New England Patriots: The 10 greatest defensive players of all-time

FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 23: Vince Wilfork #75 and Tedy Bruschi #54 of the New England Patriots face the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 23, 2007 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Patriots won 28-7. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 23: Vince Wilfork #75 and Tedy Bruschi #54 of the New England Patriots face the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 23, 2007 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Patriots won 28-7. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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1. LB Andre Tippett

Andre Tippett spent all 11 of his NFL seasons in New England. Over 151 games he recorded 100 sacks, the best in the team’s history.

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Tippett has a long list of accolades. He was a 5-time Pro Bowler, 2-time First Team All-Pro, 2-time Second Team All-Pro, NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and was a member of the NFL’s 1980’s All-Decade Team.

In 1999 Tippett was selected to the Patriots Hall of Fame, and he finally was enshrined in Canton with a 2007 selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s still a fixture around Foxboro, so keep an eye out for him if you attend this year’s training camp or a game at Gillette Stadium.

There are current players on the New England Patriots who could one day find themselves on this list, like Devin McCourty, Rob Ninkovich or Dont’a Hightower. They all still have lots of work to do if they want to compare to these players listed, but it is possible.

Next: Edelman may now retire as a Patriot

Did we miss anyone on this list that you think should have made it? Tweet us @ChowderAndChampions to let me know where I went wrong!