Drew Bledsoe injury: How a Mo Lewis tackle changed NFL history

Drew Bledsoe was a good NFL quarterback for many years. Unfortunately for him, the thing he will always be remembered for most is being the guy that Tom Brady replaced. It was not because Drew Bledsoe did anything wrong, but rather a gruesome injury that he suffered from a hit by Mo Lewis of the New York Jets. It was a clean shot but one that did severe damage.

Drew Bledsoe left the game with a concussion but was later diagnosed with further complications as well. His lung collapsed and he was also bleeding internally, which is a potentially fatal injury.

Thankfully, he fully recovered physically, but he would never fully get his job back as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots.

NFL history is forever impacted by an injury to Drew Bledsoe

Tom Brady came in to replace Drew Bledsoe but was unable to win the game for the Patriots. The following week, in the first start of Tom Brady's career, he defeated Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts by a massive 31 points.

It was here that Tom Brady's legendary career began. It's the greatest career in NFL history, and one that is still going on today after more than 20 years.

Tom Brady's accomplishments in his time with the New England Patriots look like something out of a video game rather than real life. In his first season, Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory over the loaded "greatest show on turf" St. Louis Rams team. The Patriots were huge underdogs but overcame it, which is synonymous with Brady's career as a whole.

In total for New England, Brady would win six Super Bowl Championships. He also won the NFL MVP award three times, was selected to 14 Pro Bowls and named an NFL All-Pro five times. He won 17 AFC East division titles and nine AFC conference championships. Brady holds countless amounts of records and is the undisputed greatest quarterback of all time.

All of Brady's greatness was sparked by a brutal injury to an established starting quarterback in Drew Bledsoe. If Mo Lewis never delivered that hit, it's fair to wonder when or if Brady's career would have ever begun.

Brady was anything but a highly regarded prospect, having been drafted late in the sixth round as a low-risk gamble. It's now safe to say that New England hit the jackpot with that pick.