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Well it seems as if we have approached yet another sad day in Buffalo Bills history, as we watch a QB in Drew Bledsoe who has fought his hardest for this team for the last 3 years depart. While creating a controversy that his best has not been enough it has certainly been enough to give me found memories of a QB I once feared coming into Buffalo on game day with the Pats.
Unfortunately in this day and age in the NFL it is a what have you done for me today attitude, one that Drew knows all to well. After literally carrying a Patriots team on his back for 9 seasons he was stonewalled by the most ignorant organization in the NFL, in 2001 the man not only received a career ending type injury, but a fatal one at that, as his lung collapsed in the fourth quarter vs. the Jets as he was running for a first down and hit by Mo Lewis. Drew instead of heading off to the locker room was fighting to get back on the field! When he returned from his injury he was demoted to second string, instead of causing trouble like anyone else in the league would have Drew kept his mouth shut and coached Brady into the playoffs where he was hurt in the AFC championship game as New England trialed guess who came in to save the day and lead the Pats to the Super Bowl. A win that is never acknowledged. The whole time Bledsoe was injured and the Pats were winning he was told by good old honest genius (yea right look at what he did in Cleveland) Bill that it was his team and he would remain the starter upon return. Got to love the honestly in the Pats organization, talk to Milloy, or Ty Law I am sure they will be able to fill you in. So exit Drew Bledsoe stage left to Buffalo.....
There are 11 men on offense who must be in perfect synchronization in order to make the offense effective, when things go wrong most of the blame is placed on the QB and through these rough years Drew has taken an awful lot of heat for not only his mistakes, but the mistakes of the entire team / coaching staff. Then in came the new coaching staff and just as things have seem to turn around with a 9-7 record, finishing 9-3 after a 0-4 start under a rookie head coach in my book is nothing short of amazing. The Bills organization has decided that it is time to take 2 steps backwards just as things have begun to start clicking. In my opinion this is a HUGE mistake. You have an unproven rookie (basically) that you are going to hand the starting job to in February, 8 months before the season even begins. After a 9-7 season! If they at least would have kept the role open for a challenge in camp that would have made Mr. Hollywood Losman work his tail off to get the job, instead he can sit back and relax this off season know that he will be the man in Buffalo for the next however man years.
With this decision Bledsoe has been stonewalled yet again. Well I can tell you all only one thing, watch out for the Dallas Cowboys. Mr. Parcelles will be doing everything in his power to have his star QB back on his team, and Drew will once again prove to the world that he is still one of the best in the league.
So it is with great sadness that I must bid you farewell Drew Bledsoe. I have enjoyed watching you through thick and thin for the last 3 years, I will place you #11 jersey in a safe place and cherish the memories forever. Good luck in the future, although I know you will not need luck with an arm like yours!
Here are some of the highlights of Drew's career:
PRO:
Came to the Bills in a trade with New England on the second day of the 2002 NFL Draft (4/21/02); the Patriots received Buffalo's first-round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft…Bledsoe had spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Patriots, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 1993 Draft.
2004:
Completed 17-of-26 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown for a passer rating of 93.9 vs. Jax. (9/12/04)…his touchdown pass came late in the first quarter on a 17-yard strike to wide-open WR Eric Moulds…in the game, Bledsoe surpassed Dan Fouts for 7th on the NFL's all-time attempts list…finished with 198 yards with one TD and one INT on 13-of-24 passing at Oak. (9/19)...connected with WR Eric Moulds late in the fourth quarter for a five yard TD; his second straight game with a TD pass to Moulds…the TD pass, his 203rd of his career, tied him with Jim Everett for 23rd on the NFL's all-time touchdown list…the TD pass was setup by a 65-yard pass to rookie WR Lee Evans…totaled more than 200 yards passing for the first time in the season vs. NE (10/3) in a 18-of-30 for 247 yards, one TD and one INT performance…connected with Moulds for the third straight week on a 41-yard pass at the end of the first half to bring the score to a 17-17 tie at halftime vs. NE…the touchdown also put Bledsoe alone at 23rd on the NFL's all-time career touchdown list…opened up the game with a 55-yard pass to Lee Evans on the Bills first play from scrimmage that set up a Rian Lindell field goal…the hookup with Evans moved Bledsoe into 4th all-time on the Bills all-time passing yardage list, passing Doug Flutie's 7,817 yards…completed 16-of-29 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns and one INT at NYJ (10/10)…was 6-of-8 for 97 yards on the Bills two touchdown drives: the first drive a eight play, 69 yard drive that was capped off by a 16-yard TD pass to TE Mark Campbell, and the second drive, a two play, 62 yard drive culminating with a 46-yard touchdown throw to rookie WR Lee Evans…Evans becomes the 37th different TD target for Bledsoe in his career…he also ran one time for five yards at NYJ…threw for 212 yards on 15-of-28 passing and one TD for a passer rating of 90.2 vs. Mia. (10/17)…his TD pass was his 207th of his career, which tied him for 22nd on the NFL's all-time TD list with Randall Cunningham…was 2-of-3 for 35 yards on the Bills TD drive that was capped by his 5-yard toss to TE Mark Campbell (his second straight game with a TD pass to Campbell)…at Bal. (10/24), Bledsoe passed Boomer Esiason for 11th on the NFL's all-time passing yards list with 38,086 yards through 162 career games…he finished the game with 203 yards passing on 20-of-37 passing and four interceptions…was 5-of-6 for 81 yards on the Bills two scoring drives…compiled a 100.4 passer rating vs. AZ (10/31), marking only the second time in his career with a 100-plus rating without attempting 20 passes in a game…finished with 81 yards on 8-of-17 passing with two touchdowns…Bledsoe has played the Cardinals twice on Halloween, leading his team to victory both times and accumulating 100-plus passer ratings in both contests…was sacked zero times for the first time since 9/14/03…moved up in the NFL's record books in three categories: passed Dave Krieg for 11th on the NFL's all-time passing yards list, passed Dan Fouts for eighth on the League's all-time completions list and tied Jim Hart for 21st on the passing touchdowns list (passed Randall Cunningham with his first TD pass)…enjoyed second straight game with no interceptions or sacks vs. NYJ (11/7), marking only the 17th time in his career with zeros in both columns…also the first time as a Bill he has avoided sacks in consecutive games…finished the day with 184 yards on 18-of-30 passing with one TD for a QB rating of 88.8…Bledsoe's TD pass put him alone at 21st all-time, breaking a tie with Jim Hart…was 8-of-19 passing for 76 yards with three interceptions at NE (11/14)…also rushed one time for eight yards…vs. StL. (11/21), Bledsoe completed 15-of-24 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns and one INT for a passer rating of 108.5…all three of his TD passes were to TE Mark Campbell, making Campbell the second player to catch three touchdowns in a single game from Bledsoe (the other: Ben Coates, NE), and it also made Campbell the 8th player Bledsoe has thrown six-plus TD passes to in his career…his three TD passes were his most since 12/1/02…with the three TD tosses, Bledsoe moved up to 19th all-time on the NFL's career TD list, passing Terry Bradshaw and Y.A. Tittle and also moved into a tie for 4th on the Bills all-time TD list with Doug Flutie…Bledsoe was 6-of-7 for 80 yards on the team's three touchdown drives…in his first career start in his home state (Washington), Bledsoe threw for 275 yards on 25-of-37 passing with one TD and three interceptions at Sea. (11/28)…he was 20-of-28 on the Bills five scoring drives…four of his 25 completions were for 20-plus yards…moved into 18th on the NFL's all-time career TD list, passing John Brodie, and broke a tie with Doug Flutie for 4th on the Bills TD passes list…matched a career high with four touchdown passes at Mia. (12/5) on 19-of-30 passing for 277 yards and a passer rating of 132.9…completed 9-of-12 passes for 198 yards on the team's four scoring drives…vs. Cle. (12/12), Bledsoe passed for 100 yards on 12-of-27 passing with a touchdown and an interception…with the Bills victory over the Browns, Bledsoe returns to having a .500 record for his career (84-84)…led the Bills to its fifth straight victory at Cin. (12/19), marking his longest personal win streak since the 1996-97 seasons with New England…finished the day 15-of-30 passing for 183 yards and one TD…hooked up with Lee Evans on a flea-flicker in the first quarter for 60 yards…Evans became the first receiver to catch four passes of 50-plus yards from Bledsoe in one season…his 13th completion against the Bengals boosted Bledsoe ahead of Joe Montana on the NFL's all-time completions list (7th)…also rushed two times for 13 yards at Cin….completed 21-of-32 passes for 172 yards and one TD at SF (12/26)…was 10-of-12 for 106 yards the three TD drives he led the Bills on…also rushed two times for nine yards…winning six straight games is Bledsoe's second longest personal winning streak…vs. Pit. (1/2/05), Bledsoe became only the seventh quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 10,000 yards with two different teams…he finished with 189 yards on 16-of-30 passing and one INT…went 4-of-6 for 97 yards on Buffalo's two touchdown drives…finished the 2004 season with 20-plus touchdown passes for the second time since 1999.
2003:
In his second season with the Bills, Bledsoe again started all 16 games and completed 274 of 471 passes (58.2%) for 2,860 yards with 11 TDs and 12 INT…after just 32 games with the Bills he climbed to fourth on the franchise's all-time lists in attempts (1,081), completions (649) and is fifth in passing yardage (7,219) and passing touchdowns (35, tied with Dennis Shaw)… opened the season vs. NE (9/7) and was 17-28 passing for 230 yards with a TD and an INT en route to his first win against his former team…the next week at Jax (9/14) he was again very impressive with 314 yards on 19-25 passing with 2 TDs and no INTs for a near-perfect QB rating of 144.2…endured a difficult outing in week 3 at Mia. (9/21); for just the fourth time in 19 career games with the Bills he failed to throw a TD pass and he finished the game 10-25 passing for 98 yards with two interceptions…came back the next week vs. Phi. (9/28) to complete 27 of 43 passes for 296 yards with both a TD pass and run and no INTs; the scoring run was the fifth of his career and third as a Bill…in week 5 vs. Cin. (10/5), he led his 22nd career 4th quarter comeback and finished with 211 yards on 19-35 passing with a TD and no INTs…his third quarter INT at NYJ (10/12) snapped a stretch of 130 attempts without one and was the 12th 100+ streak of his career… in week 7 vs. Wash. (10/19), he completed 19 of 26 passes for 244 yards with a TD and an INT; he enjoyed a 73.1% completion rate marking his 15th career game above 70% and his second of 2003 (5 of the 15 have been with Buffalo)… at NYG (11/30), he completed 19 of 29 passes for 252 yards and a pair of TDs in less than three quarters of action; on Buffalo's three straight scoring drives in the second and third quarters, he was 13-17 for 179 yards with 2 TD throws; six of his 19 completions covered 20+ yards and he finished with a passer rating of 115.9 for his 30th career game with a 100+ rating…his two TD passes at Ten. (12/14) gave him 201 in his career and 35 as a Bill.
2002:
Enjoyed a phenomenal first season with the Bills…started all 16 games at QB and set 10 franchise records including single-season marks for yards (4,359), attempts (610) and completions (375) as well as 300-yard games (7)…earned his fourth career Pro Bowl selection and his first since 1997; also went to the Pro Bowl following the 1994, '96 and '97 seasons with New England and became the third quarterback in Bills history to earn a Pro Bowl selection, joining Jim Kelly (5) and Doug Flutie (1)…ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (4,359) and attempts (610) behind only Rich Gannon (4,689 & 618) and his 375 completions trailed only Gannon (418) and Peyton Manning (392)…only Gannon (10) had more 300-yard passing games…threw 24 TD passes, the most by a Bills QB since Jim Kelly had a club-record 33 in 1991…with two rushing touchdowns in '02, matched his career total heading into the season and became the first Bills QB with two in a season since Jim Kelly in 1996…topped 400 passing yards in 2 of his first 5 games with the Bills (there were only two in franchise history before '02)…in game 2 at Min. (9/15) he went over 30,000 career passing yards and reached the plateau in his 126th career game, tying Brett Favre as the third fastest in NFL history to reach 30,000 (Dan Marino did it in 114 & Warren Moon in 125)…ended the Vikings and Bears OT games with TD passes; they were his 3rd and 4th career OT touchdown passes and gave him more than any other QB in NFL history…was selected as AFC Offensive Player of the Week after the Vikings game for the 7th time in his career and was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month in September, his second career Player of the Month selection…opened the season with a memorable outing vs. NYJ (9/8) that saw him bring the Bills back to tie the game at 31 on a 29-yard TD strike to Eric Moulds on 4th-and-9 with 0:34 remaining before falling in OT; set the tone for the offense with a huge block on DT Jason Ferguson on a reverse…enjoyed a record day and engineered game-winning OT TD drive at Min. (9/15), ending the game with a 48-yard score to Peerless Price; it marked his 3rd career TD pass in OT tying Terry Bradshaw for the NFL record; also recorded 20th 4th quarter comeback of career; was 3-3 for 29 yards on drive which led to 54-yard FG as regulation ended; set career-high and Bills single-game record with 463 passing yards (old personal record: 426 yards, 11/13/94; old Bills record: 419 yards, Joe Ferguson, 10/9/83); also set Bills single-game record with 49 attempts without an interception (old record: 46 by Joe Ferguson, 9/23/84 and Jim Kelly, 11/7/93); became 24th player in NFL to reach 30,000 career passing yards and became 4th fastest QB (in terms of games) to reach 30,000 yards…led the Bills to their second victory of '02 vs. Chi. (9/29) ending it with the game-winning 26-yard pass to Travis Henry in overtime; set a new NFL record with his 4th career TD pass in overtime (Terry Bradshaw - 3); it was the 10th four touchdown game of his career (Last - 10/1/00 at Denver) and was the first by a Bills QB since Jim Kelly had four, 12/10/95 at St. L….the next week vs. Oak. (10/6) he set new club record for attempts without an INT at 175 before throwing one on his 27th attempt; it marked the 2nd longest streak of his career (179 attempts, 10/23/95 - 11/26/95) and the 10th streak of 100+ attempts without an interception in his career…at Hou. (10/13) the Bills trailed 24-17 entering the 4th quarter but Bills offense went on two TD drives to grab their third win of the year; was Bledsoe's 21st "comeback" game of career and the 2nd of the season…in his first outing against his former team vs. NE (11/3) he threw for 300+ yards for the 5th time of season (31st of career) and extended streak of starts with a touchdown to 9 games (longest streak of any Bills QB to start his career)…topped 3,000 yard mark for the season at KC (11/17); it marked the 2nd time with 3,000+ yards in first 10 games (also in 1994); threw a 7-yard strike to Moulds to extend streak of starts with a TD to 10 games (longest streak of any Bills QB to start his career); had TD streak broken the next week at NYJ (11/24)…recorded 1st rushing touchdown as a Bill (3rd of career) on 2-yard plunge vs. Mia. (12/1) and also had two touchdown passes of 50+ yards (73 yards to Price, 57 yards to Moulds)…posted 7th 300-yd game of 2002 and 33rd of career in loss at NE (12/8) and set a club record for 300-yard games in a season (old: Jim Kelly, 6 in 1991); it marked the 10th time in club history a QB had two consecutive 300-yard games (3rd by Bledsoe in '02)…with first completion vs. SD (12/15) established new club record for single-season passing yards (old record: 3,844 - Jim Kelly, 1991)…surpassed the 4,000 yard passing mark for the season in loss at GB (12/22), marking the 3rd 4,000-yd season of career; 10-0 loss to the Packers marked just the 2nd time in career that his team has been shut out (other: 6-0 loss, 11/28/93 vs. NYJ)…collected 2nd rushing TD of season (4th of career) on a 7-yard carry in season finale vs. Cin (12/29).
2001:
Started first two games of the year at QB, extending his consecutive starts streak to 34 before suffering a chest injury in the fourth quarter of game 2 vs. NYJ (9/23) on a hit by Mo Lewis…was inactive and did not dress for the next four contests, starting with game 3 vs. Ind. (9/30)…was the third QB/inactive for games 7-9…was the #2 quarterback but did not play in the final seven games of the regular season and also for the opening playoff game vs. Oak.…returned to action in AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh (1/27) when he replaced an injured Tom Brady (ankle) with 1:40 to go in the second quarter with Patriots driving at the Steelers 40-yard line; completed three straight passes to WR David Patten including an 11-yard TD; played the entire second half to lead the Patriots to the AFC Championship victory…was the #2 QB but did not play in Super Bowl XXXVI win vs. St. Louis (2/3)…
2000:
Started every game despite playing with a jammed thumb, an injury he suffered at midseason…became the Patriots all-time leading passer in the second quarter at Den. (10/1) on a 26-yard pass to Kevin Faulk; moved ahead of Steve Grogan (26,886)…reached the 3,000-yard passing plateau for a team-record seventh time vs. Mia. (12/24)…became fourth quarterback in NFL history to have seven consecutive 3,000-yard seasons, joining Dan Marino (9), Brett Favre (9) and John Elway (7)…set a career-high and finished third on the team with 158 rushing yards…rushed for a career-high 30 yards on 8 carries vs. TB (9/3)...tied a franchise record at Ind. (10/22) when he directed an 18-play scoring drive to open the game (18-89; 8:43), which culminated in a 19-yard TD pass to J.R. Redmond; left the game in the second quarter with a thumb injury to his right hand…vs. Cin. (11/19), led his 18th career game-winning drive as he moved the offense 81 yards on 12 plays in 3:05 to set up game-winning 22-yard field goal; completed 4 of 7 passes for 65 yards on game-winning drive…completed a season-high 33 passes on 48 attempts for 282 yards and a pair of TDs vs. KC (12/4) in a 30-24 victory over the Chiefs on Monday Night Football…at Buf. (12/17), led the Patriots on two scoring drives late in the game to secure an overtime victory over the Bills amidst the worst game conditions of his eight-year career; in OT, led the team on an 83-yard, 14-play drive, giving setting up game-winning 24-yard field goal with just :19 left in OT….passed for a season-high 312 yards vs. Mia. (12/24) after completing 18 of 34 attempts, including 2 TDs and 2 interceptions; it was his first 300-yard game of the season and his fifth 300-yard game against Miami, the most against any team.
1999:
Started every game at QB for the Patriots…other than a pass attempt by WR Troy Brown in the season finale, attempted every pass for the team...tossed 19 TDs, including a season-long 68-yarder to Shawn Jefferson...his 539 attempts ranked third in the league (first in the AFC), while his 305 completions ranked sixth overall (second in the AFC); yardage total also ranked sixth in the league (second in the AFC)…fell just 15 yards shy of eclipsing the 4,000-yard plateau for the third time of his NFL career…in his first four seasons, he completed just 4 passes of 50 yards or more - in his next three, completed 20 passes of 50 yards or more...opened the season at NYJ (9/12) by completing his first 6 attempts and finished the game completing 21 of 30 attempts for 340 yards and a TD; orchestrated a 10-play, 44-yard drive to set up the game winning 23-yard field goal in a 30-28 come-from-behind victory; it was the 14th come-from-behind victory of Bledsoe's career…earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors vs. Ind. (9/19) after leading the Patriots back from a 21-point, third quarter deficit to a 31-28 victory by scoring 24 unanswered points; was the 15th come-from-behind victory of his career and the second in as many weeks; led Pats on three fourth quarter scoring drives - 2 TD passes to Ben Coates and a game-winning 26-yard field goal; 4 TD passes tied a career high, which he had done on six prior occasions; passer rating eclipsed 100 (109.4) for the second consecutive week, the 18th time of his career…completed 20 of 28 passes (.714) for 233 yards vs. NYG (9/26) to guide the Patriots to their third consecutive victory of three points or fewer; led the Patriots on three straight second half scoring drives…passed for 393 yards and 1 TD in a 19-7 victory at Cle. (10/3) to help the Patriots to a 4-0 start; finished with a passer rating of 104.1 - the third time in four games that he eclipsed a rating of 100.0; did not throw an INT in his third consecutive game (120 attempts)...completed 23 of 45 passes for 334 yards at KC (10/10); was his third 300-yard game of the season and the 23rd of his career; had a streak of 129 pass attempts without an INT snapped in the second quarter against Chiefs, when his 10th pass attempt of the game was picked off by Donnie Edwards ending the second longest streak of his career…with his 22nd pass attempt of the game vs. Mia. (10/17), moved ahead of Steve Grogan (3,593) as the franchise's leader for career pass attempts; gave him the franchise records for attempts and completions in just his seventh season…led Patriots to a 24-23 victory over the Broncos vs. Den. (10/24) - their first win in the series since 1980…recorded a career-high 146.8 passer rating at AZ (10/31) after completing 14 of 22 passes for 276 yards and 4 TDs, without an interception; it was the eighth 4-TD game of his career, the second of '99; his passer rating of 146.8 was the his fourth 100.0-plus performance of the season, the 20th of his career...vs. NYJ (11/15) led the Patriots on two fourth quarter scoring drives with TD passes to Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown…completed his longest pass of the season at Mia. (11/21), a 68-yard TD to Jefferson in the third quarter.
1998:
Extended his consecutive game starting streak to 58 games, including three starts with a compound fracture to his right index finger, before missing the last two games of the regular season and playoffs...displayed tremendous resiliency and fortitude leading the Patriots to three consecutive victories over Miami, Buffalo and Pittsburgh late in the season to propel the Patriots to their third consecutive playoff appearance - a franchise record - all despite playing with a fractured right index finger…injured the finger in the fourth quarter vs. Mia. (11/23) but still led the team on a 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by a 25-yard TD pass to Shawn Jefferson with just 0:29 remaining in the game to give the Patriots a 26-23 victory; finished the game with a (non-OT) career-high of 423 yards after completing 28 of 54 passes with two TDs in the game; it earned him the NFL's Miller Lite Player of the Week and AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors; it was the fourth 400-yard game of his career...after missing an entire week of practice, he started the following week vs. Buf. (11/29) and completed his second consecutive come-from-behind, game-winning TD, this time with a 1-yard pass to Ben Coates with no time on the clock; it marked the first time in NFL history that a quarterback led his team to consecutive come-from-behind victories and game-winning TDs in the final 30 seconds of each game; finished the game with 246 yards and 3 TDs (28 of 43 passing) and became the first player since the award's inception to earn back-to-back NFL Miller Lite Player of the Week honors...followed up with a 327-yard effort (on 21 of 34 attempts) in a 23-9 victory at Pit. (12/6), highlighted by a career-long 86-yard TD pass to Terry Glenn...in addition to the Miami and Buffalo wins, also orchestrated fourth quarter comebacks vs. Ten. (9/20) and at N.O. (10/4), giving him 14 fourth quarter come-from-behind wins for his career; trailing 16-13 in the fourth quarter, completed 3 of 4 passes for 65 yards and a TD vs. Titans to secure a 27-16 win; against Saints, with the score knotted at 27, he completed 6 of 8 attempts for 79 yards to set up game-winning field goal in a 30-27 victory...in his final game of the season at StL. (12/13), moved ahead of Steve Grogan (1,879 career completions) as the franchise's all-time completion leader with a 4-yard pass to Lovett Purnell...despite missing two games and starting three others with a broken finger, still finished among the AFC's leading passers with 481 attempts (4th), 263 completions (4th), 3,633 yards (2nd) and 20 TDs (5th tie)...14 interceptions in 1998 were a career low...connected on 7 passes of 50 yards or more for the second consecutive season.
1997:
Started every game, extending his consecutive-games started streak to 44 games…earned his third trip to the Pro Bowl and eclipsed the 3,500-yard passing plateau for the fourth consecutive season…was once again among the league leaders in most passing categories…completed 314 (2nd in the NFL) of 522 passes (3rd) for 3,706 yards (4th) and 28 TDs (3rd)…his +13 TD-to-interception differential ranked third in the league and his 87.7 quarterback rating set a single-season career high and ranked third in the AFC…led the Patriots to their second consecutive division title - a franchise first - and guided them to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons…entering the season, had completed 4 passes of 50 yards or more but completed 7 passes of 50 yards or more in '97, including three to Troy Brown…led the league in third down completion percentage (.600) completing 102 of 170 attempts…recorded 10 of his 28 TDs on third downs, which also led the league…opened the season with a near flawless performance, completing 26 of 39 passes (.667) for 340 yards and 4 TDs vs. SD (8/31); recorded a quarterback rating of 128.2 - which was the third highest single-game rating of his career…next week at Ind. (9/7), completed 15 of 25 passes for 267 yards and 4 TDs and finished with a 136.2 quarterback rating - at that point, the highest rating of his career; became the first player in NFL history to throw at least 4 TD passes in each of the first two weeks of the season; 8 TD passes in two games marked highest two-game total of his career; 8 TD passes were spread to eight different receivers…not until third week of the season vs. NYJ (9/14) did he throw his first interception…at NYJ (10/19), completed passes for 294 yards, including a season-long 67-yard completion to Troy Brown; added a pair of TD passes to give him 17 through the first seven games, which surpassed his season totals in 1993 (15) and 1995 (13)…did not throw an interception in a victory at Buf. (11/9) and extended his consecutive games with a TD streak to 11 games; posted his third game of the year with a quarterback rating over 100.0…after a tough game at TB (11/16) rebounded to guide the Patriots to victories in four of their next five games and claim back-to-back division titles for the first time in franchise history…had a streak of 120 consecutive attempts without an interception snapped vs. Pit (12/13); set a single-season career best with his 28th TD pass of the year when he hit with David Meggett for a 49-yard score…a 14-12 victory at Mia. (12/22) in the season finale set up a Wild Card rematch in Foxboro; completed 18 of 26 passes (.692); did not complete a TD pass for just the third time all season, but two short TD runs were enough to secure the win; the season-ending victory propelled the Patriots into the playoffs for the third time in four years and earned the Patriots their second consecutive division title and a rematch with the Dolphins in the first round of the playoffs (12/28)…in playoff game, Bledsoe hit Brown with a 24-yard TD, his first against Dolphins in '97; passing totals were 16 of 32 for 139 yards, but his TD pass to Brown proved to be enough in a 17-3 game …in divisional playoff game at Pit. (1/3/98), passed for 264 yards - a postseason career-high - while completing 23 of 44 attempts (.523), but was intercepted twice and fumbled due to a blindside hit on the team's final possession.
1996:
Started all 19 games for the Patriots, including playoffs, the most single-season starts by a QB in franchise history...for the second time in three seasons, eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing plateau and earned a return trip to the Pro Bowl...led the league in pass attempts (623) for the third consecutive season and in completions (373) for the second time in three years....after an 0-2 start, guided the team to victories in 11 of the next 14 games to claim the AFC East title...Patriots then defeated Pittsburgh and Jacksonville to claim the AFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl XXXI...opened the season at Mia. (9/1); Pats were without WRs Terry Glenn and Vincent Brisby and lost Shawn Jefferson during the game with a concussion; suffered a 24-10 season-opening loss to the Dolphins…in the home opener, led team to a 31-0 blanking of AZ (9/15); completed 21 of 35 attempts (.600) for 221 yards and 3 TDs without an interception, but it was his pickup of a first down on 4th-and-1 when he jumped over a defender for a 1-yard gain that will be most remembered…completed his first 8 pass attempts vs. Jax (9/22) the following week and led the Pats on a 49-yard drive to set up the game-winning kick in an OT victory…the next week at Bal. (10/6) threw for a season-high and single-game career-tying 4 TD passes in a 46-38 win; completed 25 of 39 attempts (.641) for 310 yards...vs. Mia. (11/3) completed 30 of 41 attempts (.732) for a season-high 419 yards; his 419-yard passing performance was the second-highest single-game passing total in franchise history (426 vs. Min. on 11/13/94)…at NYJ (11/10) finished with 297 yards (24-of-34) and 3 TDs in a dramatic 31-27 come-from-behind victory...rebounded from tough outing vs. Dal. the next week with his fourth 300-yard game of the season and the 13th of his career at NYG (12/21); finished game with 301 yards and a pair of TDs, including the game-winning TD pass to Coates with just 1:32 remaining in the game; eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing plateau for the second time in three seasons to become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to post multiple 4,000-yard passing seasons…completed 14 of 24 attempts for 164 yards and a TD in a 28-3 victory vs. Pit. (1/5/97)...connected on 20 of 33 attempts for 172 yards in the AFC Championship Game victory over Jax (1/12/97) ....closed out the season by throwing for 253 yards and a pair of TDs in Super Bowl XXXI vs. Green Bay (1/26/97).
1995:
For the second straight season, attempted (636) and completed (323) more passes for more yards (3,507) than any other quarterback in Patriots history; did so in just 15 games...unlike his record-setting 1994 season (when the Patriots relied on Bledsoe's passing far more than the running game) the Pats had a far more productive running game that resulted in the franchise's all-time single-season rushing leader - Curtis Martin, 1,487 yards...had a streak of 23 consecutive starts snapped when he missed a game at Atl. (10/1) while recovering from a separated left (non-throwing) shoulder injury, suffered in the third week of the season at SF (9/17)...for the second consecutive year, attempted more passes than any other NFL quarterback and ranked second in the AFC in pass completions...established another franchise record during a seven-game stretch (10/15 to 11/26) at midseason when he attempted 179 consecutive passes without an interception, breaking the record of 178 (Tony Eason, 1986)...his record-breaking streak ended with his next pass (180th attempt), which was intercepted by Buffalo's Bryce Paup (11/26) on the Bills goal line...opened the season vs. Cle. (9/3) and helped guide the Patriots to a come-from-behind 17-14 victory; trailing 14-9 with just 4:29 remaining in the game, led a 14-play, 85-yard drive which was capped by Martin's game-winning TD run with just :19 remaining; it was Bledsoe's sixth come-from-behind victory of his career and the second over the Browns…attempted 51 passes in back-to-back losses vs. Mia. (9/10) and at SF (9/17) - his sixth and seventh 50-attempt games of his career...received a devastating hit from LB Ken Norton late in the first quarter at SF and was forced to leave the game with a separated left shoulder; re-entered the game early in the second quarter and played through the pain after missing just one offensive series and played the remainder of the game…missed the following game at Atl. (10/1) following the Patriots bye week while still recovering from the injury…returned to the starting lineup and attempted 56 passes the following week vs. Den. (10/8), but could not generate an offensive TD despite penetrating the red zone on four occasions...threw his first TD pass of the season at KC (10/15) when he connected with Vincent Brisby for a 22-yard score in the third quarter...Pats hosted first Monday Night Football game in 14 years and scored an impressive 27-14 victory over the Bills (10/23)…threw for 3 TDs in a 35-25 victory at Buf. (11/26), completing the first series sweep of the Bills since 1987...sustained a contusion to his right shoulder in the first quarter at Pit. (12/16) on a hit by Greg Lloyd yet finished the game with a season-high performance completing 39 of 60 passes for 336 yards and 3 TDs.
1994:
Had more attempts (691) and completions (400) for more yards (4,555) than any other quarterback in 1994... his 691 attempts set an NFL record…earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and became the youngest quarterback (22 years old) to play in the Pro Bowl in the history of the game...finished fourth in the league with 25 TD passes, trailing only Steve Young (35), Brett Favre (33) and Dan Marino (30)...guided the top-rated passing offense in the NFL, averaging 277.8 yards per game...also selected the NFL's Miller Lite Player of the Week - as selected by a national media panel - and AFC Player of the Week by the NFL for his performances vs. GB on 10/2 (53-29-334-2 TD-1 INT) and Min. on 11/13 (70-45-426-3TD-0 INT)...completed over 50 passes to five different targets - Ben Coates (96), Michael Timpson (74), Leroy Thompson (65), Vincent Brisby (58), and Kevin Turner (52) - for the first time in NFL history...set three NFL passing records - most attempts in a season (691), most attempts in a game (70) and most completions in a game (45)...came within 4 pass completions of establishing a fourth NFL record - his 400 completions ranked second only to Warren Moon who completed 404 passes for Houston in 1991...set eight franchise passing records - most attempts in a season (691), most attempts in a game (70), most completions in a season (400), most completions in a game (45), most passing yardage in a season (4,555), most passing yardage in a game (426), most consecutive 300-yard games (4) and most 300-yard games in one season (6)…started every game becoming the first Patriots quarterback to do so since Steve Grogan in 1975...among NFL quarterbacks, only Dan Marino, who threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, had a more spectacular sophomore season...opened the season at Mia. (9/4) and set a Patriots passing record by throwing for 421 yards (which he broke nine games later) in just his 13th NFL start; completed 32 of 51 passes while throwing 4 TDs…passed for over 300 yards in five of his first six games of the season...trailing 16-14 with 1:14 remaining in the game vs. GB (10/2), directed the Patriots on an 11-play, 45-yard drive which set up the game-winning field goal by Matt Bahr (33 yards) with just :04 remaining...threw for 242, 125 and 166 yards in three consecutive losses before exploding for a franchise record by completing 45 of 70 passes for 421 yards and 3 TDs vs. Min. (11/13); trailing 20-0 with :58 left in the first half, completed 4 consecutive passes to lead the Patriots on a seven-play, 48-yard drive and a 38-yard field goal as time expired; in the second half, turned in a legendary performance by completing 37 of 53 attempts (.698) for 354 yards and 3 TDs, without an INT, sack or penalty called against him; connected with Ray Crittenden on a 31-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half; pulled to within three (20-17) with a 5-yard TD pass to Leroy Thompson with 2:27 remaining in regulation; with just 1:51 left, converted a 4th-and-10 with a 25-yard completion to Brisby; completed his next 4 attempts to take the Patriots to the 5-yard line, where Bahr kicked the game-tying field goal with just :14 remaining to send the game into overtime; completed his first 5 passes in OT and won the game (26-20) with a 14-yard TD strike to Kevin Turner; the 26 unanswered points in that 26-20 OT victory ignited a seven-game win streak to close the season...trailing 10-9 at Ind. (11/27) with 3:13 remaining in the game, directed his third fourth-quarter comeback of the season with a 12-play, 55-yard drive to position Bahr for his second game-winning field goal (42 yards) of the season…attempted 50 passes for the sixth time of the season in the Patriots 20-13 Wild Card playoff loss at Cle. (1/1/95).
1993:
Played in 13 games and started 12 as a rookie…led an offense that improved from its 27th ranking in '92 to 12th in '93; led a passing attack that jumped 14 places in the NFL rankings, from 26th to 12th…opened his rookie season as the starting QB until a midseason injury sidelined him for three games...at the age of 21, became the youngest player in franchise history and just the second Patriots rookie quarterback to start in his NFL debut (Jim Plunkett, 1971)...re-wrote the Patriots rookie passing records by finishing the season with 214 completions on 429 attempts for 2,494 yards and 15 TDs...his 2,494 yards ranked fourth all-time on the NFL's rookie quarterback list and were 10th all-time among the Patriots career passing leaders…saved his best game for the season finale, throwing for a season-high 329 yards, completing 27 of 43 passes, including 4 TDs in a 33-27 overtime victory vs. Mia. (1/2/94); teamed with Timpson on the 36-yard TD pass that won the game in overtime...was inactive for three games (vs. Hou. 10/17, at Sea. 10/24 and at Ind. 10/31) after injuring his left knee just before halftime of the 23-21 victory at Phx. (10/10).
COLLEGE:
Despite only starting 28 games during his collegiate career (1990-92), left Washington State ranked second on the all-time passing list with 7,373 yards, topped only by Jack Thompson's 7,818 yards (44 games)...upon his departure, his 46 touchdowns and 532 completions ranked second on WSU's career passing list, behind Thompson's 53 scores and 601 completions…named All-Pac-10 and was ninth in the nation in total offense as a junior in 1992, averaging 247.0 yards per game...started every game as a junior, completing 211 of 386 passes for 2,770 yards and 18 touchdowns…hit on 37 of 66 passes for a school-record 413 yards against Montana...selected Pac-10 Player of the Week after connecting on 18 of 30 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown in blizzard-like conditions against Washington...broke his own school-record by throwing for 476 yards (30 of 46) and tied another record with an 87-yard pass, as the Cougars rolled up 636 total yards in a Copper Bowl victory over Utah…earned All-Pac-10 conference second-team honors as a sophomore in 1991 after completing 199 of 358 passes (.556) for 2,741 yards...his 2,647 yards in total offense ranked fourth-best in school history…won the starting quarterback position in 1990 to become the first true freshman to start at the position for Washington State in over 30 years.
Unfortunately in this day and age in the NFL it is a what have you done for me today attitude, one that Drew knows all to well. After literally carrying a Patriots team on his back for 9 seasons he was stonewalled by the most ignorant organization in the NFL, in 2001 the man not only received a career ending type injury, but a fatal one at that, as his lung collapsed in the fourth quarter vs. the Jets as he was running for a first down and hit by Mo Lewis. Drew instead of heading off to the locker room was fighting to get back on the field! When he returned from his injury he was demoted to second string, instead of causing trouble like anyone else in the league would have Drew kept his mouth shut and coached Brady into the playoffs where he was hurt in the AFC championship game as New England trialed guess who came in to save the day and lead the Pats to the Super Bowl. A win that is never acknowledged. The whole time Bledsoe was injured and the Pats were winning he was told by good old honest genius (yea right look at what he did in Cleveland) Bill that it was his team and he would remain the starter upon return. Got to love the honestly in the Pats organization, talk to Milloy, or Ty Law I am sure they will be able to fill you in. So exit Drew Bledsoe stage left to Buffalo.....
There are 11 men on offense who must be in perfect synchronization in order to make the offense effective, when things go wrong most of the blame is placed on the QB and through these rough years Drew has taken an awful lot of heat for not only his mistakes, but the mistakes of the entire team / coaching staff. Then in came the new coaching staff and just as things have seem to turn around with a 9-7 record, finishing 9-3 after a 0-4 start under a rookie head coach in my book is nothing short of amazing. The Bills organization has decided that it is time to take 2 steps backwards just as things have begun to start clicking. In my opinion this is a HUGE mistake. You have an unproven rookie (basically) that you are going to hand the starting job to in February, 8 months before the season even begins. After a 9-7 season! If they at least would have kept the role open for a challenge in camp that would have made Mr. Hollywood Losman work his tail off to get the job, instead he can sit back and relax this off season know that he will be the man in Buffalo for the next however man years.
With this decision Bledsoe has been stonewalled yet again. Well I can tell you all only one thing, watch out for the Dallas Cowboys. Mr. Parcelles will be doing everything in his power to have his star QB back on his team, and Drew will once again prove to the world that he is still one of the best in the league.
So it is with great sadness that I must bid you farewell Drew Bledsoe. I have enjoyed watching you through thick and thin for the last 3 years, I will place you #11 jersey in a safe place and cherish the memories forever. Good luck in the future, although I know you will not need luck with an arm like yours!
Here are some of the highlights of Drew's career:
PRO:
Came to the Bills in a trade with New England on the second day of the 2002 NFL Draft (4/21/02); the Patriots received Buffalo's first-round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft…Bledsoe had spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Patriots, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 1993 Draft.
2004:
Completed 17-of-26 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown for a passer rating of 93.9 vs. Jax. (9/12/04)…his touchdown pass came late in the first quarter on a 17-yard strike to wide-open WR Eric Moulds…in the game, Bledsoe surpassed Dan Fouts for 7th on the NFL's all-time attempts list…finished with 198 yards with one TD and one INT on 13-of-24 passing at Oak. (9/19)...connected with WR Eric Moulds late in the fourth quarter for a five yard TD; his second straight game with a TD pass to Moulds…the TD pass, his 203rd of his career, tied him with Jim Everett for 23rd on the NFL's all-time touchdown list…the TD pass was setup by a 65-yard pass to rookie WR Lee Evans…totaled more than 200 yards passing for the first time in the season vs. NE (10/3) in a 18-of-30 for 247 yards, one TD and one INT performance…connected with Moulds for the third straight week on a 41-yard pass at the end of the first half to bring the score to a 17-17 tie at halftime vs. NE…the touchdown also put Bledsoe alone at 23rd on the NFL's all-time career touchdown list…opened up the game with a 55-yard pass to Lee Evans on the Bills first play from scrimmage that set up a Rian Lindell field goal…the hookup with Evans moved Bledsoe into 4th all-time on the Bills all-time passing yardage list, passing Doug Flutie's 7,817 yards…completed 16-of-29 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns and one INT at NYJ (10/10)…was 6-of-8 for 97 yards on the Bills two touchdown drives: the first drive a eight play, 69 yard drive that was capped off by a 16-yard TD pass to TE Mark Campbell, and the second drive, a two play, 62 yard drive culminating with a 46-yard touchdown throw to rookie WR Lee Evans…Evans becomes the 37th different TD target for Bledsoe in his career…he also ran one time for five yards at NYJ…threw for 212 yards on 15-of-28 passing and one TD for a passer rating of 90.2 vs. Mia. (10/17)…his TD pass was his 207th of his career, which tied him for 22nd on the NFL's all-time TD list with Randall Cunningham…was 2-of-3 for 35 yards on the Bills TD drive that was capped by his 5-yard toss to TE Mark Campbell (his second straight game with a TD pass to Campbell)…at Bal. (10/24), Bledsoe passed Boomer Esiason for 11th on the NFL's all-time passing yards list with 38,086 yards through 162 career games…he finished the game with 203 yards passing on 20-of-37 passing and four interceptions…was 5-of-6 for 81 yards on the Bills two scoring drives…compiled a 100.4 passer rating vs. AZ (10/31), marking only the second time in his career with a 100-plus rating without attempting 20 passes in a game…finished with 81 yards on 8-of-17 passing with two touchdowns…Bledsoe has played the Cardinals twice on Halloween, leading his team to victory both times and accumulating 100-plus passer ratings in both contests…was sacked zero times for the first time since 9/14/03…moved up in the NFL's record books in three categories: passed Dave Krieg for 11th on the NFL's all-time passing yards list, passed Dan Fouts for eighth on the League's all-time completions list and tied Jim Hart for 21st on the passing touchdowns list (passed Randall Cunningham with his first TD pass)…enjoyed second straight game with no interceptions or sacks vs. NYJ (11/7), marking only the 17th time in his career with zeros in both columns…also the first time as a Bill he has avoided sacks in consecutive games…finished the day with 184 yards on 18-of-30 passing with one TD for a QB rating of 88.8…Bledsoe's TD pass put him alone at 21st all-time, breaking a tie with Jim Hart…was 8-of-19 passing for 76 yards with three interceptions at NE (11/14)…also rushed one time for eight yards…vs. StL. (11/21), Bledsoe completed 15-of-24 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns and one INT for a passer rating of 108.5…all three of his TD passes were to TE Mark Campbell, making Campbell the second player to catch three touchdowns in a single game from Bledsoe (the other: Ben Coates, NE), and it also made Campbell the 8th player Bledsoe has thrown six-plus TD passes to in his career…his three TD passes were his most since 12/1/02…with the three TD tosses, Bledsoe moved up to 19th all-time on the NFL's career TD list, passing Terry Bradshaw and Y.A. Tittle and also moved into a tie for 4th on the Bills all-time TD list with Doug Flutie…Bledsoe was 6-of-7 for 80 yards on the team's three touchdown drives…in his first career start in his home state (Washington), Bledsoe threw for 275 yards on 25-of-37 passing with one TD and three interceptions at Sea. (11/28)…he was 20-of-28 on the Bills five scoring drives…four of his 25 completions were for 20-plus yards…moved into 18th on the NFL's all-time career TD list, passing John Brodie, and broke a tie with Doug Flutie for 4th on the Bills TD passes list…matched a career high with four touchdown passes at Mia. (12/5) on 19-of-30 passing for 277 yards and a passer rating of 132.9…completed 9-of-12 passes for 198 yards on the team's four scoring drives…vs. Cle. (12/12), Bledsoe passed for 100 yards on 12-of-27 passing with a touchdown and an interception…with the Bills victory over the Browns, Bledsoe returns to having a .500 record for his career (84-84)…led the Bills to its fifth straight victory at Cin. (12/19), marking his longest personal win streak since the 1996-97 seasons with New England…finished the day 15-of-30 passing for 183 yards and one TD…hooked up with Lee Evans on a flea-flicker in the first quarter for 60 yards…Evans became the first receiver to catch four passes of 50-plus yards from Bledsoe in one season…his 13th completion against the Bengals boosted Bledsoe ahead of Joe Montana on the NFL's all-time completions list (7th)…also rushed two times for 13 yards at Cin….completed 21-of-32 passes for 172 yards and one TD at SF (12/26)…was 10-of-12 for 106 yards the three TD drives he led the Bills on…also rushed two times for nine yards…winning six straight games is Bledsoe's second longest personal winning streak…vs. Pit. (1/2/05), Bledsoe became only the seventh quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 10,000 yards with two different teams…he finished with 189 yards on 16-of-30 passing and one INT…went 4-of-6 for 97 yards on Buffalo's two touchdown drives…finished the 2004 season with 20-plus touchdown passes for the second time since 1999.
2003:
In his second season with the Bills, Bledsoe again started all 16 games and completed 274 of 471 passes (58.2%) for 2,860 yards with 11 TDs and 12 INT…after just 32 games with the Bills he climbed to fourth on the franchise's all-time lists in attempts (1,081), completions (649) and is fifth in passing yardage (7,219) and passing touchdowns (35, tied with Dennis Shaw)… opened the season vs. NE (9/7) and was 17-28 passing for 230 yards with a TD and an INT en route to his first win against his former team…the next week at Jax (9/14) he was again very impressive with 314 yards on 19-25 passing with 2 TDs and no INTs for a near-perfect QB rating of 144.2…endured a difficult outing in week 3 at Mia. (9/21); for just the fourth time in 19 career games with the Bills he failed to throw a TD pass and he finished the game 10-25 passing for 98 yards with two interceptions…came back the next week vs. Phi. (9/28) to complete 27 of 43 passes for 296 yards with both a TD pass and run and no INTs; the scoring run was the fifth of his career and third as a Bill…in week 5 vs. Cin. (10/5), he led his 22nd career 4th quarter comeback and finished with 211 yards on 19-35 passing with a TD and no INTs…his third quarter INT at NYJ (10/12) snapped a stretch of 130 attempts without one and was the 12th 100+ streak of his career… in week 7 vs. Wash. (10/19), he completed 19 of 26 passes for 244 yards with a TD and an INT; he enjoyed a 73.1% completion rate marking his 15th career game above 70% and his second of 2003 (5 of the 15 have been with Buffalo)… at NYG (11/30), he completed 19 of 29 passes for 252 yards and a pair of TDs in less than three quarters of action; on Buffalo's three straight scoring drives in the second and third quarters, he was 13-17 for 179 yards with 2 TD throws; six of his 19 completions covered 20+ yards and he finished with a passer rating of 115.9 for his 30th career game with a 100+ rating…his two TD passes at Ten. (12/14) gave him 201 in his career and 35 as a Bill.
2002:
Enjoyed a phenomenal first season with the Bills…started all 16 games at QB and set 10 franchise records including single-season marks for yards (4,359), attempts (610) and completions (375) as well as 300-yard games (7)…earned his fourth career Pro Bowl selection and his first since 1997; also went to the Pro Bowl following the 1994, '96 and '97 seasons with New England and became the third quarterback in Bills history to earn a Pro Bowl selection, joining Jim Kelly (5) and Doug Flutie (1)…ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (4,359) and attempts (610) behind only Rich Gannon (4,689 & 618) and his 375 completions trailed only Gannon (418) and Peyton Manning (392)…only Gannon (10) had more 300-yard passing games…threw 24 TD passes, the most by a Bills QB since Jim Kelly had a club-record 33 in 1991…with two rushing touchdowns in '02, matched his career total heading into the season and became the first Bills QB with two in a season since Jim Kelly in 1996…topped 400 passing yards in 2 of his first 5 games with the Bills (there were only two in franchise history before '02)…in game 2 at Min. (9/15) he went over 30,000 career passing yards and reached the plateau in his 126th career game, tying Brett Favre as the third fastest in NFL history to reach 30,000 (Dan Marino did it in 114 & Warren Moon in 125)…ended the Vikings and Bears OT games with TD passes; they were his 3rd and 4th career OT touchdown passes and gave him more than any other QB in NFL history…was selected as AFC Offensive Player of the Week after the Vikings game for the 7th time in his career and was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month in September, his second career Player of the Month selection…opened the season with a memorable outing vs. NYJ (9/8) that saw him bring the Bills back to tie the game at 31 on a 29-yard TD strike to Eric Moulds on 4th-and-9 with 0:34 remaining before falling in OT; set the tone for the offense with a huge block on DT Jason Ferguson on a reverse…enjoyed a record day and engineered game-winning OT TD drive at Min. (9/15), ending the game with a 48-yard score to Peerless Price; it marked his 3rd career TD pass in OT tying Terry Bradshaw for the NFL record; also recorded 20th 4th quarter comeback of career; was 3-3 for 29 yards on drive which led to 54-yard FG as regulation ended; set career-high and Bills single-game record with 463 passing yards (old personal record: 426 yards, 11/13/94; old Bills record: 419 yards, Joe Ferguson, 10/9/83); also set Bills single-game record with 49 attempts without an interception (old record: 46 by Joe Ferguson, 9/23/84 and Jim Kelly, 11/7/93); became 24th player in NFL to reach 30,000 career passing yards and became 4th fastest QB (in terms of games) to reach 30,000 yards…led the Bills to their second victory of '02 vs. Chi. (9/29) ending it with the game-winning 26-yard pass to Travis Henry in overtime; set a new NFL record with his 4th career TD pass in overtime (Terry Bradshaw - 3); it was the 10th four touchdown game of his career (Last - 10/1/00 at Denver) and was the first by a Bills QB since Jim Kelly had four, 12/10/95 at St. L….the next week vs. Oak. (10/6) he set new club record for attempts without an INT at 175 before throwing one on his 27th attempt; it marked the 2nd longest streak of his career (179 attempts, 10/23/95 - 11/26/95) and the 10th streak of 100+ attempts without an interception in his career…at Hou. (10/13) the Bills trailed 24-17 entering the 4th quarter but Bills offense went on two TD drives to grab their third win of the year; was Bledsoe's 21st "comeback" game of career and the 2nd of the season…in his first outing against his former team vs. NE (11/3) he threw for 300+ yards for the 5th time of season (31st of career) and extended streak of starts with a touchdown to 9 games (longest streak of any Bills QB to start his career)…topped 3,000 yard mark for the season at KC (11/17); it marked the 2nd time with 3,000+ yards in first 10 games (also in 1994); threw a 7-yard strike to Moulds to extend streak of starts with a TD to 10 games (longest streak of any Bills QB to start his career); had TD streak broken the next week at NYJ (11/24)…recorded 1st rushing touchdown as a Bill (3rd of career) on 2-yard plunge vs. Mia. (12/1) and also had two touchdown passes of 50+ yards (73 yards to Price, 57 yards to Moulds)…posted 7th 300-yd game of 2002 and 33rd of career in loss at NE (12/8) and set a club record for 300-yard games in a season (old: Jim Kelly, 6 in 1991); it marked the 10th time in club history a QB had two consecutive 300-yard games (3rd by Bledsoe in '02)…with first completion vs. SD (12/15) established new club record for single-season passing yards (old record: 3,844 - Jim Kelly, 1991)…surpassed the 4,000 yard passing mark for the season in loss at GB (12/22), marking the 3rd 4,000-yd season of career; 10-0 loss to the Packers marked just the 2nd time in career that his team has been shut out (other: 6-0 loss, 11/28/93 vs. NYJ)…collected 2nd rushing TD of season (4th of career) on a 7-yard carry in season finale vs. Cin (12/29).
2001:
Started first two games of the year at QB, extending his consecutive starts streak to 34 before suffering a chest injury in the fourth quarter of game 2 vs. NYJ (9/23) on a hit by Mo Lewis…was inactive and did not dress for the next four contests, starting with game 3 vs. Ind. (9/30)…was the third QB/inactive for games 7-9…was the #2 quarterback but did not play in the final seven games of the regular season and also for the opening playoff game vs. Oak.…returned to action in AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh (1/27) when he replaced an injured Tom Brady (ankle) with 1:40 to go in the second quarter with Patriots driving at the Steelers 40-yard line; completed three straight passes to WR David Patten including an 11-yard TD; played the entire second half to lead the Patriots to the AFC Championship victory…was the #2 QB but did not play in Super Bowl XXXVI win vs. St. Louis (2/3)…
2000:
Started every game despite playing with a jammed thumb, an injury he suffered at midseason…became the Patriots all-time leading passer in the second quarter at Den. (10/1) on a 26-yard pass to Kevin Faulk; moved ahead of Steve Grogan (26,886)…reached the 3,000-yard passing plateau for a team-record seventh time vs. Mia. (12/24)…became fourth quarterback in NFL history to have seven consecutive 3,000-yard seasons, joining Dan Marino (9), Brett Favre (9) and John Elway (7)…set a career-high and finished third on the team with 158 rushing yards…rushed for a career-high 30 yards on 8 carries vs. TB (9/3)...tied a franchise record at Ind. (10/22) when he directed an 18-play scoring drive to open the game (18-89; 8:43), which culminated in a 19-yard TD pass to J.R. Redmond; left the game in the second quarter with a thumb injury to his right hand…vs. Cin. (11/19), led his 18th career game-winning drive as he moved the offense 81 yards on 12 plays in 3:05 to set up game-winning 22-yard field goal; completed 4 of 7 passes for 65 yards on game-winning drive…completed a season-high 33 passes on 48 attempts for 282 yards and a pair of TDs vs. KC (12/4) in a 30-24 victory over the Chiefs on Monday Night Football…at Buf. (12/17), led the Patriots on two scoring drives late in the game to secure an overtime victory over the Bills amidst the worst game conditions of his eight-year career; in OT, led the team on an 83-yard, 14-play drive, giving setting up game-winning 24-yard field goal with just :19 left in OT….passed for a season-high 312 yards vs. Mia. (12/24) after completing 18 of 34 attempts, including 2 TDs and 2 interceptions; it was his first 300-yard game of the season and his fifth 300-yard game against Miami, the most against any team.
1999:
Started every game at QB for the Patriots…other than a pass attempt by WR Troy Brown in the season finale, attempted every pass for the team...tossed 19 TDs, including a season-long 68-yarder to Shawn Jefferson...his 539 attempts ranked third in the league (first in the AFC), while his 305 completions ranked sixth overall (second in the AFC); yardage total also ranked sixth in the league (second in the AFC)…fell just 15 yards shy of eclipsing the 4,000-yard plateau for the third time of his NFL career…in his first four seasons, he completed just 4 passes of 50 yards or more - in his next three, completed 20 passes of 50 yards or more...opened the season at NYJ (9/12) by completing his first 6 attempts and finished the game completing 21 of 30 attempts for 340 yards and a TD; orchestrated a 10-play, 44-yard drive to set up the game winning 23-yard field goal in a 30-28 come-from-behind victory; it was the 14th come-from-behind victory of Bledsoe's career…earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors vs. Ind. (9/19) after leading the Patriots back from a 21-point, third quarter deficit to a 31-28 victory by scoring 24 unanswered points; was the 15th come-from-behind victory of his career and the second in as many weeks; led Pats on three fourth quarter scoring drives - 2 TD passes to Ben Coates and a game-winning 26-yard field goal; 4 TD passes tied a career high, which he had done on six prior occasions; passer rating eclipsed 100 (109.4) for the second consecutive week, the 18th time of his career…completed 20 of 28 passes (.714) for 233 yards vs. NYG (9/26) to guide the Patriots to their third consecutive victory of three points or fewer; led the Patriots on three straight second half scoring drives…passed for 393 yards and 1 TD in a 19-7 victory at Cle. (10/3) to help the Patriots to a 4-0 start; finished with a passer rating of 104.1 - the third time in four games that he eclipsed a rating of 100.0; did not throw an INT in his third consecutive game (120 attempts)...completed 23 of 45 passes for 334 yards at KC (10/10); was his third 300-yard game of the season and the 23rd of his career; had a streak of 129 pass attempts without an INT snapped in the second quarter against Chiefs, when his 10th pass attempt of the game was picked off by Donnie Edwards ending the second longest streak of his career…with his 22nd pass attempt of the game vs. Mia. (10/17), moved ahead of Steve Grogan (3,593) as the franchise's leader for career pass attempts; gave him the franchise records for attempts and completions in just his seventh season…led Patriots to a 24-23 victory over the Broncos vs. Den. (10/24) - their first win in the series since 1980…recorded a career-high 146.8 passer rating at AZ (10/31) after completing 14 of 22 passes for 276 yards and 4 TDs, without an interception; it was the eighth 4-TD game of his career, the second of '99; his passer rating of 146.8 was the his fourth 100.0-plus performance of the season, the 20th of his career...vs. NYJ (11/15) led the Patriots on two fourth quarter scoring drives with TD passes to Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown…completed his longest pass of the season at Mia. (11/21), a 68-yard TD to Jefferson in the third quarter.
1998:
Extended his consecutive game starting streak to 58 games, including three starts with a compound fracture to his right index finger, before missing the last two games of the regular season and playoffs...displayed tremendous resiliency and fortitude leading the Patriots to three consecutive victories over Miami, Buffalo and Pittsburgh late in the season to propel the Patriots to their third consecutive playoff appearance - a franchise record - all despite playing with a fractured right index finger…injured the finger in the fourth quarter vs. Mia. (11/23) but still led the team on a 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by a 25-yard TD pass to Shawn Jefferson with just 0:29 remaining in the game to give the Patriots a 26-23 victory; finished the game with a (non-OT) career-high of 423 yards after completing 28 of 54 passes with two TDs in the game; it earned him the NFL's Miller Lite Player of the Week and AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors; it was the fourth 400-yard game of his career...after missing an entire week of practice, he started the following week vs. Buf. (11/29) and completed his second consecutive come-from-behind, game-winning TD, this time with a 1-yard pass to Ben Coates with no time on the clock; it marked the first time in NFL history that a quarterback led his team to consecutive come-from-behind victories and game-winning TDs in the final 30 seconds of each game; finished the game with 246 yards and 3 TDs (28 of 43 passing) and became the first player since the award's inception to earn back-to-back NFL Miller Lite Player of the Week honors...followed up with a 327-yard effort (on 21 of 34 attempts) in a 23-9 victory at Pit. (12/6), highlighted by a career-long 86-yard TD pass to Terry Glenn...in addition to the Miami and Buffalo wins, also orchestrated fourth quarter comebacks vs. Ten. (9/20) and at N.O. (10/4), giving him 14 fourth quarter come-from-behind wins for his career; trailing 16-13 in the fourth quarter, completed 3 of 4 passes for 65 yards and a TD vs. Titans to secure a 27-16 win; against Saints, with the score knotted at 27, he completed 6 of 8 attempts for 79 yards to set up game-winning field goal in a 30-27 victory...in his final game of the season at StL. (12/13), moved ahead of Steve Grogan (1,879 career completions) as the franchise's all-time completion leader with a 4-yard pass to Lovett Purnell...despite missing two games and starting three others with a broken finger, still finished among the AFC's leading passers with 481 attempts (4th), 263 completions (4th), 3,633 yards (2nd) and 20 TDs (5th tie)...14 interceptions in 1998 were a career low...connected on 7 passes of 50 yards or more for the second consecutive season.
1997:
Started every game, extending his consecutive-games started streak to 44 games…earned his third trip to the Pro Bowl and eclipsed the 3,500-yard passing plateau for the fourth consecutive season…was once again among the league leaders in most passing categories…completed 314 (2nd in the NFL) of 522 passes (3rd) for 3,706 yards (4th) and 28 TDs (3rd)…his +13 TD-to-interception differential ranked third in the league and his 87.7 quarterback rating set a single-season career high and ranked third in the AFC…led the Patriots to their second consecutive division title - a franchise first - and guided them to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons…entering the season, had completed 4 passes of 50 yards or more but completed 7 passes of 50 yards or more in '97, including three to Troy Brown…led the league in third down completion percentage (.600) completing 102 of 170 attempts…recorded 10 of his 28 TDs on third downs, which also led the league…opened the season with a near flawless performance, completing 26 of 39 passes (.667) for 340 yards and 4 TDs vs. SD (8/31); recorded a quarterback rating of 128.2 - which was the third highest single-game rating of his career…next week at Ind. (9/7), completed 15 of 25 passes for 267 yards and 4 TDs and finished with a 136.2 quarterback rating - at that point, the highest rating of his career; became the first player in NFL history to throw at least 4 TD passes in each of the first two weeks of the season; 8 TD passes in two games marked highest two-game total of his career; 8 TD passes were spread to eight different receivers…not until third week of the season vs. NYJ (9/14) did he throw his first interception…at NYJ (10/19), completed passes for 294 yards, including a season-long 67-yard completion to Troy Brown; added a pair of TD passes to give him 17 through the first seven games, which surpassed his season totals in 1993 (15) and 1995 (13)…did not throw an interception in a victory at Buf. (11/9) and extended his consecutive games with a TD streak to 11 games; posted his third game of the year with a quarterback rating over 100.0…after a tough game at TB (11/16) rebounded to guide the Patriots to victories in four of their next five games and claim back-to-back division titles for the first time in franchise history…had a streak of 120 consecutive attempts without an interception snapped vs. Pit (12/13); set a single-season career best with his 28th TD pass of the year when he hit with David Meggett for a 49-yard score…a 14-12 victory at Mia. (12/22) in the season finale set up a Wild Card rematch in Foxboro; completed 18 of 26 passes (.692); did not complete a TD pass for just the third time all season, but two short TD runs were enough to secure the win; the season-ending victory propelled the Patriots into the playoffs for the third time in four years and earned the Patriots their second consecutive division title and a rematch with the Dolphins in the first round of the playoffs (12/28)…in playoff game, Bledsoe hit Brown with a 24-yard TD, his first against Dolphins in '97; passing totals were 16 of 32 for 139 yards, but his TD pass to Brown proved to be enough in a 17-3 game …in divisional playoff game at Pit. (1/3/98), passed for 264 yards - a postseason career-high - while completing 23 of 44 attempts (.523), but was intercepted twice and fumbled due to a blindside hit on the team's final possession.
1996:
Started all 19 games for the Patriots, including playoffs, the most single-season starts by a QB in franchise history...for the second time in three seasons, eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing plateau and earned a return trip to the Pro Bowl...led the league in pass attempts (623) for the third consecutive season and in completions (373) for the second time in three years....after an 0-2 start, guided the team to victories in 11 of the next 14 games to claim the AFC East title...Patriots then defeated Pittsburgh and Jacksonville to claim the AFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl XXXI...opened the season at Mia. (9/1); Pats were without WRs Terry Glenn and Vincent Brisby and lost Shawn Jefferson during the game with a concussion; suffered a 24-10 season-opening loss to the Dolphins…in the home opener, led team to a 31-0 blanking of AZ (9/15); completed 21 of 35 attempts (.600) for 221 yards and 3 TDs without an interception, but it was his pickup of a first down on 4th-and-1 when he jumped over a defender for a 1-yard gain that will be most remembered…completed his first 8 pass attempts vs. Jax (9/22) the following week and led the Pats on a 49-yard drive to set up the game-winning kick in an OT victory…the next week at Bal. (10/6) threw for a season-high and single-game career-tying 4 TD passes in a 46-38 win; completed 25 of 39 attempts (.641) for 310 yards...vs. Mia. (11/3) completed 30 of 41 attempts (.732) for a season-high 419 yards; his 419-yard passing performance was the second-highest single-game passing total in franchise history (426 vs. Min. on 11/13/94)…at NYJ (11/10) finished with 297 yards (24-of-34) and 3 TDs in a dramatic 31-27 come-from-behind victory...rebounded from tough outing vs. Dal. the next week with his fourth 300-yard game of the season and the 13th of his career at NYG (12/21); finished game with 301 yards and a pair of TDs, including the game-winning TD pass to Coates with just 1:32 remaining in the game; eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing plateau for the second time in three seasons to become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to post multiple 4,000-yard passing seasons…completed 14 of 24 attempts for 164 yards and a TD in a 28-3 victory vs. Pit. (1/5/97)...connected on 20 of 33 attempts for 172 yards in the AFC Championship Game victory over Jax (1/12/97) ....closed out the season by throwing for 253 yards and a pair of TDs in Super Bowl XXXI vs. Green Bay (1/26/97).
1995:
For the second straight season, attempted (636) and completed (323) more passes for more yards (3,507) than any other quarterback in Patriots history; did so in just 15 games...unlike his record-setting 1994 season (when the Patriots relied on Bledsoe's passing far more than the running game) the Pats had a far more productive running game that resulted in the franchise's all-time single-season rushing leader - Curtis Martin, 1,487 yards...had a streak of 23 consecutive starts snapped when he missed a game at Atl. (10/1) while recovering from a separated left (non-throwing) shoulder injury, suffered in the third week of the season at SF (9/17)...for the second consecutive year, attempted more passes than any other NFL quarterback and ranked second in the AFC in pass completions...established another franchise record during a seven-game stretch (10/15 to 11/26) at midseason when he attempted 179 consecutive passes without an interception, breaking the record of 178 (Tony Eason, 1986)...his record-breaking streak ended with his next pass (180th attempt), which was intercepted by Buffalo's Bryce Paup (11/26) on the Bills goal line...opened the season vs. Cle. (9/3) and helped guide the Patriots to a come-from-behind 17-14 victory; trailing 14-9 with just 4:29 remaining in the game, led a 14-play, 85-yard drive which was capped by Martin's game-winning TD run with just :19 remaining; it was Bledsoe's sixth come-from-behind victory of his career and the second over the Browns…attempted 51 passes in back-to-back losses vs. Mia. (9/10) and at SF (9/17) - his sixth and seventh 50-attempt games of his career...received a devastating hit from LB Ken Norton late in the first quarter at SF and was forced to leave the game with a separated left shoulder; re-entered the game early in the second quarter and played through the pain after missing just one offensive series and played the remainder of the game…missed the following game at Atl. (10/1) following the Patriots bye week while still recovering from the injury…returned to the starting lineup and attempted 56 passes the following week vs. Den. (10/8), but could not generate an offensive TD despite penetrating the red zone on four occasions...threw his first TD pass of the season at KC (10/15) when he connected with Vincent Brisby for a 22-yard score in the third quarter...Pats hosted first Monday Night Football game in 14 years and scored an impressive 27-14 victory over the Bills (10/23)…threw for 3 TDs in a 35-25 victory at Buf. (11/26), completing the first series sweep of the Bills since 1987...sustained a contusion to his right shoulder in the first quarter at Pit. (12/16) on a hit by Greg Lloyd yet finished the game with a season-high performance completing 39 of 60 passes for 336 yards and 3 TDs.
1994:
Had more attempts (691) and completions (400) for more yards (4,555) than any other quarterback in 1994... his 691 attempts set an NFL record…earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and became the youngest quarterback (22 years old) to play in the Pro Bowl in the history of the game...finished fourth in the league with 25 TD passes, trailing only Steve Young (35), Brett Favre (33) and Dan Marino (30)...guided the top-rated passing offense in the NFL, averaging 277.8 yards per game...also selected the NFL's Miller Lite Player of the Week - as selected by a national media panel - and AFC Player of the Week by the NFL for his performances vs. GB on 10/2 (53-29-334-2 TD-1 INT) and Min. on 11/13 (70-45-426-3TD-0 INT)...completed over 50 passes to five different targets - Ben Coates (96), Michael Timpson (74), Leroy Thompson (65), Vincent Brisby (58), and Kevin Turner (52) - for the first time in NFL history...set three NFL passing records - most attempts in a season (691), most attempts in a game (70) and most completions in a game (45)...came within 4 pass completions of establishing a fourth NFL record - his 400 completions ranked second only to Warren Moon who completed 404 passes for Houston in 1991...set eight franchise passing records - most attempts in a season (691), most attempts in a game (70), most completions in a season (400), most completions in a game (45), most passing yardage in a season (4,555), most passing yardage in a game (426), most consecutive 300-yard games (4) and most 300-yard games in one season (6)…started every game becoming the first Patriots quarterback to do so since Steve Grogan in 1975...among NFL quarterbacks, only Dan Marino, who threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, had a more spectacular sophomore season...opened the season at Mia. (9/4) and set a Patriots passing record by throwing for 421 yards (which he broke nine games later) in just his 13th NFL start; completed 32 of 51 passes while throwing 4 TDs…passed for over 300 yards in five of his first six games of the season...trailing 16-14 with 1:14 remaining in the game vs. GB (10/2), directed the Patriots on an 11-play, 45-yard drive which set up the game-winning field goal by Matt Bahr (33 yards) with just :04 remaining...threw for 242, 125 and 166 yards in three consecutive losses before exploding for a franchise record by completing 45 of 70 passes for 421 yards and 3 TDs vs. Min. (11/13); trailing 20-0 with :58 left in the first half, completed 4 consecutive passes to lead the Patriots on a seven-play, 48-yard drive and a 38-yard field goal as time expired; in the second half, turned in a legendary performance by completing 37 of 53 attempts (.698) for 354 yards and 3 TDs, without an INT, sack or penalty called against him; connected with Ray Crittenden on a 31-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half; pulled to within three (20-17) with a 5-yard TD pass to Leroy Thompson with 2:27 remaining in regulation; with just 1:51 left, converted a 4th-and-10 with a 25-yard completion to Brisby; completed his next 4 attempts to take the Patriots to the 5-yard line, where Bahr kicked the game-tying field goal with just :14 remaining to send the game into overtime; completed his first 5 passes in OT and won the game (26-20) with a 14-yard TD strike to Kevin Turner; the 26 unanswered points in that 26-20 OT victory ignited a seven-game win streak to close the season...trailing 10-9 at Ind. (11/27) with 3:13 remaining in the game, directed his third fourth-quarter comeback of the season with a 12-play, 55-yard drive to position Bahr for his second game-winning field goal (42 yards) of the season…attempted 50 passes for the sixth time of the season in the Patriots 20-13 Wild Card playoff loss at Cle. (1/1/95).
1993:
Played in 13 games and started 12 as a rookie…led an offense that improved from its 27th ranking in '92 to 12th in '93; led a passing attack that jumped 14 places in the NFL rankings, from 26th to 12th…opened his rookie season as the starting QB until a midseason injury sidelined him for three games...at the age of 21, became the youngest player in franchise history and just the second Patriots rookie quarterback to start in his NFL debut (Jim Plunkett, 1971)...re-wrote the Patriots rookie passing records by finishing the season with 214 completions on 429 attempts for 2,494 yards and 15 TDs...his 2,494 yards ranked fourth all-time on the NFL's rookie quarterback list and were 10th all-time among the Patriots career passing leaders…saved his best game for the season finale, throwing for a season-high 329 yards, completing 27 of 43 passes, including 4 TDs in a 33-27 overtime victory vs. Mia. (1/2/94); teamed with Timpson on the 36-yard TD pass that won the game in overtime...was inactive for three games (vs. Hou. 10/17, at Sea. 10/24 and at Ind. 10/31) after injuring his left knee just before halftime of the 23-21 victory at Phx. (10/10).
COLLEGE:
Despite only starting 28 games during his collegiate career (1990-92), left Washington State ranked second on the all-time passing list with 7,373 yards, topped only by Jack Thompson's 7,818 yards (44 games)...upon his departure, his 46 touchdowns and 532 completions ranked second on WSU's career passing list, behind Thompson's 53 scores and 601 completions…named All-Pac-10 and was ninth in the nation in total offense as a junior in 1992, averaging 247.0 yards per game...started every game as a junior, completing 211 of 386 passes for 2,770 yards and 18 touchdowns…hit on 37 of 66 passes for a school-record 413 yards against Montana...selected Pac-10 Player of the Week after connecting on 18 of 30 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown in blizzard-like conditions against Washington...broke his own school-record by throwing for 476 yards (30 of 46) and tied another record with an 87-yard pass, as the Cougars rolled up 636 total yards in a Copper Bowl victory over Utah…earned All-Pac-10 conference second-team honors as a sophomore in 1991 after completing 199 of 358 passes (.556) for 2,741 yards...his 2,647 yards in total offense ranked fourth-best in school history…won the starting quarterback position in 1990 to become the first true freshman to start at the position for Washington State in over 30 years.
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