Bledsoe has to step up

Bledsoe is due for a 3 TD game to keep up the quarterly pace he had been on. 3 TDs would move him into the #14 spot at 240 for his career. 24 Completions would move him into #6, passing Fran Tarkenton. However the elements may dictate a running game. I predict Dallas will have a good running game today, with Julius breaking 100 yards for the first time.
 
big_neil said:
Instant Scapegoat Recipe:
------------------------------

1) Start with a lousy team (ex. 3-13 2001 Bills, 6-10 2004 Cowboys)

2) Add Bledsoe

3) Become an instant contender

4) Assume you are a Super Bowl caliber team

5) Start subtracting teams actual performances from what your imaginary Super Bowl team in your mind would do

6) Blame Bledsoe for any difference observed between actual team and imaginary team. Claim Bledsoe is holding you back from the Super Bowl

7) Release Drew and go back to being a lousy team

8) Repeat from Step 1
Click to expand...

Whoa!!

I can't think of a situation more conducive to not letting a QB become a scapegoat than what Bill Parcells has done for Drew Bledsoe here.

Whether it was bringing in a vet right guard to help seal the middle and find off the blitz, toss close to two million at Peerless Price because (at least partially because) he had familiarity with Drew, turn Keyshawn Johnson into a part time receiver, full time blocker, or just quiz Drew consistently about which plays he feels comfortable with, Tuna has accommodated the QB he himself chose to lead the offense.

So don't even think about continuing the victim mentality that existed in NE and Buffalo when things went south. There is enough talent on this team to win. Injuries happen to ALL teams, and it's just too bad one took Flozell Adams down.

But as long as max protect schemes are the order of the day here, cries of 'scapegoat' are ludicrous.

Maybe you should be entreating your hero to get rid of the damn ball faster. As it stands, there are no 'scapegoats' on this team (tho when I look at Jason Witten's numbers, I can see a case that could possibly be made.)
 
lspain1 said:
:hammer: Bledsoe will only be as good today as the OL lets him be.
Click to expand...
That is the case with any quarterback in any game ever played.

Today we have two young tackles, one a rookie, matched up against two primo pass rushers. They have to keep their wits about them, but the much more veteran quarterback has to drop back fast, scan the field with speed and precision, and make quick decisive throws. He has to be alert to the blitz and make them pay for it with his arm. Has to see those open receivers, and be 100% synched with his center. Has to be limber and agile enough to execute a few roll outs and keep the defenders guessing.

Drew Bledsoe is the best QB the Cowboys have had since Aikman. This is a day to prove it.
 
LaTunaNostra said:
Whoa!!

I can't think of a situation more conducive to not letting a QB become a scapegoat than what Bill Parcells has done for Drew Bledsoe here.

Whether it was bringing in a vet right guard to help seal the middle and find off the blitz, toss close to two million at Peerless Price because (at least partially because) he had familiarity with Drew, turn Keyshawn Johnson into a part time receiver, full time blocker, or just quiz Drew consistently about which plays he feels comfortable with, Tuna has accommodated the QB he himself chose to lead the offense.

So don't even think about continuing the victim mentality that existed in NE and Buffalo when things went south. There is enough talent on this team to win. Injuries happen to ALL teams, and it's just too bad one took Flozell Adams down.

But as long as max protect schemes are the order of the day here, cries of 'scapegoat' are ludicrous.

Maybe you should be entreating your hero to get rid of the damn ball faster. As it stands, there are no 'scapegoats' on this team (tho when I look at Jason Witten's numbers, I can see a case that could possibly be made.)
Click to expand...

Here we go another LTN victim thread.
Brother....

Bledsoe has helped lift this team- PERIOD
Max protect - LOL
He has a chance to break Dallas Yards in season record. Has completed 64% of his passes. 16 TD's and 9 picks. Leads NFC in passer rating.

Bledsoe's leadership is why we are playing for basically the NFC East today on a snowy day in December. Your hatred of Bledsoe and shoddy reporting on his past performance again noted. Keep digging LTN.
 
LaTunaNostra said:
That is the case with any quarterback in any game ever played.

Today we have two young tackles, one a rookie, matched up against two primo pass rushers. They have to keep their wits about them, but the much more veteran quarterback has to drop back fast, scan the field with speed and precision, and make quick decisive throws. He has to be alert to the blitz and make them pay for it with his arm. Has to see those open receivers, and be 100% synched with his center. Has to be limber and agile enough to execute a few roll outs and keep the defenders guessing.

Drew Bledsoe is the best QB the Cowboys have had since Aikman. This is a day to prove it.
Click to expand...

Yes, my words were a cliche, but your analysis lacks a bit of depth. Teams have been blitzing us continually putting pressure on the OL to make adjustments and shutting down the inside running game. Our lack of outside runs can be attributed to poor blocking at the point of attack by our tackles (and some poor lead blocking thrown in as well). Bledsoe has been caught from behind by an inside rush on two different occasions when he attempted to roll out.

I don't doubt Bledsoe has to do well today for us to win. But our game planning has altered significantly due to the loss of Adams (and perhaps Crayton) and little else. Bledsoe is making many more three step drops combined with quick outs and slants than at the beginning of the season. Glenn's role has been significantly reduced. Bledsoe's play is not responsible for this change. It is the performance of the OL.
 
LaTunaNostra said:
That is the case with any quarterback in any game ever played.

Today we have two young tackles, one a rookie, matched up against two primo pass rushers. They have to keep their wits about them, but the much more veteran quarterback has to drop back fast, scan the field with speed and precision, and make quick decisive throws. He has to be alert to the blitz and make them pay for it with his arm. Has to see those open receivers, and be 100% synched with his center. Has to be limber and agile enough to execute a few roll outs and keep the defenders guessing.
Click to expand...

If he could actually do all those things (especially on a consistent basis) he would've never been available to begin with.

And speaking of Aikman, you could just about say the same thing about him after the '95 season. If he could've done all those things when the team around him wasnt as stout as the previous 4 or 5 years, we might've made more than a cameo appearance in the playoffs over that span.
 
LTN is gassed - all her cries and previous Barbs at Bledsoe blew up in her face.

Now she's trying to paint failure on Drew today..... Simple math

My money is on the Dallas Cowboys today. Go Drew and the Boys!
LTN - I see through you. You came here as a Parcells worshipper. You are not a Dallas fan- at the end of the day. Your Bledsoe tact - noted
 
Nors said:
LTN is gassed - all her cries and previous Barbs at Bledsoe blew up in her face.

Now she's trying to paint failure on Drew today..... Simple math

My money is on the Dallas Cowboys today. Go Drew and the Boys!
LTN - I see through you. You came here as a Parcells worshipper. You are not a Dallas fan- at the end of the day. Your Bledsoe tact - noted
Click to expand...
Nors, save your attacks for that other board - the one where I don't post.

Here, I'm just gonna continue to school ya. Over and over and over again. :D

This Bledsoe fan comes in saying we are setting Bledsoe up as a scapegoat. That is bull crap. He says we were a 6-10 team expecting as SuperBowl. And anything less is going to make Bledsoe a patsy.

Well, we were a 6-10 team last season, and but we aren't now. Tho I doubt last spring anyone saw the SB under any circumstances, Jerry went out and opened his wallet wide in the offseason, and he and Bill drafted heavy on defense.

This year we categorically do NOT have a defense that will allow over 400 points, this team was significantly upgraded, and Bill was willing to play and even start rookies in order to get the best talent and potential on the field.

6-10 last year means s-q-u-a-t. In the age of parity, you strike while the iron is hot. The Eagles self-destucted and lost their QB to injury. The Skins squandered an early division lead. The Jints imo are marginally our superior, but there is NO team in this conference we can't hang with.

We are in the thick of the race, in front of it, with five games left to go.

It is indeed, as the thread starter said "time for Bledsoe to step up", step up and prove he is an elite NFL QB. And that may well mean transcending some less than Pro Bowl line play.

So now a lot of us DO expect the playoffs. And rest assured fingers will be pointed at whomever keeps us out of them...be it a young D that made critical errors, a defensive coordinator who didn't do this or that, a head coach who played it too conservatively, receivers who drop balls, linemen who don't block, or any other configuration of failure.

But that will not constitute 'scapegoating'.

Btw, this board has been more than fair to Drw Bledsoe, myself included. We haven't derided him for inaccurate passes or even picks..because those things are part of the game. And we have given him the benefit of the doubt based on oline play...go back and check my post game posts, instead of mouthing off...I've maintained poor oline play has 'qualified' all of Drew's less than ideal performances. Look it up.

However, should it come down to the final day of the season and a Bledsoe performance like the one that ended Buffalo's season last yer, expect the same result...mass fan diappointment. And it won't be 'scapegoating'.

Now go get ready for that Patriots game. :lmao2:
 
big_neil said:
Instant Scapegoat Recipe:
------------------------------

1) Start with a lousy team (ex. 3-13 2001 Bills, 6-10 2004 Cowboys)

2) Add Bledsoe

3) Become an instant contender

4) Assume you are a Super Bowl caliber team

5) Start subtracting teams actual performances from what your imaginary Super Bowl team in your mind would do

6) Blame Bledsoe for any difference observed between actual team and imaginary team. Claim Bledsoe is holding you back from the Super Bowl

7) Release Drew and go back to being a lousy team

8) Repeat from Step 1
Click to expand...

Okay... Mac Bledose....You should amend #2 to add top CB, top DT, very strong defensive draft, and pro bowl caliber OG, as well as your son to play QB. Not to mention the fact there was a solid offensive nucleus already in place.

So.... if you think your son is the sole cause of the turnaround..... you're sadly mistaken.
 
lspain1 said:
Yes, my words were a cliche, but your analysis lacks a bit of depth. Teams have been blitzing us continually putting pressure on the OL to make adjustments and shutting down the inside running game. Our lack of outside runs can be attributed to poor blocking at the point of attack by our tackles (and some poor lead blocking thrown in as well). Bledsoe has been caught from behind by an inside rush on two different occasions when he attempted to roll out.

I don't doubt Bledsoe has to do well today for us to win. But our game planning has altered significantly due to the loss of Adams (and perhaps Crayton) and little else. Bledsoe is making many more three step drops combined with quick outs and slants than at the beginning of the season. Glenn's role has been significantly reduced. Bledsoe's play is not responsible for this change. It is the performance of the OL.
Click to expand...


No one is saying the oline is excelling. But they have also been roundly taken to task for their failures. Similar to last season, but with a different blend, inconsistency has been the chief culprit. No one player can be said to 'suck'. But one miscue here and another there deprive the QB, whoever he may be, of finding his rhythm, and of sustaining drives.

The inconsistency has been not just game to game, but drive to drive, and play to play. No QB can engineer the kind of successful time of possession drives that Bill favors when a monkey wrench keeps getting thrown into the works.

That is why Bledsoe's mistakes have been qualified here, and even errors like his audibling pass to Glenn to effectively end the Thanksgiving game have been recognized as at least partially due to the failure of the line to convincingly run block.

The loss of Adams was major, regardless of what potential Torrin may possess. And this wouldn't be the first team that saw it's season end with the loss of its starting left tackle. But I don't think it will be...the defense has gelled very fast, and kept us competititive. In the end, it is on the coaches to alleviate losses to injury. The final judgment is on them.

This is the time of year when everyone has to step up, but particularly veteran players of current or former 'elite' status. JJT wrote an article this week entolling Glenn to step up. Key has been urged to do the same. Bledsoe should be included in the same category.

This is when the elite separate themselves from the bus drivers. This is when a vet QB proves it's more advantageous for him to be out there than a developing one. He sees something the lesser player wouldn't, reacts faster that a second teamer, sees an open receiver the other QB wouldn't, gets away from a blitz that would stop a kid or scrub dead in his tracks...

Like the thread originator said, it's time to 'step up'.
 
...plays a very critical part in the final run for the Cowboys.

It's been stated that he was involved in 13 of the team's 17 turnovers. One which specifically was the pivotal play in the Seattle win.

If I was an opposing defensive coordinator I would be licking my chops over Bledsoe right now.

Beating Dallas' o-line would give you a high percentage chance of beating Bledsoe. Especially given the weather conditions they are predicting for this game.

Ultimately we don't know what will happen, and that's why they play the games. As of right now it doesn't look good for the Cowboys.

Our weaknesses are: o-line, inconsistent run game, lack of experience at LB positions and thin at corner position.

That says force Dallas to pass by shutting down the run and run the ball with counter treys, cutbacks and pitches.

If there is snow and we can't keep the ball out of Tiki Barber's hands, we may lose another nail biter because we were unable to contain a big run.

BTW, for all of those who expect Barber to be a fumbling machine since his terrible 2003 campaign when he fumbled (9) times and lost (6) in (16) games he has changed his grip to be vertical instead of the horizontal. He holds the ball closer to his chest instead of swinging it out for defenders to poke at.

In 2005 in (11) games he has dropped the rock once and lost that fumble. That's an unlikely source to expect a turnover from. I wouldn't bank on it.
 
Huh? What is IT?

The "is Bledsoe good enough" threads?
 
Bledsoe is an elite QB - He's already proven that

He is taking this team deep for a change. We are scoring more, winning more behind a battered and porous line that is #29 in the NFL in running.

Bledsoe has stepped up and will today.


I never left - always watching.
To your chagrin :lol:

Mornin Miki
 
Bledsoe conditions!

Snowing here - 3 inches and blustery
Cold but not brutal - 28-30

Huge step up is Drews experience in Washington, Foxborough and Buffalo. His big arm can slice the swirling winds in Meadowlands. Eli's throws a "floating" type ball that is going to get away from him. He misses - overthrows a lot and this weather is going to be in his head.

Eli is a southern kid not as used to this weather.

I acn feel - IT

Dallas win - solid all the way around.
 
Elite QB's play well enough to win in big games.

Bledsoe's last big game was last year versus some scrubs from Pittsburgh, and he didn't play well enough to win.

That's not to say he hasn't come up big for us in some key games already this season, but they get REAL big from here on out, and today's game can put us in the drivers seat for the division and the playoffs.

An elite QB doesn't throw 2-3 picks in this one, or give up a costly fumble.

I believe in him - here - and I'm not saying he will, but just like the forum author said, Bledsoe needs to play well today.
 
Trip said:
Elite QB's play well enough to win in big games.

Bledsoe's last big game was last year versus some scrubs from Pittsburgh, and he didn't play well enough to win.

That's not to say he hasn't come up big for us in some key games already this season, but they get REAL big from here on out, and today's game can put us in the drivers seat for the division and the playoffs.

An elite QB doesn't throw 2-3 picks in this one, or give up a costly fumble.

I believe in him - here - and I'm not saying he will, but just like the forum author said, Bledsoe needs to play well today.
Click to expand...

Yes - that was a 9-3 finish by Buffalo.

Yes - Bledsoe didn't win that game but if I recollect his defense gave up 28 points.

That means nothing today. He's already won 2 AFC Championship games.


Go Dallas!
 
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