Here, on the eve of a return to cracking heads with the teammates he has cheered from the sideline all season, is a place the Pro Bowl inside linebacker didn't anticipate revisiting. Bruschi started the season on the physically unable to perform list, an accurate description of someone who in the days following his stroke could barely complete everyday tasks, let alone launch himself into an opposing wide receiver.
''There were times in my mind that I thought I was done," said the 32-year-old Bruschi. ''I can't see. I can barely walk. How am I going to play football again? That's the way I felt."
But over the summer, Bruschi's condition improved with regular visits to Spaulding Rehabilitation Center and Gillette Stadium, where he worked with the Patriots' medical staff. Six weeks after the stroke, Bruschi passed a field-of-vision test, indicating that he didn't have to worry anymore about his greatest fear: losing his sight.
His strength returned, and he was able to sprint, leap, and lift weights. He appeared fit yesterday, proclaiming that he was near his most recent playing weight of 247 pounds.
He consulted with his physicians, including Dr. David Greer, the stroke neurology specialist who first put his hand on Bruschi's shoulder at Massachusetts General Hospital in February and informed the linebacker that he had suffered a stroke.
Bruschi also cited a breakfast at a favorite North Attleboro joint with his wife, Heidi, when they discussed his progress and how his doctors didn't think there was a reason he shouldn't return to football. After numerous assessments of his health, Bruschi decided it was time to return to practice, and he assured fans that his decision was anything but hasty or ill-informed.
''I can't express to [fans] enough how we've had the same concerns," said Bruschi, who relayed his thanks for the many e-mails, letters, and flowers sent to his home. ''We've had the same questions, myself and Heidi. We've gone through everything. That's why we've seen so many people.
