Aging well, Bruschi finds a silver lining

FOXBOROUGH -- When two of Tedy Bruschi's former teammates and contemporaries, Drew Bledsoe and Curtis Martin, announced their retirements this past offseason, it was bad enough.

But a worse reminder that Bruschi is getting older has appeared, much to his chagrin: gray hairs.

"Come on, man," Bruschi said yesterday, starting to laugh when asked about the strands of white that have disrupted his full head of black hair.

Entering his 12th NFL season, all with New England, Bruschi has aged well, hair notwithstanding.

Last year the linebacker led the team with 124 tackles despite missing the season opener after breaking a bone near his right wrist in training camp and undergoing surgery. He has topped 120 tackles in three of the last four seasons, with seven interceptions and nine sacks in that span.

With his wrist still wrapped tight, Bruschi, 34, said he didn't consider retiring in the offseason.

"Every year you just reevaluate; you see how your body feels and then you start thinking about the next year, " he said.

"Right away I started thinking about the offseason program, how much time we had off, because I really feel like we could do something special here.

"You can't play this game forever, I know that. But I'm having a lot of fun."

It helps that he's playing next to a few senior citizens, by NFL standards. Fellow linebackers Junior Seau (38 years old, 18th season), Chad Brown (37, 15th season), Larry Izzo (32, 12th season), and Mike Vrabel (31, 11th season) all were alive during the Ford Administration.

"Everybody's up there," Bruschi said. "We've got a veteran crew, a true veteran crew at linebacker."

Yet free agent signee Adalius Thomas, practically a pup in his eighth season, could be the most important member of that crew. His size (6 feet 2 inches, 270 pounds) and speed make him an immediate impact player.

"If you just look at Adalius, he's a big, strong guy and he can do a lot of things," Bruschi said. "That's the first thing you have to talk about, the many things that he can do."

One of those things yesterday morning was playing at Bruschi's old position -- the strong side inside linebacker in the Patriots' 3-4 defense. Thomas was making calls and leading the defense during 11-on-11 drills, while Bruschi, last year's defensive captain, lined up next to him.

Thomas, Bruschi, and Vrabel are capable of manning both inside positions, giving coach Bill Belichick a lot of options.

"The person who's going to have the most fun with it is Bill, because he'll find ways to use guys in different spots," Bruschi said.

"I'm looking forward to Wednesdays during the season and looking at a game plan and seeing what he'll plan, because a lot of guys do have flexibility."

Thomas, along with the Patriots' other offseason acquisitions, was in town for organized team activities and minicamp, and already has jelled off the field with his new teammates.

"You sign a free agent and the first thing you want to do is get to know a guy on a personal level," Bruschi said.

"A lot of teams, it doesn't happen until training camp because they just get there. All our free agents -- Wes [Welker], Adalius, Randy [Moss] -- they were here in the offseason.

"You get to know them. You learn what to expect from them, maybe in the weight room and off the field, and all of a sudden it's a little bit easier on the field because you know them."

Bruschi, feeling healthy and excited about the team's prospects, looked at ease yesterday.

Walking across the practice field toward the stands before a kickoff drill, Bruschi and Thomas drew a standing ovation from the record 7,975 fans who sweated through the morning practice. Always a crowd favorite, Bruschi was the last Patriot off the field, signing autograph after autograph before speaking with reporters.

Twelve years, three Super Bowl rings, and a Pro Bowl appearance into his career, Bruschi has kept the same humble attitude. All that's new is a few gray hairs.

"I need to get better, I know this," Bruschi said. "That's all I'm focusing on. I'm out here in training camp, practicing to get better."

Daniel Malloy can be reached at dmalloy@globe.com.