Bledsoe: "didn't think it was fair" being replaced by Brady

[PatsFans.com Article]

Bledsoe: "didn't think it was fair" being replaced by Brady
By: John Morgan

Drew Bledsoe says on a radio interview that he didn't think it was fair at the time that he was replaced by Tom Brady during the 2001 season which ended in the franchise's first Super Bowl championship....

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[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Can you blame him?

The man signed a $100M contract and a year later he is riding the bench after the serious injury.

Of course this was for the better and for the future of the franchise but Bledsoe had EVERY right to be mad after being the starter and contributor to the community for years prior to Mo Lewis's hit.

Am I glad he was not sent back out to start?,obviously from a fans perspective it is a resounding yes.

 

[Keyser Söze]

I always remember Bledsoe's face after the SB win. TB was like "WE WON!!!" and he didn't look too thrilled.

 

[fair catch fryar]

I can see why he would be a little bitter about it, but does Bledsoe think it would've been fair if Brady would've been placed on the bench and Bledsoe allowed to play because it wasn't fair? Life isn't fair, sometimes it shouldn't be.

 

[Pujo]

I'm glad he had a chance to come in and score a TD for us in the AFCC.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I'm glad he had a chance to come in and score a TD for us in the AFCC.

IIRC Wasn't that the only time in Brady's career,other than Pollard's hit that Brady sat out for more than a few plays with an injury?

 

[BelichickFan]

What wouldn't have been fair would be to stick the players, fans and coaches with the lesser QB over Brady. It's not Bledsoe's fault that he happened to have a future hall of famer backing him up but it was 100% fair that he didn't get his job back - he wasn't the better QB even back then.

 

[reflexblue]

I'm glad he had a chance to come in and score a TD for us in the AFCC.

That was a Very important moment, brady got knocked out of the game and bledsoe comes in and plays a great game. The team was able to get to the SB because of bledsoes play. That being said i thought it was far, i don't think bledsoe could have taken the team to the SB.

 

[BelichickFan]

That was a Very important moment, brady got knocked out of the game and bledsoe comes in and plays a great game. The team was able to get to the SB because of bledsoes play.

He had the big TD pass/drive. Other than that he didn't have a great game and had a couple of WTF moments. He got us through, no more, no less.

Brady : 12-18-115
Bledsoe : 10-21-102

 

[signbabybrady]

I always remember Bledsoe's face after the SB win. TB was like "WE WON!!!" and he didn't look too thrilled.

I think you are reading to much into one image. I remember seeing shots of him celebrating with a big grin in the middle of the field like the rest of the team. I saw one pretty recently too maybe in the Brady6.

To your point I beleive he skipped the parade but who knows why.

 

[reflexblue]

He had the big TD pass/drive. Other than that he didn't have a great game and had a couple of WTF moments. He got us through, no more, no less.

Brady : 12-18-115
Bledsoe : 10-21-102

It was a long time ago but i remember him playing much better than that. But facts don't lie, Bledsoe wouldn't won a ring if it weren't for brady taking over the team.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

IIRC Wasn't that the only time in Brady's career,other than Pollard's hit that Brady sat out for more than a few plays with an injury?

I believe so.

The Pats have pulled him on other occasions, but not for injury.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Can you blame him?

The man signed a $100M contract and a year later he is riding the bench after the serious injury.

Of course this was for the better and for the future of the franchise but Bledsoe had EVERY right to be mad after being the starter and contributor to the community for years prior to Mo Lewis's hit.

Am I glad he was not sent back out to start?,obviously from a fans perspective it is a resounding yes.

I was not happy about a ten year contract. I was (embarrased fan comment) a Michael Bishop fan over Bledsoe for quite a while.

I always remember Bledsoe's face after the SB win. TB was like "WE WON!!!" and he didn't look too thrilled.

He wasnt. He was asked about that in some interview and said that he was happy the team had won but it wasnt his team.

I'm glad he had a chance to come in and score a TD for us in the AFCC.

And he should have been proud of that, instead he used that moment as leverage as to why he should play in the Super Bowl.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Yes - I don't think Bledsoe was shy about this at the time - and there were a bit a sour grapes upon his leaving...

There's some fans who believed back then that "you shouldn't lose your job due to injury" - I think Bledsoe felt the same way. Obviously no one would fault Belichick for having a standard of letting the best guy play in hindsight.

A few members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee have noted the negative feedback they've gotten from their nomination, and their understanding that neither Bledsoe nor Parcells had a storybook ending to their tenure - in neither case did they feel the bad outweighed the good however.

 

[RayClay]

I thought Bledsoe handled himself very well, considering how hard that must have been. Some good shots of he and Brady in the Brady six.

Of course, only one person could think his behavior compared to Parcells ditching on his team. I must say it's a great honor to have the greatest coach in franchise history posting here.

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

I appreciate everything Drew did for the franchise, but its professional football, not inter mural basketball. The best player gets to play.

Brady was better then Drew.

 

[Uncle Rico]

I heard the interview live and thought that Bledsoe was pretty gracious overall. Lots of praise for Brady and what he's become "on and off the field." Let's face it, that situation in '01 was tough. As a competitor you'd expect him to have disagreed with Belichick's decision, just like you understand why he said today he believes that season would have gone on and ended the same way with him at QB (I really don't think so.)

I have a lot of respect for the person I understand Bledsoe to be, and for a lot of what he did on the field. Brady's just better. Bledsoe did some good stuff in the AFCCG filling in, but I also remember several moments during that game where that old feeling of disaster being one play away crept in.

I think it was the Brady 6 special where you see Bledsoe saying to Brady after the SB win, "You are the man." Really, if you put yourself in Bledsoe's shoes in that situation (remembering that you're an elite level competitor), you can understand what it must have taken to say that in that situation.

 

[363839]

He had the big TD pass/drive. Other than that he didn't have a great game and had a couple of WTF moments. He got us through, no more, no less.

Brady : 12-18-115
Bledsoe : 10-21-102

Yup! I can still remember that hook shot he made to nobody when he was being pressured. Was that one of the WTF moments you're talking about?

 

[NE39]

I like Drew and don't blame him for feeling that way. It is natural for someone in that situation to be a little bitter. He was the face of the franchise and then was an afterthought not that long after suffering a tough injury.

That said, it is hard to argue it was anything but the right decision to stick with Brady. The fact is Brady came in and was a better player, and has proven to have a much better career. He got Wally Pipp-ed, but it was the right thing. They don't win a championship with Drew.

 

[Gainzo]

He had the big TD pass/drive. Other than that he didn't have a great game and had a couple of WTF moments. He got us through, no more, no less.

Brady : 12-18-115
Bledsoe : 10-21-102

I loved Drew back in the day but you are spot on with his "performance" in that game. It seemed Drew was trying to throw it to the Steelers all day long.

I think it was the 4th quarter when Bledsoe threw the ball directly at a D-Lineman, but thankfully the guy dropped it.