FOXBORO - For so many years, Drew Bledsoe's name seemed synonymous with the concept of "construction" in Foxboro.

His first job was to help build the New England Patriots into a legitimate NFL franchise from the ground up. Next, he became one of the poster boys for the future of the team when he was posed in workman's attire to help promote the building of what was originally to be called CMGI Field.

Unfortunately for Bledsoe, that was a project he would not see to its completion. He was injured and replaced for good by Tom Brady as the quarterback of the Patriots two games into the 2001 season, and never wore the Flying Elvis on the field at Gillette Stadium.

Yet from the day he became the first draft pick in the NFL in 1993, Bledsoe became a piece of the foundation of today's incredible run of success. Eventually, that will most likely be acknowledged with enshrinement in the Patriots Hall of Fame - yet another construction project of which Bledsoe has become a part.

The former signal-caller of the Patriots, Bills and Cowboys, now enjoying retirement in his native Pacific Northwest, returned Thursday to the town where he spent the first nine years of his NFL career to participate in the project that will honor all of the Patriots' past greats. Joined by former teammates Willie McGinest, Todd Rucci and Scott Zolak, Bledsoe toured the Hall at Patriot Place, future home of the Patriots' Hall of Fame, where scores of interactive exhibits will honor every level of football in New England.

"It's very impressive. I'll be very excited to come back when it's done," said Bledsoe, who was on hand to record commentaries that will be incorporated into the historical exhibits in the Hall. Still the Patriots' all-time leading passer (29,657 yards), who led them to Super Bowl XXXI and then saved their bacon in the 2001 AFC Championship Game on the way to Super Bowl XXXVI, Bledsoe said he remains proud of his accomplishments even though he was not able to share fully in the current dynasty.

"Yeah, I am proud of what we did when I was here," he said. "When I got here, and obviously there are a ton of facets to that, when I got here this was the fourth sports franchise in town and almost forgotten about, and to see where it is now, and to know that I was at least in some small way a part of that transition, it feels great. It really does."

Under his first (and last) NFL coach, Bill Parcells, Bledsoe bore the pressure of having to raise a franchise from absurdity to respectability almost from scratch. When many of his peers were playing in state-of-the-art stadiums and enjoying the luxuries of NFL life, Bledsoe's experience was something else altogether.

"It's just pretty funny to think about where we came from, where we were when we started," he said of a conversation shared with team owner Robert Kraft and sons Jonathan and Danny earlier Thursday. "We were getting a good chuckle out of the fact that we would put on our pads and drive over to the old (Foxborough State) hospital to practice, then drive back all dirty and sweaty and muddy. You look at that and compare that to where it is now, obviously it's setting a new benchmark for entertainment in the sports world, it's pretty amazing."

Bledsoe said he had already reached closure about his disappointing departure from New England through other conversations with the elder Kraft during the years. But since being dealt to the Bills during the 2002 NFL Draft, there have been few other opportunities for Bledsoe to reconnect.

"The last couple of times," he said, "were when I was playing for Buffalo. Those aren't really warm, fuzzy memories. But outside of that, it's been quite a while. A lot has changed. The Big Dig's done. I didn't think that would ever happen. I thought that was really cool to see that and to drive around and see some of the old spots. And to be able to see this is really outstanding."

The Hall at Patriot Place, scheduled to be completed in August, still requires considerable imagination for one to conceptualize how impressive it will be. The Hall's executive director, Bryan Morry, conducted the tour Thursday and gave detailed descriptions of the multitude of high-tech exhibits that will recognize each generation of Patriots, from their inception in 1960 to the present and beyond.

"It feels good to be a part of something like this," said McGinest, a Patriot for 12 seasons, who'll be entering his 15th NFL campaign this fall with the Cleveland Browns. "I'm just one of many who made this stuff happen. Before us, there were the guys who came in from the '80s and the '70s that laid the foundation for us. It's special. It makes all the hard work feel like it paid off."

McGinest, who admitted to "strong leanings" that this year will be his last as a player, said he felt genuinely honored to be included in the project. "It keeps us a part of the sport, and it's kind of like a home, a home to come back to, a piece of history here, and the feeling that I helped to put a brick into that building," he said.

He may find retirement to be hard work, as Bledsoe said it is. The ex-quarterback runs a vineyard, Flying B Vineyards outside of Walla Walla, Wash., a private investment firm, and a coffee-roasting firm called "Eleven Roasters." He, his wife Maura, and their four children live in Bend, Ore.

"The vineyard is a lot of fun," he said. "I'm enjoying the wine business a lot. It's expensive to get going, but it's a multifaceted thing and it's an education every day, from farming, to wine-making to marketing and all of that stuff. It's a great challenge, and it's a lot of fun to have something to be that passionate about from a business sense during this transition."

Bledsoe admitted that he misses playing football. But when opportunities arose last year for him to return to the NFL as a veteran backup for teams in need, he said it wasn't difficult to know that those opportunities weren't right for him.

"It was a really big part of my life for a really long time and I enjoyed every minute of it, and I do miss it," he said. "But at the same time, I don't have any regrets about the decision. It was the right time to hang them up.

"There were some calls that came in, and a couple of them when I took the all-important step of talking to my wife about the scenarios," he said. "We thought about it and spent some time on some of the different opportunities, and ultimately, I woke up the next morning and said, 'I'm done. I'm ready to be done.' And it's a really good feeling to know that."

Bledsoe chuckled when he was told that Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who had bought his Medfield mansion, had put the house up for sale.

"Maybe he'll make some money on that, because I sure didn't," Bledsoe said. "No, we're settled out there in the northwest and lovin' life. Got the kids in school out there, they all ride their bikes to school every day, which is a great scenario. But it does feel really good to come back here and visit."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com