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1981 New England Patriots
Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 2-14-0, Finished 4th in AFC East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 322 points (20.1/g), 15th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 370 points (23.1/g), 22nd.
Differential of -48 points (-3.0/g), 19th.
Expected W-L: 6.7-9.3.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -17 (-1.1/g), 27th.
Simple Rating System: Total -3.7, Offense: -0.6, Defense: -3.1, SoS: -0.7, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Ron Erhardt (2-14-0)
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 | Matt Cavanaugh | 25 | 2 | 8 | 115 for 219, 1,633 yards, 5 td, 13 int, & 17 rushes for 92 yards and 3 td | New England Patriots / 2nd / 50th pick / 1978 |
| QB | Steve Grogan | 28 | 6 | 7 | 117 for 216, 1,859 yards, 7 td, 16 int, & 12 rushes for 49 yards and 2 td | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| RB | Tony Collins | 22 | Rook | 11 | 204 rushes for 873 yards, 7 td, & 26 catches for 232 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 2nd / 47th pick / 1981 |
| RB | Vagas Ferguson | 24 | 1 | 5 | 78 rushes for 340 yards, 3 td, & 4 catches for 39 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1980 |
| FB | Sam Cunningham | 31 | 8 | 8 | 86 rushes for 269 yards, 4 td, & 12 catches for 92 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| FB | Don Calhoun | 29 | 7 | 7 | 57 rushes for 205 yards, 2 td, & 7 catches for 71 yards and 0 td | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 249th pick / 1974 |
| WR | Harold Jackson | 35 | 13 | 15 | 39 catches for 669 yards, 0 td, & 2 rushes for -14 yards and 0 td | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 323rd pick / 1968 |
| WR | Stanley Morgan | 26 | 4 | 13 | 44 catches for 1,029 yards, 6 td, & 2 rushes for 21 yards and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| TE | Don Hasselbeck | 26 | 4 | 14 | 46 catches for 808 yards, 6 td | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1977 |
| LT | Dwight Wheeler | 26 | 3 | 11 | New England Patriots / 4th / 102nd pick / 1978 | |
| LT | Brian Holloway | 22 | Rook | 5 | 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 19th pick / 1981 |
| LG | John Hannah*+ | 30 | 8 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| C | Pete Brock | 27 | 5 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 12th pick / 1976 |
| RG | Bob Cryder | 25 | 3 | 15 | New England Patriots / 1st / 18th pick / 1978 | |
| RT | Shelby Jordan | 29 | 6 | 16 | Houston Oilers / 7th / 157th pick / 1973 | |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Tony McGee | 32 | 10 | 9 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 64th pick / 1971 |
| NT | Richard Bishop | 31 | 5 | 16 | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 | |
| RDE | Julius Adams | 33 | 10 | 16 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 27th pick / 1971 | |
| LOLB | Mike Hawkins | 26 | 3 | 15 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 7th / 188th pick / 1978 |
| LILB | Steve Nelson | 30 | 7 | 12 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 | |
| RILB | Bill Matthews | 25 | 2 | 9 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 5th / 129th pick / 1978 |
| RILB | Bob Golic | 24 | 2 | 9 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1979 |
| ROLB | Rod Shoate | 28 | 6 | 16 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 2nd / 41st pick / 1975 |
| LCB | Raymond Clayborn | 26 | 4 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| RCB | Mike Haynes | 28 | 5 | 6 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| RCB | Roland James | 23 | 1 | 6 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 14th pick / 1980 |
| RCB | Keith Lee | 24 | Rook | 6 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Buffalo Bills / 5th / 129th pick / 1980 |
| SS | Rick Sanford | 24 | 2 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1979 |
| FS | Tim Fox | 28 | 5 | 16 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | John Smith | 32 | 7 | 0 | 15 of 24 field goals & 37 of 39 extra points | |
| P | Rich Camarillo | 22 | Rook | 0 | 47 punts for a 41.7 average, 0 blocked | |
| PR | Stanley Morgan | 26 | 4 | 13 | 15 punt returns for a 7.7 average and 0 td | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| KR | Tony Collins | 22 | Rook | 11 | 39 kick returns for a 19.8 average and 0 td | New England Patriots / 2nd / 47th pick / 1981 |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Julius Adams | 33 | DE-DT | 16 | 16 | 270 | 6-3 | Texas Southern | 4/26/1948 | 10 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 27th pick / 1971 |
| 64 | Richard Bishop | 31 | DE-NT | 16 | 16 | 275 | 6-1 | Louisville | 3/23/1950 | 5 | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 127th pick / 1974 |
| 55 | Don Blackmon | 23 | LB | 16 | 0 | 235 | 6-3 | Tulsa | 3/14/1958 | Rook | New England Patriots / 4th / 102nd pick / 1981 |
| 58 | Pete Brock | 27 | C-T-G | 16 | 16 | 267 | 6-5 | Colorado | 7/14/1954 | 5 | New England Patriots / 1st / 12th pick / 1976 |
| 63 | Mark Buben | 24 | DE-NT | 16 | 4 | 260 | 6-3 | Tufts | 3/23/1957 | 2 | |
| 44 | Don Calhoun | 29 | RB | 14 | 7 | 206 | 6-0 | Kansas St. | 4/29/1952 | 7 | Buffalo Bills / 10th / 249th pick / 1974 |
| 3 | Rich Camarillo | 22 | P | 9 | 0 | 202 | 5-11 | Washington | 11/29/1959 | Rook | |
| 12 | Matt Cavanaugh | 25 | QB | 16 | 8 | 212 | 6-2 | Pittsburgh | 10/27/1956 | 2 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 50th pick / 1978 |
| 65 | Steve D. Clark | 22 | DE | 7 | 0 | 258 | 6-5 | Kansas St. | 10/29/1959 | Rook | New England Patriots / 5th / 130th pick / 1981 |
| 26 | Raymond Clayborn | 26 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 6-0 | Texas | 1/2/1955 | 4 | New England Patriots / 1st / 16th pick / 1977 |
| 33 | Tony Collins | 22 | RB | 16 | 11 | 208 | 5-11 | East Carolina | 5/27/1959 | Rook | New England Patriots / 2nd / 47th pick / 1981 |
| 75 | Bob Cryder | 25 | T-G | 15 | 15 | 275 | 6-4 | Alabama | 9/7/1956 | 3 | New England Patriots / 1st / 18th pick / 1978 |
| 39 | Sam Cunningham | 31 | RB | 11 | 8 | 226 | 6-3 | USC | 8/15/1950 | 8 | New England Patriots / 1st / 11th pick / 1973 |
| 87 | Lin Dawson | 22 | TE | 15 | 3 | 240 | 6-3 | North Carolina St. | 6/24/1959 | Rook | New England Patriots / 8th / 212th pick / 1981 |
| 47 | Paul Dombroski | 25 | DB | 6 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Hawaii,Linfield | 8/8/1956 | 1 | |
| 23 | Kevin Donnalley | 23 | DB | 1 | 0 | 177 | 5-11 | North Dakota St. | 1/17/1958 | Rook | St. Louis Cardinals / 7th / 171st pick / 1981 |
| 43 | Vagas Ferguson | 24 | RB | 13 | 5 | 204 | 6-1 | Notre Dame | 3/6/1957 | 1 | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1980 |
| 48 | Tim Fox | 28 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 5-11 | Ohio St. | 11/1/1953 | 5 | New England Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1976 |
| 51 | Bob Golic | 24 | NT-DT-LB-DE | 16 | 9 | 264 | 6-2 | Notre Dame | 10/26/1957 | 2 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1979 |
| 14 | Steve Grogan | 28 | QB | 8 | 7 | 210 | 6-4 | Kansas St. | 7/24/1953 | 6 | New England Patriots / 5th / 116th pick / 1975 |
| 71 | Ray Hamilton | 30 | NT-DE | 15 | 0 | 244 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 1/20/1951 | 8 | New England Patriots / 14th / 342nd pick / 1973 |
| 73 | John Hannah*+ | 30 | G | 16 | 16 | 265 | 6-2 | Alabama | 4/4/1951 | 8 | New England Patriots / 1st / 4th pick / 1973 |
| 7 | Ken Hartley | 24 | P | 2 | 0 | 200 | 6-2 | Catawba | 4/28/1957 | Rook | |
| 80 | Don Hasselbeck | 26 | TE | 14 | 14 | 245 | 6-7 | Colorado | 4/1/1955 | 4 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1977 |
| 59 | Mike Hawkins | 26 | LB | 15 | 15 | 235 | 6-2 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 10/29/1955 | 3 | New England Patriots / 7th / 188th pick / 1978 |
| 40 | Mike Haynes | 28 | DB | 8 | 6 | 192 | 6-2 | Arizona St. | 7/1/1953 | 5 | New England Patriots / 1st / 5th pick / 1976 |
| 76 | Brian Holloway | 22 | T-G | 16 | 5 | 284 | 6-7 | Stanford | 7/25/1959 | Rook | New England Patriots / 1st / 19th pick / 1981 |
| 6 | Mike Hubach | 23 | P | 5 | 0 | 185 | 5-10 | Kansas | 1/26/1958 | 1 | New England Patriots / 11th / 293rd pick / 1980 |
| 23 | Horace Ivory | 27 | RB | 1 | 0 | 197 | 6-0 | Oklahoma | 8/8/1954 | 4 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 44th pick / 1977 |
| 29 | Harold Jackson | 35 | WR-FL | 16 | 15 | 175 | 5-10 | Jackson St. | 1/6/1946 | 13 | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 323rd pick / 1968 |
| 38 | Roland James | 23 | DB | 16 | 6 | 191 | 6-2 | Tennessee | 2/18/1958 | 1 | New England Patriots / 1st / 14th pick / 1980 |
| 32 | Andy Johnson | 29 | RB | 16 | 0 | 204 | 6-0 | Georgia | 10/18/1952 | 7 | New England Patriots / 5th / 112th pick / 1974 |
| 74 | Shelby Jordan | 29 | T | 16 | 16 | 260 | 6-7 | Washington (MO) | 1/23/1952 | 6 | Houston Oilers / 7th / 157th pick / 1973 |
| 52 | Steve King | 30 | LB | 16 | 1 | 232 | 6-4 | Tulsa | 6/10/1951 | 8 | |
| 66 | John Lee | 28 | DE | 4 | 4 | 255 | 6-2 | Nebraska | 2/17/1953 | 5 | San Diego Chargers / 13th / 351st pick / 1976 |
| 22 | Keith Lee | 24 | DB | 15 | 6 | 192 | 5-11 | Colorado St. | 12/22/1957 | Rook | Buffalo Bills / 5th / 129th pick / 1980 |
| 67 | Bill Lenkaitis | 35 | C-G | 12 | 0 | 255 | 6-4 | Penn St. | 6/30/1946 | 13 | San Diego Chargers / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1968 |
| 53 | Bill Matthews | 25 | LB | 16 | 9 | 235 | 6-2 | South Dakota St. | 3/12/1956 | 2 | New England Patriots / 5th / 129th pick / 1978 |
| 78 | Tony McGee | 32 | DE-DT | 16 | 9 | 250 | 6-4 | Wyoming,Bishop | 1/18/1949 | 10 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 64th pick / 1971 |
| 86 | Stanley Morgan | 26 | WR | 13 | 13 | 181 | 5-11 | Tennessee | 2/17/1955 | 4 | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1977 |
| 57 | Steve Nelson | 30 | LB | 12 | 12 | 230 | 6-2 | Augsburg,North Dakota St. | 4/26/1951 | 7 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 34th pick / 1974 |
| 17 | Tom Owen | 29 | QB | 2 | 1 | 195 | 6-1 | Wichita St. | 9/1/1952 | 7 | San Francisco 49ers / 13th / 322nd pick / 1974 |
| 88 | Carlos Pennywell | 25 | WR | 5 | 2 | 180 | 6-2 | Grambling St. | 3/18/1956 | 3 | New England Patriots / 3rd / 77th pick / 1978 |
| 77 | Garry Puetz | 29 | G-T | 15 | 1 | 263 | 6-3 | Valparaiso | 3/14/1952 | 8 | New York Jets / 12th / 300th pick / 1973 |
| 25 | Rick Sanford | 24 | DB | 16 | 14 | 192 | 6-1 | South Carolina | 1/9/1957 | 2 | New England Patriots / 1st / 25th pick / 1979 |
| 56 | Rod Shoate | 28 | LB | 16 | 16 | 214 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 4/26/1953 | 6 | New England Patriots / 2nd / 41st pick / 1975 |
| 1 | John Smith | 32 | K | 16 | 0 | 186 | 6-0 | King Alfred's (England),South (England) | 12/30/1949 | 7 | |
| 30 | Mosi Tatupu | 26 | RB | 16 | 1 | 227 | 6-0 | USC | 4/26/1955 | 3 | New England Patriots / 8th / 215th pick / 1978 |
| 82 | Ken Toler | 22 | WR | 16 | 0 | 195 | 6-2 | Mississippi | 4/9/1959 | Rook | New England Patriots / 7th / 185th pick / 1981 |
| 83 | Don Westbrook | 29 | WR | 12 | 1 | 185 | 5-10 | Nebraska | 11/1/1952 | 4 | Baltimore Colts / 6th / 131st pick / 1975 |
| 62 | Dwight Wheeler | 26 | T-C-G | 16 | 11 | 269 | 6-3 | Tennessee St. | 1/13/1955 | 3 | New England Patriots / 4th / 102nd pick / 1978 |
| 47 | Darrell Wilson | 23 | DB | 1 | 0 | 180 | 5-11 | Connecticut | 7/28/1958 | Rook | |
| 54 | John Zamberlin | 25 | LB | 16 | 1 | 230 | 6-2 | Pacific Lutheran | 2/13/1956 | 2 | New England Patriots / 5th / 135th pick / 1979 |
| Team Total | 26.7 | 16 | 222.1 | 6-1.7 | 4.1 |