FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Rodney Harrison looked over his left shoulder at the helmet hanging on a hook and proceeded to encircle the New England Patriots logo with a finger.
“This is Bruschi right here. That emblem right there, that’s Bruschi,” Harrison said. “In my opinion, that’s Tedy Bruschi. That sums up Tedy Bruschi, what this Patriot team is about: unselfishness, commitment, dedication, team work, hard work, just everything.” At that moment, team officials began notifying reporters the locker room was closing. The 45-minute session couldn’t have ended any better than Harrison’s symbolic characterization of his teammate to a few reporters.
Bruschi, a 12-year veteran who has long been considered the heart and soul of the Patriots defense, is a pro at this Super Bowl thing. His first was as a rookie in a 35-21 loss to Green Bay and Brett Favre in January 1997. But Bruschi would get another opportunity … and another … and another … and another.
The proud owner of three championship rings, Bruschi will join a handful of players to appear in five Super Bowls with the same team when the Patriots and Giants play Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz., joining Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who spent his entire career with the Broncos, and five players from the Cowboys teams in the 1970s.
Bruschi talks about Super Bowls the way most remember vacations, holidays or a backyard barbeque.
“My favorite memory is running on the field with my kids before the Super Bowl in Jacksonville,” Bruschi said Friday, recalling his last one three years ago, a 24-21 win over Philadelphia. “That’s probably one of my favorite memories. The Super Bowl is a time when you enjoy things with your family and sort of celebrate the year that everyone’s made sacrifices for. My kids, my family, all of our friends and families have made sacrifices for us because of all the hours we put in here. To have a moment with them on the field before the biggest game of my career is something I’ll always remember.”
What happened 10 days later blurred his vision and threatened his football career. Bruschi had a mild stroke that temporarily left him partially paralyzed, a condition believed to be brought on by a congenital heart defect. Less than a year later, he returned to the field. Three years later, he is back in the Super Bowl.
What distinguishes this one from the others to Patriots fans is the team’s unbeaten record. Bruschi isn’t thinking about the historic aspect as much as playing in a place where he has fond memories. He played at the University of Arizona in Tucson, about 90 minutes south of Phoenix, and his wife Heidi is from the state. So the couple and their three children will see family and friends.
“This one’s a little bit more special for me than all the others in terms of where I’m going,” Bruschi said. “Coming back from the stroke that I had in 2005, there’s a lot of things that I can sort of smile at and realize that I’m back in the Super Bowl and it feels really good to be here.”
It will be the first time the Patriots have played in Arizona since his stroke. However, there is one place Bruschi is not looking forward to visiting.
“Coach Belichick said we’re going to be practicing in Arizona State’s practice facility and I’m still like, ‘Ugh, Arizona State, the scum devils’ and stuff like that,” Bruschi said about his alma mater’s Pac-10 rival. “That’s how I still remember it. That’s how it was.”
Bruschi, 34, remembers feeling a bit awe-struck by his first Super Bowl experience.
“It seemed like it was one big party at times in New Orleans back then,” Bruschi recalled. “I think we had good veterans back then that helped me learn, like Chris Slade, Willie McGinest, Bruce Armstrong, Ben Coates, Keith Byars was on the team, and they stressed to us how lucky we were to be here and to really focus on the game.”
Five years later, Bruschi returned to New Orleans. And this time the Patriots celebrated, beating the Rams 20-17 on Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal as time ran out in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
“We were an overwhelming underdog back then,” said Bruschi, one of 10 players still with the team from that season. “A lot of us that are still in here now were a lot younger and still up and coming in terms of success or individual accolades or anything like that.
“If anything, now we’re the favorites and everyone looks at us as the team to knock off. That’s a big jump. That’s a big jump to come from a bunch of young kids who no one’s ever heard of before to now everyone’s sort of hoping we get knocked off.”
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