Bledsoe: Sacks and Options

[Hostile]

By pedigree, do you mean his draft position? Cause Ryan Leaf, Heath, Schuler, Rick Mirer and many others have been drafted in the 1st round and haven't had as good a career as Carter.

Jumping in here. Pedigree can mean a lot of things besides draft position. Tom Brady has pedigree because he went to a school that lately has had success turning out NFL QBs. That is pedigree. He was a 6th round draft pick.

Phil Simms (3rd rounder) has pedigree because his family has succeeded at the position. Same with the Mannings.

Drew Henson and Tony Romo have pedigree because their fathers were coaches.

Joe Montana had pedigree because he came out of a college that at the time was producing some decent QBs.

Does pedigree always hold? No, of course not. Gino Torreta had pedigree. Ken Dorsey does. I doubt either will ever follow in the Miami traditions of Kelly and Testaverde.

I'll still put my money on pedigree more times than not. However, it does pay to listen to scouts who doubt QBs. It is the most scrutinized position in any sport. It always will be.

I can question Bledsoe's judgement on the field in holding the ball too long, something that no 12 year NFL veteran should have to be taught.

I can question Bledsoe's intangibles since he has been welcomed everywhere he has been, but was booted out as a disappointing failure after being given every opportunity to prove his 'metal'.

I'm not a Bledsoe guy by any wild stretch, and I think he is less than what we need, but some outlooks on him border on outright nonsense. This is awfully close. Do I think he's regressing? Yes, I do and as such I wouldn't have gambled on him as much. But "disappointing failure?" That's a stretch.

Carter was never welcomed in Dallas the way he should have been and was given little in the way of supporting cast, yet found a way to win with what he had.

To a point, I agree with this. Just once before I die I'd like to see one of you Q apologists admit that the support from the defense mattered a lot. I believe I'll faint on the spot.

He also had more detractors than supporters in Dallas, yet kept his head up.

His detractors are so many because his supporters were so in your face about him. Dead serious about that. You wanna know why people dislike him so much look no further than his staunchest supporters.

There is your heart,class and toughness.

Sorry, I just totally disagree. There is nothing classy about the way he left this team. Nothing tough about it. It is an insult to "heart" to say this. Did he give his best? Yes, I think he did. That doesn't get you the highest accolades in football. No sir.

For every year he as been in the NFL he has been in the top 5 of longest completions for a TD. There is your arm strength,also Joey Galloway had his highest YPC with Carter and so did Santana Moss.

This and 50 cents will buy you a can of pop.

Bledsoe will flop in Dallas, cause he's flopped everywhere else he has been. Even a great defense and having a first and second caliber running back couldn't help him get to the playoffs the last few years.

He might. No doubt about it.

 

[i live for the cowboys]

u along with a lot of other people are so negative can't u at least wait for the regular season foe so much doom and gloom jesus

 

[ravidubey]

This trait of his is not dependent on personnel, and it won't be a marginal upgrade of
JJ over McGahee, or the superiority of Witten that will matter, but if that confounded lack of discipline Drew has is eradicated, or at least minimized.
...
until he can revert to the game he played under Bill, which was to take what you are given ALWAYS, and not lose it or hold onto it if the long option isn't there, ....because it won't be easy for Drew to look to Jason or Key when he thinks he can get more...the sad fact is DCs know you can beat Drew Bledsoe by doing just two things...blitzing up the middle and taking the long ball away, because he has lacked the discipline to kill them underneath.

Great post, LTN, and more of the kind of response I had hoped to see after starting this thread.

I watched Bledsoe in New England a lot (had a couple of Patriot fanatics as friends), and I think we all realize that Ben Coates was a great, great intermediate target and whether it was the coaching, the TE's talent, Bledsoe's youth-- whatever-- that made him throw to the TE so much it's clear that two of those things are back in place now in Dallas: the coach and the talent at TE.

Coates caught 53, 96, 84, 62, 66, and 67 passes during his prime with Bledsoe, and only once did that total not lead the team. Coates wasn't the threat to cover the whole field like a Winslow (senior) or Gonzalez, but he was unstoppable in the intermediate middle.

As you mught have guessed IMO personnel matters alot, and as a bonus in Dallas Bledsoe now gets Keyshawn Johnson, a kind of receiver he's never had before. Though Brisby and Timpson had some size, they didn't have or use size like Johnson does nor did they have close to his level of competitiveness.

In 2002, I don't think Bledsoe was fixated deep because he dished 86 completions to Larry Centers and Travis Henry in addition to the 194 he tossed to Moulds and Price. Reed (a poor target) and Reimersma (at the end of his career) each also caught 32 passes. Moulds and Price averaged about 12-13 yards per catch, not averages one would associate with deep passing.

When 2003 came around, who was left to throw to if you zoned away Moulds and blitzed Henry into pass protection? Centers, Price, and Reimersma were gone. The best chance was to try and find Moulds anyway. Reed is a bust.

In 2004, Evans helped out alot, but the best decision as Alexander pointed out was to throw less and run more. IMO not because Bledsoe stunk, but because the team as a whole was better suited to a run-first offense.

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Personnel does matter, and the loss of Price in 02 could have been critical, but the 'slide' began in mid 2002, when he was still there.

Ravi, if you get the chance, could you take a look at the stats in 2002..because that was a tale of two seasons in itself. Bledsoe, in the first part of the season, was tearing up the league, and in a very "difficult" offense to run well. After mid-season, an entirely different story, and it just dominoed in 03, when there was a personnel fall off to boot.

Last year under Marlarky, and a new system, Drew was told to take what he was given, but accordling to reports I read, resisted doing so until mid season or later, when he "eureka!" announced the discovery that an underneath game is worthwhile.

 

[Zaxor]

Personnel does matter, and the loss of Price in 02 could have been critical, but the 'slide' began in mid 2002, when he was still there.

Ravi, if you get the chance, could you take a look at the stats in 2002..because that was a tale of two seasons in itself. Bledsoe, in the first part of the season, was tearing up the league, and in a very "difficult" offense to run well. After mid-season, an entirely different story, and it just dominoed in 03, when there was a personnel fall off to boot.

Last year under Marlarky, and a new system, Drew was told to take what he was given, but accordling to reports I read, resisted doing so until mid season or later, when he "eureka!" announced the discovery that an underneath game is worthwhile.

To me it is like this....

If this team is SB ready and Bledsoe does not deliver he is a bust for the Cowboys...

If this team is not SB ready than they really need to play the young ones so they will be ready when we are...

I am not at all interested in just being competitive...I want it all

 

[MichaelWinicki]

To me it is like this....

If this team is SB ready and Bledsoe does not deliver he is a bust for the Cowboys...

If this team is not SB ready than they really need to play the young ones so they will be ready when we are...

I am not at all interested in just being competitive...I want it all

Well said. I feel the same.

I'm sick to death of "bus drivers".

 

[Doomsday101]

Well said. I feel the same.

I'm sick to death of "bus drivers".

I'm all for Henson starting but he has to take the job away, I do not agree with the ideal that Parcells will not play Henson I think he will but Henson has to show himself as the best QB on this team, if he can outperform Bledsoe I think the job will be his. Sorry I just do not buy into the Parcells guy bit I think Bill will go with the players who he feels gives this team the best chance to win. You do not become a great coach by not playing your best

 

[Zaxor]

I'm all for Henson starting but he has to take the job away, I do not agree with the ideal that Parcells will not play Henson I think he will but Henson has to show himself as the best QB on this team, if he can outperform Bledsoe I think the job will be his. Sorry I just do not buy into the Parcells guy bit I think Bill will go with the players who he feels gives this team the best chance to win. You do not become a great coach by not playing your best

Here is where you and I disagree...it is the guy who will kiss Bill's butt that will play...and if nobody at that position kisses his butt it will be the one who he knows best...

...but still Bledsoe is here to win a SB...atleast that is what he said..so if he does not get us there this year..he is a bust/a waste of space/and we wasted valuable time on him...

If this team is capable of winning a SB and he does not deliever..tattoo BUST across his forehead and kick him to the curb...and fine Bill 8 Million for being stupid...

If this team is not capable of winning a SB...What in the world are we doing wasting time on Bledsoe for...Fine Bill 8 Million for being stupid and set Bledsoe on the bench where he has ALWAYS belonged

 

[Doomsday101]

Here is where you and I disagree...it is the guy who will kiss Bill's butt that will play...and if nobody at that position kisses his butt it will be the one who he knows best...

...but still Bledsoe is here to win a SB...atleast that is what he said..so if he does not get us there this year..he is a bust/a waste of space/and we wasted valuable time on him...

If this team is capable of winning a SB and he does not deliever..tattoo BUST across his forehead and kick him to the curb...and fine Bill 8 Million for being stupid...

If this team is not capable of winning a SB...What in the world are we doing wasting time on Bledsoe for...Fine Bill 8 Million for being stupid and set Bledsoe on the bench where he has ALWAYS belonged

Your right we disagree, Bill does not have a winning record as a HC because he only plays players who kiss his butt he has that record because he plays guys who give him the best chance to win games. Henson was not ready last year and not sure if he will be ready to go this season but if Henson proves himself as the best option out there he will play.

 

[dargonking999]

Zaxor why fine him 8 mill, what you keep forgetting is Belsoe is signed for at least one year, for very cheap, if he doenst lead us to the playoffs, he willb e on the curb and Henson will be riding the bus, BP knows what he's doing let him coach the team, he is getting paid for it

 

[Zaxor]

Zaxor why fine him 8 mill, what you keep forgetting is Belsoe is signed for at least one year, for very cheap, if he doenst lead us to the playoffs, he willb e on the curb and Henson will be riding the bus, BP knows what he's doing let him coach the team, he is getting paid for it

Dargonking999..playoffs ain't good enough..SB win or Bledsoe is a bust...I am not talking about charging Bledsoe but Parcells 8 mill and only if we do not win the SB with Bledsoe

 

[Zaxor]

Your right we disagree, Bill does not have a winning record as a HC because he only plays players who kiss his butt he has that record because he plays guys who give him the best chance to win games. Henson was not ready last year and not sure if he will be ready to go this season but if Henson proves himself as the best option out there he will play.

Really!?? did Brady out play Coakley?

 

[Doomsday101]

Really!?? did Brady out play Coakley?

No and Coakley ended up getting more playing time his last season in Dallas. As for releasing Coakley his cap number was more than Dallas was wanting to pay and gave him the option of reducing the salary or releasing him.
One last thing James only started 1 game last season Dex got the rest of the starts

 

[Zaxor]

No and Coakley ended up getting more playing time his last season in Dallas. As for releasing Coakley his cap number was more than Dallas was wanting to pay and gave him the option of reducing the salary or releasing him.
One last thing James only started 1 game last season Dex got the rest of the starts

Aww come on Dooms...they were not splitting time cause James deserved it or even showed that he was better...

 

[Doomsday101]

Aww come on Dooms...they were not splitting time cause James deserved it or even showed that he was better...

They were not splitting time very much, Coakley still got the vast majority of the snaps. James was given some time but not nearly as much as Dex got. You just have it in your head that Bill plays his so called guys and I'll maintain he did not accumulate his record as a HC by playing on butt kissers, he plays guys he feels can help the team win games. Given the fact he is at VR every day of the week and sees the guys on a regular basis I have a feeling he knows a lot more about these players than a guy who sees them only on sunday

 

[dargonking999]

Aww come on Dooms...they were not splitting time cause James deserved it or even showed that he was better...

they were splitting time because of the scheme we played we did have soem 3-4 out there last year, and um well coakely isnt the best fit for it

 

[billknows]

I watched the game.

The sacks came from everywhere, specifically on the blitz. Of the seven sacks, only 1/2 sack came from a lineman (Sapp). The rest came off of blitzing linebackers and more alarmingly, 1 1/2 came from the cornerback position.

When a team blitzes it leaves itself open to the big pass play if the QB is able to do enough to beat it and if the blitz is picked up.

The book on Bledsoe is blitz him. We did that in 2003 and had great success.

Bledsoe cannot buy time. He also has a notorious slow internal clock.

We will have to hope that Witten helps him.

There is no doubt that Buffalo had no TE to help. But simply having that option is not going to alleviate the concerns. Double the TE, force our WRs to work to get open? Sack city.

But the key is keep him from having to throw the ball and limit the obvious passing downs.

Thats about as close an evaluation can get

 

[wileedog]

Aww come on Dooms...they were not splitting time cause James deserved it or even showed that he was better...

They were splitting time because a) Coackley wasn't playing very well, b) there was no shot in hell Coackley was going to be on the roster this season and c) Parcells needed to know what he had in James before the offseason.

James not outplaying Coackley is probably why Burnett is here.

 

[Tripod]

Nice burmafed...

You laid out a nice scenario that gives Bledsoe all the credit if he succeeds and absconds him from blame if he fails. Actually that fits right in with the Bledsoe MO.

Reimersma was terrible in Buffalo, and that year(2002) was basically a laughing stock. Campbell was learning on the job, and didn't learn the job very well.
He and Euhus both broke their ankles and were out the last 4 weeks. Bledsoe worked with the 3rd and 4th string TEs to finish the season 3-1.

By the way, I think you mean absolves not absconds.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Reimersma was terrible in Buffalo, and that year(2002) was basically a laughing stock. Campbell was learning on the job, and didn't learn the job very well.
He and Euhus both broke their ankles and were out the last 4 weeks. Bledsoe worked with the 3rd and 4th string TEs to finish the season 3-1.

By the way, I think you mean absolves not absconds.

Me thinks you're right.