I always felt like I was one of them,” Bruschi said of Patriots fans. “I never felt like I was some type of special person, or I was any different than the people up there cheering on the Patriots. I always felt the New England Patriots fans, they did their work, they got their work done, they liked to come home and spend time with their families and when they had free time, they liked to cheer on their favorite team. "And that, I feel like that’s who I am also,” he added. “If I wasn’t fortunate enough to play professional football, that’s who I would’ve been. A good family man to my wife and kids and then cheering on my local team, I think that’s who I would be, that’s why I relate so much to them.