1981 New England Patriots season

Season of National Football League team the New England Patriots November 2013 March 2026 New England Patriots 1981 2–14 5th AFC East Ron Erhardt Bucko Kilroy Billy Sullivan Schaefer Stadium Did not qualify G John Hannah G John Hannah (1st team) Patriots seasons The 1981 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League and 22nd overall. Looking to improve on two consecutive winning seasons under head coach Ron Erhardt, including a 10–6 mark in 1980, the Patriots instead regressed significantly and ended the season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East Division with the Baltimore Colts, with whom they also tied for the worst record in the league. A porous defensive line and linebacking corpsMadden Michael Patriots Tops In Draft? It's a Myth The Boston Globe October 4, 1981 80 Boston, Massachusetts was the chief weakness: in one game against the Steelers the Patriot secondary made 27 of the team's 33 tackles.The Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts September 29, 1981 Madden Michael Hard Times, Hard Talk: Hannah, Erhardt Blast Patriots' Attitude 35 The 2–14 record resulted in Erhardt losing his job at the end of the season.Democrat and Chronicle Rochester, New York D1 Patriots Fire Erhardt after Worst Year December 23, 1981 The Patriots lost their first four games, and then ten of their last eleven, including the last nine games of the season. Eight of their losses were by margins of seven or fewer points; the largest margin of defeat was only 14 points. The Patriots were defeated in both the first and last games of the season by the Baltimore Colts; the Patriots' bookend losses proved to be Baltimore's only two wins of the 1981 season. It was known that the loser of that last game would have the first pick in the 1982 NFL draft, and the game was nicknamed “The Stupor Bowl.”http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1981/12/21/page/99/article/stupor-bowl-losers-chant-their-fate-were-no-28 Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment With the Patriots’ defeat, the team had the first pick, choosing University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims, an eventual “draft bust” as first overall pick in the NFL draft. 22 years later, in their Super Bowl XXXVIII-winning season, the Patriots went 14–2, becoming the second franchise in NFL history to have both a 2–14 season and a 14–2 season.The San Francisco 49ers had 2–14 seasons in 1978 and 1979, and 14–2 seasons in 1989, 1990 and 1992. Offseason NFL draft 1981 NFL draft 1981 New England Patriots 1 19 Brian Holloway Tackle Stanford yes yes 2 47 Tony Collins Running back East Carolina yes yes 4 102 Don Blackmon Linebacker Tulsa yes no 5 130 Stevan Clark Defensive tackle Kansas State yes 6 157 Ron Wooten Guard North Carolina yes 7 185 Ken Toler Wide receiver Ole Miss yes 8 194 Ken Naber Placekicker Stanford no 8 212 Lin Dawson Tight end North Carolina State yes 11 295 Brian Buckley Quarterback Harvard no 12 323 Cris Crissy Defensive back Princeton no Undrafted free agents + 1981 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeBill BurkeRunning BackAICMike BushWide receiverCal PolyRich CamarilloPunterWashingtonCharles CassidyTackleMnsflid St.(PA)Russ ComptonCenterIndianaCharles CookDefensive endMiami (FL)Reggie EcclestonWide receiverConnecticutTim GoldenLinebackerFloridaColin McCartyDefensive tackleTempleMark RossPunterNE OklahomaTim RossLinebackerBowling GreenTony SidorTight EndSyracuseKyle StevensRunning BackWashingtonRonald TateRunning backNorth Carolina CentralJohn TautoloGuardUCLABob ReganTackleYaleJim RillCenterDartmouthRich VillellaRunning BackBrownLea WalkerRunning BackTexas SouthernJohn WebbDefensive backConnecticutDarrell Wilson Defensive back Connecticut Staff New England Patriots 1981 staff Front office President – Billy Sullivan Executive vice president – Chuck Sullivan General manager – Bucko Kilroy Assistant general manager – Patrick Sullivan Director of player development – Dick Steinberg Director of college scouting – Joe Mendes Director of pro scouting – Bill McPeak Head coaches Head coach – Ron Erhardt Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/offensive line – Jim Ringo Quarterbacks – Babe Parilli Offensive backs – Bobby Grier Receivers – Raymond Berry Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive line – Fritz Shurmur Linebackers – Rick Lantz Defensive backs – Dick Roach Special teams coaches Special teams – Gino Cappelletti Roster 1981 New England Patriots 12 Matt Cavanaugh 14 Steve Grogan 17 Tom Owen American football 44 Don Calhoun 33 Tony Collins American football y 39 Sam Cunningham 43 Vagas Ferguson 32 Andy Johnson American football 30 Mosi Tatupu 29 Harold Jackson American football 86 Stanley Morgan 82 Ken Toler y 83 Don Westbrook 87 Lin Dawson y 58 Pete Brock American football C 75 Bob Cryder G 73 John Hannah American football G 76 Brian Holloway y T 74 Shelby Jordan T 67 Bill Lenkaitis C 77 Garry Puetz G 62 Dwight Wheeler T 85 Julius Adams DE 64 Richard Bishop gridiron football NT 63 Mark Buben DE 71 Ray Hamilton defensive tackle NT 66 John Lee defensive lineman DE 78 Tony McGee defensive lineman DE 55 Don Blackmon y OLB 51 Bob Golic ILB 59 Mike Hawkins linebacker OLB 52 Steve King American football OLB 53 Bill Matthews American football ILB 57 Steve Nelson American football ILB 56 Rod Shoate OLB 54 John Zamberlin ILB 26 Raymond Clayborn CB 47 Paul Dombroski CB 48 Tim Fox American football FS 40 Mike Haynes cornerback CB 38 Roland James CB/SS 22 Keith Lee American football CB 25 Rick Sanford SS  3 Rich Camarillo y P  1 John Smith placekicker K -- Preston Brown wide receiver WR IR 35 Allan Clark RB IR 65 Stevan Clark y DE IR 97 Charles Cook no DE IR 23 Kevin Donnalley American football, born 1958 y S IR 81 Russ Francis TE DNR 93 Tim Golden American football y LB Left Squad 80 Don Hasselbeck TE IR 50 Larry McGrew LB IR 88 Carlos Pennywell WR IR 70 John Tautolo y G IR 34 Rick Villella y no RB IR 61 Ron Wooten y G IR 95 Gary Wright y no TE IR Season summary Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 Baltimore Colts L 28–29 0–1 Schaefer Stadium 49,572 2 September 13 at Philadelphia Eagles L 3–13 0–2 Veterans Stadium 71,089 3 September 21, 1981 Dallas Cowboys L 21–35 0–3 Schaefer Stadium 60,311 4 September 27 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–27 (OT) 0–4 Three Rivers Stadium 53,344 5 October 4 Kansas City Chiefs W 33–17 1–4 Schaefer Stadium 55,931 6 October 11 at New York Jets L 24–28 1–5 Shea Stadium 55,093 7 October 18 Houston Oilers W 38–10 2–5 Schaefer Stadium 60,474 8 October 25 at Washington Redskins L 22–24 2–6 RFK Stadium 50,394 9 November 1 at Oakland Raiders L 17–27 2–7 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 44,246 10 November 8 Miami Dolphins L 27–30 (OT) 2–8 Schaefer Stadium 60,436 11 November 15 New York Jets L 6–17 2–9 Schaefer Stadium 45,342 12 November 22 at Buffalo Bills L 17–20 2–10 Rich Stadium 71,593 13 November 29 St. Louis Cardinals L 20–27 2–11 Schaefer Stadium 39,946 14 December 6 at Miami Dolphins L 14–24 2–12 Miami Orange Bowl 50,421 15 December 13 Buffalo Bills L 10–19 2–13 Schaefer Stadium 42,549 16 December 20 at Baltimore Colts L 21–23 2–14 Memorial Stadium 17,073 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings See also List of New England Patriots seasons Notes "Note" References New England Patriots Category:New England Patriots seasons New England Patriots Category:Sports competitions in Foxborough, Massachusetts