With Jason Varitek presently mired in one of the most offensive (and at same time, least offensive) seasons in Red Sox history, we thought we’d look back at five other former lessons in ineptitude. The one twist is that these guys can’t have failed and then found themselves out of the line-up. They were awful, but (like ‘Tek) just wouldn’t go away.

1994: Marion Butts, RB, Patriots

You ever see a rugby scrum—one of those plays where both team meet in the middle of the field and push each other back and forth until someone picks up the ball? I swear that’s what it looked like every time Marion Butts touched the ball in 1994. But instead of someone eventually emerging from the pack, Marion would merely collapse after a yard or two, waddle pack to the sidelines and scarf down the three chicken parm calzones he’d kept hidden in his equipment bag. Butts carried the ball 243 times that year, but no Patriots running back since 1986 (with a minimum of 100 carries) has averaged fewer yards an attempt than Butts’ 2.9 (Even Terry Allen averaged 3.5!). Despite their lack of a running game, the Pats still made the playoffs in 94, thanks in large part to one of my favorite plays in franchise history (that sadly doesn’t exist on youtube).