Elway-Bledsoe Matchup A Generation Thing

It’s hard to say whether John Elway easily bought into these comparisons between himself and Drew Bledsoe. It’s enough to say he buys it now.

After all, the comparisons and contrasts between the veteran Denver Broncos quarterback and the youthful New England Patriots quarterback are as common as weeds on a ditch bank and to ignore them is to ignore the obvious.

“I’ve heard it all and I’m sure Drew has heard it,” Elway said. “I’m sure Drew looks at me like his kindergarten teacher or something.”

Yeah, or something.

It must be like a caffeine jolt for the 37-year-old Elway to look at the 20-something Bledsoe because it’s like looking at himself 10 years ago.

The autumn of 1987 was some time after the Elway Watch.

At the very least, it was a product of that time in the history of the Broncos. The team as well as the Rocky Mountain area needed a genuine, authentic superstar and the No.1 football player of his time became that somewhat reluctant hero.

Bledsoe was also the No.1 player of his time. But being the top pick in the 1993 draft class was not the same. The times, they had changed.

In pastoral New England, they are still more concerned with the lingering “curse of the Bambino” and the inability of the Red Sox to win a World Series. Bledsoe became a nice little story for the football team out in the Foxboro, Mass., suburbs.

Only now, as Bledsoe begins to mature into the likely successor to Elway as one of the football public’s icons, has the pressure increased.

In his fourth season, Elway led the Broncos to Super Bowl XXI. In his fourth season, Bledsoe took the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI.

Both were born in the state of Washington. Both are sons of football coaches who played at Pac-10 schools. And both have a controlling, egomaniacal, ogre of a coach in their past.

Both quarterbacks are in new phases of their life. Elway has Mike Shanahan as his coach. They look like a winning combination. Bledsoe has Pete Carroll as his coach. They look like a winning combination.

We’ll see.

For now, we have tonight’s Monday night clash of unbeaten New England (4-0) and unbeaten Denver (5-0) for a road map.