Back-up plan

DREW: Finally feeling the love.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony yesterday at Gillette was even more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Me, Bergs and my nephews Pete and Steve joined a few thousand others to watch former Pats greats Jon Morris and Drew Bledsoe put on the red jackets.

Morris played before Pete and Steve were born. It was fun to watch them listening to stories about players who made $12k a year and played football at Fenway. The old lineman gave a great speech. It was easy to see that Morris -- who later did radio for the Pats -- is a genuinely good guy. As is the other former Patriot now in the Hall.

Bledsoe was certainly the man most fans came to see and he did not disappoint. He arrived with a bit of a movie star look -- crisp white shirt, black jacket, shades. He looked sharp. He took off the shades for the speech. He said his mother made him.

It was nice to see Bledsoe smiling and fondly looking back at his years as the face of the franchise. As he said, being a guy from Walla Walla, Washington he had no idea what it would be like to play in New England. "You take your sports really seriously out here," he said laughing. "I'm from Washington. We hike and ride our bikes." It was not easy for Bledsoe being the Pats QB. He was clearly in a strange land and under a lot of pressure. He almost always handled both with class.

There were lots of great moments in his speech. I took some video but never captured any of the really funny or touching moments. My timing with video is the worst. You could say I'm the Brandon Meriweather of video taping. There was one line that I really wish I had caught on tape.

Bledsoe thanked many of his former teammates. He started with his offensive line as quarterbacks always do. They kept him alive. Barely. Then he mentioned his receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Then thanked his back-up quarterbacks. The guys who have the thankless job of always being one step away from fulfilling their dream. Starting QB in the NFL. He thanked current Sports Blab personality Scott Zolak for keeping him sane while coach Parcells was screaming at him day in and day out. "Thanks for always having my back, Zo."

Then he thanked "that other back-up. Number 12." Bledsoe added: "He was a good back-up except he didn't quite understand that whole back-up part." It was the best laugh of the day.

Bledsoe then spoke to the fans: "Seriously. I hope everyone here appreciates just how lucky they are to be watching him. He is doing things on the field that are just amazing."

Bledsoe is right. And as always, he's a class act.

It's the Law

The Pats website -- home page on all of my computers -- has been having a hard time coming up with enough content to keep people clicking merrily along during this lockout.

Recents posts have included updates on the Pats cheerleaders (OK, there's nothing wrong with that), a look at the greatest jersey numbers in team history, and a feature on the cranberry bog at Gillette. Every day is a slow news day.

Today there was a story on Ty Law being honored at the annual gala The Tradition. Not all that exciting. But Patriots.com also had a story debating if Law was worthy of Hall of Fame status. Not Pats Hall. That's a sure thing. But NFL Hall. Not so sure about that.

Law was a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback. One of the best over the last 15 years. He finished with 53 career interceptions. The 22nd most in league history. More importantly, he is a three-time Super Bowl champ and one of the best clutch playoff performers the position has ever seen. Law is a great Patriot. But -- in my mind -- not an NFL Hall of Famer.

That raised the question among my tailgating friends as to which Pats are worthy of the yellow blazer. There was a flurry of texts all day.

Brady is in for sure. Of course.

Rodney Harrison and Corey Dillon should make it, mostly for what they accomplished with San Diego and Cincy, respectively. But the fact that they came to New England and were key parts in Super Bowl titles clinches their case for the Hall.

Vinatieri gets in. There has to be a spot for the best clutch kicker of all time.

Other Hall candidates? Willie McGinest. Tedy Bruschi. Troy Brown. Mike Vrabel. I think they are all worthy but not quite the superstar that usually makes the Hall. Their numbers aren't flashy. Of the four my vote goes to Willie. He holds the record for most career playoff sacks with 16. Now THAT'S a flasy number. Willie was truly the leader of one of the greatest dynasties in league history.

There's another Patriot from the last 10 years who is a sure Hall of Famer.

That #81 guy.