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The source for back issues of Clint's Corner. Forget a trade? Were Clint's predictions correct? Here's every edition, verbatim.

For 10/10/2001

Fresh perspective...

For those of you who may have thought the victory over the Colts had ushered in the "Brady Era", think again. Playing for the first time under adverse game conditions that Drew Bledsoe has come to take for granted, Brady was a dismal 12 for 24 for 86 yards with a long of just 15 yards to Troy Brown. When Bledsoe last faced the Miami defense, Drew threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-24 loss in Foxboro Stadium. Never in Bledsoe's 9-year career has he thrown for less than 100 yards in game he started and was able to finish.

Brady was certainly not responsible for the offensive shortcomings. There was no running game to support his cause, receivers were not getting open, and he was harassed in and out of the pocket all day long. Brady was sacked 4 times and knocked around countless other times after releasing the ball. How much time does a quarterback need to throw a 7-yard pass? Too much time apparently for the Patriots offensive line to accommodate.

This is certainly not the way Brady envisioned his 2nd career start, but it was only a matter of time before it was needlessly proven once again that Drew Bledsoe is undisputedly the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. One could certainly not ask too much more of the young signal caller under those conditions, but it does shed an old light on what Drew has been able to accomplish in the past few seasons.

While the Patriots won-loss record in the past few years is certainly nothing that Bledsoe will cherish, perhaps the National Associate of Bledsoe Bashers will now re-examine the numbers that Bledsoe has put up over that time. Last Sunday for Brady was a microcosm of the entire 2000 season for Drew; no running game, little pass protection, and few open receivers. If one is quick to defend the woeful numbers that Brady put up last Sunday, then how is Drew Bledsoe on the trading block following a 2000 season that saw him complete nearly 60% of his 531 pass attempts for 3,300 yards and 17 touchdowns? Bledsoe was sacked 45 times last season, yet threw only 13 interceptions, an average of 1 per 40 pass attempts.

The same weaknesses in the offense we saw last Sunday were present on opening day in Cincinnati, yet the Patriots were in a position to win that game. Bledsoe almost single handedly put the team back in the game against the Bengals, with the final difference arguably being a disputable spot following a 4th down QB sneak. While the Patriots are now just 10-22 in their last 32 games, last Sunday was just the 4th time in that span that the Patriots have lost by more than 10 points. Why? With a franchise quarterback, you are never out of a game.

To further belabor my point, take for example the final 3 plays run by the Green Bay Packers in Tampa Bay last Sunday. Trailing 14-10 with 35 seconds to play, the Packers had a 2nd and 10 at the Buccaneer 13-yard line. In that situation, who better to have at quarterback than Brett Favre? Not only is Favre arguably the best QB in the game today, but he ranks right up there with the best to have ever played the position. However, when facing a tough defense that knows you have to pass the ball, Favre was sacked for a 5-yard loss and then threw two incomplete passes under heavy pressure that were way off of their mark. If Brett Favre had to play every down under those conditions, I doubt we'd today be talking about his being on the "all time great" list.

Have I gone too long here in defense of Drew Bledsoe? Perhaps, but Bledsoe bashing has long for me been a personal pet peeve of mine, and I'd rather vent my frustrations in this column than stoop to dialing into talk radio. I sat through all but 3 home games between 1984 and the time Drew was drafted in 1993. How could I not appreciate what Bledsoe has brought to this offense after watching the likes of Tony Eason, Tom Ramsey, Marc Wilson, Tommy Hodson, Hugh Millen, and even Bob Bleier taking snaps from center from my seat in section 108?

I do apologize if it appears as though I am promoting Drew Bledsoe at the expense of one bad game played by the young Tom Brady. As I said at the top, Tom Brady had no chance in this game. Brady is certainly a capable NFL quarterback. He won a ton of games directing a top-notch college football program in Michigan, and has continually drawn the praise and respect of his Patriot teammates. He also showed in his first NFL start that he's an effective field general and a cool customer in the pocket when the offense is clicking. What last Sunday showed Patriot Fans is what can happen to a solid quarterback when the other 10 players on the field are not doing their job. For the Patriots to have a semblance of a passing game they'll need better than a solid quarterback, they'll need a healthy Drew Bledsoe.

The Patriot defense gets a one-week reprieve as I've now used up my allotted space to address last weeks game.

Flutie-mania...

Is anyone at all surprised that last season's laughing stock 1-15 Chargers will enter Foxboro Stadium on Sunday in 1st place in the AFC West? Is anyone any less surprised that "Rob Johnson's" Buffalo Bills are 0-4? The little man from Natick has once again landed right on his feet after being tossed aside. While Flutie's passing numbers have not been staggering through 4 weeks, you can't find fault with the team's 3-1 record.

The Chargers have a very solid defense, and Flutie is joined in the backfield by the NFL's leading rusher through week 4 in LaDanien Tomlinson. Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the Patriots would be 3.5 point underdogs when the Chargers came to town? When I predicted a 7-9 season for our Patriots back in August, I'll admit that I had the San Diego game penned in as one of those 7 wins. Now I'm not so sure. One statistic leaning in the Patriots favor, however, is that San Diego's 3 wins have come against the Redskins, Cowboys, and Bengals; a trio who now stand at a collective 2-10.

This is a game the Patriots must win if we are to believe they are an improved bunch over the 2000 team. The Pats have already lost to a bad Jets team at home, but recovered to handily beat a solid Colts team the following week. While the Chargers are not as good as the Colts, they are likely a more formidable opponent than the Jets. The Chargers lost a very close game on the road in Cleveland last week, but are the 3-1 Browns really any better than the 1-3 Patriots? I'm not so sure. I expect a very, very close game on Sunday, but I said the same thing last week and look at what happened. I was very surprised to see the Dolphins sleep walk to a 20-point victory last Sunday, but I'd be completely shocked if the Patriots are not in a position late in the 4th quarter to beat the Chargers.

While a healthy Drew Bledsoe would not have made a difference last week in Miami, Tom Brady will have to be at his very best to fill in for Drew against the Chargers. The difference between Brady and Bledsoe behind center may just be those 3.5 points posted on the boards in Vegas.

Look who's back...

For Bill Belichick, welcoming back Terry Glenn this week must be like greeting the guest at your wedding to whom you never sent an invitation. Terry Glenn is once again part of the Patriots only because an arbitrator curiously ruled that the Patriots did not have the right to suspend the man who waltzed out of training camp back in August.

What kind of message did this ruling send to Terry Glenn? Unfortunately it's the "don't worry Terry, this isn't your fault" message that Terry has been telling himself his whole life and that he is now paying his agent big bucks to echo. His recent comments to the effect of "I'm back to help the team if they want me to, but if not, then fine" are unfortunately exactly what we all should have expected Glenn to say. Glenn's comments expressed no remorse nor regret, just self-pity. While Glenn does not owe the media an explanation, let's hope he more carefully planned his first few words to his teammates and coaches at the beginning of the week.

While I was optimistic that the bad blood of this suspension could have been put to pasture with Glenn's return for the 2002 season, I am no longer as optimistic following the arbitrator's mandate. After what I'm sure was an ugly back-and-forth exchange during many hours of testimony at Foxboro Stadium in early September, Glenn's recent comments may have driven an immovable wedge between himself and the Patriot Brass.

While Terry Glenn's talents are desperately needed on the field this season, I am not so sure he'll be given much of an opportunity to help out. He is bound to be assigned to the 4th or 5th receiver spot out of the gate, and may not even be on the game-day roster against the Chargers. The Patriots have already cut Bert Emanuel to make room for Glenn, so clearly they are resigned to at least having him on the team for the rest of the year.

How Glenn handles the deliberate easing back in will be the true sign of whether or not he has learned from his past mistakes. If Glenn takes his demotions and lingering "punishment" as a challenge to work harder than ever, his patience, silence, and hard work will undoubtedly be rewarded with increased involvement in the offense and perhaps in the financial department as well.

If, however, Glenn sulks at the "unfair" treatment to being on the field less often than David Patten or Charles Johnson, then he'll likely seal his fate as a member of the Patriots. It's a foregone conclusion that Glenn would quickly find employ with another NFL team, but what kind of contract offer do he and his agent expect to receive if the Patriots do in fact chose to finally cut bait?

How Glenn handles himself on and off the field the remainder of this season will tell everyone a lot about Terry Glenn. All he's said he's ever wanted is "another chance." While the Patriots are not likely to roll out the red carpet, the arbitrator has given Terry that chance he had asked for. Let's see what he does with it.

See you next week.