Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise.
Bledsoe 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. He would set many passing records in his tenure at New England from 1993-2001, including most passing attempts in a season, 691 in 1994.
Bledsoe led the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance in 1996 where they were defeated 35-21 by the Green Bay Packers. After the game, coach Bill Parcells would leave to coach the New York Jets.
Under Pete Carroll, Bledsoe would take New England to a second consectutive AFC East title in 1997 and the AFC Divisional playoffs, where they lost 7-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 1998 playoffs, the Patriots lost a Wild Card game to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the next two years the Patriots would not make the playoffs.
In 2001, Bledsoe signed a 10 year deal to stay with the Patriots. Unfortunately, he would suffer a devastating hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis which caused internal bleeding in his chest. Backup Tom Brady subsequently led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title when they shocked the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. However, Bledsoe did shine for one crucial game in that run. In the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady was blind-sided on a safety blitz, knocking him out of the game. Bledsoe took the reins of the Pats offense; after completing his first two passes on his first drive, Bledsoe hit David Patten for a crucial 25 yard touchdown pass.
Bledsoe did not play in the Super Bowl, where Brady collected the MVP honours following the team's upset win over the Rams. Shortly after, head coach Bill Belichick traded Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round draft pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. The "Bledsoe Bowls" have seen mainly Patriot domination, and duelling 31-0 shutouts that bookended the 2003 season.
Bledsoe has gone to the Pro Bowl 4 times, three times as a Patriot, and once as a member of the Bills. He has more seasons with 370+ completions than any other quarterback in history. He holds the record for most seasons with 600+ attempts, including the record of 691 in 1994. Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, Bledsoe is the only man to lead the NFL in attempts three years in a row.
As of the end of the 2004-2005 season, Bledsoe needs 192 yards to become the 10th player in NFL history with 40,000 passing yards.
On February 22, 2005, Bledsoe was released by the Bills. He would be the first free agent signed in the 2005 off-season as he was acquired by the Cowboys, reuniting him with Bill Parcells.
Bledsoe is all well-known for his charity work; He founded the Drew Bledsoe Foundation , whose mission is to improve the lives of American children by teaching parenting skills to parents.
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Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46
