The New England Patriots are one of the most successful teams in NFL history, and players like Andre Tippett, Richard Seymour and Rob Gronkowski have an argument to make the Patriots' Mount Rushmore, but they just missed the cut.
Some of New England's most iconic names could be on the Mount Rushmore of all-time great NFL players and coaches. For now, let's take a look at the Patriots' Mount Rushmore.
Tom Brady
There can be no Mount Rushmore for the Patriots without the greatest quarterback in franchise history, Tom Brady. After being selected in the sixth round for the 2000 draft, Brady was mostly an afterthought of the draft class. Once he got a chance to start for the Patriots, he never gave the job back. Brady won six Super Bowl championships and was named the MVP in four. He was also named the NFL MVP three times.
Ty Law
Ty Law was a member of the Patriots from 1995-2004 as a lockdown defensive back. Law totaled 36 interceptions with New England, and twice, in 1998 and 2005, he led the league in picks. After his first couple of years with the Patriots, quarterbacks wouldn't even look his way because they knew they weren't going to complete a pass towards his side. He was named to the All-Pro first time twice, and four Pro Bowls. He was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams and in 2019, he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri's clutch kicking allowed the Patriots to win a pair of Super Bowls. In Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII Vinatieri hit last-second kicks from over 40 yards that sealed a victory. In 10 seasons with New England, Vinatieri made 81.9 percent of his kicks during the regular season, and 76.5 percent of his kicks during the playoffs. Just based on the Super Bowl wins he sealed, he gets a spot on Mount Rushmore.
Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick took over as the head coach as the Patriots in 2000 and the rest was history. Belichick has a 273-126 record during the regular season and 31-12 during the postseason. As the coach, he has led the Patriots to six Super Bowls, being named the AP NFL coach of the year three times.
The Super Bowls are impressive, but it never would have happened without his skills at developing players and finding draft gems. Just like Brady, many of the best players for the Patriots were taken in top rounds of the draft.
Follow Us
Subscribe