Holy Smokes!

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

When Brady was Bledsoe's backup, was there any hint he had any potential to be this good? Brady only got a shot because Bledsoe got hurt, right? Maybe I am mis-remembering?

Here's what I remember. I took my son to a pre-season game against the Redskins, at the old dump alongside Route 1, before their first SB season. Bledsoe played the first and third quarters. Brady played the second and fourth. I don't remember the score. What I do remember is telling my sister (we used her season tickets), "watch out for that kid Brady. He throws a much better ball right now than Bledsoe ever did. He just needs to fine tune it".

Bledsoe got hurt in either the third or fourth game of the regular season vs. the Jets. He kind of froze in indecision inbounds, along the sidelines, and a Jets LB, Mo Lewis, I think, folded him in half. Cleanly. IIRC Bledsoe had a ruptured spleen. The rest is history.

He was totally off the radar in college. He was mostly a back-up to Brian Griese, and after only two starts after Griese graduated, Michigan's coach benched him in favor of a freshman, Drew Henson. Because he was a fourth year junior, he declared for the draft after that season and was taken by Belichick in the 6th round. Mostly on the basis of his size and having played in a top program.

Who knew? I won't say I saw what he became in that pre-season game, but I did see a kid who could throw a deep tight spiral straight overhand (unlike the side-winder Bledsoe). He's always thrown a better deep ball than most writers and broadcasters give him credit for. That Hail Mary he threw at the end of the second SB loss to the Giants went 60 yards on the fly.