What happened to Bledsoe?

[LittleBoyBlue]

Bledsoe was clearly worse this year than last year. You may not have liked him as a QB last year, but he didn't lock onto receivers or have 3 and 4 interception games. He was also decent at spreading the football around. He clearly lost something this year.

He is gone. I really dont care anymore.

We are in the Romo Movement

 

[royhitshard]

yes, but getting the ball to TO always ran through his mind, and i think hurt his progressions

Soooo are you blaming TO for this as well. Man, TO cannot get a break. Bledsoe's problems were not because of TO. Bledsoe was the problem. Having TO should have taken the pressure off.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Soooo are you blaming TO for this as well. Man, TO cannot get a break. Bledsoe's problems were not because of TO. Bledsoe was the problem. Having TO should have taken the pressure off.

A common sense post. Its rare, but appreciated.

I mean seriously... blaming TO for everything... sheesh!

 

[ravidubey]

It's just time; 14 years is forever in football terms.

Everyone's skills eventually decline, and the game evolved beyond Bledsoe as well. I think that he lost good coaching at a critical point in his maturation and did not adapt well to the various changes in NFL passing games in the late 1990's.

He was asked to carry the team and he responded the only way he knew how, often with heroics. But the game grew and he did not adapt (age of course also did not help him). Linebackers became stronger, DE's faster, and secondaries began using nickel corners who were as good as starters ten years earlier. Bledsoe kept the same drop back, look deep, and sling it style.

It's clear now that without perfect HOF-level protection and an excellent running game Bledsoe would not succeed against the strongest teams.

Those few times a game when a QB is called upon to buy time have become all-too critical. We saw the same thing happen with Troy Aikman as age and injuries took away his ability to attack the whole field and avoid even the simplest pressure.

I can still see us needing Bledsoe at some point in this season, and I hope he is up to the task.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

To be honest, he really didn't look all that different to me. I saw these same things happen last year. To me, the difference was that Romo improved and I think Bledsoe was aware of this. In this situation, I think Bledsoe realized that he had to improve or be over taken. As a result, he started going away from the game plan. It's a natural thing to do. When you feel you are on your last chance, so to speak, you often look at a situation and tell yourself that if I'm going to go down, I might as well do it on my terms. When this happened, he started basing decision on other things. This, Parcells can not abide by. I don't really think it was his performance, per say. I think it was the fact that he wasn't following the game plan. When this happens, Parcells is quick with the hook. He has always been this way. Ironically, I think Bledsoe could have gone through another whole season getting sacked and throwing INTs to beat the band so long as they were INTs that were inteded for the receivers the game plan called for. JMO.

 

[Bleu Star]

What happened to Bledsoe?

He got old.

 

[Kangaroo]

I know everybody is going to say that he is a statue and holds on to the ball and takes a lot of sacks, but something was seriously missing in his game that wasn't missing last year. He seemed to lock onto Glenn more and I even saw him stare down his receiver. I haven't seen him do this in a long time. I had assumed that Owens, Crayton, Witten, and Fasano just were not getting open, but Romo hasn't had any problems completing passes to them. I also don't remember that many complete meltdowns by Bledsoe where 3-4 interceptions were thrown.

Bledsoe might not have been great last year, but he was absolutely horrible this year. He did a much better job last year of spreading the ball around to Glenn, Johnson, and Witten. A lot of us thought he was injured in the Jags game, because his throws were so far off. Is he now officially washed up?

Same thing that has happen to him for 14 years

 

[joseephuss]

He got drafted.

 

[5Stars]

He got old.

You know what? There is alot of truth to this statement! Football is a young mans game...and there really comes a time where the older player needs to face the fact that, most likely...IT'S OVER.

Now, with that said, I'm glad that Bledsoe is here as the 2nd QB instead of Vinny because I would still feel comfortable if something were to happen to Romo for a few games that Bledsoe could at least help bail out the team...hopefully.

 

[juck]

Age is what happened.

 

[Bleu Star]

I'm glad that Bledsoe is here as the 2nd QB instead of Vinny because I would still feel comfortable if something were to happen to Romo for a few games that Bledsoe could at least help bail out the team...hopefully.

I totally agree. Vinny is evil.

 

[percyhoward]

To be honest, he really didn't look all that different to me. I saw these same things happen last year. To me, the difference was that Romo improved and I think Bledsoe was aware of this. In this situation, I think Bledsoe realized that he had to improve or be over taken. As a result, he started going away from the game plan. It's a natural thing to do. When you feel you are on your last chance, so to speak, you often look at a situation and tell yourself that if I'm going to go down, I might as well do it on my terms.

Very good analysis, about the Romo effect.

But, even without that, Drew was lost once we got to the red zone, where his rating went down from 110 last year to 46 this year. Romo just accelerated the process.

 

[Marktui]

Uh... No.... he became skiddish at the line.... anticipating, expecting the hit

Sadly it looked like that at times. I just think that his style of play was not the right fit for our OL. He is a pocket passer who needed time to see the field, he could never get the concept of out of your hands in 2.5 seconds. He was always looking for the big play.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Very good analysis, about the Romo effect.

But, even without that, Drew was lost once we got to the red zone, where his rating went down from 110 last year to 46 this year. Romo just accelerated the process.

I do not dispute that. I pretty much thought Bledsoe sucked from the day we signed him. My point was more of how/why he finally got benched. Honestly, I think Parcells would have put up with the numbers so long as he was sticking to the game plan, regardless of how flawed they were. I honestly do.

 

[Cowchips]

With Romo's scrambling, my advice to Drew is..keep yourself ready. My bet is Romo doesn't make it past week 12 before he's on the IR. Sad but true. Scrambling is great and helps this line out immensely but it is a recipe for disaster long term.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

With Romo's scrambling, my advice to Drew is..keep yourself ready. My bet is Romo doesn't make it past week 12 before he's on the IR. Sad but true. Scrambling is great and helps this line out immensely but it is a recipe for disaster long term.

Tell ya what. If he doesn't learn to start sliding feet first, I'd bet money your right. Don't know how may times I saw him slide head first. Thought to myself, if "Dirty" Waters was still in the league, Romo would have already been out.

 

[5Stars]

With Romo's scrambling, my advice to Drew is..keep yourself ready. My bet is Romo doesn't make it past week 12 before he's on the IR. Sad but true. Scrambling is great and helps this line out immensely but it is a recipe for disaster long term.

Uh, Romo, so far has not "scrambled"...not like a Vick or any of those other supposed "mobile" QB's. He's does just enough to take what the defense gives him, and it's usually on 3rd and short for a first down.

Madden even said that that's the kind of QB you need in todays NFL...someone that can run maybe 4 or 5 times a game to get first downs. Romo does not scramble all around waiting for someone to come open, if he cannot run for a first, he will throw it away...

Now, when he does run for a first, I hope the coaches talk to him about sliding...but, Romo, in this past game, did not run around like a chicken with it's head cutoff like Vick or McPuke does...

 

[royhitshard]

He got drafted.

:laugh2:

 

[LaTunaNostra]

It's just time; 14 years is forever in football terms.

Everyone's skills eventually decline, and the game evolved beyond Bledsoe as well. I think that he lost good coaching at a critical point in his maturation and did not adapt well to the various changes in NFL passing games in the late 1990's.

This is probably a topic for the off season, but I fully agree.

Bill worled assiduously with his young QB and stressed getting rid of the ball fast, and not patting around waiting for the long pass to open up. Bledsoe's maturation, as you say, not only ceased, but he backslid when Bill left. He went thru a couple of decent OCs in NE before Carroll got fired, notably Zampese, but his footwork deteriorated, he resisted timing based offense, and more and more he started to rely on throwing deep.

His development at one time looked (retrospectively) Manningish...but shortly after Bill left, it declined.

I think Bill felt he could resurrect Drew's game and perhaps even some of the lost potential.

But too late, I guess.

 

[Grevus]

i think he felt tons of pressure to get the ball to TO

No, I think Bledsoe fell tons of pressure that BP was looking at Romo and smiling a little. If your Bledsoe, I think the pressure of not again was bigger.