BLEDSOE HOPING TO TOSS DOUBTS ASIDE VETERAN QUARTERBACK LOOKS TO REBOUND WITH COWBOYS AND PARCELLS.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Drew Bledsoe zips balls downfield with the same ease and velocity that had him compared to Dan Marino in the early years of his career.

He throws a tight spiral over the middle to Keyshawn Johnson, then goes deep to Terry Glenn before hitting tight end Jason Witten with a bullet in the end zone.

At Dallas Cowboys practice last month in Oxnard, Bledsoe didn't look like the washed-up quarterback many have described. One thing is clear, he can throw a ball just as well as in his best years at New England.

``People say he's old and that he can't do it anymore,'' said Glenn, who entered the league as a Patriots receiver when Bledsoe was in his prime. ``If you're a competitor, that's going to motivate you. That's true for any player, and I know it's true for Drew.''

If Bledsoe's arm is as good as ever, it begs the question of what has sidetracked what once seemed to be a sure Hall of Fame career.

One number stands out - 402. That's the amount of times Bledsoe has been sacked in his 12-year career.

Bledsoe, who leads the Cowboys into Sunday's season opener against the Chargers in San Diego, tends to hold onto the ball too long trying to make something happen. It's gotten worse lately, as he was sacked 140 times in the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

``I don't think that's what he wants to do,'' Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. ``He just doesn't want to give up on the play. So I'm trying to get him to throw it out on time as much as I can. I'm pretty hard on him about that.''

Reuniting with Parcells is one reason to think that Bledsoe, at 33, could revive his career.

Parcells was New England's coach when the Patriots drafted Bledsoe with the top overall pick in 1993. In the first four years of his career, under Parcells, Bledsoe twice passed for more than 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.

His second season, in which he passed for 4,555 yards on an NFL record 691 attempts and became the youngest quarterback to play in the Pro Bowl, is bettered only by Marino in terms of sophomore success.

``He's an outstanding football coach, and always has been,'' Bledsoe said of Parcells. ``His teams always play smart, physical football. You're going to have the chance to win with teams he puts together.''

Lately, when Parcells puts together a team, he seems to prefer a quarterback he knows, someone with whom he already has an established trust. Last year, he brought in Vinny Testaverde, his former quarterback with the New York Jets, to lead the Cowboys.

When Bledsoe was cut by Buffalo in the offseason, Parcells quickly made the move to bring him to Dallas.

Parcells said the signing was about more than an existing comfort level.

``I'm just trying to improve the position for the Cowboys and I thought he might do it,'' Parcells said. ``I don't think anyone is the same. I think he's changed, some for the better and some for the worse. But I think he has some additional things that he didn't have when I had him before - like experience.''

Some of those experiences, he'd like to forget. After losing his starting job in New England when an opportunistic Tom Brady took advantage of a Bledsoe injury, he was traded to the Bills. In his first season with Buffalo, Bledsoe looked like the same quarterback who led the Patriots, passing for 4,359 yards.

However, the past two years were his first complete seasons since his rookie year that he failed to pass for 3,000 yards. He thinks circumstances were at fault for his decline.

``We had a huge year back when I first got to Buffalo,'' Bledsoe said. ``We had some weapons then. The next year, they traded away 70 percent of my passing game in Peerless Price, Jay Riemersma and Larry Centers.''

Back with the coach who best understood him, reunited with one of his favorite receivers, with a better offensive line than in Buffalo and the tight end he covets, Bledsoe hopes to prove wrong his growing list of doubters.

``Some people in the media have begun to overlook me,'' Bledsoe said. ``People who know football haven't. My story hasn't been written yet. When my career is over, that story will be written.''

Matthew Kredell, [phone]

matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) New Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe has thrown for fewer than 3,000 yards in each of the past two seasons.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

(2) When he played for Bill Parcells in New England, Drew Bledsoe threw for more than 4,000 yards twice.

J.D.Cuban/Allsport

Box:

(1) DALLAS at SAN DIEGO

(2) CAREER STATISTICS