New England Patriots: 16 most important Patriots during their dynasty

8. Charlie Weis

The Ringers Rank: Unranked

The Ringer ranked Josh McDaniels at fourth on this list but left Charlie Weis off. While McDaniels has done a tremendous job carrying over and developing the Patriots offense, Weis was the man who brought it to New England.

When Weis came over from the New York Jets, he brought his Erhardt-Perkins offense with him. Not only did he develop McDaniels to coach it, he developed Brady to play in it. Weis struggled almost everywhere he went but won three rings with his offense in New England.

7. Troy Brown

The Ringers Rank: 5

Without Troy Brown, the Patriots wouldn’t have beat, or maybe face, the St Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. In that 2001 season, Brown posted career highs with 101 receptions for 1,199 yards. That season, Brown was responsible for 36 percent of the team’s passing yardage.

In the 2001 postseason, Brown piled up over 121 receiving yards and a punt return touchdown in the AFC Championship Game. Against the Rams in the Super Bowl, he accounted for 61.4 percent of the Patriots passing game.

Brown was also proof of the “Patriot Way” doing whatever it takes to win games. After injuries to the Patriots secondary in 2004, Brown became the team’s nickel corner. Brown played in 12 games while piling up 17 tackles and three interceptions.

Brown was with the Patriots for 15 NFL seasons and eventually named to the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team. In 2012, Brown was elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame beating out Bill Parcells and Fred Marion by fan vote.