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1976 New England Patriots
Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 11-3-0, Finished 1st in AFC East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 376 points (26.9/g), 2nd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 236 points (16.9/g), 11th.
Differential of 140 points (10.0/g), 4th.
Expected W-L: 10.5-3.5.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +14 (1.0/g), 3rd.
Simple Rating System: Total 8.6, Offense: 6.5, Defense: 2.2, SoS: -1.4, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Chuck Fairbanks (11-3-0)
Training Camp: Bryant College (Smithfield, Rhode Island)
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Starters
ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),Hide Non-primary Starters
| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | ||||||
| QB | Steve Grogan | 23 | 1 | 14 | 145 for 302, 1,903 yards, 18 td, 20 int, & 60 rushes for 397 yards and 12 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| RB | Andy Johnson | 24 | 2 | 13 | 169 rushes for 699 yards, 6 td, & 29 catches for 343 yards and 4 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| FB | Sam Cunningham | 26 | 3 | 11 | 172 rushes for 824 yards, 3 td, & 27 catches for 299 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| WR | Darryl Stingley | 25 | 3 | 13 | 17 catches for 370 yards, 4 td, & 8 rushes for 45 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 19th pick / 1973 |
| WR | Randy Vataha | 28 | 5 | 8 | 11 catches for 192 yards, 1 td | Los Angeles Rams / 17th / 418th pick / 1971 |
| WR | Marlin Briscoe | 31 | 8 | 5 | 10 catches for 136 yards, 1 td | Denver Broncos / 14th / 357th pick / 1968 |
| TE | Russ Francis* | 23 | 1 | 12 | 26 catches for 367 yards, 3 td, & 2 rushes for 12 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1975 |
| LT | Leon Gray* | 25 | 3 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | Miami Dolphins / 3rd / 78th pick / 1973 |
| LG | John Hannah*+ | 25 | 3 | 14 | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 | |
| C | Bill Lenkaitis | 30 | 8 | 14 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 | |
| RG | Sam Adams | 28 | 4 | 14 | ||
| RT | Bob McKay | 29 | 6 | 14 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 21st pick / 1970 | |
| RT | Tom Neville | 33 | 11 | 0 | Boston Patriots / 7th / 55th pick / 1965 Pittsburgh Steelers / 9th / 115th pick / 1965 |
|
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Tony McGee | 27 | 5 | 13 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 64th pick / 1971 | |
| NT | Ray Hamilton | 25 | 3 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 |
| RDE | Julius Adams | 28 | 5 | 14 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 27th pick / 1971 | |
| LOLB | Steve Zabel | 28 | 6 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 6th pick / 1970 |
| LILB | Steve Nelson | 25 | 2 | 10 | 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| RILB | Sam Hunt | 25 | 2 | 11 | 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 15th / 374th pick / 1974 |
| ROLB | Steve King | 25 | 3 | 7 | ||
| ROLB | Pete Barnes | 31 | 9 | 7 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Houston Oilers / 6th / 136th pick / 1967 |
| LCB | Bob Howard | 32 | 9 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 48th pick / 1967 |
| RCB | Mike Haynes* | 23 | Rook | 14 | 8 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| SS | Prentice McCray | 25 | 2 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 8th / 200th pick / 1973 |
| FS | Tim Fox | 23 | Rook | 13 | 3 interceptions, 4 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | John Smith | 27 | 2 | 0 | 15 of 25 field goals & 42 of 46 extra points | |
| P | Mike Patrick | 24 | 1 | 0 | 67 punts for a 40.1 average, 0 blocked | |
| PR | Mike Haynes* | 23 | Rook | 14 | 45 punt returns for a 13.5 average and 2 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| KR | Jess Phillips | 29 | 8 | 0 | 14 kick returns for a 28.4 average and 0 td | Cincinnati Bengals / 4th / 84th pick / 1968 |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Julius Adams | 28 | DE-DT | 14 | 14 | 270 | 6-3 | Texas Southern | 4/26/1948 | 5 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 27th pick / 1971 |
| 61 | Sam Adams | 28 | G-T | 14 | 14 | 256 | 6-3 | Prairie View | 9/20/1948 | 4 | |
| 59 | Pete Barnes | 31 | LB | 13 | 7 | 239 | 6-1 | Southern | 8/31/1945 | 9 | Houston Oilers / 6th / 136th pick / 1967 |
| 27 | Doug Beaudoin | 22 | DB | 9 | 0 | 193 | 6-1 | Minnesota | 5/15/1954 | Rook | New England Patriots / 9th / 243rd pick / 1976 |
| 64 | Richard Bishop | 26 | DE-NT | 14 | 0 | 275 | 6-1 | Louisville | 3/23/1950 | Rook | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 |
| 21 | Joe Blahak | 26 | DB | 2 | 0 | 187 | 5-9 | Nebraska | 8/29/1950 | 3 | Houston Oilers / 8th / 183rd pick / 1973 |
| 88 | Marlin Briscoe | 31 | WR-QB-FL | 14 | 5 | 178 | 5-11 | Nebraska-Omaha | 9/10/1945 | 8 | Denver Broncos / 14th / 357th pick / 1968 |
| 58 | Pete Brock | 22 | C-T-G | 14 | 0 | 267 | 6-5 | Colorado | 7/14/1954 | Rook | New England Patriots / 1st / 12th pick / 1976 |
| 82 | Steve Burks | 23 | WR | 8 | 1 | 211 | 6-5 | Arkansas St. | 8/6/1953 | 1 | New England Patriots / 4th / 91st pick / 1975 |
| 44 | Don Calhoun | 24 | RB | 14 | 3 | 206 | 6-0 | Kansas St. | 4/29/1952 | 2 | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 249th pick / 1974 |
| 21 | Allen Carter | 24 | RB | 1 | 0 | 208 | 5-11 | USC | 12/12/1952 | 1 | New England Patriots / 4th / 86th pick / 1975 |
| 87 | Al Chandler | 26 | TE | 14 | 3 | 233 | 6-2 | Oklahoma | 11/18/1950 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1973 |
| 22 | Dick Conn | 25 | DB | 13 | 1 | 185 | 6-0 | Georgia | 1/9/1951 | 2 | |
| 39 | Sam Cunningham | 26 | RB | 11 | 11 | 226 | 6-3 | USC | 8/15/1950 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| 83 | Ricky Feacher | 22 | WR | 3 | 0 | 174 | 5-10 | Miss. Valley St. | 2/11/1954 | Rook | New England Patriots / 10th / 270th pick / 1976 |
| 38 | Ike Forte | 22 | RB | 10 | 1 | 203 | 6-0 | Arkansas | 3/8/1954 | Rook | New England Patriots / 2nd / 35th pick / 1976 |
| 48 | Tim Fox | 23 | DB | 13 | 13 | 186 | 5-11 | Ohio St. | 11/1/1953 | Rook | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| 81 | Russ Francis* | 23 | TE | 13 | 12 | 240 | 6-6 | Oregon | 4/3/1953 | 1 | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1975 |
| 29 | Willie Germany | 28 | DB | 10 | 0 | 192 | 6-0 | Morgan St. | 5/9/1948 | 4 | Washington Redskins / 7th / 166th pick / 1971 |
| 70 | Leon Gray* | 25 | T-G | 14 | 14 | 256 | 6-3 | Jackson St. | 11/15/1951 | 3 | Miami Dolphins / 3rd / 78th pick / 1973 |
| 14 | Steve Grogan | 23 | QB | 14 | 14 | 210 | 6-4 | Kansas St. | 7/24/1953 | 1 | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| 71 | Ray Hamilton | 25 | NT-DE | 14 | 14 | 244 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 1/20/1951 | 3 | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 |
| 73 | John Hannah*+ | 25 | G | 14 | 14 | 265 | 6-2 | Alabama | 4/4/1951 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| 40 | Mike Haynes* | 23 | DB | 14 | 14 | 192 | 6-2 | Arizona St. | 7/1/1953 | Rook | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| 24 | Bob Howard | 32 | DB | 14 | 14 | 174 | 6-2 | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo,San Diego St. | 11/24/1944 | 9 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 48th pick / 1967 |
| 50 | Sam Hunt | 25 | LB | 14 | 11 | 248 | 6-1 | S.F. Austin | 8/6/1951 | 2 | New England Patriots / 15th / 374th pick / 1974 |
| 32 | Andy Johnson | 24 | RB | 14 | 13 | 204 | 6-0 | Georgia | 10/18/1952 | 2 | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| 52 | Steve King | 25 | LB | 11 | 7 | 232 | 6-4 | Tulsa | 6/10/1951 | 3 | |
| 67 | Bill Lenkaitis | 30 | C-G | 14 | 14 | 255 | 6-4 | Penn St. | 6/30/1946 | 8 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 |
| 72 | Mel Lunsford | 26 | DE-DT-NT | 14 | 1 | 256 | 6-3 | Central State (OH) | 6/13/1950 | 3 | Oakland Raiders / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1972 |
| 34 | Prentice McCray | 25 | DB | 14 | 14 | 188 | 6-1 | Arizona St. | 3/1/1951 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 8th / 200th pick / 1973 |
| 78 | Tony McGee | 27 | DE-DT | 14 | 13 | 250 | 6-4 | Wyoming,Bishop | 1/18/1949 | 5 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 64th pick / 1971 |
| 66 | Bob McKay | 29 | T-G | 14 | 14 | 260 | 6-5 | Texas | 12/27/1947 | 6 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 21st pick / 1970 |
| 75 | Arthur Moore | 25 | NT-DT | 4 | 0 | 253 | 6-5 | Tulsa | 4/4/1951 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers / 6th / 149th pick / 1973 |
| 57 | Steve Nelson | 25 | LB | 10 | 10 | 230 | 6-2 | Augsburg,North Dakota St. | 4/26/1951 | 2 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| 77 | Tom Neville | 33 | T | 14 | 0 | 260 | 6-4 | Mississippi St. | 8/12/1943 | 11 | Boston Patriots / 7th / 55th pick / 1965 Pittsburgh Steelers / 9th / 115th pick / 1965 |
| 17 | Tom Owen | 24 | QB | 2 | 0 | 195 | 6-1 | Wichita St. | 9/1/1952 | 2 | San Francisco 49ers / 13th / 322nd pick / 1974 |
| 2 | Mike Patrick | 24 | P | 14 | 0 | 209 | 6-0 | Mississippi St. | 9/6/1952 | 1 | |
| 35 | Jess Phillips | 29 | RB-DB | 13 | 0 | 210 | 6-1 | Michigan St. | 2/28/1947 | 8 | Cincinnati Bengals / 4th / 84th pick / 1968 |
| 53 | Jim Romaniszyn | 25 | LB | 11 | 2 | 224 | 6-2 | Edinboro | 9/17/1951 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 13th / 334th pick / 1973 |
| 25 | John Sanders | 26 | DB | 2 | 0 | 175 | 6-1 | South Dakota | 1/11/1950 | 2 | |
| 1 | John Smith | 27 | K | 14 | 0 | 186 | 6-0 | King Alfred's (England),South (England) | 12/30/1949 | 2 | |
| 84 | Darryl Stingley | 25 | WR | 13 | 13 | 194 | 6-0 | Purdue | 9/18/1951 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 19th pick / 1973 |
| 63 | Fred Sturt | 25 | G | 14 | 0 | 255 | 6-4 | Bowling Green | 1/6/1951 | 2 | St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 59th pick / 1973 |
| 51 | Donnie Thomas | 23 | LB | 3 | 1 | 245 | 6-2 | Indiana | 3/12/1953 | Rook | New England Patriots / 11th / 298th pick / 1976 |
| 60 | David Tipton | 23 | NT-DT | 8 | 0 | 255 | 6-1 | West. Illinois | 12/10/1953 | 1 | |
| 18 | Randy Vataha | 28 | WR | 12 | 8 | 176 | 5-10 | Stanford | 12/4/1948 | 5 | Los Angeles Rams / 17th / 418th pick / 1971 |
| 90 | George Webster | 31 | LB | 13 | 3 | 220 | 6-4 | Michigan St. | 11/25/1945 | 9 | Houston Oilers / 1st / 5th pick / 1967 |
| 54 | Steve Zabel | 28 | LB-TE | 14 | 14 | 235 | 6-4 | Oklahoma | 3/20/1948 | 6 | Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 6th pick / 1970 |
| Team Total | 25.8 | 14 | 222.1 | 6-1.8 | 3.2 |