where do you put Drew in the best qb list NE ever had ?

[italian pat patriot]

perhaps it is a easy answer to put him at n.2 ?

here my top 6 picks:

1- Tom Brady
2- Drew Bledsoe
3- Steve Grogan
4- Babe Parilli
5- Tony Eason
6 - Plunkett

 

[DaBruinz]

Not sure I would have Eason as top 5 candidate.

Personally, I put Bledsoe behind Grogan.

 

[PromisedLand]

perhaps it is a easy answer to put him at n.2 ?

here my top 6 picks:

1- Tom Brady
2- Drew Bledsoe
3- Steve Grogan
4- Babe Parilli
5- Tony Eason
6 - Plunkett

Some might argue that Grogan was better than Bledsoe, but otherwise it's hard to argue with that order.

 

[italian pat patriot]

...also because, correct me if i am wrong, the list it is not so difficult...

the reason why i have a good feeling with Eason it is because i loved our Super Bowl run that year (1985) and Tony Eason was imo very good on that year and , honestly , not only that year

the reason we arrived to the Super Bowl in my eyes are giving a lot of credit to Eason (of course we have to forget the Super Bowl - imho we would have lost anyway against that CHI team)

so, for me, a solid n.5

 

[drewdagreat]

Definitely 2 or 3.

 

[biffman]

I'd put Bledsoe second as well. But there is a big gap between 1 and 2.

 

[shakadave]

Here are my top 5 picks, ranking each at his best, with an artificial system of quality points added for interest:

1- Tom Brady (96 pts.)
2- Tony Eason (90 pts) (not talking about the long haul, obviously, but at his peak of surgical coolness)
3- Steve Grogan (89 pts.) (bootlegs and bombs to Morgan)
4- Drew Bledsoe (87 pts.) (loved and respected, but mentally limited in what he could do for us. Sure could sling it though!)
5- Flutie (84 pts) (reached 91 while with Buffalo, however)
6+ Plunkett & earlier --- I just didn't see 'em.

 

[godef]

Not sure I would have Eason as top 5 candidate.

Personally, I put Bledsoe behind Grogan.

You forget how purely talented a passer Eason was. He personally carried the Pats on his shoulders in 1987 after the retirement of John Hannah and the collapse of the running game. The problem with Eason was that he was not as dedicated a career player as Grogan, Brady or Bledsoe.

The reason it is difficut to compare the QBs is because they all brought different levels of plusses and minuses to the table. Brady is ultaimtely the best because of his willingness to do the homework. Grogran perservered on pure guts, but made too many mistakes. Bledsoe relied too much on his talent and thus also made mistakes, which becamwe his ultimate downfall. Eason could have been a great QB if he weren't such a California guy.

In terms of pure talent, my top 3 are...

1. Eason
2. Bledsoe
3. Brady

I stop as 3 because I don't honestly recall how good a QB Parilli was and how to compare him to Grogan.

In terms of dedication and willingless to do the homework...

1. Brady (by a landslide)
2. Grogan (because of his guts)
3. Eason (not sure about this one, but he must have done something right to hold all the Patriot throwing records prior to Bledsoe's arrival).

 

[Rob0729]

perhaps it is a easy answer to put him at n.2 ?

here my top 6 picks:

1- Tom Brady
2- Drew Bledsoe
3- Steve Grogan
4- Babe Parilli
5- Tony Eason
6 - Plunkett

Yikes! Tony Eason as our fifth best QB? I'd rather not have think past #4 then.

 

[DarrylS]

You forget how purely talented a passer Eason was. He personally carried the Pats on his shoulders in 1987 after the retirement of John Hannah and the collapse of the running game. The problem with Eason was that he was not as dedicated a career player as Grogan, Brady or Bledsoe.

The reason it is difficut to compare the QBs is because they all brought different levels of plusses and minuses to the table. Brady is ultaimtely the best because of his willingness to do the homework. Grogran perservered on pure guts, but made too many mistakes. Bledsoe relied too much on his talent and thus also made mistakes, which becamwe his ultimate downfall. Eason could have been a great QB if he weren't such a California guy.

In terms of pure talent, my top 3 are...

1. Eason
2. Bledsoe
3. Brady

I stop as 3 because I don't honestly recall how good a QB Parilli was and how to compare him to Grogan.

In terms of dedication and willingless to do the homework...

1. Brady (by a landslide)
2. Grogan (because of his guts)
3. Eason (not sure about this one, but he must have done something right to hold all the Patriot throwing records prior to Bledsoe's arrival).

Good analysis, I agree.. if you were to add a third category called heart:

1. Grogan
2. Brady
3. Bledsoe

But overall, have to go with Brady, he got us 3 sb's...

 

[Meghay]

I would put the quarterbacks in the following order ---

1) Tom Brady
2) Steve Grogan
3) Drew Bledsoe
4) Tony Eason

 

[homerpatsfan]

i guess i would put drew at 2 or 3 i just think grogan was the toughest QB ever.i was young but i remember being very impressed with him.:rocker:

 

[Fixit]

1. Brady (duh)
2. Grogan (tough as Hell...also, I met him at a Taco Bell in S. Attleboro years ago and he was cool)
3. Bledsoe (met him in a Pizza Hut...large guy in person)
4. Eason (loses points because I never met him in a fast food joint)
5. Hodson (kidding!)

 

[DaBruinz]

You forget how purely talented a passer Eason was. He personally carried the Pats on his shoulders in 1987 after the retirement of John Hannah and the collapse of the running game. The problem with Eason was that he was not as dedicated a career player as Grogan, Brady or Bledsoe.

Nope. Didn't forget about it. Unfortunately, that was at a time that I lived in Germany (March 1986-March 1988) and didn't get anything for Patriots news. It was all 49ers garbage. So, I only got the boxscores, which, as a 12 year old, I didn't particularly care for.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

1-Tom Brady
2 Steve Grogan
3 Drew Bledsoe
4 Jim Plunkett
5 Tony Eason


I put Grogan over Bledsoe because even though Grogan was less talented over Bledsoe , Grogan had more heart and passion over Bledsoe anyday..

 

[AJain]

1. Brady - for being a winner

2. Bledose - for rewriting our record books and never letting us feel like were out of a game. He saved our franchise.

3. Grogan - for toughness and being a solid quarterback for many years; the only way Grogan gets above Bledsoe is for sentimentality - not for substance with wins or stats.

4. Eason - for at least making it seem like we had a real quarterback on our roster for several seasons; Tom Ramsey and an old stiff Grogan did not count

5. Hugh Millen - for bringing some excitement back into Foxboro before Bledsoe came along. Victor Kiam, Rod Rust, Tom Hodson, you name it...all jokes before Millen's Militia came along.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Saw them all in person...
1. Brady - nobody else even close
2. Bledsoe - not a big supporter once I realized his fatal limitations ~1999
3. Eason - I mean Eason at his best here, pre-skirt era
4. Grogan - all guts, great runner with a penchant for Red Zone INTs; my man
5. Flutie - not given much leash by stolid unimaginative HCs
Huge drop off follows except for Parilli

I never thought much of Parilli. He wasn't bad, just not very good.

EDIT: I blame incipient senility for my forgetting Plunkett who has already been mentioned. He'd be 5th.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

Saw them all in person...

3. Eason - I mean Eason at his best here, pre-skirt era
QUOTE]According to John Hannah there was no pre- skit it was all skit. Read Tales from the Patriots Sidelines there is a good write up about what Hannah says about him.
My list

1. Brady
2.Grogan
3. Bledsoe
4. Parilli
5. Plunkett

 

[JoeSixPat]

Really its just a matter of deciding who is #2 - Bledsoe or Grogan.

Grogan played 16 years - all with the Pats, and retired as the alltime yards leader at QB with @ 26,000 yards.

Bledsoe obviously didn't play his whole career here... but when he left after 9 years he had by far surpassed Grogan with 29,000 yards - in 7 fewer years.

Grogan gets the "heart" vote from everyone, but there's no question Drew "staple finger" Bledsoe was a tough SOB as well - and even coming back to play after losing half his blood to internal bleeding should give someone a few chits on the "toughness" scale too.

Give Bledsoe credit (along with everyone who helped turn the team around) in building public support to the point where we're no longer playing in Foxboro Stadium too. Does anyone miss that place or hate the fact that we have to play in Gilette? Bledsoe deserves some share of thanks for that.

So there's no doubt in my mind that Bledsoe is #2 in the team rankings, no disrespect to Grogan.

 

[Ring 6]

Brady is #1 by so far the list might as well end there.

As far as Grogan and Bledsoe, its a very tough call because they really played a different game. QB in the 70s and most of the 80s was entirely different than in the 90s and 00s.
Grogan probably would never have made the league in Bledsoes era, because he just didn't have the accuracy. However, Bledsoe would not have done as well as Grogan in Grogans era, because of the lack of mobility, and consistent struggle with the deep ball.

In Grogans era QBs completed a low % of passes, threw many more ints, but threw the ball down the field much more. Bledsoe would have thrown a boatload of Ints (Grogan did too of course, but Bledose would have thrown more) in the 70s against the type of pass D that was allowed in those days. I think he would have been excellent on the deep crossing routes that were common in those days but would have struggled throwing the long ball (he always did) and I think Grogan was better mentally.

In Bledsoes era Grogans lack of accuracy would have probably kept him out of the league, and with his style of play, he would have gotten killed by pass rushers.

Ultimately both played in the era they would have been best.

I think the bottom line is that (and these facts may be a bit off, but are close, I havent cited them in years) Drew Bledsoe led 4 teams to the playoffs that had bottom 5 running games, and only 1 or 2 other QBs had ever done so up to that point. He won something like 5 playoff games with those teams, and to that point no team with a bottom 5 running game had ever won a playoff game. Grogans teams had great running games (the teams that won) and those teams typically were weakest in the passing game. So I would give Bledsoe the nod in a close argument.

Beyond that? Eason did have a few good years. While there was a lot wrong with Tony Eason, who do you put ahead of him? I am too young to comment on Parilli.

If you eliminate those 5 and try to name the next 5 best, I think you see that Eason and Parilli have to be 4 and 5 in whatever order.


One final point that struck me while posting this. Tom Brady could have played QB in any era, in any style and have been just as good.