I have always said that I have never been more nervous as a sports fan than the moments leading up to the 1993 draft. My beloved—and at the time woefully inept—New England patriots had the No. 1 pick, thanks to their 2-14 record the previous season.
The Patriots needed everything, but like a lot of terrible NFL teams, they needed a QB. There were two Q's thought to be head and shoulders above the rest. There was Drew Bledsoe, the strong armed, 6'5" gunslinger from Washington State, and Rick Mirer, the heady, and more polished, more recognized QB from Notre Dame.
I wanted Bledsoe. I hated Notre Dame (I still do), and was no fan of Mirer. I thought he was overrated and was way worse then Bledsoe, who had an amazing arm. I had seen Bledsoe at Washington State lead his team to victory in snow games, and I knew he could do the same here.
I was so glad that the Patriots, after years of terrible management, were now led by Bill Parcells, who came out of his first retirement to lead the Patriots. Parcells was one of the most respected figures in football, and Pats fans were lucky that, after turning down other opportunities, Parcells decided to come back and run the pathetic Pats.
Leading up to the draft, Parcells would not reveal his hand. I cannot find the quote anywhere online, but Parcells said something like 65% of the league would take Bledsoe at No. 1, 35% would go with Mirer.
When the No. 1 pick rolled around, and the Pats took Drew Bledsoe, I was thrilled beyond belief. I was in college and had no money, but somehow, I scraped together $180, as did my roommate, and we had season tickets (yes, season tickets in the end zone were once $18 per game; I was livid that I was forced to buy two pre-season games, making the total $180). We had the best coach, we had the best young QB, and we were on our way.
I went to the pre-season games, and everyone, and I mean everyone, was wearing a No. 11 jersey (including me and my roomate). There was some debate in training camp and throughout pre-season that year as to who would start at QB, but eventually Parcells, never scared to take a gamble, started Bledsoe over the more experienced Scott Secules.
The Patriots had a rough 1993, but fans did not care. There was now hope, in the form of the mastermind coach and the young QB. The Pats were 1-11, and like a lot of young teams, seemed to lose every week because of one play. Then, something amazing happened.
The Pats beat the equally woeful Bengals, 7-2 (yes, 7-2). Pats fans celebrated like they had made the playoffs. Then they went into Cleveland and beat a decent Browns team. A road win! Then back home and a spanking of the Colts and Jeff George, 38-0. Then the ultimate test. A showdown with AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins. A win got the Dolphins into the playoffs. A win would only hurt the Patriots draft position, but no one cared.
Pats fans wanted this game to prove that their team was for real, despite the 4-11 record. (The No. 1 pick turned out to be Dan Wilkinson; the Pats “settled” for Willie McGinnest at No. 4). The game had a lot of back and forth, but the Patriots ended up winning 33-27 in overtime on a Bledsoe to Michael Timpson bomb. The place went nuts, Timspon ran right by me and blew off my high-five attempt, and Bledsoe was the hero.
Patriot’s fans, worried that owner James Orthwein might move the team in the off-season, did not want to leave the stadium. Strangers hugged, replays were watched, and fans high-fived jubilant players as they left the field.
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The next year, the Pats, under new ownership, made the playoffs (winning their last seven regular season games), and lost in the Wild Card round. Bledsoe threw the ball 691 times (43 times per game), including an amazing 70 times in a comeback win against the Vikings. The young QB was so good that he made Parcels, who had the reputation of being a run-first coach (some of that is true, some is not), bypass the running game and throw it non-stop. Their leading rusher, Marion Butts, had an anemic 703 yards (44 yards per game).
At the age of 22, Bledsoe became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to play in the Pro Bowl. After a curious 6-10 in 1995, the Pats rebounded big time in 1996, and rode an 11-5 record through the playoffs and right into the Super Bowl. The Pats lost to the Packers, contributing largely to me breaking up with my girlfriend at the time (long story), but the future was bright.
Our young QB was a bona-fide, record breaking stud, we had a great coach, we had the best tight end in the un-guardable Ben Coates, we now had a running game with Curtis Martin, and the AFC was going to be ours for a long, long time.
It did not work out that way. Parcells, in a feud with owner Bob Kraft, left the Patriots to join the rival Jets, and Bledsoe’s career was never the same.
Patriots’ players loved Pete Carroll when he replaced Bill Parcells in 1997. He was more laid-back and they could enjoy themselves. They liked him more, but they won fewer games. Sure there were some good years, AFC East crowns, riveting comebacks, and great moments, but Carroll never truly got out of Parcells' shadow, and whispers started to become louder concerning the QB.
He could not move, he does not feel the pressure, he holds the ball too long, we need a guy who can scramble like Michael Bishop (yes, lots of brilliant Patriot fans wanted Michael Bishop to play over Bledsoe), we need someone else.
Carroll left, and Bill Belichick came in, but things got worse for the Patriots. The Pats went 5-11 in 2000, and now Patriots fans, who had become used to winning, were livid. As with a lot of NFL teams, the spotlight fell, fairly or not, on the QB. Then, in week two of the 2001 season, Bledsoe got hurt, and in comes Tom Brady. The rest is history.
Bledsoe was shipped off to Buffalo for a first round pick following the 2001 season. He had a great season in 2002, passing for 4,359 yards and 24 touchdowns and making his fourth trip to the Pro Bowl. 2003 was tough because of many injuries to key Bills offensive players, but the Bills improved in 2004, winning nine of their last 12, and six of the last seven (finishing 9-7), but there were no playoff appearances in Drew’s three seasons with the Bills.
He was let go following the 2004 season to make room for a younger, more mobile JP Losman. The Bills were happy with Bledsoe’s play for the most part, but felt he was not the guy who could beat the new kings of the AFC East, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
In 2005, Bledsoe reunited with old friend Bill Parcells and put up a very good season (3600 yards, 23 touchdowns, 17 picks) with the Dallas Cowboys. Like 2004, Drew’s squad went a respectable 9-7, but like 2004, his team was home for the playoffs.
In 2006, a young hot-shot named Tony Romo impressed in training camp, and when Drew got off to a slow start, Bledsoe was again benched for a younger, more agile option. His last throw as a pro was a terrible interception on Monday night in the red zone against the Giants. He was replaced by Romo at halftime, and that, in effect, the career of Drew Bledsoe ended.
It is safe to say that the Patriots and Cowboys made the right call in cutting ties with Bledsoe in favor of Brady and Romo respectively, but in retrospect, I firmly believe his career should have ended in Buffalo.
J.P. Losman has not panned out, and the Bills, in my opinion, took for granted their stellar play at the end of 2004 for granted. The Bills had carved out a tough, conservative offense behind Bledsoe and power back Willis McGahee. But the Bills had invested a first round pick in J.P. Losman in the 2004 draft, and they felt he was the better option. It has not worked out for the Bills or Losman yet, but when Losman was drafted, the writing was on the wall for Bledsoe.
A few aspects of Drew’s career absolutely amaze me. The first is the lack of respect he is given in the New England area. He helped turn the Patriots franchise, one of the biggest jokes in sports in the early 90’s, around. He took a ton of hits (some the fault of poor line play, some his own), never complained, never asked for a trade when the Pats could not run the ball, and never pointed any fingers.
In this regard, I equate Drew Bledsoe to former Red Sox relief pitcher Keith Foulke. The former Red Sox closer had a great 2004, and an even better 2004 post-season. There is no 2004 World Series without Foulke, yet because of poor performance and injuries in 2005 and 2006, Foulke is disliked by a lot of fans in this area (to be fair, Foulke also made some comments that did not endear him to fans).
Bledsoe did not win a title like Foulke did, but he made the Patriots relevant again, and he deserves a lot of the credit for turning this team around. Not only that, he played a key role in the AFC Title Game in 2001, coming in to relieve a hobbled Brady and helping get the Pats into Super Bowl 36.
I truly believe Boston fans are among the best fans in the world, but sometimes, fans, including yours truly, can have short memories. Bledsoe brought the Pats several playoff appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl, yet because of the brilliance of Brady, he is viewed by many Boston fans as a cross between Heath Shuler and Ryan Leaf. It is not fair, but I guess that is life as a QB, arguably the most scrutinized position in all of sports.
The second is how fast it happens, and how so much of what happens to you is out of your control. Drew still looks like the young kid out of Walla Walla, Washington with the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. Bledsoe was never going to be a speed demon, and his pocket presence did leave something to be desired, but I think so many things happened to him that started the downward spiral.
If Parcells had stayed. If the Patriots, knowing they had an immobile QB, built a better offensive line. If Tom Brady did not turn out to be one of the best QBs of all time. If the Bills decided to stick with him after 2004. But some things happen, you have a few bad years, and soon enough, this former No. 1 pick, once destined to end up in Canton, left the NFL this past season with such a whimper.
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3 months ago
Nicely written. Amazing how easily we forget the great things somebody accomplishes, huh? We're just a little too prideful sometimes to look past the negative, I guess. You said it perfectly, though: "It is not fair, but I guess that is life as a QB, arguably the most scrutinized position in all of sports."
Nice article.
3 months ago
I think Parcells leaving and Carroll coming in (who i think was just the wrong coach for someone like Bledsoe) helped to stop Drew from reaching the heights in his career that many thought he was headed for. hopefully as time goes by, patriot fans will remember the great Bledsoe did, and forget about the flaws.
3 months ago
thanks joseph and stew. when brady relieved bledsoe in 2001, it was almost like you had to pick one or the other. As time has gone on, and brady has established himself as a hall of fame QB, you would think patriot fans would look back the bledsoe era with a smile. however, IMHO, he is very much under appreciated in New england. a very good QB who produced a lot of happy memories and wins here in New england.
3 months ago
I still cherish my old school Bledsoe jersey, it's too bad things didn't work out, he had all the tools but was prone to poor on-field decision making.
3 months ago
The Bills head coach made a bad trade when he traded Tom Brady for Drew Bledsoe.
3 months ago
Oh and why is the word micheal bishop in yellow?
from 3 months ago
It's a link to a wikipedia page about Michael Bishop.
3 months ago
Great piece, Bledsoe has been and always will be my favorite Patriots player ever, sure Brady gets all the accolades but my formative years as a fan were spent watching Bledsoe carry those Patriots teams in the 90s that wouldn't have had a winning record that decade had they gone with Mirer, plus he was a true professional who came through when we needed him during the AFc championship game.
3 months ago
Great article. As a bills fan this reminds me how bills were the only team that the bledsoe back up plan didn't pan out.
Hopefully the back ups back up will (Trent Edwards)
3 months ago
I'm curious what you based your Buffalo stance on other than looking up his stats and probably watching the Patriots beat him two games per season over his three years in Buffalo. Drew's stats in Buffalo may look nice, but they were not fantastic, and he was clearly on his last legs. He was in a tricky situation in Buffalo, as when he was initially brought to Buffalo, he was met with (literally) a fan rally and a parade, as Buffalo fans wanted to put the Flutie-Rob Johnson debacle behind them. However, by the end of the '03 season, he wasn't seen as a savior anymore. The '04 season stats are a mirage, as he was really consistently mediocre.
In the 2004-2005 offseason, Buffalo gave him the option to compete for the starting job with JP Losman going into 2005, and he asked to be cut instead because he felt he was still a starter in the league. This didn't help JP establish credibility within the Bills locker room, as he was simply handed the job by the Bills organization, nor did it help the Bills from a public relations perspective, as Bledsoe was generally well liked by the fans for his charity work and his on-field play, while JP was seen as kind of a punk. In retrospect, Drew Bledsoe can be linked directly to what most Bills fans consider one of the most disastrous eras in the history of the team - the Tom Donahoe era, and his decision to leave can also be linked to the domino effect it had within the organization.
Despite consistently losing, Buffalo fans have kept their standards high since the Super Bowl run of the early 90's. Simply put, whether it is right or wrong, neither Bledsoe nor Donahoe were good enough for the expectations of the people of Buffalo.
3 months ago
Still got my authentic, road white #11 Bledsoe jersey hanging in the closet.....nice article. I'll always have a place in my heart for the one Bostonians unfairly, but humorously, call "Nancy Drew".
Ya gotta mention Mo Lewis in any Bledsoe article though.....
3 months ago
Hi Todd. I do not live in Buffalo, so I am on the outside looking in a little bit. I just know that the Bills did finsih strongly in 2004, and were one of the hottest teams in the NFL. But to say that i watched bledsoe twice a year is insane. he is my favorite football player of all time, and i watched him as much as humanly possible. I remember driving to a friend's house in a semi-blizzard in week 17 hoping to see the bills beat the steelers to get into the playoffs. it did not happen of course.
pats-bills games for me were torture during those 3 years. when the bills beat the pats on opening day in 2003, 38-0, it was hell. but if the pats beat the bills, it was tough on me because i hated to watch drew lose, and i knew i had to listen to the "i told you so's" from my fellow patriots fans. it was a no-win situation.
however, let's look at your comment about "In retrospect, Drew Bledsoe can be linked directly to what most Bills fans consider one of the most disastrous eras in the history of the team/" I know this is more of a shot at donahoe than drew, but this article is about bledsoe, not about donahoe. in 2001, the bills were 3-13. drew came on board, and they rebounded to 8-8, and had one of the most exciting offenses in the nfl. it slipped to 6-10 in 2003, then back to 9-7 (winning 6 of the last 7) in 2004. drew was cut, the team has gone 5-11, 7-9, and 7-9 in the ensuing 3 seasons. that is what i base my theory on that he should have remained a bill, both for himself and the betterment of that franchise.
if you disagree, that is fine, but i truly believe the decision to cut him and go with losman was the wrong one.
3 months ago
I also have a soft spot for Bledsoe. Many people fail to remember what he did in the 2001 Championship game against the Steelers. Brady leaves the game when they are down 7-3, and a couple touchdowns to Patton and Brown, and the Bledsoe gets them to the 2001 Superbowl. It would have been a nice career ender if he started that game and he ends up retiring as a hero with a ring.
I have to admit, the Buffalo years were terrible and a black mark on Bledsoe's career, other than the 2002 season when he made the pro bowl. He definately wasn't the same after that.
I just wonder how his career would have been if he hadn;t been hit by Mo Lewis in game 3 of 2001 season.
3 months ago
Great article. Have watched Drew since he was drafted in 93, a Pat's fan for years. Great player and person. Still wished he hadn't retired, but hear he is very happy with new ventures.
Pam
about 1 month ago
great article--I agree-Buffalo should have kept Bledsoe--the team and Bledsoe were onto something good--it drives me crazy how Bledsoe doesn't get the credit he deserves--so many factors play into how and why a team is successful or unsuccessful--and Bledsoe always gets blamed for the bad times-he brought me back into football when he was a Patriot (and i grew up on football--my father was a football coach)--in his early years the games weren't on tv and i would listen to the radio (people just don't get it now--they are so spoiled)--what happened in Dallas too was more about parcells--as it always was--the way he left the patriots--denying he was leaving during the super bowl--i blame parcells alot for that loss--what is ironic though i think--drew was always criticized for his immobility but his last td he ran for it! no one EVER mentions that! and at least he carries himself and his private life with respect--more that i can say about romo and brady
about 1 month ago
I loved Drew Bledsoe. When I was 11 years old I asked for his autograph when he was alone, and he said no! I love you Drew!
24 days ago
i'm sooo happy to read comments from true bledsoe fans...i was a huge patriots fan went to alot of games or watched the rest on tv. but since they pushed drew out of town instead of at least letting him win back the starting roal. i have never been a patriots fan since...i follow him in buffalo..and then in dallas...now i'm stuck on which team to like maybe it will be the jets with favre...lol. but i don't agree that sports has to be just business and teams need to do what they need to do to win...and don't care who's feet they step on...when we were kids we banked on our fav sport hero would retire in that uniform...it sucks. i wanted manny in boston to stay put even with his manny being manny routine he's still great! you just dont lose these great playes that newengland teams lose and for what. i think drew bledsoe should come out of retirement and get on a team with a solid offensive line and show those brady fans and belichek that thay messed up big time. i really believe drew had few great years left in him with the right team. i have met drew out and in person he's as nice and gentlman like as they come...he even bought me a drink...lol lets here it people anyone agree with me?????
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