Pre-draft St. Louis Rams 1999 The
St. Louis Rams selected Bly in the second round (41st overall) of the
1999 NFL draft. He was the sixth cornerback selected in 1999. The Rams acquired the second-round pick (41st overall) they used to select Bly in a trade with the
New Orleans Saints for wide receiver
Eddie Kennison. He became the second highest drafted defensive back from North Carolina since 1967, following first-round pick (28th overall)
Thomas Smith in the
1993 NFL draft. On July 17, 1999, the Rams signed Bly to a four–year, $2.45 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $850,000. Throughout training camp, he competed against
Taje Allen to be a backup cornerback and special teams player under defensive coordinator
Peter Giunta. Head coach
Dick Vermeil named Bly a backup and listed him as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind
Dexter McCleon,
Todd Lyght, and Taje Allen. On September 12, 1999, Bly made his professional regular season debut in the St. Louis Rams' home-opener against the
Baltimore Ravens and recorded one solo tackle during a 27–10 victory. On October 10, 1999, Bly made one solo tackle, one pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass by
Jeff Garcia to wide receiver
J. J. Stokes as they defeated the
San Francisco 49ers 42–20. The following week, he set a season-high with six solo tackles during a 41–13 victory at the
Atlanta Falcons in Week 5. On December 5, 1999, Bly made one tackle, one pass deflection, and also intercepted a pass
Steve Beuerlein threw to wide receiver
Muhsin Muhammad and returned it 45–yards for the first touchdown of his career during a 34–21 victory at the
Carolina Panthers. Entering Week 15, defensive coordinator Peter Giunta promoted Bly to the starting nickelback and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart, supplanting Taje Allen. In Week 16, Bly earned his first career start as a nickelback and recorded three solo tackles and made one pass deflection as they defeated the
Chicago Bears 34–21. He finished his rookie season with 37 combined tackles (31 solo), eight pass deflections, three interceptions, and scored one touchdown in 16 games and two starts.
Super Bowl XXXIV The
St. Louis Rams finished the
1999 NFL season first in the
NFC West with a 13–3 record, clinching a first-round bye. On January 16, 2000, Bly appeared in the first playoff game of his career and recorded four solo tackles during a 49–37 victory against the
Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round. On January 23, 2000, Bly appeared in the
NFC Championship Game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led a comeback as the Rams were losing 6–5 in the fourth quarter. He intercepted a pass
Shaun King threw to running back
Warrick Dunn with 9:20 remaining in the fourth quarter and the turnover would lead to the game-winning 30–yard touchdown pass from
Kurt Warner to wide receiver
Ricky Proehl for an 11–6 win against the Buccaneers to advance to the
Super Bowl. On January 30, 2000, Bly appeared in
Super Bowl XXXIV as a backup cornerback and made one pass deflection as the Rams defeated the
Tennessee Titans 23–16 in a closely-contented last second victory.
2000 On February 1, 2000, St. Louis Rams' general manager and head coach
Dick Vermeil announced his retirement and offensive coordinator
Mike Martz was promoted as his replacement as head coach. The
St. Louis Rams selected
Jacoby Shepherd in the second round (62nd overall) of the
2000 NFL draft. Throughout training camp, Bly competed against Jacoby Shepherd to be the third cornerback on the depth chart. Head coach Mike Martz named Bly the starting nickelback and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind starting duo Dexter McCleon and Todd Lyght. On September 17, 2000, Bly recorded one solo tackle, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Jeff Garcia as the Rams defeated the
San Francisco 49ers 41–24. The following week, he recorded three solo tackles, made one pass deflection, had his first career sack, and intercepted a pass
Chris Chandler threw to wide receiver
Shawn Jefferson during a 41–20 victory at the
Atlanta Falcons in Week 4. He started in place of
Todd Lyght for two games (Weeks 10–11) due to a hamstring injury to Lyght that rendered him inactive. On October 29, 2000, Bly earned his first career start as a starting outside cornerback and set a season-high with six solo tackles and had one pass break-up during a 34–24 victory against the San Francisco 49ers. He completed the season with 53 combined tackles (49 solo), ten pass deflections, three interceptions, one sack, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and three starts. Bly returned to training camp as the No. 3 cornerback on the depth chart after the Rams signed
Aeneas Williams as the No. 1 starting cornerback following the departure of
Todd Lyght. Head coach Mike Martz named him the starting nickelback and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Aeneas Williams and
Dexter McCleon. On September 9, 2001, Bly appeared in the St. Louis Rams' season-opener at the
Philadelphia Eagles and set a season-high with three pass deflections and also intercepted a pass by
Donovan McNabb to wide receiver
Todd Pinkston during a 20–17 overtime victory. On October 8, 2001, Bly recorded six combined tackles (five solo), one pass break-up, and returned an interception by
Ty Detmer to wide receiver
Germane Crowell during a 36–0 victory at the
Detroit Lions. In Week 12, Bly made three solo tackles, a pass deflection, and had his second pick-six of the season after intercepting a pass by
Chris Chandler on the game's opening drive and returning it 56–yards for a touchdown during a 35–6 win at the
Atlanta Falcons. On December 30, 2001, Bly set a season-high with seven solo tackles, made one pass deflection, and set a career-high with his sixth interception of the season, intercepting a pass
Peyton Manning threw to wide receiver
Marvin Harrison during a 41–17 win against the
Indianapolis Colts. He finished the season with 30 combined tackles (28 solo), ten pass deflections, a forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 16 games and four starts. He set a career-high with six interceptions and also set a career-high with two touchdowns on interception returns.
2002 Throughout training camp, he competed for the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback against
Dexter McCleon. Head coach
Mike Martz named Bly and Aeneas Williams as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. In Week 5, he set a season-high with eight solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 37–13 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers. On October 20, 2002, Bly had one solo tackle, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Trent Dilfer to wide receiver
James Williams as the Rams defeated the
Seattle Seahawks 37–20. On December 30, 2002, Bly recorded four solo tackles, made one pass deflection, and led the Rams to a fourth quarter comeback to defeat the
San Francisco 49ers 31–20 by forcing a fumble by running back
Garrison Hearst and recovering it to return it 20–yards for a touchdown with 6:54 remaining as the Rams were down 20–17. He started all 16 games for the first time in his career and set a career-high with 64 combined tackles (58 solo) and a career-high 21 pass deflections. He also recorded a career-high four forced fumbles, made two fumble recoveries, had two interceptions, one sack, and one touchdown. The Lions signed Bly to takeover as a starting cornerback following the retirement of former Rams' teammate
Todd Lyght. Head coach
Steve Mariucci named him the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with
Andre Goodman. On September 3, 2003, the Lions signed
Otis Smith after Bly and
Chris Watson missed the entire preseason due to an injury. On September 7, 2003, Bly started in the
Detroit Lions' home-opener against the
Arizona Cardinals and made an immediate impact with six solo tackles, one pass deflection, and a pick-six after intercepting a pass
Jeff Blake to wide receiver
Bryan Gilmore during a 42–24 victory. The following week, he recorded one solo tackle, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass
Brett Favre threw to wide receiver
Robert Ferguson during a 31–6 loss at the
Green Bay Packers in Week 2. In Week 3, Bly recorded five combined tackles (four solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass
Gus Frerotte threw to wide receiver
Randy Moss during a 23–13 loss to the
Minnesota Vikings. This marked his third consecutive game with an interception after debuting with Detroit. On October 19, 2003, he made one tackle and returned a fumble recovery for a 67–yard touchdown after safety
Corey Harris forced a fumble by running back
Troy Hambrick during a 38–7 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys. He was inactive for two games (Weeks 9–10) after suffering a hamstring injury. On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2003, Bly made two solo tackles, three pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions on pass attempts by Brett Favre as the Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers 22–14. He finished the
2003 NFL season with 60 combined tackles (52 solo), 16 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and one sack in 14 games and 14 starts. He tied his career-highs with six interceptions and two touchdowns and set a new career-high with five forced fumbles.
2004 The
Detroit Lions hired
Dick Jauron to be their new defensive coordinator following the departure of
Kurt Schottenheimer. He was inactive for three games (Weeks 2–4) after injuring his knee injury Week 1. In Week 7, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (four solo) during a 28–13 victory at the
New York Giants. On October 31, 2004, Bly made three solo tackles, two pass deflections, set a season-high with two interceptions, and returned an interception he made on a pass
Vinny Testaverde threw to wide receiver
Keyshawn Johnson for a 55–yard touchdown during a 31–21 loss at the
Dallas Cowboys. On December 5, 2004, Bly recorded four combined tackles (three solo), set a season-high with four pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by
John Navarre as the Lions defeated the
Arizona Cardinals 26–12. He was named the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and was paired with Fernando Bryant. On September 27, 2005, the Lions officially placed
Fernando Bryant on season-ending injured reserve after he dislocated his shoulder in an accidental collision with safety
Kenoy Kennedy. On October 9, 2005, Bly made five combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and set a season-high with two interceptions on passes by
Anthony Wright as the Lions defeated the
Baltimore Ravens 35–17. In Week 7, Bly made one solo tackle, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass
Trent Dilfer threw to wide receiver
Antonio Bryant during a 13–10 victory at the
Cleveland Browns. He injured his wrist while making the play and immediately exited the game. His interception was his third consecutive game with a pick. He would remain inactive for the next four games (Weeks 8–11) after it was determined he had dislocated his right wrist and would immediately require surgery. In Week 14, Bly made five combined tackles (four solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass
Brett Favre threw to wide receiver
Donald Driver during a 16–13 overtime loss at the
Green Bay Packers. On November 28, 2005, the Lions fired head coach
Steve Mariucci after they fell to a 4–7 record. The following day, on the
NFL Network, Bly said Mariucci wouldn't have been fired had
Jeff Garcia been healthy enough to play ahead of
Joey Harrington all season. He later apologized to the team for being critical of Harrington, who he had blamed for Mariucci's firing. The following week, he set a career-high with 13 combined tackles (11 solo), made two pass deflections, and had his sixth interception of the season on a pass
Carson Palmer threw to wide receiver
Chad Johnson during a 41–17 loss against the
Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the season with 45 combined tackles (41 solo), 13 pass deflections, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 12 games and 12 starts. New defensive coordinator
Donnie Henderson retained Bly as the No. 1 starting cornerback and paired him with
Fernando Bryant following the departure of R. W. McQuarters. In Week 4, he recorded three solo tackles and set a season-high with four pass deflections during a 41–34 loss at the
St. Louis Rams. In Week 7, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles (six solo) during a 31–24 loss at the
New York Jets. He started all 16 games throughout the
2006 NFL season which became the first time he started all 16 games with the Detroit Lions. He finished with 59 combined tackles (51 solo), 18 pass deflections, four forced fumbles, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery. The Broncos were in immediate need of a starting caliber cornerback to replace their No. 2 starting cornerback
Darrent Williams after he was murdered in a drive-by shooting outside of a nightclub while occupying a
Hummer limousine. On March 28, 2007, the
Denver Broncos signed Bly to a five–year, $33 million contract extension that includes $16 million guaranteed and another $2 million with bonuses and incentives. The contract restructered his previous agreement with the Lions that had one–year and $4.2 million remaining. Head coach
Mike Shanahan named him the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with
Champ Bailey. On September 16, 2007, Bly made one tackle, one pass deflection, and helped lead the Broncos to a 23–20 overtime victory against the
Oakland Raiders by intercepting a pass
Josh McCown threw to
Jerry Porter with 27 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. In Week 7, Bly recorded three combined tackles (two solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass thrown by
Ben Roethlisberger to wide receiver
Santonio Holmes during a 31–28 win against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 10, he set a season-high with five solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass
Damon Huard threw to wide receiver
Eddie Kennison during a 27–11 win at the
Kansas City Chiefs. The following game, Bly recorded five combined tackles (four solo), tied his season-high of three pass deflections, and helped secure a 34–20 victory against the
Tennessee Titans with an interception on a pass
Vince Young threw to wide receiver
Eric Moulds with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. He started all 16 games for the second consecutive season and made 51 combined tackles (41 solo), 15 pass deflections, and led the team with five interceptions.
2008 On January 8, 2008, the
Denver Broncos fired assistant head coach/defensive coordinator
Jim Bates after a 7–9 record in 2007.
Bobby Slowik was given full responsibility over the defense as defensive coordinator and chose to retain Bly and Champ Bailey as the starting cornerbacks. On February 18, 2008, the
Denver Broncos and Bly agreed to restructure his contract to free up salary cap space. In Week 4, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (five solo) during a 33–19 loss at the
Kansas City Chiefs. On November 16, 2008, Bly made five combined tackles (four solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass
Matt Ryan threw to wide receiver
Roddy White during a 24–20 win at the
Atlanta Falcons. In Week 13, he recorded three combined tackles (two solo), set a season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from
Brett Favre to wide receiver
Laveranues Coles during a 34–17 victory at the
New York Jets. Bly was promoted to the No. 1 starting cornerback after
Champ Bailey tore a groin muscle and remained inactive for seven games (Weeks 9–15).
Later career On May 21, 2009, Bly signed a one-year, $845,000 contract with the
San Francisco 49ers. On July 2, 2010, Bly re-signed with the
Detroit Lions, but was released on September 4. ==NFL career statistics==