Top Ten Patriots

[RayClay]

One of my favorite alltime Patriots. Question for you. If this was a list for the most versatile Patriot, who would you put first, Andy Johnson or Troy Brown?

People forget the backfield of Johnson, Cunningham, and Calhoun set the record for most yards by a single NFL team in one season. I don't remember the exact yardage but it was over 3000. If they did a top ten running back tandem, I wonder if they would even get consideration.

I put Andy Johnson in my top 1,000 Patriots too.

Hell, Don Calhoun averaged 5.6 ypc one of those years. Let's face it, the best running back on the field back then was the one behind John Hannah's butt.

 

[Bill B.]

I think it was actually Johnson, Cunningham, and Horace Ivory in 1978 (with Calhoun playing a small role) plus Grogan running for 500 or so that set the record. I want to say it was around 3150.

Tough question on most versatile, but they would also be in the short list of most football smart too.

You are right. I forgot about Ivory. I think Calhoun stood out because he did have some big runs.

Sam Cunningham 199 768 3.9 52 8
Andy Johnson 147 675 4.6 52 3
Horace Ivory 141 693 4.9 28 11
Steve Grogan 81 539 6.7 31 5
Don Calhoun 76 391 5.1 73 1

Patriots were running back by committee even back then.

 

[italian pat patriot]

i go with my top 20:

1 - Brady
2 - Hannah
3 - Tippett
4 - Stanley Morgan
5 - Antwine
6 - Russ Francis
7 - Sam Bam Cunningham
8 - Bledsoe
9 - Nelson
10 - Cappelletti
11- Haynes
12 - Grogan
13 - Bruschi
14 - Vinatieri
15 - Mc Ginest
16 _ Troy Brown
17 - Parilli
18 - Seymour
19 - Coates
20 - Armstrong

 

[NEGoldenAge]

Bledsoe, Vintarieri and Bruschi, as much as we may love them, do not belong on that list.

 

[1960Pats]

I was watching the NFL channel the other day and their Top Ten series has done shows doing the Steelers, Packers, and Cowboys. I was wondering what Patriots they would put on it. It is a lot harder to come up with this list than I thought. I had to leave some pretty good guys off my list. I'll go in reverse order like they do on the show.

10. Tedy Bruschi. 13 seasons, 2 Pro Bowls. I so wanted to put Julius Adams here, but Tedy was the heart and soul of the defense during the Super Bowl run. Recovering from a stroke and coming back to play is awe-inspiring.

9. Steve Nelson. 14 seasons, 3 Pro Bowls. One of the best players on the team during the 70s. Only missed 3 games in his career and was twice the Patriots team MVP.

8. Bruce Armstrong. 14 seasons, 6 Pro Bowls. Played in 212 games. Most of any Patriot. Anchor in the offensive line during the 90s.

7. Gino Capaletti. 11 seasons, 5 time AFL All Star. All time leading scorer for the AFL. The fact that this guy is not in the pro football HOF is a travesty.

6. Adam Vinatieri. 10 seasons with Patriots, 2 Pro Bowls with Patriots. Should a field goal kicker be on the top ten list? When you win 2 Super Bowls at the end of the game, yes. The kick he made in the snow to tie the Raiders in the 2001 playoffs has to go down as the greatest kick in NFL history.

5. Drew Bledsoe. 9 seasons with Patriots, 3 Pro Bowls with Patriots. As a longtime Patriots fan, I appreciate what Bledsoe did for the Patriots. He gave them credibility. He always played hard and ,a lot of times, played hurt. Helped beat the Steelers in 2001 playoffs and behaved like a good teammate when he didn't get the SB start. I'll always like Drew.

4. Mike Haynes. 7 season with Patriots, 6 Pro Bowls. This was tough because he left the Patriots to go to the hated Raiders. But if you look at his accomplishments as a Patriot, he was amazing. Best defensive back in Patriot history.

3. John Hannah. 13 seasons, 9 Pro Bowls. First Patriot in the HOF. He was as tough as they come. Used to love to see pull on sweeps. Missed only 5 of 191 games because of injury.

2. Andre Tippett. 12 seasons, 5 Pro Bowls. Hold Patriots record for sacks with 100. NFL record for sacks over a 2 year period with 35 in 1984-85. When once told that he was "the Lawrence Taylor of the AFC" he replied, "No. Lawrence Taylor is the Andre Tippett of the NFC." One of the best answers I have ever seen a football player give.

1. Tom Brady. 12 season, 7 Pro Bowls. Who else? 3-2 Super Bowl record. 33 game winning drives. Winning percentage of .780. He has never gone more than 2 seasons in a row as a starter without going to the Super Bowl.

That's my list for the top Patriots of all time. There were a lot of good ones that I left off. Who would you put in the Patriots top ten?

I wouldn't be able to leave Troy Brown off any list while putting Adam Vinatieri or any kicker on it, especially considering that Gostkowski has a better % and a stronger leg than AV.

I'm also not sure that Bledsoe belongs on that list, although I agree that his handling of the Brady promotion was a key in that first SB run. He could have torn the clubhouse apart if he didn't handle it with such class.

 

[1960Pats]

Bledsoe, Vintarieri and Bruschi, as much as we may love them, do not belong on that list.

I believe that Bruschi belongs there somewhere.

 

[patsfan13]

Old timers to consider:

J Nance
H Antwine
J Adams
S Cunningham
L Gray
S Morgan
R Francis

 

[NEGoldenAge]

I believe that Bruschi belongs there somewhere.

Not if talent and production are the criteria that are used.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

with all the great patriots we have had, we can fill out two top ten lists

 

[Jimke]

Where is Nick Buoniconti on these lists? He was probably the
Boston Patriot's first really good player and the heart of their
early defenses. He was traded to Miami for a bunch of junk.

 

[Steve102]

1. Brady---child, please

2. Hannah---best at his position, GOAT.

3. Tippett--- HOF, dominant player

4. Bledsoe---He had as much to do with the franchise surviving the dark time pre-kraft as Parcells. The game changed, and his lack of mobility made him a liablity, as did his gunslinger attitude (nah, just sling it). He was a premier passer and top QB in his career.

5. Ty Law---5 pro bowls, 2 all-pro, 3 rings. Closest thing to a take away corner we had here. HOF bound.

6. Haynes---no rings=lower on the depth chart than Law

7. Richard Seymour--- 5 pro bowls with NE, 5 all-pro, 3 rings. Has HOF resume.

8. Armstrong---6 pro bowls, but played during the "dark times"

9. Capaletti--- should be in HOF

10. Nelson--- I had the hardest time filling in sport #10. Longevity and pro bowls made the cut for me.

I honestly couldn't put a kicker on the list. I know Adam's made clutch kicks, but, c'mon, he's a kicker.

 

[patsfan13]

Haynes had rings with the Raiders voted to 75th all time NFL Anniversary team.


Law was a very good CB not close to M Haynes.

 

[Bill B.]

i go with my top 20:

1 - Brady
2 - Hannah
3 - Tippett
4 - Stanley Morgan
5 - Antwine
6 - Russ Francis
7 - Sam Bam Cunningham
8 - Bledsoe
9 - Nelson
10 - Cappelletti
11- Haynes
12 - Grogan
13 - Bruschi
14 - Vinatieri
15 - Mc Ginest
16 _ Troy Brown
17 - Parilli
18 - Seymour
19 - Coates
20 - Armstrong

That's not fair. LOL. See how hard it is to limit it to 10. A lot of these guys are so close that you can't help but keep good guys off the list.

 

[Bill B.]

Not if talent and production are the criteria that are used.

How about heart, determination, and leadership. Don't forget that Bruschi has made some huge plays for the Patriots. Only guy to ever have 4 interceptions returned for TDs in a row. His strip of Colts RB Rhodes (I think) was huge in winning that playoff game. Plus he gets extra points for coming back from a stroke.

 

[Bill B.]

Where is Nick Buoniconti on these lists? He was probably the
Boston Patriot's first really good player and the heart of their
early defenses. He was traded to Miami for a bunch of junk.

It's easy to forget he was a Patriot. He really is more known as a Dolphin. He even refers to himself as a former Dolphin. Believe me he cracked the champagne bottle when the Patriots lost in SB42.

I tried to put Ty Law on the list, but he was too busy trying to feed his family.

 

[Steve102]

Haynes had rings with the Raiders voted to 75th all time NFL Anniversary team.


Law was a very good CB not close to M Haynes.

Law won rings in NE, so, IMO, I rated him higher. It's top 10 Patriots, not Top 10 guys who wore a Patriot uniform during their career. If we're going to start looking at the guys who were here once, then we have to include Buoniconti, along with guys like Harold Jackson and Chuck Foreman.

Ok, so that's a slight exaggeration. Haynes was great here as well as Oakland. Still, for me, the rings mean more.

 

[Steve102]

How about heart, determination, and leadership. Don't forget that Bruschi has made some huge plays for the Patriots. Only guy to ever have 4 interceptions returned for TDs in a row. His strip of Colts RB Rhodes (I think) was huge in winning that playoff game. Plus he gets extra points for coming back from a stroke.

I had a hard time not having Tedy on my list. Tedy was a great Patriot. He's probably the equivalent of someone like David Ortiz, a big game player. Bruschi played great when the stakes were highest. But, Tedy was not a dominant player like the others on my list. A list of "big game patriots" or "patriot favorites" would look entirely different.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

Probably just off the list as off now, but certainly could make the list at some point. Perhaps honorable mention at this time.

Vince Wilfork - 4 Pro Bowls in 9 years, and really has been the leader of the defense from the nose position during an almost complete overhaul (which is still in progress). He's been the immoveable rock in the middle on a defense on a team that has consistently been at the highest levels in the league for close to a decade. Not that the D is anything that stands out at this point, but he's the unquestioned leader on that side of the ball for quite a few years now. He has actually mentored the mentors (Mayo, Spikes, Chung, etc...) at this point. He's also one of the best at his position in the game and has been for most of his career.

Like I said. Probably outside the top-10 right now, but certainly in the argument, specially if you extend it out to 20.

 

[Jimke]

It's easy to forget he was a Patriot. He really is more known as a Dolphin. He even refers to himself as a former Dolphin. Believe me he cracked the champagne bottle when the Patriots lost in SB42.

I tried to put Ty Law on the list, but he was too busy trying to feed his family.

Nick was a local boy (Springfield, MA) who would have stayed with them
had the Patriots not been so dirt poor.

 

[italian pat patriot]

That's not fair. LOL. See how hard it is to limit it to 10. A lot of these guys are so close that you can't help but keep good guys off the list.

and i forget infortunately Jim Nance and Nick Buoniconti