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1978 New England Patriots
Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 11-5-0, Finished 1st in AFC East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 358 points (22.4/g), 4th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 286 points (17.9/g), 13th.
Differential of 72 points (4.5/g), 5th.
Expected W-L: 10.1-5.9.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -3 (-0.2/g), 17th.
Simple Rating System: Total 5.0, Offense: 3.6, Defense: 1.4, SoS: 0.5, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Hank Bullough (0-1-0) (co-coach with Ron Erhardt), Ron Erhardt (0-1-0) and Chuck Fairbanks (11-4-0)
Offensive Coordinator: Ron Erhardt
Defensive Coordinator: Hank Bullough
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 | 25 | 3 | 16 | 181 for 362, 2,824 yards, 15 td, 23 int, & 81 rushes for 539 yards and 5 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| RB | Andy Johnson | 26 | 4 | 13 | 147 rushes for 675 yards, 3 td, & 26 catches for 267 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| FB | Sam Cunningham* | 28 | 5 | 14 | 199 rushes for 768 yards, 8 td, & 31 catches for 297 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| WR | Harold Jackson | 32 | 10 | 13 | 37 catches for 743 yards, 6 td, & 1 rush for 7 yards and 0 td | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 323rd pick / 1968 |
| WR | Stanley Morgan | 23 | 1 | 16 | 34 catches for 820 yards, 5 td, & 2 rushes for 11 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| TE | Russ Francis* | 25 | 3 | 15 | 39 catches for 543 yards, 4 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1975 |
| LT | Leon Gray*+ | 27 | 5 | 16 | Miami Dolphins / 3rd / 78th pick / 1973 | |
| LG | John Hannah*+ | 27 | 5 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| C | Bill Lenkaitis | 32 | 10 | 16 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 | |
| RG | Sam Adams | 30 | 6 | 16 | ||
| RT | Shelby Jordan | 26 | 3 | 16 | Houston Oilers / 7th / 157th pick / 1973 | |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Mel Lunsford | 28 | 5 | 15 | Oakland Raiders / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1972 | |
| NT | Ray Hamilton | 27 | 5 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 |
| RDE | Richard Bishop | 28 | 2 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 |
| LOLB | Steve Zabel | 30 | 8 | 11 | 1 interception, 3 fumbles recovered | Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 6th pick / 1970 |
| LOLB | Steve King | 27 | 5 | 5 | ||
| LILB | Steve Nelson | 27 | 4 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 4 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| RILB | Sam Hunt | 27 | 4 | 15 | New England Patriots / 15th / 374th pick / 1974 | |
| ROLB | Rod Shoate | 25 | 3 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 41st pick / 1975 |
| LCB | Raymond Clayborn | 23 | 1 | 16 | 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| RCB | Mike Haynes* | 25 | 2 | 16 | 6 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| SS | Doug Beaudoin | 24 | 2 | 13 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 9th / 243rd pick / 1976 |
| FS | Tim Fox | 25 | 2 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | David Posey | 22 | Rook | 0 | 11 of 22 field goals & 29 of 31 extra points | San Francisco 49ers / 9th / 239th pick / 1977 |
| P | Jerrel Wilson | 37 | 15 | 0 | 54 punts for a 35.6 average, 0 blocked | Kansas City Chiefs / 11th / 88th pick / 1963 Los Angeles Rams / 17th / 225th pick / 1963 |
| PR | Stanley Morgan | 23 | 1 | 16 | 32 punt returns for a 10.5 average and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| KR | Raymond Clayborn | 23 | 1 | 16 | 27 kick returns for a 23.6 average and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Julius Adams | 30 | DE-DT | 1 | 1 | 270 | 6-3 | Texas Southern | 4/26/1948 | 7 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 27th pick / 1971 |
| 61 | Sam Adams | 30 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 256 | 6-3 | Prairie View | 9/20/1948 | 6 | |
| 27 | Doug Beaudoin | 24 | DB | 15 | 13 | 193 | 6-1 | Minnesota | 5/15/1954 | 2 | New England Patriots / 9th / 243rd pick / 1976 |
| 64 | Richard Bishop | 28 | DE-NT | 16 | 15 | 275 | 6-1 | Louisville | 3/23/1950 | 2 | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 |
| 65 | Greg Boyd | 26 | DE | 10 | 0 | 274 | 6-6 | San Diego St. | 9/15/1952 | 1 | New England Patriots / 6th / 170th pick / 1976 |
| 58 | Pete Brock | 24 | C-T-G | 15 | 0 | 267 | 6-5 | Colorado | 7/14/1954 | 2 | New England Patriots / 1st / 12th pick / 1976 |
| 21 | Sidney Brown | 22 | DB | 16 | 0 | 186 | 6-0 | Oklahoma | 1/27/1956 | Rook | New England Patriots / 3rd / 82nd pick / 1977 |
| 44 | Don Calhoun | 26 | RB | 14 | 2 | 206 | 6-0 | Kansas St. | 4/29/1952 | 4 | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 249th pick / 1974 |
| 82 | Al Chandler | 28 | TE | 4 | 0 | 233 | 6-2 | Oklahoma | 11/18/1950 | 5 | Cincinnati Bengals / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1973 |
| 26 | Raymond Clayborn | 23 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 6-0 | Texas | 1/2/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| 22 | Dick Conn | 27 | DB | 15 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Georgia | 1/9/1951 | 4 | |
| 55 | Ray Costict | 23 | LB | 16 | 3 | 217 | 6-0 | Mississippi St. | 3/19/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 11th / 303rd pick / 1977 |
| 75 | Bob Cryder | 22 | T-G | 5 | 0 | 275 | 6-4 | Alabama | 9/7/1956 | Rook | New England Patriots / 1st / 18th pick / 1978 |
| 39 | Sam Cunningham* | 28 | RB | 16 | 14 | 226 | 6-3 | USC | 8/15/1950 | 5 | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| 68 | Terry Falcon | 23 | G-T | 8 | 0 | 260 | 6-3 | Minot St.,Montana | 8/30/1955 | Rook | New England Patriots / 8th / 198th pick / 1978 |
| 48 | Tim Fox | 25 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 5-11 | Ohio St. | 11/1/1953 | 2 | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| 81 | Russ Francis* | 25 | TE | 15 | 15 | 240 | 6-6 | Oregon | 4/3/1953 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1975 |
| 70 | Leon Gray*+ | 27 | T-G | 16 | 16 | 256 | 6-3 | Jackson St. | 11/15/1951 | 5 | Miami Dolphins / 3rd / 78th pick / 1973 |
| 14 | Steve Grogan | 25 | QB | 16 | 16 | 210 | 6-4 | Kansas St. | 7/24/1953 | 3 | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| 71 | Ray Hamilton | 27 | NT-DE | 16 | 16 | 244 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 1/20/1951 | 5 | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 |
| 73 | John Hannah*+ | 27 | G | 16 | 16 | 265 | 6-2 | Alabama | 4/4/1951 | 5 | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| 80 | Don Hasselbeck | 23 | TE | 16 | 4 | 245 | 6-7 | Colorado | 4/1/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1977 |
| 59 | Mike Hawkins | 23 | LB | 12 | 0 | 235 | 6-2 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 10/29/1955 | Rook | New England Patriots / 7th / 188th pick / 1978 |
| 40 | Mike Haynes* | 25 | DB | 16 | 16 | 192 | 6-2 | Arizona St. | 7/1/1953 | 2 | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| 63 | Ernie Holmes | 30 | DT-NT | 3 | 0 | 260 | 6-3 | Texas Southern | 7/11/1948 | 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 8th / 203rd pick / 1971 |
| 50 | Sam Hunt | 27 | LB | 15 | 15 | 248 | 6-1 | S.F. Austin | 8/6/1951 | 4 | New England Patriots / 15th / 374th pick / 1974 |
| 23 | Horace Ivory | 24 | RB | 15 | 3 | 197 | 6-0 | Oklahoma | 8/8/1954 | 1 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 44th pick / 1977 |
| 29 | Harold Jackson | 32 | WR-FL | 16 | 13 | 175 | 5-10 | Jackson St. | 1/6/1946 | 10 | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 323rd pick / 1968 |
| 32 | Andy Johnson | 26 | RB | 15 | 13 | 204 | 6-0 | Georgia | 10/18/1952 | 4 | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| 74 | Shelby Jordan | 26 | T | 16 | 16 | 260 | 6-7 | Washington (MO) | 1/23/1952 | 3 | Houston Oilers / 7th / 157th pick / 1973 |
| 52 | Steve King | 27 | LB | 16 | 5 | 232 | 6-4 | Tulsa | 6/10/1951 | 5 | |
| 53 | Merv Krakau | 27 | LB | 1 | 0 | 242 | 6-2 | Iowa St. | 5/16/1951 | 5 | Buffalo Bills / 14th / 344th pick / 1973 |
| 67 | Bill Lenkaitis | 32 | C-G | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-4 | Penn St. | 6/30/1946 | 10 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 |
| 7 | Nick Lowery | 22 | K | 2 | 0 | 215 | 6-4 | Dartmouth | 5/27/1956 | Rook | |
| 72 | Mel Lunsford | 28 | DE-DT-NT | 16 | 15 | 256 | 6-3 | Central State (OH) | 6/13/1950 | 5 | Oakland Raiders / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1972 |
| 37 | James McAlister | 27 | RB | 16 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | UCLA | 9/5/1951 | 3 | Oakland Raiders / 6th / 148th pick / 1974 |
| 34 | Prentice McCray | 27 | DB | 8 | 3 | 188 | 6-1 | Arizona St. | 3/1/1951 | 4 | Detroit Lions / 8th / 200th pick / 1973 |
| 78 | Tony McGee | 29 | DE-DT | 16 | 1 | 250 | 6-4 | Wyoming,Bishop | 1/18/1949 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 64th pick / 1971 |
| 66 | Bob McKay | 31 | T-G | 12 | 0 | 260 | 6-5 | Texas | 12/27/1947 | 8 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 21st pick / 1970 |
| 86 | Stanley Morgan | 23 | WR | 16 | 16 | 181 | 5-11 | Tennessee | 2/17/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| 57 | Steve Nelson | 27 | LB | 14 | 14 | 230 | 6-2 | Augsburg,North Dakota St. | 4/26/1951 | 4 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| 17 | Tom Owen | 26 | QB | 2 | 0 | 195 | 6-1 | Wichita St. | 9/1/1952 | 4 | San Francisco 49ers / 13th / 322nd pick / 1974 |
| 2 | Mike Patrick | 26 | P | 1 | 0 | 209 | 6-0 | Mississippi St. | 9/6/1952 | 3 | |
| 88 | Carlos Pennywell | 22 | WR | 16 | 0 | 180 | 6-2 | Grambling St. | 3/18/1956 | Rook | New England Patriots / 3rd / 77th pick / 1978 |
| 9 | David Posey | 22 | K | 11 | 0 | 167 | 5-11 | Florida | 4/1/1956 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 9th / 239th pick / 1977 |
| 76 | Greg Schaum | 24 | DE | 14 | 0 | 246 | 6-4 | Michigan St. | 1/1/1954 | 2 | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 186th pick / 1976 |
| 56 | Rod Shoate | 25 | LB | 15 | 15 | 214 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 4/26/1953 | 3 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 41st pick / 1975 |
| 1 | John Smith | 29 | K | 3 | 0 | 186 | 6-0 | King Alfred's (England),South (England) | 12/30/1949 | 4 | |
| 63 | Fred Sturt | 27 | G | 1 | 0 | 255 | 6-4 | Bowling Green | 1/6/1951 | 4 | St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 59th pick / 1973 |
| 30 | Mosi Tatupu | 23 | RB | 16 | 0 | 227 | 6-0 | USC | 4/26/1955 | Rook | New England Patriots / 8th / 215th pick / 1978 |
| 83 | Don Westbrook | 26 | WR | 16 | 0 | 185 | 5-10 | Nebraska | 11/1/1952 | 1 | Baltimore Colts / 6th / 131st pick / 1975 |
| 62 | Dwight Wheeler | 23 | T-C-G | 2 | 0 | 269 | 6-3 | Tennessee St. | 1/13/1955 | Rook | New England Patriots / 4th / 102nd pick / 1978 |
| 4 | Jerrel Wilson | 37 | P-RB | 14 | 0 | 222 | 6-2 | Southern Miss | 10/4/1941 | 15 | Kansas City Chiefs / 11th / 88th pick / 1963 Los Angeles Rams / 17th / 225th pick / 1963 |
| 54 | Steve Zabel | 30 | LB-TE | 11 | 11 | 235 | 6-4 | Oklahoma | 3/20/1948 | 8 | Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 6th pick / 1970 |
| Team Total | 26.2 | 16 | 226.5 | 6-2.1 | 3.5 |