Last week Jason Varitek was able to knock off Carlton Fisk with 52% of the vote and move up 5 spots on The RBSF Ladder to #70. In this week's edition of "Wednesday's Challenge" it is a battle of former Patriots teammates: offensive vs defense. Former Pats QB Drew Bledsoe (#60) is attempting to fight off the challenge of former Pats DE/LB Willie McGinest (#66). A look at the two candidates:
BLEDSOE - Played for Pats for 9 seasons (1993-2001). Drafted #1 overall by Pats in '93 NFL Draft. In just his 2nd season he broke the NFL record for pass attempts, became 2nd QB ever to complete 400+ passes in a season and led the league in passing yards with 4,555. Won 1996 AFC Championship before losing Super Bowl XXXI to Green Bay. Passed for 3,000+ yards 7 years in a row. Member of SB XXXVI Champions. Was youngest passer to ever reach 10,000 career passing yards and the youngest QB to play in the Pro Bowl. Made 3 Pro Bowls with Pats. Team's all-time leader in completions (2,544), attempts (4,518) and passing yards (29,657).
MCGINEST - Played for Pats for 12 seasons (1994-2005). Drafted #4 overall by Pats in '94 NFL Draft. Made two Pro Bowls (1996, 2003). His 78 sacks with Pats are 3rd most in franchise history behind only Andre Tippett and Julius Adams. Also had 16 forced fumbles, 15 fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions, 2 interceptions returned for TDs and 2 fumbles returned for TDs. Set NFL records for most sacks in a playoff game (4.5) and most sacks in post-season career (16). Member of 1996 AFC Champions and Super Bowl Champions in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
THE VERDICT: Unfortunately for Bledsoe it is easy to forget all that he accomplished due the the man that followed him. His only ring was primarily as a backup. Meanwhile Big Willie was a leader both on and off the field for 3 Super Bowl Champions and his post-season success, both individually and with the team, cannot be ignored here. My vote is for McGinest.
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21 comments:
McGinest gets bonus points for being friends with Snoop Dogg and Bledsoe gets minus points for skipping the SB XXXVI parade.
I remember that, that displayed a good deal of sour grapes to me.
Rings alone you have to give the Win to McGinest.
Are you kidding me DK?
Are any of your readers over the age 25?
Does anyone remember what it was like here as a Pats fan pre-Parcells/Bledsoe era in the late 80's and early 90's? They revived football in New England.
How do you think Bob Kraft bought the franchise for a couple of pounds of his great cheese!
It was abysmal here.
QB is the most important position in the sport - no question about it.
Egde linemen/linebackers are not nearly as tough to find.
Let me rattle off a couple of names for you:
Hugh Millen
Doug Flutie
Tom Ramsey
Marc Wilson
Tommy Hodson
Scott Zolak
Jeff Carlson
Scott Secules
These are all guys who take significant snaps for the Pats in the pre-Bledsoe era and in the 3 years before his arrival - and they won a total of 9 games in those 3 years.
You tend to think of his late career where he was a statue in the pocket- but he was always tough and productive. His toughness ended up costing him his job.
To discredit him b/c he is not Tom Brady is assanine and short sighted. This one should be a Drew Bledsoe landslide!
I'd tend to agree w/ polar bear. While lingering images of Drew Bledsoe certainly include his happy feet, tapping the ball, holding onto it too long and either getting sacked or throwing an interception to a defensive lineman, bledsoe really is largely responsible for making the pats relevant again. McGinisest was a good player--certainly a leader who got better w/ age, but I always felt like he never quite played to his physical potential over the course of his career. Again, he was certainly good, but better as a 30 year old than as a 24 year old which doesn't really make sense to me given the position he played.
For as amazingly frustrating as Bledsoe was to watch sometimes, he singlehandedly won the pats a number of games and worked to set the stage for the great successes they've had over the past 7+ years....
McGinest was good pre-super bowls. When he was just a defensive end. Before he morphed into a linebacker seamlessly.
Maybe Bledsoe gets bashed (a little) too much, but McGinest was solid. Old & Young.
PB, don't get me wrong I'm a big Bledsoe supporter...more than most around here. If I wasn't he wouldn't be ranked so high already. And I certainly remember the QB situation before he arrived (at least the 8 games that weren't blacked out). But his best year was when he was 21 and he never improved. In fact he got worse. And in the biggest game of his career he threw 4 picks in SB 36.
I don't think either of these players are headed to Canton, but Big Willie will certainly garner more consideration. He was also more likable to me, restructured his contact a bunch of times so the team could sign other players, was a great veteran leader on great teams. His post-season sack record and 3 rings speaks volumes of his big-game play, and that stands in stark constrast to Bledsoe, who's best big-game moment was throwing a TD pass in the AFC Championship in relief of Brady.
Just as Bledsoe shouldn't be punished for what the QB after him did I don't think he should be overly rewarded for the ineptitude of those who came before him.
In 1983 the brilliant decision makers for the Patriots selected Tony Eason rd 1 #15, at #27 a guy you may have heard by the name of Dan Marino was picked. i know its easier to look back and see how bad that decision was but come on Eason over Marino???
Fast foward to 1993..Decision time again. Take Rick Mirer(a guy Bill Walsh called "the next Joe Montana") or Drew Bledsoe. good choice.
Bledose 4x pro bowler, 2x all pro
McGinest 2x pro bowler.
Before Bledsoe the Patriots had 3 division championships, 1 conference championship and 1 Super Bowl appearence. Since Bledsoe 8 division, 5 conf, 4 super bowl appear w/ 3 wins.
The same could be said about McGinest since he was drafted in 94.But a QB has a far greater impact than a LB.
Were you proud to be a Pats fan before Bledsoe?
better question..
Were you even a Pats fan before Bledsoe?
GMac,
Just to clarify a few things:
1. Blesoe was only a 3x Pro Bowler with the Patriots (he made one with the Bills) and this is only based on their Boston-related performance.
2. The "2x All Pro" is very deceiving. He was twice named 2nd team all-conference, which is not the same as being an All Pro. All Pro goes to the #1 guy at each spot, not the #2 guy in his conference at his position. Still impressive, but not the same.
3. Although Bledsoe helped turn around the Pats many would argue the man who came in at the same time, Bill Parcells, was much more responsible for the turnaround by giving the Pats instant credibility.
4. I hate Dan Marino and would rather have sucked with Eason then taken him. Also, him and Eason made it to, and won, the same # of Super Bowls in their careers. F Dan Marino!
5. The Pats won 3 SBs since Bledsoe arrived, but he was only on one of them and that was as a backup. McGinest was a pivitol member on all 3.
Oddly I think I went from being on the fense to being 100% on McGinest's side after this rant.
goaline stop = super bowl #3.
Marino Blows.
Where is Walpole Joe? We need to hear his thoughts here!
Apparently he used up all of his anti-Bledsoe rants on non-Bledsoe challenges.
The fact that Polo-bear is on the other side of the issue make me feel pretty confident in this one. McGinest easily.
Bledsoe is the most overrated player in NFL history and possibly in all sports. If the best things you can say about this guy is that he was drafted #1 (like Ken Sims) and threw a lot of passes then there are a lot of issues here. Why don't you add in his ridiculous $100 million contract because that is about as impressive and as meaningful as the other two stats you threw out there.
The best thing Bledsoe ever did was get hurt.
He has a career .500 record as a starter in the regular season (98-96) and the playoffs (3-3).
Come on. This guy is only considered "good" or "great" because he threw an ass load of passes....and not all that accurately.
Bledsoe career QB rating 77.1. That is 66th place all-time (well behind former Patriot Tony Eason)
Bledsoe best ever for a single season was 87!
Bledsoe career QB rating in the playoffs a whopping 54.9! (6TD and 12 INT, 5.3 yards per attempt)
Eason 115.6 (7 TD and 0 INT, 7.8 yards per attempt. 3-2 record)
How about yards per pass attempt?
Bledsoe 6.6
Eason 7.2
The only thing that Bledsoe's stats prove is that he threw the ball a lot. Whoop -T - Doo!
Bledsoe is in the top 10 for career passing yards in the NFL.
Out of that group he is last in yards per attempt.
Last in touchdowns and well below average in both completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio.
You could put anybody this side of Matt Young against Bledsoe and I would vote for them, but McGinest is Clutch with a capital C.
*All-time NFL leader in playoff sacks! How many big plays did this guy make in huge games?
-Stopping E. James on 4th and one on the goal line.
-10+ yard sack on Manning to force a long field goal at the end of another game (field goal missed Pats win)
-4.5 sacks in a playoff game
-Shadow and shut down Marshall Faulk in Super Bowl XXXVI (add in a big sack when the Rams were driving near the end of the game). Job done, Pats win.
-Keep McNabb from scrambling in Super Bowl XXXIX...Job done, Pats win.
This guy is very unappreciated in Boston...he is virtually the anti-Bledsoe.
WILLIE! WILLIE! WILLIE!
My appologies on the fuzzy numbers.
Which position on the football field has more responsibility? Which one takes the most blame when things go wrong? Other than kicker or punter which other position is there only one of on the field?
after leaving New England Bledsoe had 8 rushing TD in 5 years, compared to the 2 he had in 9 yrs w/ NE...sorry no relevance but found it odd that the less mobile Bledsoe had more rushing TDs.
The more I try and over defend Bledsoe the more I like Willie. That said my vote still goes to Bledsoe becasue the QB has more impact than 1 LB/DE.
I do wish Willie would have retitred in a Pats uniform.
What other Position could Bledsoe have played?.... hmmm, I know he would've been a damn good wide receiver but besides that. QB also gets way more credit than they deserve, as you all just proved.
(Romo did a shitload more with the same team than Bledsoe could, surprised?)
Romo has as many Super Bowls wins with the Cowboys as Bledsoe does.
There's only 2 things right now i'll give Romo the advantage on...Simpson and Underwood.
In fact he has as many Super Bowl wins in his 2 seasons as Bledsoe has.
Forget Bledsoe vs Romo...this is Bledsoe vs Big Willie!!!
Looks like Bledsoe wins!!!
Maybe. But McGinest is still better / had less low points to his career.
GMac- this vote is very much like a Drew Bledsoe game/season/career. It looks like everyhting is going his way. He has the stats, he has the lead and then suddenly.....cough.... cough.....gag...gag....CHOKE!!
Willie is going to win.....he is a winner!
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