Top 5 Unsung New England Patriots

Since 2001 The New England Patriots have been a dynasty. They've won four Superbowls, been to six, had an undefeated regular season and have boasted Hall of Fame talent on offense, defense and special teams. The Patriots have had 3 constants throughout their success, owner Bob Kraft, head coach Bill Bellichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Along the way they've had special players, coaches and front office staff that paved the way for this incredible 16 year run. The names are a who's who in Patriots lore. Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, Willie Mcginnest, Lawyer Milloy, Rodney Harrison, Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Corey Dillon and on and on. 

There are some players who's contributions have been lost to history. Whether they had just one moment in the sun or it wasn't heavily covered by the media, some players contributed to championships or special moments that people seem to have forgotten. These 5 guys seem to get no credit at all for championship teams they were apart of so its time to pay tribute to them.

5. Jonas Gray

 The only one on this list who's contribution was not during the playoffs but his contribution was definitely significant. Jonas Gray was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Miami Dolphins following the 2012 draft. He suffered a knee injury in college and was unable to contribute to the Dolphins that season. The following year was spent rotting on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. In 2014 he was on the Patriots practice squad when he was activated against the New York Jets. His one moment in the sun came against the Indianapolis Colts and their pathetic run defense. Using an extra offensive lineman to pound the ball, Gray rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots thrashed the Colts 42-20. Gray became an instant star and made the cover of Sports Illustrated for his effort. Unfortunately for Gray, his shooting star crashed and burned as fast as it rose. The following week after the Colts game Gray was reportedly late for a team meeting and Belichick put him in the doghouse. He never got out as he was inactive for most of the rest of the season and was released in training camp the following year. He's bounced around on practice squads ever since. The Patriots used the blueprint in that Indy game and literally used the same exact gameplan in that season's AFC Championship game in a rematch with the Colts. LeGarrette Blount ran over the Colts to aid the Patriots to a 45-7 massacre that sent them to Superbowl. So even though his time in the spotlight was short, it sure was memorable even if it was for one week.


4. Josh Boyce

Misinformed NFL fans like to whine that the Patriots "cheat" to maintain their success year after year after year. The real reason to any of those uninformed termites reading this is quite frankly Belichick's 35-53 on the roster is better than yours. Belichick knows an NFL season is pure attrition. Injuries are part of the game and every year somebody is going to go down. Belichick is always three steps ahead by putting together a bottom of the roster rotation that can step in and contribute at any time. Not only that, he puts as much emphasis on the Practice Squad and practice itself as he does the main roster plus any regular season game. That's where Josh Boyce made his mark during the historic 2014 season.  Boyce was a 4th round draft pick in 2013 and he only made 9 catches before being placed on IR with a bad foot. The following year he was on the practice squad until Alfonzo Dennard was placed on IR and he was activated to the main roster in December 2014. His big moment came not in a game, but in practice during Superbowl 49 week. Playing the role of Ricardo Lockette, Boyce beat cornerback Malcolm Butler on a goal line pass that the Seattle Seahawks eventually ran in the Superbowl. Belichick told the rookie corner to get aggressive and make a beeline for the ball. Sure enough in Superbowl 49, the Seahawks got down to the 1 yard line with 45 seconds left and ran the exact same play the Patriots practiced during the week. This time Butler stepped in front of the real Lockette, intercepted the ball and sealed the victory for New England. All of that happened in some part due to Boyce being in the right place and the right time in practice in order for Butler to learn from it. That was it for Boyce in terms of production as he suffered a training camp injury in 2015 and missed the whole season. One of 19 guys that were on IR by the end of the year. So for the Patriots haters that can't imagine why they win year after year, look at Boyce. The guy barely played yet did his job in practice which led to a Superbowl victory.


3. Damon Huard

Its one thing to pull a Josh Boyce and be in the right place at the right time in practice once. Its another to be a quintessential practice player and peacemaker for 3 full seasons knowing you may never see the field. What Damon Huard accomplished from 2001-03 won't be on a stat sheet but anyone on the team those years will tell you just how important he was. Damon was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Washington U (teammates with future Patriots Lawyer Milloy and Cam Cleeland) by Cincinnati in 1996. He made his name as Dan Marino's top backup from 1997-2000 in Miami including a big win in 1999 over the Patriots that helped Miami make the playoffs that year. After Miami decided to go with Jay Fiedler following the 2000 season, Huard signed with the Patriots expecting to be backup to Drew Bledsoe. What no one saw coming but a select few was the rise of Tom Brady. Brady and Huard went head to head for the backup job in the 2001 pre-season with Brady winning. Bill Belichick even admitted that Brady had played better than Bledsoe but kept Bledsoe the starter because of Tom's inexperience. Then came Week 2 when New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis put Drew Bledsoe in the hospital and Tom Brady became the stater. This is where Huard earned his money by simultaneously guiding Brady and calming down Bledsoe who never got his job back. Huard and Bledsoe kept things private to not cause a team distraction even after Belichick emphatically named Brady the starter going forward. Following the Patriots Superbowl 36 victory over the St Louis Rams, the Patriots traded Bledsoe to Buffalo and drafted quarterback Rohan Davey. For the next two seasons, once again Huard played the role of scout team QB and mentor to both Brady and Davey. His biggest contribution came in practice the week leading up to the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Huard was assigned to imitate Peyton Manning including every idiosyncratic movement and gibberish coming out of his mouth. After the Patriots dispatched Manning and the Colts to win their second AFC crown in 3 years, Belichick gave the game ball to Huard for his role as Manning during the week. After another Superbowl victory over the Panthers, Huard moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs for the next 5 seasons, achieving marginal success. Still, for playing peacemaker, mentor, scout team QB and acting like Peyton Manning, Huard definitely did everything he was asked to do and more.


2. Sterling Moore

Unlike the previous 3 guys, Sterling Moore's contribution came during an actual playoff game on a pretty big stage. A lot of sport success stories have an obscure player making one little contribution to a championship winning team. Had Malcolm Butler not turned into a pro-bowl cornerback the last two seasons, he'd be the epitome of that with his Superbowl 49 interception. Little used Glenn McDonald coming off the bench for the Boston Celtics to help win a crucial NBA Finals game, little known Buster Douglas knocking out the previously unbeatable Mike Tyson, and little used Timmy Smith's 200 yards rushing in Superbowl 22. Sterling Moore was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted rookie in 2011 but was cut before the season started. He was signed to the Patriots practice squad for most of the regular season until late December. He managed 2 picks in a Week 17 win over Buffalo but his moment of glory came in the AFC Championship game against Baltimore. Leading 23-20 but with Baltimore driving in the Red Zone, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco found Lee Evans in the end-zone with 25 seconds left but Moore heroically slapped the ball out of Lee's hands at the last second. Moments later, Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 32 yard field goal which sent the Patriots to Superbowl 46. Moore didn't make any radical plays in Superbowl 46 and returned to the practice squad the following year until he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys. He's bounced around since then but he'll be known for making that one big play that sent the Patriots to Superbowl 46.


1. Antwan Harris

Unlike the previous four, Harris didn't have just one moment in the sun. He had several that seem to be overlooked as the years go by. Harris was drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft just 12 slots ahead of Tom Brady. He was a backup safety to Lawyer Milloy and Tebucky Jones in 2000-01 before becoming an unexpected factor in the 2001 post-season. His first big moment came in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh. Trailing 14-3 in the 3rd quarter, the Steelers lined up for a field goal only for it to be blocked. Patriots receiver Troy Brown picked up the ball and ran for the opposite end-zone. When Steelers defenders caught up to Troy, he looked to his left and saw Harris running alone next to him. Brown lateraled to Harris as he went down and Antwan took it to the house for a touchdown and a 21-3 Patriots lead. New England held on to win 24-17 and advance to Superbowl 36. Harris wasn't done yet in the post-season. Late in the second quarter of the Superbowl against the St Louis Rams, Harris popped Rams receiver Ricky Proehl forcing him to fumble. The Patriots recovered and Tom Brady found receiver David Patten in the end-zone for a touchdown. The Patriots went on to win 20-17 for their first world championship. While Harris never made another huge impact like that again, he maintained his reserve role for the following 3 seasons, including starting opposite Rodney Harrison in the 2003 season opener after Lawyer Milloy was cut. Harris picked up two more rings in 2003 and 2004 before moving on to the Cleveland Browns in 2005. So for Antwan to be the only 3 time ring winner on this list...that makes him Number 1.

There's been hundreds of players that came to Foxborro from 2001 to the present and there are much more than 5 guys that have contributed to Superbowl championships and AFC crowns. These 5 men embrace the motto of "Do Your Job" even if their runs were very brief in the timeline. Patriots fans are spoiled with four championships, 6 Superbowl appearances and 14 Division titles in 16 years, so the littany of players is much more broad than a team like the New Orleans Saints that's won just one Superbowl in their 50 year history. There's also been some folk heroes such as Danny Woodhead and Earthwind Moreland, scrappy players like Ben Jarvis Green Ellis, countless offensive lineman who's best work aren't on the stat sheet and even infamous players such as Aaron Hernandez and Albert Haynesworth. Still, for these 5 to jump out of a crowd even if for a brief moment, they deserve recognition.