The Associated Press

The Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Ex-Arizona Wildcat Tedy Bruschi sniffs out plays and smacks down runners the way he did the last time the Patriots won the Super Bowl.

That’s pretty remarkable, considering he had a stroke in between.

“He is kind of the glue out there, just making the calls, getting the signals and getting the communication to the defense,” fellow inside linebacker Mike Vrabel said. “That’s a lot.”

The honors might not have come Bruschi’s way as they once did, but his teammates know he provides what they need. He has the strength to stop the run, the speed to keep up with receivers and the smarts to direct one of the NFL’s best defenses. He’ll need all three, plus his usual intensity, Sunday when New England visits the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

Running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes will try to elude him, tight end Dallas Clark will try to outmaneuver him, and quarterback Peyton Manning, a master at calling plays at the line or scrimmage, will try to baffle him.

Not long ago, the versatile athlete had trouble just walking.

He had a minor stroke 10 days after the 2005 Super Bowl and three days after he played in the Pro Bowl. In the title game, he had a sack and an interception in the 24-21 win over Philadelphia that gave New England its third championship in four years. He is one of only 10 current Patriots who played on all those teams.

But as he left a Boston hospital after being treated, he walked tentatively with wife, Heidi, by his side.

Bruschi had surgery to repair a hole in his heart and missed the first six games last season, then played nine in a row before being sidelined for the regular-season finale and the first playoff game. He returned the next week for a loss at Denver that ended the Patriots season.

That setback left him “dissatisfied,” he said last summer, “because I think toward the end I really started to play good football again and I just wanted to win another Super Bowl.”

Beat the Colts on Sunday and he’ll still have a chance.

NFL PLAYOFFS

Sunday

NFC: New Orleans at Chicago, 1 p.m., Fox

AFC: New England at Indianapolis, 4:30 p.m., CBS

More on Sunday’s games, Page 4C

The Arizona Republic

By KENT SOMERS

The Arizona Republic

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – There are times a team plays so well in the NFL preseason that players wish the game counted.

There are other times when they give thanks that the outcome doesn’t matter.

It’s not hard to guess which side the Cardinals were on as they lost to New England 30-3 Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

“You have to show up every time you step on the football field, and we didn’t do that tonight against a good football team,” quarterback Kurt Warner said. “I just thank God it’s preseason.”

Backup quarterback Matt Leinart, who signed a contract a week ago, looked better than anyone had the right to expect. It was the rest of the team that looked shaky.

“I thought he did what he could do,” coach Dennis Green said. “Hopefully when he plays again, we’ll do better.”

The plan was for Leinart to replace Warner in the second quarter, but that almost didn’t happen thanks to a sputtering offense and a defense that couldn’t stop the Patriots on third down.

The Cardinals’ starting unit couldn’t run the ball, and the passing game wasn’t much better. As he did last week in the preseason opener, running back Edgerrin James made a cameo appearance, carrying twice for five yards.

Warner wasn’t sharp. One of his passes was intercepted, and a second interception was called back because of a penalty. Green kept him in the game in the hopes the offense would find a rhythm, but it was off the whole half.

Leinart, coming in just before the end of the first half, led the club to its one score, a 48-yard field goal by Neil Rackers with four seconds left in the half.

“Two-minute drill, my first series was pretty cool,” Leinart said. “I felt all right. I’ve only been practicing for a few days, so I have to get better.

“It’s obviously not college anymore. It’s different. I’m playing the best of the best.”

It’s not as if Leinart moved the Cardinals downfield with his arm. New England played conservatively, trying to prevent a big play. That left the middle of the field open for Leinart to run, which he did twice for 29 yards.

That’s 15 yards more than James and backup running back J.J. Arrington had combined in the first half.

Leinart completed 4 of 11 passes for 45 yards on the night. Two of the throws were dropped.

“I was nervous a little,” he said. “I just have to find a comfort zone when I’m playing, and that’s going to come sooner or later.”

Leinart played through the third, before giving way to John Navarre.

Leinart dispelled the notion that he’s not mobile.

“I always knew I could run around. I just didn’t have the opportunity at USC,” he said. “I didn’t have to. I know here that I’m not going to have to do that a lot. But they were in two-man (zone defense), and there’s no one who accounts for the quarterback in that situation. There were some big holes.”

Navarre took over at quarterback in the fourth quarter and completed 1 of 8 passes. He said he was taking some chances downfield because the Cardinals were so far behind.

“I might have thrown some balls I normally wouldn’t have,” Navarre said. “We called some plays downfield. I tried to force some balls into some tight situations.”

Navarre and Leinart are battling for the No. 2 job behind Warner.

The Hartford Courant

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tedy Bruschi set an aggressive tone early in Patriots’ training camp, hitting rookie tailback Laurence Maroney hard on back-to-back days.

Now the former University of Arizona linebacker will have to sit out for at least a week as he recovers from a wrist injury suffered Monday.

ESPN and the Boston Herald reported that the injury is a fracture, but New England quarterback Tom Brady sounded optimistic.

“Tedy’s been through a whole bunch, so I’m not worried about him at all,” Brady said. “Tedy’s got the most positive attitude of anybody I’ve ever been around. I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s out here.”

Bruschi, 33, who had a stroke in mid-February 2005, returned Oct. 30 against the Bills. He had 72 tackles and two sacks in nine games but injured a calf at the end of the regular season.

Bruschi can play wearing a cast. But with the regular season 38 days away, there’s little reason to rush him.

The problem is that the 2006 plans were to shift Mike Vrabel to outside linebacker and pair Bruschi and Monty Beisel at inside linebacker. An important part of the Patriots’ great run defense in previous years was how well Bruschi and inside linebacker Ted Johnson, who’d played together since 1996, knew each other’s moves.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi charged at Tom Brady as the quarterback threw a pass.

Later, the former University of Arizona linebacker gave rookie Laurence Maroney a light shove in the back after an incomplete pass to the running back.

Just like old times, Bruschi was back in the middle of the action Wednesday – a year after missing the 2005 minicamp while recovering from a stroke.

“The offseason workouts have gone great for me so far,” said Bruschi, who is entering his 11th NFL season. “I participated in virtually every one and I look forward to . . . being ready for training camp” in July.

Bruschi shared The Associated Press comeback player of the year award with wide receiver Steve Smith of Carolina, despite missing the first six regular-season games in 2005.

The Patriots’ minicamp ends today, and Bruschi’s leadership is critical, especially after the Patriots lost linebacker Willie McGinest as a free agent to Cleveland. The Patriots were 3-3 by the time he returned last season and went 7-2 with him before he missed the last regular season game with a calf injury, an improvement that impressed starting cornerback Ellis Hobbs, a rookie last season.

“When he wasn’t out there we had a lot of mix-ups, just not a lot of order,” Hobbs said. “But when he comes he kind of ceases all the chaos. He knows how to get everybody in line and he just has a controlling voice out there. You know when you’re hearing his voice; it’s very demanding, but calm and in control.”

Bruschi’s voice is back, as strong as ever, 16 months after he was hospitalized for blurry vision and numbness in his left arm and left leg.

“I always judge myself by how I’m doing in the offseason workouts, and I’m doing great,” Bruschi said. “I just turned 33 (Friday), and I’m keeping an eye on myself to see if I’m getting old or not. I’m still feeling good.”

USA TODAY

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For decades, “Teddy Ballgame” referred strictly to Ted Williams, baseball’s last .400 hitter. Then, amid New England’s march to three Super Bowl titles in the past four seasons, the sobriquet was altered to “Tedy Ballgame” and assigned to Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi.

That deference stemmed from Bruschi’s gift for making game-changing plays that personified New England’s attack in the same way Williams was defined to Boston Red Sox fans by his unerring batting stroke.

Now, if Bruschi meets his goal of being back on the field tomorrow night against the Buffalo Bills after he was medically cleared, the nickname will take on new, indelible meaning for a man who is all too familiar with the other definition of stroke.

Only eight months have passed since the nine-year NFL veteran went from being able to read Peyton Manning’s pass plays to losing vision in his left eye from a stroke. Just two days after his first Pro Bowl appearance, a blood clot slipped through a tiny hole in what many believe is the biggest of Patriot hearts, found its way to the 32-year-old’s brain and left the father of three sons barely able to walk.

Despite recovering quickly, Bruschi emphatically said in September that a comeback would have to wait until 2006. But last week he announced he had medical clearance to play and stressed his decision to return was neither rash nor life-threatening.

“Unanimously, every doctor and physician that’s seen me has given me clearance,” Bruschi said.

“This isn’t something you just go for. I mean, come on, I lost my sight. . . . It was a traumatic experience. It’s been a long road back. I’m not going to jump into something without being absolutely 100 percent positive, and I am.”

Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Center and a spokesman for the American Stroke Association, says eight months is not an unusually short recovery period for a stroke survivor.

“The most rapid recovery period is over the first few weeks, and it continues rapidly for two to three months,” Goldstein says.

Bruschi was at home when his stroke hit, and his wife, Heidi, whose father is a physician’s assistant, quickly called 911.

“I’m not shocked that he’s back,” says fellow Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, who fractured his hip in 2003 but makes no comparisons to his seasonlong recovery and what Bruschi has faced. “What I’ve seen him do, no, I’m not shocked.”

Like everyone in the Patriots’ locker room, Colvin addresses Bruschi’s return as inevitable, even though Bruschi has yet to be activated for tomorrow’s game.

Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard and New York Islanders’ player Brian Mullen, two former pro athletes, failed in their comebacks after strokes.

But rodeo star Stran Smith, a stroke victim in April 2003, was the PRCA world runner-up last year in tie-down roping, where he jumps off a horse that’s running at 20 mph and ties up and brings down a calf.

Talking from his 40-acre ranch in Childress, Texas, Smith says doctors initially “told me I needed to find another occupation.”

But Smith and his wife, Jennifer, kept consulting with doctors and decided the best course of action was surgery to have a pluglike device placed in the hole in his heart. Bruschi has confirmed having similar surgery in March.

Smith hasn’t spoken with Bruschi but says his advice is, “Go all out, get that first hit out of the way and go on. Let everybody know it, that, ‘I’m here. I’m back.’ “

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Former Arizona Wildcat Tedy Bruschi handled the hits his teammates dished out in practice.

Whether he’ll get a chance for more contact in Sunday night’s game remains uncertain.

The energetic catalyst of the New England Patriots’ defense, who had a mild stroke 8 1/2 months ago, must await coach Bill Belichick’s decision whether he’ll play against Buffalo.

“I’d like to get out there and see,” Bruschi said before yesterday’s practice, his second with contact. “But it’s out of my control now. 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.”

After an off week, the Patriots are home Sunday night for their first division game of the season. There’s still time for his excitement to build and Bruschi expects that to happen soon.

“It’s Wednesday,” he said. “I think I’ll start to feel excited come the weekend.”

Bruschi returned to practice Oct. 19 after receiving medical clearance, but there was no contact until Monday’s session. After an initial anxiety, he said he felt fine during that practice.

“It felt like a first day of training camp for me before I really get my first hit in training camp,” he said. “So, of course, the first play they run at me is a fullback lead. So after that play, I think I was all right.”

Bruschi was hospitalized Feb. 16 after the stroke, then had surgery to close a hole in his heart in March.

He has been working out and attending team meetings since training camp began last July. He said in September he wouldn’t play this season, then changed his mind after consulting several doctors.

He remains on the physically unable to perform list but wasn’t among the 14 players listed on the Patriots’ injury report yesterday.

“I feel I’m being evaluated by coach Belichick, by my defensive coaches,” Bruschi said.

Belichick said that Bruschi hasn’t suffered any setbacks since resuming practice, but didn’t know how ready he is for a game.

He also said Bruschi is behind his teammates because he missed so many practices, but that he can make up for that with his experience and “did what everybody else did” at the practice sessions.

The Patriots are 3-3 and Bruschi has said he can’t turn around the defense by himself. But in his 10th season with the Patriots, he has an excellent grasp of their defense.

“I believe my body’s physically ready” for a game,” he said.

New England has 21 days from Bruschi’s first practice, until Nov. 9, to activate him or place him on injured reserve, ending his season.

If he misses the Nov. 7 home game against Indianapolis he still could be activated for the Nov. 13 game at Miami.

Bruschi has said he has no doubt he’ll play in a game this season.

His teammates say he’s already made a difference in practice.

“You hear him every time, every snap,” defensive lineman Jarvis Green said. “It’s just good to see him back out there after what he’s been through.”

Chad Brown, who moved from outside to inside linebacker this season, said watching Bruschi practice has helped his transition.

“His instincts are still there and that’s what separates him from other linebackers,” Brown said.

Bruschi said he’s not setting any expectations and continues to judge his progress one day at a time.

“You can’t come to any judgments after one day of hitting,” he said before yesterday’s workout. “I just look at it as a process.

“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.”

The Associated Press

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tedy Bruschi lifted both legs far over his head as he lay on his back and stretched. The former Arizona Wildcat chased teammate Mike Vrabel and blocked him playfully in the back. He ran to the next drill.

And he smiled.

For the first time since a minor stroke eight months ago threatened his NFL career, the Patriots’ star linebacker was practicing with his team yesterday.

“I’m back playing the game that I love,” Bruschi said before putting on his shoulder pads and his No. 54 jersey, carrying his helmet out of the locker room and walking into the noon sun.

After practice he said he had some jitters but wasn’t discouraged by what took place.

“If you haven’t done something in a long time, you always have some nerves the first time back,” Bruschi said. “I feel good with my conditioning level. It’s where it needs to be, I think. Game shape is another thing, but we’ll cross that road when we come to it. I thought it was a good day.”

New England is idle this week, so the practice was unusually short, lasting about 75 minutes, with no hard contact between players. Bruschi said he had no pain or discomfort and would try to be ready for the Oct. 30 against Buffalo.

“Today was the first step in my attempt,” he said. “I felt good out there, like I was saying, but I’m not going to make any guarantees or promises (other than) I’m going to give it my best shot.”

The practice was the latest step on the road Bruschi has traveled since Feb. 6, when New England won its third Super Bowl in four years. A week later, Bruschi played in his first Pro Bowl. Three days after that, he was hospitalized after experiencing numbness in his left arm and left leg. Then he had surgery in March to repair a small hole in his heart.

As recently as September, the 32-year-old defensive co-captain said he wouldn’t play this year. But he kept working out in the team’s weight room, running and attending team meetings. He also stood on the sideline during home games.

Then he received medical clearance from several doctors to cross that barrier and play this season.

“I have no type of reservations,” Bruschi said before practice. “I think I’ve done everything that I had to do to make sure that my confidence level is high for when I need to stick my face in there. I’m going to stick it in and I’m going to stick it in hard.”

But the night before his return was restless. He said he didn’t get much sleep. “A lot of things on my mind,” Bruschi said, “a lot of things racing through my mind, but excited.”

Coach Bill Belichick said he wouldn’t wince when Bruschi gets hit on the field.

“Anything any other player would do, that’s what he’s going to do” in practice, Belichick said.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England linebacker and ex-Arizona Wildcat Tedy Bruschi is working toward a return to the Patriots – this season, not next.

He is having 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 to come back for the 2005 season. But the speed of his rehabilitation has made it possible for him to accelerate his schedule.

“Anybody we can get back to this football team at this point would help us, regardless of who it is,” linebacker Mike Vrabel said yesterday. “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 Monday. Bruschi was not available for comment yesterday. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said yesterday 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.

Bruschi, 32, 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 taken 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.