Drew Bledsoe (1 Viewer)

[Slobber]

Drew Bledsoe turned 34 earlier this year. He has amassed 43447 yards passing in his career with 244 touchdowns and 198 interceptions. His cumulative QB rating, however, is only 77.3

He already is 7th all time in passing yards. With two or three good seasons of 3500-4000 yards passing (likely with the Cowboys recent acquisition of Terrell Owens), he should be able to pass Testaverde, Tarkenton, Moon, and Elway and move into 3rd all time in passing yards, behind only Marino and Favre (he could pass Favre eventually, depending on how long he continues playing).

Bledsoe is currently 13th all time in passing touchdowns, and is tied with Peyton Manning for this position. While it is unlikely he will keep pace with Manning, with three more years averaging 20 touchdowns per year, Bledsoe would move into 5th place all time, behind only Marino, Favre, Tarkenton and (assumedly) Manning.

So, will Drew Bledsoe be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done??

 

[LHUCKS]

I think he's a lock with a couple of more good seasons in Dallas.

 

[Bri]

I agree with LHucks. Statistically it's "impossible" to keep him out of the HOF.

Good debate here late last year when he passed someone on the all time passing yardage list

 

[Ray Pollett]

The press and members have never been on hisbandwagon from what I remember. Will have the numbers, but like A monk; probably will not get in.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

As of right now, I'd say no, but I'm confident he'll have at least 2 more good years, and eventually make it. I expect him to have one of his best years this year.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

 

[Slobber]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

Not aware of that one.

 

[Tick]

Compiler. Better than average for a long time <> HOF.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I say no, unless he has a great playoff run and a Super Bowl appearance and/or win before his career ends. He is the very definition of someone who has never been better than very good. He was never great.

 

[Boston]

He has a chance due to the numbers. That said, I don't think he's a Hall-of-Fame level player. Can anyone really remember any great Bledsoe moments in the last decade? Since he parted ways with the Tuna in Foxboro has he really been anything special? Has he carried a team on his back? He played well last year but he was by no means a special QB.

Bledsoe is a talented guy who never took his talent to the level it looked like he would get to early in his career. He still makes the same mistakes he did over a decade ago. He's been able to put up very good career numbers during the golden age of passing but I just don't see it translating to the level I believe you need to be in Canton.

If he gets in it will be under the Don Sutton lifetime achievement award. Numbers that look a lot better at the end of his carer than while he was getting them during his career.

 

[Slobber]

I say no, unless he has a great playoff run and a Super Bowl appearance and/or win before his career ends. He is the very definition of someone who has never been better than very good. He was never great.

Is very good for an extended period of time not enough to be in the hall??

 

[Ghost Rider]

He has a chance due to the numbers. That said, I don't think he's a Hall-of-Fame level player. Can anyone really remember any great Bledsoe moments in the last decade?

For me, Bledsoe's greatest moment was the win over the Bills (I think it was in '98). Granted, several bad officiating calls greatly aided him and the Pats in that game, but that game is probably his greatest moment as a pro.

I say no, unless he has a great playoff run and a Super Bowl appearance and/or win before his career ends. He is the very definition of someone who has never been better than very good. He was never great.

Is very good for an extended period of time not enough to be in the hall??

It often is, but it shouldn't be.

 

[Bankerguy]

As of now ........ NO.

 

[Lightning Fast Whip]

I think he needs at least one more playoff run and another Superbowl appearance.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

Can anyone really remember any great Bledsoe moments in the last decade?

How about that TD pass to Patten (I think?) in the Conf. Championship game?Or, the busted play, 4th quarter, TD "pass" to Bruschi at the end of a Bills loss to the Pats?Obviously, this guy has some very bad plays, but so do all QBs. Marino had horrible games, Manning has, Kelly and Elway sure did, Favre still does, and even your girl Brady has. Bledsoe may have had more then them, but those are some of the cream of the crop of Bledsoe's era, and I think with a couple more playoff runs, he'll be on the outskirts of their company...

 

[Slobber]

You could argue that Marino was a compiler also. He made it to one Super Bowl and lost, like Bledsoe has, and never came within sniffingd distance of another really.

Sure, Marino compiled much better than anyone else has, but Bledsoe has the opportunity to be 2nd or 3rd on that list.

 

[redman]

He's 4-3 in playoff games, and threw 4 INT's (his worst playoff game) in the Super Bowl. His overall playoff stats are:

TOTAL                |  129  252  1335   6  12  

I'm having an awfully tough time distinguishing him from Testaverde other than the fact that he's managed to hold down a starting job for a greater proportion of his career.

 

[Bri]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

lolthis is the new wave of stat crunchers I guess and I bet somewhere a FBGs tool is to blame for this

In another thread, it seemed guys were ignoring total rushing yards and giving more credit to YPC. Now it's yards per pass attempt....lol

So am I supposed to go find some HOF QBs with low YPA #s now?

 

[Slobber]

He's 4-3 in playoff games, and threw 4 INT's (his worst playoff game) in the Super Bowl. His overall playoff stats are:

TOTAL                |  129  252  1335   6  12

I'm having an awfully tough time distinguishing him from Testaverde other than the fact that he's managed to hold down a starting job for a greater proportion of his career.

Bledsoe will have better numbers than Testaverde and will have taken less time to get them. Testaverde actually didn't have many years with more touchdowns than interceptions.

 

[Ghost Rider]

He's 4-3 in playoff games,

Actually, he is 3-3. He was not the starter in the AFC title win over the Steelers, so he is not credited with the win in that game.

 

[redman]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

lolthis is the new wave of stat crunchers I guess and I bet somewhere a FBGs tool is to blame for this

In another thread, it seemed guys were ignoring total rushing yards and giving more credit to YPC. Now it's yards per pass attempt....lol

So am I supposed to go find some HOF QBs with low YPA #s now?

There's merit to this particular argument. In the modern high percentage passing era, 57% completion is simply unremarkable, and 60% is the threshhold number for respectability. 7.0 yards per attempt tends to be the minimum number that good QB's put up, and Bledsoe's only at 6.6.

 

[Bri]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

lolthis is the new wave of stat crunchers I guess and I bet somewhere a FBGs tool is to blame for this

In another thread, it seemed guys were ignoring total rushing yards and giving more credit to YPC. Now it's yards per pass attempt....lol

So am I supposed to go find some HOF QBs with low YPA #s now?

There's merit to this particular argument. In the modern high percentage passing era, 57% completion is simply unremarkable, and 60% is the threshhold number for respectability. 7.0 yards per attempt tends to be the minimum number that good QB's put up, and Bledsoe's only at 6.6.

where'd pass % come from?

 

[Tick]

Is very good for an extended period of time not enough to be in the hall??

I'm not sure that's a relevant question. I wouldn't call Bledsoe "very good for an extended period of time" - better than average most years with some good years thrown in, sure.

 

[Boston]

Can anyone really remember any great Bledsoe moments in the last decade?

How about that TD pass to Patten (I think?) in the Conf. Championship game?Or, the busted play, 4th quarter, TD "pass" to Bruschi at the end of a Bills loss to the Pats?

Obviously, this guy has some very bad plays, but so do all QBs. Marino had horrible games, Manning has, Kelly and Elway sure did, Favre still does, and even your girl Brady has. Bledsoe may have had more then them, but those are some of the cream of the crop of Bledsoe's era, and I think with a couple more playoff runs, he'll be on the outskirts of their company...

The Patten throw was excellent. Especially for a backup QB. I'm not saying Bledsoe is a horrible QB. He's not. Yet, the plays you're throwing out really aren't anything too special when you're talking about joining the ranks of Elway, Unitas, Starr or Montana.

I forget who said it but it applies in a big way to Bledsoe....it's the Hall-of-Fame not the Hall-of-Good.

As far as a couple more playoff runs...the last time he had a playoff run was in 96. Since than I believe he's had one playoff win (possibly two). Outside of coming off the bench for an injured Brady he hasn't been under center during a playoff win since the 90's. This is not a guy who has many memorable moments or team wins since the Tuna divorce in Foxboro.

 

[redman]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

lolthis is the new wave of stat crunchers I guess and I bet somewhere a FBGs tool is to blame for this

In another thread, it seemed guys were ignoring total rushing yards and giving more credit to YPC. Now it's yards per pass attempt....lol

So am I supposed to go find some HOF QBs with low YPA #s now?

There's merit to this particular argument. In the modern high percentage passing era, 57% completion is simply unremarkable, and 60% is the threshhold number for respectability. 7.0 yards per attempt tends to be the minimum number that good QB's put up, and Bledsoe's only at 6.6.

where'd pass % come from?

I don't understand your question, unless you're questioning my source (pro-football-reference.com).

 

[redman]

Here's an illustration of where the criticism of Bledsoe comes from IMHO:

Pass attempts: 1994-1, 1995-1, 1996-1, 1997-3, 1998-8, 1999-3, 2000-8, 2002-2, 2005-8

Completions: 1994-1, 1995-7, 1996-1, 1997-2, 1998-8, 1999-6, 2000-8, 2002-3, 2005-8

Passing yards: 1994-1, 1996-3, 1997-4, 1998-6, 1999-6, 2002-2, 2005-8

Passing TDs: 1993-10t, 1994-4, 1996-3, 1997-3, 1999-10t, 2002-7, 2005-8t

It's not unusual for him to rank lower in yardage and TD's, and even in completions, than he does in attempts. The interpretation? He gets less bang for his buck by accomplishing less per each pass attempt than the other leading passers do.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

Outside of coming off the bench for an injured Brady he hasn't been under center during a playoff win since the 90's.

Yeah, but that's because he spent a few years in Buffalo behind what has got to be the worst OLine of the past 10 years... :X :(

 

[Bri]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

lolthis is the new wave of stat crunchers I guess and I bet somewhere a FBGs tool is to blame for this

In another thread, it seemed guys were ignoring total rushing yards and giving more credit to YPC. Now it's yards per pass attempt....lol

So am I supposed to go find some HOF QBs with low YPA #s now?

There's merit to this particular argument. In the modern high percentage passing era, 57% completion is simply unremarkable, and 60% is the threshhold number for respectability. 7.0 yards per attempt tends to be the minimum number that good QB's put up, and Bledsoe's only at 6.6.

where'd pass % come from?

I don't understand your question, unless you're questioning my source (pro-football-reference.com).

lol no I love doug's site.chase brought up yards per pass attempt. I replied to that. you quoted me and replied with percentages.

 

[redman]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

lolthis is the new wave of stat crunchers I guess and I bet somewhere a FBGs tool is to blame for this

In another thread, it seemed guys were ignoring total rushing yards and giving more credit to YPC. Now it's yards per pass attempt....lol

So am I supposed to go find some HOF QBs with low YPA #s now?

There's merit to this particular argument. In the modern high percentage passing era, 57% completion is simply unremarkable, and 60% is the threshhold number for respectability. 7.0 yards per attempt tends to be the minimum number that good QB's put up, and Bledsoe's only at 6.6.

where'd pass % come from?

I don't understand your question, unless you're questioning my source (pro-football-reference.com).

lol no I love doug's site.chase brought up yards per pass attempt. I replied to that. you quoted me and replied with percentages.

I was replying to your more general criticism that the stats don't tell the tale here - I think they do. Sorry if my reply implied that I was specifically defending Chase's argument.

 

[x260bm]

HOF voters have a QB fetish. He could get hit by a bus tomorrow and make it in on the first try. They should rename it The Hall of Average QBs and Some Other Players "who made it in because there were not enough QBs to take all the slots that year".

 

[Bri]

Here's an illustration of where the criticism of Bledsoe comes from IMHO:

Pass attempts: 1994-1, 1995-1, 1996-1, 1997-3, 1998-8, 1999-3, 2000-8, 2002-2, 2005-8

Completions: 1994-1, 1995-7, 1996-1, 1997-2, 1998-8, 1999-6, 2000-8, 2002-3, 2005-8

Passing yards: 1994-1, 1996-3, 1997-4, 1998-6, 1999-6, 2002-2, 2005-8

Passing TDs: 1993-10t, 1994-4, 1996-3, 1997-3, 1999-10t, 2002-7, 2005-8t

It's not unusual for him to rank lower in yardage and TD's, and even in completions, than he does in attempts. The interpretation? He gets less bang for his buck by accomplishing less per each pass attempt than the other leading passers do.

the guy that is on pace to throw for top 3 #s in passing yardage all time doesn't throw his passes far enough. I understand what you're saying but it's foolish(missing something...not sure what the word is) IMO and ignores the end result which is an absolute ton of yardage.As expected, let me ask you a question:How do you explain Aikman getting in the HOF this year with a 6+ YPA average for about half his career?

 

[Bri]

HOF voters have a QB fetish. He could get hit by a bus tomorrow and make it in on the first try. They should rename it The Hall of Average QBs and Some Other Players "who made it in because there were not enough QBs to take all the slots that year".

so if he breaks the records of the previous members of the hall, they should ignore that?

 

[Boston]

Outside of coming off the bench for an injured Brady he hasn't been under center during a playoff win since the 90's.

Yeah, but that's because he spent a few years in Buffalo behind what has got to be the worst OLine of the past 10 years... :X :(

Bledsoe and a bad line is a very ugly combination. There were times with the Bills and Pats where the theme from Jaws should have been playing prior to the snap because you knew something bad was going to happen.I've always felt that things really started to change for Bledsoe once the speed on the defensive side of the ball really increased. He's a guy built to play more of the old fashioned dropback game. His footwork has always been brutal and unless he gets maximum protection it's not difficult to exploit him because of it. My biggest beef with him has always been not improving in that area. He's the king of the flatfooted or off balance throw. He's never going to be a threat to run but there's no reason he could not have improved his footwork to make himself more effective.

 

[redman]

As expected, let me ask you a question:How do you explain Aikman getting in the HOF this year with a 6+ YPA average for about half his career?

Aikman had a different job, which was to manage the offense and to convert third downs so that that phenomenal o-line could continue to pound the ball. He excelled at that. His cumulative numbers, despite getting hurt the last four years of his career by a declining and mediocre team around him, still total over 7 ypa and 60% completions, which were my threshhold indicators for "solid" QB'ing for lack of a better term. Then, of course, there's his record in the playoffs and Super Bowls:

Year  Opp   Result  |  CMP  ATT   PYD PTD INT  |  RSH    YD  TD---------------------+--------------------------+----------------- 1991  det  L,6-38   |   11   16   114   0   1  |    2     0   0 1992  phi  W,34-10  |   15   25   200   2   0  |    3    13   0 1992  sfo  W,30-20  |   24   34   322   2   0  |    3    -3   0*1992  buf  W,52-17  |   22   30   273   4   0  |    3    28   0 1993  gnb  W,27-17  |   28   37   302   3   2  |    3     0   0 1993  sfo  W,38-21  |   14   18   177   3   0  |    3    25   0*1993  buf  W,30-13  |   19   27   207   0   1  |    1     3   0 1994  gnb  W,35-9   |   23   30   337   2   1  |    1     2   0 1994  sfo  L,28-38  |   30   53   380   2   3  |    1     9   0 1995  phi  W,30-11  |   17   24   253   1   1  |    1     3   0 1995  gnb  W,38-27  |   21   33   255   2   0  |    3     6   0*1995  pit  W,27-17  |   15   23   209   1   0  |    4    -3   0 1996  min  W,40-15  |   19   29   178   0   1  |    2     4   1 1996  car  L,17-26  |   18   36   165   1   3  |    1     0   0 1998  ari  L,7-20   |   22   49   191   1   3  |    1     0   0 1999  min  L,10-27  |   22   38   286   0   1  |    0     0   0---------------------+--------------------------+-----------------TOTAL                |  320  502  3849  24  17  |   32    87   1

 

[redman]

Here's an illustration of where the criticism of Bledsoe comes from IMHO:

Pass attempts: 1994-1, 1995-1, 1996-1, 1997-3, 1998-8, 1999-3, 2000-8, 2002-2, 2005-8

Completions: 1994-1, 1995-7, 1996-1, 1997-2, 1998-8, 1999-6, 2000-8, 2002-3, 2005-8

Passing yards: 1994-1, 1996-3, 1997-4, 1998-6, 1999-6, 2002-2, 2005-8

Passing TDs: 1993-10t, 1994-4, 1996-3, 1997-3, 1999-10t, 2002-7, 2005-8t

It's not unusual for him to rank lower in yardage and TD's, and even in completions, than he does in attempts.  The interpretation?  He gets less bang for his buck by accomplishing less per each pass attempt than the other leading passers do.

the guy that is on pace to throw for top 3 #s in passing yardage all time doesn't throw his passes far enough. I understand what you're saying but it's foolish(missing something...not sure what the word is) IMO and ignores the end result which is an absolute ton of yardage.

Testaverde had a ton of yardage. What good did it do? I agree that Bledsoe is better than Testaverde, but if all you're able to argue is that he had yardage, then he's only better by degree. Bledsoe is not a clutch QB. He's been repeatedly criticized in his career for making boneheaded throws. He's also been criticized for not being tough as he's often rattled after getting hit once or twice.

But let's break it down another way. How many QB's playing this year would you take before Bledsoe (forget about age for a second, think "redraft" concepts here)? I can easily count at least a half-dozen. Sorry, but that's just not Hall of Fame material right there.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

Outside of coming off the bench for an injured Brady he hasn't been under center during a playoff win since the 90's.

Yeah, but that's because he spent a few years in Buffalo behind what has got to be the worst OLine of the past 10 years... :X :(

Bledsoe and a bad line is a very ugly combination. There were times with the Bills and Pats where the theme from Jaws should have been playing prior to the snap because you knew something bad was going to happen.I've always felt that things really started to change for Bledsoe once the speed on the defensive side of the ball really increased. He's a guy built to play more of the old fashioned dropback game. His footwork has always been brutal and unless he gets maximum protection it's not difficult to exploit him because of it. My biggest beef with him has always been not improving in that area. He's the king of the flatfooted or off balance throw. He's never going to be a threat to run but there's no reason he could not have improved his footwork to make himself more effective.

Boston, that may be the first post ever, by you, that I can't disagree, in some way, with... If I really wanted to I could probably say his footwork isn't brutal, it's more like poor, and incrediby slow, but that would be nitpicky.

 

[David Yudkin]

You could argue that Marino was a compiler also.  He made it to one Super Bowl and lost, like Bledsoe has, and never came within sniffingd distance of another really.

Sure, Marino compiled much better than anyone else has, but Bledsoe has the opportunity to be 2nd or 3rd on that list.

The difference being that Bledsoe has a Super Bowl ring (whether you want to count it for much is another story).

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

Outside of coming off the bench for an injured Brady he hasn't been under center during a playoff win since the 90's.

Yeah, but that's because he spent a few years in Buffalo behind what has got to be the worst OLine of the past 10 years... :X :(

Bledsoe and a bad line is a very ugly combination. There were times with the Bills and Pats where the theme from Jaws should have been playing prior to the snap because you knew something bad was going to happen.I've always felt that things really started to change for Bledsoe once the speed on the defensive side of the ball really increased. He's a guy built to play more of the old fashioned dropback game. His footwork has always been brutal and unless he gets maximum protection it's not difficult to exploit him because of it. My biggest beef with him has always been not improving in that area. He's the king of the flatfooted or off balance throw. He's never going to be a threat to run but there's no reason he could not have improved his footwork to make himself more effective.

Boston, that may be the first post ever, by you, that I can't disagree, in some way, with... If I really wanted to I could probably say his footwork isn't brutal, it's more like poor, and incrediby slow, but that would be nitpicky.

In thinking about it, it's probably because that might be your shortest post ever...

 

[Pat Patriot]

Bledsoe's never ranked in the top 7 in adjusted yards per pass in any single season in his career. Considering the importance I'd put on that statistic, I'd say no.

WTH kind of concocted statistic is "adjusted yards per pass"? Adjusted by what?

 

[raidergil]

He has a chance due to the numbers.  That said, I don't think he's a Hall-of-Fame level player.  Can anyone really remember any great Bledsoe moments in the last decade?

For me, Bledsoe's greatest moment was the win over the Bills (I think it was in '98). Granted, several bad officiating calls greatly aided him and the Pats in that game, but that game is probably his greatest moment as a pro.

I say no, unless he has a great playoff run and a Super Bowl appearance and/or win before his career ends.  He is the very definition of someone who has never been better than very good.  He was never great.

Is very good for an extended period of time not enough to be in the hall??

It often is, but it shouldn't be.

What does it say about him that in a game someone thinks may be his best he only won due to 2 of the worst calls you'll ever see on the same drive, let alone in the same game.I know we get into ALOT of number crunching here, but if someone were to come up to you on the street and ask you about Bledose - do you think HOFer? Personally, HOF doesn't jump out at me when I think of Bledsoe. If we have to start digging into number to try and justify, shouldn't that give us our answer?

 

[redman]

You could argue that Marino was a compiler also.  He made it to one Super Bowl and lost, like Bledsoe has, and never came within sniffingd distance of another really.

Sure, Marino compiled much better than anyone else has, but Bledsoe has the opportunity to be 2nd or 3rd on that list.

The difference being that Bledsoe has a Super Bowl ring (whther you want to count it for much is another story).

Marino also had a whole host of 4th Quarter comebacks and other clutch performances that made him noteworthy. Like Elway for so long, he was the only real weapon his offenses had for many, many years.

 

[Ghost Rider]

He has a chance due to the numbers. That said, I don't think he's a Hall-of-Fame level player. Can anyone really remember any great Bledsoe moments in the last decade?

For me, Bledsoe's greatest moment was the win over the Bills (I think it was in '98). Granted, several bad officiating calls greatly aided him and the Pats in that game, but that game is probably his greatest moment as a pro.

I say no, unless he has a great playoff run and a Super Bowl appearance and/or win before his career ends. He is the very definition of someone who has never been better than very good. He was never great.

Is very good for an extended period of time not enough to be in the hall??

It often is, but it shouldn't be.

What does it say about him that in a game someone thinks may be his best he only won due to 2 of the worst calls you'll ever see on the same drive, let alone in the same game.I know we get into ALOT of number crunching here, but if someone were to come up to you on the street and ask you about Bledose - do you think HOFer? Personally, HOF doesn't jump out at me when I think of Bledsoe. If we have to start digging into number to try and justify, shouldn't that give us our answer?

Yes. If you read through this thread again, I already said Bledsoe is not a HoFer, as of now.

 

[The Ref]

Well I'll say this for Bledsoe, he saved the Patriots when they drafted him. Of course it helps that they were able to land the Tuna for a few years and that Kraft bought the team. But at the end of the day Drew was the team for a few years in the mid 90's (till the D got better and Martin showed up).

Lets also not underestimate that he is known for being a hell of a guy and is very well liked by the press. Combine that with the overall numbers he will have, and I think he will get in.

 

[Slobber]

But let's break it down another way. How many QB's playing this year would you take before Bledsoe (forget about age for a second, think "redraft" concepts here)? I can easily count at least a half-dozen. Sorry, but that's just not Hall of Fame material right there.

You could say the same thing about Favre.

 

[SSOG]

You could argue that Marino was a compiler also. He made it to one Super Bowl and lost, like Bledsoe has, and never came within sniffingd distance of another really.

Sure, Marino compiled much better than anyone else has, but Bledsoe has the opportunity to be 2nd or 3rd on that list.

Comp%59.4% vs. 57.3%

ypa

7.3 vs. 6.6

TD:INT

1.667 vs. 1.232

The TD:INT might be seen as the biggest arguement, but personally, I think the ypa is the biggest proof that Marino was on a whole other level compared to Bledsoe. Statistics have shown that no other simple stat corresponds as well to winning as ypa minus ypa allowed. It is quite possibly the most important single statistic in football today.

Of course, there are also the arguements like comparative winning%, 4th quarter comebacks, quality of supporting cast, etc, that all indicate that Marino was just drastically above Bledsoe.

But let's break it down another way. How many QB's playing this year would you take before Bledsoe (forget about age for a second, think "redraft" concepts here)? I can easily count at least a half-dozen. Sorry, but that's just not Hall of Fame material right there.

You could say the same thing about Favre.

The same could be said about Favre THIS YEAR, but not during his entire career.Think of it this way- imagine if, before every single season, all the GMs gathered together and picked QBs for their football team from a communal pool. How many times would Brett Favre have been picked in the top 3? Several, I assure you. How many times would Marino or Montana or Elway or Steve Young have been picked in the top 3? Again, several. How many times would Bledsoe have been picked in the top 3? Not one single time, I suspect. He might have snuck into the top 5 once or maybe twice, and he would have had a handful of years in the top 10, but I doubt he would have EVER sniffed the top-3 (which is the top 10%). If he was never in his career one of the top 10% at his own position, how can he be a Hall of Famer? That's essentially what's been keeping Art Monk out of the hall.

I actually think that would make a great tool for picking hall classes. Count the number of times during a player's career that he would have been considered one of the top 10% at his position. Devote up to 4 slots each year to those players, and then reserve two "wildcard" slots for players who deserve induction for some other reason (such as Joe Namath or Lynn Swann), or who have a little bit of the top10% but not enough to get in based entirely on that, but have some other compelling arguement in their favor (such as, perhaps, Rod Smith and the whole "greatest undrafted WR of all time" thing), or for specialists (such as punters, kickers, returners, owners, commissioners, or anyone else who should be held to a much higher standard than the simple "top10%").

Not only would it clarify the selection process a lot more (although it would still leave a lot of room for interpretation), but it would also reward players both for brilliance of career *as well as* longevity (since the more years you're around, the more chances you have to make the list). It would also go a long way towards eliminating a lot of the natural Hall Bias towards QBs and RBs and away from WRs, OLs, and Defenders.

 

[Bri]

As expected, let me ask you a question:How do you explain Aikman getting in the HOF this year with a 6+ YPA average for about half his career?

Aikman had a different job, which was to manage the offense and to convert third downs so that that phenomenal o-line could continue to pound the ball. He excelled at that. His cumulative numbers, despite getting hurt the last four years of his career by a declining and mediocre team around him, still total over 7 ypa and 60% completions, which were my threshhold indicators for "solid" QB'ing for lack of a better term. Then, of course, there's his record in the playoffs and Super Bowls:

Year  Opp   Result  |  CMP  ATT   PYD PTD INT  |  RSH    YD  TD---------------------+--------------------------+----------------- 1991  det  L,6-38   |   11   16   114   0   1  |    2     0   0 1992  phi  W,34-10  |   15   25   200   2   0  |    3    13   0 1992  sfo  W,30-20  |   24   34   322   2   0  |    3    -3   0*1992  buf  W,52-17  |   22   30   273   4   0  |    3    28   0 1993  gnb  W,27-17  |   28   37   302   3   2  |    3     0   0 1993  sfo  W,38-21  |   14   18   177   3   0  |    3    25   0*1993  buf  W,30-13  |   19   27   207   0   1  |    1     3   0 1994  gnb  W,35-9   |   23   30   337   2   1  |    1     2   0 1994  sfo  L,28-38  |   30   53   380   2   3  |    1     9   0 1995  phi  W,30-11  |   17   24   253   1   1  |    1     3   0 1995  gnb  W,38-27  |   21   33   255   2   0  |    3     6   0*1995  pit  W,27-17  |   15   23   209   1   0  |    4    -3   0 1996  min  W,40-15  |   19   29   178   0   1  |    2     4   1 1996  car  L,17-26  |   18   36   165   1   3  |    1     0   0 1998  ari  L,7-20   |   22   49   191   1   3  |    1     0   0 1999  min  L,10-27  |   22   38   286   0   1  |    0     0   0---------------------+--------------------------+-----------------TOTAL                |  320  502  3849  24  17  |   32    87   1

lolyeah Bledsoe never had to convert 3rd downs or manage an offense that's "a different job".

Pounding the ball? Martin=HOF, Smith=HOF.

kinda tough to defend YPA with Aikman on the steps of Canton isn't it?

have a good night

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

I can't believe this is even a debate. Sure Bledsoe could get in if he plays well for 3-4 more years, but not likely. Drew Bledsoe was one of the Patriots major roadblocks to winning 3 Super Bowls. He was a turnover machine and still is, he threw 4 picks in the Pats SB loss to Green Bay. Comparing him to Dan Marino? Please. Marino's TD/INT ratio in the playoffs: 32/24, Bledsoe's 6/12. To be fair Bledsoe was a good NFL QB but I wouldn't put him ahead of others in his era like:

Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb. I'd put him just behind Steve McNair.

 

[Chase Stuart]

AdjY/A 7.38 Young6.87 Manning6.87 Montana6.49 Marino6.40 Brady6.27 Kelly6.12 Moon6.06 Favre5.99 Aikman5.65 Bledsoe5.55 Testaverde
AdjY/A is defined as (passing yards + 10*(TD passes) - 45*(interceptions thrown)) / (pass attempts)

 

[SSOG]

AdjY/A	7.38	Young6.87	Manning6.87	Montana6.49	Marino6.40	Brady6.27	Kelly6.12	Moon6.06	Favre5.99	Aikman5.65	Bledsoe5.55	Testaverde

AdjY/A is defined as (passing yards + 10*(TD passes) - 45*(interceptions thrown)) / (pass attempts)

How'd you come up with that formula? To be honest, with such a heavy weight given to INTs, that looks to me more like Adjusted Don't-Throw-Ints per Pass Attempt more than Adjusted Yards per Pass Attempt. Why aren't TDs and INTs weighted equally?

 

[cr8f]

I think he's a lock with a couple of more good seasons in Dallas.

You're crazy. No way is he a lock.