You Discover Fountain of Youth: Which 5 Patriots Do You Let Use It?

1 John Hannah,
2 Ty Law,
3 Randy Moss,
4 Rodney Harrison,
5 Richard Seymour,

pats need G WR DB and DT so that would fill every hole and make them the first 19-0 team

My list takes intangibles into account as well as skills. Also, I assume we're talking players, not coaches, otherwise BB is at the top of the list.

And, while we're in fantasy land, how about adding a guy who can make the cap disappear so we can keep all these guys on the roster at the same time in their prime?

In no particular order after number one:

Brady
Seymour
Brewski (he and Brady were the heart of the Dynasty)
Moss
Vinatieri (a young #4 ready to kick game winners forever under the toughest conditions so the offense feels confident that it's real goal in crunch time is the 30, not the 15 or 20? no brainer IMO)
Then
Rodney
Hannah
Seymour

PatsFanInVa said:

"Among the perennially dominant Patriots are players who have played for decades with no apparent decline, generating rumors of performance enhancing drugs. Now that the smoking gun has been found in the form of a magical potion from the Black Forest, the five have been banned from the league... and we have 22 asterisk super bowls..."

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Fountain-Gate

I have to agree with those leaving off Hannah, only because we're talking about playing in today's NFL.

Anyhoo, my list of players I'd choose from; in each case I give 'em the potion right after the season in question:

2007 Brady
2011 Welker
2007 Moss
2011 GRONK
2004 Dillon
2010 Wilfork
2004 Seymour
2007 Vrabel
2004 Bruschi
2004 Harrison

I'm taking 6
brady
gronkowski
harrison
Bruschi
welker
wilfork

Deus Irae said:

Brady
Moss
Hannah
Haynes
Tippett


Triggerman
Receiver
Blocker
Pass defender
QB killer

Just for the record, the next three would be:

6.) Seymour
7.) Law
8.) Wilfork

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Can't disagree with this post Deus. For some reason, I'd like to move Gronk into the 5 but I'm just not sure who I'd replace. Perhaps Hannah but that would be it.

I want to completely dominate one side of the ball. and in today's NFL we'll go with offense (though the moniker of defense wins championships does make me hesitate).

1. Brady
2. Randy Moss - With Brady as his QB he could challenge Rice for All time everything category
3. Corey Dillon - Punishing defenses
4. John Hannah - Protection plus Running
5. Gronk - All World TE - would there be enough TDs to go around

Honorable Mention to WW and Kevin Faulk (who was the best 3rd down RB/receiving threat we've had)


If I had to go All Defense
1. Rodney Harrison
2. Bruschi - between he and Rodney, we'd be able to communicate anything
3. Tippett
4. Seymour
5. Wilfork

Hard to leave a CB off this list, but we did win a SB with Earthwind Moreland as a starting CB

Going back to taking the question straight, my top 3 are Brady, Wilfork, and Rodney, for the combination of skill, leadership, and loyalty.

Then gamble on prime Randy.

Then -- why not Andre Tippett?

Fencer said:

Going back to taking the question straight, my top 3 are Brady, Wilfork, and Rodney, for the combination of skill, leadership, and loyalty.

Then gamble on prime Randy.

Then -- why not Andre Tippett?

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Some writers would argue that Tippet was better than Taylor. I don't think that was true, but maybe it tells how good he was. I liked Bruschi, but he would never get into the same sentence as Taylor.

Gotta love off season threads. I guess this is better than the Red Sox.

1. Brady
2. Belichick
3. Andre Tippett
4. Ty Law
5. Randy Moss

I really wanted to give it to defensive guys... And yet I was torn with Randy, Curtis Martin, and John Hannah. I just don't know if Big Sey, Steve Nelson, Bruschi or Rodney make the impact that Randy could if he played his whole career with TB12.

Steve:Section 102 said:

Gotta love off season threads. I guess this is better than the Red Sox.

1. Brady
2. Belichick
3. Andre Tippett
4. Ty Law
5. Randy Moss

I really wanted to give it to defensive guys... And yet I was torn with Randy, Curtis Martin, and John Hannah. I just don't know if Big Sey, Steve Nelson, Bruschi or Rodney make the impact that Randy could if he played his whole career with TB12.

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Does this stuff keep them free from injury, too? I'm going with the ones that know how to win SB's:

Brady
Bruschi
Brown
Law
Vinatieri

Patriot Missile said:

I'm sticking to my guns with Morgan. He could of done anything out of the wr position with Brady as his QB. Slot,intermmediate,sideline deep and over the middle. Blazing speed, great hands, clutch. You couldn't ask for anything more out of a Patriot.

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Big Stanley Morgan fan. But he did let a sure TD go right through his hands on the Patriots' first drive against the Bears in that awful Super Bowl. Probably wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it was a critical error. Not clutch at all.

DocHoliday said:

You know, that's not really fair. I immediately discount much older players because I feel they simply would get thrashed in today's game. John Hannah was a mountain of a man in his age, but at 6'2 260 he'd get destroyed by today's DTs. Logan Mankins is two inches taller and nearly 50 pounds heavier, and I bet if he was playing instead of Hannah that single season team rushing record the Patriots set in 1978 would be even higher.

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It's for this very reason that comparing football players and teams across eras is exceedingly difficult. Hannah was the best guard ever to play, but he wouldn't have a chance on earth of slowing Vince Wilfork down. Wilfork would absolutely crush Hannah.

Now, you give Hannah today's nutrition, workout regimens, etc., and he probably ends up being 6'2", 300, and it's an entirely different thing.

I am getting old enough, however, to begin taking a bit of a contrarian view on this very thing. My kids, who never saw Michael Jordan play, ask me if he could hang with LeBron or Kobe. I'm like, boys, if you ever saw Jordan play, you wouldn't even think of asking that question. He would have been great in any era.

Easy...


Tom Brady
Randy Moss
Willie McGinest
Andre Tippet
Rodney Harrison


Greatest QB-WR tandem evah, two best pass rushing OLB, and a ball hawking hard hitting safety.

Next in line:
Troy Brown
Tedy Bruschi
John Hannah
Bruce Amrstrong
Ty Law

Brady is an obvious no-brainer.

The second no-brainer is the best defensive player to ever suit up for the Patriots, Andre Tippett. For those who didn't see him play, he played STRONG side LB in an era where the TE was always on the QB's right, which meant all of his sacks were in a situation where it was alot easier to use the TE to chip or double team him.

From there people have identified the best candidates, I think. Hog Hannah would be a no-brainer except he played guard, and are you really going to spend that potion of youth on a Guard? Well, maybe, he was crazy good and crazy tough and set a great tone for the offense. But still...guard...

Unless the potion of youth will fix Moss's personality, he's out, great a player as he was.

Ditto for Dillon, the best RB the Pats have ever had. If you want to use it on RB, and assume the guy will stay with the Pats, then use it on Curtis Martin instead.

I'll go with Mike Haynes, an all-timer at CB, as well as an elite return man. Those of you picking Law really mean to pick Haynes, you just didn't know any better (or hated that he went to the Raiders).

So that's three.

I've got LB and CB, but want that man up front. Go with Big Vince. If you said Seymour, though, I wouldn't argue.

That leaves one. Gotta be on offense. Hard call. Hard to argue with Morgan, though. He gives Brady an elite WR and could stretch the field to open up everything else. If it wasn't for Moss's personality, then he'd be perfect.

But Morgan over Hannah? Ugh. Hannah has been called by some the greatest offensive lineman to ever play. Morgan isn't even in the HOF.

I guess I take Hannah. Maybe I need to flip one defensive player for a skill guy though. Hard call. I think defense wins championships, and Brady can make up for alot on offense.

Brady,Dillon,Harrison,McGinest,Vrabel.....also strongly considered Troy Brown

Wilfork
Brady
Tippett
Morgan
Haynes

Keeping it to players not coaches where BB and Dante would be keepers

ivanvamp said:

It's for this very reason that comparing football players and teams across eras is exceedingly difficult. Hannah was the best guard ever to play, but he wouldn't have a chance on earth of slowing Vince Wilfork down. Wilfork would absolutely crush Hannah.

Now, you give Hannah today's nutrition, workout regimens, etc., and he probably ends up being 6'2", 300, and it's an entirely different thing.

I am getting old enough, however, to begin taking a bit of a contrarian view on this very thing. My kids, who never saw Michael Jordan play, ask me if he could hang with LeBron or Kobe. I'm like, boys, if you ever saw Jordan play, you wouldn't even think of asking that question. He would have been great in any era.

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Not to get too far off topic, but, if we talk about comparing different generations then tv coverage and marketing become prominent. When you mentioned Jordan I imagined Russell, who once jumped his own height.

Brady
Tippett
Harrison
Seymour
Moss

I think there are three indisputables that should be on every list.


Brady
Tippett
Seymour

Then you can debate the other two slots with Hannah, law, Haynes, brushi, dillon, Harrison, moss an light


By sheer impact I think it's impossible to leave moss off. With Brady he can carry an entire offense by himself an dictate the entire game and win entire games by himself.

That leaves on more slot.

Dillon was good but not historically good. Nice season but he's a rb
Harrison was great but was past his prime as a pat and a safety
Hannah was historically great but was a guard who'd get killed today
Brushi is more of a fan favorite pick. Great leader but waste of resources to use on him
Never saw Haynes play so I can't say.
Law was a lockdowncb and clutch player.
Light was good but never dominant

I'll take the cb. That gives you an all time great qb-wr combo to carry the offense, along with a great cover man a great all around dt and that edge rusher specialist who can stuff the run. Just based on value those are the most important positions minus left tackle.