Jeff Blake

Jeff Bertrand Coleman Blake (born December 4, 1970) is a retired American football quarterback who played

in the National Football League. Although he finished his career with the Chicago Bears, he was formerly a

quarterback for the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, [[Arizona

Cardinals]] and Philadelphia Eagles. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the

Jets out of East Carolina University. His only Pro Bowl appearance came with the Bengals, when he was selected

for the AFC team. In that contest, Blake threw a Pro Bowl record-long 92-yard touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen.

College career
Blake finished seventh in the 1991 Heisman Trophy voting, while leading East Carolina to an 11–1 record and the #9

ranking at season's end. He was inducted into the East Carolina Hall of Fame in 2007.

Professional career
Blake's best seasons came with Cincinnati in the mid-to-late 1990s (when he was often referred to as "Shake-N-Blake" by

local media and fans); he established great rapport with Bengal receivers Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott, helping

the former vie for the receiving title in 1995.

Blake left the Bengals after the 1999 season. He signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent. Blake started

11 games at quarterback before breaking his foot late in the 2000 season and being replaced by [[Aaron Brooks (American

football)|Aaron Brooks]].

Blake left the Saints after the 2001 season. He started 11 games for the Ravens in 2002 and 13 games for the Cardinals in

2003, but neither team expressed interest in signing him to a long-term contract.

Blake was signed by the Chicago Bears before the 2005 NFL season to replace back-up quarterback Chad Hutchinson.

Following an injury to the Bears' starting quarterback, Rex Grossman, coach Lovie Smith opted to select rookie

Kyle Orton to fill the slot. During the last game of the regular NFL season, Blake was put in to replace Kyle Orton

during the fourth quarter, completing eight of nine passes.

Despite stating that he wished to continue playing for the Bears and work with

Grossman, the Bears did not express any

interest in re-signing Blake. His contract with the team expired before the start of the 2006 NFL Season. His

position was filled by Kyle Orton, who was demoted after the Bears signed Brian Griese to serve as Grossman's back-

up. At the conclusion of his thirteen-year career, Blake amassed 21,711 passing yards, with 134 touchdown passes, and 99

interceptions. A mobile quarterback, Blake ran for 2,027 career rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He made 100 career

starts.

Biography
Blake is married with four children - his son Emory is a receiver for Auburn and played a major role in Auburn's 2010 BCS

National Championship season. Blake is the brother-in-law of former Dallas Cowboys' linebacker [[Robert Jones

(American football)|Robert Jones]].