Former Pats RB John Stephens killed in car accident

[jmt57]

John Stephens, 43; Patriots back was ’88 Rookie of Year

More on Stephens' playing days with the Pats. Interesting to note that the only reason he ever got a chance to run the ball was due to an injury to the starting RB on his high school team.

John Stephens, 43; Patriots back was ’88 Rookie of Year by Michael Bailey of the Boston Globe

Inserted into the starting lineup in game three against the Buffalo Bills, Mr. Stephens would carry the Patriots offense on his rookie shoulders the rest of the season. In the process, he ran for 1,168 yards - a Patriots rookie record then, tops among rookies that season, and second overall in the AFC. He also scored four touchdowns.

“He had a fantastic rookie year. For that period of time that he had success as a running back, there was nobody better,’’ Andre Tippett, Hall of Famer and Patriots executive director of community affairs, said last night. “It was amazing watching him. He really kind of shocked everybody when he came into the league. He brought it. He was a tough competitor. It was special watching him run.’’

In addition to the Rookie of the Year honors, he was selected as a starter for the AFC team in the Pro Bowl.

 

[in 12 we trust]

was a bright spot for some bad Patriot teams....sorry to hear this

 

[TrueBeliever]

A couple more thoughts after reading the Globe article:

1) About this:

Inserted into the starting lineup in game three against the Buffalo Bills, Mr. Stephens would carry the Patriots offense on his rookie shoulders the rest of the season. In the process, he ran for 1,168 yards - a Patriots rookie record then, tops among rookies that season, and second overall in the AFC. He also scored four touchdowns.

So let me get this straight - he was the team's leading rusher but only scored four touchdowns the whole season? Was that year's team pass happy when it came to the red zone or was the team just that bad?

2) And this:

He was the Patriots’ leading rusher the next two seasons but would not pass 1,000 yards again in his career.

With this quote, maybe I answered my own question.

 

[jmt57]

A couple more thoughts after reading the Globe article:

1) About this:

So let me get this straight - he was the team's leading rusher but only scored four touchdowns the whole season? Was that year's team pass happy when it came to the red zone or was the team just that bad?

2) And this:

With this quote, maybe I answered my own question.

His rookie season the Pats weren't bad - it was a couple of years after the Pats made there first Super Bowl appearance and they finished 9-7. That team had a top-5 defense but a bottom-5 offense. The rushing touchdowns got spread out among several players; the team actually ranked 8th in the NFL with 17 rushing TD's that year.

The following year the defense was not nearly as good - they gave up 24 or more points twelve times - and the Pats ended up 5-11. A year after that they bottomed out with a one-win season: a two-point victory in week two. That of course was the year of the Lisa Olson incident. The next season ('91) Stephens was replaced by rookie Leonard Russell in the starting lineup.

 

[denverpatsfan]

RIP John.

I loved watching that guy run the ball. Back when they could really run the ball old school style. None of this zone blocking bs. Straight ahead knock the D in the teeth running.

 

[TrueBeliever]

His rookie season the Pats weren't bad - it was a couple of years after the Pats made there first Super Bowl appearance and they finished 9-7. That team had a top-5 defense but a bottom-5 offense. The rushing touchdowns got spread out among several players; the team actually ranked 8th in the NFL with 17 rushing TD's that year.

The following year the defense was not nearly as good - they gave up 24 or more points twelve times - and the Pats ended up 5-11. A year after that they bottomed out with a one-win season: a two-point victory in week two. That of course was the year of the Lisa Olson incident. The next season ('91) Stephens was replaced by rookie Leonard Russell in the starting lineup.

Okay. I knew the Pats went downhill gradually after '85 (except that in '86 they actually won the division), and the really bad Rod Rust year was '91, so I was trying to figure out where his rookie year fit into all that. And like I said, it just didn't seem to make sense that the team's top rusher only had 4 TDs in said season.