Drew was one of my favorites back then. What a cheap shot that pretty much stunned his career and robbed him from what I believe would have been lots of championships as him quarterback
Can't help it but yeh, he was a stand up guy when the Mo Lewis shoulder was down. I cringe when I watch that because Drew had no idea how to run the ball either to get out of bounds or to lower the shoulder or to slide. He's clearly caught in a dilema during that sequence, and his body language is screaming, "Shit, what do I do now??" Fate has funny ways of making us move off our spot. But he was a stand up guy in life as well and he'll always be one of my favorites. His 70 pass game against the Vikings with the walk off to the FB Kevin Turner was one of the biggest thrills of my football life. Period. Yeh, I know it was not for all the marbles, but it was still a shot heard 'round the NFL that the Patriots were for real. Finally.
Bledsoe now lives in Oregon and helps out my highschool football team as his kids participated on our team about year ago. Great QB!! His arm is pure muscle, honestly it’s a pleasure to be able to Catch a ball thrown by drew Bledsoe
@@BinskAndSmackers Aha, sounds like the old Bend connection. Interesting that I had breakfast in some nice restaurant in Bend a few months into 2002 and the waiter said, "You're from New England." Yeh, blah blah. Then he tells me that Drew came in for breakfast a day or two after the Rams game and was depressed, not in a good mood. Yeh, I get that. That's real, at least. I felt for the guy and I still think we would have beaten the Rams with him at QB, except by more than 3 points. But why argue with history? My regards to Central Oregon though, a marvel to behold if you get what the desert is all about.
Exactly. It feels like so many people forget Bledsoe got NE to the Super Bowl. Granted I was in elementary school at the time and not in the Northeast, but Bledsoe was up there right behind (it seemed like) Elway and Favre. I had a poster book of great NFL players and Bledsoe was there. People, especially younger ones, are quick to believe that Bledsoe was a nobody, an average QB. He was way better than that.
Drew threw too many picks, too few TDs, and wasn't especially clutch. He threw 41% more INTs than Brady. Brady threw 48% more TDs than him. His 251/206 TD/INT ratio isn't very good.
Drew's offense in 1996 was a very good offense and they scored 3TDs against the best defense in the league in that SB. They shoulda coulda woulda, ya know? We had a coach that choked, I think. He was nervous Nelly the whole game and gave up on the run way too soon. He hung Drew out to dry against The Minister and gave Max Lane no help (sound like SB55?). Don't get me going.
@@caelachyt that ratio is not so hot, but don't forget he had a terrible team when he was drafted. He also had a coach who quit on him just as he was entering his prime, and inherited a second coach who still had to learn how to hold a ship together. His third coach wanted to retool the offense to the quick release offense and this was definitely not Drew's game. But overall who could doubt that the entire team fell apart around him on Pete's watch? And who would not argue that it was really Bobby Grier's watch that doomed the team? Not ideal conditions for Drew to flourish.
He made soooo many boneheaded plays though...constantly throwing interceptions into the breadbasket of linebackers...he even did it in that AFC Championship game...but the Steelers linebacker dropped the ball...he had all the talent you could want...but didn't have the best decision making ability...all that being said...his talent took him pretty far and turned the Pats from a bum franchise into a borderline playoff team almost every year...and he deserves loads of credit for being a team leader and helping Tom even when it was not in his personal self interest
@@BodieB yeah, I agree with everything you said! He did not read defenses well! At the end of his time with the Pats he would take a sack rather than trying to thread the needle! I remember seeing tears in Bledsoe’s eyes after hitting David Patten for a TD in the AFC Championship. He must have been saying, to himself, “I can’t believe that a 6th round nobody is taking my job”! It was bitter sweet when Tom won his first year!
I remember him well, he needed a very talented team around him to succeed. Anyone who was watching back then Brady probably would have gotten his shot with or without Bledsoe getting hurt. He didn’t fit in bills offense. If you remember correctly he just signed the biggest contract in nfl history in 2000
@@supersexysegahe was a top 3 qb for 6 years or more,more superbowl appearances then marino,same as rodgers and one less sb then eli,i think that makes him a very very good qb,i was there when he was drafted i saw him play everygame at foxboro,i saw him win 2 afc championships,i saw him at 2 superbowls....my investigation is spot on,do your homework sexy,he was one of the best 90s qb there was....not saying he was great but he was one of the best in the 90s,this a fact.........honest investigation?son,you need to learn the game.........
@@spikeman68 You stepped way out of your league on this one. Your subjective memories don't play out with the reality of his career. He was never a top 3 QB ever. He only had 5 seasons with a QB rating over 80 and none with a QB rating over 90. His QB rating as a Patriot over 9 seasons was 75.9... terrible. Drew Bledsoe was a volume passer and very rarely an efficient one. The equvilent of an NBA player that chucks up 20 shots a game to score a measly 20 points. Let me make this clear that I am comparing to his era constituents when I say this. He has a horrid carrer YPA of 6.6. He was garbage in the playoffs posting a carrer 54.9 QB rating with his high being 77.9. In the 1996 season when the Patriots went to the SB he threw 3 TDs and 8 Ints with his best QB rating being a 62.4 in the playoff run. Translation his team carried him. After his Patriots run while still being relatively young (30 years old) he flamed out rather quickly. Other then his first 8 starts in Buffalo he was an absolutle disater for them over 3 seasons costing them the playoffs in 2004. He truly was one of the most overrated QB's of his time. Nepotism got him a starting job with the 2005 Cowboys. He cost them the playoffs playing mediocre. Especially terrible because they had Sean Payton had Romo ready to break out but Bill wouldn't pull the trigger.
I love the picture of Tom Brady and Bledsoe face to face. Even though Brady far surpassed all of Bledsoe NFL achievements, you can still see the deep respect that he Brady has for Bledsoe. If I could not be Tom Brady in my next life, I would accept being Drew Bledsoe.
Love Bledsoe he built what we now have in foxboro. Although he wasn't really a champion that had that killer instinct he changed the culture in New England and was really good for some years! I remember taking my son to get his autograph in 94 and there was thousands of people.Thanks Drew 11 glad you got that one Lombardi
I still remember that 2001 season, it was pretty surreal to see the $100 million QB Drew Bledsoe lose his job to a lowly backup. Truthfully in 2000 it did appear that Bledsoe's best stuff on the Patriots was falling behind, the team was starting to struggle a little bit. Still, I figured Bledsoe had at least 3 or 4 solid years left in him as the Patriots starting QB.
@@ryomensukuna457 The Patriots were building around him, the last remaining piece was getting a solid running back behind Bledsoe to take some of the offensive load. Originally they had future HOFer Curtis Martin, but Parcells poached him (and great punter Tom Tupa) when he took the head coaching job of the NY Jets. Bledsoe was really good, I don't know if he was going to give them 10 years of quality football but at least 5.
@@underwaterlevelz1947 they replaced Martin with great rookie back Robert Edwards but he tore up his knee in a sand football game at the pro bowl and never played again. The Pats then had one of the worst running games in the league until they traded for Corey Dillon in 2004
@@TheLocalLt You're right I forgot about Edwards. He was in the NFL Blitz video game. He would have been a suitable replacement for Martin but they only got 1 year out of Edwards. Rotten luck on that one
The man was underrated. He threw for 70 pass attempts in 1 game and completing 45 passes that same game. He should be in Canton just for that record. That record hasn’t been broken since Bledsoe in ‘94
What I remember about Bledso, especially towards the end of his career, was that the man was an absolute statue in the pocket, no mobility whatsoever, virtually incapable of avoiding the rush. That’s bad enough but on top of that he held onto the ball too long and had one of the slowest releases that I’ve seen a pro QB have. I remember hearing a story that when he played for the Bills during practice they tried to speed up his release by blowing an air-horn to signal him to throw the ball. At any rate while a fairly solid quarterback early in his career he was replaced for a reason in New England, Buffalo and Dallas. He just didn’t have it anymore. Nevertheless by all accounts he’s a super guy.
Agree, the biggest improvement I remember from Bledsoe to Brady was pocket presence - Brady was better at feeling the rush and stepping up in the pocket and making the right read instead of being sacked. Makes a huge difference in team success.
The biggest improvement I remember from Bledsoe to Brady was pocket presence - Brady was better at feeling the rush and stepping up in the pocket and making the right read instead of being sacked. Makes a huge difference in team success.
Great video. As a lifelong New Englander (RI & CT) I've seen a lot of ignorant Pats fans pretending Drew Bledsoe was some diaper stain on the franchise when that is completely false. It's true that at the time of Bledsoe's benching he was not getting the job done but before he was drafted the Patriots were a league embarrassment. Bledsoe gave them respect.
I’d say he’s the spark that lit the dynamite. Definitely deserves that ring for winning the AFC championship game for them and starting one of the greatest dynasties in nfl history
Bledsoe hanged on to the lead, watch the game again. One interesting point is that the Steelers had their bags already packed for New Orleans and this did not go unnoticed to B.B. and the team, as they had to walk right by them upon entering the field.
@@anthonyhutchins2300 he’s like top 30 if that . The problem with bledsoe is he wasn’t very clutch in big moments and threw a lot of interceptions . Still he’s an amazing quarterback better than most will ever be but he’s not no better than top 30 .
If you are a QB of his calibre, who got his team to a superbowl a few years prior, it stings if you get your ring since your backup got you there and won it for you
@@samilles472 well yes, but still look at the time he had with the same team, it must have stung quite a bit, especially since nobody knew yet who brady was and what he was. To him Brady was a 6th rounder, nothing special.
I remember watching a Pats game just after Drew, got his 100 mil, contract, the commentator said the Pat's had better hope nothing happens to Bledsoe because they've only got a 2nd year, 6th round ,pick to turn to. Yeah , who new. Go Hawks
@@ozamatazbuckshank7467 yeah. I mean tom was not yet tom back then so when drew got injured his teammates still look at him as the qb of the team, also drew is not a nobody back then. Its like Russell gettung injured and his teammates not visiting him.
As an avid Pats fan since the 60's, I noticed 2 things different between Bledsoe and Brady. #1 Brady could consistently pick up the 3rd down and #2 he didn't rush the pass under pressure, causing way too many interceptions. He did take the Pats to their first Super Bowl, but once Brady came on the scene the upgrade was obvious.
Drew is not overrated. I believe he's hall of fame calibur. His numbers are similar to the likes of Dan Fouts and Warren Moon. He helped turn a rock bottom laughing stock franchise into relevancy. His mentoring of Brady post injury is classy and shows his leadership ability. Maybe he's not Tom Brady or Joe Montana, or Johnny Unitas...but he's definitely in the Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Dan Fouts club, all HOF'ers.
well the sad thing is, today all people hear is how the team was 5-11 the year before and lost 2 games before brady got starter. So they assume he was not that good.
@@daftwulli6145 yes that does make it harder to accept how good he is, but plenty of other QBs had stinker season records in their careers. Drew laid the foundation for the dynasty and brady ran with it. Marino and Favre both had a couple of losing seasons. He should get a HOF nod, but it's unlikely.
@@chadlpnemt yea sadly pro bowl and HOF are often more of a popularity contest then actual skill. Think about edelman, 3 superbowl rings, superbowl MVP, made one of the best catches in supervowl history in another superbowl, part of the most dominant team in football for over half their dynasty, only wide receiver who has more receptions in the postseason is jerry fucking rice. Wanna guess how may pro bowls he has ? 0
Number 11 Drew Bledsoe gets injured 12 days after 9-11-01 The Twin Towers looked like the number 11 and he a PATRIOT gets hit by a New York Jet number 57, 5+7=12 and number 12, Tom Brady takes his place and the PATRIOTS win the Super Bowl after 9/11😱 I think I’m on to something
I always liked Drew and even met him once at a gas station in Raynham MA not too far from his home. The issue with Drew for me was even in this video he says he needs to compete for "my job". Sorry Drew, you had to compete for THE JOB. His father, the college coach, Parcells, just gave Drew the starting QB nod without him ever really needing to compete for it. When he finally had to work for it......well we saw what happened. But he and Parcells are the ones that brought back winning to the New England Patriots.
From everything I've heard and read, Drew Bledsoe is a terrific person. However, as a professional football quarterback, he always had the knack for throwing the big pick.
Drew will always be the 2nd best QB the Pats ever had. Brady turned the team into a dynasty. Bledsoe turned a burning dumpster fire of a joke into a professional, relevant football team.
TY, Chase. Bucs fan since 1979 here. But in 1993 I adopted the New England Patriots as my AFC team due to 2 guys: ✅ The Big Tuna as new Head Coach & ✅ my favorite College QB at the time Drew Bledsoe. While I truly feel for Drew, I'm so blessed that my family of 5 got to enjoy all of Brady's careers so far as a Fan instead of as a Hater. Brady = GOAT
bledsoe is a class act. and had bledsoe not taken tommy under his wings, we wont have brady. Drew taught brady more than pple realize. - how to be a good mentor, a good team mate, a good qb in the nfl. brady didnt bench bledsoe, bledsoe got injured and passed the torch.
Bledsoe got the hell beat out of him playing for the Pats. He was never a problem here. He got Wally Pipped, traded, got old, and retired. He had a pretty great career all in all.
Drew is a bit bitter but the reality is that in camp for 2001 Brady was just a better QB. Belichick wanted to start Brady and staff has since revealed they were resigned to putting their houses on the market, because 5-11 the year before and an 0-2 start wasn't expected to fly with Kraft. When Bledsoe got hurt BB seized the opportunity to put the better guy in and save his bacon despite protests from fanboys and pundits. Drew's reaction was passive/aggressive but could have been much worse. It is unlikely the Pats would have even sniffed dynasty with Drew. He wasn't clutch like Brady and did not take care of the ball well. Overall, he was a pretty good QB though, and seems a pretty good guy.
Go moed over. But seriously props to him for coming back and helping pats in afc game vs. Steelers and playing well along with continuing his career with bills and cowboys. Injury was brutal and he came back 💪
During his time in BUFLO he was great. The Bills should’ve held on to him for another year so that J.P. Losman could learn and or start here and there.
I was in high school and Brady took over for Bledsoe and it took a while for me to move on and accept Brady as our savior. I would love to see some fantasy game though between the 96 and 07 Patriots!
Sep 23 2001 was actually the first football game I got into. I remember everyone arguing all year TB or DB. My uncle eas convinced TB was a fluke and trading DB was a bad move
It's really sad he's mainly remembered for being Wally Pipp'd for Brady. Bledsoe was a great quarterback that helped keep the Pats in NE and took them out of thebDark Ages.
Always felt bad for Bledsoe. He was a decent QB and had a good career, but he'll always be remembered as the guy that got replaced by Tom Brady over anything else
My old man had tickets to the first game after Bledsoe got hurt. He almost didn’t go to the game because Bledsoe was out and some kid Brady was playing. Pretty sure they put 40+ on the colts that day.
Drew Bledsoe is perhaps the most unselfish Player I have ever known. He could have thrown a fit and made life difficult for everyone. Could you imagine being the leader of that team, getting hurt, never getting your back when healthy, saving the day when your replacement went down only to be benched again for a Super Bowl? And then stand next the guy that took your job and support him while he's getting pumped up coming out of the tunnel and then all game. There should be annual award for the most unselfish player named after Drew. I hold Tim Wakefield in high regard as well for taking his own name off a World Series Roster. BTW he operates his own Vineyard in Washington State
I agree with you 100%. I was amazed how he maintained a good attitude, after losing his starting job when he was injured, something you rarely see nowadays.
Yeah, it's amazing how the narrative changed. Everyone forgets that Brady did get hurt in the AFC Championship game that year and Bledsoe came off the bench to beat Pittsburgh. Bledsoe was a complete class act leading up to the SB afterwards after Brady was named the starter. Now I laugh at all the people who think it was all Brady. Go back to that time and see how many of those same people were blasting Bellichick for starting Brady over the franchise QB.
I have always liked Bledsoe and thought it was the totally wrong decision by Belichick when staying with Brady after Drew got healthy. HAHHAHAHH. Happy to hear he is doing well. In the big picture though, Drew had a very nice NFL career.
Patriots fan knows this man saved the franchise he led us to a super bowl but came lost. Him, Parsells, and kraft were the foundation. He patriots for life. ooooo plus he still has the same number of rings as Drew Aaron and Wilson.
Drew's arm was probably the best in the league, in his prime. But, his feet were set in concrete. It's a shame he didn't find another team to let that arm launch.
Bledsoe WAS the face of the patriots for almost all of the 90s and we will never forget his humility when Brady took over.
I always liked Drew.
A real team player, and truly a Stand Up guy. I wish him all the best.
Drew and Tom both seem like such great classy guys. No way they could not be friends.
Drew was one of my favorites back then. What a cheap shot that pretty much stunned his career and robbed him from what I believe would have been lots of championships as him quarterback
Can't help it but yeh, he was a stand up guy when the Mo Lewis shoulder was down. I cringe when I watch that because Drew had no idea how to run the ball either to get out of bounds or to lower the shoulder or to slide. He's clearly caught in a dilema during that sequence, and his body language is screaming, "Shit, what do I do now??" Fate has funny ways of making us move off our spot.
But he was a stand up guy in life as well and he'll always be one of my favorites. His 70 pass game against the Vikings with the walk off to the FB Kevin Turner was one of the biggest thrills of my football life. Period. Yeh, I know it was not for all the marbles, but it was still a shot heard 'round the NFL that the Patriots were for real. Finally.
Bledsoe now lives in Oregon and helps out my highschool football team as his kids participated on our team about year ago. Great QB!! His arm is pure muscle, honestly it’s a pleasure to be able to Catch a ball thrown by drew Bledsoe
That's awesome
Corvallis? Outside of Eugene? I know those rolling hills and they might make a good place to grow grapes. Did he move to Oregon permanently?
@@zeppelinmexicano Central Oregon
@@zeppelinmexicano yeah he lives in Oregon permanently now
@@BinskAndSmackers Aha, sounds like the old Bend connection. Interesting that I had breakfast in some nice restaurant in Bend a few months into 2002 and the waiter said, "You're from New England." Yeh, blah blah. Then he tells me that Drew came in for breakfast a day or two after the Rams game and was depressed, not in a good mood. Yeh, I get that. That's real, at least. I felt for the guy and I still think we would have beaten the Rams with him at QB, except by more than 3 points. But why argue with history? My regards to Central Oregon though, a marvel to behold if you get what the desert is all about.
People forget that Drew was a very good QB.
Exactly. It feels like so many people forget Bledsoe got NE to the Super Bowl. Granted I was in elementary school at the time and not in the Northeast, but Bledsoe was up there right behind (it seemed like) Elway and Favre. I had a poster book of great NFL players and Bledsoe was there.
People, especially younger ones, are quick to believe that Bledsoe was a nobody, an average QB. He was way better than that.
He just choked in the big games poor movement in the pocket
Drew threw too many picks, too few TDs, and wasn't especially clutch. He threw 41% more INTs than Brady. Brady threw 48% more TDs than him. His 251/206 TD/INT ratio isn't very good.
Drew's offense in 1996 was a very good offense and they scored 3TDs against the best defense in the league in that SB. They shoulda coulda woulda, ya know? We had a coach that choked, I think. He was nervous Nelly the whole game and gave up on the run way too soon. He hung Drew out to dry against The Minister and gave Max Lane no help (sound like SB55?). Don't get me going.
@@caelachyt that ratio is not so hot, but don't forget he had a terrible team when he was drafted. He also had a coach who quit on him just as he was entering his prime, and inherited a second coach who still had to learn how to hold a ship together. His third coach wanted to retool the offense to the quick release offense and this was definitely not Drew's game. But overall who could doubt that the entire team fell apart around him on Pete's watch? And who would not argue that it was really Bobby Grier's watch that doomed the team? Not ideal conditions for Drew to flourish.
Drew Bledsoe is the man. Ultimate teammate. That AFC championship is still such a clutch backup qb performance.
Drew is a humble guy. Glad he's doing well post career.
Still a Bledsoe fan to this day. So underrated
He made soooo many boneheaded plays though...constantly throwing interceptions into the breadbasket of linebackers...he even did it in that AFC Championship game...but the Steelers linebacker dropped the ball...he had all the talent you could want...but didn't have the best decision making ability...all that being said...his talent took him pretty far and turned the Pats from a bum franchise into a borderline playoff team almost every year...and he deserves loads of credit for being a team leader and helping Tom even when it was not in his personal self interest
@@BodieB yeah, I agree with everything you said! He did not read defenses well! At the end of his time with the Pats he would take a sack rather than trying to thread the needle! I remember seeing tears in Bledsoe’s eyes after hitting David Patten for a TD in the AFC Championship. He must have been saying, to himself, “I can’t believe that a 6th round nobody is taking my job”! It was bitter sweet when Tom won his first year!
I remember him well, he needed a very talented team around him to succeed. Anyone who was watching back then Brady probably would have gotten his shot with or without Bledsoe getting hurt. He didn’t fit in bills offense. If you remember correctly he just signed the biggest contract in nfl history in 2000
He sucked
@@MrRaErickson he wasn’t Tom Brady but he was the best they ever had to the point that Brady came into the picture!
Get benched by the GOAT is no shame at all. He was a great teammate and a great man.
Wally Pip
HE WASNT BENCHED...GET IT RIGHT
@@spikeman68 Blessing in disguise. He really wasn't a very good QB with a little honest investigation. He had his moments and arm talent though.
@@supersexysegahe was a top 3 qb for 6 years or more,more superbowl appearances then marino,same as rodgers and one less sb then eli,i think that makes him a very very good qb,i was there when he was drafted i saw him play everygame at foxboro,i saw him win 2 afc championships,i saw him at 2 superbowls....my investigation is spot on,do your homework sexy,he was one of the best 90s qb there was....not saying he was great but he was one of the best in the 90s,this a fact.........honest investigation?son,you need to learn the game.........
@@spikeman68 You stepped way out of your league on this one. Your subjective memories don't play out with the reality of his career. He was never a top 3 QB ever. He only had 5 seasons with a QB rating over 80 and none with a QB rating over 90. His QB rating as a Patriot over 9 seasons was 75.9... terrible.
Drew Bledsoe was a volume passer and very rarely an efficient one. The equvilent of an NBA player that chucks up 20 shots a game to score a measly 20 points.
Let me make this clear that I am comparing to his era constituents when I say this. He has a horrid carrer YPA of 6.6. He was garbage in the playoffs posting a carrer 54.9 QB rating with his high being 77.9.
In the 1996 season when the Patriots went to the SB he threw 3 TDs and 8 Ints with his best QB rating being a 62.4 in the playoff run. Translation his team carried him.
After his Patriots run while still being relatively young (30 years old) he flamed out rather quickly. Other then his first 8 starts in Buffalo he was an absolutle disater for them over 3 seasons costing them the playoffs in 2004. He truly was one of the most overrated QB's of his time.
Nepotism got him a starting job with the 2005 Cowboys. He cost them the playoffs playing mediocre. Especially terrible because they had Sean Payton had Romo ready to break out but Bill wouldn't pull the trigger.
I love the picture of Tom Brady and Bledsoe face to face. Even though Brady far surpassed all of Bledsoe NFL achievements, you can still see the deep respect that he Brady has for Bledsoe. If I could not be Tom Brady in my next life, I would accept being Drew Bledsoe.
Bledsoe was my classmate in college '90-91 for American History, I believe. Quiet but had his entourage. Glad to know he's doing well.
At Washington state?
@@dailyjerk yes, wazzu cougs:)
how tf does everyone in the comments know this guy personally
September 11, 2001: The Day the World Changed
September 23, 2001: The Day the NFL and the entire world of sports changed forever
12 day difference
The Birth of Tom Brady
i was just thinking damn for bledsoe that must been the worst month his life.
@@Suaru #12: Tom Brady
American sportd
Love Bledsoe he built what we now have in foxboro. Although he wasn't really a champion that had that killer instinct he changed the culture in New England and was really good for some years! I remember taking my son to get his autograph in 94 and there was thousands of people.Thanks Drew 11 glad you got that one Lombardi
I still remember that 2001 season, it was pretty surreal to see the $100 million QB Drew Bledsoe lose his job to a lowly backup. Truthfully in 2000 it did appear that Bledsoe's best stuff on the Patriots was falling behind, the team was starting to struggle a little bit. Still, I figured Bledsoe had at least 3 or 4 solid years left in him as the Patriots starting QB.
But wasnt he overpaid? He had too much interceptions to be a franchise qb
@@ryomensukuna457 The Patriots were building around him, the last remaining piece was getting a solid running back behind Bledsoe to take some of the offensive load. Originally they had future HOFer Curtis Martin, but Parcells poached him (and great punter Tom Tupa) when he took the head coaching job of the NY Jets. Bledsoe was really good, I don't know if he was going to give them 10 years of quality football but at least 5.
I remember it too and I’m glad he was replaced I always knew he was overrated (at the time)
@@underwaterlevelz1947 they replaced Martin with great rookie back Robert Edwards but he tore up his knee in a sand football game at the pro bowl and never played again. The Pats then had one of the worst running games in the league until they traded for Corey Dillon in 2004
@@TheLocalLt You're right I forgot about Edwards. He was in the NFL Blitz video game. He would have been a suitable replacement for Martin but they only got 1 year out of Edwards. Rotten luck on that one
Belichick didn’t want to sign Bledsoe to a mega-deal but Kraft overruled this because Bledsoe was the team’s superstar
The man was underrated. He threw for 70 pass attempts in 1 game and completing 45 passes that same game. He should be in Canton just for that record. That record hasn’t been broken since Bledsoe in ‘94
What I remember about Bledso, especially towards the end of his career, was that the man was an absolute statue in the pocket, no mobility whatsoever, virtually incapable of avoiding the rush. That’s bad enough but on top of that he held onto the ball too long and had one of the slowest releases that I’ve seen a pro QB have. I remember hearing a story that when he played for the Bills during practice they tried to speed up his release by blowing an air-horn to signal him to throw the ball.
At any rate while a fairly solid quarterback early in his career he was replaced for a reason in New England, Buffalo and Dallas. He just didn’t have it anymore.
Nevertheless by all accounts he’s a super guy.
Agree, the biggest improvement I remember from Bledsoe to Brady was pocket presence - Brady was better at feeling the rush and stepping up in the pocket and making the right read instead of being sacked.
Makes a huge difference in team success.
The biggest improvement I remember from Bledsoe to Brady was pocket presence - Brady was better at feeling the rush and stepping up in the pocket and making the right read instead of being sacked.
Makes a huge difference in team success.
the editor needs a pay raise cause this video was BANGIN
This is a great tribute to Drew Bledsoe.
Great video. As a lifelong New Englander (RI & CT) I've seen a lot of ignorant Pats fans pretending Drew Bledsoe was some diaper stain on the franchise when that is completely false. It's true that at the time of Bledsoe's benching he was not getting the job done but before he was drafted the Patriots were a league embarrassment. Bledsoe gave them respect.
He is the first QB I knew as a pats fan!
Same
I’d say he’s the spark that lit the dynamite. Definitely deserves that ring for winning the AFC championship game for them and starting one of the greatest dynasties in nfl history
Bledsoe hanged on to the lead, watch the game again.
One interesting point is that the Steelers had their bags already packed for New Orleans and this did not go unnoticed to B.B. and the team, as they had to walk right by them upon entering the field.
I remember that game...we thought he was a dead man. But...All is well and has been for Many years after that.
14 years in the league I still consider it a success. He still is a wealthy man.
14 years, 2 SB appearances, 1 ring, a big contract, and countless pro bowls. He's definitely one of the better QBs in history.
@@anthonyhutchins2300 no not at all
@@anthonyhutchins2300 he’s like top 30 if that . The problem with bledsoe is he wasn’t very clutch in big moments and threw a lot of interceptions . Still he’s an amazing quarterback better than most will ever be but he’s not no better than top 30 .
He has a ring and is rich that is what matters most playing in the nfl.
If you are a QB of his calibre, who got his team to a superbowl a few years prior, it stings if you get your ring since your backup got you there and won it for you
@@daftwulli6145 I mean he did help them when Brady got hurt and got them past the Steelers... well him and Troy Brown with that punt return TD.
@@samilles472 well yes, but still look at the time he had with the same team, it must have stung quite a bit, especially since nobody knew yet who brady was and what he was. To him Brady was a 6th rounder, nothing special.
When you look qt the clip where he got hurt it gets me upset but thinking about the future I think it helped the patriots see their future.
I remember watching a Pats game just after Drew, got his 100 mil, contract, the commentator said the Pat's had better hope nothing happens to Bledsoe because they've only got a 2nd year, 6th round ,pick to turn to. Yeah , who new. Go Hawks
Tom Brady was the only player that visited Drew in the hospital.
That’s sad 😢
Damn I wonder why that was?
There is no way none of the players especially the captains didn't visit him. No way. Unless if you can provide prove @Sub LBC i called BS
@@ozamatazbuckshank7467 yeah. I mean tom was not yet tom back then so when drew got injured his teammates still look at him as the qb of the team, also drew is not a nobody back then. Its like Russell gettung injured and his teammates not visiting him.
Yeah, that’s fake news.
Coincidentally, Drew "bled so" much, and in came Brady.
Booooooooo lol
Bledsoe's contract ran to the 2009 season, but after the infamous injury, he was traded to the Bills in early 2002.
Great vid. I really thought Bledsoe got a bad deal at the time. Terrific QB!
Drew Bledsoe should be in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Great video!
As an avid Pats fan since the 60's, I noticed 2 things different between Bledsoe and Brady. #1 Brady could consistently pick up the 3rd down and #2 he didn't rush the pass under pressure, causing way too many interceptions. He did take the Pats to their first Super Bowl, but once Brady came on the scene the upgrade was obvious.
Yep... Brady got the ball out and Drew hung onto it inevitably throwing off his back foot.
Great video. Drew was always a classy guy. All of us in Pats nation thought he would start the SB against the Rams.
When Brady took over the pats were no longer my fav . I was a huge Bledsoe fan.
Drew is not overrated. I believe he's hall of fame calibur. His numbers are similar to the likes of Dan Fouts and Warren Moon. He helped turn a rock bottom laughing stock franchise into relevancy. His mentoring of Brady post injury is classy and shows his leadership ability. Maybe he's not Tom Brady or Joe Montana, or Johnny Unitas...but he's definitely in the Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Dan Fouts club, all HOF'ers.
well the sad thing is, today all people hear is how the team was 5-11 the year before and lost 2 games before brady got starter. So they assume he was not that good.
@@daftwulli6145 yes that does make it harder to accept how good he is, but plenty of other QBs had stinker season records in their careers. Drew laid the foundation for the dynasty and brady ran with it. Marino and Favre both had a couple of losing seasons. He should get a HOF nod, but it's unlikely.
@@chadlpnemt yea sadly pro bowl and HOF are often more of a popularity contest then actual skill. Think about edelman, 3 superbowl rings, superbowl MVP, made one of the best catches in supervowl history in another superbowl, part of the most dominant team in football for over half their dynasty, only wide receiver who has more receptions in the postseason is jerry fucking rice. Wanna guess how may pro bowls he has ? 0
Number 11 Drew Bledsoe gets injured 12 days after 9-11-01 The Twin Towers looked like the number 11 and he a PATRIOT gets hit by a New York Jet number 57, 5+7=12 and number 12, Tom Brady takes his place and the PATRIOTS win the Super Bowl after 9/11😱 I think I’m on to something
👁👄👁
11 + 12 = 23
*Jim Carey scared face*
But remember, who had the most to gain from 9/11? Kyle!
@@GreatMewtwoGeorge W Bush
One of my favorite players growing up
I always liked Drew and even met him once at a gas station in Raynham MA not too far from his home. The issue with Drew for me was even in this video he says he needs to compete for "my job". Sorry Drew, you had to compete for THE JOB. His father, the college coach, Parcells, just gave Drew the starting QB nod without him ever really needing to compete for it. When he finally had to work for it......well we saw what happened. But he and Parcells are the ones that brought back winning to the New England Patriots.
Great video. Thank you.
His ability to not only accept the situation he disliked, but then to go on mentoring Brady through the season is very classy. Respect.
Bledsoe will forever be a legend. I'm a Vikings fan but...my regards and respect goes out to him.
From everything I've heard and read, Drew Bledsoe is a terrific person. However, as a professional football quarterback, he always had the knack for throwing the big pick.
Drew Bledsoe is why I became a patriots fan in 1996
No shame in getting benched by the GOAT, great career mr Bledsoe
Q: What happened to Drew Bledsoe?
A: Mo Lewis
Best answer
I just glad to hear his name again
Belichick told Robert Kraft that he thought Brady was the better QB before the 2001 season
Drew will always be the 2nd best QB the Pats ever had. Brady turned the team into a dynasty. Bledsoe turned a burning dumpster fire of a joke into a professional, relevant football team.
Drew made a dynasty possible. Tom made the dynasty happen. Drew definitely deserves the ring he got in 2001.
BIG FAN of Drew!!!
TY, Chase.
Bucs fan since 1979 here.
But in 1993 I adopted the New England Patriots as my AFC team due to 2 guys:
✅ The Big Tuna as new Head Coach &
✅ my favorite College QB at the time Drew Bledsoe.
While I truly feel for Drew, I'm so blessed that my family of 5 got to enjoy all of Brady's careers so far as a Fan instead of as a Hater.
Brady = GOAT
When I was a kid I remember seeing his poor performance and Romo replace Bledsoe and that was that. I hadn’t realized how good he actually was
bledsoe is a class act. and had bledsoe not taken tommy under his wings, we wont have brady. Drew taught brady more than pple realize. - how to be a good mentor, a good team mate, a good qb in the nfl. brady didnt bench bledsoe, bledsoe got injured and passed the torch.
Nice video
Thank you!
@@ChaseChats I subbed ur channel is really good keep up the work
Bledsoe got the hell beat out of him playing for the Pats. He was never a problem here.
He got Wally Pipped, traded, got old, and retired. He had a pretty great career all in all.
He is why I became a Pats fan
The whole pats franchise is built oh his back. He has always been classy about how it played out.
Double Back is in his home town of Walla Walla Washington.
Drew is a bit bitter but the reality is that in camp for 2001 Brady was just a better QB. Belichick wanted to start Brady and staff has since revealed they were resigned to putting their houses on the market, because 5-11 the year before and an 0-2 start wasn't expected to fly with Kraft. When Bledsoe got hurt BB seized the opportunity to put the better guy in and save his bacon despite protests from fanboys and pundits. Drew's reaction was passive/aggressive but could have been much worse. It is unlikely the Pats would have even sniffed dynasty with Drew. He wasn't clutch like Brady and did not take care of the ball well. Overall, he was a pretty good QB though, and seems a pretty good guy.
I love, Drew! The perfect Patriot
Go moed over. But seriously props to him for coming back and helping pats in afc game vs. Steelers and playing well along with continuing his career with bills and cowboys. Injury was brutal and he came back 💪
During his time in BUFLO he was great. The Bills should’ve held on to him for another year so that J.P. Losman could learn and or start here and there.
Drew has the coolest throwing motion
I was in high school and Brady took over for Bledsoe and it took a while for me to move on and accept Brady as our savior. I would love to see some fantasy game though between the 96 and 07 Patriots!
He really saved the franchise
Sep 23 2001 was actually the first football game I got into. I remember everyone arguing all year TB or DB. My uncle eas convinced TB was a fluke and trading DB was a bad move
I remember that playoff game in 2001 vs the steelers(last playoff game at Three River Stadium)great game btw
That game was in Heinz Field
He is a class guy. Tough league!
It's really sad he's mainly remembered for being Wally Pipp'd for Brady. Bledsoe was a great quarterback that helped keep the Pats in NE and took them out of thebDark Ages.
I live where he went to high school. I also used to work at his winery during the summer
wow good video no bias from me at all!
Its becouse he started playing in the NBA
Always felt bad for Bledsoe. He was a decent QB and had a good career, but he'll always be remembered as the guy that got replaced by Tom Brady over anything else
He got crossed by Terry Rozier and was never the same again. Next
Good guy Bledsoe. Not everyone can be the GOAT. People sidelined by the GOAT outnumber the GOATs. How one handles that is a true test of character.
Should be in the hall of fame
Respect Bledsoe!
this would make such an amazing tv series... imagine if HBO took this story from since brady was a college qb and built a story out of it
He’s the reason I’m a Patriot fan.
Got hurt. Brady took over. He was never the same afterwards.
Dak Prescott Tom Brady'd the man who Tom Brady'd the man who was Tom Brady'd by Tom Brady.
Poor Drew.
My guy drew is the man I thought when he came in and won the Steelers game he would start super bowl
He started a world class winery in his home state of Washington
My old man had tickets to the first game after Bledsoe got hurt. He almost didn’t go to the game because Bledsoe was out and some kid Brady was playing. Pretty sure they put 40+ on the colts that day.
Drew Bledsoe is perhaps the most unselfish Player I have ever known. He could have thrown a fit and made life difficult for everyone. Could you imagine being the leader of that team, getting hurt, never getting your back when healthy, saving the day when your replacement went down only to be benched again for a Super Bowl? And then stand next the guy that took your job and support him while he's getting pumped up coming out of the tunnel and then all game.
There should be annual award for the most unselfish player named after Drew. I hold Tim Wakefield in high regard as well for taking his own name off a World Series Roster.
BTW he operates his own Vineyard in Washington State
I agree with you 100%. I was amazed how he maintained a good attitude, after losing his starting job when he was injured, something you rarely see nowadays.
People forgets that he has a Super Bowl ring. He did contribute to it.
Yeah, it's amazing how the narrative changed. Everyone forgets that Brady did get hurt in the AFC Championship game that year and Bledsoe came off the bench to beat Pittsburgh. Bledsoe was a complete class act leading up to the SB afterwards after Brady was named the starter. Now I laugh at all the people who think it was all Brady. Go back to that time and see how many of those same people were blasting Bellichick for starting Brady over the franchise QB.
Didn't he get destroyed by Terry Rozier? /s
He almost lost his life?
yeah the hit that he got in the jets game was nasty.
He should feel proud that it took the greatest nfl player ever to replace him.
@jake bruns greatest QB
@@steamedclams5689 player
@@jakebruns4350 QB my guy
@Bruce Wayne 7rings he’s the greatest
I've always liked Bledsoe
Short story: this guy named Brady took over the world
Who else played as Drew Bledsoe in Backyard football?
He got Wally Pipped. He still won a ring and had a solid career so it's all good.
Bledsoe was a STUD
I guess it was a formality Mat Cassel wasnt going to be a permanent change but not everyone comes back from ACL surgery
If the eagles did the same with the nick Foles and Carson wentz. I think Foles would have had the confidence to keep it going
Lol ok stephen A. Smith
Class act, rare in modern sports.... Without him backing brady in a.f.c championship game there would be no dynasty.... I tip my cap
I have always liked Bledsoe and thought it was the totally wrong decision by Belichick when staying with Brady after Drew got healthy. HAHHAHAHH. Happy to hear he is doing well. In the big picture though, Drew had a very nice NFL career.
Patriots fan knows this man saved the franchise he led us to a super bowl but came lost. Him, Parsells, and kraft were the foundation. He patriots for life. ooooo plus he still has the same number of rings as Drew Aaron and Wilson.
Drew's arm was probably the best in the league, in his prime. But, his feet were set in concrete. It's a shame he didn't find another team to let that arm launch.