In speaking with Gary Guyton at a charity appearance this week, one thought that he shared was how he followed Tedy Bruschi's example on the football field. He told the story of how it left an impression on him when Bruschi was so hard on himself each day, holding himself to a higher standard.

So in carrying out an assignment for ESPNBoston.com that examined Guyton's role on the Patriots, reaching out to Bruschi himself seemed like the right place to start.

"One of the things you recognized right off the bat with Gary was the ability he has physically," Bruschi said. "He has good size and tremendous speed; he was the fastest linebacker in the draft coming out. He's very explosive. Now, what he has to do is transfer all that ability to playing inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, which isn't easy, as well as understanding what the coaches want from him. It took me a couple years to learn it. I see the potential in Gary to do that."

With this in mind, and when also factoring in the presence of Jerod Mayo and Tyrone McKenzie at the position, Bruschi said he doesn't believe adding a draft pick or free agent at inside linebacker will be a high priority for the team.