Football OT

[Buftex]

As much as I will hate it, I think Drew Bledsoe and Terrell Owens will be a very formidable force this coming season, if they stay healthy. I heard a lot of people speculating that Owens and Bledsoe would not likely get along...sounds like they are off to a good start:

 

 

"Updated: March 22, 2006, 2:56 PM ET

Bledsoe ready to play with T.O.By Michael Smith

ESPN.com

Archive

 

DANA POINT, Calif. -- For some reason I didn't think to check my watch. But I'd say it was about 4-ish, 7 Eastern. This was last Monday, the second day of the third annual Athletes First Classic benefiting the Orangewood PALS charity. We were on the No. 7 tee at Monarch Beach Golf Links when Drew Bledsoe's BlackBerry began buzzing.

 

Bledsoe had an incoming call from an unfamiliar number, originating from area code 678. He turned to his longtime agent, Athletes First's David Dunn, and asked where 678 was. Dunn told him Atlanta. "Who's calling me from Atlanta?" Bledsoe asked.

 

Bledsoe touched green and retreated to a quiet area behind the tee. When he returned to his cart, before ending the conversation, the last thing he told the caller was, "Thanks for calling, man. … This the best number to reach you?… Let's light this thing on fire."

 

"That was T.O.," Bledsoe told the waiting group.

 

We're all waiting. Waiting for his first trip to the big blue star at midfield in Texas Stadium. And waiting for his first sideline outburst. And the point when the Dallas Cowboys, like the 49ers and Eagles before them, say enough is enough. Terrell Owens, signed by the Cowboys last weekend to a three-year contract worth up to $25 million, while arguably the best wide receiver in football, too often during his 10-year career has been as disruptive as he has been dominant.

 

“ Listen man. I'm going into Year 14. I want to win. This is a guy that's going to help us win right now. ”

— Drew Bledsoe on the Cowboys' signing Terrell Owens

 

And yet for some reason, the Cowboys believe -- despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary and a unique body of work that, along with 101 touchdown catches and more than 10,000 receiving yards, includes two divided locker rooms and franchises -- that somehow it'll be different this time. That Owens will be different. That Bledsoe and Bill Parcells will be spared the wrath that Jeff Garcia, Steve Mariucci, Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid were not.

 

And I agree.

 

Hear me out.

 

First, Owens got paid. He received a record deal, about which he flows on his Web site. All Owens has to do is perform the way he can and not act out enough to get kicked off the team and he should see every dime.

 

No one expects Owens to change, but he has the ultimate incentive to behave. "The guy's been through some stuff," Bledsoe said. "I don't think he wants to sit down for half the year anymore."

 

Second, Parcells and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have experience when it comes to dealing with what we'll call high-maintenance players, a fact about which Jones elaborated extensively during the news conference Saturday to announce the Owens signing. The Cowboys still will give Owens the leeway to be himself. (By the way, we've all heard the expression about too many egos in one room, but I can't imagine a gathering of larger egos than the one we saw Saturday, with Jones, Owens and the player's omnipresent agent, Drew Rosenhaus, taking center stage.)

 

"The thing about playing for Bill is he makes everything so simple. It's just cut-and-dried," Bledsoe said. "I'm sure he's already had conversations with T.O. about this is what I expect, this is how we're going to do things. Look at the guys who have played for Bill, he's not asking anybody to mold themselves into a certain kind of personality. The thing that Bill always wants is players that are consistent, he knows what he's going to get out of them week in and week out. If you give him that, you can have your personality."

 

Third, even with Terry Glenn on the other side and Jason Witten over the middle, Owens will get his catches. Though Bledsoe owns a lower career completion percentage (57.3) than either Garcia (60.9) or McNabb (58.4), he's the best pure passer of the three. He'll hit Owens accurately, on time and in the right spot.

 

So there's a good chance we won't see as much of Owens's histrionics in Dallas. Not that it would bother Bledsoe much anyway.

 

"I'm just going to establish right from the start: Hey, I don't need all the noise and all that stuff. You come to me and give me honest information and I'm going to get you the ball," Bledsoe said. "Give me something to use for the next play. I'll make sure he knows that I'm always focused on the next play and not the last play. The noise isn't going to help us on the next play.

 

"I'm going to give him his respect and listen to what he has to say. But he's going to know going in that all the noise is not going to get him the ball more. What's going to get him the ball more is honest information. That's all I need."

 

Bledsoe has plenty of experience, certainly more than McNabb before Owens arrived in Philadelphia, dealing with demanding diva receivers (which has become a bit of a redundant term). Consider Glenn, who was Bledsoe's teammate with the New England Patriots for years before they reunited in Dallas. In Buffalo, Bledsoe had to deal with Eric Moulds. Most recently Keyshawn Johnson, with whom, Bledsoe says, he had a better relationship than their well-publicized sideline altercation last season -- "that was literally over in about 30 seconds," Bledsoe said -- might have led most people (including yours truly) to believe.

 

"You can talk to the guys I've played with, if they were open and I didn't see them for some reason, I'm honest with them," Bledsoe said. "Sorry man, I didn't see you. I'll get you the next time. I'm honest about it and if they're honest with me, we never had a problem.

 

"There may be an episode here or there that comes up, but I just don't see [Owens' presence] being a distraction the way it was in the past. Maybe that's a naïve way to approach it."

 

The Cowboys didn't consult Bledsoe before signing Owens, but "I would have signed off on it in a heartbeat," he said.

 

"Listen man. I'm going into Year 14. I want to win. This is a guy that's going to help us win right now."

 

Bledsoe was being sincere, not politically correct. If you're curious about his immediate reaction to the news that the Cowboys had added Owens, ask his buddy Damon Huard, who was with him when Bledsoe got the word and who called his brother, Brock, and told him how psyched Bledsoe was.

 

Bledsoe is willing to give T.O. the benefit of the doubt because he isn't taking the word of ESPN or Sports Illustrated or sports talk radio. He isn't judging Owens on what he saw or heard from him or read about him. Instead, he's taking the word of buddies who have played with Owens, who've seen his legendary work ethic, the way he approaches practice, how he and the guys play cards in the locker room. Of course, the numbers speak for themselves.

 

When Bledsoe and Owens spoke Monday, it was mostly small talk, according to the quarterback. Bledsoe said he could hear in Owens' voice how excited he was and told him the feeling was mutual. Owens shared his upcoming schedule and told Bledsoe when he would be in Dallas so that they could connect. They exchanged numbers. He told Bledsoe that he was looking forward to playing with a proven pocket passer (one who is 3,557 yards from passing Fran Tarkenton for fifth place all time). The call was a pleasant surprise to Bledsoe, who said he'd planned to touch base with T.O. either later that night or Tuesday.

 

"Is there a part of it that's risky? Yeah," Bledsoe acknowledged. "The guy acts up, he can cause problems, particularly with all the attention that's paid to him. But it is it a risk worth taking? I think it definitely is. The reward is well worth the risk.

 

"I may be going into it a little bit naïve. I just think it's going to be a great thing for everybody involved."

 

Initially I didn't think so. I doubted how well Owens and Bledsoe would mesh. I've since been convinced otherwise. Then again, maybe I'm like Bledsoe. Maybe I'm being naïve.

 

Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Contact him here."

[turftoe]

Things with Owens always seem great FOR AWHILE. If Bledsoe starts to stink it up, (and we all know he is very capable of doing so) Owens may turn on him. Also, with this new labor agreement, WR salaries may go up and surpass his current deal. Then he will be crying for a new contract.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

I think that Bledsoe is one of the few QB's that TO can't say boo to, and that that along with him getting paid $10M this year will make him shut up...during the regular season. However I predict that if they make the post-season, and they should, Drew coming-up small in big games will set TO off.

[SlamnSam]

As much as I will hate it, I think Drew Bledsoe and Terrell Owens will be a very formidable force this coming season, if they stay healthy.  I heard a lot of people speculating that Owens and Bledsoe would not likely get along...sounds like they are off to a good start:

"Updated: March 22, 2006, 2:56 PM ET

Bledsoe ready to play with T.O.By Michael Smith

ESPN.com

Archive

 

DANA POINT, Calif. -- For some reason I didn't think to check my watch. But I'd say it was about 4-ish, 7 Eastern. This was last Monday, the second day of the third annual Athletes First Classic benefiting the Orangewood PALS charity. We were on the No. 7 tee at Monarch Beach Golf Links when Drew Bledsoe's BlackBerry began buzzing.

 

Bledsoe had an incoming call from an unfamiliar number, originating from area code 678. He turned to his longtime agent, Athletes First's David Dunn, and asked where 678 was. Dunn told him Atlanta. "Who's calling me from Atlanta?" Bledsoe asked.

 

Bledsoe touched green and retreated to a quiet area behind the tee. When he returned to his cart, before ending the conversation, the last thing he told the caller was, "Thanks for calling, man. … This the best number to reach you?… Let's light this thing on fire."

 

"That was T.O.," Bledsoe told the waiting group.

 

We're all waiting. Waiting for his first trip to the big blue star at midfield in Texas Stadium. And waiting for his first sideline outburst. And the point when the Dallas Cowboys, like the 49ers and Eagles before them, say enough is enough. Terrell Owens, signed by the Cowboys last weekend to a three-year contract worth up to $25 million, while arguably the best wide receiver in football, too often during his 10-year career has been as disruptive as he has been dominant.

 

“ Listen man. I'm going into Year 14. I want to win. This is a guy that's going to help us win right now. ”

  — Drew Bledsoe on the Cowboys' signing Terrell Owens

 

And yet for some reason, the Cowboys believe -- despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary and a unique body of work that, along with 101 touchdown catches and more than 10,000 receiving yards, includes two divided locker rooms and franchises -- that somehow it'll be different this time. That Owens will be different. That Bledsoe and Bill Parcells will be spared the wrath that Jeff Garcia, Steve Mariucci, Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid were not.

 

And I agree.

 

Hear me out.

 

First, Owens got paid. He received a record deal, about which he flows on his Web site. All Owens has to do is perform the way he can and not act out enough to get kicked off the team and he should see every dime.

 

No one expects Owens to change, but he has the ultimate incentive to behave. "The guy's been through some stuff," Bledsoe said. "I don't think he wants to sit down for half the year anymore."

 

Second, Parcells and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have experience when it comes to dealing with what we'll call high-maintenance players, a fact about which Jones elaborated extensively during the news conference Saturday to announce the Owens signing. The Cowboys still will give Owens the leeway to be himself. (By the way, we've all heard the expression about too many egos in one room, but I can't imagine a gathering of larger egos than the one we saw Saturday, with Jones, Owens and the player's omnipresent agent, Drew Rosenhaus, taking center stage.)

 

"The thing about playing for Bill is he makes everything so simple. It's just cut-and-dried," Bledsoe said. "I'm sure he's already had conversations with T.O. about this is what I expect, this is how we're going to do things. Look at the guys who have played for Bill, he's not asking anybody to mold themselves into a certain kind of personality. The thing that Bill always wants is players that are consistent, he knows what he's going to get out of them week in and week out. If you give him that, you can have your personality."

 

Third, even with Terry Glenn on the other side and Jason Witten over the middle, Owens will get his catches. Though Bledsoe owns a lower career completion percentage (57.3) than either Garcia (60.9) or McNabb (58.4), he's the best pure passer of the three. He'll hit Owens accurately, on time and in the right spot.

 

So there's a good chance we won't see as much of Owens's histrionics in Dallas. Not that it would bother Bledsoe much anyway.

 

"I'm just going to establish right from the start: Hey, I don't need all the noise and all that stuff. You come to me and give me honest information and I'm going to get you the ball," Bledsoe said. "Give me something to use for the next play. I'll make sure he knows that I'm always focused on the next play and not the last play. The noise isn't going to help us on the next play.

 

"I'm going to give him his respect and listen to what he has to say. But he's going to know going in that all the noise is not going to get him the ball more. What's going to get him the ball more is honest information. That's all I need."

 

Bledsoe has plenty of experience, certainly more than McNabb before Owens arrived in Philadelphia, dealing with demanding diva receivers (which has become a bit of a redundant term). Consider Glenn, who was Bledsoe's teammate with the New England Patriots for years before they reunited in Dallas. In Buffalo, Bledsoe had to deal with Eric Moulds. Most recently Keyshawn Johnson, with whom, Bledsoe says, he had a better relationship than their well-publicized sideline altercation last season -- "that was literally over in about 30 seconds," Bledsoe said -- might have led most people (including yours truly) to believe.

 

"You can talk to the guys I've played with, if they were open and I didn't see them for some reason, I'm honest with them," Bledsoe said. "Sorry man, I didn't see you. I'll get you the next time. I'm honest about it and if they're honest with me, we never had a problem.

 

"There may be an episode here or there that comes up, but I just don't see [Owens' presence] being a distraction the way it was in the past. Maybe that's a naïve way to approach it."

 

The Cowboys didn't consult Bledsoe before signing Owens, but "I would have signed off on it in a heartbeat," he said.

 

"Listen man. I'm going into Year 14. I want to win. This is a guy that's going to help us win right now."

 

Bledsoe was being sincere, not politically correct. If you're curious about his immediate reaction to the news that the Cowboys had added Owens, ask his buddy Damon Huard, who was with him when Bledsoe got the word and who called his brother, Brock, and told him how psyched Bledsoe was.

 

Bledsoe is willing to give T.O. the benefit of the doubt because he isn't taking the word of ESPN or Sports Illustrated or sports talk radio. He isn't judging Owens on what he saw or heard from him or read about him. Instead, he's taking the word of buddies who have played with Owens, who've seen his legendary work ethic, the way he approaches practice, how he and the guys play cards in the locker room. Of course, the numbers speak for themselves.

 

When Bledsoe and Owens spoke Monday, it was mostly small talk, according to the quarterback. Bledsoe said he could hear in Owens' voice how excited he was and told him the feeling was mutual. Owens shared his upcoming schedule and told Bledsoe when he would be in Dallas so that they could connect. They exchanged numbers. He told Bledsoe that he was looking forward to playing with a proven pocket passer (one who is 3,557 yards from passing Fran Tarkenton for fifth place all time). The call was a pleasant surprise to Bledsoe, who said he'd planned to touch base with T.O. either later that night or Tuesday.

 

"Is there a part of it that's risky? Yeah," Bledsoe acknowledged. "The guy acts up, he can cause problems, particularly with all the attention that's paid to him. But it is it a risk worth taking? I think it definitely is. The reward is well worth the risk.

 

"I may be going into it a little bit naïve. I just think it's going to be a great thing for everybody involved."

 

Initially I didn't think so. I doubted how well Owens and Bledsoe would mesh. I've since been convinced otherwise. Then again, maybe I'm like Bledsoe. Maybe I'm being naïve.

 

Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Contact him here."

639519[/snapback]

 

Maybe, but D doesnt have an offensive line and we know how bad dreadsoe is without 40 seconds to throw the ball. At the very least this is a circus waiting to happen, Cowboys pull up the rear in their divison. Hell is coming to Dallas and bringing to with it.

[Bob in SC]

Now be honest - Would you rather have Bledsoe and Owens or Losman/Holcomb and Evans? Or, the Buffalo offensive line or the Dallas one? Which would give us more hope and excitement for the 2006 season? No com-parison. But we diehard Bills will love them anyway!

[Fezmid]

we know how bad dreadsoe is

Let it go, already.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

Let it go, already. 

639584[/snapback]

 

some people really can't. It's not even worth it pointing out the obvious even though it didn't work out here our current qb's wish they could be "as bad" as Bledsoe.

[jarthur31]

MeShawn is a more reserved "football player" than TO. And we all saw what happened there.

 

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan Kenobi said to his Jedi Master.

[The Dean]

Now be honest - Would you rather have Bledsoe and Owens or  Losman/Holcomb and Evans? Or, the Buffalo offensive line or the Dallas one? Which would give us more hope and excitement for the 2006 season? No com-parison. But we diehard Bills will love them anyway!

639568[/snapback]

 

 

I'd rather have a good offensive line.

[IDBillzFan]

Putting Drew Bledsoe and TO on the same team is like putting a Fourth of July sparkler up the ass of the Tazmanian Devil and shoving him in the cage with Tweetie Bird.

 

Good luck with that, y'all.

[Pyrite Gal]

Maybe, but D doesnt have an offensive line and we know how bad dreadsoe is without 40 seconds to throw the ball. At the very least this is a circus waiting to happen, Cowboys pull up the rear in their divison. Hell is coming to Dallas and bringing to with it.

639543[/snapback]

 

Actually if Parcells watches tapes of the Bills games with Bledsoe under GW/Kevin Killdrive and Bledsoe under MM/Clements the blitz should not scare him alot.

 

MM/Clements under TD cerrainly crapped up the offense under JP, but MM/Clements really showed some good football once they got things under control after an 0-4 start and eventually pulled off a lengthy win streak before a better team Pittsburgh beat the Bills in all phases of the game including a lackluster Bledsoe performance.

 

Clements put on a play calling show on how to beat the blitz with the immobile Bledsoe at QB calling:

 

1. Bledsoe has little mobility, no escapability and is no runner, but to beat the blitz you have to run him from time to time.

 

Basically any QB can pick up 5-7 yards running the QB blitz if the OLBs are focused on taking outside lanes to get to the pocket. Clements called the QB draw empugh times that it simply kept the LBs at home guarding against giving up the middle of the field. Bledsoe has negative zero breakaway speed, but when he can turn a 1st and 10 into a second down with a run/pass option available to the O, or cam turn a 2 and 10 into a 3rd down with medium or even short yardage it really helps the O alot and makes it harder for the D to sellout on the blitz, Killdrive never used Bledsoe as a runner and this allowed the LBs to sellout completely on the blitz.

 

2. If you cannot defeat the opposiion straight up then call trick plays.

 

MM/Clements made liberal use of trick plays like the hand off and pitch back to Bledsoe who specializes in throwing the long ball well to a speedster like Evans who only needs the CB to cheat a step toward the run to be open deep.

 

3. An effective runner who can get outside does a lot to beat the blitz/

 

The Bills made great use in 04 of the outside threat and ability to lay DBs out with his stiff arm to force the D to always be wary of defending the outside. When the D is covering the line outside they don;t b;itz as much. I know little about Dallas RB Jones running style, but if he presents any turning the corner threat it will help them out against the blitz a lot.

 

4. Bledsoe has a ton of failings (boy don't we know) but he also does a lot well and make use of those things.

 

As annoyed as Bills fans were with DB, his good points are:

 

A. Besides the exception of the Jones hit which collapsed his lung Bledsoe is a big durable fellow. He will get blitzed and tackled a bunch but he started every game he was on the Bills for and Parcells should not live in fear of Bledsoe getting hit. He's a big boy (actually a very big boy).

B. He has great hands. Trey Teague as he learned the center position and particularly on shotgun snaps was saved by Bledsoe's ball handling ability. Do not fear that Jones will pitch the ball to him with the skill of an EB and not a QB cause WM did the same thing and Bledsoe handled these pitches and still hit Evans (and at least once Moulds) going deep downfield.

C. Bledsoe has seen a lot of football and though sometimes he suffers brain lock (like the time he threw a pass OB to avoid a sack, but it was 4th down on the final play of the game. boy it was ugly). However. Bledsoe follows orders as any yoke; would and he is capable of pulling off some great fakes like the time he faked the QB sneak and at the last moment pitched it back to WM who scampered 40+ yards for the TD.

 

Like him or not the reality is that the man owns an SB ring earned with NE that by playing QB for the majority of a must-win game and even throwing the winning TD he deserved. Further he did lead NE to an SB berth under Parcells. Further in 2002 he deserved his reserve Pro Bowler nod as he ran a Bills owe that completed 100 passes to Moulds, and 94 to PP and ran TH for about 1400 yds (if you disagree you can simply blather that Bledsoe completely sucks or you can name who should have gotten the Pro Bowl reserve nod instead of him that year (that sound you hear is crickets).

 

Bledsoe has demonsttrated that he is not capable of leading a team to the playoffs of the lay the ball on the carpet on ST (Clements against Pitts), shanl a makeab;e FG (Lindell against Pitss) or the D gives up over a 100 yards to a 4rd or 5th stringer (Pitts was resting at least it two lead backs in that game).

 

Bledsoe is simply not the QB he once was when he could use his golden arm to lead a bad team to a win. That being said however, he is capable of playing QB on a winning TEAM if the TEAM and the HC carry him along emphaszing his positives and avoiding his negatives.

 

The blitz is one of those things that can be minimized through good playcalling and the hits an immobile Bledsoe will certainly take in any case can be shrugged off by the big guy.

 

After watching Bledsoe the blitz does not bother me more than it does for a more mobilr QB IF a team does good playcalling even with a bad OL(.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

It is certainly not a given that B will get T the ball as much as T will like to have it. I can see T turning on B even faster than he did on McNabb. McNabb was never the type to get rattled, and underperform, as Bledsoe has traditionally done. So if it occurs, T could easily do his thing and Parcells could have his hands full.

 

While driving thru the Philadelphia area today, some of the local sports talk announcers were speculating about this sort of thing.

[Orton's Arm]

Actually if Parcells watches tapes of the Bills games with Bledsoe under GW/Kevin Killdrive and Bledsoe under MM/Clements the blitz should not scare him alot.

639636[/snapback]

Excellent analysis of how the Bills were able to deal with blitzes. However, I'll take issue with one of the points you made: the RB the Bills faced in that season finale was Willie Parker. Fast Willie Parker. Yeah, he was 3rd string when the Bills faced him, but he beat out both Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley for the starter's spot the next year. So the Bills were looking at a starter-quality RB, on whom they had little film, in the final game of the season. Not only that, Parker was fresh, because he'd seen very little playing time up to that point.

 

Not that there's any excuse for a "very good" defense to allow a nine minute drive in a must-win game.

[Fezmid]

Excellent analysis of how the Bills were able to deal with blitzes. However, I'll take issue with one of the points you made: the RB the Bills faced in that season finale was Willie Parker. Fast Willie Parker. Yeah, he was 3rd string when the Bills faced him, but he beat out both Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley for the starter's spot the next year. So the Bills were looking at a starter-quality RB, on whom they had little film, in the final game of the season. Not only that, Parker was fresh, because he'd seen very little playing time up to that point.

 

Not that there's any excuse for a "very good" defense to allow a nine minute drive in a must-win game.

639647[/snapback]

In addition, Parker may have been the backup, but Pitt kept their starting OL in for most/all of the game. Their VERY GOOD starting OL...

 

True, our "Very good" defense should've stopped 'em, but they didn't. Not 100% their fault though, they were playing against tough competition on the line.

 

CW

[Pyrite Gal]

Excellent analysis of how the Bills were able to deal with blitzes. However, I'll take issue with one of the points you made: the RB the Bills faced in that season finale was Willie Parker. Fast Willie Parker. Yeah, he was 3rd string when the Bills faced him, but he beat out both Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley for the starter's spot the next year. So the Bills were looking at a starter-quality RB, on whom they had little film, in the final game of the season. Not only that, Parker was fresh, because he'd seen very little playing time up to that point.

 

Not that there's any excuse for a "very good" defense to allow a nine minute drive in a must-win game.

639647[/snapback]

 

Your addition is a sound one as a specific point, but does not change the overall analysis that Bledsoe is not capable of leading a team whose D gets beaten by a better O and whose ST males critical mistakes.

 

Im addition a recognition that Parker was a third stringer on his way up also does not change the key point of the reply that just because Bledsoe is not capable of being John Elway this does not mean he can't be the QB of a team which makes the playoffs.

 

Some folks are entertaned by assuming that if a player sucks in a lot of ways )or even in a couple of ways) he sucks at everything. While football is far from reality, reality and even football doesn't work like that.

[Pyrite Gal]

It is certainly not a given that B will get T the ball as much as T will like to have it.  I can see T turning on B even faster than he did on McNabb.  McNabb was never the type to get rattled, and underperform, as Bledsoe has traditionally done.  So if it occurs, T could easily do his thing and Parcells could have his hands full. 

 

While driving thru the Philadelphia area today, some of the local sports talk announcers were speculating about this sort of thing.

639637[/snapback]

 

The best thing about this move is that it is virtually a no lose situation for Parcells and probably be for Bledsoe.

 

If TO keeps his mouth shut enough (doubtful but possible) they win.

 

If TO melts down yet again, they cut him and move on with essentially the Keyshawn hole to fill (bad but not impossible).

 

In the interim when he is on the field drawing DTs he makes the aging Glenn a more productive WR and allows the developing Witten to run wild over the middle.

 

In terms of management, just ignore this A-hole when he rants there is little reason to go out of their way to make it work, because either he grows up or it simply cannot be made to work.

[Orton's Arm]

Your addition is a sound one as a specific point, but does not change the overall analysis that Bledsoe is not capable of leading a team whose D gets beaten by a better O and whose ST males critical mistakes.

639661[/snapback]

Not trying to change the overall analysis. As you point out, Bledsoe has his strengths as well as his limitations, and it's sometimes easy for people to see the bad but not the good (or vice versa).