Drew Bledsoe

[GreenlyGreeny]

1. With over 200 games played (including playoffs), over 45,000 passing yards, over 250 passing TDs and a .500 record in the playoffs including leading two teams to AFC Championship game wins (including the 2002 AFC Championship game in which Tom Brady became injured), does Drew Bledsoe belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

2. Will Drew Bledsoe ever be inducted into Canton? If so, when do you estimate it will happen?

[Donoghus]

No.  He’s not going to sniff Canton. He’s not a HOF’er.

[GreenlyGreeny]

No.  He’s not going to sniff Canton. He’s not a HOF’er.

That was my initial reaction, too. I think a lot of it comes down to the guy who followed up Bledsoe, though. Consider this: Bledsoe has pretty much the same number of yards and TDs as Dan Fouts, with fewer INTs and more games played. Fouts also has a worse playoff record and never made it to the Super Bowl.

A comparison of Jim Kelly’s numbers to Drew Bledsoe’s numbers also bodes well for Drew (yeah, Jim had four Super Bowl appearances, but they’re not called the BiLLLLs for nothing).

Finally, Kurt Warner is in the HOF. His numbers are much lower in comparison. We all love the 1999 Cinderella story, but does that really make him that much better than Bledsoe, especially considering his 2002 Super Bowl chokejob? Yeah, I’d probably take 1999 or 2001 Kurt Warner over 1996 or 1997 Drew Bledsoe, but maybe Drew is every bit as good on those Rams teams as Kurt was? Those Rams teams were loaded with Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt and Orlando Pace. Bledsoe did not have supporting casts like that.

[cons]

is he in the patriots hall of fame?

[Neurotic Guy]

I do think people forget that half (a guess) of Patriots nation wanted Bledsoe back in the starting lineup when he returned from injury. Also, many wanted him the following year despite Brady taking them to the championship.

This is essentially my main reason for supporting Mac Jones. Brady at 24 was not the GOAT, and many saw Bledsoe - a B+ qb - as the better choice (not for long of course).

That’s what I think of Drew.  A B+ QB. If B+ gets you into the HOF then he should be in.

[W8ting2McHale]

I have to vote No.

He had prototypical size and arm strength for a franchise QB, but the results were B+, as Neurotic Guy stated. Lots of passing yardage is nice, but Drew proved that by itself doesn’t equal wins.

His overall winning percentage isn’t good enough. If he had won more in Buffalo or Dallas he might have changed the narrative, but he didn’t. In addition to his winning percentage, his completion percentage was low, certainly not up to 2020 standards. Then look at his TD to Interception ratios and you can see why he didn’t win consistently. His overall QB rating his 2nd or 3rd tier.

In hindsight his stats show a guy that probably played really well between the 20s but couldn’t maintain that in the red zone. Not enough TDs compared to passing yardage and far too many turnovers. You can’t win consistently that way. I don’t know how many times his teams ended up turning the ball over or settling for a field goal after driving the length of the field, but I think it must have been high enough for Bill to easily make the Decision.

*I met Drew Bledsoe back in 2005. He’s a nice guy. A coworker was good friends with him in HS and he handed out a bunch of tickets to friends and family for a Cowboys-Seahawks game. He had a decent game, but the Cowboys lost. That’s Drew - decent game, good stats, not enough wins.

[SparzWizard]

I have to vote No.

He had prototypical size and arm strength for a franchise QB, but the results were B+, as Neurotic Guy stated. Lots of passing yardage is nice, but Drew proved that by itself doesn’t equal wins.

His overall winning percentage isn’t good enough. If he had won more in Buffalo or Dallas he might have changed the narrative, but he didn’t. In addition to his winning percentage, his completion percentage was low, certainly not up to 2020 standards. Then look at his TD to Interception ratios and you can see why he didn’t win consistently. His overall QB rating his 2nd or 3rd tier.

In hindsight his stats show a guy that probably played really well between the 20s but couldn’t maintain that in the red zone. Not enough TDs compared to passing yardage and far too many turnovers. You can’t win consistently that way. I don’t know how many times his teams ended up turning the ball over or settling for a field goal after driving the length of the field, but I think it must have been high enough for Bill to easily make the Decision.

*I met Drew Bledsoe back in 2005. He’s a nice guy. A coworker was good friends with him in HS and he handed out a bunch of tickets to friends and family for a Cowboys-Seahawks game. He had a decent game, but the Cowboys lost. That’s Drew - decent game, good stats, not enough wins.

Maybe comparable to Andy Dalton of the Bengals?

[GreenlyGreeny]

is he in the patriots hall of fame?

Since 2010 or 2011, I believe.

If not for Brady blowing him out in comparison, I suspect Bledsoe would have made it to Canton. Especially if Bill had went with Drew in the 2002 Super Bowl and won, even if they never did it again and Brady still took over in 2002.

[W8ting2McHale]

Maybe comparable to Andy Dalton of the Bengals?

Somewhere close to that. Dalton hasn’t thrown as many interceptions and his completion percentage is higher, but the results are pretty much the same as far as winning games.

Carson Palmer is in that category as well. Somewhere between Palmer and Kerry Collins. Collins is right in Bledsoe’s range for TD to interceptions, completion %, total yardage and winning %.

If Drew had played a little longer before shuffling off he’s probably a Matt Ryan, and then there’s a discussion thanks to longevity and higher stat totals.