Drew Bledsoe

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{{NFL player

|Image=drewbledsoe22.jpg
|DateOfBirth=February 14, 1972
|Birthplace=Ellensburg, Washington
|Position=QB
|College=Washington State
|DraftedYear=1993
|DraftedRound=1/ Pick 1
|Records=*New England Patriots
Career Passing Yards (29,657),
*New England Patriots
Career Passing TDs (166)
|NFL=1041
|years=1993-2001
2002-2004
2005-present
|teams=New England Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys
|ProBowls=1994, 1996, 1997, 2002

}}Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972 in Ellensburg, Washington) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1993 as the #1 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, out of Washington State University. Drew and his wife Maura (née Healy) have four children: sons Stuart McQueen, John Stack and Henry Healy; and daughter Healy Elizabeth.

1 NFL career
2 Criticism
3 Best season
4 Bledsoe Bowls
5 Statistics
6 External links

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NFL career

During his time with the Patriots 1993-2001, he set many passing records, including the record for most passing attempts in a season, 691 in 1994. Bledsoe led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1996, where they were defeated 35-21 by the Green Bay Packers.

After this defeat, coach Bill Parcells left to coach the New York Jets. Under new coach Pete Carroll, Bledsoe led New England to a second consecutive AFC East title in 1997 and the AFC divisional playoffs, where the Patriots lost 7-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After their loss in the 1998 AFC wild-card game to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Patriots missed the playoffs for the next two years.

In 2001, Bledsoe signed a 10-year contract with the Patriots. Unfortunately, he suffered a devastating hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, which caused internal bleeding in his chest, and backup quarterback Tom Brady led the team for the rest of the regular season. However, in the AFC championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady was blind-sided on a safety blitz, knocking him out of the game. Bledsoe stepped in, made two successful passes on his first drive, and then completed a crucial 25-yard pass to David Patten for a touchdown. Except for this one crucial game, Brady led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title, defeating the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. Bledsoe did not play in the Super Bowl, where Brady collected the MVP honors following the team's upset win. Shortly afterward, head coach Bill Belichick traded Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round draft pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. During his second two years with the Buffalo Bills, it was thought that Bledsoe was past his prime, known for holding onto the ball too long and making poor decisions, and missing the playoffs all three of his years with them. On February 22, 2005, Bledsoe was released by the Buffalo Bills. As the first free agent signed in the 2005 off-season, he was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys, reuniting him with coach Bill Parcells. During this season, he lead the team to a 9-7 record, barely missing the playoffs behind the Washington Redskins. He had an 83.7 Quarterback rating, passing for 3639 yards with 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Bledsoe has gone to the Pro Bowl four times, three times as a Patriot, and once as a member of the Buffalo Bills. He has won one Super Bowl (as a Patriot, albeit a backup to Tom Brady). He has more seasons with 370+ completions than any other quarterback in history as well as the most seasons with 600+ attempts. In 2005, Bledsoe became the 10th quarterback to pass for 40,000 yards. He is also well-known for his charity work as founder of the Drew Bledsoe Foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives of American children by teaching parenting skills to parents. On June 8, 2005 he was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

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Criticism

Bledsoe is widely regarded as an accurate and powerful passer when protected by his offensive line. However, he has also been criticized for often holding onto the ball too long, leading to many sacks and subsequent fumbles. It has been speculated that Bledsoe will retire when Dallas coach Bill Parcells does. At 34, Bledsoe is becoming one of the NFL's older quarterbacks.

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Best season

In 1994 the Patriots entered week 10 at 3-6 and on a 4 game losing streak when they faced the Minnesota Vikings in Foxboro. Down at halftime, Drew Bledsoe led the Patriots on a second half comeback throwing for 426 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and set single-game records in pass attempts with 70 and in pass completions with 45. The Patriots won in overtime 26 to 20. The Patriots went on to finish the season with a 7 game win streak ending up 10-6 and making the playoffs as a wildcard team, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the first round. Bledsoe finished the season with a NFL record 691 pass attempts, became the second quarterback to complete 400 passes, and led the NFL with 4,555 passing yards.

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Bledsoe Bowls

The "Bledsoe Bowls" (games between the Patriots and Bills) have seen mainly Patriot domination, and duelling 31-0 shutouts that bookended the 2003 season. As a Bill, Bledsoe went 1-5 against the Patriots.

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