Bruschi has surgery on wrist

FOXBOROUGH -- Tedy Bruschi underwent surgery on his broken wrist yesterday morning at Massachusetts General Hospital. The surgery repaired the scaphoid bone in his wrist, a source close to the Patriots linebacker confirmed.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday that Bruschi will be out for the preseason, which ends Aug. 31. It is not known if Bruschi will be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 10 against Buffalo.

Without Bruschi for the month of August, and possibly longer, what are the Patriots' options?

If yesterday morning's practice is an indication, the team will be sticking with its 3-4 defense and opening tomorrow night's exhibition in Atlanta with veterans Barry Gardner and Don Davis at inside linebacker. The backups were six-year veteran Monty Beisel (he returned to practice Monday after missing five sessions) and rookie free agent Freddie Roach, while Larry Izzo and Eric Alexander worked with the third string.

There is also the possibility of switching to a 4-3 defense, which would take advantage of the depth and talent on the defensive line. In that scenario, Gardner or Beisel project as the middle linebacker.

The Patriots also could make a double switch in the 3-4, sliding Mike Vrabel from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, the move he made five games into the 2005 season. That would seemingly bump Tully Banta-Cain to a starting role at outside linebacker.

Another possibility is free agency, although the crop is thin.

One thing is certain: The players in the mix recognize the situation as a chance to be noticed.

``We all know what Tedy Bruschi can do and what he means to this defense," said the 33-year-old Davis, primarily a special teams contributor the last three seasons. ``Now what it does is give guys a chance to step up and show what they can do."

For players such as Davis and the 29-year-old Gardner, it's also a chance to see if they can turn back the clock. Davis hasn't started at linebacker since the 2001 and 2002 seasons with the Rams (15 starts), and Gardner has started only six games over the last five seasons (his career high was 13 in 2000).

The 6-foot-1-inch, 235-pound Davis has done a little of everything for the Patriots, even starting two games at safety at the end of the 2004 season. Now in his 11th season, he's kept his career on the upswing, even winning an award in the team's offseason program this year for his increased speed.

``My mind-set is that I know I can do this and I think they know they can count on me to get the job done," Davis said. ``So now it's just about going out and showing it."

Davis, who led the Patriots with a career-high 25 special teams tackles last season, acknowledged he's been spending more time in defensive meetings in addition to his considerable load on special teams. Bruschi also has been present for those meetings, and the 6-2, 250-pound Roach said Bruschi's advice has been invaluable.

``You have to be mentally strong, be somewhat of a leader, and Tedy has been talking to me, helping me with that," said Roach, who played at Alabama and slipped through the draft partially because of a slow time in the 40-yard dash. ``If I make a mistake, he's there. If I do well, he's there. As a rookie, you can't ask for much more to have a guy like him who cares about his teammates."

Roach is hoping to become this year's version of cornerback Randall Gay (2004) and defensive lineman Mike Wright (2005), both of whom made the Patriots roster as rookie free agents. The team gave Roach a $15,000 signing bonus, a high figure for an undrafted player and perhaps an indication the Patriots still had him on their board when the draft was over.

Belichick called Roach a big, physical, tough player, noting he can take on blockers, plays with good strength, and has ``pretty good instincts against the run." Still, there is a steep learning curve for any rookie to step in at linebacker, as evidenced by the fact that Belichick said Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is the only rookie he remembers starting on a team in which he coached. Belichick said a few other New York Giants players in the 1980s, such as Carl Banks and Pepper Johnson, were ready to play as rookies, but were behind more experienced players on the depth chart.

The big challenge for any rookie linebacker, Belichick said, is pass coverage. Yet Roach, who played in a different defensive system in college, said that is far from the only challenge, saying ``you can't compare this to college, this is a whole different league."

If Roach is at one end of the spectrum, Vrabel is at the other. The 10-year veteran expects to be used at outside and inside linebacker this season, and indicated he has no preference. He's spent the majority of training camp on the outside at Willie McGinest's old spot, and has missed having Bruschi out on the field.

``First and foremost, I like playing with Tedy, because he's a great friend and we know a lot about each other," Vrabel said. ``We're pretty similar. So I think when you see us out there, there is a lot of interaction and I enjoy that. It's not only the success we've had, but just having fun playing with a great friend."

And as much as Davis hopes to seize his expanded opportunity, he also hopes that Bruschi is back soon.

``You always miss someone like Tedy Bruschi," he said.