Old No. 11 happy to help
Bledsoe honorary captain
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
FOXBORO — If needed, Drew Bledsoe is ready to help out Tom Brady for one more AFC Championship Game.
Bledsoe, who will be an honorary captain tomorrow when the Patriots host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium, stepped in for an injured Brady during a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the conference title tilt after the 2001 season. And with Brady dealing with a thumb injury, Bledsoe was asked yesterday how much he’s got left in the tank.
“The ball still flies off my hand pretty good, believe it or not,” Bledsoe said. “I’m coaching some high school football out here (in Oregon), and every now and then I’ll go play some scout team. If they need me, I’ll be ready. I’ll borrow (injured wide receiver) Julian Edelman’s No. 11 jersey and go out there and sling it around. I figure I’ve got one or two good plays in me, and that’s about it.”
Bledsoe last threw a pass for the Pats in that AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, when he was 10-of-21 for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 24-17 win. His fondest memory of that weekend was a surprise visit from his father, and during the on-field trophy presentation, Bledsoe tossed him a game ball that his father still keeps on his dresser.
“That was a pretty special moment,” Bledsoe said. “Obviously, that year was an emotional roller coaster for me personally, kind of going from being the franchise quarterback who intended to be there forever to getting hurt and watching this young kid come in and play well, and watch the team win. It was a bit of a roller coaster, but it really was an awesome experience to get to come in and play that game in 2001 and help us get to the Super Bowl.”
Bledsoe and Brady have remained friends through the years, and Bledsoe believes Brady will be fine tomorrow as long as he can grip the football. As for reflecting upon the five-time Super Bowl champion’s career, Bledsoe had some fun with the analysis of his onetime understudy.
“He learned really well, man,” Bledsoe said. “He paid really close attention to all the lessons I taught him when he was there. Obviously, I take all the credit for his success. Tommy has been so amazing for so long. His continued excellence through all of these years is really pretty astounding.”
Team owner Robert Kraft, who hosted Bledsoe on his private jet to Denver this season, invited the Pats Hall of Famer to take part in tomorrow’s festivities. Bledsoe will join the captains at midfield for the coin toss.
“Drew Bledsoe played such an integral role in our efforts to rebuild the Patriots,” Kraft said. “He gave fans hope for the future by providing many memorable moments during his record-breaking career. For a franchise that had only hosted one playoff game in its first 35 years, winning the (1996) AFC Championship Game at home in Foxboro and taking the Patriots to the playoffs for three consecutive years were unimaginable goals prior to his arrival.”
Bledsoe happily rearranged his schedule to make the trip for the game.
“It’s a great honor to come out and be an honorary captain for the best organization in all of sports,” Bledsoe said. “Mr. Kraft has always been so kind to me and my family. It was a great feeling to get that call from him the other day to ask me to come out and do that. So I changed some plans, and we’ll be there.”
Ready and waiting
Defensive tackle Alan Branch said he is still ready if the coaches need him.
Branch suffered a knee injury in Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins and missed the final three regular-season games, but he was healthy enough to play last week against the Tennessee Titans. He was listed as questionable and inactive for performance reasons.
“I feel great,” Branch said. “We’ll see. It’s not really my decision, so if my number is called, I’ll be ready.”
Another ‘monster’
A week after stifling Titans bruiser Derrick Henry, the Patriots will have a shot at Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette.
Linebacker James Harrison provided a daunting scouting report.
“It’s another monster that we’ve got to try to go out there and contain,” Harrison said.
Harrison also shook off a series of questions about his former employer. When asked about the differences between the Patriots and Steelers, Harrison quickly responded, “I don’t compare.”
But was he disappointed the Patriots didn’t get a crack at the Steelers this weekend?
“I’m just happy that we’re here to play against somebody,” Harrison said.
Oh, and how about that excitement level to be playing while the Steelers are done?
“Excited,” he said.