New England Patriots: Top 5 tight ends in franchise history
By Duncan Day
3. Russ Francis (1975-80, 1987-88)
Russ Francis is a Patriot to remember. He was able to run well despite standing at 6-6, 240 pounds. Just on a purely physical level, that made Francis a nightmare for opposing defenses — something that the likes of Gronk can attest to.
“If you’ve got tight ends that can do the same things as your wide receivers, you’re just more flexible,” then-head coach Ron Erhardt said, based on a Sports Illustrated piece. “Francis gets deep quick, and he can run after the catch. He really got his reputation as a great blocker and a deep threat.”
Francis retired initially in 1981 as he questioned the reasoning behind football’s overly physical environment, reported The New York Times. He then came back in 1982 and played for the San Francisco 49ers prior to his return to New England.
He finished in front of wide receivers David Patten, Vincent Brisby and Shawn Jefferson with 3,157 receiving yards, ranking 15th in team history. His 28 receiving touchdowns are good for 10th place. Had he spent a few more years in the Patriots organization, he would’ve surely bettered his positioning in the record books.