Bledsoe down, Brady In

13 years ago, today, the NFL changed forever. Football changed forever. 

On September 23, 2001, Patriots fans all over the world held their breath as Drew Bledsoe went down on the sideline after a brutal hit from Jets LB, Mo Lewis, in week 2 of the 2001 season. He stayed in the game and played the next series before being rushed to Mass. General where he would be treated for severe internal bleeding. And so began the Brady era in New England.

With a little under 5 minutes left in the game, Brady took over as quarterback, but couldn't pull out a win. The Patriots lost 10-3. 
Bledsoe was going to be out for 6-8 weeks, leaving the job under center in Brady's hands. The Pats won their next game, Brady's first NFL start, against the Colts; thus beginning the Manning-Brady rivalry. 
Brady ultimately led the Patriots to an 11-5 season and something New England had never known...a Super Bowl Championship. 

Brady finished the season third in passing in the AFC, second in completion percentage, with 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. *

Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo where he had one of his best seasons, and made the Pro Bowl for the 4th time. After his stint in Buffalo, Bledsoe signed with the Cowboys, where he reunited with former Patriots head coach, Bill Parcells. Bledsoe retired on April 11, 2007.

I could say "and the rest is history", but I love Bledsoe too much to sound that cold. I appreciate his time as a Patriot and he will forever be a fan favorite in New England. He was that kind of guy. A lot like Grogan. Everybody loved him, and he was your dad's favorite player at one point in time. Bledsoe wasn't the best quarterback ever, but his enthusiasm on the field and his persona off the field made it difficult to not like him. 

*Stats found on www.pro-football-reference.com*