My guess about who is a happy man today...

[Pyrite Gal]

TSW favorite Drew Bledsoe.

 

By being reinstated to the NFL Brett Favre has stalled off his eventual first ballot entry in the HOF by a year since he is no one is eligible until 5 seasons after they retire.

 

By rejoining the NFL Favre puts another year between his virtually guaranteed 1st ballot entry.

 

I do not remember exactly when folks retired, but my sense is that the NFL will go several years in a row with none of the over-hyped over-vaunted QB's entering the HOF. When Bledsoe hits his eligibility, the NFL likely will be starving to let in another stud QB. Bledsoe has piled up some impressive cumulative stats which when coupled with his wearing an SB ring which Brady did the huge lionshare of the work to acquire, but Bledsoe like it or not threw for the winning TD as a sub for an injured Brady in a must-win game to secure that SB win.

 

In addition, Bledsow was correctly booted by the Pats in favor of Brady, but he did earn a Pro Bowl berth (if you disagree then simply say who should have got it instead) in his one good year for the Bills.

 

He correctly got the boot here in Buffalo as TD was foolish to extend his contract and actually should have let Bledsoe go a year earlier than he did. Yet Bledsoe, though he clearly fell short of being the answer for Dallas over Romo, it also is true that the team improved its production in a significant way with Bledsoe at the helm of Parcell's team.

 

While it is easily questionable whether Bledsoe will get in on his first ballot (I do not think he deserves it, but alas it is the Hall of FAME and not the Hall of STATS and my guess that Favre rolling back his eventual entry by a year will likely enhance the chances that an NFL starved for a recognizable star which the over-promoted QB generally is will be more likely to give Bledsoe the honor.

 

Even if Bledsoe is denied the first ballot entry the star maker machine of the NFL produces, Favre putting off retirement for a year clears the deck in Bledsoe's second year of eligibility since if he went in with Favre he clearly would be second banana to this QB.

 

I certainly think he will be the start of the class if he is elected his second year of eligibility and depending on what happens with the starmaker machinery it may even sleaze in on his first ballot with the NFL knowing it will have to wait another year before the Favre HOF coronation.

[Lofton80]

Drew had some good years but not likely that he goes to Canton. There is a long enough waiting list for the HOF that they easily can pass on whoever retired in the correct year.

[Pyrite Gal]

Drew had some good years but not likely that he goes to Canton. There is a long enough waiting list for the HOF that they easily can pass on whoever retired in the correct year.

What is the list of players in waiting and more specifically who are the QBs in waiting. Sure there are guys who deserve to get in more, but my general memory of things is that the NFL with its ongoing bias to promote QBs which allowed a few of them to exploit a clothing line known as the QBs club is going to be Jonesing to get in a QB at about the time Bledsoe becomes eligible,

 

They routinely have cleared the decks of many QBs in waiting by voting in unquestioned applicants like Elway and even first round surprises like Jimbo in as quickly as they could print a throwback T-Shirt with their name on it to sell. They even reached back to his great career accomplishments pre-NFL and ignored the wife beating charges to put Warren Moon in.

 

The Favre re-enlistment merely means that for several years the NFL will be thinking about QB names like Testaverde and picking and promoting Bledsoe will almost certainly seem like a good deal in the popularity contest that is HOF voting.

 

The stalling of another year til they can bow at the Favre trough should benefit Bledsoe in that if the NFL is jammed for entrants (as they usually are in this select club) they get to pick Bledsoe in his second year of eligibility without the embarassment of direct comparison to Favre's career. The irony of this all may be that in fact if they are so starved for a A QB to promote when he comes off do not be shocked if he to gets in on his first ballot opportunity.

 

I may be wrong about the outcome of the votes, but this is pretty easily indicated if someone can point to specific people who are likely to beat Bledsoe in this popularity contest. I cannot think of who this candidates will be who will beat out a guy who played for a while, got an SB ring, made several Pro Bowls (including one late in his career after he was correctly cut by NE, and retired to Montana with his rep as a stand-up guy (say what you want about him but their is marked difference between how he re-acted when Brady obviously supplanted him and how a star like Eric Moulds melted down when father-time helped make Evans heir apparent to his stardom.

 

As I said, I will not be surprised if this popularity contest votes him in on the first ballot and now that better competition has removed himself from consideration for another year I will be surprised if he is not put in by his second appearance. Who knows, maybe he and the l'l woman will have some public falling out in 3 years and this will impact the vote for the HOF.

[Adam]

I would be shocked if he comes close to making a final ballot- ever. Even at his best, he wasn't that good. He had some stud offensive linemen- including hall of famer Bruce Armstrong. He had great targets like Ben Coates and a potential hall of famer at RB in Curtis Martin. He also had a great defense for most of his career.

 

He is an upper level journeyman, above Testaverde, but still nowhere near Hall of Fame caliber. I can see no QB going in with a class before they take him.

[Chilly]

Drew Bledsoe, HALL OF FAME?!

[Pyrite Gal]

I would be shocked if he comes close to making a final ballot- ever. Even at his best, he wasn't that good. He had some stud offensive linemen- including hall of famer Bruce Armstrong. He had great targets like Ben Coates and a potential hall of famer at RB in Curtis Martin. He also had a great defense for most of his career.

 

He is an upper level journeyman, above Testaverde, but still nowhere near Hall of Fame caliber. I can see no QB going in with a class before they take him.

Whom do you see as the next set of QBs to gain induction.

 

I will also try to check past records to see what the record is for years without a QB induction.

 

Favre is the next one for sure I can think of. It will be interesting to see if they have the marketing stomach to go several years without a QB as they seem slated to do for awhile until Favre comes around.

 

Bledsoe definitely went on a journey that included the NE place (where he had his career years, put up some top notch years, took a team to the SB in a losing role and then played an essential role in an SB winning year), booted out of town he went to Buffalo where he chalked up a Pro Bowl appearance after being passed by for a younger player, and then the journey ended after 3 stops (I guess 3 is the minimum to qualify as a journey) and though they did not reach the levels achieved under Romo the record improved with him coming there (whether someone wants to credit him or not).

 

The bottom line is that he hung around long enough that he put up some cumulative #s that rank high in QB yore.

 

You seem to have a lot more faith in the system to produce an outcome based on accomplishment rather than the hype surrounding the marketing of the QB position and the FAME (often undeserved at the level of credit/blame the QB gets) accorded to players.

 

Several thousand folks showed up in dicey weather at the Ralph for the Welcome Drew festival and several thousand season tickets got sold based on the hype (ironically he fulfilled the hype his first year). I think in the end the hype will have a big impact on this popularity contest. Do you disagree?

[Chilly]

Drew Bledsoe doesn't have "FAME", cept for sucking, lol. THe prevailing opinion from talking to people is that he sucked as a Cowboy, sucked as a Bill, and would ahve sucked as a Pat*.

[Paup 1995MVP]

TSW favorite Drew Bledsoe.

 

By being reinstated to the NFL Brett Favre has stalled off his eventual first ballot entry in the HOF by a year since he is no one is eligible until 5 seasons after they retire.

 

By rejoining the NFL Favre puts another year between his virtually guaranteed 1st ballot entry.

 

I do not remember exactly when folks retired, but my sense is that the NFL will go several years in a row with none of the over-hyped over-vaunted QB's entering the HOF. When Bledsoe hits his eligibility, the NFL likely will be starving to let in another stud QB. Bledsoe has piled up some impressive cumulative stats which when coupled with his wearing an SB ring which Brady did the huge lionshare of the work to acquire, but Bledsoe like it or not threw for the winning TD as a sub for an injured Brady in a must-win game to secure that SB win.

 

In addition, Bledsow was correctly booted by the Pats in favor of Brady, but he did earn a Pro Bowl berth (if you disagree then simply say who should have got it instead) in his one good year for the Bills.

 

He correctly got the boot here in Buffalo as TD was foolish to extend his contract and actually should have let Bledsoe go a year earlier than he did. Yet Bledsoe, though he clearly fell short of being the answer for Dallas over Romo, it also is true that the team improved its production in a significant way with Bledsoe at the helm of Parcell's team.

 

While it is easily questionable whether Bledsoe will get in on his first ballot (I do not think he deserves it, but alas it is the Hall of FAME and not the Hall of STATS and my guess that Favre rolling back his eventual entry by a year will likely enhance the chances that an NFL starved for a recognizable star which the over-promoted QB generally is will be more likely to give Bledsoe the honor.

 

Even if Bledsoe is denied the first ballot entry the star maker machine of the NFL produces, Favre putting off retirement for a year clears the deck in Bledsoe's second year of eligibility since if he went in with Favre he clearly would be second banana to this QB.

 

I certainly think he will be the start of the class if he is elected his second year of eligibility and depending on what happens with the starmaker machinery it may even sleaze in on his first ballot with the NFL knowing it will have to wait another year before the Favre HOF coronation.

Why did you come up with such an ill advised post? Bledsoe never gets in the hall of fame. He was horrible and I mean horrible his last two and a half years as QB of the Bills. I get ill thinking of his era. Noone who played like he played for the majority of the time as a Bill would ever get in the hall of fame. You are smarter than that Mr. Pyrite!!!

[Pyrite Gal]

Why did you come up with such an ill advised post? Bledsoe never gets in the hall of fame. He was horrible and I mean horrible his last two and a half years as QB of the Bills. I get ill thinking of his era. Noone who played like he played for the majority of the time as a Bill would ever get in the hall of fame. You are smarter than that Mr. Pyrite!!!

The combination of HOF festivities and Favre getting reinstated triggered the fevered thought in my head.

 

I don't know maybe folks have a little bit more faith than I do that the HOF decision making is based on some firm standard and is simply driven by some hard-edged assessment of the value of a particular player. If so, though stats can be manipulated to make many points, this firm NFL HOF standard can be easily reflected in stats.

 

OK.

 

Maybe the Easter Bunny is real as well.

 

In fact, I have fairly limited doubt that the NFL and the HOF committee are ultimately motivated by the NFL promoting itself, its stars, and making bucks.

 

I know many Bills fans are quite cheesed and bitter at Bledsoe.

 

Yet, I am surprised that they would seemingly allow this dismay with Bledsoe to influence folks not to realize that if one obtains a level of accomplishment which Bledsoe has reached if only through him accumulation through many years in the NFL. Like it or not I think I remember him amassing #s which put him around fifth in terms of both attempts and completions. His amassing #s which are in the top 10 (or even the top 20 given the # of QBs in the HOF will get him nominated.

 

Once nominated it will come down to a popularity contest and who decides to advocate for him. If the NFL is feeling at all cheesy about going from a standard of seemingly continual acknoledgment of QBs like Elway, Jimbo and Marino to a waste land awaiting the eventual Farve coronation, you will see Bledsoe get some serious consideration.

 

The disappointment of Bills fans is given too little play in any regards (IMHO) and I doubt the disappointment of many Buffalo fans is gonna influence a lot of the voters. In fact, I am quite certain that the Buffalo chapter of the Bledsoe experience is actually gonna be chalked up as an arguing point for him because he was able to put up a Pro Bowl season here.

 

As I have said I have no researched this issue to make statements which I do not think are subject to intelligent debate. However, in the absence of anyone stating any more objective facts like the roster of QBs waiting to get in having accumulated better $s than 5th or so in receptions and attempts, better #s than his 4 or so Pro Bowl appearances and a history of leading his team to the SB which he did once legitimately and playing an essential role for a team that won an SB when he threw the winning TD in a must-win game I think all the rant that label Bledsoe a journeyman who will not even get nominated are little more than fact-free opinions.

 

I think this is a big day for Bledsoe because assuming this stalls the nomination of Favre for a couple of years and the QB competition for an HOF honor of a QB will be true journeyman such as Testaverde, my guess is that as much as it pisses some folks off Bledsoe is likely in the HOF,

 

I can easily be wrong but if it is that easy there should be some objective facts that folks can point to such as his total stats for key items not being in the top 10 or 20, like his competition of retired QBs including names which are stiff competition, or some analysis by someone nice enough to take the time of the HOF ignoring the QB position for a time even approaching a decade if the candidates are not there.

 

I do not think these factoids are there and in their absence I think the original point stands.

[lets_go_bills]

Bledsoe had some good years and some bad ones. He was a number one overall pick whose lack of consistency plagued his career. His lack of mobility and poor decision-making also stand out. While I would say he was a good, servicable QB, he is certainly not Canton-worthy.

[Pyrite Gal]

Bledsoe had some good years and some bad ones. He was a number one overall pick whose lack of consistency plagued his career. His lack of mobility and poor decision-making also stand out. While I would say he was a good, servicable QB, he is certainly not Canton-worthy.

Whether you or I judge someone to be worthy in our humble opinions simply is not the point.

 

What strikes me as the point which I have yet to see controverted in this thread is:

 

1. Bledsoe will make the nomination list by virtue of stats he recorded at the QB position which place him the top 10 all time when he retired. Again, like it or not, I have seen no one state the objective facts which indicate that my feeling that having finished in roughly 5th position in both receptions and passes attempted and easily in the top 20 or top 10 in other basic QB stats such as total yardage, TD passes, etc he easily will be nominated.

 

2. Once nominated, this popularity test will be determined by the unknowable who advocates for him and against him, but just as Bledsoe's presence excited a bunch of Bills fans to brave wintery weather and show up at the Ralph for the fairly impromptu welcome Drew party and then he managed to have one his better years after he was correctly cut lose by the Pats and make the HOF he will have at least a punchers chance at getting the nod.

 

3, Further it is my contention that more than the facts and certainly more than the opinions of Bills fans that the reinstatement of Favre means it is quite likely we will see the NFL without an HOF QB for a number of years between Elway getting in and Favre eventually getting in, Folks may have more faith than I do in he NFL not being swayed by their marketing desire to have a QB in the HOF as often as they can, Just as Bills fans were originally quite willing to drink the Kool-Aid with the Welcome Drew hullabaloo and season ticket sale ramp up so too will the NFL push him into the HOF based on his accumulated stats. key part in SB appearers and winners and him actually scoring the fame of getting selected to the Pro Bowl after he became a Bill and when the Pats were done with hi.

 

I keep repeating the same thing but folks keep repeating the same fact-free opinions which may be true to those of us who watched him every week, but we do not vote in this popularity contest and no one has stated any real reasons why the NFL will not also drink the Kool-Aid.

[Rico]

Mac Bledsoe would be the only one capable of presenting this clown, everyone else would either be too embarrassed or unable to keep a straight face. Even the Tuna would have to pass after the Dallas fiasco lol.

[lets_go_bills]

Whether you or I judge someone to be worthy in our humble opinions simply is not the point.

 

What strikes me as the point which I have yet to see controverted in this thread is:

 

1. Bledsoe will make the nomination list by virtue of stats he recorded at the QB position which place him the top 10 all time when he retired. Again, like it or not, I have seen no one state the objective facts which indicate that my feeling that having finished in roughly 5th position in both receptions and passes attempted and easily in the top 20 or top 10 in other basic QB stats such as total yardage, TD passes, etc he easily will be nominated.

 

2. Once nominated, this popularity test will be determined by the unknowable who advocates for him and against him, but just as Bledsoe's presence excited a bunch of Bills fans to brave wintery weather and show up at the Ralph for the fairly impromptu welcome Drew party and then he managed to have one his better years after he was correctly cut lose by the Pats and make the HOF he will have at least a punchers chance at getting the nod.

 

3, Further it is my contention that more than the facts and certainly more than the opinions of Bills fans that the reinstatement of Favre means it is quite likely we will see the NFL without an HOF QB for a number of years between Elway getting in and Favre eventually getting in, Folks may have more faith than I do in he NFL not being swayed by their marketing desire to have a QB in the HOF as often as they can, Just as Bills fans were originally quite willing to drink the Kool-Aid with the Welcome Drew hullabaloo and season ticket sale ramp up so too will the NFL push him into the HOF based on his accumulated stats. key part in SB appearers and winners and him actually scoring the fame of getting selected to the Pro Bowl after he became a Bill and when the Pats were done with hi.

 

I keep repeating the same thing but folks keep repeating the same fact-free opinions which may be true to those of us who watched him every week, but we do not vote in this popularity contest and no one has stated any real reasons why the NFL will not also drink the Kool-Aid.

 

The very basis of your entire arguement is that because there are no QBs that seem worthy in the next few years, Bledsoe is virtually a lock for a spot in Canton. Take a moment to re-read your post and think about what you are saying. You are saying Bledsoe will get a spot in Canton by default. That is ludicous. The merits of the HoF are most certainly not based on quota-filling. Give your head a shake.

[BillnutinHouston]

I don't know maybe folks have a little bit more faith than I do that the HOF decision making is based on some firm standard and is simply driven by some hard-edged assessment of the value of a particular player.

 

 

It is - don't worry about it. Drew's not getting in.

[stinky finger]

Drew Bledsoe=Bert Blyleven

 

I don't care what the #s say, he gets in like I do. By purchasing a ticket.

[GG]

If you can tell me how Drew Bledsoe is better than Bert Jones, then you can argue that he may belong in Canton.

[1billsfan]

Drew Bledsoe is not going to the Hall of Fame. He was very good is his day, but not good enough to warrant HOF induction.

[Pyrite Gal]

If you can tell me how Drew Bledsoe is better than Bert Jones, then you can argue that he may belong in Canton.

Thank you for the post as it is far better than many of the fact-free screeds in this thread in that it does propose an alternative who is more deserving of an HOF spot than Bledsoe.

 

Bert Jones was an interesting mention for me since as a ardent NFL fan in the 70s, Bert Jones was one of those names that everybody who watched the game knew. I remember him as having one of the best arms ever, though I would guess he did not have the team around him as a Bears fan in my youth playing against Bert Jones was never a thought that bought any fear on my part as a fan.

 

Looking at his career stats however as an indicator of his career, if folks want to keep Bledsoe out of the HOF they will need to come up with better competition than Bert Jones.

 

Bledsoe easily piled up more completions, attempts, and yards than Jones (in fact well over twice as many) did in his career. Jones strong suits were that he had a rocket arm and had one of the best years ever in the 1876 regular season.

 

However, my guess is that Jones will fall short of Bledsoe in the eyes of the HOF voters as not only did Bledsoe show far more durability in his career which allowed him to double Jone's output, but Jones has a pretty clear record of being far better in the regular season than he was in the playoffs.

 

In fact, at the prime of his career he did a great job leading the Colts to division championships but in 3 straight years they went out in the first round. One of Bledsoe's missing elements is leading a team to an SB victory over a full season. However, this obviously is no flat out disqualifier as the explanation of Jimbo getting leading his team to a phenomenal 4 straight berths is a reasonable explanation for him never winning it all which is far more than a simple excuse.

 

Likewise, Bledsoe can correctly be faulted for never leading a team for a full season to an SB win, but again the fact that he did lead his Pats team to the big dance once AND also played the critical role at Q throwing the winning TD in a must-win playoff game far exceeds anything Bert Jones ever achieved with his teams.

 

When one links this fact with the fact that Bledsoe's cumulative stats far outpace Jones, it strikes me as not much of a question that Bledsoe is a better candidate than Bert Jones.

[stinky finger]

Thank you for the post as it is far better than many of the fact-free screeds in this thread

And thank you for your usual "abridged" version of a topic that is absolutely not worth discussing. You puking up 10 paragraphs doesn't validate Drew's induction into the HOF. Give it up, he garners no support here nor should he.

 

You want a fact? Here's one, Bledsoe isn't good enough to get into the hall.

[Nervous Guy]

Kenny Anderson is much more deserving than Bledsoe...when's he going to get in?