Bledsoe was his old self here Sunday night. His accuracy was pinpoint. He didn't make hardly a bad decision. And when it was time to make clutch plays, he made clutch plays.
Admit it, a whole bunch of you - and media types, too - thought he'd be in a body bag after this Gregg Williams' blitz-happy Skins defense got done with the "immobile" Bledsoe this night. Well, huh, he was sacked just one time. Once, and he was the first to credit his offensive line, which did a nice job of adjusting to the blitzing Skins.
Bledsoe also did a nice job of staying patient, nibbling along inside since the Redskins made a point of trying to take away Owens and Terry Glenn on the outside with a Cover-2 defense, trying to compensate for missing starting corner Shawn Springs.
And please, the Dump Bledsoe faction out there had better not even bring up completing just 50 percent of his passes. Phooey. I counted 10 drops, well, 11, if you count the one Redskins corner Carlos Rogers couldn't hang onto.
"Just threw an uncatchable ball tonight I guess," Bledsoe said.
But here is the best part about Bledsoe: He doesn't play the I-told-you-so game. He doesn't give himself an excuse for a poor performance. He just plays the game. He just does his job. He just acts the way you want your NFL quarterback to act, blocking out all the ancillary stuff and do his job.
"It just feels good to come out and play well and win, and you know we dealt with some adversity last week, and I've always said and continue to say that what ultimately defines you is not what happens, it's how you react to it," Bledsoe said. "So we were able to react last week and come out and get a win."
Notice the "we," and no "I." While he says he doesn't pay attention to what goes on in the media, Bledsoe knew darn well the calls for Tony Romo were out there. He knew "Quarterback Controversy" was all the rage in these parts this past week.
And what's hilarious out there, some of the same people who have been calling for his removal, just driving the Romo Bandwagon and not giving credence to the distinct possibility of Bledsoe having something wrong with his back those final three quarters at Jacksonville, suddenly want to worry about his back after this game.
Said Bledsoe, "I appreciate your concern," and left it at that.
You get the feeling he's seen it all, and that's why the Cowboys contend Bledsoe must be their guy if they are to get where they want to go this year instead of putting their fate in the hands of a potentially-capable Romo who has yet to throw that first pass in an NFL regular-season game.
"Hey man, that's him," said third-year wide receiver Patrick Crayton, recipient of Bledsoe's four-yard dagger to give the Cowboys that early 10-0 lead. "You hear rumors of a quarterback controversy. You hear Bledsoe's got to go.
"Man, with him, it goes in one ear and out the other. He's a 14-year veteran."
Yeah, that's Bledsoe, a 14-year veteran. That's Bledsoe, a guy who deals with the task at hand. That's Bledsoe, with the game on the line, delivering that beauty of a 40-yard touchdown pass to a streaking Glenn after holding safety Sean Taylor just long enough while looking at Owens to the left so Glenn could clear whatever was left of a trailing Redskins defense to the right.
Knockout punch. Finally. And thank goodness.
Because had he not, had he not turned in the performance he did, along with that by this defense and the kickers, wow, what a two weeks coming up it would have been.
But instead of microwaved hysteria, this indeed was more like it.
Right Bradie?
