By Sean Quinn
It’s about winning and losing and Drew Bledsoe can no longer win.
Even though the season is over for the Buffalo Bills and they have returned to their customary form of watching yet another NFL post season from the comfy confines of their couches, the criticizing and questioning has just begun. The first name on the list is Drew Bledsoe. And rightfully so.Bledsoe didn’t single-handedly keep the Bills out of the playoffs, but against the Steelers he sure gave it a good try. It’s probably not ethically sound to blame one guy for the demise of your season, but you sure can’t blame anyone else for the loss to the Steeler’s junior varsity squad. The defense came up with three turnovers. They even came up with some points. Willis McGahee played his heart out like he does every game and came up with two touchdowns and probably deserved more touches. And you sure can’t blame Eric Moulds or Lee Evans, it’s not their fault they didn’t get the ball throw to them. You can point a finger at Rian Lindell, missing a field goal that would have put Buffalo up by four points late in the third quarter. But that doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t have been as close as it was.
Bledsoe was operating a fine oiled machine. An offense that had scored over 33 points in each of its six straight victories, on a team that won each of those games by double digits. He was going up against a second tier secondary. The Steelers defense was mixing in second and third string units, mixing and matching players who were unaccustomed to playing time and with each other. The Bills were up essentially up against a pre-season Steeler defense.
We all know what happened. Drew Bledose happened.
Seven three-and-outs. 10 out of 12 unconverted third downs. One perfect completion to a Pittsburgh linebacker. A few others that he threw right at backup defenders. And a fumble that cost Buffalo the game.
In a big time game, a must win atmosphere, Bledsoe crumbles.
He performs about as well as Ashlee Simpson on center stage. Watching Bledsoe operate in crucial games is painful, root canal painful. Watching him is just as bad as hearing Ashlee sing. Her sister is the reason God created sight, but her voice is the reason God created deafness. Bledsoe is the reason fans have a remote control.
Bledsoe once again under performed, just like he did against the Patriots, where he threw three interceptions and couldn’t even match Ralph Wilson’s age in passing yards. With the game on the line, or the season (as was the case against the Steelers,) Bledsoe stinks. That’s the best way to put it, he stinks in big games. He holds the ball too long. He looks at a receiver too long. He lets the ball fall out of his hands. Or he makes a really, really poor decision with the football. Why did it take him 58 minutes to finally hit Lee Evans deep, when the guy has scored seven touchdowns in the previous five games? Why does Drew do any of things he does? He would have done the same thing in the playoffs if the Bills had managed to beat the Steelers.
Bledsoe supporters, however, all five of them, say he has improved from last season. This is true, he has. But when you hit rock bottom, like Bledsoe did in 2003, it’s kind of hard to go anywhere but up. This season, though, he still didn’t pass for 3,000 yards for the second straight year. He didn’t throw for 300 yards in a single game this season, and hasn’t done so since week two of the 2003 season (while, 31 other quarterbacks had at least one 300 yard performance this year). His efficiency rating ranked 25th in the league. Having this guy leading the Bills is like having the French lead an army.
The Bills are no longer Bledsoe’s team. The defense made the Bills go 9-7, acquiring more turnovers in their six game winning streak than all of last year. Willis McGahee made the Bills go 9-7, rushing with poise and promise for virtually a rookie. The special teams made the Bills go 9-7, sending Terrence McGee to the pro bowl.
Drew Bledsoe kept the Bills from going 10-6. It’s one thing for a quarterback not to win. Sometimes Jim Kelly didn’t win. Sometimes Doug Flutie didn’t win. It’s another if your quarterback loses. Drew Bledsoe loses. I hope you’re ready J.P.