Drew Bledsoe debate topic

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Always wondering when he came to Buffalo, there were two teams interested in him Buffalo and the Bengals.  But recall him telling Cinncy he wasn't interested, so he ended up here.

 

His first season here he started out great until around mid season when they played NE.  BB made him look terrible.  After that seemed like other teams took note of what BB did and tried some of that, (at that point BB wasn't yet labeled a genius) but seemed weren't 100% convinced that was the key to stopping Bledsoe.   NE played Buffalo again around week 16 or so, BB did the same and again stopped him cold.  After that other teams copied the blueprint and Bledsoe was done.

 

But what if he had instead gone to the Bengals.  The AFC east had just played the crossover games against the AFC north the year prior so would have been at least two year before he faced BB and would have only been one game and was late in the season they played.  Would he have instead looked much better as he had in the first few games he played in Buffalo and maybe had three more decent years?

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I Guess the way I look at it is; who in that draft would you have picked higher?

 

for me Strahan and maybe one or two of the linemen.

 

Even in a redo Bledsoe is a top 5-10 pick in that draft. 

 

He’ll probably go in the books as Stafford, Boomer, Simms, Palmer McNabb type guy.

 

Nearly 200 starts at QB is respectable. 

[Royale with Cheese]

45 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Switch to a better quality whiskey.  ‘Old Panther’ just doesn’t cut it.

*
(Remember the label?:  ‘Old Panther - Bottled Yesterday’.)

 

I used to drink.  I still do but I used to as well.

[TheBrownBear]

He was one of the top 4-5 QBs in the NFL for a stretch of 4-5 years in the mid-to-late 90s, but he really fizzled out during his second act.  He was Matthew Stafford before Matthew Stafford.  Not a bust, but not HOF quality.  Just a good player with a laser arm and zero mobility.  

[Rico]

Damn shame that Mo Lewis couldn’t finish the job.  

[Don Otreply]

No one seems to accept that Drew was done/fork in it done, when the Sith lord traded him to Buffalo, were he had eight/8 good games, and then wilted away. Career wise he was a bit above average overall. Never rose to the heights that his fans wanted to see.  Performed as expected for most high pick QBs. 

[Formerly Allan in MD]

4 hours ago, Gray Beard said:

Footage of Drew Bledsoe in the backfield 

That's some helmet.

[Gray Beard]

3 minutes ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

That's some helmet.

But it wouldn’t meet the current concussion requirements 

[Runninrams]

the career totals are skewed because of the gaudy numbers today's no touch league allows guys to rack up, but looking at top 10 finishes shows how good he was

 

7x Top 10 in yards:  1,2,3,3,4,6,6,8

7x Top 10 in TD:  3,3,4,7,8,10,10

9x Top 10 in completions:  1,1,2,3,6,7,8,8,8

8x Top 10 in game winning drives:  1,2,2,2,3,3,4,4,4,5

 

16th all time in yards

21st all time in TD

13th all time in completions

 

 

2 hours ago, Rico said:

Damn shame that Mo Lewis couldn’t finish the job.  

 

stay classy...?

Edited October 29, 2019 by Runninrams

[Rochesterfan]

6 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I think overall, Drew Bledsoe had a pretty decent NFL career.  He had some good years but also a lot of meh years...and bad years.

 

He was the #1 overall pick.  Do you guys think in his overall career, he was a disappointment?  Certainly not a bust but not having the career you want from a #1 overall.

 

I have arguments for both.  

 

On one hand, he did play a big part in the change of the Pats.  They were absolutely terrible before he got there.  A few years later, brought them to a Super Bowl.  

 

On the other hand...he had a lot of bad years.  He started struggling towards the end of his career in NE and Belicheck saw it...which is why he felt good enough to trade him inside his division.

His Bills career was a disappointment as was his career in Dallas....he was still relatively young when he came to Buffalo too.

 

I am going to say yes...he was a disappointment.  At #1 overall as a QB, I think you're supposed to be the guy the holds that position for 10+ years and you make a significant difference and didn't have enough of that.

 

Overall for his career - he should not be considered a disappointment.  He was above average for a number of years for NE and lead them to a Super Bowl and a number of playoff appearances.  
 

He was named to multiple Pro Bowls and one of the youngest players to start in the Pro Bowl.

 

I think he was in decline when he got destroyed by the Jets and that decline continued in Buffalo and Dallas, but to me he was not a disappointment - Rick Mirer was a disappointment - Bledsoe was good enough to win. 
 

 

[Greybeard]

4 hours ago, Rob's House said:

The Bills completely mishandled him. Bledsoe was a stationary pocket passer with a great arm and ability to spread the ball around, but he wasn't buying any extra time. He could be effective in the right offense, but the Bills weren't interested in running that offense.

             He did really well in those first 8 games, and then the opponents figured out they could kill the Bill's offense and Bledsoe by blitzing.  The coaching staff responded to the challenge with ............crickets.

4 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Bledsoe's lifetime record and numbers vs. teams with a winning record was truly abysmal. Unfortunately, I can't find that information on the internet anymore, so I'd have to reconstruct it from PFR. Too much work, but trust me, it's true. 

          A good method when Defense doesn't matter.

 

         He was the most maligned QB since Joe Ferguson.

Edited October 29, 2019 by Greybeard

[Rochesterfan]

3 hours ago, Pete said:

Drew sucked after his first 8 games, cost us a #1, and set this franchise back years.

 

My friend was a waitress in Boston when Drew was on Pats, and Drew would continually stiff her, he tried to get her fired, was rude to her.  If she ever hears the name Bledsoe, she gets so angry.  Zolak was banging my friends roommate, so they all would ride home together.  She said Zolak said Drew pulled that ***** everywhere.  

 

 

 

Great Story, but Zolak is known to be a complete buttwad (want to go so much stronger) and is so full of garbage - this story tells me that Drew was probably awesome.

 

I known he used to come to the Galleria late as it was closing and was nice as can be to my wife when shopping - she meet him a couple of times, but the store did not require tipping - so I can’t say anything about that. 

[stevewin]

Cutting Drew With Dignity

 

 

 

 

 

The best thread title this board has ever seen

[Pete]

41 minutes ago, stevewin said:

Cutting Drew With Dignity

 

 

 

 

 

The best thread title this board has ever seen

And Cutting Drew With Dignity had one of the best lines I’ve read “are you missing a chromosome or something”?

[Rico]

2 hours ago, stevewin said:

Cutting Drew With Dignity

 

 

 

 

 

The best thread title this board has ever seen

Don’t forget “The Passion Of The Drew”. 

[Wayne Arnold]

9 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I think overall, Drew Bledsoe had a pretty decent NFL career.  He had some good years but also a lot of meh years...and bad years.

 

He was the #1 overall pick.  Do you guys think in his overall career, he was a disappointment?  Certainly not a bust but not having the career you want from a #1 overall.

 

I have arguments for both.  

 

On one hand, he did play a big part in the change of the Pats.  They were absolutely terrible before he got there.  A few years later, brought them to a Super Bowl.  

 

On the other hand...he had a lot of bad years.  He started struggling towards the end of his career in NE and Belicheck saw it...which is why he felt good enough to trade him inside his division.

His Bills career was a disappointment as was his career in Dallas....he was still relatively young when he came to Buffalo too.

 

I am going to say yes...he was a disappointment.  At #1 overall as a QB, I think you're supposed to be the guy the holds that position for 10+ years and you make a significant difference and didn't have enough of that.

 

There have been bigger busts in the league, but overall he was a disappointment.

 

He's the very epitome of a jock - entitled, arrogant, always thought he was better than he actually was and unlike the greats didn't have the work ethic. Pats sucked in 2000 and early 2001...and then he gets hurt and the team IMMEDIATELY is great when a second-year, unathletic 6th round pick replaces him.

 

Belichick traded him to a division rival IN HIS PRIME because he knew exactly what he was.

[stuvian]

He was a decent starter who I'd rank close to Tony Romo or Phillip Rivers.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

After his first year they gutted his OL (J. Jennings and R. Brown left) and dumped his #2 WR (who had 96 catches) and #1 TE. 

 

Bills did him no favors.

 

Bledsoe had elite arm strength and God- like deep ball accuracy. 

 

 

[Rico]

1 hour ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

After his first year they gutted his OL (J. Jennings and R. Brown left) and dumped his #2 WR (who had 96 catches) and #1 TE. 

 

Bills did him no favors.

 

Bledsoe had elite arm strength and God- like deep ball accuracy. 

 

 

If he only had a brain.

[Phil The Thrill]

13 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I think overall, Drew Bledsoe had a pretty decent NFL career.  He had some good years but also a lot of meh years...and bad years.

 

He was the #1 overall pick.  Do you guys think in his overall career, he was a disappointment?  Certainly not a bust but not having the career you want from a #1 overall.

 

I have arguments for both.  

 

On one hand, he did play a big part in the change of the Pats.  They were absolutely terrible before he got there.  A few years later, brought them to a Super Bowl.  

 

On the other hand...he had a lot of bad years.  He started struggling towards the end of his career in NE and Belicheck saw it...which is why he felt good enough to trade him inside his division.

His Bills career was a disappointment as was his career in Dallas....he was still relatively young when he came to Buffalo too.

 

I am going to say yes...he was a disappointment.  At #1 overall as a QB, I think you're supposed to be the guy the holds that position for 10+ years and you make a significant difference and didn't have enough of that.

I think he was better than a “bust” but then again I’m not sure if he ever completely lived up to the hype of a #1 overall pick.  I would put him in the same category as a Matthew Stanford or an Alex Smith to a lesser extent. 
 

A lot of Bills fans were talking about Bledsoe with him making an appearance at the game Sunday.  It’s funny how many people online were like “I knew it was a bad trade.  Why would Belichick trade a QB in his own division.”

 

This is revisionist history 101.  Back in 2002 the Bills were coming off a 3-13 year and saw the any optimism for Rob Johnson as franchise QB go down in flames.   
 

When the trade was made, the Bills fan base and media were PUMPED!  We had thought we were getting a great QB.  People were very excited for the Bledsoe Era.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise 

[T master]

Disappointing in a sense but we have all seen a lot worse being Bills fans !! 

[row_33]

Just now, T master said:

Disappointing in a sense but we have all seen a lot worse being Bills fans !! 

 

some people get real sensitive about this on here......

 

 

[C.Biscuit97]

Hall of Pretty Good

[Kirby Jackson]

I don’t think that there is a player in Bills history that is, undeservedly, remembered more fondly than Bledsoe. Everyone remembers those 1st 8 games like that was most of his time in a Bills uniform.

 

After those first 8 games Bledsoe’s record was 18-22. He completed 702-1,213 for a 57.9% completion percentage. He threw 39 TDs and 38 INTs. Bledsoe was sacked 110 times in 40 games!!! He also lost 19 fumbles in those same 40 games!! He had 4 rushing TDs in that window. So to recap he had 43 total TDs and 57 turnovers!!!! That is an atrocious 2.5 years!!! He was NOT even an acceptable player after the first 8 games yet some people remember him as a star. Not trying to go down this road but Tyrod and Fitz were light years ahead of Bledsoe as a Bills QBs. After the first 8 games Bledsoe was no better than any of the other post-Kelly scrubs.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Kirby Jackson

[dave mcbride]

3 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I don’t think that there is a player in Bills history that is, undeservedly, remembered more fondly than Bledsoe. Everyone remembers those 1st 8 games like that was most of his time in a Bills uniform.

 

After those first 8 games Bledsoe’s record was 18-22. He completed 702-1,213 for a 57.9% completion percentage. He threw 39 TDs and 38 INTs. Bledsoe was sacked 110 times in 40 games!!! He also lost 19 fumbles in those same 40 games!! He had 4 rushing TDs in that window. So to recap he had 43 total TDs and 57 turnovers!!!! That is an atrocious 2.5 years!!! He was NOT even an acceptable player after the first 8 games yet some people remember him as a star. Not trying to go down this road but Tyrod and Fitz were light years ahead of Bledsoe as a Bills QBs. After the first 8 games Bledsoe was no better than any of the other post-Kelly scrubs.

Agree 100 percent. Also, as I said above, his lifetime performance against winning teams was truly abysmal and indeed notorious back in the day. 

Edited November 1, 2019 by dave mcbride

[Pirate Angel]

Trading a first for a immobile QB and putting him behind Melvin Fowler, tuten Reyes, Mike Gandy, Mike Williams can more than likely be chalked up to "irresponsible decision making"

[Rico]

If Shane Matthews starts the 2004 Steelers game, the Bills make the playoffs.

[Kirby Jackson]

On 10/29/2019 at 7:56 PM, stuvian said:

He was a decent starter who I'd rank close to Tony Romo or Phillip Rivers.

Really?!? 
 

Bledsoe career

57.2 % completion

230 yards per game

251 TDs 

206 INTs 

77.1 passer rating

 

QB B

60.1% completion

206 yards per game

195 TDs

155 INTs 

80.7 passer rating

 

QB C
64.6% completion

259 yards per game

386 TDs

185 INTs

95.5 passer rating 

 

Which of those 2 players is Bledsoe closer to??

 

 

[Kirby Jackson]

On 10/29/2019 at 10:24 AM, Pete said:

Drew sucked after his first 8 games, cost us a #1, and set this franchise back years.

 

My friend was a waitress in Boston when Drew was on Pats, and Drew would continually stiff her, he tried to get her fired, was rude to her.  If she ever hears the name Bledsoe, she gets so angry.  Zolak was banging my friends roommate, so they all would ride home together.  She said Zolak said Drew pulled that ***** everywhere.  

 

 

Ha ha 

 

The Bills used to have a trade account with Kelseys and Montana’s in OP. A lot of people were authorized to just sign for their food and drinks. Bledsoe went to the Montana’s on NF Blvd. with his family and ran up like a $300 tab (tough to do there). He was like “just put it on the Bills tab.” There was no tab there. He threw a FIT. Ha ha

[row_33]

36 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Really?!? 
 

Bledsoe career

57.2 % completion

230 yards per game

251 TDs 

206 INTs 

77.1 passer rating

 

QB B

60.1% completion

206 yards per game

195 TDs

155 INTs 

80.7 passer rating

 

QB C
64.6% completion

259 yards per game

386 TDs

185 INTs

95.5 passer rating 

 

Which of those 2 players is Bledsoe closer to??

 

 

 

Does Dan Marino count as elite?

 

Comp  59.4%

Yard per  255

TDs  420

INTs  252

QBR  86.4

 

[Kirby Jackson]

2 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

Does Dan Marino count as elite?

 

Comp  59.4%

Yard per  255

TDs  420

INTs  252

QBR  86.4

 

Yep

 

I actually think that Marino and Rivers is an interesting debate. 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Kirby Jackson

[row_33]

all things considered he was the 3rd best QB I've seen in Buffalo since 1973

 

Kelly and Ferguson are well above 3rd place, Allen is definitely pending

 

 

[Kirby Jackson]

15 minutes ago, row_33 said:

all things considered he was the 3rd best QB I've seen in Buffalo since 1973

 

Kelly and Ferguson are well above 3rd place, Allen is definitely pending

 

 

Look above after those 8 games. Fitz, Tyrod, and Flutie were all better than Bledsoe. After 8 games was 18-22 and had 43 TDs and 57 turnovers!! For some perspective Tyrod was 23 -20 as a starter. He had 65 TDs and 21 turnovers. Tyrod won more, made more plays, and made less mistakes. 
 

He was hot for 8 games like Trent Edwards was.  For some reason Bills fans give him WAY more credit than he deserved. Bledsoe was a bad football player by the time he got to the Bills. 

[row_33]

56 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Look above after those 8 games. Fitz, Tyrod, and Flutie were all better than Bledsoe. After 8 games was 18-22 and had 43 TDs and 57 turnovers!! For some perspective Tyrod was 23 -20 as a starter. He had 65 TDs and 21 turnovers. Tyrod won more, made more plays, and made less mistakes. 
 

He was hot for 8 games like Trent Edwards was.  For some reason Bills fans give him WAY more credit than he deserved. Bledsoe was a bad football player by the time he got to the Bills. 

 

i would take Bledsoe over Fitz/Tyrod and the Rodeo Midget Clown any day

 

i don't give two ***** what your stats say

 

 

[Kirby Jackson]

7 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

i would take Bledsoe over Fitz/Tyrod and the Rodeo Midget Clown any day

 

i don't give two ***** what your stats say

 

 

We are all entitled to our opinions. I could say Peterman is a good QB but what’s measurable would say opposite. There isn’t a lot to support Bledsoe being better than those guys as Bills. Maybe you could argue that he won more than Fitz but did so with superior talent. Other than that he was less efficient, made less plays, made more mistakes and was sacked at an alarming rate. 

 

Bledsoe had elite arm talent but his completion percentage is less than Fitz who we consider inaccurate. Fitz and Tyrod both averaged more yards per attempt as well so we can’t hide behind him throwing it more down the field. There just really isn’t much, outside of 8 games, that supports him being even okay. That’s like Trent Edwards. 
 

I’m always baffled when people think so highly of Bledsoe as a Bills QB. We look back at former Bills all of the time through a negative lens. “___ sucked, I can’t believe he started here.” People remember Bledsoe as a good QB. It’s odd because he wasn’t. If you stack up his Bills career against even decent starters (like Fitz and Tyrod) it isn’t even close. He honestly compares closest to EJ. 
 

EJ vs Bledsoe (After 8 games):

58.3% vs. 57.9%
6.4 YPA vs. 6.6 YPA

77.1 rating vs 77.1 rating 

1.3333 TDs per start vs. 1.075 TDs per start

1.3125 turnovers a game vs. 1.425 turnovers a game

 

That really is not good. 

[May Day 10]

Absolutely not a bust, although he didnt reach his draft day expectations/ceiling.

 

He was a decent starting quarterback for like 14 seasons.  Serviceable enough to contend for or win a championship if he were in the right situation. 

 

Bust, Im thinking Akili Smith, Jeff George, Jemarcus Russell, Vince Young, Ryan Leaf, Heath Shuler, Rick Mirer, Andre Ware, Tim Couch, Joey Harrington, David Carr.

[Rico]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

 

i would take Bledsoe over Fitz/Tyrod and the Rodeo Midget Clown any day

 

i don't give two ***** what your stats say

 

 

Regardless of what happened in the 1998 playoff game against Miami,

if I needed to win a big game, I would MUCH rather have Flutie at QB instead of a POS like the Brain Dead One. I would take Orton, Fitzy, TT, Kelly Holcomb, and Todd Collins too. JP or EJ? Tough choice.

[row_33]

16 minutes ago, Rico said:

Regardless of what happened in the 1998 playoff game against Miami,

if I needed to win a big game, I would MUCH rather have Flutie at QB instead of a POS like the Brain Dead One. I would take Orton, Fitzy, TT, Kelly Holcomb, and Todd Collins too. JP or EJ? Tough choice.

 

Flutie never won a big NFL game his entire career

 

he crapped the bed with the 1986 Bears...

 

 

the 1986 ***** Bears!!!!

 

[Rico]

36 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

Flutie never won a big NFL game his entire career

 

he crapped the bed with the 1986 Bears...

 

 

the 1986 ***** Bears!!!!

 

True, but Bledsoe was legally brain dead after the end of September 2003. If you need proof, go back and watch the tape.