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There was a stretch in the late 1970s where the Pats had the best talent in the NFL---but they couldn't get it done. How many All-Pro players? Hannah and Leon Gray on the O-line, Stanley Morgan, Russ Francis, Steve Nelson and Raymond Clayborn on D, two outstanding pass rushers in Sugar Bear Hamilton and Tony McGee---all players that I'd like to see back. But the best of them all was the left side of the O-line, Hannah and Gray. They made two mediocre running backs, Sam Cunningham and Craig James, into great runners. They started to slide when they let Gray go to Houston as a free agent rather than paying him what he was worth. I remember one game against the Jets, where Joe Klecko shot his mouth off before the game. Not only did Klecko not get close to Grogan, he spent most of the afternoon on his back courtesy of Gray.
Grogan's big problem was he never looked beyond his primary receiver. Eason and Cavanaugh had better arms, but Grogan had a better heart and head.
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