k19
02-25-2005, 08:00 AM
Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005
Is he super -- or not?
'Boys, Bills in similar situations, but have opposite views on Bledsoe
By Jennifer Floyd Engel
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Is developing a young quarterback prospect the best way for a middling NFL team to reach the Super Bowl? Or is signing Drew Bledsoe?
The Cowboys and Buffalo Bills faced those exact choice this off-season. And they reached opposite conclusions.
The Bills dumped Bledsoe. The Cowboys signed him.
"I want to make it clear that we wanted Drew to come back. We offered him the opportunity to do that," Bills general manager Tom Donahoe said. "He still sees himself as a starter, and we respect that."
They respect it. They don't agree with it.
Donahoe and Bills coach Mike Mularkey say Bledsoe's best days are behind him. They said his lack of mobility left them vulnerable. They said he made their offensive attack predictable. And they honestly believe that they had topped out as a 9-7, non-playoff team with Bledsoe as their quarterback.
"I think we knew what we had with Drew," Mularkey said. "We think this is a step forward."
Think, of course, is the operative word. The NFL is jammed with players who had productive seasons after being labeled as washed up. The Cowboys believe Bledsoe is simply another in a long line.
"I like our side of the ledger better," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "We obviously think that is the way for us to get to the Super Bowl faster than Buffalo."
Jones' rationale goes beyond a simple judgment call on Bledsoe. It might, more than anything, be a sign of what he and the Bills think of the readiness of their young quarterbacks. The Bills were willing to take the leap of faith with J.P. Losman. The Cowboys were not willing to do the same with Drew Henson.
Jones' thinking, as explained by him, was that playing an inexperienced quarterback was too risky when they are trying to win now.
"We don't see it as a risk," Donahoe said. "We've seen enough of J.P. in training camp, and saw enough at the end of the year when he did come back. He has all the tools. Now, it's up to our coaches to get him ready, and it's up to the team to rally around him."
Losman and Henson are about to go into their second NFL seasons. Neither player saw much meaningful action last season. The only difference is Losman is not trying to make up for missed time because of baseball like Henson. That, and the Bills chose Losman over Bledsoe while the Cowboys chose Bledsoe over Henson.
"The fallacy there is: Is it likely that Drew [Henson] would be ready to come in and really give you every chance to win those ballgames?" Jones said. "Those odds are long and we would have had to start off slower than we'd want to start off."
Neither the Cowboys nor the Bills are looking to rebuild. Both think they can make a run at and in the playoffs.
So how can two teams, in almost the same situation with the same goals, reach such different conclusions on Bledsoe's ability to get them where they are trying to go?
"We just felt like that our offense needed a little bit more mobility, some of the things we like to do with running the quarterback and his ability to escape," Mularkey said. "Every year, the pass rush just seems to get more fierce and faster, and we just felt like we needed a little more mobility."
Bledsoe was asked about his mobility Wednesday when he was introduced as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. To say he bristled is an understatement.
"Lack of mobility?" Bledsoe said. "When one of these running quarterbacks wins the Super Bowl, I think that will be a lot more valid."
Winning, of course, is the ultimate test.
It will be the test of whether the Cowboys or the Bills made the right decision on Bledsoe.
"It's going to be a great situation for the Cowboys," said Texans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, who coached Bledsoe with the New England Patriots and remains close with him. "Bill and Drew is going to be a good marriage. You just wait."
Is he super -- or not?
'Boys, Bills in similar situations, but have opposite views on Bledsoe
By Jennifer Floyd Engel
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Is developing a young quarterback prospect the best way for a middling NFL team to reach the Super Bowl? Or is signing Drew Bledsoe?
The Cowboys and Buffalo Bills faced those exact choice this off-season. And they reached opposite conclusions.
The Bills dumped Bledsoe. The Cowboys signed him.
"I want to make it clear that we wanted Drew to come back. We offered him the opportunity to do that," Bills general manager Tom Donahoe said. "He still sees himself as a starter, and we respect that."
They respect it. They don't agree with it.
Donahoe and Bills coach Mike Mularkey say Bledsoe's best days are behind him. They said his lack of mobility left them vulnerable. They said he made their offensive attack predictable. And they honestly believe that they had topped out as a 9-7, non-playoff team with Bledsoe as their quarterback.
"I think we knew what we had with Drew," Mularkey said. "We think this is a step forward."
Think, of course, is the operative word. The NFL is jammed with players who had productive seasons after being labeled as washed up. The Cowboys believe Bledsoe is simply another in a long line.
"I like our side of the ledger better," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "We obviously think that is the way for us to get to the Super Bowl faster than Buffalo."
Jones' rationale goes beyond a simple judgment call on Bledsoe. It might, more than anything, be a sign of what he and the Bills think of the readiness of their young quarterbacks. The Bills were willing to take the leap of faith with J.P. Losman. The Cowboys were not willing to do the same with Drew Henson.
Jones' thinking, as explained by him, was that playing an inexperienced quarterback was too risky when they are trying to win now.
"We don't see it as a risk," Donahoe said. "We've seen enough of J.P. in training camp, and saw enough at the end of the year when he did come back. He has all the tools. Now, it's up to our coaches to get him ready, and it's up to the team to rally around him."
Losman and Henson are about to go into their second NFL seasons. Neither player saw much meaningful action last season. The only difference is Losman is not trying to make up for missed time because of baseball like Henson. That, and the Bills chose Losman over Bledsoe while the Cowboys chose Bledsoe over Henson.
"The fallacy there is: Is it likely that Drew [Henson] would be ready to come in and really give you every chance to win those ballgames?" Jones said. "Those odds are long and we would have had to start off slower than we'd want to start off."
Neither the Cowboys nor the Bills are looking to rebuild. Both think they can make a run at and in the playoffs.
So how can two teams, in almost the same situation with the same goals, reach such different conclusions on Bledsoe's ability to get them where they are trying to go?
"We just felt like that our offense needed a little bit more mobility, some of the things we like to do with running the quarterback and his ability to escape," Mularkey said. "Every year, the pass rush just seems to get more fierce and faster, and we just felt like we needed a little more mobility."
Bledsoe was asked about his mobility Wednesday when he was introduced as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. To say he bristled is an understatement.
"Lack of mobility?" Bledsoe said. "When one of these running quarterbacks wins the Super Bowl, I think that will be a lot more valid."
Winning, of course, is the ultimate test.
It will be the test of whether the Cowboys or the Bills made the right decision on Bledsoe.
"It's going to be a great situation for the Cowboys," said Texans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, who coached Bledsoe with the New England Patriots and remains close with him. "Bill and Drew is going to be a good marriage. You just wait."