#79 - Jim Lee Hunt, DT There have only been two players to wear #79 for the Patriots since 1950. Al Richardson, a defensive end, played three games for the team in 1960 and never played for another team in the NFL. Jim Lee Hunt, a defensive tackle, played from 1960-1970, starting all 14 games in his last ten years with the team. In 1967, AFL scouts named him the "best pass rushing tackle in the AFL." He was named to four AFL All-Star teams and elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame. However, the best Jim Lee Hunt story begins with an interception. Hunt was a fast player despite weighing in at 255 pounds. Legend has it (and by legend I mean his bio on patriots.com) that Hunt once intercepted a pass and took it 79 yards for a touchdown, out running two running backs on his way to the endzone. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com
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#80 - Troy Brown, WR Troy Brown. Arguably the most popular offensive player that Patriots have had in recent years. Drafted in the eighth round (that's right, there were eight rounds) of the 1993 NFL Draft, Brown turned out to be one of the biggest steals in Patriots, and possibly NFL Draft history. Troy could do it all. He is second in career receptions with the Patriots, trailing only Wes Welker. He is third in receiving yards behind only Stanley Morgan and Welker. He is the franchise leader in punt return yards, tied for first in punt return touchdowns, and even contributed on defense. In 2004, Brown had 14 tackles to go along with three interceptions. What is there not to like about Troy Brown. #81 - Randy Moss, WR Randy Moss is arguably the most talented receiver of all time. The Patriots acquired Moss at the 2007 draft for a fourth round pick. In his first year in Foxboro, Moss proved what he can do with a great quarterback. He broke Jerry Rice's record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 23 to go along with 98 catches and 1,493 yards. Moss topped 1,000 yard receiving and double digit touchdowns in each of his three full seasons with the Patriots, and led the league in touchdowns twice. The Patriots traded him in 2010 and he was essentially never heard from again. He played for the NFL Champion San Francisco 49ers in 2012, but did not have a great impact on the team. I will forever believe that Randy regrets his comments that lead to his trade out of New England and wanted to come back as a Patriot. When he came back with the Vikings a few weeks later, he did nothing but praise the Patriot organization, saying he missed the team and calling Bill Belichick the "best coach in football history." I really think that Moss was waiting for Bill to give him a call and would have come back to the Patriots in a heart beat. #82 - Daniel Graham, TE While Graham was never known as a great offensive weapon, he was still a very big piece to the early success of the Patriots. Graham was a very good blocking tight end, but did still contribute to the offense a little more as his career with the Patriots progressed. In 2004, Graham caught seven touchdown passes, tied with David Patten for most on the team. While he only had 30 catches for 364 yards, those numbers still ranked fourth best on the team behind Patten, David Givens, and Deion Branch. He was named a team captain in 2006, Graham's last year with the Patriots. He signed a five year, $30 million deal with the Broncos before the 2007 season, proving how valuable his blocking skills were viewed in the NFL. #83 - Wes Welker The Miami Dolphins traded Welker to the New England Patriots in 2007 for a second rounder and fourth rounder. He would immediately prove the Patriots' move to be the right one, as he lead the league in receptions his first year as a Patriot. Welker would take over Deion Branch's role as Brady's favorite target, leading the league in receptions three times over his six years with the Patriots. One of Welker's more exciting plays came on opening day in 2011 when he caught a 99-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady against his former team, the Miami Dolphins. From 2007-2012, Welker caught more balls than any player in the NFL and ranked in the top five in receiving yards. He is third all-time in Patriots history in receptions, behind only Troy Brown and Stanley Morgan. #84 - Deion Branch, WR In his first stint with the Patriots, Branch was the key piece on two Super Bowl winning teams. In Super Bowl XXXVIII Branch had 10 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. The very next year in Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was named Super Bowl MVP with his 11 catches for 133 yards. His best season came in 2006 when he 78 passes for 998 yards and five touchdowns. That year in the divisional round against the Denver Broncos, Branch continued to prove he was a big-game WR when he had eight catches for 153 yards. After the breakout season, Branch held out and was eventually traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a first round pick that the Patriots would use on safety Brandon Meriweather. As we all know, the Patriots brought him back after they shipped Randy Moss to Minnesota. In his first game back with the Patriots, Branch had 9 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, and a lot of the catches I do not believe Moss would have made as they were shorter curl or out routes with the cornerback draped all over Branch. #85 - Nick Buoniconti - LB Sorry, Wiggy. You missed it by that much! Nick Buoniconti gets the nod at #85. While he may he better known for his role on the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins, he still was a star linebacker for the Patriots. He made 5 AFL All-Star games and his 24 interceptions ranks seventh in Patriots history. In 1970, Buoniconti was named to the all-AFL team and was in 2001 elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a side note, while Jermaine Wiggins is not quite on the Hall of Fame level as Buoniconti, we must remember that he did have 10 catches in the 2001 Snow Bowl against the Raiders. That was one of the biggest performances of the year that cannot be forgotten. #86 - Stanley Morgan, WR The speedster out of Tennessee was arguably the most dynamic receiver to play for the Patriots, and one of the most dynamic in the NFL. His 10,352 receiving yards top some of the greats at the position for the Patriots, including Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Troy Brown, and NFL Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. His 19.2 yards per reception still stands as the best in NFL history, among receivers with at least 500 career receptions. His best year came in 1979 when he caught 44 balls for 1,002 yards, and led the league with 12 touchdowns and 22.8 yards per reception. Wouldn't it be nice to give Brady somebody like Morgan to stretch the field? #87 - Ben Coates, TE Here is the pick that weeds out the bandwagon Patriots fans. Rob Gronkowski is a spectacular tight end. If he can stay healthy, I have no doubt in my mind that he could even go down as the greatest tight end of all time. However, he has not been able to stay on the field. Ben Coates was an absolute monster. He was the favorite target of young quarterback Drew Bledsoe as he led the team in receptions in 1993 and then exploded in 1994 for 96 catches, 1174 yards, and seven touchdowns. His 96 catches was a tight end record until some guy named Tony Gonzalez came around. His 6 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown led all Patriots receivers in the Super Bowl XXXI loss to the Packers. Coates continued to be a star for the Patriots, averaging over six touchdowns over his eight seasons in New England. #88 - Terry Glenn, WR The seventh overall pick of the 1996 draft came into the NFL and looked like a seasoned vet immediately. Glenn caught 90 balls for 1,132 yards and six touchdowns. While he still had some productive seasons, it was all downhill for the receiver after his rookie campaign. While he had all of the physical tools to be a dangerous receiver, off-the-field problems and an attitude problem pushed Glenn out of town. After having very little to do with the championship team, as he was deactivated for the majority of the 2001 season, Glenn was traded to the Green Bay Packers for two fourth round picks. One of those picks the Patriots would use on Jarvis Green, our best #97. |
SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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