Steve Grogan
Steve Grogan had one of the most injury-plagued careers of any quarterback in history, but on those rare occasions when he was healthy, he was one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
Grogan was drafted by the Patriots in the 5th round in 1975 to back up Jim Plunkett, who was a Heisman winner and #1 overall pick, but by the end of his rookie season he had taken over the starting job, leading to Plunkett being traded to the 49ers after the season.
During his first full season as a starter, he led the Patriots to an 11-3 record, the best in franchise history to that point, and their first playoff berth in over a decade. That year he also set a record that would stand for 35 years, most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season, with 12, which was 3 times as many as any other QB that year, and wasn't broken until Cam Newton had 14 in a 16-game season in 2011.
In 1978, he led the Patriots to a division title and their first-ever home playoff game on a team that set the record for most rushing yards by a team (3156), which still stands today. It was also the only team ever to have 4 players record over 500 rushing yards, and QB Grogan was among them. The following season he led all players in passing touchdowns with 28, but it would also be his final full season.
His injury problems started in 1980, when he missed 4 games due to 2 sprained knees, one of each. In 1981, he missed 4 games with a neck injury and 4 more with a knee injury. The Patriots drafted Tony Eason in 1983 as insurance, and he came in handy when Grogan broke his leg near the end of that season, missing the final 4 games and most of the 1984 season.
In 1985, he was finally looking healthy again, and the Patriots were winning, but then he broke his led and injured his MCL, which kept him out until the Super Bowl. Eason still started the Super Bowl, but after being unable to complete a pass, Grogan took over and led the Patriots to 10 points, the only points scored against the Bears in that entire postseason.
He continued to play off and on between injuries through the 1990 season, when the Patriots decided it was time to part ways. When he retired, he was the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, and the only Patriot to play longer for the franchise is Tom Brady.
He may have never won a playoff game as a starter, never been voted to a Pro Bowl, and be largely forgotten today, but he had a good run of great years early in his career, and was a solid player in stretches for another decade. He was one of the early dual-threat quarterbacks, having led the league in both rushing touchdowns and passing touchdowns at one point, and helped a franchise that had never seen any success reach a Super Bowl.
No comments:
Post a Comment