With backup quarterbacks on the minds of the football obsessed masses across New England these days, this piece is inspired by the extremely uninspiring performance we saw from longtime Patriots and NFL backup, Brian Hoyer on Monday night.
As I was watching Thursday Night Football and noticed the eerily similar ineffective 1stQuarter play of Bears quarterback Nick Foles, I tweeted out: ‘Didn’t Hoyer play on Monday night?’ Thanks for the three likes ...
Hoyer to Foles led me to this train wreck of an idea for a little levity on a Friday. So without further ado, I give you: the worst backup quarterbacks in New England Patriots history.
For those who may be on the younger side don’t worry, Patriots backup quarterbacks before the Brady or Bledsoe era were so bad that Scott Zolak was spared.
#10 – Matt Cavanaugh (1979-1982)
I really don’t like to use the word hate. I don’t. It’s a very powerful and dangerous word. When I was 10 or 12 years old however, I didn’t have the lens of adulthood to understand that when Cavanaugh replaced my all-time favorite Patriot, Steve Grogan. Resentment is probably a better word, but I was a kid rooting for a very frustrating franchise going in the wrong direction at the time. Cavanaugh was perfectly mediocre while wrongfully stepping in for Grogan; throwing for 19 touchdowns and 23 picks. Exactly about how I remembered him. In fairness, he later became a far more respected backup with both Philadelphia and San Francisco as well as being a prominent assistant coach across the league, but he was a bum in New England.
Now we enter the phase with the first, in a run of really bad ‘Tom’s’. Before Brady, these were the QB ‘Tom’s’ we had in New England.
#9 – Tom Owen (1976-1981)
Do you remember the team pictures that used to come in the Boston Sunday Globe? I had those plastered all over my bedroom as a kid. Absolutely loved getting those for all of my Boston teams. It meant something to have those as a kid. As it relates to the team photos of the Patriots from the late 70’s and early 80’s here’s my recollection of Tom Owen; I would stare at the picture and think to myself… ‘Why is he still here?’ Anymore need to be said? Didn’t think so.
#8 – Tom Ramsey (1984-1988)
Before Tom Brady dawned No. 12 there was another. Tom Ramsey. Unlike the other Tom’s, Ramsey actually carried an air of promise, minimal as it was. He came from a big school, UCLA and had some national TV time during college, particularly during an impressive Rose Bowl win, back when that mattered. As the Patriots of the 80’s negotiated Grogan’s injuries and its frustrations with their 1983 number one pick Tony Eason, Ramsey finally got a shot to show his stuff in 1987. It didn’t go well. Ramsey ended his NFL career with 7 TD’s, 10 picks and a QB Rating of 60.6.
#7 – Tom Flick (1982-1983)
Here’s how irrelevant this guy was; when I told Rob Bradford about this idea Thursday night we started comically batting around some names. I said… “Do you remember Tim Flick?” Bradfo responded… “I remember Tom Flick.” Nuff said.
#6 – Tommy Hodson (1990-1992)
The dark years. Hodson actually had some talent but the timing of his birth as it relates to the Patriots couldn’t have been any worse. Nice going Mr. and Mrs. Hodson. Hodson was a third-round pick out of a big school, LSU but let’s get serious this wasn’t Joe Burrow. My most prominent memory of Hodson comes from something former NBC analyst Paul Maguire said during a game that he was playing. After completing a short pass to the sideline, Maguire, scraping for something positive to say about the Patriots exclaimed… “That was a gun!” It wasn’t. It was a 5-yard out. A completion but still, a 5-yard out. That’s how bad it was.
#5 – Brian Hoyer (2009-2011, 2017-2018, 2020)
If you’re able to be an NFL Quarterback for 12 years the one attribute that you would think that player would carry would be field intelligence and awareness based on experience. Hoyer exhibited on Monday night that he simply doesn’t have it. My favorite comment during all the postgame analysis came from former Patriots linebacker, Ted Johnson. Johnson was a radio personality in Houston for a few years and got a good look at Hoyer outside of New England. When talking about his lack of ball security on NBC Sports Boston, he said, “He’s known for that.”
#4 – Jeff Carlson (1992)
I’ve got to be honest, I don’t even remember this guy. Not one snap. I don’t recall him being on the roster, entering a game or throwing a pass. Nor do I recall having any acknowledgement of his existence. However he did exist apparently. I fancy myself as having a great memory and as a Boston sports and specifically a Patriots historian, but my mind is a complete blank on this guy. Maybe I was on a bender when he played, or abducted by aliens. I’m really not sure. I did find this clip however so his existence was in fact real. Funny enough, I remember this game and where I was, at my parent’s house getting the house ready for Christmas but there’s no recollection of Carlson. The other guys might be bad, but to be completely wiped from memory? Wow.
# 3 – Matt Gutierrez (2007-2008)
Now here’s an interesting nugget, Gutierrez is the only player on this list with a 1.000 completion percentage. He completed the only pass he ever threw for the Patriots, a 15 yarder vs. Miami. Good for you Matt, but you’re still on the list. Thank you for your service.
# 2 – Scott Secules (1993)
Same story as Matt Cavanaugh except on a heavy course of steroids. Cavanaugh was at least close to half decent and was replacing a fan favorite but an admittedly struggling Steve Grogan at the time; mostly due to injuries and poor decision making on deep passes. Secules however was keeping the seat warm while a VERY anxious fan base was screaming for its new hope and No. 1 overall pick Drew Bledsoe to get on the field. Ouch it was bad for Secules, nearly as bad as his actual performance. The most memorable thing about the brief Secules era beyond his poor play, was him trotting off the field with his shoulder hanging by his hip following a massive hit. As Bledsoe entered the fray and Secules hit the sideline, it all happened to rousing applause. Not the proudest moment in Foxboro Stadium history but it happened. I was there.
Last and least ...
#1 – Marc Wilson
Good lord. I despised this man. First of all he was a career Raider. Secondly, just a few years earlier, the Patriots had exacted revenge on the Raiders, on the road, in their house, during the playoffs and Wilson’s smug and punchable mug was the face of that victory. The Patriots vicious ‘Red Wave’ defense made Wilson look like the pathetic loser he was and then years later he’s on the Patriots? Yuck. He was awful and was the horrible, pathetic face of the worst of the worst in Patriots history.
So you can say this about Brian Hoyer and the rest of them, at least they weren’t that guy.
