#48 - Tim Fox, FS Fox was a first round pick of the Patriots in 1976. The safety out of Ohio State missed only one game over his six years with the team. He was the top tackler in the secondary for four consecutive years and even led the team in tackles in 1978. Fox was a hard hitter, exactly the kind of safety the Patriots could use next to Devin McCourty. Duron Harmon looks like he could be a very good safety, but it is yet to be seen if he is a punishing tackler. He made one Pro Bowl over the course of his career, in 1981. Most importantly, look at the hair and 'stache! What a look! Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com
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#49 - Eric Alexander, LB Alexander, like Larry Izzo, was a linebacker but his main duty came on special teams. Alexander was signed as, you guessed it, an undrafted free agent in 2004. He was cut and re-signed and assigned to the practice squad countless times. However, he finally made the opening day roster in 2006 and even started in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. It was his first career start and recorded a team high ten tackles in the game. Despite making the team and contributing on the big stage, the release-and-sign game that the Patriots love to play was not over with Alexander. Alexander won a BCS National Championship with LSU in 2003 and a Super Bowl in his rookie season with the Patriots. Alexander also wore number 52 with the Patriots, but that spot was occupied by Ted Johnson. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #50 - Mike Vrabel, LB I have referred to "Mr. Versatility" multiple times in this series; however, I am going to one more time (likely not the last time either). Mike Vrabel was a linebacker who could do it all on defense. He was a solid tackler, could rush the passer (he had a career high 12.5 in 2007), and had good hands for a linebacker, picking off 11 passes over the course of his career, one of which was returned for a touchdown. However, he did not just put his hands on display on the defensive side of the ball. Vrabel was lined up as a tight end in some goal-to-go situations starting in 2002. He caught twelve passes over the course of his career. All of them went for touchdowns and two of them were in Super Bowls. You will not find a better ratio than that. The trend to line him up as a tight end carried over to Kansas City where former Patriots Director of Player Personnel Scott Piolo was the General Manager. Add Vrabel to the list of great linebackers with Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, and Ted Johnson. #51 - Jerod Mayo, LB 2008 was one of the rare times that we saw Bill Belichick trade up to select a player in the NFL Draft. He moved up to the 10th overall selection to grab Mayo, one of, if not the highest rated linebacker of the draft class. Needless to say, Bill hit on this one. Mayo has recorded over 100 tackles in each of his six seasons in the league, with the exception of an injury shortened 2013 campaign. It was also the only season in which he did not force a fumble. He has become somewhat of a tackling machine. One game that comes to mind was in his rookie season when in a game against the rival New York Jets, Mayo recorded 20 tackles. Mayo has been a defensive captain since 2009, and nobody deserves the honor more than #51. When he tore his pectoral muscle in week six of the 2013 season against the New Orleans Saints (one of the best games of the NFL season when Brady threw a touchdown to Kenbrell Thompkins to win the game as time expired), the Patriots were left without their defensive quarterback. They tried giving the green dot to other players such as safety Steve Gregory or fellow linebacker Dont'a Hightower, but nobody could replace Mayo. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #52 - Ted Johnson, LB The Patriots really hit on the linebackers they drafted in the mid-90s, huh? Willie McGinest was drafted in 1994; Johnson joined the team as a second round pick in 1995; and Tedy Bruschi was a third round pick in 1996. That is some solid drafting right there. Just like the other two (and Larry Izzo), Johnson was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. The defense (in addition to Tom Brady) was to thank for the three championships and Ted Johnson's run-stuffing ability is one of the big reasons they were so successful. Since his retirement after 2004, Johnson has been front-and-center regarding all of the concussion scandals and lawsuits that have been going on recently. He has stated that Belichick forced him to play through contact drills just a few days after suffering a concussion. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #53 - Larry Izzo, LB Izzo has two tough acts to follow, as his number comes after both Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi. However, Izzo is not known for his time playing the linebacker position. As you can tell, the linebacking corps was quite crowded with McGinest, Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel. Izzo found a home in New England as a special teams player, and a damn good one at that. Izzo played for the Patriots from 2001-2008, making him a part of all three Super Bowl wins and the 16-0 team that lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. He also made two Pro Bowls in his time in Foxboro; he also made one with the Miami Dolphins a year prior to joining the Pats. Belichick puts a ton of emphasis on the importance of special teams, as we have seen recently with Matthew Slater making the team every year despite never lining up as a wide receiver, the position he is listed as. That being said, Slater is the best gunner in the NFL. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #54 - Tedy Bruschi, LB After Tom Brady, Bruschi is the most recognizable and loved Patriot in recent history. He may even be ahead of Brady to a lot of people. You will not meet a single Patriots fan that did not like Bruschi. He was a defensive end in college, but when he got the call in 1996, he was told by coach Bill Parcells that he would be a linebacker, a move that would prove to be a great one for both Tedy and the team. Bruschi joined Willie McGinest to form one a linebacking corps that was full of heart and leadership. The two of them gave everything they had and Patriots Nation recognized it and appreciated everything they did for the franchise. Less than two weeks after the Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Bruschi was hospitalized after suffering a stroke. He missed only a few weeks of the 2005 season and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week his first game back with the team. There is so much that could be said about Bruschi but, like McGinest, stats do not tell you the entire story; you needed to see these guys to understand what they brought to the team. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #55 - Willie McGinest, LB Picked 4th overall in 1994 out of USC, McGinest was one of the key pieces to the three Super Bowls that the New England Patriots won in the early 2000s. He holds the NFL record for most postseason sacks with 16. An outside linebacker for the majority of his career, McGinest could also line up as a defensive end, as he did in Super Bowl XXXIX to keep Donovan McNabb in the pocket and avoid letting him beat them with his legs. He was selected to two Pro-Bowls and was named to both the Patriots All-1990s and All-2000s teams. You can look at all the stats you want to, but none will give you the full picture as to what McGinest was to the Pats. He was a true leader and fan favorite in Foxboro. And who could forget the goal line stand that he was a part of in that 2003 battle against Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts? He may have ended his career in Cleveland, but he will always be a Patriot. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #56 - Andre Tippett, LB Andre Tippett was a second round pick of the Patriots in 1982. The linebacker out of Iowa would go on to prove to be a steal, as he became not only a Patriots Hall of Famer, but an NFL Hall of Famer. Tippett played 11 seasons with the Patriots, recording a franchise record 100 sacks over that period. In 1984, he had a career high 18.5 sacks and followed that up the next year with 16.5 more, which is the highest two-season sack total by a linebacker in NFL history. Tippett was a five-time Pro Bowler, the Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, and went to the Super Bowl in 1985, a game in which the Patriots would get humiliated 46-10. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #57 - Steve Nelson, LB It's been a while since we had a Patriots Hall of Famer! Nelson was one of the best linebackers to ever put on a Patriots uniform. His 17 interceptions rank 15th in team history and his 16 fumble recoveries ranks 5th, behind only Steve Grogan, Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady (all quarterbacks jumping on what they just lost) and fellow Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippett. The second round pick in 1974 was a tackling machine. He holds the unofficial team record for tackles in a season with 207 in 1988 and led the team in tackling eight times. He recorded over 100 tackles nine out of his 14 seasons. The three time Pro Bowler was elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1993. 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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