"I don't have anything written," he said of his halftime speech. "[I'm] here to thank the fans … It's gonna be off the top of my head."
Bruschi, speaking shortly after participating in the pregame coin toss, kept one eye on the beginning of the game while talking to reporters. He couldn't help but see hundreds of Bruschi jerseys in the crowd, and that's something that the former Pats linebacker never takes for granted.
"I've always said that's the biggest compliment fans ever gave me, to wear my jersey on their back and my name on their back," he said. "And I still see 'em once in a while and it's very flattering. It's a great honor to see that.
"I've always considered myself having a special relationship with the fans," he added. "I sort of grew with the organization. My career and my abilities as a player sort of grew with the organization becoming more successful."
Though Bruschi said last week that he was hoping for a snowstorm, all the weather gods gave him was a little flurry.
"It'll do," he said when asked if the flurry was enough. "Yes, it worked, didn't it?"
Bruschi, still just 37 years old, said he felt a bit "confused" to be giving a speech at halftime of a home game.
"This is so new for me, doing this," he said. "I'm used to seeing [Andre Tippett] doing it or Sam "Bam" Cunningham do it, and I guess I'm sort of venturing into that phase. … It's something that I've looked forward to doing."
To a certain extent, at least. After being patient enough to answer a few questions before the start of the game, Bruschi had finally decided it was time to watch the game.
"All right," he said with a deep breath. "I gotta watch this game, OK? I really do, OK?"
With that, Bruschi headed out. It was, after all, his night.
