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1979 New England Patriots
Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 9-7-0, Finished 2nd in AFC East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 411 points (25.7/g), 2nd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 326 points (20.4/g), 15th.
Differential of 85 points (5.3/g), 3rd.
Expected W-L: 10.1-5.9.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +4 (0.2/g), 9th.
Simple Rating System: Total 5.1, Offense: 6.1, Defense: -1.1, SoS: -0.2, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Ron Erhardt (9-7-0)
Offensive Coordinator: Jim Ringo
Defensive Coordinator: Fritz Shurmur
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 | 26 | 4 | 16 | 206 for 423, 3,286 yards, 28 td, 20 int, & 64 rushes for 368 yards and 2 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| RB | Horace Ivory | 25 | 2 | 9 | 143 rushes for 522 yards, 1 td, & 23 catches for 216 yards and 2 td | New England Patriots / 2nd / 44th pick / 1977 |
| RB | Andy Johnson | 27 | 5 | 5 | 43 rushes for 132 yards, 1 td, & 9 catches for 68 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| FB | Sam Cunningham | 29 | 6 | 12 | 159 rushes for 563 yards, 5 td, & 29 catches for 236 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| FB | Don Calhoun | 27 | 5 | 6 | 137 rushes for 456 yards, 5 td, & 15 catches for 66 yards and 1 td | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 249th pick / 1974 |
| WR | Harold Jackson | 33 | 11 | 16 | 45 catches for 1,013 yards, 7 td, & 3 rushes for 12 yards and 0 td | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 323rd pick / 1968 |
| WR | Stanley Morgan* | 24 | 2 | 16 | 44 catches for 1,002 yards, 12 td, & 7 rushes for 39 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| TE | Russ Francis | 26 | 4 | 12 | 39 catches for 557 yards, 5 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1975 |
| LT | Dwight Wheeler | 24 | 1 | 10 | New England Patriots / 4th / 102nd pick / 1978 | |
| LT | Pete Brock | 25 | 3 | 7 | New England Patriots / 1st / 12th pick / 1976 | |
| LG | John Hannah*+ | 28 | 6 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| C | Bill Lenkaitis | 33 | 11 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 |
| RG | Sam Adams | 31 | 7 | 13 | ||
| RT | Shelby Jordan | 27 | 4 | 12 | 1 fumble recovered | Houston Oilers / 7th / 157th pick / 1973 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Mel Lunsford | 29 | 6 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Oakland Raiders / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1972 |
| NT | Ray Hamilton | 28 | 6 | 16 | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 | |
| RDE | Richard Bishop | 29 | 3 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 |
| LOLB | Mike Hawkins | 24 | 1 | 14 | 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 7th / 188th pick / 1978 |
| LILB | Steve Nelson | 28 | 5 | 15 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| RILB | Sam Hunt | 28 | 5 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 15th / 374th pick / 1974 |
| ROLB | Rod Shoate | 26 | 4 | 14 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 41st pick / 1975 |
| LCB | Raymond Clayborn | 24 | 2 | 16 | 5 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| RCB | Mike Haynes* | 26 | 3 | 15 | 3 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| SS | Doug Beaudoin | 25 | 3 | 8 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 9th / 243rd pick / 1976 |
| SS | Prentice McCray | 28 | 5 | 5 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Detroit Lions / 8th / 200th pick / 1973 |
| FS | Tim Fox | 26 | 3 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | John Smith | 30 | 5 | 0 | 23 of 33 field goals & 46 of 49 extra points | |
| P | Eddie Hare | 22 | Rook | 0 | 83 punts for a 36.6 average, 1 blocked | New England Patriots / 4th / 106th pick / 1979 |
| PR | Stanley Morgan* | 24 | 2 | 16 | 29 punt returns for a 10.0 average and 1 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| KR | Allan Clark | 22 | Rook | 0 | 37 kick returns for a 22.1 average and 0 td | New England Patriots / 10th / 271st pick / 1979 |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Julius Adams | 31 | DE-DT | 16 | 2 | 270 | 6-3 | Texas Southern | 4/26/1948 | 8 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 27th pick / 1971 |
| 61 | Sam Adams | 31 | G-T | 15 | 13 | 256 | 6-3 | Prairie View | 9/20/1948 | 7 | |
| 27 | Doug Beaudoin | 25 | DB | 10 | 8 | 193 | 6-1 | Minnesota | 5/15/1954 | 3 | New England Patriots / 9th / 243rd pick / 1976 |
| 64 | Richard Bishop | 29 | DE-NT | 14 | 14 | 275 | 6-1 | Louisville | 3/23/1950 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 |
| 58 | Pete Brock | 25 | C-T-G | 16 | 7 | 267 | 6-5 | Colorado | 7/14/1954 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 12th pick / 1976 |
| 63 | Mark Buben | 22 | DE-NT | 16 | 0 | 260 | 6-3 | Tufts | 3/23/1957 | Rook | |
| 44 | Don Calhoun | 27 | RB | 16 | 6 | 206 | 6-0 | Kansas St. | 4/29/1952 | 5 | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 249th pick / 1974 |
| 12 | Matt Cavanaugh | 23 | QB | 13 | 0 | 212 | 6-2 | Pittsburgh | 10/27/1956 | Rook | New England Patriots / 2nd / 50th pick / 1978 |
| 82 | Al Chandler | 29 | TE | 7 | 0 | 233 | 6-2 | Oklahoma | 11/18/1950 | 6 | Cincinnati Bengals / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1973 |
| 35 | Allan Clark | 22 | RB | 16 | 0 | 186 | 5-10 | Northern Arizona | 6/8/1957 | Rook | New England Patriots / 10th / 271st pick / 1979 |
| 26 | Raymond Clayborn | 24 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 6-0 | Texas | 1/2/1955 | 2 | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| 22 | Dick Conn | 28 | DB | 1 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Georgia | 1/9/1951 | 5 | |
| 55 | Ray Costict | 24 | LB | 16 | 1 | 217 | 6-0 | Mississippi St. | 3/19/1955 | 2 | New England Patriots / 11th / 303rd pick / 1977 |
| 75 | Bob Cryder | 23 | T-G | 16 | 2 | 275 | 6-4 | Alabama | 9/7/1956 | 1 | New England Patriots / 1st / 18th pick / 1978 |
| 39 | Sam Cunningham | 29 | RB | 12 | 12 | 226 | 6-3 | USC | 8/15/1950 | 6 | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| 68 | Terry Falcon | 24 | G-T | 10 | 0 | 260 | 6-3 | Minot St.,Montana | 8/30/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 8th / 198th pick / 1978 |
| 48 | Tim Fox | 26 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 5-11 | Ohio St. | 11/1/1953 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| 81 | Russ Francis | 26 | TE | 12 | 12 | 240 | 6-6 | Oregon | 4/3/1953 | 4 | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1975 |
| 51 | Bob Golic | 22 | NT-DT-LB-DE | 1 | 0 | 264 | 6-2 | Notre Dame | 10/26/1957 | Rook | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1979 |
| 14 | Steve Grogan | 26 | QB | 16 | 16 | 210 | 6-4 | Kansas St. | 7/24/1953 | 4 | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| 71 | Ray Hamilton | 28 | NT-DE | 16 | 16 | 244 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 1/20/1951 | 6 | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 |
| 73 | John Hannah*+ | 28 | G | 16 | 16 | 265 | 6-2 | Alabama | 4/4/1951 | 6 | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| 8 | Eddie Hare | 22 | P | 16 | 0 | 209 | 6-4 | Tulsa | 5/30/1957 | Rook | New England Patriots / 4th / 106th pick / 1979 |
| 80 | Don Hasselbeck | 24 | TE | 16 | 3 | 245 | 6-7 | Colorado | 4/1/1955 | 2 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1977 |
| 59 | Mike Hawkins | 24 | LB | 16 | 14 | 235 | 6-2 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 10/29/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 7th / 188th pick / 1978 |
| 40 | Mike Haynes* | 26 | DB | 16 | 15 | 192 | 6-2 | Arizona St. | 7/1/1953 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| 50 | Sam Hunt | 28 | LB | 15 | 15 | 248 | 6-1 | S.F. Austin | 8/6/1951 | 5 | New England Patriots / 15th / 374th pick / 1974 |
| 23 | Horace Ivory | 25 | RB | 11 | 9 | 197 | 6-0 | Oklahoma | 8/8/1954 | 2 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 44th pick / 1977 |
| 29 | Harold Jackson | 33 | WR-FL | 16 | 16 | 175 | 5-10 | Jackson St. | 1/6/1946 | 11 | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 323rd pick / 1968 |
| 87 | Ray Jarvis | 30 | WR | 7 | 0 | 200 | 6-0 | Norfolk St. | 2/2/1949 | 8 | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 111th pick / 1971 |
| 32 | Andy Johnson | 27 | RB | 5 | 5 | 204 | 6-0 | Georgia | 10/18/1952 | 5 | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| 74 | Shelby Jordan | 27 | T | 14 | 12 | 260 | 6-7 | Washington (MO) | 1/23/1952 | 4 | Houston Oilers / 7th / 157th pick / 1973 |
| 52 | Steve King | 28 | LB | 16 | 1 | 232 | 6-4 | Tulsa | 6/10/1951 | 6 | |
| 67 | Bill Lenkaitis | 33 | C-G | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-4 | Penn St. | 6/30/1946 | 11 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 |
| 72 | Mel Lunsford | 29 | DE-DT-NT | 16 | 16 | 256 | 6-3 | Central State (OH) | 6/13/1950 | 6 | Oakland Raiders / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1972 |
| 53 | Bill Matthews | 23 | LB | 16 | 1 | 235 | 6-2 | South Dakota St. | 3/12/1956 | Rook | New England Patriots / 5th / 129th pick / 1978 |
| 34 | Prentice McCray | 28 | DB | 14 | 5 | 188 | 6-1 | Arizona St. | 3/1/1951 | 5 | Detroit Lions / 8th / 200th pick / 1973 |
| 78 | Tony McGee | 30 | DE-DT | 16 | 2 | 250 | 6-4 | Wyoming,Bishop | 1/18/1949 | 8 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 64th pick / 1971 |
| 86 | Stanley Morgan* | 24 | WR | 16 | 16 | 181 | 5-11 | Tennessee | 2/17/1955 | 2 | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| 57 | Steve Nelson | 28 | LB | 15 | 15 | 230 | 6-2 | Augsburg,North Dakota St. | 4/26/1951 | 5 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| 17 | Tom Owen | 27 | QB | 6 | 0 | 195 | 6-1 | Wichita St. | 9/1/1952 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers / 13th / 322nd pick / 1974 |
| 88 | Carlos Pennywell | 23 | WR | 6 | 0 | 180 | 6-2 | Grambling St. | 3/18/1956 | 1 | New England Patriots / 3rd / 77th pick / 1978 |
| 77 | Garry Puetz | 27 | G-T | 5 | 4 | 263 | 6-3 | Valparaiso | 3/14/1952 | 6 | New York Jets / 12th / 300th pick / 1973 |
| 25 | Rick Sanford | 22 | DB | 16 | 4 | 192 | 6-1 | South Carolina | 1/9/1957 | Rook | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1979 |
| 56 | Rod Shoate | 26 | LB | 14 | 14 | 214 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 4/26/1953 | 4 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 41st pick / 1975 |
| 1 | John Smith | 30 | K | 16 | 0 | 186 | 6-0 | King Alfred's (England),South (England) | 12/30/1949 | 5 | |
| 30 | Mosi Tatupu | 24 | RB | 16 | 0 | 227 | 6-0 | USC | 4/26/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 8th / 215th pick / 1978 |
| 21 | Mark Washington | 32 | DB | 12 | 0 | 188 | 5-10 | Morgan St. | 12/28/1947 | 9 | Dallas Cowboys / 13th / 335th pick / 1970 |
| 83 | Don Westbrook | 27 | WR | 16 | 0 | 185 | 5-10 | Nebraska | 11/1/1952 | 2 | Baltimore Colts / 6th / 131st pick / 1975 |
| 62 | Dwight Wheeler | 24 | T-C-G | 13 | 10 | 269 | 6-3 | Tennessee St. | 1/13/1955 | 1 | New England Patriots / 4th / 102nd pick / 1978 |
| 54 | John Zamberlin | 23 | LB | 16 | 1 | 230 | 6-2 | Pacific Lutheran | 2/13/1956 | Rook | New England Patriots / 5th / 135th pick / 1979 |
| Team Total | 26.4 | 16 | 224.3 | 6-1.8 | 3.8 |