Gary Guyton
Encyclopedia

2008 season

On April 28, 2008, Guyton signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

. The previous day rumors circulated that Guyton had agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

, however confusion arose when 49ers General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

 Scot McCloughan
Scot McCloughan
Scot McCloughan is the former General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers. On March 18, 2010, he was relieved of his duties.-Notes and references:...

 said he would divulge names of undrafted free agents with whom the club had agreed to terms and the following day, Guyton had officially signed with the Patriots.

Guyton, an undrafted free agent, made the Patriots' 53-man roster, and was active for all but one game of his rookie season in 2008
2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...

, while the Patriots' third-round draft pick Shawn Crable
Shawn Crable
-New England Patriots:Crable was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was inactive for the first half of 2008 and was placed injured reserve with a shin injury on November 5, 2008. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5, 2009 with a groin...

, an outside linebacker, was inactive, and another inside linebacker, sixth-round draft pick Bo Ruud
Bo Ruud
Bo Ruud is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska....

, was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...

. Guyton also started two games late in the season after an injury to Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...

.

In the Patriots' Week 4 game against the San Francisco 49ers
2008 San Francisco 49ers season
The 2008 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 63rd season. Although they failed to reach the playoffs for the straight 6th year, the team improved on their disappointing 5-11 record from the 2007 season, and ended the season on a high note...

, the Patriots employed multiple nickel and dime defenses that gave Guyton more defensive snaps than fellow rookie inside linebacker Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo
-2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees...

, the Patriots' 2008 first-round draft pick.

In interviews, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...

 noted that they had debated drafting Guyton over Ruud, but ultimately chose Ruud; in retrospect, Belichick admitted that the Patriots should have drafted Guyton and undrafted free agent running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis
BenJarvus Green-Ellis
BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. After playing college football his freshman and sophomore seasons at Indiana University, Green-Ellis...

.

2009 season

Due to Bruschi's retirement just prior to the start of the season, Guyton would go to start all 16 games for the Patriots in 2009
2009 New England Patriots season
The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs....

. He began the season as a 3-4 weakside linebacker before the middle linebacker, Mayo, was injured in Week 1. Guyton started at 4-3 middle linebacker for the Patriots in Weeks 2–5, in place of Mayo. Upon Mayo's return, the two started the rest of the season as 3-4 inside linebackers. Guyton finished the season with 85 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Following the season, the Patriots signed Guyton to a two-year extension worth over $2.1 million, including a $650,000 signing bonus; as Guyton was an exclusive rights free agent, the Patriots were only required to offer him a one-year minimum tender of $470,000.

2010 season

Guyton scored his first career touchdown in the Patriots' Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

, on a 59-yard interception return of a Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...

 pass. It was the first interception by a Patriots linebacker since the 2008
2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...

 season. In Week 14 against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Guyton returned a second quarter Bears fumble 35 yards for a touchdown.

In 16 games played (eight starts), Guyton recorded 63 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

External links

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