie the game.' We couldn't do it. They gave
the ball to Marshall (Faulk) and converted on third down after third down, and
all of a sudden they were able to kneel down and run out the clock.
"Sometimes they are unstoppable."
Although St. Louis is heavily favored to win its second Super Bowl in three
years, Bruschi doesn't expect the Rams to take the Pats lightly.
"We've played the Rams before, and we know by the way we were playing on the
field and how they were reacting on the field that these are two teams that
respect each other," said Bruschi, who signed a three-year contract extension
earlier this month. "I'm a bottom-line type of guy, and the bottom line is we're
the two best teams in the NFL. We know that, and the Rams know that."
Bruschi expects the defense to be the key to victory.
"I try to break the biggest games of my career into the simplest form," said
Bruschi. "It's like we've done a million times, shedding blocks, making tackles,
forcing turnovers, making interceptions, and hopefully making touchdowns on
defense. That's what it's all about, and that's what it's going to take to be
world champions."
Bruschi a true blue Patriot
Thursday, January 31, 2002
By Bill Burt
Eagle-Tribune Executive Sports Editor
NEW ORLEANS -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick throws
compliments around like most people throw sewer covers.
Patriots linebacker Bryan Cox said he went
six months, an entire NFL season, with the New York Jets before Belichick, then
the defensive coordinator, told him he was very happy with Cox's performance.
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Associated Press Tedy Bruschi is
often the man in the middle of the Patriots defense. |
"I thought he didn't like me," smiled Cox.
So when Belichick called his linebacker
Tedy Bruschi the "Troy Brown of our defense,"
well, it doesn't get any better than that.
Nothing more had to be said. That means
that Bruschi is a winner. That he's not too
big for his britches (despite signing a new multi-million dollar extension) to
try and block a punt or tackle a kick returner.
It also means when a play needs to be made
on defense, you can usually count on the University of Arizona graduate to make
it.
The third-and-1 with 2:13 to go in the
Snow Bowl versus Oakland? Bruschi laid into
fullback Zack Crockett, stopping him cold, setting up the heroics with
quarterback Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri.
There were other notable third-and-1s for
Bruschi and the Patriots.
Bruschi
nailed Atlanta's Maurice Smith on a third-and-1 inside the 20. He and Roman
Phifer combined to level Miami's Lamar Smith on a big third-and-1. And don't
forget Bruschi and Cox clocking Jets running
back Curtis Martin on a third-and-goal from the 2, forcing a field goal.
"He's a very smart and instinctive
player," said Belichick. "He has a very good feel for the game, both in running
and passing. As a blitzer he knows where the ball is. He knows where to hit on
plays. We ask him to do a lot and he is prepared."
Because of injuries,
Bruschi, an outside linebacker by trade, has
been asked to play in the middle a lot, which could be considered dangerous,
because of his size, 6-foot-1, 240 pounds.
On Sunday, he'll play both inside and out
because of his ability to cover receivers, primarily running backs.
"In this defense, it doesn't matter," said
Bruschi. "We use a lot of guys. We move guys
around. I just want to be out there, that's all."
Bruschi
is a rare breed. He has played for three coaches in New England -- Bill Parcells,
Pete Carroll and Belichick, all polar opposites -- who couldn't agree on brands
of bottled water or paper towels never mind football philosophies.
But Parcells, Carroll and Belichick agreed
at least on one thing. The undersized Bruschi
was one of "their" guys.
Which means that even in the worst of
times, they could count on the undersized linebacker to be there fighting,
clawing and championing their cause to the end.
It also means that
Bruschi epitomizes the term "professional."
And it doesn't matter who is blowing the whistle at practice because
Bruschi is coming to play.
"I have extreme loyalty to the
organization and whoever they have coach the team is the guy I believe in," said
Bruschi. "You have to, as a player, commit to
the coach you have. If you don't believe in him and his system, you won't
succeed. It's that simple."
The 96th player taken in the 1996 NFL
Draft, Bruschi is a different player than the
rookie who came in on pass rushing downs (he is tied for first as the NCAA's
Div. 1-A all-time sack leader with 52). And now it is his duty to figure out
what opposing offenses are doing and make the proper formation calls.
Another difference is that while the Green
Bay Packers, the Patriots' opposition in Super Bowl XXI, had a great offense,
this Rams offense, which averaged an amazing 31.4 points per game, is probably
the best ever.
"It really is amazing to watch," said
Bruschi. "It's like a track meet. You have to
be prepared to run a lot because of their speed. Their quarterback, Kurt Warner,
is the coolest quarterback I've ever seen in the pocket. And, in my opinion,
they have the best back in the game in Marshall Faulk. Man, we have a tough job
on Sunday."
Bruschi
has grown up off the field since his last Super Bowl visit to New Orleans. He is
now married (Heidi) with a son,
Tedy Jr.
He also isn't afraid to vent publicly. And
he had some unfinished venting to do relating to his former coach, Bill Parcells.
"In looking back at it now, it was a
little selfish on his part, throwing the story out (that he was leaving the
Patriots after the Super Bowl)," said Bruschi.
"I wake up the day of the game and see this big headline, 'Parcells is leaving.'
Not to have a team meeting to address it, that in my mind is selfish."
Which fast-forwards him to this Super Bowl
and coach Belichick.
"There isn't a coach in the NFL that had
to deal with the adversity Bill (Belichick) had to deal with," said
Bruschi.
"There was (quarterback coach) Dick
Rehbein's death (in July). There were injuries. There was Sept. 11. There was
the quarterback controversy, and we can't forget, Terry Glenn. Think about it.
He got us through all of those things. That's incredible."
The next and last adversity is figuring
out the Rams, especially on offense. Belichick may be smart, but it isn't going
to happen without a lot of help from Bruschi.
Pats are all
business in Big Easy
By Christine Stewart
NFL.com
NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 1, 2002) -- The way the
New England Patriots see it, the party can wait.
Simply put, the Patriots refuse to get
caught up in all the excitement and hoopla accompanying Super Bowl XXXVI in New
Orleans. And from the sounds of it, they're doing a good job.
"This is a business trip for us,"
center Damien Woody said. "We don't have time to be running around and be in the
streets all the time. That's not why we're here; we're here to win a
championship. And the guys are really focused on that."
Many teams often look to veterans to coach
younger players in situations such as these. But when it comes to staring down
the bright lights shining in the Big Easy this week, some of the Patriots' more
established players are simply letting their actions do the talking.
"I haven't gone out of my way to talk to
the young guys and tell them what to expect or anything," said linebacker
Tedy
Bruschi, who was a rookie in New England's Super Bowl XXXI loss to Green
Bay. "If the rookies or second-year players ask questions, I'll answer them. But
they see how we as veterans conduct ourselves. They see how I act, see the way
Lawyer (Milloy) acts, and Ty (Law)."
Several players on New England's roster
have Super Bowl experience, nine of whom were on the 1996 squad. However, even
those who are playing in the big game for the first time sound like they've been
here before.
"We're here for a reason, and that's to
win a Super Bowl," said linebacker Roman Phifer, an 11-year veteran who played
for the Rams for eight years and is in his first season with the Patriots. "The
parties and festivities are nice, but we've got to keep that to a minimum and
keep everyone focused on the task at hand."
Anyone familiar with New Orleans is well
aware it's a city that knows how to throw a party. Whether on Bourbon Street or
at one of the various Super Bowl shindigs taking place this week, there are a
multitude of potential distractions for anyone, let alone football players
preparing to play in the biggest game of their lives.
"We [the veterans] are trying to lead by
example," cornerback Terrell Buckley said. "If you practice and do the things
you're supposed to, you're not going to have time for those other things. We're
down here to win. We have one more game ... the Super Bowl. We have a great
challenge ahead of us. We can enjoy things next week. Let's work, take care of
our business, fulfill our obligations and go out and compete on Sunday."
But it's Super Bowl Week. Can it really be
all work and no play?
"Certain days, you are here to enjoy
yourself. Other days, you are here to take care of business,"
Bruschi said. "I think they [the younger players]
see how we practice, how serious we are at meetings, asking questions and really
paying attention. They can see this is really serious."
Besides, the Pats would love nothing more
than to plan a party of their own on Sunday -- the surprise variety.
Bruschi longs
for dirty game: Says pristine Superdome favors Rams
Lee Shappell
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 1, 2002
NEW ORLEANS - It is possible to get down,
but not necessarily dirty, when playing football on a carpet with a roof over
your hea |
