Unsung Bruschi epitomizes great linebacker play

Bruschi quickly agreed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bruschi is nothing if not a competitor.

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