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The critics of Drew Bledsoe love to throw out the numbers 11 TDs and 24 turnovers, among other stats, like an exclamation point, as if to say, “End of argument. Period.” They think those are the final word on him because they’re individual stats and therefore he’s solely responsible for them.
I say, it’s not that simple.
Football is a team game more than any other sport. In no other sport does an individual rely on his teammates more, and no other sport has as many variables on every play. It’s a truly rare, special player who can drive a team himself, like your Elways and Montanas, and they are the exception, not the rule. NO individual stat can be solely attributed to an individual. In the case of quarterbacks, this goes for both touchdown passes and turnovers. Sometimes the QB should get the credit or blame, and sometimes he shouldn’t.
I give an example – last year’s game at Jacksonville. Drew played very well: 17 of 25 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. In the same game, Travis Henry ran for only 26 yards on 21 carries … but he scored THREE touchdowns. Now, who had the better game? Bledsoe? Oh, but Henry scored more TDs!
Drew had the worst TD percentage in the league last year, but I’ve always believed that that number should not be a factor in passer ratings because it’s such a random statistic with so many other factors, like play calling, the receivers and the opposing defense. It reflects more on the overall offense than the quarterback. In the ultimate team sport, it doesn’t matter who actually delivers or carries the ball into the end zone as long as the offense scores.
Of course, our offense sucked last year, but it’s idiotic to say that was primarily Drew’s fault. This was the hand dealt to him: his star receiver missed a few games and was hobbled all year, his star RB wasn’t 100 percent, and portions of his O-line missed time too. Of all the Bills’ prominent players on offense, Bledsoe was the only one who didn’t get hurt! Despite Henry’s admirable fortitude, the running game was largely ineffective, with Buffalo ranked 21st in the league. Reasons for that include defenses not having to worry about a deep threat, and Kevin Gilbride’s refusal to commit to the run first. At times it seemed the only receivers sent deep were Sam Gash and Mark Campbell! Guess who led the Bills in yards per catch: Ryan Neufeld, at 13.7. Not only was Gilbride’s offense baffling and nonsensical, but his love of the short pass drove down Drew’s average per pass to 6.07, which was 26th in the league. That and his low TD total – a result of the offense as a whole not moving the ball – were responsible for his rating of 73.0, NOT turnovers. (BTW, his completion percentage was exactly in the middle of the pack and better than McNabb, Garcia and Gannon.) The Bills’ offense brought him down more than he brought it down. When it comes to the performance of the offense, the buck stops with Gilbride.
So let’s talk about the turnovers, starting with interceptions. Drew threw 12 picks last year; only nine starting QBs had fewer. His interception rate was 2.5 percent, which is not bad at all. That, too, was 10th-best in the NFL, much better than, say, Chad Pennington (4.0) and Brett Favre (4.5), and only slightly behind Tom Brady (2.3).
Needless to say, not all interceptions are a quarterback’s fault, either. Receiver mistakes, tipped balls and outstanding defensive plays are also factors.
That leaves 12 fumbles lost – or nine or 10, as I’ve read in other sources. That puts Drew in the bottom quarter as far as turnovers, but in comparison, Favre and Jake Delhomme had 24 each. Marc Bulger led the league with 31.
Ten fumbles is still the second-most among QBs, and it correlates to the fact that Bledsoe was the most-sacked QB. Obviously, the more you’re sacked, the more fumbles you’ll have – that’s the nature of a position in which the player holds the ball in a vulnerable way while his attention is diverted to looking for receivers downfield. Drew deserves blame because of his immobility, and at times he held the ball too long. But how can the blame for sacks not be shared with the QB’s protectors?
Sometimes stats tell the story, and sometimes they don’t. In this case, they don’t. Another stat frequently misapplied to QBs is their team’s record, as if they were boxers. It’s absurd to apply any team stat to an individual player, most of all in football, which includes other little facets such as the running game, defense and coaching, so I’m not even going to waste any more time on a ridiculous assertion.
The bottom line is that Drew is not as bad as his numbers look on paper. Is he a Pro Bowler? No. Can he carry an offense? No. Does he need help? Yes. Does he deserve what he’s getting paid? Probably not, but a principle of economics is a thing is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. The Pats gave him a huge deal in 2001 that we inherited, so blame them if anyone for setting a too-high standard.
Drew came here with expectations that were unfairly high. He can’t be compared with a hypothetical image of him that doesn’t exist. Having a high salary doesn’t make him a better QB. Drew is not the money-grubbing kind of guy, so I don’t resent him for it. Whether I or anyone thinks he’s worth $8 million is irrelevant. I just accept disproportionately high contracts as a fact of life in sports. They’re everywhere in every major sport. Just be glad we’re not the Rangers (baseball AND hockey).
Drew had a bad year last year – the worst of his career, in fact, meaning it was bad even for him, meaning there were other factors involved. His career with the Pats may have been up-and-down, but he played as well in 2002 as he ever has, meaning the past is past.
He’s an inconsistent QB who’s capable of maddening blunders (so was Jim Kelly) but also capable of great play. When he’s bad, he’s really bad, but when he’s good, he’s really good. I believe in what he CAN do NOW. The new offense will mean he will be good more often.
He’s a good QB who was put in an impossible situation. Common sense says he will do better this year. If Mularkey can resurrect Tommy Maddox, he can do Drew. I think he should take a pay cut, but if he doesn’t, it would be more destructive to this team to pull the plug on Drew. It’s easy to bash him when we don’t share a locker room with him, eat with him, work with him like his teammates do. He IS a leader to them, their general; he has their allegiance and loyalty (certainly more than the coaches did last year), and THAT earns his salary as much as on-the-field play does. His teammates and coaches know him better than any of us do, and they believe in him. Maybe that’s why Ralph and Tom are so committed to him; they know what his mere presence means to the team.
P.S. In 1996, the season when NE went to the Super Bowl, Drew threw for 4,086 yards and 27 touchdowns. That doesn’t sound like an offense carried by Curtis Martin, as some here say. In fact, Martin’s stats that year were 1,152 yards – his lowest total as a Patriot and second-worst of his career – and 3.6 yards per carry. Not that it matters now, but I wanted to counter some misleading assertions.
P.S.S. Bledsoe’s career stats minus his first three years in the league: 148 TDs, 107 INTs
Bledsoe’s career INT percentage – 2.94 (Jim Kelly’s was 3.66)
I say, it’s not that simple.
Football is a team game more than any other sport. In no other sport does an individual rely on his teammates more, and no other sport has as many variables on every play. It’s a truly rare, special player who can drive a team himself, like your Elways and Montanas, and they are the exception, not the rule. NO individual stat can be solely attributed to an individual. In the case of quarterbacks, this goes for both touchdown passes and turnovers. Sometimes the QB should get the credit or blame, and sometimes he shouldn’t.
I give an example – last year’s game at Jacksonville. Drew played very well: 17 of 25 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. In the same game, Travis Henry ran for only 26 yards on 21 carries … but he scored THREE touchdowns. Now, who had the better game? Bledsoe? Oh, but Henry scored more TDs!
Drew had the worst TD percentage in the league last year, but I’ve always believed that that number should not be a factor in passer ratings because it’s such a random statistic with so many other factors, like play calling, the receivers and the opposing defense. It reflects more on the overall offense than the quarterback. In the ultimate team sport, it doesn’t matter who actually delivers or carries the ball into the end zone as long as the offense scores.
Of course, our offense sucked last year, but it’s idiotic to say that was primarily Drew’s fault. This was the hand dealt to him: his star receiver missed a few games and was hobbled all year, his star RB wasn’t 100 percent, and portions of his O-line missed time too. Of all the Bills’ prominent players on offense, Bledsoe was the only one who didn’t get hurt! Despite Henry’s admirable fortitude, the running game was largely ineffective, with Buffalo ranked 21st in the league. Reasons for that include defenses not having to worry about a deep threat, and Kevin Gilbride’s refusal to commit to the run first. At times it seemed the only receivers sent deep were Sam Gash and Mark Campbell! Guess who led the Bills in yards per catch: Ryan Neufeld, at 13.7. Not only was Gilbride’s offense baffling and nonsensical, but his love of the short pass drove down Drew’s average per pass to 6.07, which was 26th in the league. That and his low TD total – a result of the offense as a whole not moving the ball – were responsible for his rating of 73.0, NOT turnovers. (BTW, his completion percentage was exactly in the middle of the pack and better than McNabb, Garcia and Gannon.) The Bills’ offense brought him down more than he brought it down. When it comes to the performance of the offense, the buck stops with Gilbride.
So let’s talk about the turnovers, starting with interceptions. Drew threw 12 picks last year; only nine starting QBs had fewer. His interception rate was 2.5 percent, which is not bad at all. That, too, was 10th-best in the NFL, much better than, say, Chad Pennington (4.0) and Brett Favre (4.5), and only slightly behind Tom Brady (2.3).
Needless to say, not all interceptions are a quarterback’s fault, either. Receiver mistakes, tipped balls and outstanding defensive plays are also factors.
That leaves 12 fumbles lost – or nine or 10, as I’ve read in other sources. That puts Drew in the bottom quarter as far as turnovers, but in comparison, Favre and Jake Delhomme had 24 each. Marc Bulger led the league with 31.
Ten fumbles is still the second-most among QBs, and it correlates to the fact that Bledsoe was the most-sacked QB. Obviously, the more you’re sacked, the more fumbles you’ll have – that’s the nature of a position in which the player holds the ball in a vulnerable way while his attention is diverted to looking for receivers downfield. Drew deserves blame because of his immobility, and at times he held the ball too long. But how can the blame for sacks not be shared with the QB’s protectors?
Sometimes stats tell the story, and sometimes they don’t. In this case, they don’t. Another stat frequently misapplied to QBs is their team’s record, as if they were boxers. It’s absurd to apply any team stat to an individual player, most of all in football, which includes other little facets such as the running game, defense and coaching, so I’m not even going to waste any more time on a ridiculous assertion.
The bottom line is that Drew is not as bad as his numbers look on paper. Is he a Pro Bowler? No. Can he carry an offense? No. Does he need help? Yes. Does he deserve what he’s getting paid? Probably not, but a principle of economics is a thing is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. The Pats gave him a huge deal in 2001 that we inherited, so blame them if anyone for setting a too-high standard.
Drew came here with expectations that were unfairly high. He can’t be compared with a hypothetical image of him that doesn’t exist. Having a high salary doesn’t make him a better QB. Drew is not the money-grubbing kind of guy, so I don’t resent him for it. Whether I or anyone thinks he’s worth $8 million is irrelevant. I just accept disproportionately high contracts as a fact of life in sports. They’re everywhere in every major sport. Just be glad we’re not the Rangers (baseball AND hockey).
Drew had a bad year last year – the worst of his career, in fact, meaning it was bad even for him, meaning there were other factors involved. His career with the Pats may have been up-and-down, but he played as well in 2002 as he ever has, meaning the past is past.
He’s an inconsistent QB who’s capable of maddening blunders (so was Jim Kelly) but also capable of great play. When he’s bad, he’s really bad, but when he’s good, he’s really good. I believe in what he CAN do NOW. The new offense will mean he will be good more often.
He’s a good QB who was put in an impossible situation. Common sense says he will do better this year. If Mularkey can resurrect Tommy Maddox, he can do Drew. I think he should take a pay cut, but if he doesn’t, it would be more destructive to this team to pull the plug on Drew. It’s easy to bash him when we don’t share a locker room with him, eat with him, work with him like his teammates do. He IS a leader to them, their general; he has their allegiance and loyalty (certainly more than the coaches did last year), and THAT earns his salary as much as on-the-field play does. His teammates and coaches know him better than any of us do, and they believe in him. Maybe that’s why Ralph and Tom are so committed to him; they know what his mere presence means to the team.
P.S. In 1996, the season when NE went to the Super Bowl, Drew threw for 4,086 yards and 27 touchdowns. That doesn’t sound like an offense carried by Curtis Martin, as some here say. In fact, Martin’s stats that year were 1,152 yards – his lowest total as a Patriot and second-worst of his career – and 3.6 yards per carry. Not that it matters now, but I wanted to counter some misleading assertions.
P.S.S. Bledsoe’s career stats minus his first three years in the league: 148 TDs, 107 INTs
Bledsoe’s career INT percentage – 2.94 (Jim Kelly’s was 3.66)
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