The Tedy Bruschi Comeback Thread UPDATE: Eligible to play Sunday

[riverside sluggers]

Might Bruschi be coming back this season?

FOXSports.com

Posted: 1 day ago

 

The injury-ravaged Patriots could possibly be getting some help on defense with the return of Tedy Bruschi this season, according to a report in the Boston Herald. Bruschi, who suffered a minor stroke in February, would help shore up a ravaged New England defense, which recently lost safety Rodney Harrison for the year with a knee injury. While Bruschi has stated he won't be returning until the 2006 season, don't be surprised if he at least pursues all avenues toward making a quicker return. Word is Bruschi is in fact seeing doctors, apparently hoping to gather enough information and data to see if it might at least be in the realm of possibility to come back sooner than he had anticipated.

 

The linebacker still hasn't been put on the injured reserve list, which would make him ineligible to play. He is on the physically unable to perform list, or PUP, which would allow him to return at some point after the sixth game of the season if healthy enough. When asked Thursday about possibly coming back this season, Bruschi offered a terse, "No comment." Bruschi's agent, Brad Blank, also refused comment. Earlier this month, Bruschi emphatically stated he wouldn't play this year but said he was coming back in 2006.

 

''I'm telling you right now that's not going to happen," Bruschi told the Boston Globe right before the season started about the possibility of playing this year. ''I need to do what's best for my family and myself. ... There's a difference between living life normally and being fine and getting ready for a professional football season. I need the year to get myself ready. I considered playing this year. We talked about it a lot. But this is something you don't rush. It's not a sprained ankle. This is my medical health, and although I'm feeling great right now, I've also been told by my doctors some time will help. ...

 

"I'm definitely playing next year. That's my ace in the hole. It's a little hard to sit back and watch the guys this season, but it's easier knowing I've got something to look forward to." Bruschi suffered a stroke 10 days after the Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in the Super Bowl — just three days after playing in his first Pro Bowl. Bruschi confirmed that the stroke was the result of a blood clot that doctors believe traveled through a small hole in his heart. He also confirmed that he underwent a procedure in March to repair it. He said the origin and cause of the clot have never been determined.

[RedRuffing15]

Would he be the same??

[YanksHater213]

If he could comeback, itd be huge, but I dont think its a good idea.

[schillingouttheks]

I don't even think Bob Kraft would allow it. Sit the full season out, and come back next year. We don't need any stupid injuries.

[BrentD22]

2 words - Reggie Lewis! I know Bruschi can't be compared to Lewis as far as importance to team, but Teddy is a big player for us, he is loved, he's a Patriot. I don't want hime to die!

[riverside sluggers]

ESPN's Cold Pizza has just reported that Bruschi is possibly returning to practice in a few weeks from now

[schillingouttheks]

2 words - Reggie Lewis! I know Bruschi can't be compared to Lewis as far as importance to team, but Teddy is a big player for us, he is loved, he's a Patriot. I don't want hime to die!

I just noticed this, do you mean RAY Lewis? On the Ravens? I can't think of a Reggie Lewis...

 

Yeah I heard about him returning too. If he came back in 3 weeks he'd be back in time to show the Colts who's boss

[Sox Fan on Cape]

I just noticed this, do you mean RAY Lewis? On the Ravens? I can't think of a Reggie Lewis...

 

Yeah I heard about him returning too. If he came back in 3 weeks he'd be back in time to show the Colts who's boss

Reggie Lewis played for the Celtics. He collapsed during a game. After tests was told he shouldn't play. However, his personal doctor ( Dr. Mudd ) said he was okay. He died while playing a pick-up game.

[schillingouttheks]

Ohhhhhhhh! My bad. Didn't know we were switching sports, lol. My b.

[YanksHater213]

Yeah, your god damn right its your 'b'. Reggie was the man.

[yankeessuck013]

His vision is now fine and it appears that he's been able to regain full mobility of his limbs. He's very fortunate to be able to recover so well and his return would be an incredibly huge boost to an injury plagued defense, both on a playing level and just as important as the emotional heart of NE's defense.

[yankeessuck013]

ESPN's Cold Pizza has just reported that Bruschi is possibly returning to practice in a few weeks from now

 

reports are that he is looking to return on monday.

 

CBS 4 TV in Boston is reporting that Tedy Bruschi will begin practicing with the Patriots beginning next Monday with an eye towards playing this year. He's been working out on a regular basis since training camp and will be eligible to come off the PUP list anytime within a 21 day window if the Patriots decide to activate him. It's undetermined at this time whether he would be activated early enough to be available when the Patriots will host Buffalo in Foxboro after the bye.

[YanksHater213]

Bruschi may return this year

 

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer

October 14, 2005

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi is working toward a return to the Patriots -- this season, not next -- thanks to a faster-than-expected recovery from the stroke that sent him to the emergency room just days after playing in his first Pro Bowl.

 

Several obstacles remain: Bruschi has received favorable reports from doctors but not final medical clearance, and others involved in the decision -- including the team's lawyers and Bruschi's family -- have not signed off on it.

 

Bruschi said this summer he had no intention of coming back for the 2005 season. But the speed of his rehabilitation has made it possible for him to accelerate his schedule.

 

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``Anybody we can get back to this football team at this point would help us, regardless of who it is,'' linebacker Mike Vrabel said Friday. ``Whoever we can have back, we'll take back.''

 

Bruschi is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list after the sixth week of the season, which starts on Monday. Bruschi was not available for comment on Friday. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Friday he would leave any comment to Bruschi.

 

``If Tedy has something to say, I'm sure he's perfectly capable of saying that himself,'' Belichick said. ``I have nothing to add to that situation whatsoever. Zero.''

 

Bruschi has declined repeated interview requests from The Associated Press.

 

Bruschi, who has a wife and three sons, originally planned to take a year off to recover from the stroke. But his health had improved enough that he began traveling to specialists and has received favorable reports from them.

 

The 32-year-old Bruschi suffered a mild stroke at his home in February, less than two days after his first career Pro Bowl and 10 days after the Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years. He was rushed to the hospital after complaining of numbness in his left arm and leg.

 

Bruschi told The Boston Globe that doctors believe the stroke was the result of a blood clot that traveled through a small hole in his heart. The hole was surgically repaired in March, he said.

 

Bruschi told the Globe in an interview published in early September that he had no intention of playing this season.

 

``I'm telling you right now, that's not going to happen,'' he was quoted as saying. ``I need to do what's best for my family and myself. There's a difference between living normally and being fine, and getting ready for a professional football season. I need the year to get myself ready.

 

``I considered playing this season. We talked about it a lot. But this is something that you don't rush. It's not a sprained ankle.''

 

The Patriots opted not to put Bruschi on the injured reserve list, which would have eliminated the possibility of a return in 2005. Instead, he went on the physically unable to perform list, which meant he had to sit out at least the first six games.

 

The Patriots (3-2) play their sixth game on Sunday in Denver.

 

Bruschi has been working out regularly at the team's facility and has been attending defensive meetings since before training camp started in July. Since the regular season began, he has been in the locker room, upbeat and smiling. He has also been a regular on the sideline at home games.

 

``If he decides to come back, that's great,'' linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said. ``Any team could use a good player, and I think Tedy's a good player. If he doesn't, then obviously he's going to choose to rest and continue to get better.''

 

Bruschi has averaged more than 100 tackles over the past four seasons. Last year he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week three times.

 

Since winning their second straight Super Bowl in February, the Patriots have lost defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel; cornerback Ty Law; linebackers Roman Phifer and Ted Johnson and safety Rodney Harrison. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour missed last week's game with a knee injury, and cornerbacks Tyrone Poole and Randall Gay have missed significant time with ankle injuries.

 

 

[Cityofchampions33]

I'd rather do without him for a season then do without him forever. He is the man, no doubt about it. He's a plays hard, plays smart, no complaints, all-around nice guy, would be a shame to lose him.

[schillingouttheks]

It's official. All of Bruschi's doctors, along with the team trainers, say that he has passed all tests completely well, and he has the unanimous support of every doctor to resume his career if he wants to.

 

VERY GOOD NEWS. Look to see him back in practice in the upcoming week

[CalvnHobs6]

Bruschi to return WEDNESDAY:

By Howard Ulman, AP Sports Writer | October 17, 2005

 

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. --New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi plans to return to practice on Wednesday, eight months after having a mild stroke.

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Bruschi was cleared Sunday by his doctors to begin practicing this week, but the Patriots left it up to Bruschi and his family to determine when he would return.

 

Bruschi was one of the defensive stars on a team that has won three Super Bowl titles in the last four seasons. The Patriots are 3-3 so far this season and have allowed 27.3 points per game, most in the AFC.

 

"I want to help this team any way I can," he said Monday at a news conference at Gillette Stadium. "They tell me I can play, I know I can play, so, shoot, let's just play."

 

Bruschi didn't say when he planned to play in a game. The Patriots have a bye this week and return to action Oct. 30 at home against Buffalo.

 

"I'm going to let Bill decide that," Bruschi said. "I'm another player on this team and will get evaluated by coach Belichick. ... When they see me and they evaluate me on how I look in practice, I'm sure that decision will be made."

 

Bruschi has been on the physically unable to perform list all season, meaning he can practice with the Patriots after the sixth week of the regular season, which ends Monday night.

 

NFL rules give him three more weeks to start practicing, and then the team would have three weeks to decide whether to place him on the active roster. Had he been placed on injured reserve, he would not have been able to return this season.

 

"Physically, Tedy is completely back to normal, and is completely healthy," Dr. David Greer, a specialist from Massachusetts General Hospital who has monitored Bruschi since his stroke, said in a statement Sunday.

 

The linebacker made his first Pro Bowl appearance in February, but was hospitalized three days later after complaining of numbness in his left arm and left leg. In March, he underwent surgery to repair a small hole in his heart.

 

The 32-year-old Bruschi had said as recently as last month that he would not play this season. But he has been working out in the Patriots' weight room, attending team meetings and standing on the sideline at home games.

 

"It was a traumatic experience," he said. "It's a long road back. So I'm not going to jump back in unless I'm absolutely 100 percent positive I'm ready. And I am."

 

An emotional player with a knack for being in the right spot on the field, Bruschi is in his fourth season as a defensive captain.

 

The Patriots drafted Bruschi in 1996 in the third round out of Arizona and he became a full-time starter in 1999. He was second on the team in tackles last year, when the Patriots allowed the third fewest points in the NFL and won their second straight Super Bowl.

 

Good news, much?

[yeszir]

Why is this now locked?

[stocker323]

I think Calvn closed it by accident since he closed it at the same time he edited the title.

[CalvnHobs6]

Yeah that was an accident...I'm still figuring out the new mod stuff.

[Soxfan1]

This is great. Maybe this can help the team emotionaly. By the way nive avator cal.

[CalvnHobs6]

Patriots' Bruschi eligible to play Sunday against Buffalo

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer

October 29, 2005

 

New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi pulls off his helmet after completing a run at the start of practice Wednesday afternoon Oct. 26, 2005 in Foxborough, Mass. Bruschi said his first physical contact since returning to the team last week occurred in practice Monday. Bruschi added, it's up to the coaches whether he will play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

 

The New England Patriots activated linebacker Tedy Bruschi from the physically unable to perform list on Saturday afternoon, making him eligible to play in Sunday night's game against the Buffalo Bills.

 

Coach Bill Belichick has said that once Bruschi was on the active roster, he would be treated like any other player. Whether Bruschi starts is expected to be determined by the Bills' offensive lineup for the first series.

 

Bruschi has not played since February, when a minor stroke three days after the Pro Bowl put his career in jeopardy. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions put him on the reserve-PUP list, which left open the possibility of his return after the sixth week of the season.

 

He had to be activated by 4 p.m. Saturday to be eligible to play in the Patriots' (3-3) game against Buffalo (3-4).

 

Bruschi, 32, said this summer that he planned to sit out the entire year. But he continued to attend meetings and his recovery went well enough for him to come back early; he was cleared by doctors and back at practice Oct. 19.

 

``It's out of my control now,'' Bruschi said before practice on Wednesday. ``I'm back. I'm a player. I'm a member of the team. So I've trusted my coaches ever since I was in high school.''

 

Belichick said this week that Bruschi hasn't suffered any setbacks in practice, but he was behind his teammates because he missed so many.

 

``His instincts are still there and that's what separates him from other linebackers,'' linebacker Chad Brown said. ``He's just got a great feel for what everyone on the defense is doing, how the offense is trying to attack him. And couple that with his great instincts and that's why he makes plays.''

 

New England had until Nov. 9 -- 21 days from Bruschi's first practice -- to activate him or place him on injured reserve and end his season. He has said he has no doubt he'll play in a game this season.

 

``I just look at it as a process,'' Bruschi said this week. ``Emotions are emotions and I felt them all, but really, it's just about what I'm going to do today, how well did I do yesterday ... and just focus on playing football.''