Bruschi knows what it's all about
FOXBOROUGH - Rodney Harrison stood in front of his locker Friday at Gillette Stadium, his left hand casually dangling over a hook that also held his helmet, when he was asked about the ringleader of the Patriots' defense, 12th-year linebacker Tedy Bruschi.
Asked if Bruschi was the heart and soul of the defense, the veteran safety nodded in agreement.
"That's Bruschi," he said.
To illustrate his point, Harrison took his finger and circled it around the Patriots decal on his helmet.
"That is Bruschi right there," he said. "That emblem right there, that's Bruschi."
While Bruschi's rugged profile might have been used as the model when the Patriots redesigned their logo - updating it from the squatting Pat Patriot to the sleek Flying Elvis - there was a deeper symbolism in Harrison's remarks.
"He's what this Patriot team is about," Harrison said. "Unselfishness, commitment, dedication, teamwork, hard work . . . just everything."
Just as he has every season since he was picked in the third round (86th overall) of the 1996 draft out of the University of Arizona, Bruschi has embodied those traits as New England's defensive captain, not to mention its leading tackler this season with 99 stops (69 unassisted).
Well before he prepared to board the charter flight for Phoenix today, Bruschi talked about making the fifth Super Bowl trip of his career.
"The first time I went in '96, I was sort of awestruck by the atmosphere and the excitement of everyone walking in the streets," recalled Bruschi, who is one of two current Patriots (with receiver Troy Brown) who were at that Super Bowl. "It did seem like it was one big party at times in New Orleans back then.
"It was a good thing that we had good veterans back then who helped me learn; guys like Chris Slade, Willie McGinest, Bruce Armstrong, Ben Coates, Keith Byars were on the team, and they stressed to us how lucky we were to be there and really to focus on the game."
Bruschi plans to give the same advice to his younger teammates.
"A lot of guys have come up to me, or a lot of players who have already been there and sort of know the protocol of how we handle things, and asked, 'What's Monday like? What's Tuesday like? Wednesday?' So I think we can give them a little bit of advice in terms of how it was when I was there before."
What else will he tell teammates?
"I would just say to enjoy it, really," Bruschi said. "I think the first couple of days, you do have some time to enjoy it. We'll arrive [today] and guys are already planning to go out a little bit, have dinner together and enjoy each other's company [tomorrow]. Tuesday, Media Day, that's just a lot of fun.
"You realize that it is a game and a lot of stress can be built up for these games. But you still go down there to have a great time and realize you have a job to do still."
Bruschi will be doing that job not far from where he made his name as an undersized but seldom overmatched defensive tackle who earned All-America and All-Pac 10 honors as a senior at Arizona, where he tied the NCAA Division 1-A career record with 52 sacks.
"Yeah, this one's a little bit more special for me than all the others in terms of where I'm going," said Bruschi. "I have fond memories of the state of Arizona where I played college football [in Tucson], about an hour and a half south of where we'll be.
"Coming back from the stroke that I had in [February] 2005, there are a lot of things I can sort of smile at and realize that I'm back in the Super Bowl and it feels really good to be here."
Bruschi joked about the fact the Patriots were going to be using the practice facilities of his college's archrival, Arizona State. Asked if he would have to shower before setting foot on the Sun Devils' campus in Tempe, Bruschi smiled and said, "Yeah, maybe twice."
Although the Patriots may have rewritten the NFL record book with their high-flying offensive attack, led by Tom Brady (50 touchdown passes) and Randy Moss (23 TD catches), there was no denying that the defense rose up when it mattered in a 21-12 victory over San Diego in the AFC Championship game.
After the Chargers were held to four field goals, coach Bill Belichick hugged Bruschi during the postgame celebration and said, "Great job in the red area."
Later, Bruschi proclaimed, "This is what we consider Patriots football."
It was a hard-nosed, gritty, and determined effort that was emblematic of their defensive ringleader.
"I've always said that he's the Elvis on our helmet," said veteran linebacker Junior Seau. "He's been able to establish such a culture here, with the rest of the guys around him, that there's always going to be a staple guy.
"To me, Tedy Bruschi and Tommy are always going to be the defensive and offensive staples of this culture."
Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com 