Creative Commons: Jack Kurzenknobe
Putting together a list of the top 10 New England Patriots is somewhat like putting together a list of the greatest Chicago Bulls. There’s not much doubt as to who’s going to be number one on the list. In looking over information regarding the Patriots, they’ve had more than their share of great pass receivers. Some excellent guys didn’t make it on this list. Here are the guys that did:
10. Nick Buoniconti
Before Nick became a member of the Miami Dolphins perfect 1972 team, he was a star for the Boston Patriots. That’s right; Nick goes back to the days when the Patriots were in Boston. Nick’s Patriots career extended from 1962–68. He went to the Pro Bowl from 1963–67 and was named All Pro from 1964–67. Nick had a knack for being around the ball and picked 24 interceptions during his tenure with the Pats. At 5’ 11” and 220 pounds, Nick was undersized for middle linebacker, but that obviously didn’t stop him from excelling.
9. Randy Moss
Randy was another Patriots reclamation product that turned out extremely well for the Pats. Though Moss spent only three full seasons with the Patriots, they were a spectacular three seasons. In 2007 Moss caught a career-high 98 passes for 1493 yards and 23 TDs. The 23 TD receptions led the NFL. In 2009 Moss caught an NFL-leading 13 TDs. In 2007 Moss was named to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team.
8. Ty Law
Okay, Ty gets extra points for having a cool name. Sounds like the name of a TV show, doesn’t it? Or maybe the star of a western series. Beyond that, Law was a really good cornerback. Ty spent 10 seasons with the Pats. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times while in New England and was named to the All-Pro team twice. During his Patriots career he intercepted 38 passes, returning six of them for TDs. Law played for two Super Bowl champions with the Patriots.
7. Wes Welker
I remembered Wes Welker caught a lot of passes, but the amount Wes caught as a Patriot was actually insane. In six seasons with the Pats, Welker caught 672 passes. I’m no math whiz but believe that’s more than 100 yards per season. Three times Wes led the NFL in receptions. Wes was named to the Pro Bowl from 2008–12 and All Pro twice. Having Tom Brady throwing to him no doubt helped inflate Welker’s stats, but his hands and toughness were keys to his success.
6. Stanley Morgan
While Stanley didn’t have a huge number of receptions during his 13 years with the Patriots, he was a huge, big play threat, averaging 19.4 yards per reception for his 534 catches. I wonder what his stats would have been if he had played with Tom Brady. He caught 67 TD passes with the Patriots and also returned a punt for a TD. From 1979–81 Morgan led the NFL in yards per catch, averaging 22 or more yards per catch each season. He led the NFL in TD receptions with 12 in 1979. Stanley was named to the Pro Bowl four times.
5. Rob Gronkowski
Gronk played nine seasons with the Patriots appearing in 115 games for the team. He’s scored 79 TDs on pass receptions and rushed for another. The dude can find the end zone. Rob is obviously not your average tight end. He has averaged 15.1 yards per catch. Gronk’s playoff production has exceeded his prolific regular season play. In 16 playoff games, Gronk caught 81 passes for 12 touchdowns. Those are some of the best playoff stats I’ve ever seen. Rob has been named to the Pro Bowl five times and named as an All Pro four times. Gronk is on his way to the Hall of Fame.
4. Mike Haynes
Mike split his 14 seasons evenly between the Patriots and the Raiders. He was named to the Pro Bowl in six of his seven seasons in New England. Haynes picked up eight passes in his rookie season, which was the most in his career. That’s probably because quarterbacks became wary of throwing in his direction. Mike is one of the best cover cornerbacks in the history of the NFL.
3. Andre Tippett
Andre is the greatest defensive player in the history of the franchise. In 12 seasons with the Patriots, Andre was named to five Pro Bowls and two All Pro teams. Andre peaked during the mid/late 80s. His Pro Bowl seasons were from 1984–88. Tippett recorded 100 sacks during his career. His career high was 18.5 in 1984. Andre also recovered 19 fumbles in his career, returning two of them for TDs.
2. John Hannah
Hannah is universally regarded as one of, if the best offensive linemen in the history of the game. I would think almost every NFL “expert” would put him in the top 5 at least. To be more specific, he’s probably the greatest guard in the history of the NFL. Not surprisingly Hannah has a slew of Pro Bowl and All Pro teams to his credit. The actual count is nine Pro Bowls and seven All Pro teams. Hannah was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All 80s team. John was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All 70s second team. Hannah spent all 13 of his seasons in the NFL with the Patriots.
1. Tom Brady
Well, this is anti-climactic. At this point in history Brady is considered by most to be the greatest QB in NFL history. A whole lot of stats could be used in conjunction with Brady, but the most impressive one is seven Super Bowls won. The fact that he’s played in a total of ten Super Bowls all together is also impressive. Brady played 20 seasons with the Pats and was tapped for 14 Pro Bowls and three All Pro teams. While Brady’s passing numbers are excellent, they don’t necessarily jump out at you any more than some of the other greatest QBs. The winning, however, does.
So, what does your list look like?
