NFL legend Drew Bledsoe identified a necessary intangible within Shedeur Sanders that will pay dividends soon. In modern football, tests exist for every possible measurable metric. From acceleration to pectoral force exertion, numbers populate the landscape. Sadly, many college football players prepare for the NFL Combine and pro days by drilling on specific movements instead of football-related activities.
Meanwhile, the athletes who possess those internal gifts cannot see a number measured for them. Make no mistake, football remains a physical game, played by the highly athletic. At the same time, how many of those talents wash out because they fail to mesh the physical athleticism and the innate qualities? Bledsoe, a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, perceives something special inside Sanders.
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Drew Bledsoe Appreciates Shedeur Sanders’ Toughness
Over the course of his 14-year career, Bledsoe enjoyed a couple of different roles within the league. First, as a franchise quarterback who led his team to a Super Bowl appearance, with Pro Bowl nods sprinkled in.
Then, a freak injury sidelined him, giving way to the winningest quarterback in history, Tom Brady. Lastly, he finished as a caretaker, the veteran trying to bring along a young team that needs a steady hand to lead to better days.
With that knowledge, Bledsoe can provide an informed viewpoint. He joined Fox Sports 1 host Colin Cowherd to provide analysis on Sanders and the Cleveland Browns’ QB battle.
“Shedeur seems to anticipate well,” Bledsoe said. “I liked watching him play in college. Again, he didn’t have a ton of help up front. He was getting hit… When you watch a guy that’s getting hit repeatedly, and still popping up, and making the plays for you, that’s something, that is a quality that is hard to learn.
“He got his a** knocked off in college, continued to battle, and played well. I believe that he’s going to have some success, at some point, whether it’s this year or next year, whenever that happens.”
Bledsoe is focusing solely on game tape and not the maelstrom of drama that surrounded Sanders during the draft process. If you look at the film, the former Patriots starter appears correct.
Colorado offensive linemen surrendered 43 sacks last season, tied for 126th in the nation. Regardless of the step count or pattern, shotgun or not, defenders lived in the backfield. As a result, he needed to summon the courage to feel the rush, know that he would end up on the ground, and still deliver a strike downfield.
Many young quarterbacks who enter the league never face that type of adversity. Within a pristine pocket, they can pick secondaries apart. When they need to throw under duress on Sundays, occasionally, you see excess foot movement and a lack of a firm plant. Without that, passes can exhibit a chuckwalla tendency, hovering in the air too long.
It remains to be seen where Sanders will end up on the Browns’ QB depth chart as a rookie. His toughness, which goes under-discussed, could ultimately serve as the catalyst for starting down the road, whether in Cleveland or elsewhere.