Re: Patriots 50th Anniversary Team
I'd take Bruschi over Buoniconti. I don't care if he's in the HOF I consider him a Dolphin and cannot stand him. I wasn't around when he played so maybe I'd feel differently if I was. He always seemed so arrogant on Inside the NFL and he talked about himself as a Dolphin not a Patriots which isn't completely surprising since he had his great success there at least from a team stand point.
Vrabel over McGinist at OLB? An interesting debate can be had on that one.
Just to elaborate a little more. I did get to see Nick Buoniconti play
and he was as good as advertised. He was the best player on a
defense that had to pressure the quarterback because the defensive
backs were suspect.
The Mike Holovak era ended after the 1968 season and Clive Rush
was chosen as head coach. Babe Parelli had left the team in 1967,
Mike Taliaferro was now the quarterback.
What followed was a very sad part of Patriot history. Clive Rush was
a complete fruitcake. The general manager wasn't much better. The
first thing management did was trade their best player (Buoniconti) for
linebacker Bob Bramlett, reserve quarterback Kim Hammond, and a #5
draft pick. Buoniconti was replaced by Jim Cheyunski a 12th round pick
from Syracuse in the 1968 draft. All the players they received were duds.
Buoniconti was so upset by the trade that he considered quitting football.
Cheyunski played five years for the Patriots and was cut when Chuck Fairbanks
took over the team.
