Drew Bledsoe to retire! or graduate?

[Seymour93]

It was sad watching him the past few years struggling in Buffalo and Dallas. There's no point sitting on the bench for some bottom feeders. I'm grateful to him because he was one of the main reasons why I started supporting the Pats as a youngster.

 

[patsfan55]

I'll be forever grateful to Drew, Bill Parcells and Bob Kraft for turning this franchise around.

EXACTLY
please, none of you forget this!
my eyes teared up a lil when i saw this on nflnetwork
congrats on a solid career drew
at time terrible, at times spectacular
but without you, we arent where we are today

i'll never forget what he said to brady when bb and weis changed their minds and told brady to be careful right before "the drive" vs the rams
bledsoe pulled brady aside and said "f*ckin sling it" or "f*ck that sling it"
either way, awesome :rocker:

 

[patsfan55]

It was sad watching him the past few years struggling in Buffalo and Dallas. There's no point sitting on the bench for some bottom feeders. I'm grateful to him because he was one of the main reasons why I started supported the Pats as a youngster.

me too
him and willie were the two big reasons for me
i was only 9 when we first drafted bledsoe, that draft really got me seriously interested in the pats for the first time in my life, and the 94 season made me into the fan i am today

 

[JPatriot]

Drew Bledsoe was a class act. He became the face of the franchise at a time when they were losing, going through owners right and left, and rumors were swirling about moving the team.

Kraft, Parcells and Bledsoe laid the foundation for what the team enjoys now in terms of a rabid fanbase, a new stadium and an organization that is second to none... in terms of on-field success and off-field class.

He played with pins in his finger, with separated shoulders, and he even tried to play with a severely damaged chest cavity that was quickly filling up with blood.

Even though he continued to set records left and right, the game changed around him. Stationary dropback passers became marked men as zone blitzes changed the way the game is played. But Bledsoe always kept winging it.

And when many, many, MANY other quarterbacks would have torn apart a team on the move... Bledsoe bit his tongue and held the clipboard as the Patriots moved toward their first Super Bowl championship, Brady taking over "his" job.

Drew Bledsoe deserves nothing but respect from Patriots fans. Hopefully someday he and his #11 will join Steve Grogan and the #14 in the Patriots' Hall of Fame.

Good luck, Drew. And thanks for giving it your all.

 

[rabthepat]

I'll be forever grateful to Drew, Bill Parcells and Bob Kraft for turning this franchise around.

I agree. drew helped bring respectability back to New England.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

I loved Drew Bledsoe, he will be forever in my heart for helping me love the Pats and football all over again, but he also broke my heart as well.. In all and all , thank you Drew for giving me some great memories.. :rocker:

 

[Lansdowne]

Ill never forget the pic on the back of the Herald (I think) of that. Drew was holding up his right hand and you could see two pins sticking out of his fingers. I agree, he was a classy athelete and person and helped revive this franchise. Thanks Drew. And best of luck.

Drew Bledsoe's quote to Tom Brady as he was heading out on to the field for the final drive of SuperBowl 36: "Just sling it".

I remember that too.

 

[ironwasp]

Drew Bledsoe came along at a time when it would have been really easy for me to fall out of love with the Patriots and the game of football. We were losing regular television coverage here in the UK and the Pats sucked, but he, Tuna and the Krafts revived the franchise and saved the game for me, and for that I'll be grateful.

Best of luck Drew, you were a great QB for out team when we needed it most and a classy individual.

 

[TealSox]

Sad day.

If it weren't for Drew, I would had grown up as a Seahawks fan or something. I remember my dad seeing his rookie card and one of Rick Mirer (Irish fan) and him telling me that these two guys were going to be great QBs. From that moment, I followed each of their careers and the Pats grew on me. It started with Drew, then Law, McGinest and Slade. A couple championships later and somehow I found myself a fan of the greatest organization in the NFL.

Drew can be classified as a victim of the business of football, amongst other things. Unseated by Brady, he found himself to be the veteran QB for teams that were prepared to groom a young field general. I think his career is not yet done, but I respect his decision. If I went down the list of teams, he could probably start on a third of them (Raiders, Vikings, Houston, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Redskins, Panthers). Now those teams may not be designed to maximize his abilities (or lack of mobility), but if you compare their QB from 2006 to Drew, he isn't far from an upgrade. Just not long term. Even then, he would be a decent/reliable back up for a good number of teams (Philly?).

I wouldn't want to be a back up if I had his history, but is Bledsoe less capable at this moment than Vinny Testaverde or Doug Flutie? Could he (what if) be a "Testaverde" in this generation?

Thanks Drew.

Kraft needs to sign him to a one day contract and have him retire as a Patriot. I understand if Drew would want to put that off for a few years. Might be too soon.

 

[Pats726]

I agree...it is a sad day..and I wish him luck and happiness with his retirement. he brought football to a new level in New England and was all class. He played tough and through pain and I really hope the fans of New England understand all he did to help this franchise. It has been pretty sad to see how he has struggled the past few years.Good luck!

 

[DarrylS]

Drew will always remembered as being a good guy, helped turn this franchise around and brought us respectability, can anyone remember Rick Mirer??

 

[Patters]

Drew may not have been a winner like Brady, but he always gave us a chance to win. He's certainly was one of the better QBs in the NFL, and we were lucky to have him.

 

[dtbrks]

Good luck Drew, thanks for the memories.
Bledsoe to Coates and Brisby were some fun times

 

[Seneschal2]

Just saw it on ESPN anyone else see this?

Julius,

What do you mean by "graduate"?

 

[TomBradyWoot]

Julius,

What do you mean by "graduate"?

When Junior Seau retired last year, he said he wasn't retiring, he was graduating.

 

[Seneschal2]

When Junior Seau retired last year, he said he wasn't retiring, he was graduating.

Oh, thanks for the memory.

 

[patfanken]

Yes it is kind of a sad day. Here are a couple of thoughts on the career of Drew Bledsoe.

1. Unlike Brady, Drew had the misfortune of having to learn SEVERAL new systems over his career. It is easy to forget that IIRC, he never had the same OC 3 years in a row. Think about that. Brady has been in the same system his entire career, so has Manning. Football is difficult enough without having to learn new systems year after year. It won't be taken into concideration when we discuss Drew in the future, but I DO believe this really ******ed his career.

2. It is probably long forgotten, but it was actually Rick Meir who won the Rookie of the year award in Bledsoe's first year.

3. I think we have to give Drew credit for helping make us all aware of the term "pocket presence". His lack of it, was his greatest liability.

4. As mentioned several times in this thread, Drew Bledsoe was one very tough individual. He was every bit as tough as local icon Steve Grogan

5. Don't forget that Drew had a great year in Buffalo his first year away from Foxboro (the 2 games vs the Pats not withstanding). Then the very next year the Bills change OC's the the next year they change HC's and it all started to go downhill.

6. Bledsoe's career confirms in my mind how important luck plays in how an NFL career plays out. If a player finds himself with the right team with the right system, it can make a career. Find yourself in the wrong system, and it can break your career. There is nothing more important to a QB than consistancy. Unfortunately Drew NEVER had that. So what might have been a HOF career, merely turned into a very good career.

7. On the other hand, he DID make a LOT of money.

8. The Bottom line is that Bledsoe helped save a franchise, and he should be remembered more for his successes than his failures. I agree heartily with those that believe that #11 belongs in the Pats ring of honor. I will be interested in seeing what Drew does as he moves on to the next chapter of his life. I bet its something productive.

 

[Dagg]

As a fan who watched NE struggle in the 80's Bledsoe leading us to the Super Bowl against GB was awesome. I loved the guy and I think he just stuck around to long. He will always be a HOF'er to me.

 

[PATSNUTme]

If he is seriously retiring, I hope that the Patriots sign him to a one day contract so he can retire a Patriot. I know he has issues with BB, but he and Kraft have always been close.

 

[Coast2CoastPatsFan]

I'll always remember him playing with the broken finger. He was a tough SOB.

And on another occasion playing with a broken thumb. He was definitely one tough cookie.

I'm a little surprised at his decision as I thought there would be some team out there in need of veteran QB leadership that would've given him a shot.

Best of luck to Drew in his future endeavors. Thanks for all the good things you did for the New England Patriots. You will always be remembered by this fan as an all-time great Patriot and class act!