Everyone said the same thing about Andre Tippett as well.. Because he was over-shadowed by Lawrence Taylor.
But you missed some things in today's Press Conference that were pretty telling, IMHO. Belichick, who is never one to give praise lightly, said this about Bruschi...
1) Called him the Perfect Player
2) Called him an ALL PRO
3) Called him the BEST LB he's ever coached.
Ok. The 1st is pretty laudable. The 2nd had me curious. But the last one floored me. Especially since Belichick has coached guys like Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, and Harry Carson.. And Belichick called Bruschi the BEST. And, had you watched it, Belichick wasn't saying it out of posterity or out of false pretenses. His face said he meant it.
Another thing that surprised me was the report on AOL. The title read"
NFL STAR RETIRES...
Tedy Bruschi Retires -- Nfl FanHouse
If we're such "NE FAN BOYS" why would an AP reporter who doesn't regularly cover the Patriots call Bruschi an "NFL STAR."
While Bruschi didn't have the DPOY award or the SB MVP (though a good case could have been made for him in SB39 against the Eagles), or 1st Team ALL PRO Awards (no such thing as ALL PRO appearances as ALL PRO doesn't = PRO BOWL). Bruschi does have other things..
Here are Bruschi's numbers:
189 Games Played
139 Starts
30.5 Sacks
12 Interceptions (including 4 consecutive for TDs)
44 Passes Defensed
16 Forced Fumbles
2 2nd Teamm ALL PRO AWARDS (2003/2004)
5 SB Appearances
3 SB Victories
13 seasons with the same team
BTW, Bruschi's numbers are almost identical to Harry Carson's numbers.. And Harry Carson is considered one of the Best ILBs to play the game.
Bruschi didn't get the noteriety that Carson got because Carson had Taylor and Banks around him while Bruschi had Ted Johnson, Mike Vrabel, and Willie McGinest. It doesn't lessen either player.