Steve Grogan
Encyclopedia
Steve James Grogan is a former American football quarterback
for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.
at Ottawa High School where he led his team to state titles in track in 1970, basketball in 1971, and a state runner-up finish in football.
Grogan spent his collegiate career at Kansas State University
, where he started as a quarterback for his junior and senior years. He threw for 2,214 yards, completing 166 of 371 pass attempts, with 12 TDs and 26 interceptions. He ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns on 339 attempts, punted 7 times for 279 yards (a 39.9 yard average) and as a senior caught one touchdown pass of 22 yards. Against Memphis in 1973, he had a 100 yard rushing game.
by the New England Patriots. Although he would start every game for four consecutive seasons early in his career, his career was also marked by injuries and quarterback controversies, with Grogan competing with other quarterbacks for the starting job. His second through his fifth season were the only times he would start every game in a season. Besides taking the starting job from former Heisman Trophy
winner Jim Plunkett
as a rookie, Grogan would later face competition from Matt Cavanaugh
, Tony Eason
, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie
, and Marc Wilson. (By the time Wilson came to the Patriots, he had spent several years battling the displaced Plunkett for the starting job of the Raiders.)
In his first season, Grogan played in 13 games out of the then-14 game regular season, starting 7 of the last 8. Grogan threw for 1,976 yards, 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The Patriots finished with a 3-11 record, and traded Plunkett, their starter for the previous four years, in the off-season. (Plunkett would eventually lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories.)
For the Patriot's 1976 season
, Grogan led the Patriots to an 11-3 record and the franchise's first playoff berth since 1963. The eleven wins were the most Patriots wins in a season since the club’s inception. Along the way the Patriots defeated the defending Super Bowl
champion, Pittsburgh Steelers
(30-27), although they lost the divisional playoffs (24-21) to the Oakland Raiders. Grogan's twelve rushing touchdowns during the 1976 season still stands as the most rushing touchdowns in a season by quarterback.
In the Patriots 1978 season
, Grogan led the Pats to an 11-5 record, a division title and the organization's first ever home playoff game, a 31-14 loss to the Houston Oilers. The Pats set the all time single season team rushing record with 3,156 yards (Grogan rushing for 539 yards and 5 touchdowns himself). That record still stands as the most productive rushing team ever in the history of the NFL. It is also the only season an NFL team has had 4 players rush for over 500 yards apiece.
In the early 1980s, Grogan suffered several injuries, and the Patriots drafted quarterback Tony Eason
in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
.
By the Patriot's 1985 season
, Eason had taken the starting quarterback position and led the Patriots to a 2-3 record initially. Coach Raymond Berry
benched Eason for Grogan. The Patriots won 6 straight wins behind their old quarterback, only to lose Grogan when he suffered a broken leg in Week 12 against the New York Jets. Filling in again at QB, Eason and the Patriots lost that Jets game 16-13 in overtime, and relinquished 1st place in the AFC East Division. With Eason's return, the Patriots went 3-2 in their remaining five games. Finishing the season with an 11-5 record, the Patriots earned a wild card berth into the playoffs and eventually reached Super Bowl XX
, where they faced the Chicago Bears
, who, with their defensive coach Buddy Ryan's
"46" defense, had gone 15-1 during the regular season. Eason, who had led the Patriots to victory in the wild card, divisional, and conference playoff games, started the game, but the Patriots could do little against the Bears' defense and Eason went 0-6 in passing attempts; Coach Berry replaced him with Grogan. Grogan went on to connect on 17 of 30 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown, but also two interceptions, in the 10-46 loss. Of little solace was the fact that the Patriots were the only team to score against the Bears in the playoffs that season.
At the time of his retirement, Grogan led the franchise as the all-time leader in passing yards (26,886) and passing touchdowns (182). He is third in passing yards and passing touchdowns behind Tom Brady
and Drew Bledsoe
. His 16 seasons are the most ever for a Patriots player. He also held the Patriots previous single-game record with a 153.9 quarterback rating, achieved by completing 13-of-18 passes for 315 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against the New York Jets on September 9, 1979, before Drew Bledsoe
posted a perfect 158.3 rating against the Indianapolis Colts on December 26, 1993.
Statistically, Grogan's best season was the Patriots 1979 season
, when he completed 206 of 423 passes for 3,286 yards and 28 touchdowns, rushing for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 28 touchdown passes led the league, tied with Brian Sipe
of Cleveland, and his rushing yards led the league for quarterbacks.
Grogan rushed for 2,176 yards (4.9 per carry) and 35 touchdowns during his career, a mark which places him as the Patriots' fourth overall in rushing touchdowns. With Grogan, the Patriots made the playoffs five times (1976, 1978, 1982, 1985, and 1986 as a backup). Before Grogan was drafted, the Pats made the playoffs just once from 1960-1974.
Grogan's injuries and his toughness in response to them are also part of his legacy. One sports writer for the main Massachusetts
paper, the Boston Globe, wrote of the "Grogan Toughness Meter" in 2003. The writer, Nick Carfado, gave a partial listing of Grogan's injuries over his 16-year career: "Five knee surgeries; screws in his leg after the tip of his fibula snapped; a cracked fibula that snapped when he tried to practice; two ruptured disks in his neck, which he played with for 1 1/2 seasons; a broken left hand (he simply handed off with his right hand); two separated shoulders on each side; the reattachment of a tendon to his throwing elbow; and three concussions."
During his career with the Patriots, Grogan would play with some other great NFL players, such as Sports Illustrated's
"Greatest Offensive Lineman of All Time", John Hannah.
has named its football stadium after him.
Kansas State has retired the number Grogan wore for the Wildcats, #11, to jointly honor him and Lynn Dickey
, who also wore #11. It is the only number retired by Kansas State. (Grogan wore #14 with the Patriots.)
Grogan was named to the Patriots 35th Anniversary Team in 1994, and was elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also elected to the Patriot's All-Decade teams of the 1970s and the 1980s.
Stats from Database of Football, the NFL, and Pro-Football-Reference.com. Injury information from New England Patriots.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for 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...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.
High school and college
Grogan had a standout prep career in KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
at Ottawa High School where he led his team to state titles in track in 1970, basketball in 1971, and a state runner-up finish in football.
Grogan spent his collegiate career at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, where he started as a quarterback for his junior and senior years. He threw for 2,214 yards, completing 166 of 371 pass attempts, with 12 TDs and 26 interceptions. He ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns on 339 attempts, punted 7 times for 279 yards (a 39.9 yard average) and as a senior caught one touchdown pass of 22 yards. Against Memphis in 1973, he had a 100 yard rushing game.
New England Patriots: 1975-1990
Grogan was selected in the fifth round (116th overall) in the 1975 NFL Draft1975 NFL Draft
The 1975 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1975.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
by the New England Patriots. Although he would start every game for four consecutive seasons early in his career, his career was also marked by injuries and quarterback controversies, with Grogan competing with other quarterbacks for the starting job. His second through his fifth season were the only times he would start every game in a season. Besides taking the starting job from former Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Jim Plunkett
Jim Plunkett
James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...
as a rookie, Grogan would later face competition from Matt Cavanaugh
Matt Cavanaugh
Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh is a former American football quarterback in the NFL who played from 1978 to 1991. In the course of his career as a professional football player, he earned two Super Bowl rings...
, Tony Eason
Tony Eason
Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason, IV is a former quarterback. He played college football for the University of Illinois and professional football for the New England Patriots and New York Jets .-Early years:Eason grew up in Walnut Grove, California, and attended Delta High School in Clarksburg,...
, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, and Marc Wilson. (By the time Wilson came to the Patriots, he had spent several years battling the displaced Plunkett for the starting job of the Raiders.)
In his first season, Grogan played in 13 games out of the then-14 game regular season, starting 7 of the last 8. Grogan threw for 1,976 yards, 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The Patriots finished with a 3-11 record, and traded Plunkett, their starter for the previous four years, in the off-season. (Plunkett would eventually lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories.)
For the Patriot's 1976 season
1976 New England Patriots season
The 1976 New England Patriots season was the seventh season for the team in the National Football League and 17th season overall. After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one .500 season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3 and rushing for 2,957...
, Grogan led the Patriots to an 11-3 record and the franchise's first playoff berth since 1963. The eleven wins were the most Patriots wins in a season since the club’s inception. Along the way the Patriots defeated the defending Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
champion, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(30-27), although they lost the divisional playoffs (24-21) to the Oakland Raiders. Grogan's twelve rushing touchdowns during the 1976 season still stands as the most rushing touchdowns in a season by quarterback.
In the Patriots 1978 season
1978 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1978 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Regular season:...
, Grogan led the Pats to an 11-5 record, a division title and the organization's first ever home playoff game, a 31-14 loss to the Houston Oilers. The Pats set the all time single season team rushing record with 3,156 yards (Grogan rushing for 539 yards and 5 touchdowns himself). That record still stands as the most productive rushing team ever in the history of the NFL. It is also the only season an NFL team has had 4 players rush for over 500 yards apiece.
In the early 1980s, Grogan suffered several injuries, and the Patriots drafted quarterback Tony Eason
Tony Eason
Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason, IV is a former quarterback. He played college football for the University of Illinois and professional football for the New England Patriots and New York Jets .-Early years:Eason grew up in Walnut Grove, California, and attended Delta High School in Clarksburg,...
in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
.
By the Patriot's 1985 season
1985 New England Patriots season
The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears...
, Eason had taken the starting quarterback position and led the Patriots to a 2-3 record initially. Coach Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
benched Eason for Grogan. The Patriots won 6 straight wins behind their old quarterback, only to lose Grogan when he suffered a broken leg in Week 12 against the New York Jets. Filling in again at QB, Eason and the Patriots lost that Jets game 16-13 in overtime, and relinquished 1st place in the AFC East Division. With Eason's return, the Patriots went 3-2 in their remaining five games. Finishing the season with an 11-5 record, the Patriots earned a wild card berth into the playoffs and eventually reached Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
, where they faced 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...
, who, with their defensive coach Buddy Ryan's
Buddy Ryan
James David "Buddy" Ryan is a former American NFL football coach.-Early years:Ryan was born and reared in a small, agricultural-based community "just outside of Frederick, Oklahoma." Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and...
"46" defense, had gone 15-1 during the regular season. Eason, who had led the Patriots to victory in the wild card, divisional, and conference playoff games, started the game, but the Patriots could do little against the Bears' defense and Eason went 0-6 in passing attempts; Coach Berry replaced him with Grogan. Grogan went on to connect on 17 of 30 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown, but also two interceptions, in the 10-46 loss. Of little solace was the fact that the Patriots were the only team to score against the Bears in the playoffs that season.
At the time of his retirement, Grogan led the franchise as the all-time leader in passing yards (26,886) and passing touchdowns (182). He is third in passing yards and passing touchdowns behind Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
and Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
. His 16 seasons are the most ever for a Patriots player. He also held the Patriots previous single-game record with a 153.9 quarterback rating, achieved by completing 13-of-18 passes for 315 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against the New York Jets on September 9, 1979, before Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
posted a perfect 158.3 rating against the Indianapolis Colts on December 26, 1993.
Statistically, Grogan's best season was the Patriots 1979 season
1979 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1979 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
, when he completed 206 of 423 passes for 3,286 yards and 28 touchdowns, rushing for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 28 touchdown passes led the league, tied with Brian Sipe
Brian Sipe
Brian Winfield Sipe is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985....
of Cleveland, and his rushing yards led the league for quarterbacks.
Grogan rushed for 2,176 yards (4.9 per carry) and 35 touchdowns during his career, a mark which places him as the Patriots' fourth overall in rushing touchdowns. With Grogan, the Patriots made the playoffs five times (1976, 1978, 1982, 1985, and 1986 as a backup). Before Grogan was drafted, the Pats made the playoffs just once from 1960-1974.
Grogan's injuries and his toughness in response to them are also part of his legacy. One sports writer for the main Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
paper, the Boston Globe, wrote of the "Grogan Toughness Meter" in 2003. The writer, Nick Carfado, gave a partial listing of Grogan's injuries over his 16-year career: "Five knee surgeries; screws in his leg after the tip of his fibula snapped; a cracked fibula that snapped when he tried to practice; two ruptured disks in his neck, which he played with for 1 1/2 seasons; a broken left hand (he simply handed off with his right hand); two separated shoulders on each side; the reattachment of a tendon to his throwing elbow; and three concussions."
During his career with the Patriots, Grogan would play with some other great NFL players, such as Sports Illustrated's
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
"Greatest Offensive Lineman of All Time", John Hannah.
Honors
Grogan's high school, Ottawa High School in Ottawa, KansasOttawa, Kansas
Ottawa is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the central part of Franklin County, located in east-central Kansas, 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, Mo., in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,649. It is the county seat and most populous...
has named its football stadium after him.
Kansas State has retired the number Grogan wore for the Wildcats, #11, to jointly honor him and Lynn Dickey
Lynn Dickey
Clifford Lynn Dickey is a retired National Football League quarterback, who played for the Houston Oilers and the Green Bay Packers in the 1970s and 1980s.-High school:...
, who also wore #11. It is the only number retired by Kansas State. (Grogan wore #14 with the Patriots.)
Grogan was named to the Patriots 35th Anniversary Team in 1994, and was elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also elected to the Patriot's All-Decade teams of the 1970s and the 1980s.
Regular season
| Year | |GP | |Passing | |Rushing | |Sacked | |Fumbles | 1975 1975 NFL season The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:... | NE 1975 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1975 season with a record of three wins and eleven losses, and finished tied for fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:... |
13 | 7 | 274 | 139 | 50.7 | 1976 | 7.21 | 11 | 18 | 60.4 | 30 | 110 | 3.7 | 3 | 22 | 207 | 6 | 2 | Rookie season, Patriots go 3-11. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 1976 NFL season The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... | NE 1976 New England Patriots season The 1976 New England Patriots season was the seventh season for the team in the National Football League and 17th season overall. After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one .500 season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3 and rushing for 2,957... |
14 | 14 | 302 | 145 | 48.0 | 1903 | 6.30 | 18 | 20 | 60.6 | 60 | 397 | 6.6 | 12 | 18 | 155 | 6 | 2 | Patriots go 11-3, are the AFC wildcard team. |
| 1977 1977 NFL season The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central.... | NE 1977 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1977 season with a record of nine wins and five losses, and finished tied for third in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:... |
14 | 14 | 305 | 160 | 52.5 | 2162 | 7.09 | 17 | 21 | 65.2 | 61 | 324 | 5.3 | 1 | 14 | 155 | 7 | 5 | Final season with 14-game schedule. |
| 1978 1978 NFL season The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference... | NE 1978 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1978 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Regular season:... |
16 | 16 | 362 | 182 | 50.0 | 2824 | 7.80 | 15 | 23 | 63.6 | 81 | 539 | 6.7 | 5 | 21 | 184 | 9 | 7 | Patriots go 11-5, win division. Team rushing record. |
| 1979 1979 NFL season The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams... | NE 1979 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1979 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:... |
16 | 16 | 423 | 206 | 48.7 | 3286 | 7.77 | 28 | 20 | 77.4 | 64 | 368 | 5.8 | 2 | 45 | 341 | 12 | 8 | Final season Grogan would start all games. |
| 1980 1980 NFL season The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws... | NE 1980 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1980 season with a record of ten wins and six losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.... |
12 | 12 | 306 | 175 | 57.2 | 2475 | 8.09 | 18 | 22 | 73.1 | 30 | 112 | 3.7 | 1 | 17 | 138 | 4 | 3 | Knee surgery, April. Sprains left knee (9/21), right knee (9/28). |
| 1981 1981 NFL season The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:... | NE 1981 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1981 season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:... |
8 | 7 | 216 | 117 | 54.2 | 1859 | 8.61 | 7 | 16 | 63.0 | 12 | 49 | 4.1 | 2 | 19 | 137 | 5 | 3 | Week 2 neck injury, misses 4 games. Week 11, knee injury, out for rest of season. Patriots go 2-14. |
| 1982 1982 NFL season The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule... | NE 1982 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1982 season with a record of five wins and four losses, and finished seventh in the American Football Conference.... |
6 | 6 | 122 | 66 | 54.1 | 930 | 7.62 | 7 | 4 | 84.4 | 9 | 42 | 4.7 | 1 | 8 | 48 | 2 | 1 | Strike-shortened season. Patriots make playoffs. |
| 1983 1983 NFL season The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:... | NE 1983 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1983 season with a record of eight wins and eight losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:... |
12 | 12 | 303 | 168 | 55.4 | 2411 | 7.96 | 15 | 12 | 81.4 | 23 | 108 | 4.7 | 2 | 29 | 195 | 4 | 3 | Highest QB rating playing at least 10 games. Breaks leg (11/20). Patriots go 8-8. |
| 1984 1984 NFL season The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana.... | NE 1984 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1984 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:... |
3 | 3 | 68 | 32 | 47.1 | 444 | 6.53 | 3 | 6 | 46.4 | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 0 | 7 | 45 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1985 1985 NFL season The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:... | NE 1985 New England Patriots season The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears... |
7 | 6 | 156 | 85 | 54.5 | 1311 | 8.40 | 7 | 5 | 84.1 | 20 | 29 | 1.5 | 2 | 11 | 86 | 6 | 5 | Breaks leg and injures medial collateral ligament (11/24). Lose to 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... in Super Bowl XX Super Bowl XX Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season... . |
| 1986 1986 NFL season The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:... | NE 1986 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1986 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:... |
4 | 2 | 102 | 62 | 60.8 | 976 | 9.57 | 9 | 2 | 113.8 | 9 | 23 | 2.6 | 1 | 4 | 34 | 2 | 1 | Has (throwing) elbow surgery in off-season. Patriots go 11-5, win division. |
| 1987 1987 NFL season The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players... | NE 1987 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1987 season with a record of eight wins and seven losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:... |
7 | 6 | 161 | 93 | 57.8 | 1183 | 7.35 | 10 | 9 | 78.2 | 20 | 37 | 1.9 | 2 | 7 | 55 | 8 | 2 | Strike-shortened season. |
| 1988 1988 NFL season The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division.... | NE 1988 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1988 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:... |
6 | 4 | 140 | 67 | 47.9 | 834 | 5.96 | 4 | 13 | 37.6 | 6 | 12 | 2.0 | 1 | 8 | 77 | 2 | 1 | Neck surgery in off-season. Head and neck injury (11/15), out three games. Breaks left hand (12/20). |
| 1989 1989 NFL season The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement... | NE 1989 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1989 season with a record of five wins and eleven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:... |
7 | 6 | 261 | 133 | 51.0 | 1697 | 6.50 | 9 | 14 | 60.8 | 9 | 19 | 2.1 | 0 | 8 | 64 | 3 | 1 | Patriots go 5-11. |
| 1990 1990 NFL season The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period... | NE 1990 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of one win and fifteen losses, and finished last in the AFC East division... |
4 | 4 | 92 | 50 | 54.3 | 615 | 6.68 | 4 | 3 | 76.1 | 4 | -5 | -1.3 | 0 | 9 | 68 | 1 | 0 | Patriots go 1-15. Grogan starts only win. |
| Total | 149 | 135 | 3,593 | 1,897 | 52.3 | 26,886 | 7.48 | 182 | 208 | 69.6 | 445 | 2,176 | 4.9 | 35 | 247 | 1,986 | 81 | 47 | ||
Playoffs
| Year | |GP | |Passing | |Rushing | |Sacked | |Fumbles | 1976 1976 NFL season The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... | NE 1976 New England Patriots season The 1976 New England Patriots season was the seventh season for the team in the National Football League and 17th season overall. After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one .500 season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3 and rushing for 2,957... |
1 | 1 | 23 | 12 | 52.2 | 167 | 7.3 | 1 | 1 | 72.2 | 7 | 35 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Loss to Oakland, 21-24. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 1978 NFL season The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference... | NE 1978 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1978 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Regular season:... |
1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 25.0 | 38 | 3.2 | 0 | 2 | 0.7 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Loss to Houston, 14-31. |
| 1982 1982 NFL season The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule... | NE 1982 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1982 season with a record of five wins and four losses, and finished seventh in the American Football Conference.... |
1 | 1 | 30 | 16 | 53.3 | 189 | 6.3 | 1 | 2 | 56.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 0 | Loss to Miami, 13-28. |
| 1985 1985 NFL season The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:... | NE 1985 New England Patriots season The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears... |
1 | 0 | 30 | 17 | 56.7 | 177 | 5.9 | 1 | 2 | 57.2 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 0 | Grogan replaces Eason Tony Eason Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason, IV is a former quarterback. He played college football for the University of Illinois and professional football for the New England Patriots and New York Jets .-Early years:Eason grew up in Walnut Grove, California, and attended Delta High School in Clarksburg,... in Super Bowl. |
| 1986 1986 NFL season The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:... | NE 1986 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1986 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:... |
0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Grogan DNP in loss to Denver. |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 95 | 48 | 50.5 | 571 | 6.0 | 3 | 7 | 49.1 | 9 | 54 | 6.0 | 0 | 9 | 65 | 0 | 0 | ||
Stats from Database of Football, the NFL, and Pro-Football-Reference.com. Injury information from New England Patriots.