Who are the 10 best players for the Patriots?

You don’t win six Super Bowls without a lot of good players. Just ask the New England Patriots.

Now, many of those great players have been in the organization over a decade span of the franchise’s 65 seasons. But those victories helped the Patriots quickly become one of the league’s best, tying the record for most Super Bowl wins ever and holding the record for most Super Bowl appearances (11).

Among those players, there are a few who have made a name for themselves as the best players in the group. So, let’s take a look at the 10 best players in Patriots history.

10. Stanley Morgan (1977-1989)

Morgan was a key part of the Patriots’ successful seasons in the 1980s, emerging as one of the most explosive players in NFL history after taking him with their first-round pick in the 1977 draft. The four-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro’s 19.2 yards per reception are the most in NFL history for a receiver with at least 500 receptions. His 10,352 receiving yards are also in Patriots history. Morgan has not yet been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

9. Vince Wilfork (2004-2014)

Wilfork was in the midst of one of the greatest years of the Patriots’ dynasty. Playing nose tackle, Wilfork never put up impressive numbers as he never recorded four sacks in a season and had 60-plus tackles just once. But Bill Belichick once noted that Wilfork was “impossible to block in the running game” as New England often had the league’s best defense during his 11 years there. That helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls and play in two more as Wilfork was a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro (one first team).

8. Logan Mankins (2005-2013)

There were many great players who played in New England during the Patriots’ dynasty, but not all of them were lucky enough to win a Super Bowl. Mankins’ tenure in New England coincided well with the Patriots’ 10-year drought between Super Bowls, which was drafted shortly after their third win in 2004 and traded a few weeks before their title-winning season in 2014. But Mankins has always been one of the league’s best players. offensive linemen during his time in Foxborough, leading to seven Pro Bowls and six All-Pros (one first team). Mankins’ inability to win a Super Bowl was also not for lack of trying. He played the entire 2011 season with an ACL tear, which ended in a Super Bowl loss.

7. Richard Seymour (2001-2008)

Seymour’s arrival in New England helped propel the defense to its 2001 Super Bowl-winning season before becoming a key player in their next two Super Bowl titles. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2003, recording eight sacks and 56 tackles as an interior defensive lineman that year. He had five sacks when the Patriots won it all again in 2004. During his Patriots career, he was named a five-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro (three first teams). Those honors and his role on three Super Bowl-winning teams helped Seymour be named a Hall of Famer in 2022.

6. Ty Law (1995-2004)

While Seymour commanded the defensive line during the Patriots’ first three Super Bowls, Law was a tough matchup for opponents in the secondary. He actually helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl in his second season in 1996, recording three touchdowns that season. Two years later, he had a team-best nine tackles to finish third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He recorded arguably the best defensive game in franchise history when he returned a touchdown in their Super Bowl XXXVI victory over the Rams, one of three that year. He had six interceptions in their second Super Bowl winning season in 2003 and added three more when he sacked Peyton Manning three times in the AFC Championship game that year. Law’s performance in the big games helped him enter the Hall of Fame in 2019.

5. Andre Tippett (1982-1993)

More than a decade before Seymour wreaked havoc as a running back for the Patriots, Tippett did the same in New England. He was one of the NFL’s best rushers in the 1980s, recording at least 12.5 sacks in three seasons. His performance helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl in 1985, recording 16.5 sacks that year. He was named a five-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro (three first teams), earning him a place in the Hall of Fame in 2008.

4. Mike Haynes (1976-1982)

Law followed in Haynes’ footsteps in New England. Haynes started the list of great quarterbacks to play with the Patriots shortly after the team drafted him in 1976, becoming one of the best players at his position. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year, recording a career-high eight interceptions that season. He was also named a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in all but one of his seven seasons in New England, which ended when the team opted to trade him to the Raiders in 1983. Haynes continued to play well with the Raiders, which helped. became a Hall of Famer in 1997.

Three players who were arguably the best at their positions played most of their careers with the Patriots. Gronkowski made his case for the best tight end in NFL history during his nine seasons with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls and earning five Pro Bowl nods. His 2011 season was arguably the best ever by a tight end, recording 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns that year. His 79 receiving touchdowns in his New England career would have been sixth most. His 12 playoff touchdown receptions with the Patriots are also tied for third in NFL history, regardless of position.

2. John Hannah (1973-1985)

Generally considered the best guard in NFL history by many analysts, Hannah was a nine-time Pro Bowler and a ten-time All-Pro (seven first team) during his illustrious career. He actually earned All-Pro honors in each of the final 10 seasons of his career, helping the Patriots become a playoff team in the late 1970s before reaching his first Super Bowl in his final season. Among those accomplishments, Sports Illustrated named Hannah “the greatest offensive player of all time” as she graced the cover of its magazine’s issue.

There would be no one else who was No. 1. Brady’s resume speaks for itself, winning six Super Bowls and three MVPs during his time with the Patriots. His installation as the team’s starting quarterback in 2001 immediately changed the course of not only team history, but football history. New England, often the laughingstock of the league in its first 40-plus seasons, became a dynasty in just four seasons with Brady as its starting quarterback. He, along with Bill Belichick, helped redefine success in the NFL as their six Super Bowls helped the Patriots match the Steelers for the most by a single franchise in just 18 seasons.

RESPECTED SPEECHES

Bruce Armstrong

Teddy Bruschi

Welker

Julian Edelman

Adam Vinatieri

Willie McGinest

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