Tiberius

Tiberius (Claudius Nero Caesar), reign: 14-37 A.D.


Tiberius was a bit of an enigma. He wasn't the the first choice for emperor, nor the second or third, but all of the successors picked by Augustus kept dying.

Thus it might seem like fate that brought Tiberius to the forefront, but ultimately he didn't get that cised for power. Personality-wise, he was a bit of a debbie downer, moody and dark. His introversion caused him to give his shady advisor Sejanus almost complete power while Tiberius went into seclusion on Capri. With Tiberius cut off from the rest of the empire, Sejanus went on a rampage rooting out supposed traitors with a network of informers.



Tiberius was known to be fairly wise and generous, and his administration ran efficiently. He was also a successful military commander in his earlier days. Unfortunately his legacy is marred by his early retirement and Sejanus' ensuing reign of terror. Shades perhaps, of another capable but QB who dipped early.

Drew Bledsoe

Ol' Drew almost had it all. Blessed with prototypical height and laser-rocket arm, Bledsoe enjoyed multiple productive seasons with the Patriots. But his Achilles heel was his statue-like immobility. Bledsoe was sacked 54 times in '99 with the Patriots, 49 times in '03 with the Bills, 49 times in '05 with the Cowboys, and in his last season, 16 times in 6 games before ignominiously giving way to the Tony Romo era.

After getting drilled by Mo Lewis in a game against the Jets in '01, Bledsoe suffered a concussion, a punctured lung, and internal bleeding. Can't say I really blame the man for walking away at age 34. Drew reportedly has a lot of interests outside of football, and he probably had had enough of eating sack lunches 3 times a week.

Additional Notes:

A sad episode of Tiberius' life was when Augustus forced him to divorce his wife Vipsania, whom he loved with a passion. For political purposes he was made to marry Julia, daughter of Augustus. They hated each other and Julia eventually became notorious for whoring it up around Rome. She was eventually exiled to the island of Pandateria, where she committed suicide.