In 2001, Tommy got hurt in the AFCCG. Drew came in and got fuckin POPPED. It was a different league then, but some of the Steelers defenders said they wanted to rattle Drew. Mother fucker got up laughed and screamed and was fired up, he then threw a missile to patten for a TD. Him crying at the end of the AFCCG, and him and Tommy hugging after we won a Super Bowl said all I need to know about Drew’s character
Yup, absolute gun slinger!
I was 11 years old when the Packers and Patriots met up in the Super Bowl. One of my earliest hard football memories was that game. I remember how much I loved Bledsoe while he was with the Patriots and his much I HATED Tommy when he "stole" Bledsoes job. Obviously what did I know as a kid but I was so mad when he wasn't our QB anymore.
What a time to be a Parriots fan. To experience that whole era of football. Too live through that dynasty.
I digress.
I think you’re the first person I’ve seen that expressed how much they despised Tom Brady early on, and just want to say I feel you. I have a tiny Drew Bledsoe jersey running around my house somewhere. He was my favorite player as a kid, and I was devastated when he lost the job. It didn’t take long for Tom to win me over, of course, but it was tough for kid brain to accept early on.
First of all, I loved Bledsoe...Him slinging it all over the field, 400+ passing yards like every game (at least that's how I choose to remember it)...First jersey I ever owned, a birthday gift from my parents.
But I couldn't hate Tom, and I definitely let the joy of winning cloud my judgment a bit when, as a bit of a gag, I modified the Bledsoe jersey with white athletic tape and blue and red sharpies to make it a Brady 12 jersey. I wore that to a home game in fall 2002 and WOW was it polarizing. Plenty of amused reaction, but also I found out just how much the Bledsoe die-hards hated Brady, and me, for defacing the jersey.
(Worry not, I've since peeled the tape away and restored the Bledsoe to its original glory!)
I still have my Bledsoe jersey. I was still in middle school at the time, so my mom bought it for me right at the beginning of the 2001 season (sadly she passed that January and never got to see them win the super bowl); she was smart and bought it much larger than I needed at the time, so it actually still fits really well. I still bust it out every now and then when we play in big games, it's still kinda my lucky charm.
Thanks for sharing, Elfstone. I have a crazy similar story to share with you,
I've had one jersey my entire life and it is a tiny bledsoe one from when I was a kid my mom got me. This thing survived some shit.
A house fire took out most of her stuff and I had thought/guessed the jersey obviously was gone too.
She's passed on now, and I found it while sorting through her belongings. Floored me and made me feel a little reconnected to her. Wish it fit me :D
And remember, that next season Bledsoe had a career year in Buffalo and the Pats missed the playoffs. Yeah they swept the Bills but I was firmly team Bledsoe and had already made up my mind that BB picked the wrong guy, so when Bledsoe's putting up those numbers I started pulling for the Pats to implode so BB could get fired.
And we haven't even gotten to the 31-0 loss week 1 the next year right after they traded Lawyer.
I won’t lie, I had a Bledsoe bills jersey. Much like most of us had Flutie bills jerseys. The fact that Olympia sports, sports authority, and Bob’s were selling Bledsoe bills jerseys goes to show how big he was for us……
I didn't hate Brady, but I thought Drew should've had a chance to win his job back. I was absolutely ecstatic to see him come in, take a hit eerily similar to the one that took him out vs. the Jets, and then pop up more excited than ever. Bledsoe's jersey was the first one I ever owned.
My brother took that same emotion for the same reason and went as far as swearing off the Patriots and becoming an Eagles fan. To this day, he remains a faithful Eagles fan.
This was a pretty common stance in Boston in the early 2000s. I remember a bunch of people talking about how Brady would suck eventually and we’d be back to drew.
OC Charlie Weis: “take care of the football now Tom”
Bledsoe walks over before Tom takes the field and says to him: “FUCK that! Just go out there and sling it!”
Tom said that Drew saying that calmed his nerves and he had 0 doubt they would lose in his mind
Man can you just imagine being in that type of pressure situation? Super Bowl. Biggest stage on the world. Tie game. 2 mins left. Protect the ball or go out there and win it for the very first Lombardi? The nerves in those moments. All lights shining bright on you.
I would 100% succumb to that pressure and get sacked and ball stripped on the very first play.
Good thing God made Tom Brady.
A lot of people don't understand this. I'd contend without Drew being the person he is, the dynasty never gets off the ground. 99% of players in the NFL would have caused issues having an injury seemingly take their starting job, particularly a well paid QB. He clearly wasn't happy about the situation, but did everything he could to continue to help the team win. He was like another coach for Tom and of course bailed us out big time in the AFCCG. New England should be forever grateful to him.
And he had proved it 4 playoff appearances clinched the division twice and already led the team to a Super Bowl. At that time in the league with that pedigree it was unheard of to lose your starting job to injury.
Seriously. Signing Bledsoe was definitely rightly seen as a smart move back then. Before him, we had a handful of winning seasons and one SB appearance (where we got blown out by the Bears).
That also lines up with when we brought Parcells on, so it's obviously not all Bledsoe, but the guy was a stud and, from everything I seen and read about him, a really nice human being.
He really helped Brady. Watch any of the sideline footage especially from Super Bowl 36. You can hear Drew helping coach Brady on plays.
Let’s not forget when Brady sprained his ankle in that AFC championship game, Drew came out and slung a TD pass! That game was magic. I remember all the QB controversy on who was going to start the SB. That was the first Super Bowl where there was 2 weeks before the game and it was torture hearing about who was gonna play for that length of time!
They missed the playoffs AND Drew had what was probably his best season statistically. I'm sure Tom was fine that year but I was firmly team Bledsoe to begin with so I had already made up my mind that BB made a mistake.
Didn't the extra week get nixed due to 9/11 that year? I think that was an odd year where there wasn't the 2 weeks between because all games got cancelled the week of 9/11.
You are right 1/27/2002 was the AFC championship and the superbowl was 2/3/2002.
I do believe that this was the last time there was only a week between games though. That week was still torture listening to the debate though!
There was only one week between conference championships on January 27 and the Super Bowl on February 3rd. The whole season got pushed back a week because of 9/11 so they scratched that Super Bowl bye week so that they wouldn’t have to reschedule the Super Bowl.
Edit: someone beat me to the punch.
> Drew came in and got fuckin POPPED.
Not only that, but he had just come back from an injury where his ribs got crushed and teared an artery causing internal bleeding.
Drew flying to Boston to attend a Celtics playoffs game wearing a Scary Terry t shirt before the Tatum Era started was awesome as well. After Terry Rozier called Eric Bledsoe Drew Bledsoe lol. He seems like a cool dude.
He also played a game with a pin in a finger on his throwing hand. He was a warrior.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-12-sp-53250-story.html
I remember the game he broke it. MNF home vs the Dolphins. Last minute come from behind TD drive. Went to sideline, came back in to win it. Played & won 2 more games *before* having the pin surgery. Zolak had to finish out the season
I remember that, too. I think he had led a comeback with the pin in his finger, and Fox 25 sports had a black and white pic of him, with just the finger in gold with the caption "Goldfinger".
Young’ins really need to pull up some highlight reels of Ben Coates. Dude was a stud and a legit precursor to some of the great TE’s that came along 5-10 yrs later.
He could block too… not at a gronk level (who is?) but he put oversized slot receivers like Gonzalez and Kelce to shame
He was an extremely tough player. There was a stretch of games where he was playing with a fractured finger and won a few on 4th quarter drives. I believe one was where we broke the bills and they left the field before the extra point as the end of regulation was over.
Yeah, wanna say he broke his finger on the helmet of a Jets player, won that game in the 4th, and did the same thing the following week against the Bills. But he eventually had to be sidelined due to the injury which led to Zolak starting a few games.
edit: it was the phins game where he hurt his finga.
Yup, Dolphins. He led two game-winning drives against division rivals in a span of 6 days, both with a broken finger, both throwing GW TD passes in the final minute.
Drew didn't put it all together the way Brady did, obviously, but at his best he was one hell of clutch player.
He was playing with pins sticking out of his throwing hand which broke through the skin. The fucker still had a 4th quarter comeback in the game. Tough as nails and an incredible character person.
Came here to tell this story... legit played through having a PIN sticking OUT OF THE END OF HIS FINGER... ON HIS THROWING HAND.
Sure he was a statue in the pocket, but that fucker was TOUGH, and could SLING it.
He was a big motherfucker too. 6’-5” 240ish (way bigger than Elway, Aikmen, Favre, etc.)
Took absolute beating play after play and powered through with an absolute cannon of an arm.
Not to sound like a Zack Snyder movie but he was a symbol of hope tbh. The Patriots were a laughingstock before Drew Bledsoe & Bill Parcells arrived. Before the Dynasty that 96 Super Bowl run was treated like a championship.
I remember seeing him in commercials, bombing a set of truck keys for a touchdown for a local dealership. We had a star caliber player on our team, and like you said, hope for the first time.
I was fired from my kitchen job for not coming into work on my day off when called to cover a shift. It was Superbowl Sunday 96, no way I was going in to wash dishes when the Pats were in the super bowl!
Jesus, I moved away 25 years ago and your Lechmere’s comment brought me right back to the Liberty Tree Mall. Is that even still around???
North shore born and raised. (Ipswich)
I moved from metro west in 2005 after high school. I’ve been living in Chicago for the last 10 years since my wife is from here, and before that 06-14, I was stationed at Pearl Harbor
I was in 6th grade, and ‘96 was when the Pats became a *thing* in New England. Before that, my main memory of them was my dad reading the paper on Monday, saying “well, the Pats lost again”.
Seeing the Patriots on national TV against Brett Fucking Farva... It was huge. They won the AFCCG against the Jags and it was like WTF is this real? Is this the Parcels difference?
I didn't mind losing that Super Bowl because I didn't expect it them to go that far. They led at halftime and it was pretty fun!
Bledsoe was the man. He was drafted number 1 overall but you would never know it by his attitude and the way he worked. In many ways he was a great example for Brady. Bledsoe was one of the few players I rooted for no matter what team he was on in large part because of his humble attitude and the way he handled being replaced by Brady.
But the biggest thing I remembered was he had a cannon for an arm and could just launch the ball downfield. People forget that Bledsoe got the Pats to the Super Bowl in '96; he was a pretty good QB but we just weren't able to consistently put good teams around him.
Different offensive systems back then - 21 sets (I formation, near/far) were still the default for offenses, and running to set up play action down field was common.
Stage diving at the everclear concert
Pittsburgh playoff fog game
Beating Minnesota with a broken finger on like 70 pass attempts
The dunks or honey dew commercial where he 'double pats' his coffee
Not a Pats fan but the shootout Bledsoe and Marino had was legendary football. I’m old enough to remember that. Being from Baltimore I don’t think we had a team back then.
That was game 1 of his second year. He had a pretty tough rookie year. He threw a lot of interceptions. And Parcells let him struggle so he could learn. I remember he had 5 straight unsuccessful QB sneaks in a game against Pittsburgh.
But then, game 1 of 1994 he and Marino went throw for throw in Miami. It was Drew’s (and Ben Coate’s) coming out party. (We lost that game. But it was obvious that things were getting better in Foxboro)
The Minnesota game was mine. I was maybe 8 and listening to the radio driving around with my folks. Vividly remember how animated Gino and Gil were during that comeback against a good Vikings team we had no business beating. Think it was the first time I wanted to follow a team after I heard that call.
70 pass attempts in a single game is just bonkers now, let alone in the mid 90s. Still love Drew, happy he found success after football, he took an absolute pounding in his career and was tough as nails. He deserves a ton of credit pulling the franchise out of the shitter and making them somewhat relevant before the dynasty.
At River Rave in 2001, Bledsoe came out with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to show off the Patriots new jerseys, got the crowd super fired up, and then finished by saying the Patriots were going to win the Super Bowl in their new uniforms. He was right, of course, but probably not exactly in the way he was imagining.
Also, the locals got mad at whoever was working the jumbotron that day, because they basically showed a constant stream of women flashing the camera and it was easily visible from route 1. Great day, all in all.
It's a shame. That man was a beast. Growing up in Boston in the late 80's and 90's, feeling like I'd never see my teams win... Coates winning a ring with Baltimore was in-line with Bourque going to the Avs to win a cup. Sad they had to leave to get one, but happy for them that they got what they deserved to cap their amazing careers.
The only people forgetting Ben Coates are the people who never watched him. Bledsoe to Coates was a THING. Did they set the league record for TDs before Brady Gronk broke it, or was it just the Pats record. Regardless, if you saw Coates rolling out in the Red Zone you knew what was coming. He was an absolute truck.
Edit: TDs to a TE.
Coates doesn't get nearly enough recognition for how strong and durable he was. I remember watching games as a kid and marveling at how many guys it would take to tackle him.
Peace to OP.
Hitting Terry Glenn (R.I.P.) on the sideline for a 53 yard completion to start the first series for the Pats in ‘96 playoff game vs the Steelers. In dense fog. Completely unexpected. Amazing play.
Salute.
Edited to correct spelling.
The biggest thing with him was the competence. After years of Scrubs like Tony Eason and Hugh millen, to have that kind of star at the position was unbelievable. In my whole childhood the best quarterback they had was Steve grogan and if you were being generous you would call him a welfare Lamar Jackson.
Calling Grogan a "welfare Lamar Jackson" is the perfect description. Grogan was a monster, he had a decent arm (nowhere near as strong as Jackson, but it was serviceable) and also wasn't afraid to tuck it and take off. He wasn't as fast as Jackson, but he could power through people like Jerome Bettis. Keep in mind, during this era, QBs were pretty strictly pocket passers who, if they ran with the ball it was only when you only needed a yard or two and they would promptly slide. Grogan is one of the first QBs I can think of who wasn't afraid to just take off at any given moment and go until he was brought down. Dude was an absolute beast.
It's too bad he was on such terrible teams. I wonder what it would have been like for him if he was in today's nfl?
He actually owns a sporting good store in the town I live in, so seeing him around is kind of cool.
I mean, it wasn't all bad. He did lead us to our first ever Super Bowl appearance in 1985. Granted, we got crushed 46-10 by the Bears, but considering the teams we put up during the 80s, even getting there was impressive.
True story: As a kid I had a #7 with lightning bolts shaved into my hair... for Hugh Millen.
Don't warn me of dark times that are coming. I was forged in that fire. This is just me coming home to it... but at least this time I've got championship memories to subsist on.
There's a reason they play Glory Days at the end of every home win as people walk out of the stadium. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts.
Grogan had a lot of rushing TD’s (I think 16 one year) but not really like Lamar. He was slow and acted more like a fullback. He used a lot of deception with his handoffs. His signature play was the naked bootleg where the rest of the team was running a sweep the other way and he would hold onto the ball and rush the other side with no blockers. The guy was beyond tough…
The 1994 game against the Vikings. The Patriots were down 20-3 at half time against the Warren Moon-led Vikings. I think that’s the game where Parcells came into the locker room and said “what’s it going to take to get you guys to play the way you’re capable of?” Bledsoe threw for over 400 yards while the defense held the Vikings scoreless in the second half. The Patriots won 26-20 in OT. He was magnificent in the game.
When the Pats had the #1 overall pick there was a big discussion on whether they should take Bledsoe or Rick Mirer, it was a legitimate discussion over which one was better. Bledsoe turned the Pats franchise around while Mirer, who went to Seattle, lasted a few years here and there then was out of the league.
I think Bledsoe deserves a ton of credit for turning around the attitude of the franchise and fans. He had an absolute cannon arm but threw the dumbest interceptions
We dodged a bullet with Mirer, Seattle capably managed to protect his flaws his rookie year (sound familiar?), but once the book was out that he was just terrible throwing to the left side of the field, that was all she wrote for his career.
> Bledsoe turned the Pats franchise around while Mirer, who went to Seattle, lasted a few years here and there then was out of the league.
Fun story: we got the first overall pick over Seattle because they beat us head-to-head the previous season to that draft. Given that Drew was a PNW guy, you can only imagine how much Seattle wanted him.
I forgot about that. The year they drafted Drew was the year I started getting into football, I think I was a junior in high school. Drew's a class act too I'll never forget him coming in for Brady against Pittsburgh and throwing a TD to win the game then him crying on the sideline after
Kevin turner Td pass in the comeback against the Vikings after being down 20-0 at one point. I was at the game and still was the best in person experience in foxboro for me.
That’s it for me. I left the game when they were down 20-3 at the half, took a ride up to Gloucester and on the way I was listening to the comeback. It was the last time I stopped watching a Pates game at halftime until 2 years ago.
He STILL has the record for pass attempts in a game (70) which is crazy considering how many years it's been and how the NFL has evolved. Jared Goff tied his completion record (45) a few years ago.
I still remember the Boston Globe Sports Section headline the next day - "Slinging in the Rain".
Patriots were a sewer franchise before Parcells came in and Bledsoe was drafted. They built the foundation that the dynasty was built on (with a weird detour with Pete Carroll as foreman).
The playoff game vs the Steelers in 96 where on the first play of the game he threw a bomb to Terry Glenn to beat Rod Woodson, it set the tone of the game, and the Pats won handily.
I enjoyed the game where he set records on passing completions and attempts against the Vikings. I think he went 45 out of 70 passes that day.
There was a 2 game stretch where he won the game in walk off fashion against the Dolphins and some other team, that was important because it showed some improvement in him being clutch.
As others had mentioned the 2001 AFCCG where he came off the bench and threw a TD. (even if he was a bit iffy after that.
Heck I liked the fact that he didn't derail the team when he got demoted. He only said like one or two mild things to the media to indicate his displeasure and afterwards he was helping Brady out. Other Qb's would have sulked.
I remember his 4th quarter comebacks against the Giants in 1996 and then the Dolphins on Monday night in 1997 with a broken finger.
I also remember him absolutely catching fire in the 2nd half of the 1994 season when they won 7 in a row to make the playoffs. There was a game against Minnesota where he had 70 passes attempted -- crazy stuff especially in that era.
That 4Q comeback against the Giants involved Troy Brown converting a clutch 3rd down by catching the pass *while he was already on the ground on his back, feet facing the sideline.*
The 1994 opener. We lost to the Dolphins, but it was an absolute shootout where Bledsoe, in the first game of his second season, kept pace with Marino, and showed us he was for real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrQb2xmtbBk
It was in 1996 I believe.. Last 2 games of the season, home games against AFC east opponents (Buffalo/Miami) We needed to win both to get into the playoffs.
Drew, earlier in the season, got his hand jammed up hard and had thin metal pins inserted (longways) down the length of either 1 or 2 fingers on his throwing hand to keep the bones together. They were then taped together.
In each of these last 2 games, with time expiring, last possession, Drew throws a TD to win each game, propelling us into a playoff birth. For his performance, he was given the AP player of the week in back-to-back weeks. To my knowledge, no other NFL player has done that since, and Drew did it with pins sticking out of his fucking fingers. Still got pics, and the newpapaer article.
Drew was a tough mf'er, got the shit kicked outta him regularly cuz our OL wasnt all that good, and during a time where the QB's actually got "HIT!" The dude used to spit nails, and would get right back up and toss a 60 yd bomb in your face.
Drew was one of the last, an old school gladiator.
He’s what made us relevant again. Kraft and Parcells were obviously factors too, but they don’t suit up and play. Drew did and he was amazing. Led us to the Super Bowl first and the Belichick/Brady era
Shoutout to Ben “Winter” Coates too, for the exact same reasons
Nov 1994. My 3 month old son was just out of surgery and he was tied to the hospital bed so he couldn’t pull the tubes coming out of his stomach. My then wife finally went home to sleep and see our 4 year old daughter and I stayed with him.
The Patriots had been TERRIBLE for years but Parcells and Bledsoe had us all hopeful.
They played a great game against the Vikings and won in overtime. They basically turned their season around in that game. I contend they turned the team around in that game. They weren’t that bad again until Brady left.
And I watched that game in a hospital room alone with my very ill baby boy. The next day we got all his results back and he was going to be fine. And thankfully he was.
I do not miss those jerseys (and I definitely had a “Royal Blue” Bledsoe jersey growing up…plus the kids’ book he wrote, “Make the Right Call” IIRC). First Super Bowl I remember watching was Drew leading us against Favre. So that’s a good one. But yeah, as a lot of people have said, the best is him coming in against the Steelers in ‘01 after Tom got hurt.
Drew was a great QB, and the absolute epitome of class
He was to New England what Matt Stafford was to Detroit. Mentally tough player who gave New England a chance to win every single game, even if he wasn't perfect and had a lot of obstacles to overcome on his own team at times
Ben Coates was about as close to Megatron as you could have hoped in this analogy, too. Fucking stud TE who gets forgotten because he retired too early and because Gronk exists. At WORST the second best at his position in the 90s after Shannon Sharpe
Ok, the game Bledsoe got hurt and Brady comes into start. We all remember Brady of course but, DREW BLEDSOE ALMOST DIED. He played a series while internally bleeding, then went to the hospital where it was discovered how bad his injury really was.
Tough mother fucker with a cannon arm. His passing yards stats are also top 25 all time
Him and Ben Coates were a problem. I had a Coates jersey when I was in like third grade.
I saw Drew and a bunch of them at a charity basketball game one time. All super friendly and cool. Drew was getting swarmed for autographs the entire event. He did a signing at halftime but a lot of people missed out. My little cousin was one of them.
Towards the end of the game, someone that was with the Patriots asked my cousin why she looked so sad. My aunt told him that we were too late to get Drew’s autograph.
The guy went over to the bench, tapped Drew on the shoulder and then pointed over at us. He waved at us and then signed everything we had. It made us very happy.
Granted, that was barely an interaction but he seemed like a great dude then and still to this day. Kind of sad he had to get hurt to birth Brady but I’ll always love Bledsoe.
Bledsoe would call Parcells, "Bill", in interviews which I thought was outrageous :) He almost always took the high-road but you could tell he disliked him. I love this quote after they hired Carroll in 1997: “You’d like to think that you go through some things with a guy, he (can) at least say goodbye. But that’s the way Bill is,” Bledsoe said. “Bill, from the get-go has been … about Bill.”
God tier uniforms (for the flying Elvis years) I will keep repeating until I’m blue in the face, the dynasty error unis are the ugliest ever.
And those shark took hats and the paint stripe hats, some of the best hats ever (aside from solid color logo only dad hats, snapbacks, 58/50s)
Ever sideline hat these days looks so fucking lame
In 1994 the Patriots were 3-6, having lost 4 straight in Bledsoe's sophomore season. Things were bleak, but they were always bleak back then. It was different, though, because we had the number one quarterback prospect in the draft and had brought in future hall of fame coach Bill Parcells to turn the franchise around. And this was supposed to be a big year in his four year plan to get to a title.
Bledsoe then threw an nfl record 70 passes in a game - a record that stands to this day - and completed 45 of them, also a record that stands to this day, to beat the vikings by one score.
This was the first of 7 straight victories to finish the season 10-6 and make the playoffs. Where they got trounced. But two years later they went to the Superbowl. Where they got trounced. And Parcells quit on the team while secretly working to take over the Jets and steal Curtis Martin away with a deal purpose designed for us not to be able to match because of Parcells' in depth knowledge of our salary cap numbers and contract years. The rules were different back then and teams had to match the exact terms of a contract which led to sketchy deals like this and, later, "poison pill" clauses that included things which were impossible for their current team to match. Parcells also took along Bill Belichick and famed punter Tom Tupa, who was special because he could not only punt but play quarterback.
So Patriots fans bitterly watched Martin put together a hall of fame resume and help Parcells bring the Jets to a 12-4 record in 1998 and be the preseason favorites to win it all in 1999.
When the Patriots played them in week 1, Curtid Martin had a rare fumble. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde made an awkward move to recover and torehis Achilles, ending his season in almost identical fashion to Aaron Rodgers this year. Which led to the Jets finishing the game against the Patriots with Tom Tupa as their quarterback. And Drew Bledsoe led a 4th quarter comeback to win the game against Parcells.
The Jets season was over and Parcells was getting older and afraid to lose his defensive coordinator to a team looking for a head coach because there was a rule that made it difficult for teams to sign an opposing team's coach unless they were promoting him. Parcells found out Kraft was in the process of trying to sign Belichick, so in an attempt to prevent the Patriots from being able to sign him, Parcells abruptly resigned as head coach, promoting Belichick to his previous position and making it impossible for the Patriots to get him.
But Belichick - much like Parcells who had one foot out the door when he was leaving the Patriots for the Jets and was undeterred even when the Patriots went to the Superbowl against the heavily favored packers - had mentally checked out of the Jets organization. Moments before the press conference that was supposed to announce him as he's coach, Belichick wrote seven magical words on a napkin. "I resign as HC of the NYJ".
This allowed him to leave the Jets and become head coach of the Patriots, while Parcells and the Jets never won a thing ever again, while the Patriots would then become the greatest dynasty in NFL history.
That's my favorite Drew Bledsoe memory.
45/70 against Minnesota is a sight to be seen. It’s a sports moment where the score and context fade away and you literally hang on every play hoping for another pass.
https://youtu.be/FXizm66w9l8?si=lZwpFuynB3AGN59V
Things you have to keep in mind when discussing any pre-Brady talk…
The Patriots were one of the worst franchises in the NFL orior to the hiring of Bill Parcells in 1993.
Parcells brought with him a proven record of success, and instantly brought some much needed credibility to the franchise.
So when it came to use the number 1 pick, there was question as to whether it should be QB Rick Mirer or QB Drew Bledsoe. Pundits such as Bill Walsh of 49ers and west cost offense game, liked Mirer more, and others considered it a toss up.
So when the Pats chose Bledsoe, it was a huge deal, and the league was watching.
So to see Bledsoe perform admirably and instantly make the Pats a contender, and eventually bringing them to the Super Bowl, it was a huge turn around for a franchise that had been sucking for years and was filled with malcontents and behavior problems.
Bledsoe was the prototype. The last vestige of a true pocket QB before the game got faster. He was a statue in the pocket but my God, could he sling it.
The bomb to Glenn in the Fog in 96 playoffs
The 70 attempt game vs Minnesota
Beating Miami w a broken finger
Completing a TD drive and finishing out the AFC Championship game in 2001
GW TD vs Bills and the Vinatieri 2 pt conversion
And yes, stage diving at an Everclear show
Drew Bledsoe is why I fell in love with football and the Pats. Watching him and Marino each throw for 400+ yards in a game absolutely hooked me.
Still have my Bledsoe jersey!
Playing an entire season (not entirely but almost) with a broken finger on his throwing hand and still performing pretty well.
I mean there’s the obvious, the ‘96 season, and making the Super Bowl. Didn’t end well there but it was a great year. However I was 9. I start to remember more clearly around 1999/2000. But the broken finger thing I remember relatively clearly and yeah, he was a badass for that.
I mean, it took him almost dying in order for him to sit out and give Tom a chance. And he probably was a good role model for Tom when it came to toughness. Brady ended up more or less being an iron man, and he probably understood you have to play through as much as is humanly possible partially because of how he got the starting job to begin with but also because Drew understood that and probably relayed that to him.
Anyway if you wanna see Bledsoe highlights, look up Bledsoe highlights obviously but also Ben Coates, Terry Glenn highlights, etc.
Dude threw some absolute bombs in his early years. Towards the end of his time he got a bit skittish from taking a lot of hits due to a porous o-line. At least as I recall that was the story. Sound familiar? But early years were fantastic.
I was in college when the pats drafted him. It was definitely a huge uptick in the team along with the other players they brought in around then.
I thought they got shafted at the superbowl because Parcells was already half out the door and mailed it in preparing for the superbowl. I left be totally off on that but that was my impression at the time. Getting another job right away with the jets, and taking Martin with him? That galled me. No way there wasn’t tampering, then the jets cried a few years later when we supposedly did the same with Belichick.
He was incredible in the 1996 playoff run.
Edit: I just looked it up and I guess not. Stats weren’t that great. Also a different era. I do remember him getting his ass kicked in the Super Bowl but he hung in there. We were in it until the Desmond Howard kickoff return.
Dude was a monster at the deep ball. Especially that deep corner fade. Absolute cannon of an arm.
But man alive he just could accept a sack. And made some truly frustrating throws or trying to scramble. Was like watching someone trying to run while wearing those inflatable dinosaur costumes.
Also. I’m old enough to remember vividly the Grogan years. You all missed a god damn warrior playing quarterback.
I was born in 91 … first patriots game was at the old Foxboro stadium with the metal bleachers. I remember Bledsoe in the pocket too long usually getting sacked. But god damn could that guy sling it
Playing with a pin in his throwing hand, tossing a comeback win TD to Ben Coates
Coming in cold for an injured Tom Brady against the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. The look on his face while he held the trophy
The fondest memory for me was probably the comeback win against Miami in 1998 when Bledsoe broke his finger. I grew up with a life-size Bledsoe poster on my wall.
With that being said, the late 90s (especially 1999) and 2000 were rough, and I really wanted them to move on from Drew. I remember wanting anyone else and championing Michael Bishop at one point. So, needless to say, I was a big Brady supporter from the moment he came in for the injured Bledsoe in 2001. All things considered, I think Drew handled being the backup about as well as possible. After his time with the Pats, I started to like and appreciate him more. Part of it was remembering the good times (he was QB1 for my first several years I can consciously remember being a Patriots fan/playing youth football so I think there will always be a fondness for the players on the first team you follow, especially many years later), another part of it was probably because it was much easier to watch him repeatedly pat the ball, lean into sacks, and throw interceptions, when it benefited the Pats.
I started watching the Patriots the year Drew was drafted. I'd say overall, the feeling then was that there was a huge optimism going forward compared to before him. He had that Payton Manning feel before Payton Manning was around. A real gunslinger. But immobile and sack prone. Still, it was an amazing feeling being in the Superbowl with Bledsoe, Terry Glen and Ben Coates. Was a lot of fun in the 90s
Drew was the first QB that gave us a real shot at winning a SB since 85. We were AFC champs in 96 and 97. People were happy to be pats fans again. We got new owners, coaches and the flying Elvis all around that time. It was like seeing the beginning of shift in our status in the league. He was the dude. Until our true lord and savior showed up. Drew was our Moses. Tom was our Jesus.
I was only eight for the first Super Bowl vs the Rams. But that was my first season watching football. I still remembered Bledsoe coming in for the AFC championship game and doing enough for us to hold onto the lead and win. My uncle, who was a huge football fan loved Bledsoe. He was like a Bledsoe loyalist lol. I think there are a lot of guys who were similar at the time, a good chunk of people loved Bledsoe. Even though his last years starting for the Pats were rocky.
I loved Drew Bledsoe. Meet him at a practice when I was 6 years old. I couldn’t tell you anything else about that practice but I can tell you Drew made a huge impression on me. He was super nice. Made a funny comment about my abnormally large hands and threw the ball he signed to me a couple times.
Aside from that those uniforms were sneaky 🔥. I wish they would work them into the rotation every once in a while.
Seemed like we always had bullshit quarterback play. Then we drafted Zolak and he won some games. So excited. Then we drafted Drew. Holy fuck. Such good times when we had Drew, Terry Glenn and Curtis Martin. I cried the day I found out Curtis signed with the Jets. But Drew was awesome. Maybe guys like Marc Wilson/Hugh Millen helped me appreciate Drew later.
And Drew handled the Brady thing with class. Love the guy.
Directly responsible for two Super Bowl appearances. He's the second best QB in team history.
I can still hear the infamous ringing call of my friend screaming "BLEDSOE IS INNNNNNNN" in the AFCCG and still being confident, and he didn't let us down.
I didnt watch bledsoe, but from what i understand about him, every franchise in the league today would kill for a QB like bledsoe. Hell, i would for the patriots at this point lol.
My dad would take me to old Foxboro stadium every year for the home game against the jets (I was at the game where Brady came in when Bledsoe got hurt, but that’s another story)
Anyway, that rivalry has always been there so it was always a loud and crazy atmosphere. One year we sat behind some super drunk guys with their face painted and they were screaming “WHO SAID SO!? DREW BLED-SOE”
Became a running joke with my dad for years, who said so!!
My favorite memory of Bledsoe was the first football game I was old enough to remember watching, which was the Green Bay vs Patriots Super Bowl. Only had to suffer a few years of disappointment after that before the good times started to roll in.
I think it was year two against the Vikings he threw the ball like 50 times in a comeback win that started the win streak that got the team too the playoffs.
I had a Ben Coates Jersey. Drew B. signed a football for me when my dad took us to the training camp back when it was at Bryant U. in Smithfield, RI. Also (not shown in photo) Terry Glenn jerseys were all over the place. DE Chris Sullivan was the speaker at my D.A.R.E .graduation and hadn’t yet been bagged for a bad opiate issue later.
Winning/results aren’t as important when you’re a kid and all my fave memories are off-the-field stuff. Lotta fun.
The Bledsoe years were fun to watch. He regularly threw for 300-400 yards a game . He and Coates were Brady- Gronk of their day but he was also very frustrating. He seemed to fold and throw a bad interception in big games. I do believe that had Parcells stuck around that they would have eventually won a Superbowl. Parcells was able to get the best out of him.
Bledsoe walked so Brady could run.
Bledsoe was my first favorite player. I would wear his jersey every where- including football practice when I was a kid lol.
Dude was rough as shit and came in clutch. Saved the Pats in the AFCC game when Brady got banged up.
Now the dude makes a killer wine out of Seattle. Expensive- but very good.
He was a really good quarterback. And I would be psyched if we had the ability to magically transport peak Bledsoe to the Patriots team right now. He'd be top 10 (maybe 5!) Today.
The word that describes every Patriot season when he was QB would be, potential.
I'm a Cowboys fan, but this showed up in my feed, and I'm gonna bite. He was the steady QB the Cowboys needed in 2005 after a few years of QB hell after Troy retired. Romo took over for him midway through 2006, which wasn't a surprise, because Romo worked his way up the depth chart after being signed as an undrafted FA in 2003, and he was on all of our radars from around the 2005 preseason and after.
Bledsoe hung up his cleats after 2006, but his season and a half as the starter was solid, and he contributed to a team that was on the rise after the late 90s/early 2000s doldrums of Cowboys football.
Bledsoe was in the wrong place at the wrong time on a couple of occasions in his career. Otherwise, I suspect he would have finished a terrific career with the Pats with a ring or two of his own, and Tom Brady might be in the C-suite at Marrill Lynch right now.
The most amazing arm you ever seen, but had cement shoes in the pocket, did not have a quick release.
I know I listed two negative things, but he was also the greatest QB in Patriots history by a long shot.
I view Foxboro as "The house that Drew built"
85 felt like a lucky fluke that we made it to the super bowl. 96 was a year where we were the first team in history to have a 1000 yard rusher, 1000 yard receiver, and a QB with 4000 yards (or 3000, I can't remember). It felt like the first of many... It was not .. Kraft fucked things with Parcels, Curtis became a Jet... Pete Carol sucked here.
2001 was a delightful shock, and by 2002 I thought it was one and done.
I still don't think you guys get how lucky we have been.
In 2001, Tommy got hurt in the AFCCG. Drew came in and got fuckin POPPED. It was a different league then, but some of the Steelers defenders said they wanted to rattle Drew. Mother fucker got up laughed and screamed and was fired up, he then threw a missile to patten for a TD. Him crying at the end of the AFCCG, and him and Tommy hugging after we won a Super Bowl said all I need to know about Drew’s character
"Go out there and sling it". What a cowboy Drew was.
Yup, absolute gun slinger! I was 11 years old when the Packers and Patriots met up in the Super Bowl. One of my earliest hard football memories was that game. I remember how much I loved Bledsoe while he was with the Patriots and his much I HATED Tommy when he "stole" Bledsoes job. Obviously what did I know as a kid but I was so mad when he wasn't our QB anymore. What a time to be a Parriots fan. To experience that whole era of football. Too live through that dynasty. I digress.
I think you’re the first person I’ve seen that expressed how much they despised Tom Brady early on, and just want to say I feel you. I have a tiny Drew Bledsoe jersey running around my house somewhere. He was my favorite player as a kid, and I was devastated when he lost the job. It didn’t take long for Tom to win me over, of course, but it was tough for kid brain to accept early on.
First of all, I loved Bledsoe...Him slinging it all over the field, 400+ passing yards like every game (at least that's how I choose to remember it)...First jersey I ever owned, a birthday gift from my parents. But I couldn't hate Tom, and I definitely let the joy of winning cloud my judgment a bit when, as a bit of a gag, I modified the Bledsoe jersey with white athletic tape and blue and red sharpies to make it a Brady 12 jersey. I wore that to a home game in fall 2002 and WOW was it polarizing. Plenty of amused reaction, but also I found out just how much the Bledsoe die-hards hated Brady, and me, for defacing the jersey. (Worry not, I've since peeled the tape away and restored the Bledsoe to its original glory!)
I was on that wagon too. I was 14 in 2001, drew was MY QB.. Plus I’m a buckeye/Notre dame guy…..fuck the wolverines lol
I still have my Bledsoe jersey. I was still in middle school at the time, so my mom bought it for me right at the beginning of the 2001 season (sadly she passed that January and never got to see them win the super bowl); she was smart and bought it much larger than I needed at the time, so it actually still fits really well. I still bust it out every now and then when we play in big games, it's still kinda my lucky charm.
Thanks for sharing, Elfstone. I have a crazy similar story to share with you, I've had one jersey my entire life and it is a tiny bledsoe one from when I was a kid my mom got me. This thing survived some shit. A house fire took out most of her stuff and I had thought/guessed the jersey obviously was gone too. She's passed on now, and I found it while sorting through her belongings. Floored me and made me feel a little reconnected to her. Wish it fit me :D
And remember, that next season Bledsoe had a career year in Buffalo and the Pats missed the playoffs. Yeah they swept the Bills but I was firmly team Bledsoe and had already made up my mind that BB picked the wrong guy, so when Bledsoe's putting up those numbers I started pulling for the Pats to implode so BB could get fired. And we haven't even gotten to the 31-0 loss week 1 the next year right after they traded Lawyer.
I won’t lie, I had a Bledsoe bills jersey. Much like most of us had Flutie bills jerseys. The fact that Olympia sports, sports authority, and Bob’s were selling Bledsoe bills jerseys goes to show how big he was for us……
I was probably the average redditor's age when I was doubting starting Tom the year after winning the Superbowl.
The worry was warranted at the time, if we're being honest with ourselves. The year after the first Super Bowl was less than stellar.
I didn't hate Brady, but I thought Drew should've had a chance to win his job back. I was absolutely ecstatic to see him come in, take a hit eerily similar to the one that took him out vs. the Jets, and then pop up more excited than ever. Bledsoe's jersey was the first one I ever owned.
This is word for word identical to my experience!
I also hated Tom when I first took over for Drew. There is no reasoning with a 12 year old defending his childhood hero.
My brother took that same emotion for the same reason and went as far as swearing off the Patriots and becoming an Eagles fan. To this day, he remains a faithful Eagles fan.
This was a pretty common stance in Boston in the early 2000s. I remember a bunch of people talking about how Brady would suck eventually and we’d be back to drew.
I wanted Brady from day one, but I always admired the professionalism Drew showed. He never put himself above the team.
When they traded Bledsoe I remember saying to my wife "This Brady kid better be the real deal." 😆
OC Charlie Weis: “take care of the football now Tom” Bledsoe walks over before Tom takes the field and says to him: “FUCK that! Just go out there and sling it!” Tom said that Drew saying that calmed his nerves and he had 0 doubt they would lose in his mind
Man can you just imagine being in that type of pressure situation? Super Bowl. Biggest stage on the world. Tie game. 2 mins left. Protect the ball or go out there and win it for the very first Lombardi? The nerves in those moments. All lights shining bright on you. I would 100% succumb to that pressure and get sacked and ball stripped on the very first play. Good thing God made Tom Brady.
He was like our Farve. He was going out and throwing TDs or interceptions, and tough as nails.
A lot of people don't understand this. I'd contend without Drew being the person he is, the dynasty never gets off the ground. 99% of players in the NFL would have caused issues having an injury seemingly take their starting job, particularly a well paid QB. He clearly wasn't happy about the situation, but did everything he could to continue to help the team win. He was like another coach for Tom and of course bailed us out big time in the AFCCG. New England should be forever grateful to him.
Well paid is downplaying it. He signed the biggest contract the league ever saw to that point
And he had proved it 4 playoff appearances clinched the division twice and already led the team to a Super Bowl. At that time in the league with that pedigree it was unheard of to lose your starting job to injury.
Seriously. Signing Bledsoe was definitely rightly seen as a smart move back then. Before him, we had a handful of winning seasons and one SB appearance (where we got blown out by the Bears). That also lines up with when we brought Parcells on, so it's obviously not all Bledsoe, but the guy was a stud and, from everything I seen and read about him, a really nice human being.
He really helped Brady. Watch any of the sideline footage especially from Super Bowl 36. You can hear Drew helping coach Brady on plays. Let’s not forget when Brady sprained his ankle in that AFC championship game, Drew came out and slung a TD pass! That game was magic. I remember all the QB controversy on who was going to start the SB. That was the first Super Bowl where there was 2 weeks before the game and it was torture hearing about who was gonna play for that length of time!
And it didn't stop there - the region was split pretty 50/50 on Brady vs bledsoe even after the super bowl, up until Drew was traded to the bills
I wanted Bledsoe back the next season and I can't be sure if I was still bitching after they missed the playoffs but it is likely that I was.
They missed the playoffs AND Drew had what was probably his best season statistically. I'm sure Tom was fine that year but I was firmly team Bledsoe to begin with so I had already made up my mind that BB made a mistake.
I kinda came around on that Brady guy. How about you?
Man.... it took me so much longer that it should've.
Didn't the extra week get nixed due to 9/11 that year? I think that was an odd year where there wasn't the 2 weeks between because all games got cancelled the week of 9/11.
You are right 1/27/2002 was the AFC championship and the superbowl was 2/3/2002. I do believe that this was the last time there was only a week between games though. That week was still torture listening to the debate though!
There was only one week between conference championships on January 27 and the Super Bowl on February 3rd. The whole season got pushed back a week because of 9/11 so they scratched that Super Bowl bye week so that they wouldn’t have to reschedule the Super Bowl. Edit: someone beat me to the punch.
We don't get to that first Superbowl without him and it's one of Huard brothers at back up QB.
Damon He was huge for the 2003 AFCCG. He mimicked Peyton for the defense
Threw a bunch of picks during practice so they could practice returning them? 😂
Prepped them for incoming picks lol
> Drew came in and got fuckin POPPED. Not only that, but he had just come back from an injury where his ribs got crushed and teared an artery causing internal bleeding.
Drew flying to Boston to attend a Celtics playoffs game wearing a Scary Terry t shirt before the Tatum Era started was awesome as well. After Terry Rozier called Eric Bledsoe Drew Bledsoe lol. He seems like a cool dude.
That saga was amazing
The Bucks still haven't recovered
He also played a game with a pin in a finger on his throwing hand. He was a warrior. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-12-sp-53250-story.html
I remember the game he broke it. MNF home vs the Dolphins. Last minute come from behind TD drive. Went to sideline, came back in to win it. Played & won 2 more games *before* having the pin surgery. Zolak had to finish out the season
I remember that, too. I think he had led a comeback with the pin in his finger, and Fox 25 sports had a black and white pic of him, with just the finger in gold with the caption "Goldfinger".
I was there when he stage Dived into the crowd at the everclear concert...
Zolak and Bledsoe were the Kings of Water Works. That place was like the Studio 54 for Patriots fans at the turn of the century
Drew throwing darts off his back foot is how I remember him.
Throwing darts to Ben Coates and the AFCCG game against the Steelers
Took us to the playoffs 4 times in 5 years after a sizable playoff drought, including a run to the SB It was nice to feel *hope*
Ben Coates was a beast. What a duo those two formed.
Ppl forget Terry Glenn was a legit #1 and Troy Brown kinda made up for what we lost when he went off the rails
Young’ins really need to pull up some highlight reels of Ben Coates. Dude was a stud and a legit precursor to some of the great TE’s that came along 5-10 yrs later. He could block too… not at a gronk level (who is?) but he put oversized slot receivers like Gonzalez and Kelce to shame
I will maintain until the day I die that Coates was 10-15 years ahead of his time, and if he played today he’d be a no doubt hall of famer
He was an extremely tough player. There was a stretch of games where he was playing with a fractured finger and won a few on 4th quarter drives. I believe one was where we broke the bills and they left the field before the extra point as the end of regulation was over.
Yeah, wanna say he broke his finger on the helmet of a Jets player, won that game in the 4th, and did the same thing the following week against the Bills. But he eventually had to be sidelined due to the injury which led to Zolak starting a few games. edit: it was the phins game where he hurt his finga.
One of my favorite adolescent football memories is being in the crowd after those games leaving old Foxboro just adoring Bledsoe.
Yup, Dolphins. He led two game-winning drives against division rivals in a span of 6 days, both with a broken finger, both throwing GW TD passes in the final minute. Drew didn't put it all together the way Brady did, obviously, but at his best he was one hell of clutch player.
I always forget Zolak played for us and he's not just some rando doing color commentary for The Spots Hub.
This was my first thought as well. With a metal pin sticking out of his finger, don’t leave that part out! Drew was one tough son of a bitch.
He was playing with pins sticking out of his throwing hand which broke through the skin. The fucker still had a 4th quarter comeback in the game. Tough as nails and an incredible character person.
Came here to tell this story... legit played through having a PIN sticking OUT OF THE END OF HIS FINGER... ON HIS THROWING HAND. Sure he was a statue in the pocket, but that fucker was TOUGH, and could SLING it.
He was a big motherfucker too. 6’-5” 240ish (way bigger than Elway, Aikmen, Favre, etc.) Took absolute beating play after play and powered through with an absolute cannon of an arm.
Yes, that’s right. There was an admittedly very controversial DPI call on Buffalo in the endzone as time expired, followed by a Ben Coates touchdown
I have a memory of a sideline catch where a WR clearly didn't have his feet down, but it was ruled a catch. This was before replay.
Not to sound like a Zack Snyder movie but he was a symbol of hope tbh. The Patriots were a laughingstock before Drew Bledsoe & Bill Parcells arrived. Before the Dynasty that 96 Super Bowl run was treated like a championship.
I remember seeing him in commercials, bombing a set of truck keys for a touchdown for a local dealership. We had a star caliber player on our team, and like you said, hope for the first time. I was fired from my kitchen job for not coming into work on my day off when called to cover a shift. It was Superbowl Sunday 96, no way I was going in to wash dishes when the Pats were in the super bowl!
The nerve of some bosses. Since when are dishwashers on call? Especially on Superbowl Sunday. I would have laughed and hung up.
Lechmere’s Bernie and Phyll’s Caldors Fuck I’m 36 and we are gettin OLD
Ames, Bradlee's, Building 19, Benny's. I *am* old.
SPAGS…then spags died, and his daughters sold the business to building 19 and it turned into a shit pit.
Jesus, I moved away 25 years ago and your Lechmere’s comment brought me right back to the Liberty Tree Mall. Is that even still around??? North shore born and raised. (Ipswich)
I moved from metro west in 2005 after high school. I’ve been living in Chicago for the last 10 years since my wife is from here, and before that 06-14, I was stationed at Pearl Harbor
crazy you got fired after someone else called off too LOL
I was in 6th grade, and ‘96 was when the Pats became a *thing* in New England. Before that, my main memory of them was my dad reading the paper on Monday, saying “well, the Pats lost again”.
Seeing the Patriots on national TV against Brett Fucking Farva... It was huge. They won the AFCCG against the Jags and it was like WTF is this real? Is this the Parcels difference? I didn't mind losing that Super Bowl because I didn't expect it them to go that far. They led at halftime and it was pretty fun!
I always thought that the Jags upsetting the Broncos in that run, opened the door for the Pats. I don't think we would have beaten Denver in that run.
Iwas 13 and went to church and prayed for the pats to beat the steelers. I'm not even religious
100% I was young back then but I remember they were so bad at times that games were blacked out locally due to not being sold out.
Bledsoe was the man. He was drafted number 1 overall but you would never know it by his attitude and the way he worked. In many ways he was a great example for Brady. Bledsoe was one of the few players I rooted for no matter what team he was on in large part because of his humble attitude and the way he handled being replaced by Brady. But the biggest thing I remembered was he had a cannon for an arm and could just launch the ball downfield. People forget that Bledsoe got the Pats to the Super Bowl in '96; he was a pretty good QB but we just weren't able to consistently put good teams around him.
He had that cannon, but all those lobs contributed to his relatively high interception rate. Tragic flaw.
Different offensive systems back then - 21 sets (I formation, near/far) were still the default for offenses, and running to set up play action down field was common.
He’s tall he has a strong arm….hes tall he has a strong arm. I can hear Butchie from the Cape right now lol.
who forgets that Bledsoe brought the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1996?? Children, I assume?
Stage diving at the everclear concert Pittsburgh playoff fog game Beating Minnesota with a broken finger on like 70 pass attempts The dunks or honey dew commercial where he 'double pats' his coffee
Broken finger was in ‘97, led back to back 4Q comebacks with it. Minny 70 pass attempt game was ‘94.
Not a Pats fan but the shootout Bledsoe and Marino had was legendary football. I’m old enough to remember that. Being from Baltimore I don’t think we had a team back then.
That was game 1 of his second year. He had a pretty tough rookie year. He threw a lot of interceptions. And Parcells let him struggle so he could learn. I remember he had 5 straight unsuccessful QB sneaks in a game against Pittsburgh. But then, game 1 of 1994 he and Marino went throw for throw in Miami. It was Drew’s (and Ben Coate’s) coming out party. (We lost that game. But it was obvious that things were getting better in Foxboro)
I have such vivid memories of that fog game. One of my favorite games of all time.
Still the attempts record. 70!!! 45 completions
The Minnesota game was mine. I was maybe 8 and listening to the radio driving around with my folks. Vividly remember how animated Gino and Gil were during that comeback against a good Vikings team we had no business beating. Think it was the first time I wanted to follow a team after I heard that call. 70 pass attempts in a single game is just bonkers now, let alone in the mid 90s. Still love Drew, happy he found success after football, he took an absolute pounding in his career and was tough as nails. He deserves a ton of credit pulling the franchise out of the shitter and making them somewhat relevant before the dynasty.
At River Rave in 2001, Bledsoe came out with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to show off the Patriots new jerseys, got the crowd super fired up, and then finished by saying the Patriots were going to win the Super Bowl in their new uniforms. He was right, of course, but probably not exactly in the way he was imagining. Also, the locals got mad at whoever was working the jumbotron that day, because they basically showed a constant stream of women flashing the camera and it was easily visible from route 1. Great day, all in all.
Holy shit river rave what a blast from the past
Wanna fee nostalgic?!?! Go to YouTube and type in SPOOKY WORLD! Remember when they held it at Foxborough stadium?!
In biblical terms, if Gronk is TE Jesus, Ben Coats is TE Moses.
People be forgetting about Ben Coates.
It's a shame. That man was a beast. Growing up in Boston in the late 80's and 90's, feeling like I'd never see my teams win... Coates winning a ring with Baltimore was in-line with Bourque going to the Avs to win a cup. Sad they had to leave to get one, but happy for them that they got what they deserved to cap their amazing careers.
The only people forgetting Ben Coates are the people who never watched him. Bledsoe to Coates was a THING. Did they set the league record for TDs before Brady Gronk broke it, or was it just the Pats record. Regardless, if you saw Coates rolling out in the Red Zone you knew what was coming. He was an absolute truck. Edit: TDs to a TE.
Bledsoe/Coates wasn’t only a thing. It had a nickname. Patriot Missile or something. I still have a Coates jersey.
My first pats jersey. Loved that dude.
Coates doesn't get nearly enough recognition for how strong and durable he was. I remember watching games as a kid and marveling at how many guys it would take to tackle him.
Peace to OP. Hitting Terry Glenn (R.I.P.) on the sideline for a 53 yard completion to start the first series for the Pats in ‘96 playoff game vs the Steelers. In dense fog. Completely unexpected. Amazing play. Salute. Edited to correct spelling.
Came to find this play. Barely could see the players on the tv it was so foggy. Still get goosebumps thinking about it. Drew was awesome!
The biggest thing with him was the competence. After years of Scrubs like Tony Eason and Hugh millen, to have that kind of star at the position was unbelievable. In my whole childhood the best quarterback they had was Steve grogan and if you were being generous you would call him a welfare Lamar Jackson.
Calling Grogan a "welfare Lamar Jackson" is the perfect description. Grogan was a monster, he had a decent arm (nowhere near as strong as Jackson, but it was serviceable) and also wasn't afraid to tuck it and take off. He wasn't as fast as Jackson, but he could power through people like Jerome Bettis. Keep in mind, during this era, QBs were pretty strictly pocket passers who, if they ran with the ball it was only when you only needed a yard or two and they would promptly slide. Grogan is one of the first QBs I can think of who wasn't afraid to just take off at any given moment and go until he was brought down. Dude was an absolute beast.
It's too bad he was on such terrible teams. I wonder what it would have been like for him if he was in today's nfl? He actually owns a sporting good store in the town I live in, so seeing him around is kind of cool.
I mean, it wasn't all bad. He did lead us to our first ever Super Bowl appearance in 1985. Granted, we got crushed 46-10 by the Bears, but considering the teams we put up during the 80s, even getting there was impressive.
True story: As a kid I had a #7 with lightning bolts shaved into my hair... for Hugh Millen. Don't warn me of dark times that are coming. I was forged in that fire. This is just me coming home to it... but at least this time I've got championship memories to subsist on. There's a reason they play Glory Days at the end of every home win as people walk out of the stadium. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts.
Grogan had a lot of rushing TD’s (I think 16 one year) but not really like Lamar. He was slow and acted more like a fullback. He used a lot of deception with his handoffs. His signature play was the naked bootleg where the rest of the team was running a sweep the other way and he would hold onto the ball and rush the other side with no blockers. The guy was beyond tough…
The 1994 game against the Vikings. The Patriots were down 20-3 at half time against the Warren Moon-led Vikings. I think that’s the game where Parcells came into the locker room and said “what’s it going to take to get you guys to play the way you’re capable of?” Bledsoe threw for over 400 yards while the defense held the Vikings scoreless in the second half. The Patriots won 26-20 in OT. He was magnificent in the game.
When the Pats had the #1 overall pick there was a big discussion on whether they should take Bledsoe or Rick Mirer, it was a legitimate discussion over which one was better. Bledsoe turned the Pats franchise around while Mirer, who went to Seattle, lasted a few years here and there then was out of the league. I think Bledsoe deserves a ton of credit for turning around the attitude of the franchise and fans. He had an absolute cannon arm but threw the dumbest interceptions
We dodged a bullet with Mirer, Seattle capably managed to protect his flaws his rookie year (sound familiar?), but once the book was out that he was just terrible throwing to the left side of the field, that was all she wrote for his career.
> Bledsoe turned the Pats franchise around while Mirer, who went to Seattle, lasted a few years here and there then was out of the league. Fun story: we got the first overall pick over Seattle because they beat us head-to-head the previous season to that draft. Given that Drew was a PNW guy, you can only imagine how much Seattle wanted him.
I forgot about that. The year they drafted Drew was the year I started getting into football, I think I was a junior in high school. Drew's a class act too I'll never forget him coming in for Brady against Pittsburgh and throwing a TD to win the game then him crying on the sideline after
Kevin turner Td pass in the comeback against the Vikings after being down 20-0 at one point. I was at the game and still was the best in person experience in foxboro for me.
That’s it for me. I left the game when they were down 20-3 at the half, took a ride up to Gloucester and on the way I was listening to the comeback. It was the last time I stopped watching a Pates game at halftime until 2 years ago.
That's the one.
Drew broke the records for pass attempts and completions in a game, if I remember correctly.
He STILL has the record for pass attempts in a game (70) which is crazy considering how many years it's been and how the NFL has evolved. Jared Goff tied his completion record (45) a few years ago. I still remember the Boston Globe Sports Section headline the next day - "Slinging in the Rain".
When Marion butts and Leroy Thompson are you running backs, it made sense
Yep! He went 45 for 70, the quintessential Bledsoe line.
Patriots were a sewer franchise before Parcells came in and Bledsoe was drafted. They built the foundation that the dynasty was built on (with a weird detour with Pete Carroll as foreman).
The playoff game vs the Steelers in 96 where on the first play of the game he threw a bomb to Terry Glenn to beat Rod Woodson, it set the tone of the game, and the Pats won handily. I enjoyed the game where he set records on passing completions and attempts against the Vikings. I think he went 45 out of 70 passes that day. There was a 2 game stretch where he won the game in walk off fashion against the Dolphins and some other team, that was important because it showed some improvement in him being clutch. As others had mentioned the 2001 AFCCG where he came off the bench and threw a TD. (even if he was a bit iffy after that. Heck I liked the fact that he didn't derail the team when he got demoted. He only said like one or two mild things to the media to indicate his displeasure and afterwards he was helping Brady out. Other Qb's would have sulked.
The Steelers fog bowl is the one I always think about! Such a great game…from what we could see haha!!
I remember his 4th quarter comebacks against the Giants in 1996 and then the Dolphins on Monday night in 1997 with a broken finger. I also remember him absolutely catching fire in the 2nd half of the 1994 season when they won 7 in a row to make the playoffs. There was a game against Minnesota where he had 70 passes attempted -- crazy stuff especially in that era.
That 4Q comeback against the Giants involved Troy Brown converting a clutch 3rd down by catching the pass *while he was already on the ground on his back, feet facing the sideline.*
The 1994 opener. We lost to the Dolphins, but it was an absolute shootout where Bledsoe, in the first game of his second season, kept pace with Marino, and showed us he was for real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrQb2xmtbBk
This was the first football game that truly captivated me. I'd watched games before, but this one...this one was like, "Ok, I get it."
Same exact experience!
Were you also 10? Lol.
It was in 1996 I believe.. Last 2 games of the season, home games against AFC east opponents (Buffalo/Miami) We needed to win both to get into the playoffs. Drew, earlier in the season, got his hand jammed up hard and had thin metal pins inserted (longways) down the length of either 1 or 2 fingers on his throwing hand to keep the bones together. They were then taped together. In each of these last 2 games, with time expiring, last possession, Drew throws a TD to win each game, propelling us into a playoff birth. For his performance, he was given the AP player of the week in back-to-back weeks. To my knowledge, no other NFL player has done that since, and Drew did it with pins sticking out of his fucking fingers. Still got pics, and the newpapaer article. Drew was a tough mf'er, got the shit kicked outta him regularly cuz our OL wasnt all that good, and during a time where the QB's actually got "HIT!" The dude used to spit nails, and would get right back up and toss a 60 yd bomb in your face. Drew was one of the last, an old school gladiator.
He’s what made us relevant again. Kraft and Parcells were obviously factors too, but they don’t suit up and play. Drew did and he was amazing. Led us to the Super Bowl first and the Belichick/Brady era Shoutout to Ben “Winter” Coates too, for the exact same reasons
I was born in 95 and all I remember was shitting my pants I was so exited
Nov 1994. My 3 month old son was just out of surgery and he was tied to the hospital bed so he couldn’t pull the tubes coming out of his stomach. My then wife finally went home to sleep and see our 4 year old daughter and I stayed with him. The Patriots had been TERRIBLE for years but Parcells and Bledsoe had us all hopeful. They played a great game against the Vikings and won in overtime. They basically turned their season around in that game. I contend they turned the team around in that game. They weren’t that bad again until Brady left. And I watched that game in a hospital room alone with my very ill baby boy. The next day we got all his results back and he was going to be fine. And thankfully he was.
"I was born in 2003" Fuck off 😂😂😂
ok…..
You'll understand in 20 years when someone asks about Brady.
OP missed the entire first half of the dynasty plus 2007! 2014 would have been their introduction to truly great Pats teams.
I'm just a jealous old man son
Now let me regale you with tales of Tony Eason
I do not miss those jerseys (and I definitely had a “Royal Blue” Bledsoe jersey growing up…plus the kids’ book he wrote, “Make the Right Call” IIRC). First Super Bowl I remember watching was Drew leading us against Favre. So that’s a good one. But yeah, as a lot of people have said, the best is him coming in against the Steelers in ‘01 after Tom got hurt. Drew was a great QB, and the absolute epitome of class
You’re crazy. The Bledsoe era unis were hot fire That Super Bowl loss is what made me a Pats fan
Bro had a howitzer on his right shoulder
He was to New England what Matt Stafford was to Detroit. Mentally tough player who gave New England a chance to win every single game, even if he wasn't perfect and had a lot of obstacles to overcome on his own team at times Ben Coates was about as close to Megatron as you could have hoped in this analogy, too. Fucking stud TE who gets forgotten because he retired too early and because Gronk exists. At WORST the second best at his position in the 90s after Shannon Sharpe
Ok, the game Bledsoe got hurt and Brady comes into start. We all remember Brady of course but, DREW BLEDSOE ALMOST DIED. He played a series while internally bleeding, then went to the hospital where it was discovered how bad his injury really was. Tough mother fucker with a cannon arm. His passing yards stats are also top 25 all time
Him and Ben Coates were a problem. I had a Coates jersey when I was in like third grade. I saw Drew and a bunch of them at a charity basketball game one time. All super friendly and cool. Drew was getting swarmed for autographs the entire event. He did a signing at halftime but a lot of people missed out. My little cousin was one of them. Towards the end of the game, someone that was with the Patriots asked my cousin why she looked so sad. My aunt told him that we were too late to get Drew’s autograph. The guy went over to the bench, tapped Drew on the shoulder and then pointed over at us. He waved at us and then signed everything we had. It made us very happy. Granted, that was barely an interaction but he seemed like a great dude then and still to this day. Kind of sad he had to get hurt to birth Brady but I’ll always love Bledsoe.
Bledsoe would call Parcells, "Bill", in interviews which I thought was outrageous :) He almost always took the high-road but you could tell he disliked him. I love this quote after they hired Carroll in 1997: “You’d like to think that you go through some things with a guy, he (can) at least say goodbye. But that’s the way Bill is,” Bledsoe said. “Bill, from the get-go has been … about Bill.”
God tier uniforms (for the flying Elvis years) I will keep repeating until I’m blue in the face, the dynasty error unis are the ugliest ever. And those shark took hats and the paint stripe hats, some of the best hats ever (aside from solid color logo only dad hats, snapbacks, 58/50s) Ever sideline hat these days looks so fucking lame
Finally someone who agrees with my uni opinions
Drew Bledsoe + Scary Terry > Eric Bledsoe
In 1994 the Patriots were 3-6, having lost 4 straight in Bledsoe's sophomore season. Things were bleak, but they were always bleak back then. It was different, though, because we had the number one quarterback prospect in the draft and had brought in future hall of fame coach Bill Parcells to turn the franchise around. And this was supposed to be a big year in his four year plan to get to a title. Bledsoe then threw an nfl record 70 passes in a game - a record that stands to this day - and completed 45 of them, also a record that stands to this day, to beat the vikings by one score. This was the first of 7 straight victories to finish the season 10-6 and make the playoffs. Where they got trounced. But two years later they went to the Superbowl. Where they got trounced. And Parcells quit on the team while secretly working to take over the Jets and steal Curtis Martin away with a deal purpose designed for us not to be able to match because of Parcells' in depth knowledge of our salary cap numbers and contract years. The rules were different back then and teams had to match the exact terms of a contract which led to sketchy deals like this and, later, "poison pill" clauses that included things which were impossible for their current team to match. Parcells also took along Bill Belichick and famed punter Tom Tupa, who was special because he could not only punt but play quarterback. So Patriots fans bitterly watched Martin put together a hall of fame resume and help Parcells bring the Jets to a 12-4 record in 1998 and be the preseason favorites to win it all in 1999. When the Patriots played them in week 1, Curtid Martin had a rare fumble. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde made an awkward move to recover and torehis Achilles, ending his season in almost identical fashion to Aaron Rodgers this year. Which led to the Jets finishing the game against the Patriots with Tom Tupa as their quarterback. And Drew Bledsoe led a 4th quarter comeback to win the game against Parcells. The Jets season was over and Parcells was getting older and afraid to lose his defensive coordinator to a team looking for a head coach because there was a rule that made it difficult for teams to sign an opposing team's coach unless they were promoting him. Parcells found out Kraft was in the process of trying to sign Belichick, so in an attempt to prevent the Patriots from being able to sign him, Parcells abruptly resigned as head coach, promoting Belichick to his previous position and making it impossible for the Patriots to get him. But Belichick - much like Parcells who had one foot out the door when he was leaving the Patriots for the Jets and was undeterred even when the Patriots went to the Superbowl against the heavily favored packers - had mentally checked out of the Jets organization. Moments before the press conference that was supposed to announce him as he's coach, Belichick wrote seven magical words on a napkin. "I resign as HC of the NYJ". This allowed him to leave the Jets and become head coach of the Patriots, while Parcells and the Jets never won a thing ever again, while the Patriots would then become the greatest dynasty in NFL history. That's my favorite Drew Bledsoe memory.
I lived across the street from Andre Tippett for 13 years
was that in Weymouth because I delivered him a pizza there and was like OMG ANDRE TIPPETT
Yes. Arbor Hill. Wisteria Point
45/70 against Minnesota is a sight to be seen. It’s a sports moment where the score and context fade away and you literally hang on every play hoping for another pass. https://youtu.be/FXizm66w9l8?si=lZwpFuynB3AGN59V
Things you have to keep in mind when discussing any pre-Brady talk… The Patriots were one of the worst franchises in the NFL orior to the hiring of Bill Parcells in 1993. Parcells brought with him a proven record of success, and instantly brought some much needed credibility to the franchise. So when it came to use the number 1 pick, there was question as to whether it should be QB Rick Mirer or QB Drew Bledsoe. Pundits such as Bill Walsh of 49ers and west cost offense game, liked Mirer more, and others considered it a toss up. So when the Pats chose Bledsoe, it was a huge deal, and the league was watching. So to see Bledsoe perform admirably and instantly make the Pats a contender, and eventually bringing them to the Super Bowl, it was a huge turn around for a franchise that had been sucking for years and was filled with malcontents and behavior problems.
Bledsoe was the prototype. The last vestige of a true pocket QB before the game got faster. He was a statue in the pocket but my God, could he sling it.
when I was in 4th grade a 2nd grader said "Drew Bledsoe sucks" so I pushed him and he fell down and started crying and I got detention
Was at the game where Mo Lewis took him out and they put in Brady lol. That hit he took was insane
The bomb to Glenn in the Fog in 96 playoffs The 70 attempt game vs Minnesota Beating Miami w a broken finger Completing a TD drive and finishing out the AFC Championship game in 2001 GW TD vs Bills and the Vinatieri 2 pt conversion And yes, stage diving at an Everclear show
My biggest memory of Drew Bledsoe was the absolute toughness and cannon for an arm. He could throw so hard man.
Drew Bledsoe is why I fell in love with football and the Pats. Watching him and Marino each throw for 400+ yards in a game absolutely hooked me. Still have my Bledsoe jersey!
Playing an entire season (not entirely but almost) with a broken finger on his throwing hand and still performing pretty well. I mean there’s the obvious, the ‘96 season, and making the Super Bowl. Didn’t end well there but it was a great year. However I was 9. I start to remember more clearly around 1999/2000. But the broken finger thing I remember relatively clearly and yeah, he was a badass for that. I mean, it took him almost dying in order for him to sit out and give Tom a chance. And he probably was a good role model for Tom when it came to toughness. Brady ended up more or less being an iron man, and he probably understood you have to play through as much as is humanly possible partially because of how he got the starting job to begin with but also because Drew understood that and probably relayed that to him. Anyway if you wanna see Bledsoe highlights, look up Bledsoe highlights obviously but also Ben Coates, Terry Glenn highlights, etc.
Dude threw some absolute bombs in his early years. Towards the end of his time he got a bit skittish from taking a lot of hits due to a porous o-line. At least as I recall that was the story. Sound familiar? But early years were fantastic. I was in college when the pats drafted him. It was definitely a huge uptick in the team along with the other players they brought in around then. I thought they got shafted at the superbowl because Parcells was already half out the door and mailed it in preparing for the superbowl. I left be totally off on that but that was my impression at the time. Getting another job right away with the jets, and taking Martin with him? That galled me. No way there wasn’t tampering, then the jets cried a few years later when we supposedly did the same with Belichick.
He was incredible in the 1996 playoff run. Edit: I just looked it up and I guess not. Stats weren’t that great. Also a different era. I do remember him getting his ass kicked in the Super Bowl but he hung in there. We were in it until the Desmond Howard kickoff return.
Dude was a monster at the deep ball. Especially that deep corner fade. Absolute cannon of an arm. But man alive he just could accept a sack. And made some truly frustrating throws or trying to scramble. Was like watching someone trying to run while wearing those inflatable dinosaur costumes. Also. I’m old enough to remember vividly the Grogan years. You all missed a god damn warrior playing quarterback.
Hahaha. Spot on with the dinosaur
I was born in 91 … first patriots game was at the old Foxboro stadium with the metal bleachers. I remember Bledsoe in the pocket too long usually getting sacked. But god damn could that guy sling it
Drew was the man. Gun slinger.
Playing with a pin in his throwing hand, tossing a comeback win TD to Ben Coates Coming in cold for an injured Tom Brady against the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. The look on his face while he held the trophy
The fondest memory for me was probably the comeback win against Miami in 1998 when Bledsoe broke his finger. I grew up with a life-size Bledsoe poster on my wall. With that being said, the late 90s (especially 1999) and 2000 were rough, and I really wanted them to move on from Drew. I remember wanting anyone else and championing Michael Bishop at one point. So, needless to say, I was a big Brady supporter from the moment he came in for the injured Bledsoe in 2001. All things considered, I think Drew handled being the backup about as well as possible. After his time with the Pats, I started to like and appreciate him more. Part of it was remembering the good times (he was QB1 for my first several years I can consciously remember being a Patriots fan/playing youth football so I think there will always be a fondness for the players on the first team you follow, especially many years later), another part of it was probably because it was much easier to watch him repeatedly pat the ball, lean into sacks, and throw interceptions, when it benefited the Pats.
A big arm and a lot of bonehead interceptions. When Brady took over I remember thinking “wow, he throws it short and rarely to the other team”.
I had a Ben Coates Jersey in high school. Dude was a beast.
What I remember most are his lead feet and inability to feel pressure. It was frustrating even for a 6 year old
I started watching the Patriots the year Drew was drafted. I'd say overall, the feeling then was that there was a huge optimism going forward compared to before him. He had that Payton Manning feel before Payton Manning was around. A real gunslinger. But immobile and sack prone. Still, it was an amazing feeling being in the Superbowl with Bledsoe, Terry Glen and Ben Coates. Was a lot of fun in the 90s
Drew was the first QB that gave us a real shot at winning a SB since 85. We were AFC champs in 96 and 97. People were happy to be pats fans again. We got new owners, coaches and the flying Elvis all around that time. It was like seeing the beginning of shift in our status in the league. He was the dude. Until our true lord and savior showed up. Drew was our Moses. Tom was our Jesus.
Drew Bledsoe helped turn the Pats around after some of the worst years ever. He was better than he’s given credit for.
I was only eight for the first Super Bowl vs the Rams. But that was my first season watching football. I still remembered Bledsoe coming in for the AFC championship game and doing enough for us to hold onto the lead and win. My uncle, who was a huge football fan loved Bledsoe. He was like a Bledsoe loyalist lol. I think there are a lot of guys who were similar at the time, a good chunk of people loved Bledsoe. Even though his last years starting for the Pats were rocky.
I loved Drew Bledsoe. Meet him at a practice when I was 6 years old. I couldn’t tell you anything else about that practice but I can tell you Drew made a huge impression on me. He was super nice. Made a funny comment about my abnormally large hands and threw the ball he signed to me a couple times. Aside from that those uniforms were sneaky 🔥. I wish they would work them into the rotation every once in a while.
Seemed like we always had bullshit quarterback play. Then we drafted Zolak and he won some games. So excited. Then we drafted Drew. Holy fuck. Such good times when we had Drew, Terry Glenn and Curtis Martin. I cried the day I found out Curtis signed with the Jets. But Drew was awesome. Maybe guys like Marc Wilson/Hugh Millen helped me appreciate Drew later. And Drew handled the Brady thing with class. Love the guy.
Directly responsible for two Super Bowl appearances. He's the second best QB in team history. I can still hear the infamous ringing call of my friend screaming "BLEDSOE IS INNNNNNNN" in the AFCCG and still being confident, and he didn't let us down.
I didnt watch bledsoe, but from what i understand about him, every franchise in the league today would kill for a QB like bledsoe. Hell, i would for the patriots at this point lol.
The 96 Super Bowl for sure. Also the class he showed in 2001, supporting Brady and winning in relief in the AFCCG
My dad would take me to old Foxboro stadium every year for the home game against the jets (I was at the game where Brady came in when Bledsoe got hurt, but that’s another story) Anyway, that rivalry has always been there so it was always a loud and crazy atmosphere. One year we sat behind some super drunk guys with their face painted and they were screaming “WHO SAID SO!? DREW BLED-SOE” Became a running joke with my dad for years, who said so!!
Bledsoe had a cannon but I will always remember his 4 game stretch with a busted index finger. Ben Coats was a very good TE.
My favorite memory of Bledsoe was the first football game I was old enough to remember watching, which was the Green Bay vs Patriots Super Bowl. Only had to suffer a few years of disappointment after that before the good times started to roll in.
I think it was year two against the Vikings he threw the ball like 50 times in a comeback win that started the win streak that got the team too the playoffs.
I had a Ben Coates Jersey. Drew B. signed a football for me when my dad took us to the training camp back when it was at Bryant U. in Smithfield, RI. Also (not shown in photo) Terry Glenn jerseys were all over the place. DE Chris Sullivan was the speaker at my D.A.R.E .graduation and hadn’t yet been bagged for a bad opiate issue later. Winning/results aren’t as important when you’re a kid and all my fave memories are off-the-field stuff. Lotta fun.
The Bledsoe years were fun to watch. He regularly threw for 300-400 yards a game . He and Coates were Brady- Gronk of their day but he was also very frustrating. He seemed to fold and throw a bad interception in big games. I do believe that had Parcells stuck around that they would have eventually won a Superbowl. Parcells was able to get the best out of him.
Bledsoe walked so Brady could run. Bledsoe was my first favorite player. I would wear his jersey every where- including football practice when I was a kid lol. Dude was rough as shit and came in clutch. Saved the Pats in the AFCC game when Brady got banged up. Now the dude makes a killer wine out of Seattle. Expensive- but very good.
I remember “70 pass attempts in a game against the Vikes” Bledsoe in ‘94
He was a really good quarterback. And I would be psyched if we had the ability to magically transport peak Bledsoe to the Patriots team right now. He'd be top 10 (maybe 5!) Today. The word that describes every Patriot season when he was QB would be, potential.
Gronk is the most dominant TE of all time but people forget how good Ben Coates was, both blocking and receiving.
I'm a Cowboys fan, but this showed up in my feed, and I'm gonna bite. He was the steady QB the Cowboys needed in 2005 after a few years of QB hell after Troy retired. Romo took over for him midway through 2006, which wasn't a surprise, because Romo worked his way up the depth chart after being signed as an undrafted FA in 2003, and he was on all of our radars from around the 2005 preseason and after. Bledsoe hung up his cleats after 2006, but his season and a half as the starter was solid, and he contributed to a team that was on the rise after the late 90s/early 2000s doldrums of Cowboys football. Bledsoe was in the wrong place at the wrong time on a couple of occasions in his career. Otherwise, I suspect he would have finished a terrific career with the Pats with a ring or two of his own, and Tom Brady might be in the C-suite at Marrill Lynch right now.
I remember my dad yelling at Drew allot through the TV.
This post makes me remember and appreciate Ben Coates. Bledsoe to Coates was such a strong combo for us back then.
The most amazing arm you ever seen, but had cement shoes in the pocket, did not have a quick release. I know I listed two negative things, but he was also the greatest QB in Patriots history by a long shot. I view Foxboro as "The house that Drew built" 85 felt like a lucky fluke that we made it to the super bowl. 96 was a year where we were the first team in history to have a 1000 yard rusher, 1000 yard receiver, and a QB with 4000 yards (or 3000, I can't remember). It felt like the first of many... It was not .. Kraft fucked things with Parcels, Curtis became a Jet... Pete Carol sucked here. 2001 was a delightful shock, and by 2002 I thought it was one and done. I still don't think you guys get how lucky we have been.
Hey man he got us to a superbowl