Welcome Back Tedy Bruschi

Good news for professional football tonight when Tedy Bruschi returned to the starting line-up tonight for the Patriots:

Tedy Bruschi

I wrote after the Patriots won last year that Bruschi was my kind of player, someone who played the game the way it should be played. Then tragedy struck three days after the Patriots Super Bowl win:

Bruschi, 32, hasn't played since suffering a minor stroke three days after the Pro Bowl in February and 10 days after helping the Patriots win their third Super Bowl in four years..........

Although I'm not a Patriot fan but I am a Bruschi fan, and I posted that I admired Bruschi for the workman like way he played and the results it brought his team. I think the performance on the field we saw back then provided a window into the character of the man we learned about tonight:

He continued to attend team meetings and his recovery went well enough for him to come back early. Doctors cleared him, he returned practice Oct. 19 and was activated Saturday.........

A deafening cheer greeted his pregame introduction, which was last for dramatic effect. The applause and foot-stomping shook the cameras, but not so much that fans watching the video board couldn't see Bruschi acknowledge them with a two-handed wave.........................

Bruschi joined the Patriots captains at midfield for the coin toss, getting a hug from former teammate Lawyer Milloy. When Bruschi came onto the field after the opening kickoff, the crowd chanted "Brew!" and he immediately took his place behind the line, pointing and shouting out calls.................

Sounds like the kind of guy I'd want on my Team, a guy who puts substance and character above personal gratification. Substance not superficial self centered bull shit..............................................................