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Bruschi pondering future
Type: Latest News
01 July 2009 6:38 AM - Henry Hodgson
New England Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker Tedy Bruschi is heading into his 14th NFL season, and admits that at this stage of his career he is taking it one year at a time.
"After you get past 10 (NFL seasons) I think that's the way you have to do it because you never know what's going to happen within a year. You just don't," he said. "So when the season's over, you sort of reassess things, and that's how it's going to go again."
Bruschi's career has been full of surprises. He has spent it all with one team, and he missed just seven games in 2005 after suffering a stroke early that year. Then came the unexpected trade of longtime linebacking teammate and friend Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs in February.
Bruschi's numbers were down in 2008. His 75 tackles were his second-fewest in the last six seasons, more than just the 62 he had when he played nine games in 2005 after his stroke. He had no sacks for the first time in his 13 seasons. And he missed the last three games because of a knee injury.
Bruschi appears healthy now, as he ran among the five stations set up at his one-day football camp on Tuesday to provide instruction in tackling, running, catching, kicking and throwing to children. Four teammates - linebacker Jerod Mayo, special-teams player Ray Ventrone, tight end David Thomas and kicker Stephen Gostkowski - and former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak each handled one station.
Bruschi held the camp for the second straight year on behalf of Savings Bank Life Insurance, for which he is a spokesman.
Bruschi doesn't know when he'll stop playing or what he'll do afterward, but his organized approach to Tuesday's camp showed some coaching skills. Bruschi set up the camp without help from his current coach, Bill Belichick.
"I've had this going on in my head for a while," Bruschi said. "I mapped out the field where the stations will be, how the guys will teach their fundamentals. It's a little Belichikian because I've been trying to keep it organized, and you heard me talking to the kids about getting better and doing their job."
Those are two of Belichick's key points to his players - get better each day and handle your duties.
"I know I can coach," Bruschi said. "I know the game. I've been in it so long, it's just going to be a matter of what I do when I'm done (playing). So I don't know. It's a passion of mine. I love football. I know I want to be in it. Let's just see what I'll be doing."
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