The Cowboys are expected to cut Drew Bledsoe this week

[Amnorix]

I hope Drew lands a starting job somewhere. I think he could still be decent with a team that has a good offensive line. He's probably too proud to take a backup role but he would probably make a good mentor for a young QB.

Regardless, I think he should get in the HOF. Everyone always dismisses him but they can't dismiss the fact that he is 7th all time in passing yards and 13th all time in passing TD's.

He was huge in putting the Patriots back on the map. Also I will never forget him coming off the bench in the championship game vs the Steelers and leading us to victory. If he wasn't our backup, this dynasty may never have been born.

If not for Parcells having his head up the Jets ass in SB XXX1, he might have had 2 SB rings as well.

Drew is the ultimate in proving that stats are worthless.

And when your watchin him "lead us to victory" over the Steelers, keep in mind that it was one sweet drive at the end of the half, and an entire second half that was mostly cover-your-eyes awful, including one insane behind the back throw-away to avoid a sack that was truly idiotic.

That game reminded me why Brady was the better QB, and left no doubt in my mind who would start the SB if healthy.

Drew was a fine player for alotta years, but definitely not HOF worthy.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm no apologist for Drew Bledsoe, as anyone who was with me and heard me scream at my TV during too many games that he played while with the Pats. And, only Drew can decide what's best for him and what job he would or wouldn't take. Indeed, we can all argue forever (as I often have) about whether he was terminally afflicted by an inability to come through in big games, but, like another poster, I will never forget the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh in 2002--whether it was one drive or five. He has had a full career and would, IMHO, not go to Canton only because he had the misfortune to have his career overlap with those of, among others, Aikman, Brady, Elway, Favre and P. Manning.

Out of respect for his contributions to the Pats, here are Drew Bledsoe's career stats to date, compared to the medians for the HOF QB's from the SB era from a database that I keep (i.e., of the 17 Quarterbacks in Canton who started an NFL game since 1966):

Games Played: 194 (17 HOF QB Median: 192--i.e., half of the 17 played more than 192 games and half played fewer than 192 games)
Completions: 3,839 (2,830--surpassed on the list only by Elway, Marino and Moon)
Attempts: 6,717 (4,715)
Completion Percent: 57.2% (57.1--surpassed on the list by Aikman, Fouts, Kelly, Marino, Montana, Moon, Starr and Young)
Passing Yards: 44,611 (33,124--surpassed on the list only by Elway, Marino, Moon and Tarkenton)
Yards per Attempt: 6.64 (7.42)
Passing TD's: 251 (239)
INT's: 206 (189)
TD's % of Attempts: 3.7% (5.1)
INT's % of Attempts: 3.1% (4.1)
Passing TD/INT Ratio: 1.22 (1.29)
Rushes: 385 (326)
Rushing Yards: 764 (1,308)
Yards per Rush: 1.98 (3.81)
Rushing Yards per Game: 3.94 (6.67)
Rushing TD's: 10 (15)
Fumbles: 120 (76)
Fumbles per Game: .62 (.40)

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

That AFCCG game in Pittsburgh...

Yes, Drew DOES finish off the drive Brady made into Pitt territory with the Patten TD.
Then in typical Drew fashion he goes through the next 30+ minutes on the brink of disaster.
Throws the totally unnecessary and unthinking (a Bledsoe trademark) pass backwards over his head, thankfully not intercepted but no thanks to Drew.
Throws another short pass right into the chest of an onrushing Squealer LB. Thankfully, the LB had Ben Watson hands. No INT for a walk in TD.
Does little POSITIVE on offense after finishing Brady's drive.

The Bledsoe Krishna religion still thrives.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

That AFCCG game in Pittsburgh...

Yes, Drew DOES finish off the drive Brady made into Pitt territory with the Patten TD.
Then in typical Drew fashion he goes through the next 30+ minutes on the brink of disaster.
Throws the totally unnecessary and unthinking (a Bledsoe trademark) pass backwards over his head, thankfully not intercepted but no thanks to Drew.
Throws another short pass right into the chest of an onrushing Squealer LB. Thankfully, the LB had Ben Watson hands. No INT for a walk in TD.
Does little POSITIVE on offense after finishing Brady's drive.

The Bledsoe Krishna religion still thrives.

As I said earlier, I am no apologist for Drew Bledsoe and can't believe that I am actually defending him, but we won the game, in Pittsburgh, against a favored opponent (10 points +/-, I believe) with our starting QB injured. That's gotta say something about the guy who was standing over center.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

As I said earlier, I am no apologist for Drew Bledsoe and can't believe that I am actually defending him, but we won the game, in Pittsburgh, against a favored opponent (10 points +/-, I believe) with our starting QB injured. That's gotta say something about the guy who was standing over center.

Here's an excerpt from Patriots Reign that about sums it up:

"Brady sprained his left ankle in the second quarter and was replaced by Bledsoe. The veteran excitedly ran on the field and began whipping passes. He threw a TD pass to David Patten and made two difficult completions to Brown and fullback Marc Edwards. He completed 10 of his 21 passes that day for 102 yards. When it was over, he cried.

As emotional as the Pittsburgh came was - Bledsoe received a game ball - the quarterback was still being evaluated. According to the coaches' game breakdowns, Bledsoe's statistics were: one mental error, four bad throws and four bad choices."

It goes on to say while rust could be cited as an excuse, that was not how Belichick viewed it. Which was likely due to the fact that he had been viewing it over the course several seasons either as his HC, the DC who exposed his weaknesses or as the DC to his former HC. Mental mistakes, bad decisions, ill advised throws - rinse-spin-repeat. That was Bledsoe's downfall in a nutshell.

He is not a cerebral QB by his own admission. He's not a guy who relishes the grind of game film and practice. He's just a guy with a big arm and an equal ego who lives to just go out there and just f'en sling it (as he advised Brady to in the closing minute and seventeen seconds of XXXVI - as his HC and OC were admonishing him to go for the score but be careful with the ball). In that same situation, pinned back near our own goaline with no TO's remaining, and needing roughly 50 yards for a FG from a guy who had never missed in a dome, the odds are Drew would have thrown a pick that broke the tie or set up a Rams FG to break the tie. Or regulation would have ended in a tie and we would have either lost the coin toss in OT to a team now scoring at will OR he would have just thrown that pick in OT.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Drew is the ultimate in proving that stats are worthless.

And when your watchin him "lead us to victory" over the Steelers, keep in mind that it was one sweet drive at the end of the half, and an entire second half that was mostly cover-your-eyes awful, including one insane behind the back throw-away to avoid a sack that was truly idiotic.

That game reminded me why Brady was the better QB, and left no doubt in my mind who would start the SB if healthy.

Drew was a fine player for alotta years, but definitely not HOF worthy.

Totally agree, I was a big Drew Bledsoe fan, but then just keep seeing he was more worried about what hat to wear on the sidline, or what time the jet is leaving for Montana... If you ever notice, Brady rarley wears a hat on sidline..

 

[Gunnails]

Totally agree, I was a big Drew Bledsoe fan, but then just keep seeing he was more worried about what hat to wear on the sidline, or what time the jet is leaving for Montana... If you ever notice, Brady rarley wears a hat on sidline..

---------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, I never noticed, kinda makes you think.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

As I said earlier, I am no apologist for Drew Bledsoe and can't believe that I am actually defending him

You might want to reflect why your internal self-perception is so at odds with your external behaviour.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

You might want to reflect why your internal self-perception is so at odds with your external behaviour.

thank you, Dr. Freud.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Here's an excerpt from Patriots Reign that about sums it up:

"Brady sprained his left ankle in the second quarter and was replaced by Bledsoe. The veteran excitedly ran on the field and began whipping passes. He threw a TD pass to David Patten and made two difficult completions to Brown and fullback Marc Edwards. He completed 10 of his 21 passes that day for 102 yards. When it was over, he cried.

As emotional as the Pittsburgh came was - Bledsoe received a game ball - the quarterback was still being evaluated. According to the coaches' game breakdowns, Bledsoe's statistics were: one mental error, four bad throws and four bad choices."

It goes on to say while rust could be cited as an excuse, that was not how Belichick viewed it. Which was likely due to the fact that he had been viewing it over the course several seasons either as his HC, the DC who exposed his weaknesses or as the DC to his former HC. Mental mistakes, bad decisions, ill advised throws - rinse-spin-repeat. That was Bledsoe's downfall in a nutshell.

He is not a cerebral QB by his own admission. He's not a guy who relishes the grind of game film and practice. He's just a guy with a big arm and an equal ego who lives to just go out there and just f'en sling it (as he advised Brady to in the closing minute and seventeen seconds of XXXVI - as his HC and OC were admonishing him to go for the score but be careful with the ball). In that same situation, pinned back near our own goaline with no TO's remaining, and needing roughly 50 yards for a FG from a guy who had never missed in a dome, the odds are Drew would have thrown a pick that broke the tie or set up a Rams FG to break the tie. Or regulation would have ended in a tie and we would have either lost the coin toss in OT to a team now scoring at will OR he would have just thrown that pick in OT.

OK. OK. "Uncle." I recant. :bricks: