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.

We have added more names on the Notinhalloffame.com site on the 2027 Football Futures.  These football players will first be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.  We encourage you to vote and give your opinions on their respective HOF credentials.

The added names are:

Adrian Peterson:  Peterson was one of the most successful Running Backs of all-time and a former Rookie of the Year, MVP and a three-time Rushing Yards leader.  AP went to seven Pro Bowls, was a four-time First Team All-Pro, and rushed for 14,918 Yards and 126 Touchdowns.

A.J. Bouye: Bouye played at Cornerback where he was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2017.

Ali Marpet: Marpet played 101 Games as an Offensive Lineman. He was a one-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay.

Antonio Brown:  The controversial Wide Receiver was a 2010s All-Decade Selection and was a seven-time Pro Bowl and four-time First Team All-Pro.  Brown secured 12,291 Yards with 83 Touchdowns.

Benadrick McKinney:  The Linebacker was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

Byron Jones:  Jones played as a Defensive Back for Dallas and Jacksonville and was named to one Pro Bowl.

Cam Newton:  Newton won the 2015 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and took the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl.  He threw for 32,383 Yards and 194 Touchdowns and rushed for 75 TDs and 5,628 Yards.

Dee Ford: Ford was a Linebacker who, in 2018, led the league in Forced Fumbles and was also named to the Pro Bowl.

Desmond Trufant:  Trufant played at Cornerback and was a one-time Pro Bowl Selection.

Dont’a Hightower: Hightower played his entire NFL career with the New England Patriots.  The Linebacker won three Super Bowls and was twice named to the Pro Bowl.

Dustin Colquitt: Colquitt played most of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Punter won a Super Bowl and was twice named to the Pro Bowl.

Eric Ebron:  The Tight End was a Pro Bowler in 2019 and scored 33 Touchdowns.

Everson Griffen:  A Minnesota Viking for most of his career, Griffen played at Defensive End and had 85.5 Sacks.  Griffen was chosen for four Pro Bowls.

Gerald McCoy:  McCoy played most of his career with Tampa Bay where the Defensive Tackle went to five Pro Bowls and was  three-time First Team All-Pro.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix:  Known mostly for his time in Green Bay Clinton-Dix was a Free Safety was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016.

Jack Doyle:  Doyle played at Tight End and was an Indianapolis Colt throughout his career.  He was a Pro Bowl Selection twice.

Jared Cook:  Cook was a two-time Pro Bowl Tight End.

Le’Veon Bell:  Bell was a two-time First Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl Selection at Running Back and he rushed for over 6,000 Yards.

Mike Daniels:  The Defensive End went to one Pro Bowl when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Richard Sherman:  Charismatic, brash and a major all-around talent, Sherman was a dominant Cornerback who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.  He also was a here-time First Team All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowl, one-time Interception leader and twice led the NFL in Approximate Value.

Rob Gronkowski:  Names to the NFL 100^th Anniversary Team, Gronkowski won four Super Bowls (three with New England and one with Tampa) and the Tight End also was a five-time First Team All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowl Selection and scored 93 Touchdowns.

Sheldon Richardson:  Richardson won the AP Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl the following year, but that would be all the accolades that the Defensive Tackle would accrue.

These names join Alejandro Villanueva, Alex Mack, Andrew Whitworth, Ben Roethlisberger, Brandon Brooks, Emmanuel Sanders, Eric Weddle, Joe Haden, K.J. Wright, Malcolm Jenkins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Kerrigan and Sam Koch.

You can find the entire list of 2027 eligible football players here.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support!

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.

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.

This is what we said three years ago

“Hmmmm.

This is not the first word that we would normally use in an article in regards to an NFL retirement but we are not positive that this one will stick.

New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski has announced that he is walking away from football after a nine-year career where he was one of the most popular players in the game.”

We were right as Gronkowski returned a year later to join his long-time friend and Quarterback, Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, where they continued to make history.  

Drafted in the 2^ndround out of the University of Arizona in 2010, Gronkowski had a good rookie season highlighted by a three-touchdown game against Pittsburgh. 2011 would see him named to the First Team All Pro roster where he led the NFL in Touchdown Receptions with a 1,327 Yard season.  A Pro Bowl selection again in 2012 Gronk was injured for most of the 2013 campaign but returned with a vengeance in 2014 returning to the Pro Bowl, First Team All Pro roster and a 1,000 Yard plus season, which was punctuated by his first Super Bowl win.  2015 and 2107 would also see him named a First Team All Pro, and he captured two more Super Bowls with the Pats.  

When he rejoined Brady, he secured his fourth Super Bowl, cementing him as one of the greatest Tight Ends of all-time.  If you did not believe that, remember also that he was named to the NFL 100^th Anniversary Team.

Gronkowski retires as a four-time Super Bowl Champion, five-time Pro Bowl and four-time First Team All Pro Selection.  He had 621 Receptions for 9,286 Yards and 92 Touchdowns.  Notably in the post season he had 98 Receptions for 1,389 Yards and 15 TDs.

His stats tell a large part of the story but it does not reflect that he was also one of the best blocking Tight Ends, which made him invaluable to the Patriots offense.

Gronkowski will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027 and he is a lock to enter on his first attempt.  

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank “Gronk” for all of the football memories and we are confident that he will give us many off-field moments in the future.

There have been a lot of great Tight Ends in football, but there is only one "Gronk."

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least number of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

Our focus now shifts towards the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award in the NFL.  Relatively speaking, this is a new award, so there won’t be too many players to dissect here.  How many of these winners made the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Let’s find out!

The following are the past players who have won the AP Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.

None.

The following are the players who have won the AP Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have not been selected:

Doug Flutie, Buffalo Bills, Quarterback (1998)

The first winner of this award did not come back from injury.  He came back from Canada.  Doug Flutie was the hero whose Hail Mary won the Orange Bowl for Boston College against Miami.  The Quarterback was considered too short for the NFL and he would play in the USFL and Canada, though he would have stints in the NFL with Chicago and New England, though his run with the Patriots ended in 1989.  A decade later, he was signed by the Buffalo Bills and at age 36, he would play in 13 Games and throw for 2,711 Yards, 20 Touchdowns and go to the Pro Bowl.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Bryant Young, San Francisco 49ers, Defensive Tackle (1999)

Bryant Young suffered a severe broken leg late in 1998 and a metal rod had to be placed to assist his healing.  Young would return in 1999 with an 11.0 Sack season and a selection to the Pro Bowl.  He would play until 2007 and would record 89.5 Sacks in total.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Joe Johnson, New Orleans Saints, Defensive End(2000)

Joe Johnson was a Pro Bowler for the Saints in 1998, but a knee injury kept him out of the entire 1999 Season.  The Defensive End would come back in 2000 with his second (and final) Pro Bowl Selection and he would have a career-high 12.0 Sacks this year.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Garrison Hearst, San Francisco 49ers, Running Back (2001)

Garrison Hearst rushed for over 1,500 Yards in 1998, but he had to sit out two years due to Avascular Necrosis.  Many thought Hearst was done for good, but he returned in 2001 to the Niners and would rush for 1,206 Yards and go to his second (and final) Pro Bowl.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Tommy Maddox, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quarterback(2002)

Tommy Maddox played in the NFL from 1992 to 1995 with three different teams but the backup saw limited action and actually left football.  He came back in the Arena League in 2000, and then would be the MVP in the lone season of the XFL.  That was enough to make him desirable to the NFL again and he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as their backup.  He would become their starter in 2002 and threw for 2,836 Yards and 20 TDs.  He would play until 2005.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Jon Kitna, Cincinnati Bengals, Quarterback (2003)

Jon Kitna was not coming back from injury or another league, but rather had one of the best years of his career.  He would throw for 3,591 Yards and a career-high 26 Touchdowns.  He played until 2011 and would overall throw for 29,745 Yards.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Tedy Bruschi, New England Patriots, Linebacker(2005)

In 2004, Tedy Bruschi went to his first (and only) Pro Bowl.  Shortly after the Pro Bowl Game, Bruschi suffered a minor stroke and partial paralysis. He announced that he would miss the 2005 season, but that wouldn’t be the case.  The Linebacker returned in October and played nine Games for the Patriots that year.  He would co-win this award Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Chad Pennington, New York Jets, Quarterback (2006)

In 2005, Chad Pennington suffered multiple injuries and was only able to play in three Games.  2006 was a much different season as he started all 16 Games for the Jets and would throw for 3,352 Yards and 17 Touchdowns.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Greg Ellis, Dallas Cowboys, Linebacker (2007)

A ruptured Achilles ended Ellis’ 2006 Season after nine games, and he would return in 2007 with his best year ever. Ellis would go to the Pro Bowl for the only time and he had a career-high 12.5 Sacks.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins, Quarterback (2) (2008)

After winning this award in 2006, Pennington had a bad 2007 beset with injuries and poor play.  He was released by the Jets (who had signed Brett Favre) and Pennington would join the Miami Dolphins as a Free Agent.  He would take Miami to the Playoffs and would throw for a career-high of 3,653 Passing Yards.  Sure enough, he would suffer shoulder problems and would only play four more games in his career.  To date, Pennington is the only repeat winner of this award.  Unrankedon Notinhalloffame.com.

Let’s update our tally, shall we?

So, who is up next?

The following are the players who have won the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award in the National Football League who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify for the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers, Wide Receiver (2005)

In the first game of the 2004 Season, Smith would break his leg and would be out for the season.  He would return in 2005 and put forth the best season of his career with an NFL leading 103 Receptions, 1,563 Receiving Yards, and 12 Receiving Touchdowns.  He would be named a First Team All-Pro this year.  Smith was the co-winner of this award with Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots.  Smith is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2022.

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, Quarterback (2010)

Due to his involvement in a dog fighting ring, Michael Vick was suspended for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, most of which was spent while incarcerated.  The Quarterback would return in 2009 to the Philadelphia Eagles as Donovan McNabb’s backup and in 2010 he began the year backing up Kevin Kolb.  Vick won the starting job after Kolb was knocked out with a concussion and he would go on to have an excellent season.  He would throw for 3,018 Yards with 21 Touchdowns and would rush for another 676 Yards and 9 Touchdowns.  He would go to his fourth Pro Bowl and was also named the Bert Bell Award winner.  Vick is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021.

Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos, Quarterback (2012)

Who else could it be?  Peyton Manning missed the entire 2011 campaign due to neck surgery and the Colts gad drafted Andrew Luck to replace him.  Manning would sign with the Denver Broncos and picked up right where he left off.  Named a First Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler, Manning threw for 4,659 Yards and 37 Touchdowns.  He is the first player to be named a First Team All-Pro while winning the AP Comeback Player of the Year.  Manning is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021.

Rob Gronkowski, Denver Broncos, Tight End (2014)

Ron Gronkowski was the first Tight End to win he AP Comeback Player of the Year Award and the New England Patriot recovered incredibly from a torn ACL and MCL from December of the year previous.  “Gronk” would be named a First Team All-Pro, win the Super Bowl and would secure 82 catches for 1,124 Yards and 12 Touchdowns. Gronkowski is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2024.

Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers, Wide Receiver(2016)

Jordy Nelson was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2014 but would have to sit out 2015 due to a torn ACL.  Nelson returned in 2016 to record 1,257 Receiving Yards and an NFL leading 14 Touchdown Receptions.  Nelson is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2024.

Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts, Quarterback (2018)

Andrew Luck had to sit out the entire 2017 season due to issues with his throwing shoulder and he returned in 2018 to secure his fourth Pro Bowl.  He would throw for 4,593 Yards and 39 Touchdowns  Luck would shockingly retire during the 2019 training camp.  Nelson is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2024.

The following are the players who have won the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award who are still active.

Drew Brees, San Diego Chargers, Quarterback (2004)

It is hard to believe now, but Drew Brees was struggling to keep his starting Quarterback job in 2003 when he was with the San Diego Chargers.  This was his rebound year as he was holding off the 1^stRound Pick, Philip Rivers from taking his job.  In 2003, Brees would throw for 3,159 Yards and 27 Touchdowns.  He would be named to his first Pro Bowl.  40 Years Old, Playing for the New Orleans Saints.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Quarterback (2009)

Tom Brady only played in one game in 2008 due to a torn ACL and MCL.  He returned to the exact form you would expect throwing for 4,398 Yards and 28 Touchdowns and going to his fifth Pro Bowl.  42 Years Old, Playing for the New England Patriots.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions, Quarterback (2011)

An injured shoulder limited Matthew Stafford to only three games in 2010, but he returned in 2011 and threw for 5,038 Yards and 41 Touchdowns, both of which are career-highs as of this writing.  31 Years Old, Playing for the Detroit Lions.

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, Quarterback (2013)

Philip Rivers performed well in 2012 but the perception was not that it was not good enough.  In 2013, he did better than the year before with an NFL leading 69.5 Completion Percentage.  He would also throw for 4,478 Yards and 32 Touchdowns.  38 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs, Strong Safety (2015)

Eric Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014 after having been named to the Pro Bowl three times.  Berry returned as a First Team All-Pro and recorded 77 Tackles for the Chiefs in 2015.  31 Years Old, Currently a Free Agent.

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers, Wide Receiver (2017)

In the 2016 season opener, Keenan Allen suffered a torn ACL and would miss the rest of the year.  The Wide Receiver would return to have what is his best year to date. Allen would made his first Pro Bowl and post a career-high 1,393 Receiving Yards.  27 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Chargers.

For the first time we have an award that has generated NO Hall of Famers, but this won’t always be the case with Manning, Brees and Brady as Hall of Fame locks.

We are going to back to the NHL and look at the Bill Masterton Award.

As always, we thank you for that support and look for that soon!

Hmmmm.

This is not the first word that we would normally use in an article in regards to an NFL retirement but we are not positive that this one will stick.

New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski has announced that he is walking away from football after a nine year career where he was one of the most popular players in the game.

Drafted in the 2^ndround out of the University of Arizona in 2010, Gronkowski had a good rookie season highlighted by a three touchdown game against Pittsburgh. 2011 would see him named to the First Team All Pro roster where he led the NFL in Touchdown Receptions with a 1,327 Yard season.  A Pro Bowl selection again in 2012 Gronk was injured for most of the 2013 campaign but returned with a vengeance in 2014 returning to the Pro Bowl, First Team All Pro roster and a 1,000 Yard plus season, which was punctuated by his first Super Bowl win.  2015 and 2107 would also see him named a First Team All Pro.

Gronkowski retires as a three time Super Bowl Champion, five time Pro Bowl and four time First Team All Pro Selection.  He had 521 Receptions for 7,861 Yards and 79 Touchdowns.  Notably in the post season he had 81 Receptions for 1,163 Yards and 12 TDs.

His stats tell a large part of the story but it does not reflect that he was also one of the best blocking Tight Ends, which made him invaluable to the Patriots offense.

Gronkowski will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 and he is likely a Hall of Famer.  The only question we raise is how long it will take.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank “Gronk” for all of the football memories and we are confident that he will give us many off-field moments in the future.