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In 2001, Mo Lewis delivered a tackle that changed the NFL story.
Lewis, who spent his entire pro -career with the New York Jets, tackled the then new England Patriots who started Quarterback Drew Bledso. That hit forced Bledsoe to leave the game, giving Tom Brady an opportunity to play. Brady took advantage of the chance, and Bledso never regained the starting job.
While Lewis appeared to receive the brother of the blame to trigger the two decade of an unprecedented success Brady produced with New England Patriots, the retired linebacker claimed that the error should actually be awarded Bledsoe.
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Former New England Patriots Quarterbacks Drew Bedsoe, Left, and Tom Brady, Right, Talk During Pregame warming between Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills on Lumen Field 27 October 2024 in Seattle. (Joe Nicholson/Imag Images)
In the long -time NFL reporter Gary Myers’ book, “Brady vs. Belichick,” Lewis pointed to Bledso’s decision to crawl on the play.
“[Bledsoe] Just signed a $ 100 million deal to be what type of quarterback? A passing quarterback, correct? Had he not got out of his pocket and ran with the ball, would we talk about this? Who caused the event? The person who was with the ball, “Lewis noted.
“Now he does what he didn’t sign up. He signed up to be a passing quarterback. What do I do? I stop the people with the ball. It’s just another spectacle for me. But that’s another spectacle for him.”
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Lewis gave Chase when the Bledsoe encrypted to try to get enough yardage for a first down. Hit at Bledsoe was considered legal, but many observers probably remembered tackle because of its intensity.
Lewis stepped away from football after the 2003 season, and he largely avoided the media or public events affiliated with Jets in the years since.
Linebacker Mo Lewis from the New York Jets before a game against Buffalo Bills at Giants Stadium 24 October 1993 in East Rutherford, NJ (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
Lewis ‘decision to live away from the limelight centered on his frustration at being remembered most for Bledsoe -Tackle instead of his overall career performance, ESPN reported, citing Lewis’ teammates.
Lewis won the first team’s all-pro-heights in 1998 and was selected for three Pro Bowls.
Tom Brady, Left, and Drew Bledsoe are talking on stage during “The Greatest Roast throughout the years: Tom Brady” for Netflix is a joke festival at Kia Forum 5 May 2024 in Inglewood, Calif. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images to Netflix)
Lewis suggested he was not personally influenced by the fall of the notorious spectacle.
“It’s really irrelevant to me,” he said. “It was just another spectacle for me. For all of you, it’s a big game-changing, historically changing acting. I’ve never gone back to see the piece. If people want to talk about it, I don’t hide from it. But it doesn’t matter to me.”
Brady won with six Super Bowl titles with Patriots. He left the franchise after the 2019 season and won his seventh championship with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
