Krause: In every facet of the game, Bruschi was the Pats’ consummate pro

Some people are known in this business as go-to guys, because they’re the ones who – day in and day out, regardless of their individual fortunes – stand up and answer for the team.Johnny Damon was one of those guys when he was with the Red Sox, and so was Mo Vaughn. Kevin Garnett, in an incredibly short amount of time, became one for the Celtics.The Patriots have had several, including Troy Brown, Rodney Harrison and Tom Brady. But by far, the most popular of those go-to guys retired yesterday.After every win, every loss and every practice, Tedy Bruschi sat in front of his stall just inside the door that leads to the team lecture room and held court. And as we sit and dissect the many ways in which Bruschi was an exemplary teammate for the Patriots, that is one more.The horde of media covering National Football League teams can be intimidating to the more reticent among us. While some may simply assume that anyone making millions of dollars to play sports is capable of standing in front of a bunch of microphones and answering questions, it isn’t necessarily so. Some people – as talented as they are in their realm – just aren’t cut out to be media celebrities.Bruschi wouldn’t be mistaken for one, either. But no matter how ugly the loss, and disastrous the implications, Bruschi was there, ready – sometimes even eager – to put it in perspective.Naturally, you have to work your way up to being that kind of a lightning rod. Rookies don’t just come in and take over the locker room (in fact, the Patriots severely frown on rookies being media hounds). There’s an art to it, too. Bruschi, Brady, Harrison and Brown – to name four – were/are as accessible as any four athletes ever to play in Boston, yet not to the point where any of them could have been mistaken for Terrell Owens or Chad Ocho-whatever he calls himself.They are just guys who have always understood the jobs media people had to do, and the constraints under which we often work. And – in keeping with the total professionalism that has become the team’s trademark in the Bill Belichick era – they’ve always cooperated.This isn’t meant to imply that Bruschi’s value began and ended with his cooperation with the media. It’s more of an example about how the man’s class, and professionalism, just extended to every facet of being a Patriot. He spent the prime of his career on one of the best teams in this decade (if not the best), and he understood that such success meant wall-to-wall coverage. But he was also just as professional, and classy, when it came to other facets of his game. He even retired with class (Brett Favre, please take note!).Last year, the man who eventually made him expendable, Jerod Mayo, walked into the locker room and Bruschi immediately took him under his wing.When the camera-gate scandal unfolded, Bruschi had no problem standing there and defending his team’s accomplishments (in fact, having been there when he did it, I can tell you he was most emphatic about that).Belichick yesterday said Bruschi was the perfect football player. Nobody thinks that means Bruschi never blew a play. It means that whatever the situation called for, Bruschi delivered it.It’s often been said that coaches cannot be successful if their best players don’t buy into them. This is what makes Phil Jackson the success he is. His stars believe in him.Belichick did not have great success as a head coach prior to coming to the Patriots. But when he came here, men such as Bruschi, Brown, Brady, Harrison, and Mike Vrabel bought into his system, and his way of doing things, and, like disciples, spread the good word by their examples around that locker room.Bruschi and Brown were a lot alike in that neither of them were really what you’d call imposing by NFL standards. Both were a little undersized, and both would probably lose to most of their positional peers in a foot race.But both also made big plays. And as sports become increasingly specialized, this is becoming a lost art. Go back and reca