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--> --> Bledsoe ready to prove himself again BOSTON (AP) - For the first time in his NFL career, Drew Bledsoe will have to earn the starting quarterback's job for the New England Patriots. "From the time I was a rookie, I've been a starter on this team, and I anticipate being a starter again," Bledsoe said Tuesday after doctors cleared him to return from a chest injury. "That being said, I have to go prove it again." Bledsoe was injured on Sept. 23 by a crushing - but legal - hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Bledsoe returned for another series, but was taken out again after teammates told the coaches he looked woozy. Since then, backup Tom Brady has led the team from an 0-2 record to 5-4. Coach Bill Belichick has said he would start whoever looked better in practice, and so far that's Brady. "We expect Tom to start against St. Louis," Belichick said Monday. "I think if we had lost the last seven games, that probably would look a little different than winning five of the last seven. But until I see it, I just don't know. I'm going to play the guy who gives us the best chance to win every week." Bledsoe said he would do his best to change the coach's mind. "I'm itching to get back in," he said Tuesday at a news conference with his doctors. "I'm going to do everything in my power to be on the field on Sunday. Ultimately, that's not my decision. But I can't wait." Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, speaking for the first time since the injury, disputed previous reports that Bledsoe had a concussion and a collapsed lung. Treating physician David Berger said Bledsoe arrived by ambulance the night of the injury with the left side of his chest filled with blood. Doctors inserted a chest tube that allowed them to give Bledsoe back his own blood. The turning point in Bledsoe's treatment was when the blood vessel healed on its own within a few days, making season-ending surgery unnecessary. Berger said that Bledsoe stayed informed on all treatment, and did not pressure doctors one way or the other regarding surgery. "I think he understood the gravity of his injury," Berger said. In fact, doctors said Bledsoe probably was healed two weeks ago, but because he was still weakened, they decided to wait to OK his return. "We feel a lot more confident about him coming back now," Berger said, noting that five specialists were consulted on the case. "It's the opinion of all of them that the injury has healed." Berger also said because of the scar tissue that will keep the blood vessel in place against the ribs, Bledsoe is better off now than before. "The chance of him having a rebleed is significantly lower than it was prior to him having the injury," Berger said. Brady, who played at Michigan and was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, jumped ahead of Damon Huard in training camp to become the No. 2 quarterback. He has completed 140 of 221 passes for 1,426 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Bledsoe has been the team's emergency quarterback for the past three games, meaning he would have played only if the first two quarterbacks were injured in the game - and probably only handed off. "I have great confidence in my ability to play this game," he said. "I intend to make it hard for Brady to stay on the field." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing