Some Stats that will make you go...hmmm

I was never a Drew Bledsoe pimper. And I would NEVER contend that he is better than Brady. No one would. But in the 15 odd years since Drew left NE, I think, as a fan base, we have forgotten just how good Drew Bledsoe WAS, especially when you think back and remember most of his yards were gained in the PRE-flag football era. BTW- I include myself in this category. So when I saw these stats in a MMQB column that was referenced in another thread, I thought it might be time to let some of the younger Pats fans (like myself ), just how LUCKY we have been at the QB position since 1994.

"• Yards. His 44,611 yards exceeds Dan Fouts, Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas.
• Touchdown passes. His 251 TD throws beats out Jim Kelly, Steve Young and Terry Bradshaw.
• Passing yards per game. His average of 230.0 is 10 higher than John Elway’s.

And the comparison with Tom Brady is compelling:

• Each man has averaged 34.6 pass attempts per game.
• Bledsoe played 124 games for New England, and set the franchise record for passing yards with 29,657. And it was in Brady’s 124th game for the Patriots that he broke Bledsoe’s yardage record."

I was these comparisons with Fouts, Young and even Brady that caught me by surprise

For all his passing accomplishments, the ONE thing that I will always remember Bledsoe for was his TOUGHNESS. In his most productive years, he wasn't playing in any quick release offenses. He was a the prototypical 7 step drop QB, who stood in the pocket and slung it. And in the process of doing that absorbed some huge hits behind some pretty suspect OL's, and never flinched, or complained.

I'm a New Englander so THAT is what endeared me to Drew....and Steve Grogan before him... and Tom Brady after him. That and their respective insatiable drive to win, and the effort they showed in the attempt....EVERY TIME. That is the FIRST requisite we demand of our pro athletes here, and Drew had it..in spades.

Just sayin'

Good stuff, PFK.

I loved Drew and was beyond happy when we drafted him. Of course, after having to suffer through that Eason/Wilson/Hodson/Millen fiasco, who wouldn't be elated.

I think we all had a favorite QB (Pre-TB12) and his name was Drew Bledsoe. A class act through and through and obviously extremely talented. Some of those stats really illustrate that; it's amazing how underrated DB was/is (even to us) when compared to some of the greats his #'s exceed. Nice post PFK

patfanken said:

And the comparison with Tom Brady is compelling:

• Each man has averaged 34.6 pass attempts per game.
• Bledsoe played 124 games for New England, and set the franchise record for passing yards with 29,657. And it was in Brady’s 124th game for the Patriots that he broke Bledsoe’s yardage record."

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The evidence is compelling but not even close to overwhelming.

He was a good, tough QB who threw a ****load of TDs and INTs. His regular season record was .500 and his playoff numbers were bad.

When I started following the team in 1996 (I was 10 at the time), Drew Bledsoe was my idol. He was spectacular and fun to watch. I was so unhappy when we lost to the Parkers and crushed when he got hurt in 2001. Ironically enough, I didn't want BB to play him in the SB, I was a TB fan by then - 15-year-old boys don't have a lot of loyalty haha.

The Pats were the only team easy to follow from Quebec as we got all the games via Vermont's CBS affiliate (and we still do). I was quite surprised to see so many license plates from home when I went to the game last week... before I thought about my own history with the team.

Drew was a great one and I am glad that most of us recognize it. I am very happy that he has been put in the Pats HOF.

He was the "Guy" , when my wifes family "adopted" me into the New England life. I'm very spoiled. I've only known success. I could have very easily married a women from NY.

its absurd of course .. but just for fun .. and to show what an explosive start JG had this year ...

If he would keep his 1.5 game yds average (330) he would have accumulated 41.000 in the 124 games
throwing 330 TDs in the process ..

(then again .. he would also have accumulated 82 injuries / missed weeks)

its really incredible that both Bledsoe and Brady could stay that healthy
and that the one injury .. made all of this possible

Silver Blue&Red said:

He was the "Guy" , when my wifes family "adopted" me into the New England life. I'm very spoiled. I've only known success. I could have very easily married a women from NY.

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Then you might be posting in Gang Green about your quarterback Fitz..

long distance said:

its absurd of course .. but just for fun .. and to show what an explosive start JG had this year ...

If he would keep his 1.5 game yds average (330) he would have accumulated 41.000 in the 124 games
throwing 330 TDs in the process ..

(then again .. he would also have accumulated 82 injuries / missed weeks)

its really incredible that both Bledsoe and Brady could stay that healthy
and that the one injury .. made all of this possible

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Butterfly effect.

robertweathers said:

The evidence is compelling but not even close to overwhelming.

He was a good, tough QB who threw a ****load of TDs and INTs. His regular season record was .500 and his playoff numbers were bad.

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I wasn't a Patriots fan at the time so my comments might be totally off-base, but saw him quite a bit over the years. And I always thought a lot of those INTs and poor playoff games were because he forced a lot of things. I don't know if it was a lack of trust in others or too much trust in receivers, but seemed like he would rather risk a throw on 3rd down than the safe play to punt. Maybe some older fans can correct me on that, but that's what it looked like outside of New England. And it felt like on some of those teams, that was the only way they could win if Drew had a big day.

Which is a long way of saying I don't necessarily blame all of those INTs on poor reads or lack of awareness like with many QBs. It wasn't a mistake or a lack of intelligence when he threw that ball up sometimes. It was just felt like desperation, like I'd rather chuck it down the field and take my chances instead of punting it away, and if I throw it far enough and it gets intercepted, it will be just like a pick anyways.

For example, the splits missed out on his rookie season, but for the rest of his career, over 51% of Bledsoe's pass attempts were while trailing in games. For Brady, that's 33% of his attempts. And maybe that made him a bit more desperate, a bit more on edge, a bit more willing to push the envelope.

I liked Drew, I was amazed Brady took his job at the time. But looking back, I can see why BB wouldn't want a gambler/gunslinger like Drew back there.

convertedpatsfan said:

I liked Drew, I was amazed Brady took his job at the time. But looking back, I can see why BB wouldn't want a gambler/gunslinger like Drew back there.

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I loved Bledsoe and thought they were crazy to bench him. In the AFCGC, first with Brady and after when Drew came in, it was pretty obvious that Brady was the much better QB.

Drew was a classic slinger and a gambler. When it worked, it was beautiful. When it did not, well...

robertweathers said:

The evidence is compelling but not even close to overwhelming.

He was a good, tough QB who threw a ****load of TDs and INTs. His regular season record was .500 and his playoff numbers were bad.

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Drew was good, (and helped rescue the franchise, for which I will always call him great), but his one biggest problem was that he REFUSED TO LEARN. BB came in and tried, but DB just wanted to do things his way that was hit or miss. BB highly values (rightly so) ballcontrol, [a sack or toss out of bounds on 3d and punt on 4th is Better than tossing a risky throw and getting 20% int'd]. DB couldn't/wouldnt and TB listened.

Drew was awesome. One has to wonder how his career could have been even better if Parcels didn't leave or if he didn't get hurt and got more time with BB. Of course I love how things wound up so oh well.

robertweathers said:

The evidence is compelling but not even close to overwhelming.

He was a good, tough QB who threw a ****load of TDs and INTs. His regular season record was .500 and his playoff numbers were bad.

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wins are not a QB stat

mosi said:

I loved Bledsoe and thought they were crazy to bench him. In the AFCGC, first with Brady and after when Drew came in, it was pretty obvious that Brady was the much better QB.

Drew was a classic slinger and a gambler. When it worked, it was beautiful. When it did not, well...

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he was a gunslinger when gunslingers were a dying breed - one could make a lot of the same arguments about favre, he didn't change with the game, his supreme confidence in his arm caused him to force throws and caused INTs

i'd contend with history being even more kind to Bledsoe had he come into the league 5 years earlier....


if he had the roster that some of his contemporary 'last of the gunslingers' had, well.....

yukon cornelius said:

wins are not a QB stat

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When judging QBs, there is no greater stat

signbabybrady said:

Drew was awesome. One has to wonder how his career could have been even better if Parcels didn't leave or if he didn't get hurt and got more time with BB. Of course I love how things wound up so oh well.

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We saw him under the greatest coach ever and he was average to below average

robertweathers said:

When judging QBs, there is no greater stat

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What about Drew Brees? He's no Brady, but he's better than what his team puts up for wins.

robertweathers said:

When judging QBs, there is no greater stat

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completely disagree......QB gets too much credit & too much blame

if there's one thing the Patriots especially should have taught you, football is the ultimate team sport - you can't ride your ace on the mound through a lights out 9-inning performance for the win

can a great QB elevate a team? Sure. Can a mediocre QB manage the game and stay within themselves and let others do the heavy lifting? yup

a GREAT QB is an asset.....but as much as I can't stand Dan Marino, he was one of the most gifted QB's to ever play the game; to judge him on his lack of a ring is silly

robertweathers said:

We saw him under the greatest coach ever and he was average to below average

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you saw him at the tail end of his career when the evolution of the game was passing his style of play by; Drew had the misfortune to come into the league when his skillset was tied to an era of the game that was quickly changing