Pats contemplate Bishop's role

New England keeping options, including the option, open

The Hartford Courant

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Michael Bishop finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting yet was not selected until the last round of the NFL draft. That dichotomy is one aspect of what makes Bishop the most intriguing player the Patriots added in the draft. And Bishop is different in the sense that he is about as opposite from Drew Bledsoe as the New England Patriots could get at the quarterback position. The Patriots are going to try to take advantage of Bishop's talents, which should be fun to watch. "We would like to put Michael Bishop in a situation where he can run around, he can scramble and he can use the field the way he did in college," Patriots coach Pete Carroll said. "We will adapt somewhat to what he can do to give him some options and some opportunities to excel." In other words, the Patriots may have a Kordell Stewart-type player on their hands. Consequently, they will keep all their options, including the option, open. Bishop, who lasted until the seventh round (227th overall) was looked at by other teams as a possible running back, wide receiver or defensive back. If he can't make it in the NFL, Bishop is projected as a potential star in the Canadian Football League. The Patriots will install Bishop as the third-string quarterback and allow him to develop while also finding out what he has to offer. Physically, they already have a pretty good idea of what he can do. "He gives us mobility, he gives us tremendous arm strength and play-making ability that is somewhat unique and different than we would get out of Drew," Carroll said. Voted the Big 12 newcomer of the year by The Associated Press in 1997, his junior year, Bishop passed for 1,557 yards, rushed for 566 and was offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl. As a senior, Bishop led the Wildcats into national championship contention. He was a consensus All-American, Big 12 offensive player of the year and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Davey O'Brien awards. He set K-State single-season passing records with 2,844 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He completed 164 of 295 passes (55.6 percent). He also led the team in rushing with 748 yards on 177 carries. Bishop's draft stock was low because he played only two years in a major college program. "He didn't have the three- or four-year career that you could really bank on," Carroll said. "He's a very wide-open player maybe some (teams) didn't want to go with." Bishop didn't feel slighted. "There were a lot of great players in the draft this season," Bishop said. "All the great players can't go in the first, second, third (rounds). It doesn't matter to me ... as long as I got an opportunity to play at this level." Bishop said he was excited about the opportunity to learn from Bledsoe, who has been the Patriots' starter since 1993. Bishop needs to work on accuracy and improve his decision making. Carroll said the Patriots aren't going to design an alternate offense for Bishop, but merely expand the movement begun last season toward a more wide-open attack. "This is a guy that can do things that really make it hard on the defense," Carroll said. "I want to make sure as we develop what Michael can do for us, we want to give him the opportunity to move. "Drew's the quarterback, the starting quarterback. But if we have to go to a younger quarterback because of injuries or whatever should occur, I want that style that we create to be different. It gives a young kid, particularly one with good legs who can run and scramble, a better chance to excel."

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