During the month of June, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will construct a Mount Rushmore for each team. For this series, we will only consider players. For this article, the New England Patriots are the focus.
New England Patriots Mount Rushmore
Tom Brady
Let’s just get the most obvious player out of the way first. Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round (199th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft and he has played his entire career in New England. Former quarterback Drew Bledsoe was hurt badly in a game against the New York Jets and Brady took his place under center. The rest his history. The former Michigan quarterback is 160-47 as a starter in the regular season and 21-8 in the playoffs. He has won four Super Bowls in six trips and if not for a couple of unbelievable throws and catches in two different Super Bowls by members of the New York Giants, Brady could be 6-0 in Super Bowls. Forget all of the Deflategate talk. No evidence has been provided which shows Brady had anything to do with the deflation of footballs. Besides, whether footballs are underinflated or overinflated, this guy just wins. He is a surefire future Hall of Famer and one of, if not the best, quarterbacks of all-time.
John Hannah
John “Hog” Hannah, who was drafted by the Patriots in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1973 draft, is often mentioned as one of the greatest offensive linemen of all-time. He played from 1973-1985 and he was elected to nine straight Pro Bowls (1976-1985). He was also named the NFLPA Offensive Lineman of the Year four consecutive times (1978-1981). Out of a possible 191 games in his 13-season career, Hannah only missed five games due to injury. He was one of only two Patriots players voted to the NFL’s 75th anniversary team. Hannah was the initial member of the Patriots Hall of Fame and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
Stanley Morgan
The former University of Tennessee wide receiver was drafted by the Patriots in the first round (25th overall) in the 1977 NFL Draft. Morgan played in the NFL from 1977-1990 and played all but one season for New England. He finished his career with 557 receptions (534 while with the Patriots) for 10,716 yards (10,352 with New England) and 72 touchdowns (67 while with the Patriots). Morgan’s 67 touchdowns and 10,352 receiving yards are still franchise best numbers. For his career, he averaged 19.2 yards per catch (19.4 in his 13 seasons in New England) and he had 38 100-yard receiving games. He accomplished all of that during a time when defensive backs could still be truly physical with wide receivers. Morgan is in the Patriots Hall of Fame, but for some reason he is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. He should be.
Vince Wilfork
New England drafted Wilfork with their first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft. He is now with the Houston Texans, but during his 11 seasons with the Patriots, Wilfork displayed the ability to engage two blockers at the point of attack and control the line of scrimmage. What he did on the field allowed other members of the Patriots defense to make big plays. It was Wilfork who knocked Brandon Moore’s backside into Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, causing the now infamous “butt fumble.” Although he was known more for his run defense than his pass defense, he did prove he is deceptively quick for a guy his size (6’2”, 325 pounds). He was a member of two Super Bowl winning teams while in New England and he has been named to the Pro Bowl five times. He was also named to the Patriots 50th anniversary team.
