ESPN E:60 Drew Bledsoe: Better with Age

Just watched the ESPN special on Bledsoe. Brought back a lot of memories on how much we loved his play. It's easy to somewhat forget about him, especially with the success of Brady. I especially enjoyed the Krafts talk about how much he meant to the franchise even after all these years. I loved his comment "We woulda won 8 SB's if I started".

Haha

Early in his career he was one of the best passers I'd ever seen. There's a game they replayed a few months ago of he and Coates going off at Miami in 1994. It was incredible what those 2 could do. If Parcells had remained as his coach, he would have had a much more successful career. The Pete Carroll/Bobby Grier era wasn't that great for him, and he kind of lost his swagger.

Drew was born too late, in the 60's or 70's he would have been a HOF QB.

Still one of my all-time favorite Pats.

patsfan13 said:

Drew was born too late, in the 60's or 70's he would have been a HOF QB.

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Agreed. Build up a top-end OL in front of him that you can't lose in free agency, get some burner WRs, and he'd be amazing. Plus the game was (mentally) slower and defenses weren't as complex. He would have been insane on Al Davis teams of the 60s and 70s.

QuantumMechanic said:

Agreed. Build up a top-end OL in front of him that you can't lose in free agency, get some burner WRs, and he'd be amazing. Plus the game was (mentally) slower and defenses weren't as complex. He would have been insane on Al Davis teams of the 60s and 70s.

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John Hannah and Leon Gray protecting his backside Russ Francis and Stanley Morgan, play action game, 76 SB for sure + a couple more.

No. Nothing but love for Drew, but no.

Bledsoe would have been a lot closer to Tom Owen in the 70's than Grogan.

Bledsoe is not in Grogan's class, or several others for that matter.

Who is the second-best quarterback in Patriots history? | Boston.com

What a enormous pile of horse manure.

If you think Drew Bledsoe is the second best quarterback in Patriots history, then you will believe:

Neil Lomax is the 2nd best QB in Cardinals history

Kerry Collins is the 2nd best QB in Giants history

Neil O'Donnell is the 2nd best QB in Steelers history

Jake Plummer is the 2nd best QB in Broncos history

Jim Everett is the 2nd best QB in Rams history

Jeff George is the 2nd best QB in Raiders history

Jim Harbaugh is the 2nd best QB in Colts history

Danny White is the 2nd best QB in Cowboys history

Don Majkowski is the 2nd best QB in Packers history

How about winning the first Super Bowl?

Bledsoe was a reactionary passer.

Brady is an anticipatory passer.

Drew Bledsoe was never consistent in his career.

Hello Mr.five yard safety valve dumpoff...this is Mr. Bledsoe...I don't believe the two of you have ever met...

He was tall, he had a strong arm, he had a strong arm, and he was tall.

He was/is intelligent and tough, but didn’t make good decisions quickly, didn’t put the ball in the exact right spot at the exact right moment, didn’t move well in the pocket, and in general, IMHO, lacked the instincts that are the hallmark of Tom Brady at QB. That’s no slam on Drew, Brady is an impossible comparison for just about anyone who ever played the position.

With that said, I think as Pats fans we were lucky to have him come along when he did, and outside of one really stupid night out you couldn’t possibly ask more of a guy who at 20 years of age came across country and was the face of the franchise for 8+ years, especially when the franchise had one foot out the door towards St. Louis after 8 years of abysmal play and management.

40yrpatsfan said:

If Parcells had remained as his coach, he would have had a much more successful career. The Pete Carroll/Bobby Grier era wasn't that great for him, and he kind of lost his swagger.

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Parcells: 4 seasons, 32 wins, averaging 8 wins a season. Never had consecutive winning seasons with us.
Carroll: 3 seasons, 27 wins, averaging 9 wins a season. Never had a losing season with us despite Grier's absolute **** drafts.

What is it about Parcells where people are unable to see the reality of how mediocre he was here other than one season where he submarined his own team's chances due to a grudge about who gets to pick the players?

Also in the words of Belichick: "Guys, stop with the ****ing swagger. I'm tired of that word anyway. What the **** is that?"

Love Bledsoe and what he did for the franchise. /he was a tough, competitive guy who played very well. One of my favorite game day quotes was from his rookie season where an announcer said something to the effect, "You have to be 21 years old to get up after a hit like that."

Then there was the broken finger game and so on. On game day, Bledsoe was a warrior and fierce competitor. Having said that, I'm not sure he an BB would have gotten along well for more than a couple seasons.

Bledsoe for all his talent, wasn't all about football and you never really saw him elevate his game from what he was. I think he loved football, but had plenty of passion for things outside the game. Still, a great Patriot and while his ending must have been bitter, I think he handled it with a fair amount of class.

Bledsoe had a million dollar arm & but his decision making was his downfall.

He did not have the same football IQ that Brady had.

I remember one game in the 2020 season, we needed a TD to win & we were on about the 12 yard line with about 20 seconds left in the game. On 2nd down he faced a blitz & instead of just throwing the ball away, he dumped it to Kevin Faulk who was on about the 10 yard line in the middle of the field. He was tackled as soon as he caught the ball & time ran out.

The King even intercepted Bledsoe one game when he was in Buffalo..

fair catch fryar said:

Still one of my all-time favorite Pats.

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Thank You. For some reason the Brady lovers always thought they had to denigrate Drew. He couldn't match Tom's anticipation and quick reads of defense but as a passer he was one of the best. He got beat up a lot and the 2000 offensive line was one of the worst I ever saw. Warren Sapp said he admired his toughness, citing that they beat the crap out of him all game but he never let up and was still coming back at the end. He was a mess after 2000 but he was a good professional quarterback and I have a lot of respect for his career.

patsfan13 said:

Drew was born too late, in the 60's or 70's he would have been a HOF QB.

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He would’ve been up to par with Dan Fouts. Similar type of QB.

cupofjoe1962 said:

Bledsoe had a million dollar arm & but his decision making was his downfall.

He did not have the same football IQ that Brady had.

I remember one game in the 2020 season, we needed a TD to win & we were on about the 12 yard line with about 20 seconds left in the game. On 2nd down he faced a blitz & instead of just throwing the ball away, he dumped it to Kevin Faulk who was on about the 10 yard line in the middle of the field. He was tackled as soon as he caught the ball & time ran out.

The King even intercepted Bledsoe one game when he was in Buffalo..

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The King was a legend though. Nobody could throw the ball on his side of the field.

fnordcircle said:

Parcells: 4 seasons, 32 wins, averaging 8 wins a season. Never had consecutive winning seasons with us.
Carroll: 3 seasons, 27 wins, averaging 9 wins a season. Never had a losing season with us despite Grier's absolute **** drafts.

What is it about Parcells where people are unable to see the reality of how mediocre he was here other than one season where he submarined his own team's chances due to a grudge about who gets to pick the players?

Also in the words of Belichick: "Guys, stop with the ****ing swagger. I'm tired of that word anyway. What the **** is that?"

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It was because we sucked so much before him and that whole debacle with the Sullivans and the Razor Man anyone who got us into the picture was going to be a hero, it just happened to be the Tuna.

cmasspatsfan said:

It was because we sucked so much before him and that whole debacle with the Sullivans and the Razor Man anyone who got us into the picture was going to be a hero, it just happened to be the Tuna.

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Poor, poor forgotten Orthwein.

Actual Pats Fan said:

No. Nothing but love for Drew, but no.

Bledsoe would have been a lot closer to Tom Owen in the 70's than Grogan.

Bledsoe is not in Grogan's class, or several others for that matter.

Who is the second-best quarterback in Patriots history? | Boston.com

What a enormous pile of horse manure.

If you think Drew Bledsoe is the second best quarterback in Patriots history, then you will believe:

Neil Lomax is the 2nd best QB in Cardinals history

Kerry Collins is the 2nd best QB in Giants history

Neil O'Donnell is the 2nd best QB in Steelers history

Jake Plummer is the 2nd best QB in Broncos history

Jim Everett is the 2nd best QB in Rams history

Jeff George is the 2nd best QB in Raiders history

Jim Harbaugh is the 2nd best QB in Colts history

Danny White is the 2nd best QB in Cowboys history

Don Majkowski is the 2nd best QB in Packers history

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What a great list of also-rans, many of whom were the QB of the modern era for their teams until they weren't.

Jeff George, the gold standard of all disappointments, god I loved that guy... it was like 10 years into his career before people admitted he really wasn't any good. Every time there was a QB vacancy somebody was saying that with his gifts Jeff George will take that team to a SB if given a chance... He was like this slow-burn version of Ryan Leaf, at least with Leaf it all happened faster.

And Magic Man Don Majkowski... He's exactly what I think about when you tell me the 90s dawned in Green Bay with a Packers great QB who could always use his legs to extend a play... But ask a Packers fan in 90 how the Pack can be back... Magic Man!

Jim Everett... well, he's no Tommy Maddox.