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One of my responsibilities as a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame Selection Committee is to dive into the deep recesses of my memory and nominate past players for the ballot that you kind folks will cast later this year to choose the next individual for enshrinement at the Hall at Patriot Place (presented by that defense contractor up Route 1).

But this year, Stacey James has really piled on the homework.

James, the long-time VP in charge of the Patriots' media relations department, has entrusted us with another set of tasks as the Patriots begin their 50th anniversary season (yes, the Patriots played their first season in 1960, so include that in your count and you'll see that 2009 comes up as No. 50).

We'll be picking all-decade teams from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in the weeks to come - the All-1960s team was picked in 1971 and, while forgotten by most everyone, it lives on in the Patriots' annual media guide - all leading to the selection of a 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

On these teams, we've been asked to pick a quarterback, two running backs, a fullback, two tackles, two guards, a center, a tight end, two wide receivers, two defensive ends, two interior defensive linemen, two outside linebackers, two inside linebackers, two cornerbacks, two safeties, a kicker, a punter, a special-teamer and a coach - just a few positions short of a Sun Chronicle all-star team, in fact. Unfortunately, the 50th Anniversary Team will be selected before we reconvene to pick an all-'00s team sometime next year. I sat down and did my own, and I counted 11 players from the teams of 2000 through 2008 that will bump earlier players off the all-time team, and that's really getting ahead of ourselves.

In any event, I have been sworn to semi-secrecy regarding my selections to the three all-decade teams I had to consider (being the longest-tenured active beat writer that I am). I can tell you that I'm thinking about it, but if I told you who I was picking, I'd have to kill you.

I can tell you, however, about some of the dilemmas I've been facing.

For instance, go back to the 1970s, and you have to remember that fullbacks then are running backs today, and some running backs then would be fullbacks today. So, given that Sam Cunningham was listed as a "fullback" then, where do you select him given that he had more in common with a Corey Dillon than with a Heath Evans?

You see? Dilemma.

Then you reach the wide receivers of the decade. Stanley Morgan is a no-brainer. But despite sentimental support for Darryl Stingley, you must note that Randy Vataha's numbers were better. And in the linebacking corps, some of the better outside 'backers of the era were stoners who stayed just one step ahead of the law. Ditto return specialist Mack Herron. There's a lot of turning a blind eye to the police dockets in those selections, I can tell you.

Moving along to the 1980s, I'm going to have to make a difficult choice at quarterback. Everyone loves Steve Grogan in retrospect today, but the fact is that he spent much of that decade with other quarterbacks being given every opportunity to take his job. Tony Eason, in fact, posted some terrific passing numbers at mid-decade. But the overwhelming negative perception of him is also weighing heavily upon my soul.

At running back, Craig James had a very short tenure at the top of his game, but it may be good enough to warrant honors over others. At tackle, I always felt there was a fraudulent quality to Brian Holloway, as he rode John Hannah's coattails to the Pro Bowl. At cornerback, I need to determine if Mike Haynes' short stay with the team in the decade was better than Ronnie Lippett's later tenure.

And in the search for a special-teamer, one might first think of Mosi Tatupu. But with there being a fullback selection available, I might want to look elsewhere - and the first guy of whom I thought was Rod McSwain, who played 90 games for the Patriots over seven years and was rarely good enough to start, but kept his place on the team because he played special teams.

Moving on to the 1990s, here's a time when Drew Bledsoe can get some well-deserved recognition for the role he played in the transformation of the franchise. Curtis Martin, too, should be remembered for what he did here instead of the circumstances of his departure. Along the offensive line, all I can see is Max Lane getting tossed around the floor of the Louisiana Superdome by Reggie White in Super Bowl XXXI. But hey, he played pretty decent guard before being moved over to tackle. I also had to wonder what to do at defensive end and outside linebacker, but I recall that Willie McGinest played a hybrid position called the "elephant," and as a result, I don't have to displace Pro Football Hall of Fame member Andre Tippett from a position he also holds in the 1980s.

And at safety, other than Lawyer Milloy toward the end of the decade, everyone was awful. So maybe I should choose the guy with the best nickname, and that was "Big Play" Willie Clay.

Nope, it's not an easy task at all. But I went ahead and did it - at a time when I probably should have been doing my taxes instead -- and I sent my teams to James for his perusal.

It will be interesting to see how my fellow committee members resolved the dilemmas they faced. I've kept my original selections, and will be more than happy to share them with you and compare the results once the Patriots announce the final selections.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.