There have been many successful players for the Patriots. Tom Brady, their quarterback from 2000 to now, is their all-time passing leader with 57,894 yards. Their all-time rushing leader is Sam Cunningham, who played from 1973 to 1982, with 5,453 rushing yards. The all-time receiving leader is Stanley Morgan, who played from 1977 to 1989, with 10,352 receiving yards. Stephen Gostkowski is their current kicker, having started with them in 2006. He is known as the most accurate kicker in Patriot history and one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history and is their all-time scoring leader with 1,326 points. Lastly, Bill Belichick is the most successful Patriot coach, having led the team to 187 wins.
The Patriots have made it to the Super Bowl eight times and have won four of those eight appearances. Their first win was in 2001 against the St. Louis Rams, 20-17. In 2003 they faced the Carolina Panthers, winning 32-29. In 2004, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a very close game, 24-21. And their last Super Bowl victory was in 2014 against the Seattle Seahawks, beating the Seahawks by four with the score of 28-24.
Tom Brady did not enter the NFL as most would think. His entrance was extremely surprising as a sixth-round draft pick to be the fourth-string quarterback. When he introduced himself to owner Robert Kraft, he didn’t let his position in the draft, being such a late pick, get him down, and he didn’t hesitate to exude confidence. I am honestly shocked, because I thought he was probably drafted in the first round somewhere, but the truth is far from it. Though he was drafted so late, Brady was not affected by the lack of confidence in him. His confidence was still sky high, showing Kraft exactly how he felt about their pick of him: “I’m the best decision this organization has ever made.” The talent and hard work he puts in has definitely brought truth to what he said.
Article Written by: Erin Irish