#38 - Roland James, S There have been a lot of first round picks lately, huh? James was yet another first rounder, selected 14th overall in 1980. The safety out of Tennessee played his entire career, eleven seasons, with the Patriots. Over his time with the team, he picked off 29 passes, forced five fumbles, and sacked quarterbacks five times. James was also a punt returner for the Patriots for a few seasons. In 1980, his rookie season, he had a punt return for a touchdown of 75 yards, which was the longest punt return of the season across the league. He returned punts in 1981 and 1985, but no where near as regularly as he did his rookie season. James is still living in Massachusetts, as he is coaching Sharon High School's football team. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com
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#39 - Sam Cunningham, FB How often do you see a fullback drafted in the first round? Sam "Bam" Cunningham was the exception, as the Patriots took him 11th overall in 1973. The fullback out of USC was not your typical fullback. He rushed for over 5,400 yards over the course of his nine years with the Patriots. Cunningham's best season came in 1977 when he rushed for 1,015 yards, an unheard of amount of yards for a fullback. However, he did not go to the Pro Bowl until 1978 when he rushed for just under 800 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added just under 300 yards receiving that season. Cunningham is the older brother of quarterback Randall Cunningham. He was elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2010. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #40 - Mike Haynes, CB Finally, we get back to some good players! Haynes was the fifth overall pick out of the 1976 draft out of Arizona State. He came into league and was immediately a shutdown corner. He recorded a career high eight interceptions in his rookie season, but he was not a one-year wonder like Vagas Ferguson or John Stephens. He had 28 picks over his seven seasons with the Patriots. In his seven years, he was a Pro Bowler all but one season, 1981 when he played only eight games. He then went on to play seven seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders where he recorded another 18 picks. Haynes is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Patriots Hall of Fame, has his number retired in New England, and won the George S. Halas Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding defensive player, in 1984. He is considered one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the NFL. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #41 - Leroy Mitchell, DB Mitchell was an 11th round pick of the AFL Boston Patriots in 1967. He only played two seasons with the Patriots before leaving for the NFL Houston Oilers, where he spent a year before moving on to the Denver Broncos. Mitchell did not miss a game in his two years with the Pats, and only missed two over the course of his six years. As a Patriots, he recorded ten interceptions and a fumble recovery. He best season as a professional football player came in 1968 when he had seven picks and earned a spot on the AFL All-Star team. Mitchell had 19 career picks, one of which he took to the house for six, three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in his career. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #42 - Ronnie Lippett, CB Lippett was an eighth round pick out of the University of Miami in 1983. The cornerback played his entire career with the Patriots, doing so in two stints, 1983-1988 and 1990-1991. Lippett missed only 11 games in his eight year career. His 24 career interceptions is tied with Nick Buoniconti for eighth in Patriots history and his two touchdowns is tied for fourth with nine others including Otis Smith and Willie McGinest. Remember how Ty Law could read Peyton Manning like a book? Lippett had similar success against Dan Marino, picking him off seven times over the course of his career. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #43 - Vagas Ferguson, RB Just remember what I said when I started this series; the Patriots only became good recently so some of the best players would not really be all that great (but I can guarantee you that it will get even worse). Ferguson was a, you guessed it, first round pick by the Patriots in 1980, coming from the most storied college football program in Notre Dame. Cue the music! Ferguson had a decent rookie year rushing for over 800 yards, but only two touchdowns. His second season saw his yardage dip to 340 yards and after his sophomore season, he accumulated only five yards on the ground. Not a star in the NFL, but he was a star at Notre Dame. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1979 and is third in Notre Dame history in total yards gained by a running back with 3,472 yards. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #44 – John Stephens, RB Yet another Patriots running back that was selected in the first round and had a Pro-Bowl rookie season. Luckily, his career did not go the same way Robert Edwards’ did. The running back out of Northwestern State joined the Patriots in 1988. He rushed for 1,168 his rookie season, earning him a trip to the Pro-Bowl and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. However, that was the last time Stephens would ever top 1,000, and actually only saw 800+ twice more in his career, the next two season. Stephens was a member of the Patriots until 1992. He spent 1993 with the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers, appearing in 12 games and starting only five of them. Stephens died in a car accident in 2009. He was only 43 years old. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #45 – Otis Smith, CB Not many players play for both teams of a rivalry. Smith did so twice. From 1995-2002, Smith played with the Jets, Patriots, went back to the Jets, and then came back to New England. In his first stint with the Patriots, Smith was a part of a team that went to the Super Bowl, and played a key role in winning the AFC title game with a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was also a part of the Super Bowl Champion Patriots in 2001. In the Super Bowl against the Rams, he once again stepped up to the stage with an interception that set up a field goal for the Pats. Smith spent four years of his 13 year career in New England. In that time span, he picked off ten passes and had two defensive touchdowns. His ten interceptions ranks 27th in Patriots history while his two defensive touchdowns ranks tenth. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #46 - Marv Cook, TE Like #47, there are not many players to wear #46 and thrive as a Patriot. However, Cook had a very good career as a Patriot, and wore #46, even if it was only for two years. Cook was a third round pick in 1989, but did not start until the 1990 season. The tight end was with the Patriots for five seasons and tallied 210 receptions, good for 16th all-time in Patriots history. Cook made the Pro Bowl in 1991 and 1992; however, 1991 was unquestionably his best season. He had a 82 catches for over 800 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs. After leaving New England, Cook played two more seasons at a mediocre level, one with Chicago and one with Saint Louis. He retired after the 1995 season. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #47 - Robert Edwards, RB Not many players who wore number 47 for the Patriots stuck around for more than a year, Edwards included. The running back was taken 18th overall in 1998 out of Georgia. He had a phenomenal rookie season and looked as if he could be a star in the NFL. He rushed for 1,115 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season; however, he would only rush for another 107 over the course of his career; a career in which he saw playing time in only one other year. In a rookie flag football game during Pro Bowl week, Edwards blew out his knee. He was minutes away from having to have his leg amputated and was told it was possible that he would never walk again. Not only did Edwards walk again, he played football again. He accumulated those 107 yards in 2002 with the Miami Dolphins and last played in 2007 for the Toronto Argonauts, of the Canadian Football League. He rushed for over 1,000 yards twice in the CFL. Imagine if he had not been so seriously injured and what he could have brought a Patriots team that still won three titles in four years. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com |
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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