Drew Bledsoe

Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) 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. 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.

Related Topics:
February 14 - 1972 - American football - Quarterback - Dallas Cowboys - NFL - New England Patriots - 1993 - NFL Draft - Washington State University - 2001 - Super Bowl - 1996 - Green Bay Packers

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After this defeat, coach Bill Parcells left to coach the New York Jets. Under a 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. In the 1998 playoffs, the Patriots lost a wild-card game to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots did not make the playoffs for the next two years.

Related Topics:
Bill Parcells - New York Jets - Pete Carroll - AFC - 1997 - Pittsburgh Steelers - 1998 - Jacksonville Jaguars

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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. 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.

Related Topics:
2001 - New York Jets - Linebacker - Mo Lewis - Internal bleeding - Tom Brady - Blitz - Touchdown - St. Louis Rams - MVP - Bill Belichick - Buffalo Bills

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

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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 more seasons with 370+ completions than any other quarterback in history and holds the record for most seasons with 600+ attempts, including the record of 691 in 1994. Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, Bledsoe has been the only player to lead the NFL in attempts three years in a row. At the end of the 2004-2005 football season, Bledsoe needed only 192 more yards to become the 10th player in NFL history with a cumulative total of 40,000 passing 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.

Related Topics:
Pro Bowl - World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame

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