CircleTheWagons Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 In my opinion, Drew will be back next year and for the first time in his career (I think) he will have to compete for his job. If he is a competitor, and I think he is, we might see an improved Bledsoe next year after a full off-season with the coaching staff working with him AND JP pushing him for playing time. I'm hoping that JP takes the job away from him in camp, but I think it's going to be tougher than simply beating out the 2004 Bledsoe. I think it's shaping up to be an awesome battle and I can't wait to hear from the open practises next camp. If Drew thought he showed mental toughness dealing with the media after 0-4 this year, he had better be ready in 2005 - he starts a game throwing 0 for 4 and fans will be booing him like he was Ashlee Simpson. If he steps up and delivers a career year and keeps JP on the bench, the Bills might have a chance to deliver Ralph his Lombardi in his own backyard. Either way, if these two guys are prepared to go all out in training camp, I think it can only be good for the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 It'll be interesting to see if he stays in town this off-season to work with Wyche on mechanics, or if he goes back to Montana again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleTheWagons Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 It'll be interesting to see if he stays in town this off-season to work with Wyche on mechanics, or if he goes back to Montana again. 197918[/snapback] If he spends most of the off-season in Montana, he knows he's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 If he spends most of the off-season in Montana, he knows he's done. 197932[/snapback] I agree... that'll be a true indicator of how TD & MM are really thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATBNG Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 If he spends most of the off-season in Montana, he knows he's done. 197932[/snapback] He always goes to Montana. He even skipped the parade in 2002. I'd actually believe the opposite - if he stayed around all offseason, it would be an admission that he can't coast on his arm anymore and needs to work on the preparatory portion of his game. It wouldn't be an admission that he is done, but perhaps that he recognizes he is getting along in NFL years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 When you're hoping for significant progression from a player that's been in the league for over a decade and is 32 years old, you know something is wrong. He's not a rookie. His mechanics shouldn't be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Do you know Tom Brady stays in New England for the offseason and wins their award for most time put in the weight room folm, etc.... Yes their QB. If Drew stayed in Buffalo most of the offseason and worked with Wyche, the WRs and worked on film I'd feel he would be making a huge effort to improve himself and the team. I know he is a veteran of 10 years in the league, but as you get older you need to work harder. I say let him go to Montana for 6 weeks and then come back and work your butt off this offseason. Sure he can stay in shape in Montana and come back for the mini-camps but I really believe he would be better off here working with the coaches and teammates. He makes enough money where he could jet away to Florida or the Caribbean on the weekends to break up the weather! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bprulz Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Well if he doesnt J.P. should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsue Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Can the guy spend some time with his family first. Then I am sure he will get back to the grind stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthTownBills51 Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 JP held the clipboard this year, next year it should definetly be open, Drew Bledsoe hasn't in anyway solidified the starting role next season..at least I hope not. LET THE BEST MAN WIN ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsue Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Guarantee you that Drew Bledsoe will be the starter. Guarantee that Tom Donahoe changes the offensive line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 At this point, what do you expect will improve? They guy has been heading downhill since 1997. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Guarantee you that Drew Bledsoe will be the starter. Guarantee that Tom Donahoe changes the offensive line. 198393[/snapback] Guarentee you are right about the O-line...Guarentee you are DEAD WRONG about Drew being starting QB. Better learn to deal with the disappointment now, Sue. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-biscut Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Drew Bledsoe spent most of last season in Buffalo. Why is the only player not allowed to have a residense outside of the . Many players fly up for 4 days of work out and then fly to their off season home. Its not insignifigant that Bledsoe inproved 9 TD from last year, and had few sacks and fumbles. See what eh can do the second year of this offense with healthy tight ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Do you know Tom Brady stays in New England for the offseason and wins their award for most time put in the weight room folm, etc.... Yes their QB. If Drew stayed in Buffalo most of the offseason and worked with Wyche, the WRs and worked on film I'd feel he would be making a huge effort to improve himself and the team. I know he is a veteran of 10 years in the league, but as you get older you need to work harder. I say let him go to Montana for 6 weeks and then come back and work your butt off this offseason. Sure he can stay in shape in Montana and come back for the mini-camps but I really believe he would be better off here working with the coaches and teammates. He makes enough money where he could jet away to Florida or the Caribbean on the weekends to break up the weather! 198339[/snapback] Tom Brady is very scawny!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fake-Fat Sunny Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 When you're hoping for significant progression from a player that's been in the league for over a decade and is 32 years old, you know something is wrong. He's not a rookie. His mechanics shouldn't be a problem. 198258[/snapback] Would you actually argue that Bledsoe's performance and production in 2004 did not improve a lot over 2003? Granted this improvement saw him go from horrendous in 2003 when the team could barely move the ball at all under his guidance to inadequate in 2004 where the offense moved the ball in the second half of the season under his guidance and the ST and D production generally put us way over the top turning games into laughers. However, there were several areas of improvement in how the team operated its O and actually how Bledsoe himself emplued his skills within that O in 2004. Specifically: 1. I thought the most fun improvement to watch was that Clements seemed to realize that just because a particular style of play was not the best for Bledsoe that DID NOT mean he was incapable of doing anything using that style. You'd go hungry if you depended on Bledsoe to pass on the rollout, to sidestep blitzers and even to run as your bread and butter. However, on plays such as him hitting Evans for a TD on a rollout against SF, the reduction in sack total and him even running the QB draw when he detected opposing safeties not covering the middle of the field he did something that Killdrive rarely used him to do in 2003. 2, He showed some great ball fake ability. An exmple of this is when he faked the dive on a 4th and 1, sold it, and turned and lateraled to WM who went for a score. If one watched Bledsoe (and JP as well) they did a good job of continuing the play as though they had the ball even we they did not. If these plays caused the defender to even hesitate a moment in making the tackle attempt on WM, they likely got an even better stiff arm from WM in the face for their hesitation. 3. He converted good ball handling of laterals to him into big pass plays. One ofthe problems I had with Bledsoe in 2003 was that in an effort to compensate for some adventures in long snapping from Teague in the shotgun, Bledsoe did handle wandering laterals quite well but he seemed to have to focus so much attention to the snap that it delayed his abiluity to diagnose the D scheme and to complete the pass. I was quite impressed with the way he handled the laterals (sometimes errant) from WM on flea-flickers and still was able to hit a streaking Evans on the long pass. I think Bledsoe's play improved tremendously from last year to this year and improved after the NE game when we went on the wining streak. Attribute it to weak competition or whatever, but though I think his production proved inadequate in the Pitts game to overcome the D having a bad day stopping 4th stringers and the ST being just plain bad at the skill positions his play and performance improved even if only top an inadequate level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Would you actually argue that Bledsoe's performance and production in 2004 did not improve a lot over 2003? I thought you said Bledsoe has essentially been the same player, with the same strengths and weaknesses that he's always had? Just busting your balls. Anyway, I do think that Bledsoe improved a bit from 2003, although as you pointed out, there was no where to go but up. He did improve a bit, yes, and if he were 22 years old instead of 32 I would have hope for him. Unfortunately, he still showed things that he always has (which you're right about in terms of the "same tendencies he's always had") - he can get extremely sloppy with his mechanics. Hoping for something like that to drastically change at this point in his career is.. well.. stupid. 1. I thought the most fun improvement to watch was that Clements seemed to realize that just because a particular style of play was not the best for Bledsoe that DID NOT mean he was incapable of doing anything using that style. You'd go hungry if you depended on Bledsoe to pass on the rollout, to sidestep blitzers and even to run as your bread and butter. However, on plays such as him hitting Evans for a TD on a rollout against SF, the reduction in sack total and him even running the QB draw when he detected opposing safeties not covering the middle of the field he did something that Killdrive rarely used him to do in 2003. Yes, it was nice to have an offensive coordinator that tried to play to the player's strengths a bit more. Clements still has a way to go before I'd say he's even a great coordinator. A lot of playcalling was predictable (not nearly as bad as Gilbride), and I still think there were way too many trick plays (although they worked). 2, He showed some great ball fake ability. An exmple of this is when he faked the dive on a 4th and 1, sold it, and turned and lateraled to WM who went for a score. If one watched Bledsoe (and JP as well) they did a good job of continuing the play as though they had the ball even we they did not. If these plays caused the defender to even hesitate a moment in making the tackle attempt on WM, they likely got an even better stiff arm from WM in the face for their hesitation. I don't disagree with this. 3. He converted good ball handling of laterals to him into big pass plays. One ofthe problems I had with Bledsoe in 2003 was that in an effort to compensate for some adventures in long snapping from Teague in the shotgun, Bledsoe did handle wandering laterals quite well but he seemed to have to focus so much attention to the snap that it delayed his abiluity to diagnose the D scheme and to complete the pass. I was quite impressed with the way he handled the laterals (sometimes errant) from WM on flea-flickers and still was able to hit a streaking Evans on the long pass. 198465[/snapback] This is pretty accurate, too. When Bledsoe's primary receiver is wide open, he will make the throw probably 8/10 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Rumors around OBD are saying that MM, Clements, and Wyche are going to pull out ALL the stops come next training camp. They're going to go to a THREE second clock in Drew's hellmut. He's now going to have to get his balls off in three seconds to keep his job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodnarb Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 no, we've seen his best and it's not good enough. great guy, mediocre qb. if you wanna have to fight and struggle to make a wildcard, drew's your guy. if you want to win a championship, you need someone else. there are many who are clutching to the Promise that is Drew. He looks like a great QB, talks like a great QB, and therefore he must be a great QB. He's not. He never was, and he never will be. He was once very good, then he became serviceable, and then he hit his proverbial wall. Then he backed up and hit it again. This was the 2003 season. Then he backed up and hit it again. This was the 2004 season. If the Bills organization allows him to back up and slam into it again, it'll say a lot about the size of their blinders. And I don't believe they have such blinders. I believe Drew will NOT be the starter next year, because there's no way in hell that smart football people would arrange for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 no, we've seen his best and it's not good enough. great guy, mediocre qb. if you wanna have to fight and struggle to make a wildcard, drew's your guy. if you want to win a championship, you need someone else. there are many who are clutching to the Promise that is Drew. He looks like a great QB, talks like a great QB, and therefore he must be a great QB. He's not. He never was, and he never will be. He was once very good, then he became serviceable, and then he hit his proverbial wall. Then he backed up and hit it again. This was the 2003 season. Then he backed up and hit it again. This was the 2004 season. If the Bills organization allows him to back up and slam into it again, it'll say a lot about the size of their blinders. And I don't believe they have such blinders. I believe Drew will NOT be the starter next year, because there's no way in hell that smart football people would arrange for that. 198630[/snapback] Nicely said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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