LeGarrette Blount

What is there to say about this powerful player on the New England team? LeGarette Blount, a 250 pound, six foot tall man is an exceptional part of the Patriots team. LeGarette is an outstanding running back that wears the number 29 on the field. Blount is twenty eight and still going strong. So, what separates Blount as a player on the New England Patriots?

                Blount grew up in Florida, and started standing out in football at a young age. Blount had a special skill for the game, like the few players that will go pro. Blount was a four-year starter and three-time 1,000-yard rusher. He received second-team all-state player honors as a prep senior. However, Blount was not recognized for his talent and ended up going to a junior college. Blount rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons, accumulating 367 carries for 2,292 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns at community college. He led the state of Mississippi in rushing yards with 1,106 as early as October 2006. After this he was rated number one for junior college and received junior college all-American honors. Blount then got accepted to major colleges and went to Oregon. There Blount rushed for 17 touchdowns, setting a single-season school record, and 1,002 yards. Although Blount has had his trouble with suspensions, his intensity is undoubted.

                In his professional career he played in 13 games and accumulated 1,007 rushing yards, which was the most by a rookie in the 2010 NFL season. After bouncing around a bit and not accomplishing anything extraordinary, Blount ended up on the New England Patriots. There Blount set a franchise record for all-purpose yards with 334 yards. His performance earned him NFL Ground Player of the Week honors. Also, Blount rushed for four touchdowns setting the Patriots record for most rushing touchdowns in a playoff game and is second on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns in a playoff game. Blount then left the patriots a bit to the Steelers, and then came back to be an important and competitive part of the New England team.

Matthew Slater

What is there to say about another one of the Patriots' talented players? This player, named Matthew Slater, is relatively an unsung hero. Matthew Slater is six feet tall and two hundred and ten pounds. Slater wears the number 18 and is twenty-nine years old. Slater has a lot of talent on the field and goes hard whenever he is given the opportunity. However Slater rarely gets enough credit for what he brings to the team. So, what does this special player bring to the New England Patriots, and why was he chosen to be a part of the team.

In Matt's early years in high school he lived in California. Slater was an All-West selection by Prep Star and a three-star selection by Rivals.com. He was also a two-time All-Serra League selection. As a junior, he made 23 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior, Slater made 39 receptions for 707 yards and five touchdowns. Slater was also a stand out track athlete in high school and still holds records.

In college Slater went to UCLA and was not really a stand out player due to unlucky circumstances and injuries. However on the bruins as a senior Slater tied the lead in the nation and set a UCLA record with returning 34 kicks for a 29.0-yard average and 3 touchdowns.

Slater was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2008. As a rookie Slater played in 14 games during the 2008 season, returning 11 kickoffs for 155 yards and recording 12 tackles on special teams. Slater went on to be a very good and valuable player his next year. In 2011 Matthew was voted to be the special teams’ captain by his teammates. Slater was selected for the 2012 Pro Bowl and the 2011 Pro Football Writers Association (PFW/PFWA) All-Pro teams including All-NFL and All-AFC as a special teams player. In 2012 he was still the captain and now the team's player representative to the NFL Players Association. Also, Matt was named Pro Bowl and the 2012 PFW/PFWA All-Pro for the lone AFC special teams position for the second straight season. In 2014 he was nominated for another Pro Bowl at the special teams’ position. It was his 4th straight selection.

Slater is not only a leader and captain on the field, but also off the field. Being a reliable and big part of the New England team and family is just part of who he is and shows his good character. Slater is not only a good player skill wise, but also a good friend, leader and teammate, and that is why he is a New England Patriot, and an outstanding player as an unsung hero. 

Jonas Gray
What is there to say about this exceptional player on the New England Patriots.This twenty four year old man is number thirty five and is five nine and a two hundred and twenty five pounds. He is a running back for the Patriots and a special one at that, having stood out tremendously in 2014 when he joined the Patriots. So what separates Jonas gray, what makes him special?
               This man, Jonas Gray grew up in Michigan where he went to high school. After high school Jonas went to Notre Dame, and then was an undrafted free agent signed to the Miami Dolphins. After that Jonas became a practice player for Baltimore ravens.
He rushed for 305 yards on 29 carries and scored four touchdowns in the state semifinal to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 37-30 victory. He gained 2,614 yards on 341 rushes (7.7 avg.) and scored 32 TDs during his senior season, rushing for over 200 yards in five games. He was selected to play in the US army bowl in San Antonio Texas.His senior year of college at Notre Dame he rushed for 791 yards on 114 carries (6.9 avg) while scoring 12 touchdowns. Gray was a backup most of his career, and never really stood out. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the fourth best running back prospect of his class. After college Jonas went to the Dolphins and then the Ravens. After this in 2014 Jonas went to the New England Patriots.This is where Jonas started to shine and separate himself and his true potential.
              Gray joined the patriots as a practice player that barely made it onto the team, and then started in a Thursday night game that would soon change his career. Gray rushed for what was originally credited as 199 yards and a franchise-record four touchdowns on 38 carries in his fourth NFL game, leading the New England Patriots to a 42-20 victory over the host Indianapolis Colts. Gray was the first NFL running back since 1921 to score four rushing touchdowns in a game after entering the game with zero career touchdowns,and the first running back in the Super Bowl era to account for more than 25 percent of rushing touchdowns (4 of 10) in a week with at least 10 games. A correction to the official stats (removing a 2-yard loss that was negated by a 15-yard face mask penalty against the Colts) made his final stats for the game 201 yards on 37 carries.
               This brings us to the conclusion of this now outstanding player. With the help of Bill Belichick and the Patriots, Gray found his groove and showed who he truly is as a player. Gray went from being an average player flying under the radar, to a record braking and special part of the Patriot family, and that is why Gray makes a difference and matters to this outstanding team.

Patrick Chung

What is there to say about this outstanding player on the New England Patriots. This impressive player is five eleven and two hundred and ten pounds. This twenty seven year old player was born in Jamaica and played college ball at Oregon. Patrick Chung a special safety for the New England Patriots and number 23, is not only spectacular on the field, but also on paper with the stats to back up his career. Pat was a second round draft pick for the New England Patriots in 2009, but also played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In college Patrick Chung was the second best on the team with 91 tackles, 5 of them being solo. Pat also caused a fumble and deflected five passes, earning him All-Pacific-10 Conference honorable mention honors, and a spot of the Sporting News All-American freshman team.  Again Chung earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention, finishing third on the team with 84 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions. Pat Junior year was named Second Team All-American and first-team All-Pac 10 Conference. He received the Gordon E. Wilson Award, given to the team's top special teams player. He averaged 22.3 yards on nine kickoff returns while leading the Ducks with a career-high 117 tackles (71 solos), adding 7.5 stops for loss. He broke up nine passes and was credited with a pair of interceptions. Chung garnered Third Team All-American accolades in addition to making the All-Pac 10 first-team for the second consecutive year in 2008. , Pat has set the school record with 51 consecutive starting assignments. He had 92 tackles (58 solos) in 13 games, coming up with two sacks among his 6.5 stops for loss. He caused and recovered a fumble, batted down seven passes and returned his only interception 31 yards for a touchdown. Patrick holds the Oregon record for starting the most games for a defenseman, a total of 51 straight games.

Chung was then 34th pick for the New England Patriots. Pat played really well on the Patriots and in 2010 he started 13 of 14 games played, finishing with 96 tackles, three interceptions, and nine passes defended. Why is this player special to the New England Patriots, the reasons are in the stats found below. Not only does Patrick have the skill, but he also has the drive, and some serious talent, and that is why the Patriots aree lucky to have him.

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2009	NE	16	37	25	12	2.0	0	0	0	1	2	2	2	0	1
2010	NE	14	96	72	24	0.0	0	0	0	3	96	32	51	1	9
2011	NE	8	62	37	25	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4
2012	NE	12	44	29	15	0.0	0	0	0	2	27	14	27	0	5
2013	PHI	12	59	39	20	0.0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Total	Total	62	298	202	96	3.0	0	1	0	7	125	18	51	1	22

Vince Wilfork

        What is there to say about this three hundred and twenty five pound, six-one defensive tackle? There is quite a bit to talk about that Vince Wilfork a clearly big man, adds to the New England Patriots team. This thirty two year old Patriot has a lot of accomplishments in his career. Vince, number seventy five of the New England Patriots, is a very unique player that may not ever be quite replaced, the question is why?

       

        Vince Lamar Wilfork has many stats to back up and prove why he is unique, next to his speed and size. Wilfork is considered to be one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL, and was named both the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

       

         Vince in high school in Palm Beach Florida has the record for shot put, and also is a state champ in track and field and was a letter winner in wrestling and football. He also won USA today's second team All-American honors.

         Wilfork played for the Miami Hurricanes in college where he was very good, but didn't start a game until junior year, after he was rated the second best defensive tackle in the country by The Sporting News. Wilfork then went on to be the 21st pick for the New England Patriots, where he played very well and always had an impressive number of tackles.

         Vince is clearly a unique man with his speed and size, and he also is extremely strong, as he broke multiple records in high school, and even one in college. Vince has had many sacks and tackles, as well as some deflected passes during his career. Because of Vince's level of intensity and play, he has been fined many times for some of his more so illegal plays on the field. Through all this, Vince still plays strong for the New England Patriots and is a big part of their defense as he was named by his team mates as the defensive captain.

Rob Gronkowski
           What is there to say about this outstanding Patriot? This Patriot is six six, two hundred and sixty five pounds. Gronkowski (also known as Gronk) is a twenty five year old tight end for the New England Patriots. As number eighty seven of the New England team, what kind of contributions does Gronk make to the Patriots? Does he make a difference on the field?
         
            Rob Gronkowski certainly does make a difference on the field as he has the stats to back it up. Gronk  became the first tight end in NFL history to lead the league in receiving touchdowns.


            In high school Gronkowski was named an All-Western New York first-team and All-State second-team player. At a new high school, Gronk was named a SuperPrep All-American, PrepStar All-American, Associated Press Class 4-A all-state, Pittsburg Post Gazette "Fabulous 22", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first-team all-conference, The Patriot News,  "Platinum 33", and a Pittsburg tribune "Terrific 25" player.


               Gronk in college at the University of Arizona had 18.8 yards per reception average which was the best on the team and his receiving yards were a school record for a tight end. He was named a The Sporting freshman All-American, rivals.com freshman All-American, The Sporting News freshman Pac-10, and All-Pac-10 honorable mention player. Gronk Also set the school records for a tight end for single-game, single-season, and career receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Gronkowski was named an Associated Press third-team all American and All-Pac-10 first-team tight end. Gronk was even named the John Mackey tight end of the week twice.


             From Gronkowski’s accomplishments throughout his football playing career, I think it is safe to conclude that he does in fact make a difference of the New England Patriots. Gronkowski has broken records and gotten many awards for his special abilities on the field, and the Patriots are lucky to have him.

Julian Edelman

                What is there to say about this five ten, two hundred pound twenty-eight year old? Julian Edelman is obviously a good football player as he plays for the New England Patriots as number eleven. But how good is he really? Edelman plays wide receiver and is a return specialist for the pats. Julian has achieved many good stats to prove his excellence on the field.

                Julian Edelman is a notable player for his ability to play multiple positions. Edelman went to Kent State and San Mateo, where he was a quarterback. The patriots rely on Edelman for his versatile abilities and tough nature when playing the game. During high school in California, Edelman had 2,237 yards and 29 touchdowns passing, in addition to 964 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing, and led his team to a 13-0 record. This man went on to be outstanding in college as well, becoming the leading passer and rusher, breaking records.

          
                  Julian Edelman definitely deserves to be on the field and is a great Patriot to have. Julian does his job on the field, and he does it very well. The Patriots are lucky to have him. Although Edelman puts up great stats, you might still wonder if he is one of the greats the Patriots have had. The answer to that may be found in the fact that Julian Edelman holds the Patriots franchise record for longest punt return; and, as of the start of the 2013 NFL season, the highest career punt return average among active players. If that doesn’t put him above the rest, I don’t know what else the man could do.