Your reaction if Drew Bledsoe win a Super Bowl ?

[Brick]

Well, this thread has impressed me with everybody's generosity towards Drew Bledsoe. Even those who doubt his capacity to perform when it most matters have him down as a "good guy".

That used to be me.

But his time in Buffalo changed my opinion of Drew.

When he arrived in Buffalo they mobilized the whole town -- marching bands, Girl Scouts, you name it. They couldn't have been more thrilled. Drew's performance was, to put it kindly, patchy. So how did he react? By busting a gut to improve where he was weak, practising every minute the good Lord gave him? Exercising a quarterback's leadership to bring the offense together in trying to get better?

Er, no. His reaction was a series of complaints about how the conditions around him (O-line, coaching, receivers) didn't suit him, until, finally, when they decided to pull the plug on him, he left with a truly ungracious swipe at the team.

It made me think that this "Drew is a good guy" stuff may have been much more media hype than reality.

To be fair to Drew, he played a great role in 2001 -- he played bravely after a truly horrendous injury and helped win a game that we most likely would not have won otherwise. And, of course, he helped revive a franchise at a very low point.

But I now have no more desire to see him do well than I do Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb or (eek!) Peyton Manning.

AMEN Brother!!!!! :rocker:

 

[3 to be 4]

Well, this thread has impressed me with everybody's generosity towards Drew Bledsoe. Even those who doubt his capacity to perform when it most matters have him down as a "good guy".

That used to be me.

But his time in Buffalo changed my opinion of Drew.

When he arrived in Buffalo they mobilized the whole town -- marching bands, Girl Scouts, you name it. They couldn't have been more thrilled. Drew's performance was, to put it kindly, patchy. So how did he react? By busting a gut to improve where he was weak, practising every minute the good Lord gave him? Exercising a quarterback's leadership to bring the offense together in trying to get better?

Er, no. His reaction was a series of complaints about how the conditions around him (O-line, coaching, receivers) didn't suit him, until, finally, when they decided to pull the plug on him, he left with a truly ungracious swipe at the team.

It made me think that this "Drew is a good guy" stuff may have been much more media hype than reality.

To be fair to Drew, he played a great role in 2001 -- he played bravely after a truly horrendous injury and helped win a game that we most likely would not have won otherwise. And, of course, he helped revive a franchise at a very low point.

But I now have no more desire to see him do well than I do Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb or (eek!) Peyton Manning.

Thank You! I never bought into this "great guy" stuff and how "wonderful" he handled the situaton in 2001. He made sure everybody knew how he felt about Belichicks decision even though Belichicks decision was the absolute correct decision for the New England Patriots. The fact that Bledsoe made it so transparant that the Patriots winning the Super Bowl wasnt as important to him as "being the man" just showed what a selfish player he was and is.
He felt that being the backup QB didnt make it his vixtory. So i guess we now know how he feels about backup QBs like Zolak and Huard. Had Drew come to the parade and rally in Boston, held up the trophy with Brady, he always would have been remembered as a full partner in the victory. But as it is, its not surprising people forget he even has a ring. Drew made it so. HE chose to seperate himself from the 2001 Patriots.
And lets not dismiss the mosh pit thing and what that poor girl he landed on went through. Drew skated in Boston for that incident. What if Paul Pierce did that? So I have no love for Drew Bledsoe. And it was a GREAT trade.
With that draft pick we got Ty Warren. Because of having that pick, the Patriots their own #1 to Baltimore (Boller) for a #2 (Eugene Wilson) and the Ravens #1 the following year (Vince Wilfork). Bledsoe and Boller for Warren,Wilson, and Wilfork. Best trade Belichick has made.

I loved the potential of Bledsoe when he came, thinking he would be another Marino or Aikman. But by the screwups against Pittsburgh in 1997 (blowing the 8 point lead with 2 minutes to go and with the ball) and the playoff loss at Pittsburgh, I was done with him. He became Testerverde. He has NEVER put a great 16 game season together. He has the numbers to go to Canton. So has Testerverde. Bledsoe and Brady are Testerverde and Montana.
All will go to Canton, but c'mon!

 

[italian pat patriot]

IMO there seem to be a lot of "new" fans who weren't around for, or forget the "lean" years around here before Bledsoe, before Parcells and before Kraft.

All three contributed greatly to bringing this franchise back from its status as a laughingstock, providing a credible foundation for BB and our dynasty.

They deserve respect and admiration even as we acknowledge their shortcomings.

If Bledsoe won the Super Bowl my reaction would be "it couldn't happen to a nicer guy"... I doubt highly that Bledsoe would be the MVP of the game, but as Ben Rothlesberger proved a QB can have a horrendous game and still be the winning QB of the Super Bowl Champions.. but I'd be happy for him just the same.

bravo !

this is EXACTLY what i feel too

and i love the Pats since beginning '80 so i know very very well where we were before Drew...

 

[italian pat patriot]

No sense to me posting in this thread as you said exactly what I would havesaid

spacecrime: well said too !

 

[Patjew]

It's nice that he didn't complain in public and all, but according to Patriot Reign, Bledsoe was much more divisive behind the scenes in 2001 than we were led to believe. And let's not forget, he started well against the Steelers in the 2001 AFCC but then played not-so-well after that. Remember that over the head backwrds pass, anyone? BB rated his performance in that game as poor.

But to answer the original question, my reaction if Bledsoe LEADS a team to a SB win would be SHOCK. I don't think he has it in him. Other than that, I wouldn't care since only the Pats illicit an emotional response in me.

 

[dhamz]

Mo essentially said everything I was going to say. I thought we long ago had gotten past the myth of the good supportive Drew publicly and privately during 2001. Borges and Carfado and John Dennis just didn't put his name on the quotes publicly and behind the scenes he was a total pain in the ass. He could have been worse certainly but is that a reason to give a guy as much credit as he gets? Do we forget that he went to BB on the eve of the playoffs and insisted he be installed as starter because the team needed a veteran? Yet people still portray him as supportive.

I'm not a Bledsoe fan. He's an excuse maker. It is never his fault. I'm learning a new system. We changed the OC. One lame excuse after another. Just a week ago I read quotes from him about the only reason they missed the playoffs last year was the kickers. I guess his inabilty to get the team in the end zone in big spots didn't hurt? His INT that lost the Seattle game on a decision so terrible it summed up his entire career in one moment didn't hurt? It is never his fault.

If by some miracle they win, I'll be very unhappy that TO and Jones and Parcells win. I won't feel as bad about Drew winning but I won't be happy for him either.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I thought we long ago had gotten past the myth of the good supportive Drew publicly and privately during 2001.

They just hired a kid half my age at work while I was out on paternity leave who does his job very well, who is earning 1/4th as much as me and it seems like he's being groomed to replace me.

I'm not going to grumble about it with my co-workers but I was thinking about talking to my boss about my concerns, standing up for myself and trying to convince him to keep me on.

But after reading about what a heel Bledsoe was for doing the same thing, I think I'll just do the "right" thing, keep my mouth shut and let them downsize me.

I wouldn't want to broach this subject with my boss lest he think I'm not a team player.

That's the "right" thing to do, isn't it?

I wouldn't want to be like Bledsoe and stand up for myself.

That would be wrong and everyone would be all over my case for it.

 

[Hoodie]

And let's not forget, he started well against the Steelers in the 2001 AFCC but then played not-so-well after that. Remember that over the head backwrds pass, anyone? BB rated his performance in that game as poor.

Absolutely! I know it's gone in history as a great game by Bledsoe but if you watch again, you see just how many times the Steelers could have intercepted Bledsoe's ill-advised passes. Thank God for Kordell Stewart's ineptitude.

Still I'd be more pleased for Bledsoe than I would for Peyton Manning.

 

[mgteich]

I agree 100%.

We all seem to appreciate the Kraft's. How do think they would fell about Drew's being the winning QB in a SB? What do you think they feel was Bledsoe's contribution?

IMO there seem to be a lot of "new" fans who weren't around for, or forget the "lean" years around here before Bledsoe, before Parcells and before Kraft.

All three contributed greatly to bringing this franchise back from its status as a laughingstock, providing a credible foundation for BB and our dynasty.

They deserve respect and admiration even as we acknowledge their shortcomings.

If Bledsoe won the Super Bowl my reaction would be "it couldn't happen to a nicer guy"... I doubt highly that Bledsoe would be the MVP of the game, but as Ben Rothlesberger proved a QB can have a horrendous game and still be the winning QB of the Super Bowl Champions.. but I'd be happy for him just the same.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I agree 100%.

We all seem to appreciate the Kraft's. How do think they would fell about Drew's being the winning QB in a SB? What do you think they feel was Bledsoe's contribution?

Are you suggesting that fans would be so shallow as to look at Bledsoe differently had we won the 1996 Super Bowl?

Maybe they would - of course I don't recall that Bledsoe was a prime reason for our loss in that game - I'd point to Parcells's distraction with his Jet flirting, the loss of Troy Brown for the game, and one very big lapse by our special teams.

So maybe had the team won that game people wouldn't hold such disdain over Bledsoe...

But for some reason fans often feel they can no longer respect players who no longer play for their team.

And in Bledsoe's case, his legacy is done in by the fact that he had the audacity to actually stand up for himself with his coaches to try to keep his job following an injury.

Shame on him.

 

[dhamz]

They just hired a kid half my age at work while I was out on paternity leave who does his job very well, who is earning 1/4th as much as me and it seems like he's being groomed to replace me.

I'm not going to grumble about it with my co-workers but I was thinking about talking to my boss about my concerns, standing up for myself and trying to convince him to keep me on.

But after reading about what a heel Bledsoe was for doing the same thing, I think I'll just do the "right" thing, keep my mouth shut and let them downsize me.

I wouldn't want to broach this subject with my boss lest he think I'm not a team player.

That's the "right" thing to do, isn't it?

I wouldn't want to be like Bledsoe and stand up for myself.

That would be wrong and everyone would be all over my case for it.

You make the comparison of a professional football player to someone in a regular job. Perhaps you are in a profession where your employer hires multiple people for 1 spot, employs them all but only alows 1 to actually perform the job. That is how QB works in the NFL. You know when you sign your contract that the best guy is going to play and the other guys are going to watch or at least you should know that. If that is the profession you should do so with the expectation that the day your employer thinks someone else is better they will have the job and you won't.

You miss the point. Beldsoe is given credit (it is darn near his legacy with the franchise in the minds of many new fans but that is another topic) for his "classy supportive behavior" duing the 2001 season. He is given credit for something that is a myth or an "urban legend" as Holley termed it in his book. He did grumble about it with his coworkers. Brian Cox called him out on it during the weekly captains meetings a few times. He did grumble about it to his pals in the media. He did try to undermine the guy he is still being given credit for supporting.

He could have handled it much worse, other guys certainly have. He could have handled it much better, other guys have done that too. He probably handled it the way most players would.

 

[JoeSixPat]

You make the comparison of a professional football player to someone in a regular job. Perhaps you are in a profession where your employer hires multiple people for 1 spot, employs them all but only alows 1 to actually perform the job. That is how QB works in the NFL. You know when you sign your contract that the best guy is going to play and the other guys are going to watch or at least you should know that. If that is the profession you should do so with the expectation that the day your employer thinks someone else is better they will have the job and you won't.

You miss the point. Beldsoe is given credit (it is darn near his legacy with the franchise in the minds of many new fans but that is another topic) for his "classy supportive behavior" duing the 2001 season. He is given credit for something that is a myth or an "urban legend" as Holley termed it in his book. He did grumble about it with his coworkers. Brian Cox called him out on it during the weekly captains meetings a few times. He did grumble about it to his pals in the media. He did try to undermine the guy he is still being given credit for supporting.

He could have handled it much worse, other guys certainly have. He could have handled it much better, other guys have done that too. He probably handled it the way most players would.

I think you're missing the point.

Bledsoe's ultimate failing in the eyes of many was that he attempted to keep his job. He didn't do it in any way that anyone has ever suggested was a distraction or otherwise hurt the team.

I don't fault him for trying to convince his coaches that he was the best QB, even if he wasn't.

Others feel a need to hold this against him.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I think you're missing the point.

Bledsoe's ultimate failing in the eyes of many was that he attempted to keep his job. He didn't do it in any way that anyone has ever suggested was a distraction or otherwise hurt the team.

I don't fault him for trying to convince his coaches that he was the best QB, even if he wasn't.

Others feel a need to hold this against him.

No, Joe, it's you who are missing the point, in my opinion.

Read my post.

Was there a single word of criticism about how Bledsoe conducted himself after losing his job here to Brady? No, and for a good reason. Neither you nor I know what went on. There is almost no impartial information available (although there are a good many partial accounts).

My post was about how he behaved in Buffalo. I have no emotional investment there, one way or the other, but what I saw was a player who not only played poorly a lot of the time, but also one who made excuse after excuse that pointed at other members of the organization. Even if you're right -- especially if you're right -- that's no way to develop a one-for-all all-for-one team mentality.

And no, I haven't forgotten where the Patriots were when Drew arrived or how much the team improved thanks to him. It's just that my former rose-coloured spectacles are now not so pink.

 

[dhamz]

I think you're missing the point.

Bledsoe's ultimate failing in the eyes of many was that he attempted to keep his job. He didn't do it in any way that anyone has ever suggested was a distraction or otherwise hurt the team.

I don't fault him for trying to convince his coaches that he was the best QB, even if he wasn't.

Others feel a need to hold this against him.

I don't feel any need to hold it against him.

I just feel no need to give him credit for the way he handled the situation. Many people do and they do so because their perception of what took place is what was reported at the time and not the truth. His actions don't make him a bad guy but they also don't make him a great guy who I should root for either.

I have grown tired over the years of listening to Drew's excuses about why it is always someone else's fault. That I do hold against him and guys like that are impossible for me to root for personally. The guys on other teams I root for are not many and he is not one of them. I don't root against him either. I will root against his team because of guys like TO and JJ and Terry Glenn and Vanderjerk.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I don't feel any need to hold it against him.

I just feel no need to give him credit for the way he handled the situation. Many people do and they do so because their perception of what took place is what was reported at the time and not the truth. His actions don't make him a bad guy but they also don't make him a great guy who I should root for either.

I have grown tired over the years of listening to Drew's excuses about why it is always someone else's fault. That I do hold against him and guys like that are impossible for me to root for personally. The guys on other teams I root for are not many and he is not one of them. I don't root against him either. I will root against his team because of guys like TO and JJ and Terry Glenn and Vanderjerk.

But the point of this thread is "how would you feel if Bledsoe wins a SB"?

Many posters - not all Mike... I don't think I said a word about his time in Buffalo, nor did I quote you or otherwise refer to your post - specifically cite his efforts to stand up for himself behind the scenes as a reason why they can no longer root for him.

I think most Patriots fans are bigger than that and recognize that they would do exactly the same thing in that situation if their job were on the line.

 

[The Gr8est]

Well, this thread has impressed me with everybody's generosity towards Drew Bledsoe. Even those who doubt his capacity to perform when it most matters have him down as a "good guy".

That used to be me.

But his time in Buffalo changed my opinion of Drew.

When he arrived in Buffalo they mobilized the whole town -- marching bands, Girl Scouts, you name it. They couldn't have been more thrilled. Drew's performance was, to put it kindly, patchy. So how did he react? By busting a gut to improve where he was weak, practising every minute the good Lord gave him? Exercising a quarterback's leadership to bring the offense together in trying to get better?

Er, no. His reaction was a series of complaints about how the conditions around him (O-line, coaching, receivers) didn't suit him, until, finally, when they decided to pull the plug on him, he left with a truly ungracious swipe at the team.

It made me think that this "Drew is a good guy" stuff may have been much more media hype than reality.

To be fair to Drew, he played a great role in 2001 -- he played bravely after a truly horrendous injury and helped win a game that we most likely would not have won otherwise. And, of course, he helped revive a franchise at a very low point.

But I now have no more desire to see him do well than I do Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb or (eek!) Peyton Manning.

Not only did he take a swipe at Buffalo he also said that he had been screwed by the Pats as well. Imagine if Bledsoe was to win a SB by beating the Pats (I know, I know, just try to use your imagination), how long would it be before Drew says something to the effect that the Pats made the wrong decision by keeping Brady and that Bledsoe would have had as much success or more if he had stayed in New England?

 

[italian pat patriot]

Are you suggesting that fans would be so shallow as to look at Bledsoe differently had we won the 1996 Super Bowl?

Maybe they would - of course I don't recall that Bledsoe was a prime reason for our loss in that game - I'd point to Parcells's distraction with his Jet flirting, the loss of Troy Brown for the game, and one very big lapse by our special teams.

So maybe had the team won that game people wouldn't hold such disdain over Bledsoe...

But for some reason fans often feel they can no longer respect players who no longer play for their team.

And in Bledsoe's case, his legacy is done in by the fact that he had the audacity to actually stand up for himself with his coaches to try to keep his job following an injury.

Shame on him.

again...i am with you - 100%

 

[Isaac]

If he were first traded to the Browns during the preseason, then I'd be overjoyed. As long as he's with Parcells, the anti-BB, no love for drew.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that Bledsoe didn't have tons of faults as a QB... and once he was out of New England its clear he no longer held any allegiance to this team... nor would I expect him to.

But in the cost benefit analysis, comparing Bledsoe's plus and minuses, IMO we owe him respect and gratitude for the years of good football

To put it another way, would this be the same dynasty today, if the foundation built in the early to mid 1990s consisted of Bob Kraft, Bill Parcells, and Rick Mirer?

I'd be happy for the guy if he won another SB ring... none the grumblings he made behind the scenes in 2002, failings he had as a QB, nor comments made after he left the team are enough to invalidate what he did to help us establish a dynasty.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Joe, I don't ignore what Bledsoe has done for the team and to anyone for whom that gives him a place in their hearts no matter what I say: fine. I have no quarrel with that.

No one says that a guy can't stand up for himself, but there are other versions. You and I don't know which is right. I think those posters who bring them up do so, at least in part, in the light of how Bledsoe has behaved since he left.

Anyway, I can't help thinking about another back-up quarterback, one who was described as an impossible egotist when he (re-)joined the team and who didn't come away with a Superbowl ring. Here's a long extract from the retirement ceremony (thanks to Mike Reiss). I think it shows the emotional side of BB and is very, very touching:

May 15, 2006
Flutie: Lucky Man

“Looking back for me, it’s been 21 years. I’ve had more fun, and enjoyment, at this game than anything else. I just love playing football. I love competing -- all of you who know me, the basketball and whatnot -- I enjoy playing. It’s still a game to me. The game has changed over the years. The last 3-4 years it really hasn’t been a lot of fun. Bill [Belichick], putting that dropkick in for me to do, kind of put the fun back in the game; to me what the game is all about. It’s about competing out on the field, finding a way to win, and having fun doing it. That’s been my approach throughout my life and the way I’ve approached this game. I’m just a big kid. I think that’s pretty evident in the fact that … I joined a men’s baseball league with my brothers this spring. That kind of indicated [what I was doing football-wise]. I had told them all along ‘when I retire, as long as I can still walk, we’re going to do this.’ That’s what I’m all about.

...

"I was ready to retire, after Toronto. I said to my wife ‘I’ll give it two years.’ Here it is eight years later, actually almost nine years later, and I’m finally retired -- because I enjoyed playing the game and you keep going. Having the chance to play with Drew Brees and for Wade Phillips in Buffalo, and also having Wade out in San Diego, it was a lot of fun every step of the way for me. To finish it up by coming back here was very special for me. Then having the dropkick.

...

“There is a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Johnnie Van Zandt wrote the lyrics. One verse of the song called ‘Lucky Man’: ‘I want to thank you for the time that you’ve been with me, I hope it meant as much to you to share these memories. There is a guiding light that always seems to be shining. If I did it all again, I’d be happy until the end. I’m a lucky man.’ That is exactly how I feel. Every word of that whole song. So much of it, I hope the fans enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you.â€

Posted By: mreiss | Time: 03:33:06 PM | Link | E-mail to a friend​

May 15, 2006
Belichick on Flutie

“Doug is really a special athlete. The way he’s taken over this region as an athlete, I think, has been remarkable. Just like the way we see him take over a football game. Unfortunately, I’ve been on the other side of several of those games that he took over, when I was trying to defend him.
“My relationship with Doug has been a very long one, a very enjoyable one. We have a very good mutual friend, [singer] Jon Bon Jovi. We’ve mostly competed against each other, but I did have the opportunity to coach him in the ’98 Pro Bowl in Hawaii and, of course, also here last year. That was a great honor and a thrill.
“When we were in the Pro Bowl, Doug went in for the first series -- each quarterback plays about a quarter, quarter-and-a-half, whatever it was. So Doug goes in for his first series and we’re calling plays, and I think it was three-and-out. It wasn’t going very well. I said ‘Look, Doug, why don’t you do the same thing you did all year? Just throw it up there to [Eric] Moulds, hit him for about 50 [yards], like you did against us all game.’ And sure enough, he went in there and just let it fly. Moulds ran it down and man, I’m telling you, I was glad to see that combination end in Buffalo.

....

“But I think the dropkick was a play that was a very important play in football in the first half of the 20th century. And it’s been out of circulation for a long time. I don’t think there’s ever been a special play in my coaching career that we’ve had as much fun with as a team, as an organization. There’s no player that’s more appropriate, or more deserving, to execute that play than Doug Flutie. It was a lot of fun for the team. It was such a historical play for this game. To be able to bring it back after 60 years, or whatever it was, it was just awesome. Probably the one play that we had the most fun with in my career. That would be it. Doug really inspired us to do that. We were batting 3 out of 4 practicing it, but it came through when he had to.
“I’m going to turn it over to Doug. It’s been a great honor to coach him. I consider him a good friend. I’ll let him take it from here.â€
Belichick and Flutie then embraced before Flutie spoke at the podium.

......................................................................................................

I'm sorry but I don't think that Drew will be coming back to Foxboro for a retirement ceremony like that, one day -- and I have to say that I think that that is his fault.