Drew Bledsoe: 'I think Peyton is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game'

Not to take anything away from him, but for a solid part of his career, Montana was able to throw to the incontrovertibly greatest player in the history of the NFL. Look at what Brady did when he got to throw to the second greatest wide receiver, who was still dangerous but out of his prime by the point he joined the Patriots.

brdmaverick said:

I suppose if you are Bledsoe you can't help but be somewhat unbiased against Brady. After all, he did suffer through public humiliatoin of being relegated to backup duty b/c of him. It must be tough not to be spiteful to some degree.

For that matter if you are any other NFL quarterback you must hate Brady, too. The guy has rings, the looks, the contract, and a supermodel wife. If we weren't fans of the team we'd probably hate him too. No one likes someone who has 'everything'.

Click to expand...

Given the timing of this 5 days before the "Legacy Bowl":

Mercury Bledsoe.

I would like to check the transcript as I have the impression that Bledsoe did try to evade the question at first. Then when Cowherd persisted he broached the comparison between the two teams (Colts and Patriots) in the years that 18 and 12 were injured. After pointing out the disparity in 2-14 and 11-5 he did say that if you were inclined to see Manning as the best, then this would be the best argument to defend the case. I didn't hear anything particularly bitter in his response, but of course its the summary that gets all the attention.

Personally I think it is a bad argument since the only major differences that are highlighted is how the teams were constructed, what their strategic plans were for following years and how well the star quarterback helped/coached/encouraged his backup.

1. The Colts were built around Manning and offense in particular. During the best years (Harrison/Wayne/Clark/James) they were a powerhouse, but with Harrison and James retiring or gone, Clark declining and health problems for Manning the Colts were unable to evolve the team as seamlessly as the Patriots.

2. The Patriots plan evolution on a yearly basis, moving from Moss/Welker to 2 TE's to running games on the Offense and an almost complete makeover on the D. That is not the Colts' way, instead they seized the opportunity of the upcoming availability of the highest rated/surest thing college QB and tanked the season.

I should also add the 2008 11-5 season was based on the easiest Strength of Schedule for Cassels takeover, (not that I intend to slight him)

3. Peyton has always had weak backups (Sorgi and Painter), whereas Tom has had much stronger ones (Cassel, Hoyer and Mallett), certainly good enough to start a decent number of games on other teams. Whether this is a result of Peyton not wanting the competition, or not encouraging or coaching his replacement I can't tell. But I do know that Tom has always had excellent relationships with those behind him on the depth chart, and they all seem to learn a lot from him.

Comparing Painter to Cassel - or a team with a winning goal against a team with a losing goal seems entirely fatuous, and totally irrelevant to comparing the supporting casts of two of the best QBs to ever throw the pigskin.

Bledsoe has earned his right to speak on the topic. A lot of people agree with him. I don't.

Moving on now. Nothing to see here.

Buchanty said:

3. Peyton has always had weak backups (Sorgi and Painter), whereas Tom has had much stronger ones (Cassel, Hoyer and Mallett), certainly good enough to start a decent number of games on other teams. Whether this is a result of Peyton not wanting the competition, or not encouraging or coaching his replacement I can't tell. But I do know that Tom has always had excellent relationships with those behind him on the depth chart, and they all seem to learn a lot from him.

Comparing Painter to Cassel - or a team with a winning goal against a team with a losing goal seems entirely fatuous, and totally irrelevant to comparing the supporting casts of two of the best QBs to ever throw the pigskin.

Click to expand...

The reason why the Patriots have had better backup QB's than Pay-Me-a-Ton is answered by the derogatory name I just used for him.

Part of Brady's greatness (that virtually no one takes into account) is that he financially allowed his franchise to do things other top level QB's scoffed at. Most eggregious of whom is Mr. Flacco who destroyed the Baltimore Ravens.

Buchanty said:

Comparing Painter to Cassel - or a team with a winning goal against a team with a losing goal seems entirely fatuous, and totally irrelevant to comparing the supporting casts of two of the best QBs to ever throw the pigskin.

Click to expand...

Also don't forget that the Colts were tanking the season to land Andrew Luck. In fact, once they had a firm hold on the #1 pick, they threw Dan Orlovsky in there instead of Painter. How did Orlovsky do? He went 2-0 before he got hurt.

Cassell went on to have a Pro Bowl season for the Chiefs. And, Cassell did win 7 fewer games than Brady with the same team, and Cassell had a very easy schedule that year.

stcjones said:

Ever play the game"......Drew Bledsoe with some surprising comments on cowherd moments ago....wow Drew

Click to expand...

"Father forgive him, he knows not what he says."

Sure, we're all happy Drew got his red jacket at the Razor, but does anyone actually care what he thinks?

Too much wine, Drew.

patsfan13 said:

Brady reads D's better than any Qb in history including Montana.

Click to expand...

Agreed. I think Brady makes it look easy because he's always throwing to the open guy.

Didn't Tedy Bruschi say the same thing as Bledsoe? Or was it Rodney Harrison?

shmessy said:

Given the timing of this 5 days before the "Legacy Bowl":

Mercury Bledsoe.

Click to expand...

lol....nice



On a related note Ryan Leaf is the greatest QB in Washington State history.................

Don't believe me, just wait for visiting hours and go ask him yourself.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

Not to disparage him either, but Montana had an offense genius as a coach who built an entire system around the skill sets of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

If there had been no Bill Walsh and no West Coast Offense, Montana likely would not have achieved near the level that he did. He did not have the size and arm strength to run, at a high level, the conventional offenses of the time. But Walsh gave him a whole array of quick reads on slants to give awesome run-after-catch numbers, and he became a QB genius indeed.

Click to expand...

Which is why he was the fourth QB taken in the draft, even after winning a National Championship at Notre Dame (without Bill Walsh or Jerry Rice.)

Intangibles. Sounds familiar.

Ivan said:

From one great regular season Quarterback to another.....................

Click to expand...

You beat me to it. I was going to say exactly the same thing.
It's a shame Drew's arse is still red.

Brady_to_Moss said:

Montana is the greatest drew

Click to expand...

Till Brady gets #4

moejr said:

Till Brady gets #4

Click to expand...

What about 5 & 6?

Dam, these grapes are sour

There is no nor will there ever be a definitive best QB of all time. Why does it seem to offend so many here, that Peyton receives some love. I think the guy deserves all the props he receives. He is a truly gifted quarterback.

Here's how I look at it. If he's the greatest QB of all time, what does that say about our team's mastery over him. If anything, it only serves to boost our accomplishments.

Brady, obviously, is a great QB in his own right but Brady is a team guy. I really don't think he cares about individual rankings. For Brady, being the best QB on the best team that accomplished more than any other is all that matters.

At the end of the day, its impossible to compare. Players play on different teams with different systems and with different teammates. When Brady beats Manning, its not just Brady beating Manning. Its Belichick, Brady, and the New England Patriots. That is the greatest thing about following this team. In an era dominated by media focus on individuals, we have the guy who only cares about team success. That's why I love this team (both current version and collective versions in BB/Brady era). I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let them crown Manning! Then watch as we smash the crown off his head and stomp it into a thousand pieces. That's what we do......As a team!!!

stcjones said:

Ever play the game"......Drew Bledsoe with some surprising comments on cowherd moments ago....wow Drew

Click to expand...

It's his opinion, fair enough. Excuse me for being above insulting someone because they say something I might not agree with.

I guess I must have misunderstood. When they said Bledsoe was retired and making wine I thought they meant to drink.

Drew's sour grapes are clouding his judgement.