Cook’s Top 5: New England Patriots Quarterbacks

Steve Cook lists the Top 5 New England Patriots quarterback, and #1 is obvious, right? RIGHT?!?!

The New England Patriots are largely known for one quarterback. We’re here to list five of them. It’s a thing.

5. Tony Eason

Eason was one of six starting NFL quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, going to New England with the fifteenth pick. Eason didn’t reach the heights of Elway, Kelly or Marino, but he did lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl. The less said about what happened there, the better. Eason was pulled from Super Bowl XX in the second quarter without completing a pass.

Eason did throw for over 3,000 yards in the 1984 & 86 seasons, but set a record in the 1984 season by getting sacked 59 times. Granted, this record would only last a season.

4. Babe Parilli

There was a time when the University of Kentucky was really good at football. A young Paul “Bear” Bryant was coaching, and Babe Parilli was the quarterback. Parilli bounced around the NFL & CFL during the 1950s, finding his way into the AFL in 1960. The Raiders traded him to the Boston Patriots in 1961, where he would have the longest & most successful stint of his professional career.

Parilli was selected to three AFL All-Stat Games and led the team to the championship game in 1963. His finest season was 1964, where he threw for 3465 yards & 31 touchdowns, leading the AFL in each category. These numbers would stand as franchise records until 1994 & 2007 respectively.

3. Steve Grogan

Before guys like Michael Vick & Lamar Jackson came along and made quarterbacks running around all day an acceptable way to run an offense, Grogan was doing similar stuff for the Patriots. He got off to a rocky start, but 1976 was a coming out party. Grogan led the Patriots to an eleven win season while rushing for twelve touchdowns. That would remain an NFL record until Cam Newton’s fourteen rushing touchdowns in 2011. The late-70s Pats were known for rushing the ball, the 1978 team set a record with 3,156 rushing yards that wouldn’t be broken until the 2019 Baltimore Ravens came along.

Grogan could also throw the ball, leading the NFL with 28 passing touchdowns in 1979. Unfortunately, Grogan ran into the problems that fans & experts fear for rushing quarterbacks: injuries. Grogan wouldn’t start more than six games in a season during the 1980s, as the Patriots were forced to find other options due to his inablity to stay on the field. He was an important part of their 1985 Super Bowl run, but Tony Eason started more games.

2. Drew Bledsoe

We all know the Patriots became The Patriots during the 2000s, but the franchise started moving in the right direction during the 1990s. Bill Parcells made a difference when he came in to coach the team, and the first overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft became the Patriots’ first true franchise quarterback. Bledsoe went to three Pro Bowls, led the league in passing yards in 1994, and led the Patriots to one Super Bowl appearance & four playoff appearances during his years as QB1. He started to go downhill after 1997, and fans wondered if the team should have moved on from Bledsoe instead of giving him a big contract.

It became a moot point when Bledsoe was seriously injured in the second game of the 2001 season. A blood vessel in his chest was sheared by a big hit, and Bledsoe wouldn’t return until a relief appearance in the AFC Championship Game. Bledsoe’s replacement during the 2001 season would keep the job for most of the next two decades, while Drew would move on to Buffalo & Dallas, where he would give way to Tony Romo & help launch another memorable career. Not quite as memorable as #1 on this list, but not bad either.

1. Tom Brady

I don’t think this one requires much explanation, but let’s take a look at this franchise before & during Brady’s time in New England.

Before:

• 0 Championships
• 3 Super Bowl/AFL Championship Game appearances
• 10 playoff appearances
• 9 double digit win seasons
• 14 double digit loss seasons

During:

• 6 Championships
• 9 Super Bowl appearances
• 17 playoff appearances
• 18 double digit win seasons
• 0 double digit loss seasons

Simply put, the New England Patriots became relevant because of a quarterback they drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Three-time MVP, fourteen-time Pro Bowler, four-time league leader in touchdowns, three-time league leader in passing yards.

Need anything else? I doubt it.

Thanks for reading! Join us next time, when we look at the New Orleans Saints!