With what seems to be the worst (or best, depending on how you look at it) timing in the history of sports, the Patriots, in the week before the Super Bowl, have run head-on into a full-fledged quarterback controversy. When you think about it, though, there shouldn?t be any need for discussion about who should be under center for New England in the Super Bowl.
Drew Bledsoe should be starting on Sunday against the Rams.
A leg injury put Tom Brady on the sidelines last Sunday and let franchise QB Bledsoe get back to what he does best — sling a football a very, very long way. After riding the pines behind Brady for all but two games this season, Bledsoe entered the game, led the Pats to a touchdown on his first drive, and, hopefully for the Patriots, regained his starting job.
Despite what Packer fans might tell you, Drew Bledsoe may have the strongest arm in the NFL. He throws the best deep ball in the game, can rifle a pass 30 yards on a beeline, and yet still possesses an incredible amount of touch, as he displayed Sunday with his beautiful 28-yard, lofting sideline pass to Troy Brown on third-and-eight.
Although he is no Donovan McNabb in the way of mobility, the hulking Bledsoe (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) moves around well in the pocket, and, unlike the great Dan Marino, has averaged positive rushing yardage every season he has been in the league.
Bledsoe’s immense talent made the Washington State standout the first pick in the 1993 draft and has made him an instant star on a struggling New England squad. In only his second year, he passed for 25 touchdowns and 4,555 yards to lead the league. He has also been incredibly durable, missing only six total games in his career before this season.
Brady, on the other hand, is the antithesis of a star in a star-driven league. At Michigan, he was barely even noticed, as his playing days were sandwiched in between those of current Broncos starter Brian Greise and Drew Henson. Before this season, Henson was a more recognizable ex-Michigan QB than Brady, even though Henson left the program and is now playing third base in the Yankees’ farm system.
Brady’s arm strength doesn’t even approach Bledsoe’s, he’s not as intimidating in the pocket as Bledsoe, and he certainly doesn’t have Bledsoe’s experience, especially in big games.
But Brady does have exactly what Pats coach Bill Belichick was looking for in a quarterback. Belichick, a defensive genius whose offenses are euphemistically described as “conservative” (read: boring), never felt that the gunslinging Bledsoe was right for his system.
Brady, on the other hand, was just what Belichick was looking for: a patient, confident passer with reasonable arm strength and an ego as small as Bledsoe?s arm is big.
Belichick felt Brady could make the necessary reads and complete the five- to 15-yard passes his West-Coast type offense requires.
Belichick knew Brady would take a sack or throw the ball away instead of forcing a ball into coverage and throwing a bad interception, as Bledsoe is often prone to do.
Belichick had an idea that Brady, who possesses leadership qualities beyond his years, could help turn the talent-strapped Patriots, whose biggest star is probably cornerback Ty Law, into a blue-collar playoff team.
Nobody but Belichick had faith in Brady, but he came through on every count. He did what was asked of him all season, grinding out the ugly wins that Belichick wanted. But now, going into the Super Bowl, playing ugly is out of the question, and it?s time for Brady?s joyride at starter to be over.
The St. Louis Rams are the most explosive team the NFL has ever seen, and the last thing they would be accused of is playing ugly football. The Rams? high-octane offense, led by QB Kurt Warner and tailback Marshall Faulk, is unstoppable. Bottom line: the Rams will put points on the board, and to beat them, a team needs to put up even more.
And Tom Brady is just not the quarterback to do that.
While Brady was exactly the quarterback Belichick was looking for to get his team to the Super Bowl, Bledsoe is the QB he needs to win the Super Bowl.
The Rams simply cannot be stopped. Although some will say that the Packers succeeded in shutting down the Rams? offense by holding them to 292 yards two weeks ago, this is clearly not the case.
Brett Favre?s ridiculous total of six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, was enough to seal the Packers? fate. The game was over by halftime, and the Rams offense never needed to get going. Warner & Co. proved last week, against an Eagle defense that many consider to be the best in the league, that they are still firing on all cylinders.
Against the Eagles, Warner completed 67 percent of his passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. Faulk ran for a career playoff-high 159 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught four passes. Five different Rams had at least two catches.
No matter what defense Belichick throws at the Rams, the Pats will still have problems containing them. Their team speed is truly breathtaking, and they swallow up chunks of yardage like they were Orlando Pace at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Warner and Faulk will both find the end zone, guaranteed.
The Patriots, content all season to keep Bledsoe on the bench, now must see that their “backup” is the only QB who gives the Pats a fighting chance against the Rams. Bledsoe?s big arm is the only legitimate offensive weapon the Pats have, and airing it out seems to be the only possible option for New England if they want to beat the Rams.
As foolish as it seemed, Belichick stood by Brady all season, and it got him to the Super Bowl.
Belichick must realize now, in the biggest game of his coaching career, that the fate of the Patriots rests, as it should, squarely on the broad shoulders of Drew Bledsoe.
