Best Patriots by Jersey Number

[QuantumMechanic]

Offseason fun - best Patriot for each number


Here's my list. You can use this query to find the players: All Players To Wear Number 1 For New England Patriots | Pro-Football-Reference.com

1 - John Smith
2 - Doug Flutie
3 - Stephen Gostkowski
4 - Adam Vinatieri
5 - Pat O'Neill (only because he lasted longer with the team than any other #5)
6 - Ryan Allen
7 - Hugh Millen (another number with slim pickings. So Brissett may have a good chance at owning the #7 title)
8 - Josh Miller
9 - David Posey (another bunch of single-season forgettables)
10 - Jabar Gaffney
11 - Julian Edelman (I give him the nod over Drew for big game performances)
12 - Tom Brady (duhhhhhhh)
13 - Ken Walter (perhaps Tom Hodson, though Walter was a better P than Hodson was a QB)
14 - Steve Grogan (duhhhh, though if Cooks plays several years with NE he could take the title away)
15 - Babe Parilli
16 - Jim Plunkett
17 - Mike Taliaferro (then Dobson, then nobody)
18 - Randy Vataha (tough competition from Matt Slater, though!)
19 - Brandon LaFell
20 - Gino Cappelletti (easy choice - for one thing, only NE player to ever have #20 )
21 - Malcolm Butler (not recency bias - #21 is mostly forgettables except Gay and Redmond and Butler)
22 - Asante Samuel (tough one - Burton and Ridley make good runs at it)
23 - Ron Hall
24 - Ty Law
25 - Rick Sanford (but maybe Ross O'Hanley?)
26 - Raymond Clayborn
27 - Ellis Hobbs
28 - Corey Dillon (Martin was definitely the better overall player, but this is just play for NE)
29 - Harold Jackson
30 - Carl Garrett (I'm a huge Mosi fan too, but when you look at the NE stats for them...)
31 - Fred Marion
32 - Devin McCourty (Wanted to give it to Andy Johnson, but had to go with McCourty)
33 - Kevin Faulk (Tony Collins in a strong second place)
34 - Shane Vereen (really tough -- hard to compare offensive and defensive players. Could have been Shonta or McCray)
35 - Jim Nance
36 - Lawyer Milloy
37 - Rodney Harrison (but one could make a case for Maurice Hurst)
38 - Roland James
39 - Sam Cunningham
40 - Mike Haynes
41 - Larry Carwell (I'll go with him because he was with NE longer than Mitchell was)
42 - Ronnie Lippett
43 - Nate Ebner (easily could go to Vagas Ferguson or Ernest Gibson, though)
44 - Don Calhoun
45 - Otis Smith
46 - James Develin
47 - Robert Edwards (only one year, but what a year)
48 - Tim Fox
49 - Joe Cardona (slim pickings here)
50 - Mike Vrabel (but could easily go to Ninko)
51 - Jerod Mayo
52 - Johnny Rembert (Ted Johnson right up there, too)
53 - Chris Slade (but perhaps Tom Addison)
54 - Tedy Bruschi
55 - Willie McGinest
56 - Andre Tippett
57 - Steve Nelson
58 - Pete Brock
59 - Vincent Brown
60 - Garin Veris
61 - Sam Adams
62 - Ryan Wendell
63 - Dan Connolly (perhaps Joe Andruzzi)
64 - Richard Bishop (mainly because he was with NE longer than the others)
65 - Houston Antwine
66 - Paul Fairchild
67 - Bill Lenkaitis (but could easily be Koppen)
68 - Max Lane (another forgettable uniform number)
69 - Shaq Mason (well, either him or Eugene Chung)
70 - Logan Mankins
71 - Ray Hamilton
72 - Matt Light (with Eisenhauer as a strong second)
73 - John Hannah
74 - Shelby Jordan
75 - Vince Wilfork
76 - Brian Holloway
77 - Nate Solder
78 - Bruce Armstrong
79 - Jim Lee Hunt
80 - Troy Brown
81 - Russ Francis (tough competition from Colclough and Moss)
82 - Vincent Brisby
83 - Wes Welker
84 - Darryl Stingley
85 - Julius Adams
86 - Stanley Morgan
87 - Rob Gronkowski
88 - Terry Glenn
89 - Bob Dee (only NE #89 ever)
90 - Toby Williams (I'll give him the nod over Chad Eaton because he was here longer)
91 - Jamie Collins
92 - Ray Agnew (another bunch of nobodies)
93 - Richard Seymour
94 - Ty Warren
95 - Ed Reynolds
96 - Brent Williams
97 - Jarvis Green
98 - Anthony Pleasant
99 - Mike Wright

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Here's my list. You can use this query to find the players: All Players To Wear Number 1 For New England Patriots | Pro-Football-Reference.com

1 - John Smith
2 - Doug Flutie
3 - Stephen Gostkowski
4 - Adam Vinatieri
5 - Pat O'Neill (only because he lasted longer with the team than any other #5)
6 - Ryan Allen
7 - Hugh Millen (another number with slim pickings. So Brissett may have a good chance at owning the #7 title)
8 - Josh Miller
9 - David Posey (another bunch of single-season forgettables)
10 - Jabar Gaffney
11 - Julian Edelman (I give him the nod over Drew for big game performances)
12 - Tom Brady (duhhhhhhh)
13 - Ken Walter (perhaps Tom Hodson, though Walter was a better P than Hodson was a QB)
14 - Steve Grogan (duhhhh, though if Cooks plays several years with NE he could take the title away)
15 - Babe Parilli
16 - Jim Plunkett
17 - Mike Taliaferro (then Dobson, then nobody)
18 - Randy Vataha (tough competition from Matt Slater, though!)
19 - Brandon LaFell
20 - Gino Cappelletti (easy choice - for one thing, only NE player to ever have #20 )
21 - Malcolm Butler (not recency bias - #21 is mostly forgettables except Gay and Redmond and Butler)
22 - Asante Samuel (tough one - Burton and Ridley make good runs at it)
23 - Ron Hall
24 - Ty Law
25 - Rick Sanford (but maybe Ross O'Hanley?)
26 - Raymond Clayborn
27 - Ellis Hobbs
28 - Corey Dillon (Martin was definitely the better overall player, but this is just play for NE)
29 - Harold Jackson
30 - Carl Garrett (I'm a huge Mosi fan too, but when you look at the NE stats for them...)
31 - Fred Marion
32 - Devin McCourty (Wanted to give it to Andy Johnson, but had to go with McCourty)
33 - Kevin Faulk (Tony Collins in a strong second place)
34 - Shane Vereen (really tough -- hard to compare offensive and defensive players. Could have been Shonta or McCray)
35 - Jim Nance
36 - Lawyer Milloy
37 - Rodney Harrison (but one could make a case for Maurice Hurst)
38 - Roland James
39 - Sam Cunningham
40 - Mike Haynes
41 - Larry Carwell (I'll go with him because he was with NE longer than Mitchell was)
42 - Ronnie Lippett
43 - Nate Ebner (easily could go to Vagas Ferguson or Ernest Gibson, though)
44 - Don Calhoun
45 - Otis Smith
46 - James Develin
47 - Robert Edwards (only one year, but what a year)
48 - Tim Fox
49 - Joe Cardona (slim pickings here)
50 - Mike Vrabel (but could easily go to Ninko)
51 - Jerod Mayo
52 - Johnny Rembert (Ted Johnson right up there, too)
53 - Chris Slade (but perhaps Tom Addison)
54 - Tedy Bruschi
55 - Willie McGinest
56 - Andre Tippett
57 - Steve Nelson
58 - Pete Brock
59 - Vincent Brown
60 - Garin Veris
61 - Sam Adams
62 - Ryan Wendell
63 - Dan Connolly (perhaps Joe Andruzzi)
64 - Richard Bishop (mainly because he was with NE longer than the others)
65 - Houston Antwine
66 - Paul Fairchild
67 - Bill Lenkaitis (but could easily be Koppen)
68 - Max Lane (another forgettable uniform number)
69 - Shaq Mason (well, either him or Eugene Chung)
70 - Logan Mankins
71 - Ray Hamilton
72 - Matt Light (with Eisenhauer as a strong second)
73 - John Hannah
74 - Shelby Jordan
75 - Vince Wilfork
76 - Brian Holloway
77 - Nate Solder
78 - Bruce Armstrong
79 - Jim Lee Hunt
80 - Troy Brown
81 - Russ Francis (tough competition from Colclough and Moss)
82 - Vincent Brisby
83 - Wes Welker
84 - Darryl Stingley
85 - Julius Adams
86 - Stanley Morgan
87 - Rob Gronkowski
88 - Terry Glenn
89 - Bob Dee (only NE #89 ever)
90 - Toby Williams (I'll give him the nod over Chad Eaton because he was here longer)
91 - Jamie Collins
92 - Ray Agnew (another bunch of nobodies)
93 - Richard Seymour
94 - Ty Warren
95 - Ed Reynolds
96 - Brent Williams
97 - Jarvis Green
98 - Anthony Pleasant
99 - Mike Wright

91 - Bobby Hamilton?

82 - Jim Whalen?

77 - Tom Neville??

66 - Lonie Paxton...thinkin' snow angels...

60 - Len St. Jean ("The Boston Strongboy")


Thanks for compiling a great list. Can't be expected to be perfect, but you nailed most of it. Some tough competition for some of those #'s.

 

[jmt57]

The Patriots need to stop handing out uniform #17 to anybody.

For whatever reason, it is cursed.

 

[sb1]

Didn't Ted Washington wear 92? Wasn't here long enough to be on an all time list... or maybe he should be with the impact he had.

 

[RobertWeathers]

#24....Robert Weathers > Ty Law

 

[Nikolai]

Edelman over Bledsoe is tough, but I understand the choice. I would have been ok the other way as well.

Where's Adam Seward????

 

[Tony2046]

Great list Quantum. Thanks

 

[PatsDeb]

I think 83 is a toss up between Wes Welker & Deion Branch.

 

[Tony2046]

I think 83 is a toss up between Wes Welker & Deion Branch.

That's a good one.

 

[primetime]

I'd put Moss above Francis. Both played only part of their career in New England, but Moss's was far more spectacular.

I'd put Ferric Collons above Agnew for #92, though I think the answer here is obviously Ted Washington.

 

[Joey007]

I almost wish you could've handed two #11's, both are so deserving and it's tough to leave one of Bledsoe and Jules off here.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Edelman over Bledsoe is tough, but I understand the choice. I would have been ok the other way as well.

Where's Adam Seward????

Gee whiz..... Jules over Drew is a tough one.

I get it. Could argue either way.

 

[Wheelman]

#12: Don Allard

 

[Calhoun44]

Did they ever have #00 or #0?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Did they ever have #00 or #0?

Maybe in practice? Can't imagine that would or could ever happen in a game.

 

[pazrul72]

Did they ever have #00 or #0?

I have an image in my head of Bryan cox wearing double 00 but when I googled it it came up as him wearing 51. That hit where he leveled Jarome Pathon to this day is one of the hardest hits I have ever seen and really set the tone for the whole defense that year. Only thing I found was this pic so maybe in preseason he wore 0.

 

[Brandon_Cox]

Jim Otto was a bad man

 

[BlacknGold77]

Here's my list. You can use this query to find the players: All Players To Wear Number 1 For New England Patriots | Pro-Football-Reference.com

1 - John Smith
2 - Doug Flutie
3 - Stephen Gostkowski
4 - Adam Vinatieri
5 - Pat O'Neill (only because he lasted longer with the team than any other #5)
6 - Ryan Allen
7 - Hugh Millen (another number with slim pickings. So Brissett may have a good chance at owning the #7 title)
8 - Josh Miller
9 - David Posey (another bunch of single-season forgettables)
10 - Jabar Gaffney
11 - Julian Edelman (I give him the nod over Drew for big game performances)
12 - Tom Brady (duhhhhhhh)
13 - Ken Walter (perhaps Tom Hodson, though Walter was a better P than Hodson was a QB)
14 - Steve Grogan (duhhhh, though if Cooks plays several years with NE he could take the title away)
15 - Babe Parilli
16 - Jim Plunkett
17 - Mike Taliaferro (then Dobson, then nobody)
18 - Randy Vataha (tough competition from Matt Slater, though!)
19 - Brandon LaFell
20 - Gino Cappelletti (easy choice - for one thing, only NE player to ever have #20 )
21 - Malcolm Butler (not recency bias - #21 is mostly forgettables except Gay and Redmond and Butler)
22 - Asante Samuel (tough one - Burton and Ridley make good runs at it)
23 - Ron Hall
24 - Ty Law
25 - Rick Sanford (but maybe Ross O'Hanley?)
26 - Raymond Clayborn
27 - Ellis Hobbs
28 - Corey Dillon (Martin was definitely the better overall player, but this is just play for NE)
29 - Harold Jackson
30 - Carl Garrett (I'm a huge Mosi fan too, but when you look at the NE stats for them...)
31 - Fred Marion
32 - Devin McCourty (Wanted to give it to Andy Johnson, but had to go with McCourty)
33 - Kevin Faulk (Tony Collins in a strong second place)
34 - Shane Vereen (really tough -- hard to compare offensive and defensive players. Could have been Shonta or McCray)
35 - Jim Nance
36 - Lawyer Milloy
37 - Rodney Harrison (but one could make a case for Maurice Hurst)
38 - Roland James
39 - Sam Cunningham
40 - Mike Haynes
41 - Larry Carwell (I'll go with him because he was with NE longer than Mitchell was)
42 - Ronnie Lippett
43 - Nate Ebner (easily could go to Vagas Ferguson or Ernest Gibson, though)
44 - Don Calhoun
45 - Otis Smith
46 - James Develin
47 - Robert Edwards (only one year, but what a year)
48 - Tim Fox
49 - Joe Cardona (slim pickings here)
50 - Mike Vrabel (but could easily go to Ninko)
51 - Jerod Mayo
52 - Johnny Rembert (Ted Johnson right up there, too)
53 - Chris Slade (but perhaps Tom Addison)
54 - Tedy Bruschi
55 - Willie McGinest
56 - Andre Tippett
57 - Steve Nelson
58 - Pete Brock
59 - Vincent Brown
60 - Garin Veris
61 - Sam Adams
62 - Ryan Wendell
63 - Dan Connolly (perhaps Joe Andruzzi)
64 - Richard Bishop (mainly because he was with NE longer than the others)
65 - Houston Antwine
66 - Paul Fairchild
67 - Bill Lenkaitis (but could easily be Koppen)
68 - Max Lane (another forgettable uniform number)
69 - Shaq Mason (well, either him or Eugene Chung)
70 - Logan Mankins
71 - Ray Hamilton
72 - Matt Light (with Eisenhauer as a strong second)
73 - John Hannah
74 - Shelby Jordan
75 - Vince Wilfork
76 - Brian Holloway
77 - Nate Solder
78 - Bruce Armstrong
79 - Jim Lee Hunt
80 - Troy Brown
81 - Russ Francis (tough competition from Colclough and Moss)
82 - Vincent Brisby
83 - Wes Welker
84 - Darryl Stingley
85 - Julius Adams
86 - Stanley Morgan
87 - Rob Gronkowski
88 - Terry Glenn
89 - Bob Dee (only NE #89 ever)
90 - Toby Williams (I'll give him the nod over Chad Eaton because he was here longer)
91 - Jamie Collins
92 - Ray Agnew (another bunch of nobodies)
93 - Richard Seymour
94 - Ty Warren
95 - Ed Reynolds
96 - Brent Williams
97 - Jarvis Green
98 - Anthony Pleasant
99 - Mike Wright

- Bledsoe over Edelman, pretty easily at this point
- Martin over Dillon, even just Pats achievements Martin wins. ROY and 2x Pro Bowl, 3799 yds vs 3180 yds, 3x 1000 yd seasons, vs 1x
- Moss for 81:

Moss: 51 games, 259 rec, 3904 yds, 50 td
Russ: 92 games, 207 rec, 3157 yds, 28 td

 

[Plunkett2Vataha]

Awesome list, with very few quibbles. Maybe I'm showing my age, but I have:
#22: Ron Burton (one of original Pats, plus I can't get over Samuel dropping the interception and then jogging to help out Harrison on the Helmet catch play)
#30: Mosi Tatupu (though Carl Garrett was a very good player on a bad Pats team)
#60: Lenny St. Jean (very steady player)
#72: Larry Eisenhower (one of all time AFL stalwarts, this was by a SLIM margin over Matt Light)
#77: Tom Neville (by a hair over Nate Solder)
#82: Dan Graham (very underrated by non-Pats fans, loved his one on one blocking in the Carolina SB).

 

[sb1]

I just can't put JE over Drew. No way.