Drew hoo -- Sadly, the Bledsoe era ends in New England

Drew Bledsoe has been shipped from New England to Buffalo and leaves the very organization he saved from decimation.

Before the '93 season, the New England Patriots never knew what it was like to be beloved by their hometown team. Sure, they had sellouts and in their '85 Super Bowl run, they were the ultimate underdogs that captured the heart and soul of every underdog across the country. But that was one season.

The Patriots weren't the Bruins. They definitely weren't the Celtics. And they most certainly weren't the Red Sox. Even with a Super Bowl run, they were the silent partner in the three-ringed circus of Massachusetts' sports.

Then Super Bowl XX happened.

The underdog Patriots were neutered by the Chicago Bears in a laughable 46-10 massacre. All hopes for the legitimacy by the New England franchise had been spayed.

Suddenly the organization became plunged into an abyss of anarchy and atrocious behavior: Sexual harassment against a female reporter, bar room brawls, stabbings, and possible relocation. And all of this was off the football field.

On the field, their records were, to be polite, less than peachy: 5-11 (1989), 1-15 (1990), 6-10 (1991), and 2-14 (1992).

Just when they bottomed out, the organization reached out to two-time Super Bowl winner Bill Parcells, another savior of the franchise. Parcells brought a previously unseen discipline, an apt for winning, and a hunger for legitimacy. He also brought in Drew Bledsoe.

The golden boy from Washington St. was hailed as the most talented passer to ever hit the organization and by the time he left, all theories had proved to be correct.

Bledsoe became the youngest quarterback to ever throw for 10,000 yards. He threw for 3,000+ yards, seven consecutive times. When given suitable talent around him, Bledsoe threw for 4,000 yards twice. He is the career Patriots leader in attempts, completions, and passing yards (game, season, and career).

Bledsoe was named to the Pro Bowl three different times and became the youngest player to ever participate in the Pro Bowl. Even without deep talent on the offensive line, Bledsoe proved most durable, missing just over a handful of games (six) in his first eight seasons with New England. Add in the fact that he lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl -- not once -- but twice.

In 1996, Drew Bledsoe launched many rockets to a plethora of Pro Bowl talent in tight end Ben Coates, wide receiver Terry Glenn, and running back Curtis Martin. In turn, the Patriots squared off against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXX1, before being defeated 35-21.

In 2001, the Patriots were no longer Bledsoe's team. A sheared blood vessel in his chest at the hands of Jets linebacker Mo Lewis proved near life threatening. Thus, second-year quarterback from Michigan Tom Brady took the reigns and reinvigorated the team with his youthful zest and big game hunger.

Even though Bledsoe was healthy enough to come back in the middle of the season, the coaching staff never lost faith in Brady. In turn, Bledsoe, a player that in the off-season had been rewarded by owner and second father, Bob Kraft, with an NFL record 10 year, $103 million dollar contract. Bledsoe was the most expensive backup quarterback in league history.

In the AFC Championship game, Brady got bent backwards by Steelers safety Lee Flowers and went down. All eyes fell upon the New England sidelines as Bledsoe put on his silver helmet just like he had thousands of times before, and trotted out onto the field.

With the adrenaline taken over, he launched some quick strikes and less than five minutes after entering the field, threw a touchdown pass. He may not have had the same initial magic in the second half, but he shook off the rust and held on for a 24-17 victory.

Bledsoe had led the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the second time in his career, but while he may have gotten them there, the Patriots were no longer his team. Brady came back for the Super Bowl and they won the championship.

How bittersweet it must have been for Bledsoe to finally win a world title with the team that drafted him, but not be the one in charge of the offense.

That lack of exuberance revealed itself to many when a delighted Tom Brady was shown after the game hitting Bledsoe on the shoulder pads and mouthing "We did it!" Bledsoe smirked and patted his buddy on the head, but there wasn't total joy for the man that revitalized the organization -- a man so crucial to the team's future success that he was once labeled "The Franchise."

John Hannah may have been the greatest player to ever put on the Patriots uniform, but Drew Bledsoe was the most important.

Sadly, this had to happen. Tom Brady, in his second season, his first as a starter in the NFL, led a blue-collar, mediocre-talented team to the White House for a Super Bowl champion celebration in the Rose Garden. He is "the guy." Period.

Bledsoe has many missiles left in the cannon attached to his shoulder socket. With Eric Moulds, Peerless Price, and Josh Reed, he will have talent around him. Miraculously, New England even got that elusive first-round pick for him even though Buffalo was the only team truly interested in Bledsoe's services.

New England, now with the Bledsoe deal and the Terry Glenn deal, will have two first-round picks and potentially (Glenn's deal involved a conditional draft pick -- if he catches at least 75 balls, New England receives a second-round pick) two second-round picks in the 2003 draft.

It was a win-win situation for both organizations involved.

Now Bledsoe is off to the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills with a chance to resurrect a floundering, young team from the ashes.

Sounds eerily familiar doesn't it?

Some say history never repeats itself. If Drew Bledsoe's past success is any indication, this will be the exception.