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

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 who played in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. Although he finished his career with the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, he was formerly a quarterback for the New York Jets

New York Jets

The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

, Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

. He was drafted

NFL Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

 in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL Draft

1992 NFL Draft

The 1992 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft...

 by the Jets out of East Carolina University

East Carolina University

East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...

. His only Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 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

Yancey Thigpen

Yancey Dirk Thigpen is a former professional American football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers , the Pittsburgh Steelers , and the Tennessee Oilers/Titans...

.

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

Carl Pickens

Carl McNally Pickens is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans....

 and Darnay Scott

Darnay Scott

Darnay Scott is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft.-High school career:...

, 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

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

 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.

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

2005 NFL season

The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...

 to replace back-up quarterback Chad Hutchinson

Chad Hutchinson

Chad Martin Hutchinson is a retired National Football League quarterback and Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and the St. Louis Cardinals of the MLB...

. Following an injury to the Bears' starting quarterback, Rex Grossman

Rex Grossman

Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...

, coach Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith

Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....

 opted to select rookie Kyle Orton

Kyle Orton

Kyle Orton is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played college football at Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

 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

2006 NFL season

The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...

. His position was filled by Kyle Orton, who was demoted after the Bears signed Brian Griese

Brian Griese

Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....

 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

Brother-in-law

A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...

 of former Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

' linebacker Robert Jones

Robert Jones (American football)

Robert Lee Jones is a former American football linebacker who played 10 seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the St...

.