|
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise.
Bledsoe was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1993 in the first round out of Washington State University. He would set many passing records in his tenure there from 1993-2001. In one memorable performance, Bledsoe completed an NFL record 45 passes out of a record 70 attempts without an interception, in a 1994 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Bledsoe rallied his squad from a 20-0 deficit to a 26-20 victory, starting a string of seven straight wins.
Bledsoe led the Pats to a Super Bowl appearance in 1996 where they were defeated 35-21 by the Green Bay Packers. After the game, coach Bill Parcells would leave to coach the New York Jets. Many believe a slighted Parcells leaked the news of his new job before the game to distract the team.
Under the less capable Pete Carroll, Bledsoe would take New England to a second consectutive AFC East title in 1997 and the AFC Divisional playoffs, where they lost 7-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 1998 playoffs, the Patriots lost a Wild Card game to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the next two years the Patriots would not make the playoffs.
In 2001, Bledsoe signed a 10 year deal to stay with the Patriots. Unfortunately, he would suffer a devastating hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis which caused internal bleeding in his chest. Backup Tom Brady subsequently led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title when they shocked the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. However, Bledsoe did shine for one crucial game in that run. In the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady was blind-sided on a safety blitz, knocking him out of the game. Bledsoe took the reins of the Pats offense, and the team reverted from the "dink and dunk" style practiced by Brady to the more aggressive offense practiced by Bledsoe. The Steelers' fearsome defence was ill-prepared for the change in style. After completing his first two passes, Bledsoe hit David Patten for a 25 yard touchdown strike.
Drew wouldn't play in the Super Bowl, where Brady collected the MVP honours following the team's upset win over the Rams. Shortly after, head coach Bill Belichick traded Bledsoe to Buffalo, a divisional archnemesis. The "Bledsoe Bowls" have seen mainly Patriot domination, and duelling 31-0 shutouts that bookended the 2003 season.
Drew Bledsoe has gone to the Pro Bowl 4 times, three times as a Patriot, and once as a member of the Bills. He has more seasons with 370+ completions than any other quarterback in history. He holds the record more most seasons with 600+ attempts, including a record 691 in 1994. Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, Bledsoe is the only man to lead the NFL in attempts three years in a row.
Bledsoe needs 192 yards to become the 10th player in NFL history with 40,000 passing yards.
External links
| 
