Why do so many Pats receivers have low uniform numbers?

[pheenix11]

My son asked me a good question tonight, how come so many of the Pats receivers have low uniform numbers?

Edelman 11
Cooks 14
Hogan 15
Mitchell 19
Dorsett 13
Slater 18

Is there any particular reason?

 

[Uptown]

My son asked me a good question tonight, how come so many of the Pats receivers have low uniform numbers?

Edelman 11
Cooks 14
Hogan 15
Mitchell 19
Dorsett 13
Slater 18

Is there any particular reason?

Just in case BB needs to keep 18 TEs on the roster, he’ll have jersey #s for them

 

[nabwong]

My son asked me a good question tonight, how come so many of the Pats receivers have low uniform numbers?

Edelman 11
Cooks 14
Hogan 15
Mitchell 19
Dorsett 13
Slater 18

Is there any particular reason?

This is also a list of our backup QBs.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I wish someone would ask bb this question

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I wish someone would ask bb this question

You are wishing to hear "we are on to 80"?

 

[pheenix11]

I wish someone would ask bb this question

Ironically he’d probably go into a 5 minute tangent on strategic roster numbering.

 

[Roboturner913]

That's normal now. I think most teams probably have a bunch of WRs with numbers in the teens.

Cardinals have 6, Falcons have 8, Ravens have 5 (and one that wears #6), Bills have 6, Panthers have 7 (and one that wears #2) etc. etc. etc. I'm just going by alphabetical order with the teams, not picking out particular ones.

It used to be that WRs had numbers in the 80s and you only had a number in the teens if all the 80s numbers were taken. They changed that I think about 10-15 years ago.

Forgive me for butting in but uniform numbers are a thing with me.

Interesting aside; technically you could wear a number starting with a "0", ie. you could be 01, 02, 03. But for some reason nobody's ever done it.

Personally I wish they would loosen up the numbers a little more. This is how I would have it.

QB's: 1-29
RB's 1-49
WRs: 1-29, 80-89
TEs: 10-19, 40-49, 80-89
OL: 50-79
DL: 40-99
LB: 1-59
CB: 1-49
S: 1-49
K: 1-99
P: 1-99

I've spent far too much time considering this subject as you can probably tell. I dream of someday seeing a punter wearing #67, or a QB wearing #25, or a RB wearing #3.

 

[DarrylS]

Trying to think why I should care about this, the only time this may be helpful is in TC.... when there are so many bodies.

 

[supafly]

“Our receivers would do better if they had ‘tighter’ numbers.”

@IcyPatriot

Remember that guy?

 

[maineman209]

My son asked me a good question tonight, how come so many of the Pats receivers have low uniform numbers?

Edelman 11
Cooks 14
Hogan 15
Mitchell 19
Dorsett 13
Slater 18

Is there any particular reason?

There are actually NFL rules that dictate the distribution of numbers by position. I think this is partly to help with officiating WRT eligible/ineligible receivers and downfield blockers on offense, but probably helps officials in other ways, too.

ONLY QBs and K/P can use the numbers 1-9.

WRs are restricted to the numbers 10-19 and 80-89. The only other positions that can use the 10-19 range are QBs and K/P.

TEs are restricted to the numbers 40-49 and 80-89. However, RBs, LBs and DBs are also allowed to wear numbers in the 40-49 range while only WRs and TEs are allowed the 80-89 range.

Bottom line is that the Pats apparently prefer to use 80-89 for TEs and 10-19 for WRs and 40-49 for other positions when they can.

SIDE NOTE: #89 is among the Pats' retired numbers. It belonged to defensive end, Bob Dee, who played for the Boston Patriots from 1960-1967 -- back in the days when uniform numbering was, um, less uniform (the numbering system was first formalized in the early 70s - after the merger - IIRC).

Anyway, the numbering list (since 2015) is:

1-9 = QB, K/P only
10-19 = QB, K/P + WR
20-39 = RB & DB only
40-49 = RB, TE, LB, DB
50-59 = LB, DL & OL (restricted to Centers with rare exception)
60-79 = DL & OL only
80-89 = TE & WR only
90-99 = DL & LB only

The range of numbers allotted to each position somewhat reflects how many players a team may typically carry at each position.

The list sorted by positional designation:

QB & K/P = 1-19 = 20 possible numbers
WR = 10-19 + 80-89 = 20 numbers
TE = 40-49 + 80-89 = 20 numbers
RB = 20-49 = 30 numbers
OL = 50-79 = 30 numbers

DL = 50-79 + 90-99 = 40 numbers
LB = 40-59 + 90-99 = 30 numbers
DB = 20-49 = 30 numbers

 

[jmt57]

I'm okay with whatever number they use, as long as the Patriots stop handing out the cursed #17 to any players.

 

[Bradyking12]

I'm okay with whatever number they use, as long as the Patriots stop handing out the cursed #17 to any players.

Someone will break it some point hopefully, look at Cooks and #14

 

[jah]

College players seem to hold any number below 30 in very high esteem, so they try to keep that going in the NFL.

 

[pats4life12]

Well 11 - 14 + 15 - 19 + 13 - 18 = -12 coincidence? I think not que the X-files theme.

 

[Ross12]

They have Britt wearing 85 currently though, don’t they?

 

[Patjew]

“Our receivers would do better if they had ‘tighter’ numbers.”

@IcyPatriot

Remember that guy?

Aaargh you beat me to it! I was going to make a Chad Jackson reference that only us old timers would get.

 

[jah]

They have Britt wearing 85 currently though, don’t they?

Only because they were out of 1_ numbers.

 

[Ross12]

Only because they were out of 1_ numbers.

I dream of a day where a team has enough WRs and TEs signed to take up all of the eligible teen and 80s numbers and a new addition gets to have an unusual number.

 

[jah]

I dream of a day where a team has enough WRs and TEs signed to take up all of the eligible teen and 80s numbers and a new addition gets to have an unusual number.

This happens in the preseason sometimes and the receiver usually gets a single digit number. Randy Moss, Victor Cruz had some single digit summers.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

National Football League uniform numbers - Wikipedia