September 23, 2001 was one of the most defining days in NFL history — a day that saw the beginning of the Tom Brady era and the decades-long dominance of the New England Patriots.
The hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis on Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe resulted in a sheared blood vessel in his chest and knocked him out of the game. Brady would finish the game, while Bledsoe would suffer a collapsed lung and internal bleeding and eventually lose the starter’s job as New England went on to win the first of six Super Bowl titles with Brady under center later that season.
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No longer wanting to be known as the guy who ushered in the Patriots/Brady era of dominance, Lewis says in Gary Myers’ upcoming book, “Brady vs. Belichick,” that Bledsoe is the one to blame for what happened on the play, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“[Bledsoe] just signed a $100 million deal to be what type of quarterback? A passing quarterback, correct?” says Lewis. “Had he not got outside the pocket and ran with the ball, would we be talking about this? Who caused the event? The person who was with the ball.
“Now he’s doing what he didn’t sign up for. He signed up to be a passing quarterback. What do I do? I stop the people with the ball. It’s just another play for me. But it’s a different play for him.”
The Jets were ahead 10-3 late in the fourth quarter with the Patriots looking to tie the game. On third down and 10 yards to go, Bledsoe scrambled to his right and was met by Lewis just short of the first-down marker.
Lewis, who played all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Jets, has stayed out of the public eye following his 2003 retirement with former teammates explaining that he is unhappy he’s most known for the Bledsoe hit and not for his productive career. Lewis was a two-time All-Pro, made three Pro Bowls and finished with 52.5 career sacks.
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Despite what his former teammates told Myers, Lewis says being known for that hit isn’t a big deal to him.
“It’s really irrelevant to me,” said Lewis. “It was just another play to me. To you all, it’s a big game-changing, history-changing play. I’ve never gone back to watch the play. If people want to talk about it, I don’t hide from it. But it has no importance to me.”
The NFL didn’t forget about the hit and what came out of it. As part of the league’s 100th season in 2019 a poll was conducted to rank the top 100 game changers in league history. Lewis landed at No. 82 on the list.
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