When you talk to former New England Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan you realize how much you miss the way football was played from back in the day. Steve played for New England from 1975 to 1990. He has thrown for over 26,000 yards. He threw 182 touchdowns and had 36 rushing touchdowns.
Steve is still busy after his playing days. He runs Grogan-Marciano, which is a sporting goods store in Massachusetts. Grogan and his wife raised three boys, who are now out of the house and perusing their own careers. Tommy Riles and I got to chat with the former Patriots QB on his playing days, social media, and fatherhood.
Art Eddy: Let’s first talk some football before we talk fatherhood. When the Patriots were crushed by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year everyone was saying that the team was falling apart. Now they are playing at their usual level. I know that sports media goes a bit nuts these days. Did you ever have a slow start to a season and the media wrote you guys off?
Steve Grogan: I don’t remember anything like that, but it is a lot worse now. There are so many media outlets. You have got the online stuff. We didn’t have that kind of thing. Everyone is jumping on and off the bandwagon. The minute that things are bad they are off the wagon. When you turn it back around they are back on the wagon. It was a little bit like that back in my day. It has gone to a farther extreme now.
Tommy Riles: Take me back to your first year in the NFL. What were some of the things in your game you needed to improve on as a quarterback?
SG: I came out of Kansas State, which at the time was not a very good program. They have done really well in the last 20 years under Coach Snyder out there. When I was there we were one of the bottom feeders in the Big Eight Conference. I got drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round. I came back here not expecting to make the roster. They already had three veterans.
I was told that they were only going to keep two on the active roster that year. My chances didn’t look too good. One of the veterans retired and Jim Plunkett, who was the starter, got hurt in the final preseason game. They had to keep me as the backup. We ran a pro-style offense at Kansas State, but we certainly didn’t have the kind of talent I had with the Patriots my rookie year.
I sat on the bench for half a season trying to improve my passing game. I was a pretty good runner. That bought me some time to learn the passing game for the first few years. Plunkett got hurt again and I became the starter halfway through the season. It was kind of learn on the fly and use my running ability to get me out of trouble.
AE: These days the NFL is more geared to protecting the offense. I am guessing your stats would be a bit better if the league started up those rules back then. Do you like the evolution of the game?
SG: I always liked the running game. We had a fantastic offensive line with a fantastic running game. I think that they have taken that out of today’s football. It is all because the fans enjoy the speed of the game and the great points that are being scored. Back in my day if you threw the ball more than 20 times that was a lot. If you don’t throw it for more than 40 times than that is a little.
It has changed. I don’t know if it is for the better or the worse. They are trying to protect the quarterback and all players much better than they did in our day.
TR: Do you have a game or a season that stood out the most to you?
SG: Well ’85 was a really good year for our team. That was a great year for us. I only played in six regular season games midway through the season. I broke my leg when I came into replace Tony Eason who got hurt earlier in the year. I would have to say that 1976 was my first year as a full time starter. We went to the playoffs for the first time in ten years for the Patriots. We had a great bunch of young players on that team with some veterans that lent some leadership. 1976 was a magical year and 1985 was pretty close to it.
AE: We spoke with former Giants defender George Martin about his first game he played in the NFL. He said he was a bit nervous. Yet he was able to record his first sack on you. He said he was lucky. Was there a team or a few teams that you maybe prepped up a bit more for due to their success on defense?
SG: I don’t remember the George Martin sack. It was a long time ago. We always had a great rivalry with the Jets back when they had (Joe) Klecko and (Mark) Gastineau playing the defensive live. They had some good defensive linebackers and defensive ends. It was a battle playing them twice a year.
The first game that I played in as a rookie was in Shea Stadium in New York. I still remember to this day standing for the national anthem and glancing across the field and seeing Joe Namath standing on the sidelines. I was thinking what am I doing here? (All laugh.) I am on the same field as Joe Namath. This is unbelievable.
They were killing us. They threw me into the third quarter. I threw a touchdown pass to Russ Francis. You don’t forget your first touchdown pass, but you do forget your first sack though. (All laugh.)
TR: Switching to fatherhood what were some of the morals you looked to instill in your sons as they were growing up?
SG: I think we tried to set an example of being courteous, kind, and doing what you are supposed to do when you are supposed to be doing it. Not looking for anybody else or excuses not to do something. I was fortunate enough to have off seasons back then where I had a lot of free time.
I would drive my kids to school and spend a lot of time with them. If I went to an event where one or two of them could go with me I took them along with me so they could learn how to interact with people. They could learn how to treat their elders with respect. They could see how I handled myself. All three of them, knock on wood, have turned out pretty good. So I guess we did something right.
AE: We all try to teach our kids life lessons throughout our life. Sometime our kids can teach us a few things. What is one thing that your sons have taught you?
SG: I think patience more than anything. As you start having children you have to start juggling a lot of things. There are a lot of times where kids can 
drive you crazy. You have to be patient. You have to discipline them, but you also have to let them grow up and get scratched or fall down and get hurt.
A funny story real quick. I remember my oldest was playing a little league baseball game. I had the other two with me in the bleachers. They were running up and down with two other kids who had a brother who was on the team as well. Their mother and I were sitting there while they ran up and down the bleachers. There was an older lady in the stands too. Somebody’s grandma was sitting there. Finally she turned to the kids and told them to be careful because you are going to get hurt.
I turned to the mother sitting next to me. I said to her that isn’t interesting that the first one you follow around. When they fall down, you pick them up. The second one, when they do that you say you better be careful. With the third one you say hey whatever happens you will be alright. (All laugh.)
Patience is a huge thing when you are raising kids.
AE: The third kid can start eating dirt if they want to.
SG: Exactly. (All laugh.) I don’t care. Go ahead.
TR: How were you able to balance work and family?
SG: It really wasn’t that difficult. Again social media has changes for what players can do now. You don’t see a lot of players out in the community doing things now because people harass them. Back in my day when we had a snowstorm we would take the kids to K-Mart and let the kids run up and down the aisles to wear off some of their energy. No one really bothered me. I don’t think Tom Brady is able to do that. (All laugh.)
We had fun. It was a great experience for me when my oldest son got to go to a game with his mother. They would watch me play. That was pretty special. We had a lot of great moments even during the season.
AE: What advice do you have for the new dads out there?
SG: Learn how to change diapers. (All laugh.) Your wife will love you forever if you learn how to do that. When I talk to crowds I sometimes talk about role models. People are always asking me why are these athletes today are getting into trouble and are doing things they shouldn’t. My response to that is there are about five or ten percent of the guys who are getting into trouble. The rest of the guys are good guys doing good things.
On a day to day basis the people that these kids come into contact with are really the role models that their lives are going to be molded around. As a parent if you are doing things that you don’t want your kids to do then you are out of luck. Your kids are going to mimic you. You have to become a good role model as a father or a mother. You have to live your life the way you want your kids to live their lives. I have found as I have gotten older when I have said something to my kids I just say, ‘Oh my God, that was what my dad had said to me.’
You become your parents. If you do a good job parenting your kids will turn out good too.
Life of Dad Quick Five
AE: What is your favorite family movie you guys like to watch together?
SG: Not to my recollection. We watched them all.
AE: Do you guys have a favorite song that you all like to sing and dance to as a family?
SG: We weren’t very much singers and dancers. (Laughs.)
AE: Describe the perfect family vacation.
SG: We always spent our family vacations going back to Kansas and visiting family. To me it was better to spend three to four days with each grandparent. Our vacations were always going back to visit family.
AE: Which is better the old or new Patriots logo?
SG: Oh, the old by far. Everybody that I see tells me that.
AE: Who was your go to guy when you needed a first down during your playing days?
SG: I would have to say Stanley Morgan followed closely by Russ Francis. Stanley Morgan was just an unbelievable wide receiver. He belongs in the Hall of Fame, but for some reason he doesn’t get any consideration. He averaged closely to 20 yards per catch for a 13 year career. That is amazing.