Bills to release Bledsoe

[Prickly Pete]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...len&id=1992404

With the Buffalo Bills poised to elevate second-year quarterback J.P. Losman to the starting job for 2005, ESPN.com has confirmed that the team will announce the release of 12-year veteran Drew Bledsoe on Wednesday afternoon, allowing him to become a free agent and continue his career with another team.

[RIyankee]

Bledsoe has his flaws but this move does not make the Bills better for '05.


Hey Natalie,

Bledsoe with Dallas???

What do you think?

[RhodyYanksFan]

Bledsoe has his flaws but this move does not make the Bills better for '05.


Hey Natalie,

Bledsoe with Dallas???

What do you think?

Yeah, why not get rid of one has-been QB for another. Just what Dallas needs. Maybe they should get rid of their apparantly has-been coach.

[JeffWeaverFan]

My guess is this has to do with their cap situation. Otherwise, I don't understand the move.

[#1PaFan]

Bledsoe has his flaws but this move does not make the Bills better for '05.


Hey Natalie,

Bledsoe with Dallas???

What do you think?

I actually heard that predicted on, I believe, ESPN.

[RIyankee]

Yeah, why not get rid of one has-been QB for another. Just what Dallas needs. Maybe they should get rid of their apparantly has-been coach.

I wouldn't call Parcells a "has-been". He did a wonderful job in his first season in Dallas. I expected Dallas to fall back in '04 due to a tougher schedule, and the fact that his '03 team overacheived.

Back on-topic...

Jim Plunkett was washed-up when he arrived in Oakland and started on 2 SB teams.

Vinny Testaverde was washed-up when he arrived in the Meadowlands and led the Jets to their first ever AFC East title and a spot in the AFC championship game in 1998.

A year ago, I read interviews with Bills head coach Mularkey. He stated that he'll stress more timed route patterns and quick releases. After I was done chuckling, I felt sorry for Drew. In NE, OC Ernie Zampese tried doing that with Bledsoe and that didn't work. Looking back at his career, his game went south in 1999, the same year TE Ben Coates started showing his age and poor attitude. Drew needs deep threats at WR, a solid pass-catching TE, and a good pass-protecting O-Line. Unfortunately, that's hard to do all that under a salary cap.

To accurately review Bledsoe, one must look at the reasoning behind his great 2002 season and is horrific 2003 year. The difference between the two seasons can be summed up with one name: Peerless Price. The Bills should have never let him go. He had the deep speed that fit in with Drew's preference of throwing the deep ball. His rookie replacement, Jake Reed, is a slower WR who is more of a possession type. Ironically, the Bills were on their way to solving their problem by drafting Wisconsin WR Lee Evans in the first round of the 2004 Draft. But Mullarkey fell in love with his system, a mistake most new head coaches make, and J.P. Losman and wound up wasting a 1st round pick trying to fix a problem that might not have been broken. The Bills should have stuck with Gregg Williams for one more year.

[RhodyYanksFan]

Wow, you really looked into this. Football must be your favorite sport.

[NYYFAN]

Good bye Gannon...hello Drew...

[BroadwayBomber55]

Drew Bledsoe is a has-been QB. He had only one productive year since he went to Buffalo. Other than that one year and the backup performance against Pittsburgh in the 2001-02 AFC Championship Game, his career went down the drain.

[Prickly Pete]

My guess is this has to do with their cap situation. Otherwise, I don't understand the move.

I'm sure that's part of it, but apparently not all of it. From Len Pasquarelli of ESPN:

The decision to release Bledsoe now, though, is not so much a function of finances as it is the need by Buffalo to move in a different direction. The Bills feel they have gone as far as they can with Bledsoe and that they have to change the offensive dymanic in 2005 to close the gap between themselves and New England. They view the instant success of Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh this season as validation that you can, indeed, win with a young quarterback when you surround him with solid talent.

I've heard the talk of Bledsoe to Dallas, and I guess it makes some sense, but they just threw all that money at Drew Henson. When are they going to at least give him a chance to be the starter?

[RIyankee]

Good bye Gannon...hello Drew...

Drew is the perfect AL Davis QB. But Collins is too.

[DaBoys4LifeNYY35]

Bledsoe to Dallas is as predictable as Vinny to Dallas was last year. I hated the latter suggestion before anyone even suggested it, and I hate the former, too--unless he's 100% guaranteed to be the backup, and I mean GUARANTEED (This all presuming that Vinny is gone). Dallas has the pieces in place for Bledsoe to be effective, but the OTHER Drew NEEDS to play, and by bringing in yet another "Parcells Guy", the chances of that happening lessen. (Who can tell that I'm SICK AND TIRED of "Parcells Guys"? Dedric Ward? DEDRIC WARD?!?!)

[RIyankee]

Bledsoe to Dallas is as predictable as Vinny to Dallas was last year. I hated the latter suggestion before anyone even suggested it, and I hate the former, too--unless he's 100% guaranteed to be the backup, and I mean GUARANTEED (This all presuming that Vinny is gone). Dallas has the pieces in place for Bledsoe to be effective, but the OTHER Drew NEEDS to play, and by bringing in yet another "Parcells Guy", the chances of that happening lessen. (Who can tell that I'm SICK AND TIRED of "Parcells Guys"? Dedric Ward? DEDRIC WARD?!?!)

Now you know exactly how Patriots fans felt in 1993-94 when Parcells brought in his former Giants players as free agents.

[S2]

3 years later and the whole Brady or Bledsoe argument is kinda one-sinded, huh?

[DaBoys4LifeNYY35]

Now you know exactly how Patriots fans felt in 1993-94 when Parcells brought in his former Giants players as free agents.

I guess so.

I wasn't too upset about it at first--Glenn is still fast and sure handed when not injured, Keyshawn did more than his part last year--and then came Vinny, and then it just got COMPLETELY ridiculous and out of hand with Dedric Ward taking up a roster spot for most of the season. I mean, come on--Dedric Ward was wearing a Cowboys uniform while Antonio Bryant, bad attitude or not, was sent to Cleveland. Abominable!

[Pepper03]

3 years later and the whole Brady or Bledsoe argument is kinda one-sinded, huh?

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing.

I must confess that I was really upset they picked Bledsoe over Brady, so anything I say about football you can disregard.

I'm still a Bledsoe fan, I hope wherever he ends up he can be productive and be a winner again.

[jdolbow]

The guy's got a cannon for an arm, but he consistently makes bad decisions. I really never liked him when he played for the Pats - vivid memories of screaming at the TV after another Bledsoe misfire...

[cubswin]

I guess so.

I wasn't too upset about it at first--Glenn is still fast and sure handed when not injured, ...!

Fortunately, Glenn is a virtual iron man...