2001 Hindsight... Brady vs Bledsoe

[ChoWZa]

I'm curious to know, and try to be honest.

In 2001 when Bledsoe was again healthy who did you think should continue starting for the New England Patriots.


In my opinion..

I thought we needed a change at QB, and I didn't think the change would ever come(Thank You, Mo Lewis.)

I'm talking middle of 2001 season to late 2001 season. Nothing past that.

I know I'm going to get haters for this thread but let me just nip that in the butt now and say that I DON'T CARE.

-ChoWZa

 

[Delicate Genius]

Brady.

I was never much of a Bledsoe fan to be honest.

 

[ChoWZa]

I'm not going to try to pretend that I knew the greatess of Tom Brady before he started, but I do remember thinking to myself.. You know I bet that Tom Brady guy can play.. I wish he'd get a chance.

 

[3 to be 4]

I'm not kidding when I say this: During the second half of the Jets game I was saying to myself, "this team is never going anywhere with Bledsoe but they just signed him to that huge contract. Our only chance is for him to get hurt" I wasnt wishing anything to happen to the guy but it was just true.
About 10 minutes later BLAM! Mo Lewis comes along.
And while obviously nobody knew what Tom Brady would be, I do remember his first series saying to myself as he was moving in the pocket "this guy is better"
During the first half of the game at Denver (before the 4 INTS) was the first time i said "he looks like Montana"

I was with Smerles and Sheppard on this one. I was on Brady bandwagon from the start.

 

[milwaukeebeers44]

I didn't ever really warm up to Bledsoe. Funny though, I wanted Rick Mirer in that draft (hey, hindsight is 20/20). But after the stagediving incident, I just decided I really didn't like Bledsoe all that much

 

[PatsFanSince74]

i honestly didn't have a view on TB at the time, but i always thought that Bledsoe was an extremely good quarterback who would never win a SB for the Pats, that he had had his shot in 96/97 and that he would never take them back.

 

[Murphys95]

At the time I absolutely thought Bledsoe should have remained the starter. Drew put his heart and soul into the Patriots, it was difficult to see him on the sidelines. Sure, in hindsight, it's easy to say Belichick made the right decision - but at the time, it was a struggle more many, many Pats fans to see Brady at the helm.

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

I didn't ever really warm up to Bledsoe. Funny though, I wanted Rick Mirer in that draft (hey, hindsight is 20/20). But after the stagediving incident, I just decided I really didn't like Bledsoe all that much

LOL ..... I'm glad I'm not the only one.

 

[Krazy Koz]

At the time I absolutely thought Bledsoe should have remained the starter. Drew put his heart and soul into the Patriots, it was difficult to see him on the sidelines. Sure, in hindsight, it's easy to say Belichick made the right decision - but at the time, it was a struggle more many, many Pats fans to see Brady at the helm.

This got me thinking of how hard it will be when the day comes to see Brady walk away from the Pats or football (as he'll always be a Pat to me). It will be a hard time. :bricks:

 

[ghostPatsfan]

I was one of the fans who thought Drew should have been reinstated as the starter. I wasn't crazy-adamant about it, but I honestly was waiting that entire season, right up until that final drive to win the Super Bowl, for this kid Brady to come back down to earth. It just all seemed to good to be true and that the carriage would turn back into a pumpkin at any moment.

Rarely have I been so happy to be wrong.

 

[curlyhboyfriend]

I was one of the fans who thought Drew should have been reinstated as the starter. I wasn't crazy-adamant about it, but I honestly was waiting that entire season, right up until that final drive to win the Super Bowl, for this kid Brady to come back down to earth. It just all seemed to good to be true and that the carriage would turn back into a pumpkin at any moment.

Rarely have I been so happy to be wrong.

I am right with you ghost. I thought the coaching staff was doing a great job of handling TB and sooner or later, like the second time around the batting order they would figure him out. As far as Drew, at the time I was lucky enough to be going to alot of Pats games and Drew had provided a lot of highlights over that time.

 

[Boston Jay]

Personally I didn't think too highly of Bledsoe (and neither did my mom "omg, look at the statue!!") either before the Mo Lewis incident. I thought we were stuck with him forever and then some because of his crazy 103 million dollar contract. I was skeptical before the Indy game that Tom Brady could lead this team anywhere. Then I became a little optimistic.. very content we made the playoffs with a bye.. then giddy as a schoolgirl (well technically I was one) at the onset of the SB.

 

[shmessy]

I was rooting for Huard.

 

[italian pat patriot]

i was 'pro-Brady' but i respected a lot, and i respect him still today, Drew Bledsoe

 

[PromisedLand]

I am not going to claim I knew Brady was a keeper right away, but by the time we got to 5-5 (and 5-3 with Brady starting vs 5-13 the previous 2 years under Bledsoe) I was convinced he was better than Drew.

I realized what a true winner he is in the Snow Bowl, but I was beginning to get an inking when we played the Jets in week 13 or 14 (IIRC) - down 16-3 at halftime, Brady rallies the troops in the second half for a 17-16 victory. (Scores may not be exactly right, but the point remains.)

 

[godef]

I noticed right from the start that Brady seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, knew when to step up in the pocket to buy that extra second to launch a pass. If Bledsoe moved in the pocket, he was off to the sidelines.

 

[PatsDeb]

Where is the, "I thought we should stick with the hot hand, but watch that blow up in our faces" button? Thank God it never did, and the rest is history!!

 

[Fencer]

I had been very high on Bledsoe after the broken-finger heroism, then had grown disillusioned.

So I was in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp about Brady/Bledsoe.

 

[PromisedLand]

I had been very high on Bledsoe after the broken-finger heroism, then had grown disillusioned.

So I was in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp about Brady/Bledsoe.

I am not a big fan of his, but I will say this for Drew: he was not a whiner or a malingerer. The finger incident was perhaps the most outstanding example, but I am sure he played with injuries many other times.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

"The Pats got rid of the wrong QB"

-PFnV, 2002