Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 New England Patriots.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Patriots were awful and did not come close to making the playoffs.  The rebuilding squad did not give us any new entrants or elevations, but we always acknowledge that we kept the last season in mind.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Tom Brady
2. John Hannah
3. Rob Gronkowski
4. Andre Tippett
5. Mike Haynes

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Playing his entire professional career with the New England Patriots, the team that drafted him in the second round of 1974.

Nelson was a starter at Left Inside Linebacker as a rookie and he held that role until he retired after the 1987 season.  Nelson patrolled the interior beautifully for the Pats, as one of the best (though widely not well known outside of New England) run stuffing Linebackers of the later 70 and 80s and was chosen for three Pro Bowls.  He was also a large part of New England’s run to their first Super Bowl.

Nelson entered the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1993.

Russ Francis was the first Tight End drafted in 1975. The Oregon product went on to have two distinct careers in the NFL.

Beginning his professional career with the New England Patriots, Francis's blocking ability, matched with his soft receiving hands, led him to three straight Pro Bowls (1976-78) and a Second-Team All-Pro in 1976 and 1978. This was a great time for Francis on the field, though there were some problems off of it. 

The Pats were not the juggernaut of the first two decades of the 2000s and were looked at within the NFL as a laughable organization.  This was especially true in the 1970s, as New England refused to pay Francis’ bonus for a Pro Bowl (their rationale was that he didn’t play the game due to injury) and he was also upset with the Patriots’ attempt to cancel his roommate, Darryl Stingley’s medical insurance after he was paralyzed by a Jack Tatum hit.  Francis retired in 1981, with his heart out of the game.  He would return for his second phase in 1982, this time as a San Francisco 49er.

Francis’s second half did not generate a Pro Bowl, but he was a factor in the Niners Super Bowl XIX win over Miami where he had five Receptions.  Francis’ blocking opened up holes for Roger Craig, and spaces for Jerry Rice, and protection for Joe Montana.  It was a great fit for Francis, whose profile rose, even if his individual accolades did not. 

He was released by San Francisco during the 1987 season and returned to the Patriots, where he played one more year.

This will be a massive test for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When you speak of players who have ten Pro Bowls, an All-Decade, three Super Bowls, and did it all with one team, you would say automatically that this is a Hall of Fame lock.  Not so fast.

The man in question is Matthew Slater, son of Hall of Fame Lineman Jackie Slater, but his position was Special Teams.

More specifically, the younger Slater was a Gunner, and no player, including Steve Tasker, whose career was defined by non-kicking/punting Special Teams has ever made it to the Hall. This includes Steve Tasker, who did receive consideration, but arguably, Slater has the better resume.

So, what happens?  What will they do with the best player at what he does?  This is one of our most fascinating cases for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

We have done profiles on athletes for our futures section before, and we know we didn’t have to explain their accolades, but with all due respect to those men, there is only one Tom Brady.

So, maybe you will forgive us if this seems a little brief.

You all know his story. Brady was a steal for the Patriots in the 6th Round of the 2000 Draft, and he took over the starting job early in the following season following an injury to Drew Bledsoe. TB12 did what no other Quarterback did, leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win.  Annually, he kept getting better, taking New England to five more titles, and late in his career, he defied the odds by leading Tampa Bay to their second Super Bowl win and a record seventh for Brady.

What couldn’t he do?  Brady rarely made mistakes; whenever they were down, his team was always in it, and countless times, he lifted them up to victory.  Not only does Brady have the most wins by far from any quarterback, but he also needs a U-Haul to transport his trophies.  Look at this list:

7 Super Bowl Rings

5 Super Bowl MVPs

3 AP MVPs

3 PFWA MVPs

1 Bert Bell Award

1 NEA MVP

1 Sporting News Player of the Year

2 AP Offensive Player of the Year Awards

2 PFWA Offensive Player of the Year Awards

2 Sporting News Player of the Year Awards

3 First Team All-Pros

15 Pro Bowls

He also left the gridiron as the all-time leader in Approximate Value (326), Completions (7,753), Attempts (12,050), Passing Yards (89,214), Touchdown Passes (649), Game-Winning Drives (58) and Comebacks (46). 

Brady is not just the GOAT among NFL Quarterbacks; he is the GOAT of the entire history of the league.

Devin McCourty had a long and illustrious career in the National Football League, primarily with the New England Patriots. While his contribution to the Patriots is highly valued, his career statistics may not be enough to secure a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

McCourty played college football at Rutgers and was selected by the Patriots as the 27th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft. In his rookie year, he played as a cornerback and put up an impressive performance that earned him a Pro Bowl selection, seven interceptions, and the runner-up for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award behind Von Miller.

A versatile player, McCourty was moved to the position of free safety in 2013. He excelled in this position and played a significant role in the Patriots' three Super Bowl victories (XLIX, LI, and LIII). He was also named to his second Pro Bowl in 2016.

McCourty retired from the NFL in 2022 after playing his entire career with the Patriots. He was named to the Patriots All-Dynasty Team, which is a testament to his contribution to the team's success over the years. In total, McCourty recorded 35 interceptions and 971 combined tackles throughout his career.

The Gronk.

Half football player/half fratboy but all phenomenal, Rob Gronkowski was a 2010 Second Round Pick from Arizona and was the perfect fit to help Tom Brady and Bill Belichick add a new chapter to their dynasty.

Gronkowski became an immediate fan favorite in New England, and captured the attention of everyone throughout the NFL.  While other Tight Ends would generate more yardage than Gronkowski, they were not as large as Gronk, who used his size to become the best blocking Tight End of his era.  This additional skill set made gridiron life much easier for the Pats, as Gronk was often more physically intimidating than the defensive studs trying to get to Brady.

Despite his size, Gronkowski had sure hands.  Gronkowski rarely dropped a ball; once he had it, he was a load to take down.  Gronkowski amassed 7,861 Yards for the Pats over nine seasons but had 79 Touchdowns, showing how perfect he was for clutch and short-yardage situations.  The charismatic superstar helped New England win three Super Bowls and was a four-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl individually.  With nothing left to prove, Gronkowski retired in 2018, and two years later, he was named to the 2010s All-Decade and NFL 100^th Anniversary Team.

The lure of a new challenge brought Gronkowski out of retirement and joined Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.  It worked, and Gronkowski won another Super Bowl.  He retired for good after 2021 with 9,286 Yards and 92 Touchdowns.

Gronkowski is a lock to enter on his first attempt.

Don't'a Hightower played for the two-time National Champion team in college at Alabama. It must have been a great feeling for him to get drafted to another powerful team like the New England Patriots. He was selected as the 28th Overall Pick in 2012. During training camp, the All-American won the starting strongside Linebacker position under Bill Belichick. Hightower played an important role in the New England defence and later moved to the weak side while still excelling in his position.

Hightower contributed significantly to the Patriots' success in the 2010s, helping them win three Super Bowls and earning two Pro Bowl selections along the way. However, he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. He made a solid comeback in 2021, but it was his final year as a Patriot. Hightower left New England with 27 Sacks and 569 Combined Tackles.

A very significant, and very intriguing name has called it a career as Matthew Slater announced via the New England Patriots social media, that he is retiring after 16 seasons in the NFL, all of which were with the Pats.

Slater made history with ten Pro Bowls, the most of any Special Teams player in football history, is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jackie Slater.  A Fifth Round Pick in 2008, Slater was twice a First Team All-Pro, a three-time Super Bowl Champion, and a 2010s All-Decade Selection.

Slater’s path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be difficult with Steve Tasker’s failure, but it is not impossible.  He is eligible for Canton in 2029.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Matthew Slater the best in post-playing career.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top 50 New England Patriots.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:

1. Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

The Patriots were not a playoff team in 2022, and no players had an elevation based on the season. Saying that, we always recognize that the past year was counted in the overall rank.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) did not change.

1. Tom Brady

2. John Hannah

3. Rob Gronkowski

4. Andre Tippett

5. Mike Haynes

You can find the entire list here.

It is worth noting that 10-time Pro Bowl Special Teams player, Matthew Slater, was unable to advance from his rank of #23.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is important to us that the New England Patriots have chosen Mike Vrabel as their 34^th inductee.

A three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots, the Linebacker began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was not until he joined New England in his fifth NFL campaign (2001), and joined Bill Belichick that he became a starter.

Vrabel played for the Patriots from 2001 and 2008 where he was not just a three-time champion, he was a First Team All-Pro in 2007. With New England, he compiled 11 Interceptions, 48.0 Sacks and 606 Tackles.

Vrabel will be inducted alongside Dante Scarmecchia, the former Offensive Line Coach, on a time and date to be determined.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Mike Vrabel for earning this impending honor.

Following Devin McCourty, we have another significant New England Patriot who has announced his retirement in Dont’a Hightower.

Hightower was the 28^thOverall Pick in 2012, and the All-American from Alabama won the starting strongside Linebacker in training camp for Bill Belichick.  Hightower became a dependable part of the New England defense, later moving to the weak side, but always excellent in his role.   

A large part of the Patriots' success in the 2010s, Hightower helped New England win three Super Bowls, most notably with a strip sack that sparked the Patriots comeback against Atlanta in SB LI.   Along the way, the man nicknamed “Mr. February” collected two Pro Bowls along the way.

After opting out the 2020 Season due to COVID-19, Hightower came back with a solid 2021, but that was the final year for him as a Patriot.  Hightower left New England with 27 Sacks and 569 Combined Tackles.

Hightower, who was not signed to any team last year, will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027, and going into this season, he was ranked #83 among active players (#11 in Linebackers) on our Hall of Fame Monitor.  We don’t think that Hightower will get past the preliminary nomination, but is an excellent candidate for the Patriots Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Dont’a Hightower the best in his post-playing career.

We have another significant retirement in the National Football League as New England Patriots Safety, Devin McCourty, has announced his retirement from the NFL after a 12-year career.  He made the announcement on an Instagram post.

From Rutgers, the Pats used their 2010 First Round Pick (27^th Overall) to select McCourty, who never played for another pro team.  Winning three Super Bowls in New England, McCourty dressed in 205 Games (5^th in team history), recorded 35 Interceptions (3^rd in team history), and amassed 982 Tackles.

Originally playing at Cornerback, McCourty switched to Safety and was named a team captain as early as his second year.  A beloved teammate and community leader, McCourty was a two-time Pro Bowl Selection, and was twice a Second Team All-Pro.

McCourty is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028, though is unlikely to enter.  In our pre-2022 NFL HOF Active Monitor, McCourty was ranked #108 Overall and #7 among Safeties.  Canton may not come calling, but his resume of worthy of a spot in the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Devin McCourty the best in his post-playing career.

How do you replace a legend like Adm Vinatieri?  You work on becoming one yourself.

Stephen Gostkowski was the 2005 Conference USA Special Team Player of the Year, and he was the first Kicker taken in the next NFL Draft (118^th Overall), taken specifically with the belief that he could replace Vinatieri, who departed to Indianapolis as a Free Agent.  

Gostkowski never had the signature kick that Vinatieri had, but he was very good, very consistent, and became a five-time league leader in Points Scored.  A steady presence on dominant Patriots teams, Gostkowski won three Super Bowls with New England, was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team, and was a three-time Pro Bowler.  

He retired after one year (2020) in Tennessee, and had he played on almost any other NFL team, he would have been regarded as the best Kicker in that franchise’s history.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post-2021 revision of our top 50 New England Patriots.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the New England Patriots went to the playoffs as a Wild Card Team in their post-Brady era, but still seem to be a team that is looking to find a new identity.  There were no new entrants, but three elevations based on last year.

As always, we present our top five:

1. Tom Brady

2. John Hannah

3. Rob Gronkowski

4. Andre Tippett

5. Mike Haynes

You can find the entire list here.

Three-time Super Bowl winner, Special Teams superstar and now ten-time Pro Bowl recipient, Matthew Slater, moves up to #23 from #28.

Cornerback, Devin McCourty, who also is a three-time Super Bowl Champion, climbed to #39 from #30.

Don’t’a Hightower, who is now a Free Agent, elevated to #31 from #34.  The Linebacker also won three Super Bowls.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that fans have inducted the Vince Wilfork into their franchise Hall of Fame.

A Nose Tackle/Defensive End/Defensive Tackle for the Pats from 2004 to 2014, Wilfork joined the team as a First Round Pick (21^st Overall) from Miami (FL).  

A larger-than-life figure, Wilfork helped lead New England to six AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl wins in XXXIX and XLIX, and was chosen for five Pro Bowls and one First Team All-Pro.  The Patriots had a record of .778 when he played and the former Defensive co-captain recorded 16 Sacks and 517 Tackles for the team.  He played two final seasons (2015-16) for the Houston Texans before retiring. 

Wilfork becomes the 32^nd inductee of the Patriots Hall of Fame and only the sixth to enter on his first year of eligibility.  He beat out Logan Mankins and Mike Vrabel for the honor.  The date of the ceremony is to be determined.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Vince Wilfork for this impending honor. 

One of our favorite franchise Halls of Fame, the New England Patriots Hall, has announced their three Finalists for the Class of 2022.

Logan Mankins, Mike Vrabel and Vince Wilfolk are the three Finalists, and you can cast your vote here.

Logan Mankins, 2005-13, Left Guard.  Mankins was the final pick of the opening round of the 2005 Draft, and the Fresno State Bulldog became a starter for the Patriots immediately.  The runner-up for the Offensive Rookie of the Year, Mankins went to six Pro Bowls for New England and was a First Team All-Pro in 2010, and four-time Second Team All-Pro.  Mankins started all 130 of his Games with New England, and had an Approximate Value of 114.  He finished his career with Tampa Bay for two seasons.

Mike Vrabel, 2001-08, Linebacker.  After four years as a backup in Pittsburgh, Vrabel joined the Patriots, where he helped them win their first three Super Bowls.  His best year was 2007, where he went to his only Pro Bowl, was a First Team All-Pro and was fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.  Vrabel had 48 Sacks as a Patriot, and is currently the Tennessee Titans Head Coach.

Vince Wilfork, 2004-14, Nose Tackle, Defensive Tackle & Defensive End.  A First Round Pick from Miami, Wilfork became one of the most popular players in Patriots history and aided them in two Super Bowl wins.  Wilfork went to five Pro Bowls and was a one-time First Team All-Pro.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the three Finalists who have made it this far.

Playing his college ball at South Dakota State, Vinatieri began his pro career with the Amsterdam Admirals of the World League of American Football.  The New England Patriots signed him after and in 1996, he was officially a National Football League player.

New England was a team on the rise and if we are to agree that New England has been the best team in the last 20 years, it was Vinatieri’s kick in the snow that began the dynasty.  Against the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs, Vinatieri booted a 45 Yard Field Goal in a blizzard to send the game in Overtime, which he would win for them with a 23 Yard FG.  The Patriots would then beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, with Vinatieri again kicking the winning Field Goal, this time from 48 Yards out.  He would go to two Pro Bowls and earn two First Team All-Pro Selections as a Patriot, and would also win two more Super Bowls.

Vinatieri signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 and he would win his fourth Super Bowl in his debut season in the Hoosier State.  He played for Indianapolis until 2019, and left the game as the all-time leader in Points (2,673) and Field Goals (599), and if any kicker has a shot at first ballot induction, it is Vinatieri.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021 revision of our top 50 New England Patriots of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There are no additions to our top fifty, but three active Patriots moved up slightly, none of which affecting the top five, which as always, we present the top five.

1. Tom Brady

2. John Hannah

3. Rob Gronkowski

4. Logan Mankins

5. Andre Tippett

You can find the entire list here.

The three changes are:

Special Teams specialist, Matthew Slater, climbed from #30 to #28.

Defensive Back, Devin McCourty went up one spot to #39.

Former Defensive Player of the Year, Stefon Gilmore, went from #45 to #41.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the New England Patriots.

An inaugural franchise of the American Football League, the New England Patriots debuted as the Boston Patriots, but they were unable to win the AFL Title.  They did appear in the 1963 AFL Championship Game, but that was their only playoff appearance of the 1960s.

The Patriots took on New England as their designation when they moved to Foxborough in 1971, shortly after the NFL-AFL merger.  The Patriots only made it to the playoff twice in the 70s, but in the 80s, they went to their first Super Bowl but were thumped by the Chicago Bears in 1986.  A decade later, they were back again but lost to the Green Bay Packers.

The 2000s were completely different, and with Quarterback om Brady and Head Coach, Bill Belichick, the Pats won six Super Bowls, which is tied for the most with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Tom Brady

2. John Hannah

3. Rob Gronkowski

4. Logan Mankins

5. Andre Tippett

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

As always we thank you for your support.