Projo Pats Blog

FOXBORO - These are excerpts from Tedy Bruschi's postgame press conference which was -- as one would expect -- very thoughtful, inspiring and honest.

(ON HIS PLAY)
"Being the first game back, that it felt like the first game back, and I still think I can get better. And conditioning wise, sure, sure, I mean it's my first game of the year, what do you expect? And just playing a little bit better, I think, I can almost get better doing that.

(ON HIS CONNECTION WITH HIS WIFE HEIDI DURING THE GAME)
"Just the connection of, 'Baby, we've come a long way and we've come a long way together.' And we've had conversations constantly about how we're going to do this or what is the next step. And you know, she has been by my side ever since we got married. You know, she is a wonderful wife and she is strong willed. And I think her being an ex‑athlete, she is an ex‑athlete also, she played volleyball and softball at Arizona also, she is really mentally strong and she can help me out at times of weakness, because I have had them and she has been there for me so I can lean on her. And just to see her in the stands, I know where she sits, and she is hard to miss with that blonde hair, but it is easy to find her. And I can see her smiling from way down where I am because I believe we were feeling the same emotions tonight and I believe we will continue to feel the same emotions for the rest of our lives."

(ON HIS IMPACT EMOTIONALLY)
"There was a time in my recuperation and healing where I just had to tell myself it is just time to get up and live your life the way you want to live. What are you going to do? And I wanted to pick myself up off the ground. And I am a football player by trade, it is what I do, so I did everything I could to make myself a football player again.

(ON WHAT OTHERS MAY DRAW FROM HIS RETURN)
"We have all gone through things in our lives. You know, it is all different. I had a stroke. I am sure people have lost loved ones or something happened, some other type of injury or something like that, and there comes a point where you just can't feel sorry for yourself anymore. You know, the minute I had my stroke and my doctor told me, I just wanted to know where we go from here, where we go from here and how do I get back. And I don't know how it has affected other people out there or anyone else, but mental toughness is something I pride myself on. And if you have support from friends and family and teammates, it is possible to overcome any obstacle. It is something that...I love my family and I love my sons, and it is something to where I don't like the saying 'Don't do as I do, do as I say.' I've heard that before. I want to tell my kids when they are older that when they are faced with an opportunity to take a chance in life or overcome obstacles or picking themselves up off the ground, my three sons, and it is either you get busy living or you just get busy dying. You know, and I like to say that I could give them experience from what I lived myself. I just want to tell them, you know, go for it, go for it, you know, you can do anything you want in life. I want to be able to have experiences myself where I am able to teach them those lessons because I have lived them myself."

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