8 - Mike Kafka, QB
- was a 4th round draft pick out of Northwestern by the Eagles in 2010

K Bill Bell (1973)
P Eddie Hare (1979; 4th round pick lasted only one year)
P Bryan Wagner (1991)
K Charlie Baumann (1991-92)
P Brooks Barnard (2003; punted ten times in his one and only NFL game)
P Josh Miller (2004-06; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team)
QB Brian Hoyer (2009-11; completed 27 passes and threw one TD in three years as backup quarterback)

10 – Michael Jenkins, WR
- was a 1st round draft pick out of Ohio State by the Falcons in 2004

QB/TE Harvey White (1960; was the first player ever to sign a contract with the Patriots)
P Dave Chapple (1974)
QB Tom Flick (1982)
QB Bob Bleir (1987; got two starts as a replacement during ’87 strike)
WR Glenn Antrum (1989; played at UConn)
P Brian Hansen (1990; led NFL with 90 punts and 3,752 punting yards in ’90)
QB Scott Secules (1993; went 0-4 with 2 TD and 9 INT in his four starts with Pats, filling in for injured rookie Drew Bledsoe)
P Lee Johnson (1999-2001)
WR/KR Kevin Kasper (2004)
WR Jabar Gaffney (2006-08; 85 receptions for 1,059 yards and 8 TD in three years with the Pats)
WR Darnell Jenkins (2009-10 PS)
WR Tiquan Underwood (2011)

19 – Donald Jones, WR
- was an UDFA out of Youngstown State for the Bills in 2010

QB Mike Kerrigan (1983-84)
P/QB Tom Tupa (1996-98; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team)
QB Damon Huard (2002-03)
WR Kelvin Kight (2006)
WR/KR Brandon Tate (2009-10; 3rd round pick from North Carolina; three touchdown receptions and two kickoff returns for touchdowns with the Pats)
WR Donte’ Stallworth (2012; wore 18 with the Pats in 2007; first and only catch in 2012 was a 63-yard touchdown to give the Pats a 28-0 lead over Houston)

24 – Adrian Wilson, S
- was a 2nd round pick out of North Carolina State by the Cardinals in 2001

RB Walt Livingston (1960; scored a TD to give the Pats a 7-0 lead in the franchise’s first-ever victory, a 28-24 win over the New York Titans on September 17, 1960)
RB/TE Joe Johnson (1960-61; New Haven native and BC Alum caught 4 TD for Pats at tail end of his pro football career)
RB/KR Mel West (1961; 11th round pick in ’61; was first African American to play football at University of Missouri)
CB Dick Felt (1962-66; 1962 AFL All Star; 12 interceptions with Pats)
KR/PR/WR/RB Bobby Leo (1967-68; native of Everett MA and Harvard alum had a 70-yard punt return and one TD with Pats; 7th round draft pick was backup to Gino Cappelletti)
RB Bob Gladieux (1969-72; 8th round pick from Notre Dame in ’69 draft; legend in the folklore of Pats history for being the guy who went from a spectator drinking beer to making the tackle on the opening kickoff after hearing his name called over the PA in 1970)
RB Bob McCall (1973)
CB Bob Howard (1975-77; 10 picks in three years as starter with Pats, including a 44-yard TD in win against his former team at San Diego
RB Robert Weathers (1982-86; 2nd round pick from Arizona State; career sidetracked due to multiple injuries)
RB Bruce Hansen (1987)
RB/KR Jamie Morris (1990)
RB Jon Vaughn (1991-92; 5th round draft pick from Michigan; led team in yards rushing in ’92)
CB Ty Law (1995-2004; 23rd overall pick of ’95 draft, from Michigan; Pats all time leader with 36 interceptions; Pats all time leader with 583 yards on interception returns; Pats all time leader with six interceptions returned for a touchdown; in 2003 led the NFL with 23 passes defensed; five Pro Bowls, four with the Pats; 1st Team All Pro in 1998 and 2003; led team with 27 tackles in 2001 post season; led NFL with nine interceptions in 1998; led NFL with two interceptions returned for a TD in 2001; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team)
S Michael Stone (2005)
S Mel Mitchell (2007)
CB Jonathan Wilhite (2008-10; 4th round pick from Auburn; started 13 games in three years for the Pats, with three picks, nine passes defensed and 71 tackles)
CB/ST Kyle Arrington (2009-12; wore number 24 in ’09 and ’10; tied for NFL lead with seven interceptions in 2011)

25 – Kyle Arrington, CB (not a new player, but a new number; Arrington gave #24 to Adrian Wilson)
- was an UDFA out of Hofstra, originally signed by the Eagles in 2008

S Ross O’Hanley (1960-65; 1960 1st Team All-AFL; BC alum and original Patriot was a 6-year starter and had 15 interceptions with the Pats)
DB John Charles (1967-69; 21st overall pick of ’67 draft from Purdue; 6 interceptions with Pats, 2 for a TD)
S Rickie Harris (1971-72)
DB John Sanders (1974-76; 5 interceptions first year with Pats; next season had 4 fumble recoveries, 2 blocked extra points, and a blocked punt)
S Rick Sanford (1979-84; 2nd round pick had 16 interceptions, 7th best in franchise history at that time)
S Vencie Glenn (1986; 2nd round draft pick was traded to Chargers after four games into his rookie season)
DB Tony Zackery (1990-91)
CB Darren Anderson (1992; 4th round pick from Toledo)
FS/ST Larry Whigham (1994-2000; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; 1997 Pro Bowl; 1996 NFL Special Teams Player of the Year; in ’97 Whigham was a Defensive Player of the Week after intercepting Dan Marino twice, returning one pick 60 yards for a TD, and adding four tackles; AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in ’96 post season after his tackle of Jacksonville’s punter on 4-yard line set up a Pats TD)
DB Leonard Myers (2001-02; 6th round pick from Miami)
S Arturo Freeman (2005)
S Artrell Hawkins (2005-06; now a sports talk radio host in Cincinnati)
S Patrick Chung (2009-12; 2nd round pick out of Oregon; seven interceptions, including one for a 51 yard touchdown at Miami in 2010)

29 – LeGarrette Blount, RB
- was an UDFA out of Oregon originally signed by Tennessee in 2010

WR/KR/CB Aaron Marsh (1968-69; 3rd round pick in ’68 out of Eastern Kentucky; 1968 Rookie of the Year with 19 receptions for 331 yards and 4 TD; career highlight was catching a 60 yard pass in 2nd pro game for a TD vs Jets)
S Honor Jackson (1972-73; 4 interceptions in ’72)
DB Durwood Keeton (1975)
S Willie Germany (1976)
WR Harold Jackson (1978-81; had 156 receptions for 3,162 yards and 18 TD in four years with Pats; his 20.3 career yards per catch is best in the club’s history; his 1,013 yards receiving in 1979 was at the time the a single season franchise record)
RB Don Overton (1990)
S Darrell Fullington (1991)
S Myron Guyton (1994-95; five picks and a fumble recovery in his two years with Pats)
RB/KR Derrick Cullors (1997-98)
RB Raymont Harris (2000)
LB Hakim Akbar (2001; 5th round pick from Washington)
S Chris Hayes (2002)
S Aric Morris (2003)
DB Earthwind Moreland (2004)
S Guss Scott (2004-06; 3rd round draft pick)
CB Chidi Iwuoma (2006)
CB Eddie Jackson (2007)
CB Lewis Sanders (2008)
CB Shawn Springs (2009)
CB Tony Carter (2010)
RB Shane Vereen (2011-; started out wearing 29 before switching to number 34)
CB Sterling Moore (2011-12; most well known for game saving pass defensed in AFCCG versus Ravens)

33 – Leon Washington, RB/KR
- was a 4th round draft pick out of Florida State by the Jets in 2006

S/PR Fred Bruney (1960-62; 1961 and 1962 AFL All Star; led AFL in punt returns in 1961; 8 interceptions with Pats, one for a TD; 3rd round pick by Browns in ’53 went on to spend 35 years in the NFL as an assistant coach)
RB Bob Cappadona (1966-67; the native of Watertown MA led Northeastern to an undefeated season and their one and only bowl game; was the Pats Rookie of the Year in 1966)
WR Bill Rademacher (1969-70; 3 TD in  his first season with the Pats)
WR Reggie Rucker (1971-74; 10 TD with Pats)
RB Bobby Anderson (1975)
RB Tony Collins (1981-87; 2nd round pick from East Carolina; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; 1983 Pro Bowl; 1983 2nd team All Pro; 3rd all-time leading rusher in Pats history; 5th all time with 32 rushing TD; in 1983 rushed for 1,049 yards, which at that time was third most in club history; in first three years averaged 9.3 yards per touch)
RB Patrick Egu (1989)
FB George Adams (1990-91)
FB Sam Gash (1992-97; 8th round draft pick from Penn State; made Pro Bowl twice with Buffalo Bills)
RB/KR/PR Kevin Faulk (1999-2011; 2nd round pick from LSU; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team; holds career franchise records with 12,349 all-purpose yards, 4,098 kickoff return yards, 5,041 total return yards, and most receptions by a running back with 431; is 5th all time Pats leader with 3,607 rushing yards; scored 34 TD with the Pats)

72 – Will Svitek, OT
- was a 6th round draft pick out of Stanford by the Chiefs in 2005
G/T/LB Bill Striegel (1960)
DT Al Crow (1960; at 6’7″ the William and Mary alum was one of the physically biggest pro football players at that time)
DE Larry “Wildman” Eisenhauer (1961-69; 6th round draft pick (42nd overall) out of Boston College in 1961 draft; four-time AFL All Star; three-time First Team All Pro; Pats All-Decade Team of the 1960s; All-AFL 10-Year Anniversary Team; Pats 35th Anniversary Team; enshrined to BC Varsity Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978)
DE Mel Lunsford (1973-80; named Pats most valuable lineman in 1979
DT Jerry Patton (1975)
NT Lester Williams (1982-85; 27th overall pick of ’82 draft; pick was acquired in Russ Francis trade)
G Todd Sandham (1987; one of a select group of NFL players that attended Northeastern)
NT Tim Goad (1988-94; 4th round draft pick from North Carolina; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; seven-year starter had 11.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries and a touchdown with the Pats)
DT Devin Wyman (1996-97; 6th round pick from Kentucky State)
G Sale Isaia (2000)
LT Matt Light (2001-2011; 2nd round pick out of Purdue; Pro Bowl in 2006, 2007 and 2010; Pats 50th Anniversary Team; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; 1st Team All Pro in 2007; part of a select group that was on all three Super Bowl winning teams)

80 – Danny Amendola, WR
- was an UDFA out of Texas Tech, originally signed by Dallas in 2008

LB Jack Rudolph (1960-65)
DE Karl Henke (1969)
TE Bob Adams (1973-74)
TE Don Hasselbeck (1977-83; 2nd round draft pick from Colorado; in 1981 set a then franchise record of 808 yards receiving by a TE, which was also at that time the 2nd most yards receiving by any player in club history; 15 career TD receptions with Pats)
TE Brooks Williams (1983)
WR Irving Fryar (1984-92; first overall pick out of Nebraska; 1985 Pro Bowl; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team; at one time was the Pats second all-time leading receiver (now fourth), with 5,726 yards; also was club’s all-time leading punt returner with 2,055 yards (now second, behind Troy Brown); 38 receiving touchdowns was 3rd most in franchise history (now 6th); made Pro Bowl four more times after leaving New England)
WR Larry Linne (1987; two TD in his three NFL games played)
WR/PR/DB Troy Brown (1993-2007; 8th round pick from Marshall; Patriots Hall of Fame; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team; 2001 Pro Bowl; in ’01 led NFL with 14.2 yards per punt return and with two punts returned for touchdowns; retired as the franchise all time leader in receptions with 557, and second all time with 6,366 receiving yards; all time franchise playoff leader with 58 receptions and 694 receiving yards; in 2002 tied NFL record with Jerry Rice with 16 receptions in a single game; in 2004 ranked second on the team in interceptions; 55-yard punt return for a TD led Pats to victory over Steelers in ’01 AFCCG; caught critical 23-yard pass in Super Bowl 36 with 21 seconds remaining to set up game winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri; also wore number 86 in 1994)
TE Rob Myers (2009 PS)
WR Steve Hawkins (1994; 6th round draft pick from Western Michigan)
WR/TE Dorin Dickerson (2011 PS)
WR Jeremy Ebert (2012 PS; 7th round draft pick from Northwestern; also wore number 17)
TE Visanthe Shiancoe (2012)

83 – Lavelle Hawkins, WR
- was a 4th round draft pick out of Cal by the Titans in 2008

MLB/DE Harry Jacobs (1960-62; 4 interceptions in 1960)
TE/DE Bill Dawson (1965; 19th round pick from FSU)
DE Tom Fussell (1967; 8th round pick from LSU)
WR Melvin Baker (1975)
WR Ricky Feacher (1976; 10th round pick; played nine years as backup with Browns)
WR Don Westbrook (1977-81)
WR Cedric Jones (1982-90; 3rd round draft pick out of Duke; in ’89 had 48 receptions for 670 yards and 6 TD; recipient of 12th Player Award in ’86; spent most of career as special teamer and backup to Stanley Morgan)
WR Michael Timpson (1989-94; 4th round draft pick from Penn State; best season was in ’94 when he had 74 receptions for 941 yards; wore number 45 first two seasons)
WR Will Moore (1995-96; 43 receptions in rookie season)
WR Dietrich Jells (1996-97)
TE Rod Rutledge (1998-2001; 2nd round pick out of Alabama; was primarily a blocking end, complimenting Ben Coates)
WR Deion Branch (2002-05; 2nd round pick out of Louisville; 8th all time in club history with 328 receptions; 9th all time with 4,297 receiving yards; 12th all time with 24 receiving TD; also wore number 84 from 2010-12)
WR/PR Wes Welker (2007-12; five consecutive Pro Bowls; two-time 1st Team All Pro; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; led NFL in receptions in 2007, 2009 and 2011; all-time franchise leader with 672 receptions; 2nd all time with 7,459 receiving yards; 8th all time with 37 receiving touchdowns; 4th all time with 114 punt returns; 4th all time with 1,185 punt return yards; 3rd all time with 9,070 all purpose yards; ranks 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th all time for receptions in a single-season; has four of the team’s top ten single season marks for receiving yards in a single season; club record of 1,569 receiving yards in 2011; club record of 123 receptions in 2009; in NFL is 12th among active players and 67th all time with 8,580 receiving yards; in NFL is 8th among active players and 29th all time with 768 career receptions; in NFL is 3rd among active players and 27th all time with 15,286 all purpose yards; holds three of the top ten single season marks in NFL history for receptions in a single season, including second most with 123 in 2009)

88 – Jake Ballard, TE
- was an UDFA out of Ohio State, originally signed by the Giants in 2010

DT Ron Berger (1969-72)
WR Al Marshall (1974; only NFL catch was a TD versus Oakland)
WR Marlin Briscoe (1976; 10 receptions, 1 TD in ninth and final year of his NFL career)
WR Carlos Pennywell (1978-81; 3rd round draft pick from Grambling)
WR Morris Bradshaw (1982)
TE Derrick Ramsey (1983-85; had 13 TD in first two seasons with Pats; in ’85 post season had 9 receptions for 107 yards and a TD)
TE Willie Scott (1986-88)
WR Hart Lee Dykes (1989-91; first round draft pick from Oklahoma State; never played again in NFL after spending entire ’91 season on IR)
TE Rich Griffith (1993; 5th round pick from Arizona)
TE Andre President (1995)
WR Terry Glenn (1996-2001; 7th overall pick of ’96 draft out of Ohio State; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; 1999 Pro Bowl; SI Rookie of the Year; set franchise record for most receptions by a WR and also set NFL record for most receptions by a rookie with 90 in ’96; set franchise single game record with 193 yards receiving against the Steelers in ’98; broke that record in ’99, setting single game club records for receptions with 13, and receiving yards with 214 at Cleveland; when he left the Pats Glenn ranked 4th in franchise history for receptions, and 6th in receiving yards; at the time Glenn had the 2nd and 3rd most receiving yards in a single season in club history with 1,147 in ’99 and 1,132 in ’96)
TE Christian Fauria (2002-05; 13 career TD with the Pats; led the team with seven touchdown receptions in 2002; recovered onside kick in Super Bowl against Philadelphia to clinch that victory)
TE Kyle Brady (2007)
WR/ST Sam Aiken (2008-09; special teams captain in 2009; forced into starting role at WR when Joey Galloway didn’t was released)

93 – Tommy Kelly, DL
- was an UDFA from Mississippi State, signed by the Raiders in 2004

LB Rico Corsetti (1987; the Newton native is the only Bates University Bobcat to ever play in the NFL)
LB Tim Jordan (1987-89; 4th round draft pick out of Wisconsin; mostly played special teams, and was an occasional spot starter as a backup behind Andre Tippett)
DE Mike Pitts (1993-94; 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries)
LB Monty Brown (1996)
LB Shawn Stuckey (1998)
DT Bob Kuberski (1999)
LB Antico Dalton (2000)
DE Richard Seymour (2001-08; 6th overall pick out of Georgia; five consecutive Pro Bowls, from 2002 to 2006; 1st Team All Pro three straight years, from 2003 to 2005; 39 sacks, 227 tackles, 6 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions and one touchdown with Pats; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team)
DE Andre Carter (2011; 2011 Pro Bowl; set franchise record with four sacks in a single game against the Jets on November 13; finished season tied for a team best ten sacks, despite missing final three games; also wore number 68)
DT Tracy Robertson (2012 PS)

??? – Tyronne Green, G
- was a 4th round draft pick out of Auburn by San Diego in 2009

6 – Ryan Allen, P
- UDFA from Louisiana State

P Mike Hubach (1980-81; 11th round pick from Kansas made the club because he could kickoff as well; low hang times and short distances were not a good combination for job security)
P Al Herline (1987)
P Jeff Feagles (1988-89; after two mediocre seasons with the Pats, Feagles went on to punt the ball 1,713 times over a 22 year career; played in an NFL record 352 consecutive games)
QB Rohan Davey (2002-04; 4th round pick from LSU and NFL Europe star only got to play in 7 games with the Pats, completing 8 passes)
P Chris Hanson (2007-09; averaged 41.5 yards per punt with Patriots)

17 – Aaron Dobson, WR
- 2nd round draft pick from Marshall

QB Mike Taliaferro (1968-70; ’69 Pro Bowl)
WR Elmo Wright (1975; while at the University of Houston he was the first football player to perform an end zone dance, celebrating a touchdown; unfortunately for him and for Pats fans he only had 3 touchdowns in the NFL, all with the Chiefs)
QB Tom Owen (1976-81; rarely saw any playing time as backup to Steve Grogan, but did well enough to last ten years in the NFL)
P Luke Prestridge (1984)
QB Jeff Carlson (1992; 0-2 as starter, completing 37% of his passes with one TD and 3 picks; fortunately those losses led to the Pats bottoming out and therefore being able to draft Drew Bledsoe; now does the sports for a television station in Tampa as well as hosting the Bucs pre-game radio show)
WR Tony Gaiter (1997-98; 6th round draft pick; also wore 14)
WR Henry Ellard (1998; the long time NFL great ended the final season of his career with just 7 receptions)
QB John Friesz (1999-2000)
WR Dedric Ward (2003)
WR Chad Jackson (2006-07; whether it was due to his torn ACL or something else, he never lived up to the hype as a 2nd round draft pick and will forever be known as the WR the Pats drafted over Greg Jennings)
WR Greg Lewis (2009 training camp; was acquired along with a 7th round draft pick in exchange for the Pats 5th round pick, but was cut at the end of training camp)
WR Taylor Price (2009-10; 3rd round pick from Ohio University had just three receptions in a year and a half with Pats; now with Jaguars)
WR Britt Davis (2011 practice squad)
WR Jeremy Ebert (2012 practice squad; 7th round draft pick from Northwestern)
WR Greg Salas (2012)

26 – Logan Ryan, CB
- 3rd round draft pick from Rutgers

DB/RB/KR Walter Beach (1960)
DB Clarence Scott (1969-72)
CB Raymond Clayborn (1977-91; 16th overall pick out of Texas in the 1977 draft; Pro Bowl in 1983, 1985 and 1986; Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; led NFL in ’77 with 31.0 yard kick return average and with 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns; Pats all time leader with 36 career interceptions)
DB David Key (1991)
DB David Wilson (1992)
RB/KR Corey Croom (1993-95)
FS/PR Jerome Henderson (1996; on his second stint with the team Henderson wore 26 since Lawyer Milloy had then claimed 36; now a DB coach with the Cowboys)
CB Chris Canty (1997-98; 29th pick of ’97 draft lasted just two seasons with the Pats)
S Matt Stevens (2000-01; was paralyzed in a 2007 motorcycle crash)
S Eugene Wilson (2003-07; 2nd round pick from Illinois had four fumble recoveries, ten interceptions and one touchdown with the Pats)
S Tank Williams (2008-09; due to injuries Williams was never on a regular season roster with the Pats; was released to make room for Tyrone McKenzie)
S Bret Lockett (2010, IR)
DB Phillip Adams (2011)
DB Derrick Martin (2012)

30 – Duron Harmon, S
- 3rd round draft pick from Rutgers

RB Jim Crawford (1960-64; an original Patriot, Crawford scored 7 TD with the Pats)
CB Tom Hennessey (1966-67; Brookline native and Holy Cross alum had 8 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries with the Pats)
RB Carl Garrett (1969-72; 3rd round draft pick from New Mexico Highlands; 1969 Pro Bowl; 1969 2nd team All Pro; led AFL with 5.0 yards per carry in ’69)
RB Eddie Jenkins (1974; prior to joining the Pats was a member of the undefeated ’72 Dolphins in his rookie year; the Holy Cross graduate went on to become a prosecutor for the Middlesex County district attorney’s office, chairman of the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Commission, chief of enforcement at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, chief diversity and civil rights officer for the state’s Department of Transportation)
RB Mosi Tatupu (1978-91; 8th round pick out of Southern Cal; 1986 Pro Bowl; named 1986 NFL Special Teams Player of the Year; played 203 games with Pats, with 18 TD and 3,258 yards from scrimmage; Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team)
S Corwin Brown (1993-96; 4th round draft pick out of Michigan; 56 tackles in rookie season; defensive backs coach with Pats in 2010)
CB Tony Carter (1998-2000)
S Je’Rod Cherry (2001-04; part of a very select group to have played on all three Pats Super Bowl championship teams; raffled off one of his Super Bowl rings for charity; led the Pats with 6 tackles in 2001 post season; now a sports talk show radio host in Cleveland)
CB Chad Scott (2005-06; veteran had two picks after a solid career in Pittsburgh)
S Mark Dillard (2008 PS)
S Brandon McGowan (2009-10; the former Maine Black Bear limited Tony Gonzalez to just one reception in an early ’09 game and finished the season with a career high 66 total tackles, 10 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery; spent all of 2010 on IR due to a preseason chest injury)
S Josh Barrett (2011-12; also wore number 45)
S Cyhl Quarles (2012 PS)

35b – Stephon Morris, CB
- UDFA from Penn State

35w – Akeem Shavers, RB
- UDFA from Purdue, claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay

RB Jim Nance (1965-71; 19th round draft pick out of Syracuse, where he was twice the NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion; AFL All Star and 1st Team All Pro in both 1966 and 1967; led the AFL with 1,458 yards rushing in 1966; led the AFL with 1,216 yards rushing in 1967; 1966 AFL Player of the Year; 1969 Comeback Player of the Year; Pats 1960s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team; 1,458 yards rushing in 1966 is the most ever in the history of the AFL, and was a record for the most ever in a single season in Pats history for 29 years; that still ranks as the 3rd most yards rushing in a season in club history today; only player in Pats history to rush for over 1,200 yards in a season twice; 2nd in club history with a career total of 5,323 yards rushing; still the Pats all-time leader with 45 rushing touchdowns; elected posthumously to Patriots Hall of Fame in 2009)
RB Henry Matthews (1972)
RB/KR Jess Phillips (1976-77)
RB/KR Allan Clark (1979-80; 10th round pick from Northern Arizona; 1979 Pats Rookie of the Year)
RB George Peoples (1983)
RB George Wonsley (1989)
RB Burnie Legette (1993-94)
FB Marrio Grier (1996-97; 6th round pick from Tennessee-Chattanooga)
RB Jerry Ellison (1999)
FB Patrick Pass (2000-06; 7th round pick from Georgia ran for 3 TD in 2005)
CB Mike Richardson (2007-08; 6th round draft pick from Notre Dame; played in 10 games with Pats in ’08 after spending ’07 on IR with a hand injury; later played with Chiefs and Colts)
RB Thomas Clayton (2010; also wore number 22)
S Ross Ventrone (2010 PS; 2011 played in 8 games; most well known for being signed, promoted or released 29 times while with Pats; now with Steelers)

36 – Brandon Jones, CB
- UDFA from Rutgers

RB Tom Neumann (1963; 17th round pick from Wisconsin)
P Terry Swanson (1967-68; had 127 punts with the Pats, averaging 40.0 yards; at the time was one of five UMass Minutemen playing in the NFL or AFL)
TE Ken Herock (1969; later became the Director of Player Personnel for the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Atlanta Falcons)
RB Eddie Ray (1970; 4th round pick from LSU)
FB John Tarver (1972-74; 7th round draft pick from Colorado; scored 8 TD with the Pats)
DB Brian Hutson (1990; after football career was over Hutson was on the “American Gladiators” television show)
FS/PR Jerome Henderson (1991-93, 1996; 41st overall pick of ’91 draft; also wore number 36 in ’92-’93 and number 26 in ’96)
RB Leroy Thompson (1994; scored a career-best 7 TD in his one season with the Pats)
S Lawyer Milloy (1996-2002; 36th overall pick of ’96 draft out of Washington; 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002 Pro Bowl; 1999 first team All Pro; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; 19 interceptions with Pats ranks as 12th most in franchise history)
S James Sanders (2005-10; 4th round pick from Fresno State had 8 interceptions, 2 TD, 19 passes defensed and 300 tackles in his 84 games with the Pats)
FB Lousaka Polite (2011)

39 – Ben Bartholomew, FB
- UDFA from Tennessee

RB Sam Cunningham (1973-82; 11th overall pick of ’73 draft out of USC; 1978 Pro Bowl; 1974 and 1978 2nd team All Pro; Pats all-time leading rusher with 5,453 yards and his 43 rushing touchdowns rank second in team history; primary running back of Pats 1978 team that set an NFL record for most rushing yards in a single season, with 3,165 yards; member of Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; member of the Pats 50th Anniversary Team; elected to Patriots Hall of Fame in 2010)
RB Marvin Allen (1988-91; 11th round pick from Tulane; spent 16 years as a scout with the Chiefs and the Falcons; this past week was named Chiefs’ Director of College Scouting)
DB Rico Clark (1999)
DB Shawn Mayer (2003-04; after handling player development at Rutgers, Mayer is now a defensive backs coach at Widener University)
RB Laurence Maroney (2006-09; 21st pick of ’06 draft from Minnesota; ranks 13th all time in franchise history with 2,430 yards rushing and 9th with 21 rushing touchdowns)
RB Danny Woodhead (2010-12; the castoff Jet from Chadron State had 15 TD with the Pats, including one in the Super Bowl 46 that gave the Pats a 10-9 lead; averaged 4.8 yards per carry in his three years with the Pats)

42w – Quentin Hines, RB/KR — placed on Injured Reserve May 7
- UDFA from Akron

DB Bob Soltis (1960-61; had two interceptions in Pats inaugural season)
DB Don Webb (1961-71; Pats 1960s All-Decade Team; 1969 All Star, 1967 2nd team All Pro; as a rookie had five interceptions, two of which Webb returned for touchdowns; led the AFL with four non-offensive touchdowns in 1961: the two pick-sixes, a 40-yard fumble recovery for a TD, and a 20-yard return of a blocked punt for a TD; missed only six games in his ten-year career; picked off a total of 21 passes with the Pats)
RB/PR/KR Mack Herron (1973-75; Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; led NFL in number of combined kick and punt returns in 1973; led NFL in combined kick and punt return yards in 1973; led NFL with 2,444 all-purpose yards in 1974, which at that time broke Gale Sayers mark for an NFL single season record; in 1973 Herron broke eight Pats individual return records, and tied another; in 1974 Herron became the team’s starting RB in addition to return specialist, and established nine new team records; in ’74 Herron accounted for 40% of the team’s yardage)
CB Ronnie Lippett (1983-91; 8th round pick from Miami; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; returned two interceptions for touchdowns in 1987; 24 career interceptions is 8th most in Pats history)
DB Ron Shegog (1987)
S Harlon Barnett (1993-94; after seven years in the NFL Barnett returned to Michigan State where he has been the school’s secondary coach for the last seven seasons)
S Chris Carter (1997-99; 3rd round pick from Texas had three interceptions in ’99)
DB Dexter Reid (2004; 4th round pick out of North Carolina only lasted one year, starting 2 games with 23 tackles, 2 passes defensed, and a forced fumble; most well known for blown coverage in the Super Bowl win that resulted in a touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter from Donovan McNabb to Greg Lewis that pulled the Eagles to within three points; collected a second Super Bowl ring as a member of the Indianapolis Colts)
CB/KR Gemara Williams (2007 UDFA cut before TC; now with Edmonton in the CFL)
RB Quinton Smith (2007 TC; was the second leading rusher in the history of Rice University)
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2008-11; became the 15th player in franchise history and first since Corey Dillon to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2008; in same year was 2nd in NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, which is one off the franchise record held by Curtis Martin; ranks 7th in club history with 29 rushing touchdowns)
RB Jeff Demps (2012, IR)

44b – Kanorris Davis, S
- UDFA from Troy

RB Gerhard Schwedes (1960-61; German-born player was an All-American at Syracuse)
DB White Graves (1965-67; 17th round draft pick from LSU)
CB John Outlaw (1969-72; 10th round pick from Jackson State; had three interceptions and a fumble recovery in 1971; after a 10-year career in the NFL, Outlaw was the defensive coordinator at North Carolina Central University; since 1990 he has been an assistant coach in the NBA with Denver, Washington and Charlotte)
RB Doug Dressler (1975)
RB Don Calhoun (1975-81; led NFL with 5.6 yards per carry in 1976; at one time was ranked 3rd all time in career rushing yardage for the Pats, behind only Sam Cunningham and Jim Nance; currently 6th all time in Pats history in rushing yardage and rushing attempts; 23 rushing TD is 8th most in Pats history; inducted into Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2009)
RB Larry Cowan (1982)
KR/RB Jon Williams (1984; 3rd round choice from Penn State, was on the ’82 national championship team there)
TE Todd Frain (1987)
RB John Stephens (1988-92; 17th overall pick of ’88 draft, out of NW Louisiana State; 1988 Offensive NFL Rookie of the Year; 1988 Pro Bowl; 7th all time in Pats history in rushing yardage; daughter Sloane Stephens is a highly ranked professional tennis player; convicted of sexual assault in 1996; died in automobile crash in 2009)
RB Marion Butts (1994; 8 TD, but just 2.9 yards per carry in his one season with the Pats)
RB Harold Shaw (1998-2000; 6th round pick from Southern Miss)
FB Marc Edwards (2001-02; scored 3 TD in 2001)
FB Fred McCrary (2003)
FB Heath Evans (2005-08; the NFLN analyst rushed for 3 TD in 2007)
RB Eric Kettani (2009-12; was on reserve/military list for two years, then spent a year on the practice squad before being cut in TC in 2012; now with the Redskins)
S Jarrad Page (2010; two interceptions with the Pats)
S James Ihedigbo (2011; former UMass Minuteman had 50 tackles with the Pats)

45 – Steve Beauharnais, LB
- 7th round draft pick from Rutgers

TE/DB Tom Stephens (1960-64; 5 TD in ’60 and ’61)
LB Ray Ilg (1967-68)
LB Dan Kecman (1970; after his playing days were over Kecman worked for IBM for close to 40 years, and in his spare time coached youth football)
WR/PR Hubie Bryant (1971-72; wore #45 in ’71, #84 in ’72; hamstring injuries kept him off the playing field)
S Jack Mildren (1974; known as the ‘Godfather of the Wishbone’ as a QB for Chuck Fairbanks at the University of Oklahoma; later became Lt. Governor for the state of Oklahoma)
RB Greg Taylor (1982; 12th round pick out of Virginia)
WR Michael Timpson (1989-90; Timpson also wore #83 from ’91-’94)
FB Ivy Joe Hunter (1991)
CB Otis Smith (1996; 2000-02; scored the game clinching TD on a 47-yard fumble return in the ’96 AFCCG vs Jacksonville; returned two interceptions for TD in 2001; has worked on coaching staffs for the Eagles and Chiefs)
LB Dana Cottrell (1998)
FB/TE Garrett Mills (2006; 2007 TC; 2011 PS; 4th round pick of ’06 draft from Tulsa)
S Josh Barrett (2010-12; also wore number 30)
LB Dane Fletcher (2010-; the UDFA from Montana State was originally assigned 45, but switched to 52 before the start of the 2010 season)
LB Dont’a Hightower (2012-; originally given 45 in rookie mini-camp, but switched to 54 before the season began

49w – Brandon Ford, TE
- UDFA from Clemson

49b – Ian Sluss, LB — waived May 6
- UDFA from Portland State

WR Tom Richardson (1969-70)
LB Dick Blanchard (1972)
S Ralph Anderson (1973)
TE Russ Francis (1975-88) The All World Tight End wore number 81 for most of his career, but briefly wore 49 when he was traded back to the Pats in 1987
WR/KR Kitrick Taylor (1989; claim to fame is catching Brett Favre’s first ever winning NFL touchdown pass in 1992; that was Taylor’s only NFL TD)
TE Fred Baxter (2002-03)
LS/TE Sean McDermott (2003)
LB Eric Alexander (2004-09; wore 49 for his first two years)
LB Oscar Lua (2007 IR; 7th round pick from Southern Cal)
LB Vince Redd (2008; 2009 TC; was replaced on roster by Rob Ninkovich)
LB Pierre Woods (2006-10; in his final season with the Pats Woods switched from number 58 to 49; now in the Arena Football League)
OLB Markell Carter (2011 PS; 6th round draft pick from Central Arkansas)

53w – Mike Zupancic, LS
- UDFA from Eastern Michigan

LB Tom Addison (1960-67; five-time AFL All-Star, from 1960-64; 1961 All Pro; an original Patriot, was part of the Pats 1960s All-Decade Team; first president of the AFL Players Association; South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame)
LB Fred “Mad Dog” Whittingham (1970; after nine-year pro football career ended he worked on coaching staffs for BYU, Utah, Rams and Raiders)
LB Dennis Coleman (1971)
LB John Tanner (1973-74)
LB Jim Romaniszyn (1976)
LB Merv Krakau (1978)
LB Bill Matthews (1979-81; 5th round pick from South Dakota State in ’78; in 1981 was third on the Pats with 128 tackles)
LB Clayton Weishuhn (1982-86; Angelo State product had a team record 229 tackles in 1983; promising career cut short by knee injury)
LB Richard Tardits (1990-92)
LB Chris Slade (1993-2000; 2nd round draft pick out of Virginia; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; 1997 Pro Bowl; played 134 games with Pats)
LB Larry Izzo (2001-08; went to Pro Bowl in 2000, 2002 and 2004 for his special teams play; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; now an assistant special teams coach for the Giants)
LB Eric Alexander (2004-09; the UDFA is unfortunately most remembered for losing track of Colts receiver Bryan Fletcher on a 32-yard gain with the clock winding down in the ’06 AFCCG, rather than for his quality special teams play; now a managing partner at the Mija Mexican Cantina and Tequila Bar in Boston, and an instructional aid for 5th grade special needs students in Newton)
LB Tyrone McKenzie (2009-10; 3rd round pick from USF tore ACL in rookie mini-camp and went on IR; was on practice squad in 2010 before being released and signed with Bucs; now with Vikings)
DE/OLB Derrick Burgess (2009; also wore number 55)
OLB Marques Murrell (2010; played one game with Pats; now in CFL)
LB Jeff Tarpinian (2011-12 PS; also wore #48 in 2011)

60 – Matt Stankiewitch, OL
- UDFA from Penn State

G Bob Lee (1960)
LB Rommie Loudd (1961-62; LB coach ’66-67; Director of Player Personnel ’68-71; Director of Pro Scouting ’71-73; first black assistant coach in AFL)
G Len St. Jean (1964-73; 9th round pick from Northern Michigan; Pats 1960s All-Decade Team; 1966 All Star; played 140 games with the Pats)
DT David Tipton (1975-76)
C Bob Hyland (1977; BC grad was drafted 9th overall in 1967 by Green Bay)
NT Luther Henson (1984; wore 70 in ’82-83)
DE Garin Veris (1985-91; 2nd round pick from Stanford; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; now the Director of External Business Development for UMass Boston Athletics Program)
DE Marion Hobby (1990-92; now the defensive coordinator at Duke)
OL Scott Rehberg (1997-98; 7th round pick from Central Michigan in ’97)
NT Garrett Johnson (2000)
G Wilbert Brown (2003)
G Mike Elgin (2007 TC; 7th round draft pick from Iowa)
DL Kenny Smith (2007 TC, 2008 IR; also wore number 92)
OL Jimmy Martin (2008 TC)
C Al Johnson (2009 TC)
G Rich Ohrnberger (2009-11; 4th round pick and resident funny man bounced back and forth between the practice squad and 53-man roster; draft pick was obtained via trade of Ellis Hobbs)
OLB/DE Aaron Lavarias (2011 PS; now in CFL)

64b – Joe Vellano, DL
- UDFA from Maryland

64w – Chris McDonald, OL
- UDFA from Michigan State

DE/LB/LG Tony Sardisco (1960-62; ’61 All AFL Team; original Patriot was also the team’s first captain; was a member of six halls of fame, including the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
OL Mike Montler (1969-72; 2nd round pick from Colorado; started 50 games with Pats; went on to play C for Bills as part of the OL that blocked for O.J.Simpson’s NFL record-setting 2,003-yard season)
OT Allen Gallaher (1974; 4th round pick from Southern Cal; one of ten players from national champions USC taken in that draft, which included Sam Cunningham)
DE Martin Imhof (1975)
DL Richard Bishop (1976-81; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; won Jim Lee Hunt Award as club’s best lineman in ’81; appeared in 85 games with the Pats, with 50 starts)
C Trevor Matich (1985-88; 28th overall pick of ’85 draft; never lived up to draft status, but did last 12 years in the NFL as a long snapper; since then has been a college football analyst for fox and espn)
C Darren Twombly (1987)
OL/LS Mike Morris (1989; after bouncing around between five teams in three years, went on to play for the Vikings for nine years as their long snapper)
G Jon Melander (1991; 5th round draft pick from Minnesota)
C Dave Wohlabaugh (1994-98; 4th round pick out of Syracuse; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; started 63 games with Pats; 9-year NFL starter)
OL Derrick Fletcher (2000; 5th round pick from Baylor in ’99 appeared in only two games with Pats)
RT Greg Randall (2000-02; 4th round pick from Michigan State played in 38 games with Pats, with 26 starts; was traded to Houston for a 5th round pick; that pick was part of a deal with Tennessee that resulted in the Pats drafting Dan Koppen; Randall also wore number 77 his rookie season)
G Gene Mruczkowski (2004-06; UDFA from Purdue played in 18 games with the Pats)
OT Mark LeVoir (2008-10; backup swing tackle played in 26 games with two starts for the Pats)
OL Donald Thomas (2011-12; productive enough as a backup to sign a 4-year, $14 million contract with Colts despite having never been a starter in his four years in the NFL)

67b – Cory Grissom, DT
- UDFA from South Florida

67w – Josh Kline, OL
- UDFA from Kent State

DT/OL Art Hauser (1960)
DT Paul Lindquist (1961; Brockton native was the first person from UNH to play pro football since 1936)
G Dave Watson (1963-64; 11th round draft pick from Georgia Tech)
DL Whit Canale (1968)
LG Gary Bugenhagen (1970; Syracuse grad started six games for the Pats in 1970; now a realtor in Fayetteville, New York)
C Bill Lenkaitis (1971-81; Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; 153 games with Patriots; started 135 NFL games, including 76 in a row with the Pats; part of the offensive line that helped set an NFL record with 3,165 yards rushing in 1978; has been a successful dentist for over 30 years, going back to his off seasons with the Pats)
RT Steve Moore (1983-87; 3rd round pick from Tennessee State; appeared in 56 games for the Pats, with 35 starts – including Super Bowl XX; was shot and killed by a robber in Memphis in 1989)
C David Douglas (1989-90; appeared in 16 games with 6 starts for the Pats)
C Mike Gisler (1993-97; 73 games with the Patriots)
G Jason Andersen (1999-2000; 7th round pick from BYU appeared in 16 games over 2 years)
C Grey Ruegamer (2000-02; now working in the student development office at Arizona State)
C Dan Koppen (2003-11; 5th round pick from Boston College; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team; 2007 Pro Bowl; 2nd team All Pro in 2007; started in 13 playoff games for the Pats; started in 120 regular season games from 2000 to 2010)
OL Mitch Petrus (2012)

68 – Jason Vega, DL
- former CFL player from Northeastern

OT Karl Singer (1966-68; 3rd overall pick from Purdue in the ’66 AFL draft; considered by many to biggest draft bust in franchise history)
G Bill DuLac (1974-75)
OL Terry Falcon (1979-80; 8th round draft pick from Minot State; one of only two players from that Montana school to play in the NFL)
OT Darryl Haley (1982-86; triathlete went on to become a personal fitness trainer; now runs a bed and breakfast in Virginia)
C Mike Baab (1988-89; two-year starter with Pats; started seasons with the Browns)
G Calvin Stephens (1992; 3rd round pick from South Carolina; died at age 42 three years ago)
OL Max Lane (1994-2000; 6th round draft pick out of Navy; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; played in 106 games with Pats, starting 76 of them; victimized by Reggie White in Pats Super Bowl loss to Green Bay; also infamous for stage diving into the mosh pit at the paradise, which resulted in a young woman going to the hospital with back injuries)
RT Tom Ashworth (2002-05; UDFA from Colorado; started a total of 33 games with the Pats)
RT Ryan O’Callaghan (2006-07; 2008 IR; 2009 TC; 5th round pick from Cal appeared in 26 games with the Pats, with seven starts)
NT Marlon Favorite (2009 PS; was with 11 teams from 2009 to 2012, but never got in to an NFL game; now in Arena League)
OL Thomas Austin (2010 PS; now with Panthers)
DL Gerard Warren (2010-11; Warren was initially given 68, but switched to 92 later in 2010; in 2011 he wore number 62; was the third overall pick by the Browns in 2001)
OT Matt Kopa (2011-12 PS)
DE Andre Carter (2011; Pro Bowl; tied with Mark Anderson for a team season best ten sacks in 2011)

69b – Dewayne Cherrington, DT
- UDFA from Mississippi State

69w – Elvis Fisher, OT
- UDFA from Missouri

DE Julius Adams (1971-87; 2nd round draft pick from Texas Southern; 1980 Pro Bowl; played in a franchise record 212 games with the Patriots; once started 57 consecutive games; won the Jim Lee Hunt Memorial Award for the best defensive lineman in ’80 and ’82; led the Pats in sacks with nine in ’80, and with 7 1/2 in ’74; Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team;  wore number 69 in 1971 before changing to 85; son Keith Adams played for the Eagles against the Pats in Super Bowl XXXIX)
G Damian Johnson (1990; started all 16 games at RG for the Pats in ’90)
OL Eugene Chung (1992-94; 13th overall pick out of Virginia Tech in ’92 played in only 34 games with the Pats; was the first Korean American to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft)
G Ross Tucker (2005; Princeton grad is more well known as football analyst for Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports than for any NFL accomplishments)
DE Zach West (2007 PS)
OT Anthony Clement (2008 TC)
NT Steve Fifita (2008 TC)
OL Ryan Wendell (2009-; the UDFA from Fresno State switched to number 62 in 2010)
OL Quinn Ojinnaka (2010; now pursuing a career in the WWE)
DE/TE Alex Silvestro (2011; most well known for being the guy that replced Tiquan Underwood on the Pats roster on the eve of the Super Bowl 46)
C Colin Miller (2012 PS)

82 – Josh Boyce, WR
- 4th round draft pick from Texas Christian

TE Jim Whalen (1965-69; 1968 1st Team All Pro; Pats 1960s All-Decade Team; 17 TD with Pats; led all AFL tight ends with 47 receptions in ’68; 1968 team MVP; more than twice as many receptions as any other player on the Pats in ’68; developed his football career locally: Cambridge Latin, Boston College, and then the Patriots)
TE/G Tom Beer (1970-72; 3 TD in ’71; came to Pats in trade for Jim Whalen; later wrote a book about playing for two of the league’s then-worst teams, the Pats and the Broncos)
WR Eddie Hinton (1974)
WR Steve Burks (1975-77; 4th round pick from Arkansas State)
TE Al Chandler (1976-79; wore number 87 in ’76-77)
WR Ken Toler (1981-82; 7th round pick out of Ole Miss)
WR Clarence Weathers (1983-84)
WR Derwin Williams (1985-87; 7th round draft choice from New Mexico; since his playing days ended he has become a loss prevention supervisor for CVS, as well as a referee for Conference USA)
KR/PR Sammy Martin (1988-91; 4th round pick out of LSU)
WR Gene Taylor (1991; 6th round draft pick in ’87 from Fresno State)
WR Vincent Brisby (1993-99; 56th overall pick of ’93 draft out of NE Louisiana, now known as University of Louisiana at Monroe; 228 career receptions and 14 TD with Pats; in 1999 he and Lawyer Milloy got into a fight during a charity event, and then resumed the fight the next day at practice)
WR Chris Calloway (2000; had 5 receptions with Pats at tail end of his career; started for the Giants for six years)
WR/KR Curtis Jackson (2000-01)
TE Daniel Graham (2002-06; 21st overall draft pick of the 2002 draft out of Colorado; Pats 2000s All-Decade Team (over Ben Watson); caught 17 TD passes with the Pats, and has since gone on to have an 11-year career in the NFL)
TE Marcellus Rivers (2007)
TE Stephen Spach (2007-08)
TE Alge Crumpler (2010; former Falcon had two touchdowns with the Pats in his final NFL season)
TE Dan Gronkowski (2011)
TE Brad Herman (2012, IR)
TE Kellen Winslow Jr. (2012; one 12-yard reception for the soldja’ in his very limited time with the Pats)

84 – T.J. Moe, WR
- UDFA from Missouri

WR Art Graham (1963-68; 7th overall pick of the 1963 draft; Pats 1960s All-Decade Team; 1963 AFL Rookie of the Year; 199 catches, 3107 yards, 20 TD with Pats; another local product: Graham was born in Somerville and went to Boston College)
WR Gayle Knief (1970)
WR Darryl Stingley (1973-77; 17.1 yards per catch in an all too brief career)
WR Ronnie Harris (1993-94)
WR Shawn Jefferson (1996-99; Pats 1990s All-Decade Team; led NFL with 22.7 yards per catch in 1998; in four years with Pats had 202 receptions for 3,365 yards and 14 TD; has been a receivers coach for the Lions and Titans since 2005)
WR Shockmain Davis (2000)
WR Torrance Small (2001; now coaches an AAU basketball team in New Orleans)
WR Fred Coleman (2001-02; had only 2 receptions in the NFL but his first was a beauty, good for 46 yards to key a 17-16 come from behind victory over the Jets in the 2001 Super Bowl season; also played in Arena League and XFL)
TE Fred Baxter (2003; now a TE coach with Widener University)
TE Ben Watson (2004-09; 32nd overall pick of the ’04 draft from Georgia had 23 TD with Pats)
WR Torry Holt (2010; former Ram star went on IR in August with a knee injury that ended his career; had 920 catches for 13,382 yards, with 74 TD in the NFL)
WR Deion Branch (2010-12; after wearing number 83 for the first eight years of his career, Branch wore 84 when he returned to the Pats)

85 – Kenbrell Thompkins, WR
- UDFA from Cincinnati

DE Don McComb (1960)
LB Nick Buoniconti (1962-68; 13th round pick, 102nd overall, out of Notre Dame; eight Pro Bowls, five of which were as an AFL All Star with the Pats; five-time 1st team All Pro, four of which were with the Pats; 1960s Pats All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team;  key member of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins; second person inducted into Patriots Hall of Fame, in 1992; third Patriots player inducted into NFL Hall of Fame, in 2001)
DE Dennis Wirgowski (1970-72; 9th round pick from Purdue; 3 year starter wore 85 in ’70, 70 in ’71-72)
DE Julius Adams (1971-87; 2nd round draft pick from Texas Southern; 1980 Pro Bowl; played in a franchise record 212 games with the Patriots; once started 57 consecutive games; won the Jim Lee Hunt Memorial Award for the best defensive lineman in ’80 and ’82; led the Pats in sacks with nine in ’80, and with 7 1/2 in ’74; Pats 1970s All-Decade Team; Pats 1980s All-Decade Team; Pats 50th Anniversary Team;  wore number 69 in 1971 before changing to 85; trivia: son Keith Adams played for the Eagles against the Pats in Super Bowl XXXIX)
TE Greg Baty (1986-87; 8th round pick from Stanford; also wore number 48 in ’86)
TE Steve Johnson (1988; 6th round pick from Virginia Tech)
TE Eric Sievers (1989-90)
TE Marv Cook (1989-93; 3rd round pick from Iowa; had 210 receptions and 11 TD with Pats; in 1991 had 82 catches (4th best in NFL that year) for 808 yards; 1991 and 1992 Pro Bowl; 1991 1st team All Pro; also wore #46 in ’89 and ’90)
WR/TE John Burke (1994-96; 4th round pick out of Virginia Tech)
TE Lovett Purnell (1996-98; 7th round draft choice from West Virginia had 5 TD with Pats)
WR Sean Morey (1999; 7th round pick out of Brown went on to play for nine years in the NFL as a special teams ace)
TE Jermaine Wiggins (2000-01; although the East Boston native is most well known for a timely catch on the game winning drive of Super Bowl 36, his best game came two weeks earlier in the Snow Game win over Oakland when he had ten receptions)
TE Cam Cleeland (2002; had 13 touchdowns in his seven years in the NFL, but only one with the Pats)
WR J.J. Stokes (2003)
TE Jed Weaver (2004)
WR Doug Gabriel (2006; 25 receptions and 3 TD in 12 games)
TE Matt Kranchick (2007 PS)
TE Jonathan Stupar (2008 TC)
TE Tyson DeVree (2008 PS, 2009; now with Colts)
TE Aaron Hernandez (2010-; wore number 85 his rookie season before switching to number 81)
WR Chad Johnson (2011; a mere 15 receptions for 276 yards and 1 TD)
WR Brandon Lloyd (2012; 74 catches for 911 yards and 4 TD)

91 – Jamie Collins, LB
- 2nd round draft pick from Southern Mississippi

DE George Crump (1982; 4th round pick out of East Carolina)
LB Rogers Alexander (1987)
LB Eric Naposki (1988-89; UConn grad was convicted of murder in 2012)
LB Orlando Lowry (1989; now a high school football coach in Indiana)
DE Chris Gannon (1990-93)
NT Bruce Walker (1995)
LB Jeff Kopp (1999)
DE Bobby Hamilton (2000-03; clutch player had eight sacks in 2001, including one in the Super Bowl)
DE Marquise Hill (2004-06; 2nd round pick from LSU was just 24 when he drowned)
LB Bo Ruud (2008 IR; 6th round pick from Nebraska)
DT Myron Pryor (2009-12; 6th round pick showed promise, but just had too many injuries)
DL Jermail Porter (2009; UDFA was a college wrestler, similar to Stephen Neal; waived/injured during training camp and later signed with the Chiefs)

97 – Armond Armstead, DL
- former CFL player from Southern Cal

DE Milford Hodge (1986-89; 8th round pick from Washington State)
NT John Guzik (1987)
DE Sean Smith (1990-91; 11th round pick out of Georgia Tech)
DE Aaron Jones (1993-95)
DT Mark Wheeler (1996-98)
DE Reggie Grimes (2000)
DL Riddick Parker (2001)
DE Jarvis Green (2002-09; 4th round pick out of Louisiana State played in 121 regular season games, plus 15 playoff games; was in on 232 tackles, with 28 sacks and 9 forced fumbles)
DL Ron Brace (2009-12; 2nd round draft pick from Boston College; Springfield native wore #92 his rookie season, then #97 the next three years)

99 – Michael Buchanan, DL
- 7th round draft pick from Illinois

DE Ben Thomas (1985-86; now an assistant coach at Auburn)
DE Gary Jeter (1989; 7 sacks in his 13th and final NFL season; was selected 5th overall in the 1977 draft by the Giants)
OLB David Howard (1991-92)
LB Jason Carthen (1993-94)
LB Steve DeOssie (1994-95; BC alum and future sports talk radio guy also wore #50 in 1994, and #99 in his final NFL season)
LB Vernon Crawford (1997-99; 5th round pick from Florida State)
LB Marc Megna (2000)
LB Kole Ayi (2001)
DL Bernard Holsey (2002)
DT Ethan Kelley (2003-04; 7th round pick went on to play three years in Cleveland)
DL Mike Wright (2005-11; the UDFA from Cincinnati led the Pats in sacks in 2010)
DE Trevor Scott (2012)

??? – R.J. Mattes, OL
- UDFA from North Carolina State

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A. Atmosphere is all about winning. I think everybody here has one goal, and that is to win the Super Bowl, and right now we’re just working towards that.

Q. (ineligible) said that you have come in and emerged as a leader during OTAs. Do you tend to lead by example, vocally, both?

A. I don’t know, I guess a little bit of both? (laughs) I just try to tell the guys what I know, and just try to get acclimated to what they do. It’s all new for me, and I’m just trying to go in there headfirst, and hopefully the results will be good.

Q. What’s it like to come in to a new team after being with another team for so long, and already having that sort of built in respect from your teammates?

A. I mean it’s scary. You want to come in with the right mindset, and you just want to get along with the guys really, and you want to kind of make sure you hang around with them, get to know each and every guy. I think that’s probably really the biggest concern that I have right now, is just trying to make sure that I know all of the guys that I’m going to be playing with.  Right now we’re moving in the right direction.

Q. What do you think of some of these guys so far, in your limited experience with them?

A. Very, very talented. Obviously it’s a young group, and we all can continue to learn. I think that’s probably the main thing that I try and tell those guys, that we can all learn from each other. Just try to get better together.

Q. Why did you choose New England?

A. Why not?

Q. We’ve had a number of veteran players come in over the years and they say they haven’t won the title, and this is always their best shot. Because like Urlacher said a few weeks ago, ‘they’re always good’.

A. Yeah.

Q. This is the best chance.

A. Yeah it is. I think just the way they run things. It’s totally different from anywhere else. They have a winning mentality. It’s not pressure to them, or to us now. It’s going out there and just expecting to win every game.

Q. You said they run things differently from everywhere else; what’s one example that you’ve seen so far?

A. Winning (whole room laughs).

Q. Did the Pampers get it done?

A. I think we’re still working on that (laughs).

Q. Negotiations ongoing?

A. Yeah, you could say that. Somewhat.

Q. Devin McCourty said a couple weeks ago that he was especially, not excited, but he was really looking forward to working with you because of the experience. Have you guys already sat down together; has he already started picking your brain?

A. We’ve been having meetings here and there; it’s kind of picked up here over the last couple of days. Just trying to get on the same page in terms of defensive calls, adjustments, things like that.

Q. Have you watched Devin as a player at all; he’s still sort of new as a safety.

A. Yeah, I’ve been kind of watching him all over the field, from playing corner one week to playing safety the next week. He’s a very versatile player; he’s good at both spots. It’s going to be pretty fun for both of us.

Q. As a player who has played against this team and been in the league for a long time, what is the league wide perception of this team and this franchise?

A. That they win (laughs). Other than that, a very disciplined team, a team that you are going to have to beat them – just like a champ. You have to undecidedly beat the champ. You can’t just go out there and box a good twelve rounds. You got to actually knock them out.

Q. Has anything geographically jumped out at you, as opposed to Arizona?

A. Well, I don’t really want to go in to Arizona comparisons; you know, I had a great time there for twelve years.

Q. Just like driving up and down Route 1, has anything caught your eye?

A. I don’t even know what Route 1 is (laughter). I have barely drove anywhere. I’m just trying to stay as close to Gillette as possible.

Q. Is what you are doing literally is staying a t a hotel, roll out and come here, and then back to the hotel?

A. I’m here, pretty much …

Q. You and Coach Belichick? (laughter)

A. Until 6:00 … No (more laughter) But I’m here, I’m just trying to get acclimated, and watch as much film as I can; just trying to study as much as I can before it all starts up.

Q. What’s it like coming to a market, where you’ve been here long enough now, sports really matters. I mean, eventually you won’t be able to go anyplace without somebody recognizing you, but you have four competitive teams in all sports. It really matters here.

A. I’m going to agree with that. I don’t have a problem with that, one way or the other. I try to make myself available to the people. I’m not afraid of …

Q. To the people who have only been able to see you play here once every four years, what kind of game do you have? You’ve been compared at times to a Rodney Harrison type of player.

A. I don’t know. I have felt like I have had a pretty good career so far. Last year was last year. Obviously things didn’t go my way as far as the way I wanted them to go. Obviously players slow down as they get older, but they also have experience.  They have seen a lot of things as far as football. So, to say that a person is not good enough, that would not be the right verbiage to use as far as that is concerned. I feel that I can help this team win. That’s pretty much what I am here to do.

Q. As you have matured, how has your game changed?

A. I’ve gotten a lot smarter. I used to take ridiculous chances on the football field, just trying to make a big play, just trying to make a splash play. I think now its different just because you know formations, you know tendencies. You go through all that type of stuff during the week and you pay more attention to it. As opposed to a young player who just looks at the formations and you don’t really go through the things in the head before the play happens.

Q. How do you feel about the ‘Incredible Hulk’ nickname?

A. Yeah, I think it’s rather funny. You know, it’s … I guess things like that happen once you get to know the guys. I guess I don’t say much. I do what I do in the weight room and I try my best to be Adrian Wilson every day.

You can listen to the interview here, at Patriots.com

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Four days after Geno Smith slid out of the first round of the draft, the former West Virginia quarterback fired his agents due to his displeasure over his draft position, according to sources.

The Daily News has learned that Smith thought that he would and should be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Sources told the News that Smith’s agents from Select Sports Group gave him no assurance of his draft position.

Unbelievable.

Confidence is one thing, but this is delusional arrogance if what I am reading is correct. He wasn’t drafted in the first round because he wasn’t a first round talent. Why is his own lack of talent the fault of his agents?

The only possibility that can save Smith from this faux pas is that perhaps he is upset at the agents filling him with dreams that were never going to happen, and they came crashing down to earth this past Thursday. There is a tendency of agents telling their clients what the player wants to hear in order to sign them and retain them. Tell the client the truth and what they need to hear, and the agent runs a large risk of losing that client.

Here is the thing though: even if that is the case, isn’t it the responsibility of the player to instruct his agent to be honest with him and act in his best interests, rather than just stroking his ego? Even though these players are relatively young, they are still adults and as such they are responsible for their own actions.

I just don’t buy that excuse. If that is the case, then it is just as much on Smith as it is on the agents. Hey, all he had to do was read any of the thousands of pre-draft rankings and mock drafts that were readily available to get an idea on where he would be drafted. If he had done so, he would have known he wasn’t going to be drafted first overall.

I can envision a serious amount of lack of accountability going forward. What kind of a leader is a person going to be, when he is so quick to blame others for his own “failings” – as if being drafted 39th overall is some sort of failure?

I can only imagine how quickly and how often he will throw his teammates and coaches under the bus. The sense of entitlement may end up making Jamarcus Russell to appear to have a strong work ethic.

If this is how Geno Smith handles negativity and adversity, then what is going to happen after his first bad game? How is he going to handle the New York media? We may be in for some Ryan Leaf comparisons before all the leaves have fallen.

Way to endear yourself to your fans, your teammates, and to your fellow NFL draftees Geno. You should fit right in at the circus known as Rex’ Jests.

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Feb 9-10: Regional Combine, Los Angeles

Feb 16-17: Regional Combine, Houston

Feb 17: Regional Combine, Cleveland

Feb 18: Teams may designate franchise or transition players

Feb 20-26: NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis IN

March 1: Teams are no longer required to grant permission to another team to discuss the position of head coach with an assistant coach

March 1-April 2: Colleges hold their Pro Days for NFL scouts

March 2-3: Regional Combine, New Jersey

March 4: Deadline for teams to designate franchise and transition players, 4:00 PM

March 9-11: Teams may begin entering contract negotiations with players who will be unrestricted free agents. Qualifying offers to restricted free agents who the team wants to retain should also be made during this time. This is the first season in which teams will be allowed a 3-day negotiating window with unrestricted free agents from other teams, though a contract cannot be signed or submitted to the league until the start of free agency.

March 9: Regional Combine, Tampa Bay

March 10: Regional Combine, Chicago

March 11: League announces official salary cap figure for 2013 ($123.9 million: $123 million, plus an automatic minimum of $900,000 per team). This represents a $3.3 million increase over the 2012 cap. The Patriots carry forward $5.6 million they did not use on the 2012 cap for an adjusted individual cap number of $128.6 million, giving them about $25 million available at the start of free agency and the new league year.

March 12: Official start of the 2012 league year, 4:00 PM

March 12: Deadline for teams to submit qualifying offers to their restricted free agents (RFA) with expiring contracts and to whom they desire to retain a right of first refusal/compensation, 4:00 PM

March 12: Deadline for teams to submit a minimum salary offer to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2011 contracts (ERFA) and who have fewer than three seasons of free agency credit, 4:00 PM

March 12: Deadline for teams to exercise options for 2012 on all players who have option clauses in their 2011 contract, 4:00 PM

March 12: Start of free agency: all players with contracts ending in 2011 other than those outlined above become free agents (UFA) and can negotiate a new contract with any team, 4:00 PM

March 12: Start of the trading period, 4:00 PM

March 16-17: Regional Combine, Atlanta

March 17-20: Annual NFL Owners Meeting, Phoenix AZ

March 18: Compensatory Draft Picks Announced

March 19: With compensatory picks announced, the full order of all draft picks will be finalized and announced

March 23-24: Regional Combine, Seattle

March 23-24: Regional Combine, Baltimore

April 1: Teams that have hired a new head coach can begin off season programs

April 4: Preseason schedule announced

April 4: Patriots Hall of Fame Nomination Committee meets to nominate three finalists for this year’s fan election process

April 6-8: Super Regional Combine, Dallas

April 15: Patriots announce three finalists for the team’s Hall of Fame; fan voting commences, concluding on May 15. The winner will be announced in June and the induction ceremony will be held on Sept 21.

April 15: Teams with a returning head coach can begin off season programs

Teams may have up to a maximum of ten OTAs during the offseason

April 15: Pats voluntary offseason strength and conditioning program begins, continuing until June 13

April 15-28: Per the CBA this is Phase One of OTAs and can last for two weeks. Only strength and conditioning coaches may be present; other coaches may not attend or observe in any way. Footballs cannot be used, with the exception of quarterbacks throwing to uncovered receivers, and no helmets may be worn.

April 18: NFL regular season schedule announced, 8:00 PM (NFLN and ESPN)

April 19: Deadline for signing of offer sheets by restricted free agents; after this date other teams cannot make offers to RFAs; if player does not sign tender offered him his old team can replace that offer with a tender of 110% of the player’s 2011 base salary.

April 24: Deadline for Old Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents

April 25: First round of the NFL Draft, New York City, 8:00 PM (NFLN and ESPN)

April 26: Second and third round of the NFL Draft, 7:00 PM (NFLN and ESPN)

April 27: Rounds 4-7 of the NFL Draft, 12 Noon (NFLN and ESPN)

April 27: Teams can sign undrafted free agents (UDFA) as soon as the draft is concluded.

April 29-May 19: Phase Two of OTAs begins, which can last three weeks.
All coaches are now permitted on the field.
Workouts may include individual player instructions and drills, with offense or defense only but no offense and defense at the same time.
Special-teams drills may also be conducted without opposing units on the field at the same time.
There can be no live contact and no one-on-one competition, and no bump-and-run coverage of receivers by defensive backs.
Helmets are still not permitted.

May 3-5: Pats rookie mini-camp

May 15: Fan voting for the team Hall of Fame concludes.

~ May 15: Except for a three day minicamp that may be held within 15 days of the draft (above), this is the first day that players eligible for the 2012 Draft are permitted to participate in minicamps or meetings. If final examinations at a player’s school conclude after this date, the player is prohibited from participating in any activities until after the player’s final day of examinations. If the player has left or leaves school, he is prohibited from participating in any club activities until after the final day of examinations at his school.

~ May 20-June 13: Phase Three of OTAs begins, which can last four weeks.
A total of 10 days of Organized Team Activities may be conducted.
A maximum of three OTA days may be conducted per week during the first two weeks of Phase Three, and four OTA days may be conducted in the third or fourth week, with the mandatory minicamp scheduled for the other week.
In weeks with three OTA days, a Phase Two day may be conducted on the fourth day.
Helmets may be worn, but no other pads.
No live contact is permitted.
No one-on-one offense vs. defense drills are permitted.
Special teams drills are permitted, provided no live contact occurs.

May 20-21: Pats OTA. OTAs are closed to the public.

May 20-22: Annual NFL Spring Meeting, Boston MA

~ May 22: Pats put single game tickets on sale

May 23: Pats OTA

May 28-30: Pats OTA

June 1: Deadline for teams to send tender to unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents to receive exclusive negotiating rights for rest of season if another team does not sign player by July 22.

June 1: Deadline for teams to send tender to unsigned Restricted Free Agents, or to extend a qualifying offer to an RFA to retain exclusive negotiating rights.

June 3-4: Pats OTA

June 6-7: Pats OTA

June 11-13: Pats full squad mandatory mini-camp

~ June 14: Winner of the fan voting for induction to the Patriots’ Hall of Fame announced.

June 14: Deadline for teams to withdraw qualifying offer to unsigned Restricted Free Agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting June 15 Tender of one-year contract at 110 percent of previous year’s salary.

June 23-29: Rookie Symposium, Aurora OH

~ July 5: 24 hour waiver claiming system begins

~ July 14: NFL Supplemental Draft

July 15: Franchise player signing deadline. Franchise players cannot sign multi-year contracts after this date; they may only sign a one-year contract with the old club, and contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.

~ July 18: Training camp opens for rookies, one week earlier than veterans.

July 21: End of signing period for Unrestricted Free Agents who received June 1 tender; old club has exclusive negotiating rights to these players until the Tuesday after the 10th regular-season weekend.

July 21: End of signing period for Transition Players to sign with new clubs.

~ July 24: Training camp opens (teams can begin training camp 15 days prior to first preseason game).

Sat Aug 3: NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Canton OH, 7 PM (NFLN)

Sun Aug 4: Hall of Fame Game (first preseason game), Dallas vs Miami, Canton OH, 8 PM (NBC)

Tue Aug 6: Deadline for players under contract to report to their clubs to earn an accrued season.

Tue Aug 6: Deadline for teams to trade rights for unsigned drafted rookies.

Fri Aug 9: Preseason week one, Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles; 7:30 PM (WBZ)

Fri Aug 16: Preseason week two, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Patriots; 8:00 PM (FOX)

Thur Aug 22: Preseason week three, Patriots at Detroit Lions; 7:30 PM (WBZ)

~ Aug 27: Roster cutdown to a maximum of 80 players

Thur Aug 29: Preseason week four, New York Giants at Patriots; 7:30 PM (WBZ)

Mon Sept 1: Roster cutdown to a maximum of 53 players

Sun Sept 2: Teams may establish practice squads with a maximum of 8 players

Thur Sept 5: First regular season game of NFL season; 8:30 pm (NBC)

Sun Sept 8: Week 1, Patriots at Bills; 1:00 PM (CBS)

~ Tues Sept 10: Players signed after this date are not guaranteed their full salary

Thur Sept 12: Week 2, Jets at Patriots; 8:25 PM (NFLN)

Sat Sept 21: Pats 2012 team Hall of Fame induction ceremony, 5:00 PM

Sun Sept 22: Week 3, Bucs at Patriots; 1:00 PM (FOX)

~ Tues Sept 24: Waiver claims ranked by current (2013) standings rather than previous year’s standings

Sun Sept 29: Week 4, Patriots at Falcons; 8:30 PM (NBC)

Sun Sept 29: NFL International Series: Pittsburgh at Minnesota, in London

Sun Oct 6: Week 5, Patriots at Bengals; 1:00 PM (CBS)

Sun Oct 13: Week 6, Saints at Patriots; 4:25 PM (FOX)

~ Tues Oct 15: Trade deadline

~ Tues Oct 15: Waiver system now also applies to veteran players

Sun Oct 20: Week 7, Patriots at Jets; 1:00 PM (CBS)

Sun Oct 27: Week 8, Dolphins at Patriots; 1:00 PM (CBS)

Sun Oct 27: NFL International Series: San Francisco at Jacksonville, in London

Sun Nov 3: Week 9, Steelers at Patriots; 4:25 PM (CBS)

Nov 10-11: Week 10; Bye Week for the Pats

Sun Nov 17: Week 11: flex scheduling begins

Mon Nov 18: Week 11, Patriots at Panthers; 8:30 PM (ESPN)

Nov 21 (Thanksgiving): three NFL games celebrating the anniversary of the Butt Fumble

Sun Nov 24: Week 12, Broncos at Patriots; 8:30 PM (NBC)

Sun Dec 1: Week 13, Patriots at Texans; 4:25 PM (CBS)

Sun Dec 8: Week 14, Browns at Patriots; 1:00 PM (CBS)

~ Dec 11: Invoices for playoff tickets sent to season ticket holders, with payment due about a week later

Sun Dec 15: Week 15, Patriots at Dolphins; 1:00 PM (CBS)

Sun Dec 22: Week 16, Patriots at Ravens; 8:30 PM (NBC)

Sun Dec 29: Week 17, Bills at Patriots; 1:00 PM (CBS)

Dec 31: Teams can sign players to futures contracts for the 2014 season

Jan 4-5, 2014: Wild card playoff games

Jan 11-12: Division round playoff games

Jan 19: AFC championship game, 3 pm (CBS)

Jan 19: NFC championship game, 6:30 pm (CBS)

Jan 26: Pro Bowl game, Honolulu HI, 7 pm (CBS)

Feb 2: Super Bowl, New York, 6:30 (CBS)

~ Feb 15 – March 1: Existing season ticket holders invoiced for 2014 season tickets, with full payment due around March 31

Note: any times referenced are for the eastern time zone

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As a point of reference, last year the Pats did the following prior to the start of the new NFL year, and free agency:

- Signed seven players to future/reserve contracts (Markell Carter, Matt Kopa, Aaron Lavarias, Mike Rivera, Tiquan Underwood, Ross Ventrone).

- DL Armond Armstead and Jason Vega are technically future/reserve contract signings as well, making this year’s total nine (Armstead, Vega, James Develin, WR Jeremy Ebert, LB Jeff Tarpinian, WR Andre Holmes, DE Tracy Robertson, QB Mike Kafka, DE Marcus Bennard).

- Last year the Pats also signed RB Eric Kettani in February, prior to free agency.

- This year the Pats also have one other early signing: LB Dane Fletcher.

- Last year the Pats made two other roster moves prior to the start of the new NFL year, releasing OL Rich Ohrnberger and DL Mike Wright.

Compare that to what happened in the days following the start of the new NFL year:

- Between the start of free agency and the draft the Pats re-signed six of their own free agents: Niko Koutouvides, Matthew Slater, Tracy White, Dan Connolly, Deion Branch, and Dan Koppen.

- Between the start of free agency and the draft two players signed their tenders: RFA Brian Hoyer and ERFA Kyle Love.

- Between the start of free agency and the draft the Pats signed 15 players who were not on the club the previous year: DL Jonathan Fanene, DL Marcus Harrison, S Steve Gregory, WR Anthony Gonzalez, DL Trevor Scott, WR Brandon Lloyd, TE Daniel Fells, WR Donte’ Stallworth, OL Robert Gallery, CB Marquice Cole, CB Will Allen, FB Spencer Larsen, FB Tony Fiammetta, LB Bobby Carpenter, and K Chris Koepplin.

- Between the start of free agncy and the draft the Pats released two players: LB Christian Cox and FB Lousaka Polite.

- Between the start of free agency and the draft two players restructure their contracts with the Pats: Tom Brady and Chad Johnson.

- Between the start of free agency and the draft four players that had been with the Pats the previous season sign elsewhere: Mark Anderson, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Antwaun Molden, and Gary Guyton.

- Between the start of free agency and the draft one player is placed on the reserve/retired list: Matt Light.

Right now there is very little incentive for players to sign with a team, or for teams to sign any of the very few players that are available. Once the new league year begins there will be more players cut, increasing the pool of talent available. For right now all we can do is speculate, and count down the days until free agency commences.

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From 1989 to 2000, there was a 12-year span where every single champion was either first or second in wins during the regular season. Only three of the last six NFL champions have ranked in the top ten in wins, and four of the last six champions have been either 9-7 or 10-6.

Without giving it all away, the article does dispute (or at least explain) the popular notion that there have been ‘four surprise champions in six years’, and takes an in-depth look at attempting to find a way to successfully predict who will win it all. Rather than a team being ‘built for the playoffs’ as opposed to being built to only win regular season games, there are some other explanations.

The article references and expand on another very good column from Pro Football Reference that was written in 2006, titled Ten Thousand Seasons.

After simulating NFL seasons 10,000 times, PFR found that the best team does win the Super Bowl more often than the 2nd best team, who wins more often than the 3rd best team, etcetera…. in other words, no, you can drop the absurd notion that your team is better off not being the number one seed. However, do consider this: the best team wins the Super Bowl only 24% of the time.

One reason for the recent ‘trend’ that many want to dismiss: injuries. The reality is that of the recent ‘upset’ winners, they tended to be healthy at that point in time while the team they were playing was not as healthy. It is not a reason for the collective trend of surprise champions; it is however an explanation for some of the individual championships.

One last tidbit: in the original 10,000 simulations, teams went undefeated 115 times – and went on to win the Super Bowl just 40 times. In other words, the Patriots not winning the Super Bowl following the 2007 season was not the anomaly that so many would have us believe that it was.

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Larry Allen, G, Cowboys, 49ers: NFL all-decade team for the 1990s and 2000s; 11 Pro Bowls; first team All-NFC six times; lead blocker for two players that hold franchise rushing records, Emmitt Smith and Frank Gore; first-year nominee.

Jerome Bettis, RB, Steelers, Rams: Pro Bowl six times; first team All Pro twice, second team once; sixth all-time leading rusher; eight 1,000+ yard seasons rushing.

Tim Brown, WR, Raiders, Bucs: Pro Bowl nine times; fifth all-time in receptions and yards; at time of retirement his 14,934 receiving yards were second most in NFL history, his 1,094 receptions were third, 100 touchdown receptions were third, and 19,682 combined net yards were fifth.

Cris Carter, WR, Vikings, Eagles, Dolphins: eight straight 1,000 yard seasons; caught 70+ passes ten times; All-Decade team, 1990s; eight Pro Bowls; 42 100-yard receiving games; 130 career touchdowns and 1,101 career receptions both ranked second all time when he retired.

Ed DeBartolo, owner, 49ers: won five Super Bowl championships; while owner from 1977-2000 his team averaged 13 wins per season, made 16 playoff appearances, won 13 division titles, and played in ten conference championship games.

Kevin Greene, LB, Steelers, Panthers, Rams, 49ers: 160 career sacks, third most in NFL history; back to back seasons with 16.5 sacks; ten seasons with double digit sacks; five Pro Bowls; All-Decade team of the 1990s.

Charles Haley, LB, Cowboys, 49ers — Only player to play on five winning Super Bowl teams; led 49ers in sacks in each of first six seasons; Jimmy Johnson felt he was the “missing element” so he traded for him – and the Cowboys won three of the next four championships; two time Defensive Player of the Year; All Pro twice; five Pro Bowls; 100.5 career sacks; six years with double-digit sacks.

Art Modell, owner, Browns/Ravens — Owned team for 43 years; NFL President from 1967-69; negotiated major network contracts as chairman of the NFL’s Broadcast Committee, 1962-93; two championships: Browns in 1964 and Ravens in 2000-01.

Jonathan Ogden, T, Ravens: 11 Pro Bowls; first-team All Pro six times; All-Decade team of the 2000s; Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2000; first-year nominee.

Bill Parcells, HC, Giants, Pats, Jets, Cowboys: two-time Coach of the Year; two-time Super Bowl winner; three Super Bowl appearances; only coach to take four different teams to the playoffs; 172 regular season victories, plus 11 post-season wins.

Andre Reed, WR, Bills, Redskins: 951 career receptions were 3rd most at time of his retirement; 13,198 career receiving yards; 13 seasons with 50+ receptions, 2nd most in NFL history; seven Pro Bowls.

Warren Sapp, DT, Bucs, Raiders: 96.5 career sacks – as a defensive tackle; All-Decade team of the 1990s and 2000s; All Pro four straight times; seven Pro Bowls; first-year nominee.

Will Shields, G, Chiefs: 12 straight Pro Bowls; first team All Pro three times; second team All Pro four times; All-Decade team of the 2000s; never missed a game in 14 years, starting all but his first one.

Michael Strahan, DE, Giants: 141.5 career sacks; seven Pro Bowls; single-season record for sacks (22.5); double-digit sack totals six times; NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2001; All-Decade team of the 2000s; first-year nominee.

Aeneas Williams, CB/S, Cardinals, Rams: eight Pro Bowls; five or more picks six times; 55 interceptions, nine touchdowns.

How in the world does someone only pick five from that group? No matter who you pick, there will be at least a couple of very worthy candidates that were left out. Perhaps the best way is to start by eliminating a few names.

Aeneas Williams: great player, but not dominant enough to get in when he’s up against this group.

Art Modell: regardless of what he may have done in the way of early television contracts, you can’t easily dismiss his handling of moving the Browns, or his meddlesome ways as an owner; this is a person that fired both Paul Brown and Bill Belichick! How did those decisions work out?

Tim Brown: while his career rankings are impressive, he was never the predominant player at his position. He finished better than 7th in receptions just twice in his career, better than 5th in receiving yards twice, and was never better than 7th in receiving touchdowns in any single season.

Andre Reed: A tip of the hat for longevity – he was a starter at age 35 – but he was even less dominant than Brown. Reed was never better than 5th in receiving yards or receiving touchdowns, and was better than 5th in receptions just once in any single season in his career.

Jerome Bettis: Despite being known as the goal line back he finished in the top five in rushing touchdowns just once, and was better than 9th in the league in rushing yards only three times. Despite being a cult figure by a vocal Steeler fan base, I would have to leave him aside this year.

That brings it down to ten, which is a bit more manageable: Allen, Carter, DeBartolo, Greene, Haley, Ogden, Parcells, Sapp, Shields and Strahan.

With such strong competition I believe DeBartolo – though very worthy – will be eliminated due to the fallout from his having to sell the team.

Warren Sapp deserves to go in for his play, but some negative feelings towards him based on his surliness, plus his mediocre play in Oakland will force him to wait.

Will Shields is hurt by situations beyond his control: he played his entire career in a small market, and his team never won a Super Bowl. It’s not right that those team championships weigh so heavily on an individual award, but that seems to be the case with NFL voters.

There will be a strong push for Bill Parcells, especially from those in New York who place him on a pedestal. His ability to work the media will serve him well, but he is not deserving – at least not in comparison to the others on this list. Why does he get credit for doing what he did in multiple places? That tells me he bailed out as soon as he knew the team was headed south, to boost his own legacy. Hopefully there will be enough voters that can see through him, and do the right thing by voting a more deserving player in.

Cris Carter is another who will have a strong push, primarily due to his being on television. While his career stats are gaudy, consider this: he never finished better than 7th in receiving yards in his career, and was better than 4th in the league in receptions only twice. I have a feeling he’ll make it this year, but there are others more deserving.

My choices: Jonathan Ogden, Charles Haley, Kevin Greene, Warren Sapp, Ed DeBartolo; Will Shields and Larry Allen would be my first two alternate choices.

Who I think will go in: Michael Strahan, Bill Parcells, Cris Carter, Ogden, Haley.

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Offense
LT – can’t see the team moving on from Nate Solder

LG – ditto for Logan Mankins

C — I thought Ryan Wendell had a good season; don’t think there is a realistic upgrade available.

RG – replace Dan Connolly with who? Donald Thomas? A free agent?

RT – satisfied with Sebastian Vollmer? If not, then who is a realistic improvement? I don’t see one.

RB – should the Pats add a big bruising back? Don’t forget those guys are typically slower; if that’s the case, then who departs? Perhaps adding a genuine fullback would be the way to go. Don’t forget the Pats had three on their off-season roster a year ago; this is something that has obviously already crossed Bill Belichick’s mind.

WR – while the rallying cry is for a ‘big, physical receiver’, isn’t it more important to be able to get better run blocking and pass protection?

Defense
DT – Vince Wilfork is obviously fine; what about the other DTs? Do the Pats need to use an early pick on another DT? Henry Melton would be a more than welcome addition but is likely far too pricey; are there any other free agents worth considering?

DE – Chandler Jones obviously stays; what about Rob Ninkovich? He comes up with a lot of big plays on sacks and turnovers; are we willing to sacrifice that for a player we hope may win more individual battles over the course of a game? Should the Pats go after a free agent like Michael Bennett, who should be less expensive than a guy like Michael Johnson.

LB – wasn’t the issue that this group needed to improve in pass coverage, as opposed to being ‘more physical’?

S – how do you balance the need to cover with being ‘more physical’?

CB – while it would be nice to get bigger and taller, those CBs are hard to find when you draft as late as the Pats do. Any faith Ras-I Dowling can contribute?

It seems to me that if the Patriots truly do want to become ‘more physical’, then the most likely areas would be at safety, defensive tackle, defensive end, and right guard – not necessarily in that order. But how much improvement can realistically be made at those positions in one off-season?

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I’ve been a bit under the weather this week and a business trip had me out of town for a couple of days. Returning home yesterday, it finally started to hit home. My adrenal glands started pumping, my pulse began to race and my senses sharpened. Today, my chest is pounding and my eyeballs are spinning in different directions. Now, I am wired.

1. Watching the replay of last year’s AFC Championship game in my hotel room Thursday night, I was shocked at how poorly the Patriots played. This year’s New England team is deeper, more talented and more versatile. The good news is that we won’t see a running game that is solely dependent on the departed BJGE nor will we see Julian Edelman trying to cover Anquan Boldin with the game on the line. However, the absence of Gronk is cause for concern.

2. What’s in the Gatorade? – This season’s epidemic of ruptured tendons and exploding muscles hasn’t fazed the Ravens even a tiny bit. In fact, both Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs made miraculous recoveries from what used to be season ending injuries. Superior training and rehab techniques? Or Fun with Pharmaceuticals? You decide.

3. Joe Flacco’s three long TD passes last Saturday were a bit like a .250 hitter pounding 3 home runs in a game. The Ravens’ offensive game plan is for Joe to close his eyes and heave it down the right side of the field as far as he can, hoping that a DB will lapse into a catatonic stupor or fall down, a zebra will toss an inexplicable flag, or a receiver will miraculously catch the ball. Once this happens, Joe can lay claim to being ELITE. Flacco did make a huge, clutch throw on 3rd and 13 from his own 3 yard line during OT, a seam route to Dennis Pitta for a first down that arguably saved the game for the Ravens. At least publicly, Flacco seems more concerned with his image than whether the Ravens win. This is likely a natural consequence of competing for attention with the galaxy-sized ego of Ray Lewis.

4. Chinese Water Torture – One of the advantages of going to the game is to not have to listen to the nonstop glorification of Ray Lewis. By Sunday, tributes will have poured in from the ends of the earth and beyond. We are all truly fortunate to have walked the earth at the same time as this transcendentally great human being. Ray will forever be an inspiration to billions of people (not to mention Squirrels) throughout the known and unknown universe.

5. The Myth of Manning – The Peyton Manning Sycophant Marching Band was working overtime last week trying to polish the turd that was Peyton’s latest playoff debacle. Since when does committing three turnovers leading directly to 17 points in an OT loss constitute “playing well enough to win?” Manning shook the Broncos down for megabucks, knowing full well that he was not anywhere close to being fully recovered. This happened not 12 months after he swindled the Colts for a huge contract somewhere between his 3rd and 4th major neck surgery. Am I the only one that has a problem with this appalling level of greed or is it just another endearing characteristic that makes him a great guy?

6. Manti and the Real Girl – At first blush, a sane person would be hard pressed to make up a weirder story than The Tale of T’eo. But maybe it’s not that unusual after all – pretty much everyone has had A Fake Dead Girlfriend at some point in their life. Still, this is unexplored ground, even for NFL personnel types who have dealt with world class dysfunction that is the inevitable result of years of coddling young men who are athletic freaks of nature. Teams may now find it necessary to supplement the infamous Wonderlic with a personality test to assess one’s ability to deal with Invisible, Imaginary or Inflatable Playmates.

7. Hempstead Hi-Jinx – My New Year’s resolution to stop picking on the jets is once again a miserable failure. But surely you can understand that it is not my fault – the 24/7 Freak Show continues throughout the jet’s typically prolonged off-season. Who could possibly resist?

• How it is that Le Grand Rex is still on the payroll after the GM, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coach all got turfed. Might it be that that Rex has certain photographs in his possession involving his owner and, say, a lingerie-clad goat? Just speculating, but there’s really no other rational explanation.

• The jets’ hired a high-priced outside consultant to plead with semi-qualified candidates and random passersby in Times Square to even consider the team’s general manager position. The manic-depressive search concluded Friday with the hiring of the 437th choice, Jeff Idzik, whose name (changed from the original Izdik) translates as Reincarnation of Tannenbaum in an obscure Slavic dialect. Coupled with the all but inevitable hiring of offensive (Marty Mornhinweg) and defensive (Barney the Purple Dinosaur) coordinators who have been abject failures elsewhere, this guarantees that the nonstop buffoonery will continue until Rex accidentally deletes his picture of Woody’s barnyard indiscretions.

• HBO has announced a live pay-per-view telecast on the eve of the Super Bowl during which Rex will have the new jet playbook tattooed in its entirety on his ample derriere.

8. ESPN- Style Meaningless Stat (Angry Birds Edition) – The Patriots face long odds on Sunday as they are 0-3 this season against teams with feathers (Cardinals, Ravens and Seahawks). According to experts such as Peter King and Trey Wingo, this is likely fatal to whatever meager chances the Patriots had.

9. Home Again – The AFC Championship game is once again in Foxboro. Where it belongs. As always, I hope that you enjoy the game with people you care about and that we get to spend the next two weeks in yet another frenzy of nervous anticipation. What could be more fun than that?

Jeff Beck performing Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, from his Wired album:

Thanks once again to Zeus for aiding me in filling this space.

Predictions:
Falcons 27, 49ers 23
Falcons +4½ (two units)
Over 48½

Patriots 31, Ravens 24
Ravens +10 (one unit)
Over 49½ (one unit)

Two-Team Teaser:
Ravens +16, Falcons +10½ (five units)

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