Drew Bledsoe E:60

[sean10mm]

The funny thing to me about Bledsoe was always that his popularity seemed to be more about looking like "a real NFL quarterback" than about actually being a particularly great player.

He was a big tough dude with a big arm who could chuck it deep and put up big volume stats...and threw twice as many picks as touchdowns in the playoffs. Hell, you can make a good case that he never had a genuinely good playoff game, period.

Year    QBrec Cmp Att Cmp%  Yds TD TD% Int Int% Y/A   Y/G Rate
1994*     0-1  21  50 42.0  235  1 2.0   3  6.0 4.7 235.0 38.3
1996*     2-1  59 105 56.2  595  3 2.9   7  6.7 5.7 198.3 54.3
1997*     1-1  39  76 51.3  403  1 1.3   2  2.6 5.3 201.5 60.4
2001      0-0  10  21 47.6  102  1 4.8   0  0.0 4.9 102.0 77.9
Care      3-3 129 252 51.2 1335  6 2.4  12  4.8 5.3 190.7 54.9

 

[203Pat]

Never really bought into the Drew was gracious in defeat storyline and still seems to have a hint of bitterness about the Brady situation but I’ll always like Drew. Him and Parcells brought relevance to a team that was largely an afterthought both nationally and locally.

 

[Pape]

I can't speak for any one else, but I love Drew Bledsoe. Yeah, he might be bitter over the whole Brady deal in 2001, but wouldn't you be? I can understand it ... The Mo Lewis hit cost him a 100 million dollar contract. It cost him his team, and it almost cost him his life.

Not sure how many people remember the time before Bledsoe, but it wasn't all that great ... Used to come home during school breaks from DC, try to get tickets to games between '88-'91 if we had the time, the money, enough gas in the car, if New England had a home game, etc... 1992, we went to a bunch of games... even got shut out trying to get seats for the tilt against the 49ers...

So, around comes 1993, Orthwein hires Parcels, we go in for season tickets. The day after the Tuna was officially on the hook, we called - 4 seats, Section 12, row 6, seats 6, 7, 8 & 9 in the south endzone of Foxboro Stadium. Drew was the first QB since Grogan that gave you hope... was he great great? Nah, but he was good... Would he make mistakes? Yup... But hot damn he could throw a ball, and had the arm / balls enough to try to thread the coverage... What wasn't to love... We had a shot at winning just about every game we played in. I saw every single home game Bledsoe had as a Patriot...

Bledsoe was a great Patriot. One of my top 5 all time favorites.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

respectability to football in New England - an area which had been a laughingstock nationally outside of one or two seasons.

respectability to football in New England - an area which had been a laughingstock nationally for three seasons because the team had no quarterback, having let go the transcendent player of his generation, not to mention a hometown hero and Heisman Trophy winner who was much better than Bledsoe, AND due to endless media denigration since 1970. -- Fixed.

Bledsoe gave us the wondrous 94 and 96 seasons

Parcells (and in '96 with Belichick) gave us the wondrous 94 and 96 seasons. -- Fixed.

Bledsoe, while pissed off in 01, remained as much a class act as one could be given the situation.

Grogan, while pissed off from 1985-1987, remained as much a class act as one could be given the situation. -- Fixed.

Brought back a ton of memories from 2001 season and how divided fans were over Brady v Bledsoe.

Bledsoe supporters were then and remain today completely wrong, and belong to the Kraft-created cult that likes the flying elvis and believes the team never accomplished anything in the 33 years prior to his purchase.

He practically gave his life for the team.

Steve Grogan practically gave his life for the team. Nick Cafardo gave a partial listing of Grogan's injuries over his 16-year career: "Five knee surgeries; screws in his leg after the tip of his fibula snapped; a cracked fibula that snapped when he tried to practice; two ruptured disks in his neck, which he played with for 1 1/2 seasons; a broken left hand (he simply handed off with his right hand); two separated shoulders on each side; the reattachment of a tendon to his throwing elbow; and three concussions." Eat your heart out, Patrice Bergeron. And Grogan was much better than Bledsoe.

It was Bledsoe who turned it around for NE in the 90’s, the absolute face of the franchise as they went from laughingstock to contenders. Hopefully he gets that; I think he does.

It was Grogan who turned it around for NE in the 70’s and 80's, the absolute face of the franchise as they went from laughingstock to contenders. Hopefully he gets that; I think he does.

Bledsoe was drafted first, paid handsomely, given the starting job with no competition and threw for a bunch of yards. Apparently he's a nice guy. Doesn't make him worthy of Kraft's deification.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

The funny thing to me about Bledsoe was always that his popularity seemed to be more about looking like "a real NFL quarterback" than about actually being a particularly great player.

He was a big tough dude with a big arm who could chuck it deep and put up big volume stats...and threw twice as many picks as touchdowns in the playoffs. Hell, you can make a good case that he never had a genuinely good playoff game, period.

Year    QBrec Cmp Att Cmp%  Yds TD TD% Int Int% Y/A   Y/G Rate
1994*     0-1  21  50 42.0  235  1 2.0   3  6.0 4.7 235.0 38.3
1996*     2-1  59 105 56.2  595  3 2.9   7  6.7 5.7 198.3 54.3
1997*     1-1  39  76 51.3  403  1 1.3   2  2.6 5.3 201.5 60.4
2001      0-0  10  21 47.6  102  1 4.8   0  0.0 4.9 102.0 77.9
Care      3-3 129 252 51.2 1335  6 2.4  12  4.8 5.3 190.7 54.9

Doug Flutie could and should have been a "a real NFL quarterback" as well as a particularly great player but had the rug pulled out from under him in the NFL both before and after he set rushing and passing records and won MVP's and championships in the CFL.

He was a short tough dude with a big arm who could chuck it deep and short and run the ball effectively in crucial situations with the game on the line.

 

[Hyped]

Drew Bledsoe man....I could write a book on his career with the Patriots. He is one of the most perplexing athletes I have ever rooted for....I think Bill Simmons put it best by writing that, "Bledsoe was a B+ quarterback. Good, not great". However, despite Bledsoe's "B+" performance at the quarterback position, I believe we all hold a place in our hearts for him putting Foxboro on the map. Prior to Bledsoe, we were not allowed to host MNF! That's how downtrodden the franchise was in the early 90's....and all of sudden...we had Parcells come into town and draft Bledsoe #1 overall....over Rick Mirer, BTW. It finally brought me on board FULL TIME as a Patriot fan. I was always a fan by default...but in those days, I was watching more of the Sox and hoping that the Celts would be competitive with Dino Radja, Domnique Wilkins, etc....

I will always remember these great games:

- The 70 attempted passes come back game vs. the Vikings.
- The split finger win against Miami on MNF...and robbing the Flutie Bills a week later.
- The 2001 AFC title game victory..which basically is the game I would use to explain to people what Bledsoe was all about.

 

[shmessy]

Drew Bledsoe man....I could write a book on his career with the Patriots. He is one of the most perplexing athletes I have ever rooted for....I think Bill Simmons put it best by writing that, "Bledsoe was a B+ quarterback. Good, not great". However, despite Bledsoe's "B+" performance at the quarterback position, I believe we all hold a place in our hearts for him putting Foxboro on the map. Prior to Bledsoe, we were not allowed to host MNF! That's how downtrodden the franchise was in the early 90's....and all of sudden...we had Parcells come into town and draft Bledsoe #1 overall....over Rick Mirer, BTW. It finally brought me on board FULL TIME as a Patriot fan. I was always a fan by default...but in those days, I was watching more of the Sox and hoping that the Celts would be competitive with Dino Radja, Domnique Wilkins, etc....

I will always remember these great games:

- The 70 attempted passes come back game vs. the Vikings.
- The split finger win against Miami on MNF...and robbing the Flutie Bills a week later.
- The 2001 AFC title game victory..which basically is the game I would use to explain to people what Bledsoe was all about.

Hmmmmm.......I remember the 1993 season quite well. I also remember the half empty Foxboro Stadium that year too. I loved Bledsoe and have a spot in my heart for the guy, but merely him arriving didn't put the franchise on the map.

Attendance FELL as the 1993 season wore on (few others saw the map, evidently). The last 4 games of that 1993 season at home averaged 38,265 fannies in the seats (and that's including the final game of the season when over 50K came out to bid the team one last adieu.

The franchise became legitimate in January 1994. I know that's an unpopular truth with the boys club here who have it out for the billionaire, but it is what it is.

The Patriots have sold out every home game 26 years straight since the very first one in 1994. THAT was the turning point for the franchise. Not 1993. It is what it is.

.

 

[shmessy]

Bledsoe continues his character attack on Bledsoe.

Yeah, I don't understand how he thinks his ongoing public snarkiness about Brady helps his reputation.

He purposely doesn't come out and just say the bitter things that are burning there - - he just lets the pot bubble and boil - - it's all so passive aggressive, i.e the "overpriced NAPA Valley wine", the "I would've won 8 SB's....." really is best left unsnarked in public.

He has a great life now, a great family, a great business and much to be proud of with his football career. I hope he can someday get some peace about it.

.

 

[Hyped]

Hmmmmm.......I remember the 1993 season quite well. I also remember the half empty Foxboro Stadium that year too. I loved Bledsoe and have a spot in my heart for the guy, but merely him arriving didn't put the franchise on the map.

Attendance FELL as the 1993 season wore on (few others saw the map, evidently). The last 4 games of that 1993 season at home averaged 38,265 fannies in the seats (and that's including the final game of the season when over 50K came out to bid the team one last adieu.

The franchise became legitimate in January 1994. I know that's an unpopular truth with the boys club here who have it out for the billionaire, but it is what it is.

The Patriots have sold out every home game 26 years straight since the very first one in 1994. THAT was the turning point for the franchise. Not 1993. It is what it is.

.

Yeah, the Bledsoe/Parcells combo gave legitimacy to the Pats in my own eyes. That season they won the final four games including an OT game vs. Marino in the season finale. Bledsoe ended up with a 15/15 TD/INT ratio which was very good for a rookie. And the Patriots were gonna move to Busch Stadium...which probably affected ticket sales, but man...I was excited for one after watching Tommy Hodson, Hugh Millen, and/or Marc Wilson. It was the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft coupled with a HOF HC who already won 2 SB's.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Just think how good Bledsoe could have been if he just would have been more committed to the game.

if he had gone all in, he would have been really great, but he just relied on his natural ability and never went the extra mile.

very sad!

 

[Tony2046]

The Pats had as much success in the 70's and 80's as they had in the 90's. If not for a horrendous call by Ben Dreith the Pats would have had their first SB title in 1976 instead of 2001.

It seems like many fans want to paint the picture that the Pats were nothing until Drew (and to some fans, Tuna) came along. That simply isn't true. I'm guessing that it's an age thing.

You're right but it was nice seeing the Patriots win again after Drew came along.

 

[PrairiePat]

Bledsoe supporters were then and remain today completely wrong, and belong to the Kraft-created cult that likes the flying elvis and believes the team never accomplished anything in the 33 years prior to his purchase.

Ah, another episode of APF's ranting about the helmet logo. Fabulous.

It was Grogan who turned it around for NE in the 70’s and 80's, the absolute face of the franchise as they went from laughingstock to contenders. Hopefully he gets that; I think he does.

Who (besides you ) is talking about the 70's and 80's here?? I was a fan during those years too, and I appreciated the stars of those teams. This isn't about that. This is about Bledsoe helping to turn around a moribund franchise that had missed the playoffs for 7 straight years, had arguably the worst stadium in the league, and were on the verge of leaving town. The Patriots of the early 90's -were- awful, and were losing the support of the region.

The impact Bledsoe had (along with Parcells and Kraft coming in the following year) can't be understated. They are all flawed characters in some ways, but they built the foundation for the success that followed in the 2000's.

 

[PittPatriot]

A very short time. He had four or five good plays in the first half. But the second half was . For starters there was the ball thrown right to the breadbasket of a LB who thankfully dropped it. And the ball flung backwards over his head while being sacked that also thankfully landed on the turf harmlessly.

Drew did have a near INT...but otherwise played very well for a guy who had not seen action in 4 months after surgery.
Brady also through ball into the chest of a Pittsburgh LB in the first half.

Pittsburgh outplayed us that game in terms of moving the ball but Cordell Stewart had like 4 INT...and of course we won the ST battle.

 

[1960Pats]

You're right but it was nice seeing the Patriots win again after Drew came along.

Drew was, is and always will be a class act. If not for the way he handled his demotion the Pats locker room would have been split in two and they probably don't win in 2001.

 

[1960Pats]

Ah, another episode of APF's ranting about the helmet logo. Fabulous.



Who (besides you ) is talking about the 70's and 80's here?? I was a fan during those years too, and I appreciated the stars of those teams. This isn't about that. This is about Bledsoe helping to turn around a moribund franchise that had missed the playoffs for 7 straight years, had arguably the worst stadium in the league, and were on the verge of leaving town. The Patriots of the early 90's -were- awful, and were losing the support of the region.

The impact Bledsoe had (along with Parcells and Kraft coming in the following year) can't be understated. They are all flawed characters in some ways, but they built the foundation for the success that followed in the 2000's.

I may have helped bring the 70's and 80's into the discussion. I was replying to a poster who claimed that the Pats were nothing then and only became a success after Tuna arrived.

As for Pat Patriot, I'm fully behind @Actual Pats Fan when it comes to the logo. I hated the change. I might have liked it if they had come up with something better than the Flying Elvis, but they didn't.

Kraft's biggest accomplishment was cleaning up the mess that was the Patriots stadium and crowd's conduct. It was disgraceful before he arrived.

 

[Clonamery]

deification.

I read this as defecation on first read. Kinda what you do to any thread that talks about the history of the franchise through your deification of the Pat Patriot logo. I think you’re a good dude but the chasing at windmills stuff is getting old.

 

[1960Pats]

Drew did have a near INT...but otherwise played very well for a guy who had not seen action in 4 months after surgery.
Brady also through ball into the chest of a Pittsburgh LB in the first half.

Pittsburgh outplayed us that game in terms of moving the ball but Cordell Stewart had like 4 INT...and of course we won the ST battle.

One of the things that stood out to me back then was how Pitt tried to end Tom Brady's career with a cheap shot to his knee. Luckily, Brady came back as good as new for the SB. Unlike Carson Palmer, whose career path took a major hit after Pitt took him out.

 

[sean10mm]

A lot of what people give Bledsoe credit for doing for the team in the 1990s was a function of the Tuna taking over. He created that 90s window of legitimacy more than anybody else.

I don't want to come across as overly negative towards Beldsoe, he gave the team many solid seasons of play. It just fees like he's weirdly overrated by a certain segment of the fandom because he was the face of a team that Parcells rebuild into credibility.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Hmmmmm.......I remember the 1993 season quite well. I also remember the half empty Foxboro Stadium that year too. I loved Bledsoe and have a spot in my heart for the guy, but merely him arriving didn't put the franchise on the map.

Attendance FELL as the 1993 season wore on (few others saw the map, evidently). The last 4 games of that 1993 season at home averaged 38,265 fannies in the seats (and that's including the final game of the season when over 50K came out to bid the team one last adieu.

The franchise became legitimate in January 1994. I know that's an unpopular truth with the boys club here who have it out for the billionaire, but it is what it is.

The Patriots have sold out every home game 26 years straight since the very first one in 1994. THAT was the turning point for the franchise. Not 1993. It is what it is.

.

Absolutely no question. Stability, commitment, responsibility, accountability and...something in common with Vince Lombardi himself! - setting the bar at the top. Bob Kraft made it clear his objective was to bring the championship right here. His clash with Parcells was not over petty jealousy. If egomania was involved, Bill held the bulk of that. Bob Kraft wanted to win, and he ran into some tough times along the way: Losing a tightly contested Super Bowl, losing Curtis Martin, preparing to move the team to Hartford (practically New York!), and desperately making Bledsoe the highest paid player in the world. A great case can be made that if he doesn't do all these things, success does not happen for us. He didn't handle some things well, like unprecedented and unparalleled unwarranted corrupt undermining and derision of his team, throughout the greatest dynasty in sports. But he still did what it took for the dynasty to happen. He gave his organization, staff, management, coaches and players the opportunity to succeed.

So like all of us, he's not perfect. But you're right, he alone made this franchise legitimate.

 

[shmessy]

Just think how good Bledsoe could have been if he just would have been more committed to the game.

if he had gone all in, he would have been really great, but he just relied on his natural ability and never went the extra mile.

very sad!

Bingo. The guy was exceptionally talented, but never cared to fix his fundamental throwing motion. He did love throwing at a 45 degree lean off his back foot.

Patriot career:
1st 3 years: 53 TD - 58 INT
Next 3 years: 75 TD-44 INT
Last 3 years: 38 TD-36 INT

Patriot career completion percentage: 56.3%

What could have been if only he added fundamentals and discipline to that talent. Brady had a fraction of Drew's talent, but did the boring work himself to greatness.

.