BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan
02-13-2005, 08:24 PM
Bills demote Bledsoe, may soon release QB
By Bill Burt
Sports Editor
What was supposed to be a storybook career in Buffalo has instead ended in a thud for former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
According to a source in Bills management, Bledsoe was informed last week that he was out as the starting quarterback for 2005. General manager Terry Donahoe told Bledsoe that J.P. Losman, who will enter his second season in the fall, would be the No. 1 quarterback.
Bledsoe was offered the opportunity to remain with the team as a backup, which would have meant forgoing a $1 million bonus in March and cutting his salary from $3.3 million to about $1.5 million.
Bledsoe refused the request, saying he wanted to be a starter. He asked the Bills to cut him soon and allow him to become a free agent. The Bills said they would honor his request and probably release him in the next two weeks.
It's a far cry from the red-carpet treatment Bledsoe received soon after the trade with the Patriots was finalized just before the 2002 NFL Draft. The Bills expected big things from Bledsoe's leadership, but it never transpired. The Bills were only 23-25 under the former No. 1 overall draft choice with no playoff appearances.
Apparently the last straw for Bills management was the final regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game the Bills needed to win to make the playoffs. Going against Steelers backups for most of the day, Bledsoe turned in an uninspired performance (16 for 30, 189 yards, 1 INT) and was sacked three times. On one of the sacks Bledsoe was blind-sided before fumbling the ball, which was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Before the loss to Pittsburgh, the Bills had won six straight games, but it wasn't enough to save Bledsoe's job.
As for Bledsoe's next stop, the obvious choice is the Dallas Cowboys with head coach Bill Parcells. Parcells does not have a starting quarterback he is comfortable with in Drew Henson or Vinny Testaverde.
The Patriots will go down as the big winners in the trading of Bledsoe to the Bills. New England received a 2004 first-round pick, selecting defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, a key performer for the Patriots during their recent Super Bowl run.
By Bill Burt
Sports Editor
What was supposed to be a storybook career in Buffalo has instead ended in a thud for former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
According to a source in Bills management, Bledsoe was informed last week that he was out as the starting quarterback for 2005. General manager Terry Donahoe told Bledsoe that J.P. Losman, who will enter his second season in the fall, would be the No. 1 quarterback.
Bledsoe was offered the opportunity to remain with the team as a backup, which would have meant forgoing a $1 million bonus in March and cutting his salary from $3.3 million to about $1.5 million.
Bledsoe refused the request, saying he wanted to be a starter. He asked the Bills to cut him soon and allow him to become a free agent. The Bills said they would honor his request and probably release him in the next two weeks.
It's a far cry from the red-carpet treatment Bledsoe received soon after the trade with the Patriots was finalized just before the 2002 NFL Draft. The Bills expected big things from Bledsoe's leadership, but it never transpired. The Bills were only 23-25 under the former No. 1 overall draft choice with no playoff appearances.
Apparently the last straw for Bills management was the final regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game the Bills needed to win to make the playoffs. Going against Steelers backups for most of the day, Bledsoe turned in an uninspired performance (16 for 30, 189 yards, 1 INT) and was sacked three times. On one of the sacks Bledsoe was blind-sided before fumbling the ball, which was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Before the loss to Pittsburgh, the Bills had won six straight games, but it wasn't enough to save Bledsoe's job.
As for Bledsoe's next stop, the obvious choice is the Dallas Cowboys with head coach Bill Parcells. Parcells does not have a starting quarterback he is comfortable with in Drew Henson or Vinny Testaverde.
The Patriots will go down as the big winners in the trading of Bledsoe to the Bills. New England received a 2004 first-round pick, selecting defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, a key performer for the Patriots during their recent Super Bowl run.