Bledsoe's departure from New England

[dalero]

The open letter that Drew wrote to all the New England fans and had published in the local papers after the trade was incredibly heart felt and touching. He may have been bitter about the way things worked out for him but he was a class act from day one till the day he left. He's a large part in why the Pats are what they are today.

 

[Urgent]

Drew Bledsoe is perhaps the classiest athlete the Patriots ever had.

I took out that ad and tacked it to my son's wall, as a lesson in what being a man was.

[snide]Other than LaDanian Tomlinson, probably the classiest guy in the NFL.[/snide]

While the situation was ugly, Drew never let the relationship become ugly.

I was really glad he got a chance to play in the AFC Championship, and help get the Pats to the Super Bowl from the field.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Would you consider this departure "ugly"?

Anytime a player who's contributed so much to an organization departs it's ugly, to some degree anyway. Drew was a classy player and was instrumental in elevating this franchise into respectability; I think everyone knew that and obviously Brady was the right choice.

My definition of a really UGLY departure was that of Lawyer Milloy.

 

[RayClay]

Let's see:

29 years old, prime of his career
2 years into a $103 million dollar contract
Gets hurt busting his butt for the team
Gets healthy, never starts again, replaced by a 6th round pick
Hangs out on the sideline looking like he is attending a wake (ended up being his own)
Looks like is crowning a turd after they win the superbowl and Brady is screaming " we won! "
Bails on the SB Parade

My guess would be: he was pissed, wanted to strangle BB, but due to $$$$ he bit his tongue. BB thought he was over rated and couldn't wait to dispose of him at the end of the season. Only difference is they never went public with their feelings.

So, was it ugly? Yes. Did the ugliness spill over into the media? Not really.

It wasn't ugly at all. You just listed all the reasons it could have been ugly if it was handled poorly, but it was handled well.

BB made a decision and stuck with it. Had they had tryouts for the starting job each practice week it could have been ugly, so he short circuited that at the risk of being called unfair.

Bledsoe continued to help Brady from all reports and won us a playoff game against Pittsburgh (marginal, but he got the big TD and allowed their STs to do the rest).

At season's end he was traded to a team that needed a starter and we got a good pick. Bledsoe showed class with a full page ad thanking the fans and Brady thanked him for everything.

An extremely difficult decision was handled with professionalism. It may have been sad, but that prevented it from getting ugly.

 

[LuRkeR1978]

 

[spacecrime]

I didn't say it was ugly. He wasn't calling the Lions tell them how to beat the Pats, but I got the sense Drew was bitter about 2001 and getting his ring from the bench.

I didn't get this at all. I liked his full page ad, and I liked the way he took over in Buffalo. If they hadn't cut Centers, Price and Riemmerswa (sp?) teh Bills could have been a lot better.

Always felt Bledsoe was a class act.

And although the Pats did get rid of him, they did not trade him to the Bengals when they made an offeer and Bledsoe said he didn't want to be there.

I thought the trade worked out good for both sides, and was amicable. It was a love fest compared to Favre's leaving.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Drew is a good man and I appreciate what he did for our team.

 

[Fencer]

Let's see:

29 years old, prime of his career
2 years into a $103 million dollar contract
Gets hurt busting his butt for the team
Gets healthy, never starts again, replaced by a 6th round pick
Hangs out on the sideline looking like he is attending a wake (ended up being his own)
Looks like is crowning a turd after they win the superbowl and Brady is screaming " we won! "
Bails on the SB Parade

My guess would be: he was pissed, wanted to strangle BB, but due to $$$$ he bit his tongue. BB thought he was over rated and couldn't wait to dispose of him at the end of the season. Only difference is they never went public with their feelings.

So, was it ugly? Yes. Did the ugliness spill over into the media? Not really.

Bledsoe did two bad things.

1. He leaked his claim that BB lied to him, mid-season. It was a huge story in the Globe.

2. He was visibly unhappy at the Super Bowl, didn't go to the parade, and basically didn't enjoy the win on behalf of his teammates and fans, which I find hard to understand even if he didn't care about it for himself.

Other than that he was a class act all the way.

Those two are enough to make it not-pretty. But they fall far short of "ugly".

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

It was a wake up call for Drew, but after 1 solid yr in Buffalo and a solid yr in Dallas, it was pretty much done.. However, TO Did not do him any favors in Dallas, and all of the other former Cowboys, Irvin and Sanders wanted Romo to start over Bledsoe...

Drew was gulity of taken his job for granted, he did not want to be a back up, once he found out he cant start anymore he walked away..

But still had some good memories with Bledsoe, and was a key to rebirth of football in New England

 

[FirstAndGoal]

Drew will always be a Patriot. There was an article last year about him and he plays on a flag football team called.....the Patriots.

I'm sure it was a bitter parting but the organization and he have put that past them. Wasn't he part of the HOF festivities this year?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

As a Brady fan, I was very glad to see him benched having given up on Drew as a winner a couple years previously. Understandably, Drew didn't agree with the Pats QB decision. As would any of us be, he was seriously distraught. But aside from talking to a few close contacts in the press (he's human) he handled the situation as well as a person could who was visibly demoted in public. He wanted to be a starter and all realized that wouldn't happen here. Loved his departing letter.

He is wealthy, healthy and happy with his loving family now. I admire his value system.

 

[Lifer]

Drew Bledsoe is perhaps the classiest athlete the Patriots ever had.

I took out that ad and tacked it to my son's wall, as a lesson in what being a man was.

[snide]Other than LaDanian Tomlinson, probably the classiest guy in the NFL.[/snide]

While the situation was ugly, Drew never let the relationship become ugly.

I was really glad he got a chance to play in the AFC Championship, and help get the Pats to the Super Bowl from the field.

classiest athlete the Patriots ever had......

lets not go overboard.

is that girl he landed on in the mosh pit still paralyzed??

imagine if Paul Pierce or Manny did that.

 

[Deus Irae]

classiest athlete the Patriots ever had......

lets not go overboard.

is that girl he landed on in the mosh pit still paralyzed??

imagine if Paul Pierce or Manny did that.

What does injuring someone in that manner have to do with class?

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Thanks for posting this.

A great example of how to walk away with dignity and class even though it would have been killing him internally for being the face of the franchise until that injury and then getting benched/shipped out. I am sure he was pissed off with BB and CW if they had misleaded him, but salute him for putting the team first and not tearing down them and the team in public.

Footnote: MC bashers here have pointed out that Brady had no Moss or Welker in his first season. No one know what help Bledose might have given Brady, but I would think that having Bledsoe on the sideline to explain and guide during the actual game might have given Brady a lot more comfort that he has the former QB to rely upon in understanding the plays developing and what else could be done. A key intangible IMO that MC doesn't possess...