Bye week over, so say hello to Bruschi

FOXBOROUGH -- As per their norm, the Patriots will enter Gillette Stadium tonight accompanied by the roar of a sellout crowd.

As always, no player will be singled out during pregame introductions, and the team will emerge, all at once, through a huge helmet display at the northwest corner of the stadium.

But lest there be any confusion, the deafening roars from the enthusiastic throng will be directed at one player: Tedy Bruschi, the heart and soul of the three-time NFL champion Patriots.

More than nine months of Sundays have passed since Bruschi put in a dominant performance in the Patriots' Super Bowl victory over Philadelphia. Since then, he has suffered a mild stroke, had a hole in his heart repaired, and dealt with the real possibility that he would never play again.

Before training camp, and again in early September, Bruschi declared that he would not play this season.

Yesterday, the Patriots moved Bruschi from the physically unable to perform list to the active roster, and tonight he will start against the Buffalo Bills, who are functioning as mere props for what should be one of the most emotional moments in recent Patriots history.

Bruschi, who began practicing with the team Oct. 19, would not designate the most challenging hurdle in his return as emotional, mental, or physical.

''It's all of the above because of the emotional ride I've taken to get to this point," Bruschi said last week. ''Football's a physical game, so I've had to get myself physically ready. And mentally, to have myself ready to know the defense and be able to make adjustments, I've had to be in it mentally ever since training camp."

The Patriots' defense could use Bruschi. Through the first six games, New England has a 3-3 record and ranks near the bottom of the league in several major defensive categories.

''Having him back helps. I don't know if he can plug all the holes, but it'll help," linebacker Willie McGinest said.

The Patriots are 26th in total defense, 28th in points allowed, last in turnovers forced, and last in defending the red zone.

''I think it'll be tremendous, with the type of player that [Bruschi] is, to come back and give us a boost, a spark," linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said. ''You need 10 other guys out there with him, but you can't replace the instinct. You can't replace how a guy plays, the plays that he makes. If he gets the opportunity to go out there and play, we know he's going to come out there and try to make things happen."

Not only is Bruschi back, but Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour is also expected to return from a knee injury that forced him to sit out the last two games, though end Ty Warren probably will not play because of a hip injury suffered at practice Wednesday.

Tonight's game is New England's first against an AFC East foe this season. The Patriots lead the division, as Buffalo, Miami, and the Jets all have losing records. After opening with four of six games on the road, the Patriots play four of their next six at home. Four of those opponents currently have losing records.

''It has been a tough stretch," quarterback Tom Brady said. ''There are not too many easy games anymore. We're going to need to play well.

''It starts this week, and really the whole season is ahead of us. At 3-3 with 10 games left, we have a lot to prove and obviously a lot of time to do it. I think this team has high goals and expectations. Getting into our division games [is] really where it starts for us. The goal is always to win the AFC East, and there is no better week to start than this week."

They start anew with an instant boost from Bruschi's return.

Because of the stroke, Bruschi had difficulty walking and lost peripheral vision to his left. The motor skills and vision eventually returned to normal, but he lost weight and strength when he was unable to keep up his typical offseason workout regimen. In the past couple of months, however, Bruschi has regained much of his strength and speed, and he displayed his trademark instincts in the last week of practice to earn a roster spot.

Calf roper Stran Smith, who like Bruschi had a stroke that was caused by a patent foramen ovale, says he knows what Bruschi is going through. Smith returned to the rodeo circuit in May of 2003, six weeks after having the hole in his heart repaired, and he has had the two best seasons of his career after the incident. (Bruschi had the procedure done in March.)

''I bet he's a lot less nervous than everyone else is," Smith said. ''He knows what the doctors have said and he trusts that they know what they're talking about. At first, people around me were wondering what I was doing out there, but I knew I was there because I was healthy and ready to go.

''I'm sure Bruschi is healthy and ready to go."

Bruschi says he is not trying to overcome the odds or prove anything with his return, and he is definitely not trying to just ''go for it."

Fellow linebacker Chad Brown said after medical personnel give the thumbs up, love of the game drives players like Bruschi to return to the field.

''Tedy could have easily sat this season out and he still could have gotten paid," Brown said. ''But for someone who's a competitor, who loves the game deeply, who wakes up every morning invigorated by the challenge of playing the game, there's no substitute for that.

''Sitting at home with your kids and your wife is great, you enjoy that, but in the back of your mind it's football season and time to play football. It's an itch you can't scratch except by playing football.

''Football is a very, very special game. When you retire from playing football, you never, ever, ever, ever get to strap the pads back on again. Unlike Michael Jordan, who can retire and unretire, he can go to a gym anywhere in the world and get a game. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa can go and hit batting practice before a game. There are no old-man leagues, and there are no pickup games at the park for football.

''Football is special because when it's over, you never, ever get to play again. So you have to play football, if you truly love it, as long as you can, because when it's over that's it."

Jerome Solomon can be reached at jsolomon@globe.com