When were the New England Patriots formed?
List of New England Patriots seasons
The New England Patriots are an American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. Originally called the Boston Patriots, the team was founded as one of eight charter members of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 under the ownership of Billy Sullivan. The team became part of the NFL when the two leagues merged in 1970. The following year, they moved from Boston to nearby Foxborough, and changed their name to the New England Patriots.
2018 New England Patriots season
The 2018 New England Patriots season is the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League, the 59th overall and the 19th under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots entered the season as two-time defending AFC champions.
History of the New England Patriots
Taking Edwards' place in 1999 were veteran Terry Allen and rookie Kevin Faulk, but neither player was able to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing, and the Patriots' rushing offense was 23rd in the NFL. The Patriots opened with an emotional 30–28 victory over the New York Jets, then followed by hosting the Indianapolis Colts and second-year quarterback Peyton Manning; Manning raced the Colts to a 28–7 halftime lead but was limited to just 13 second-half passing yards as Drew Bledsoe threw three touchdowns, two of them to Ben Coates, which turned out to be his final touchdown catches with New England; after an Edgerrin James fumble, Adam Vinatieri kicked the winning field goal in a 31–28 final. The Patriots began the season with a 6–2 record, but after a 27–3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Coates went to the media to protest that he was not being thrown to enough; it soured Coates' relationship with Bledsoe and Carroll, and the team stumbled down the stretch, finishing 8–8 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Further demoralizing the team was a late-season fight between Lawyer Milloy and receiver Vincent Brisby that began at a charity event hosted by linebacker Willie McGinest and continued the next day at a team meeting. Following the season finale, Carroll was fired, while Vice President of Player Personnel Bobby Grier was retained only until the 2000 NFL Draft.
New York Jets
The team was founded in 1959 as the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League (AFL); later, the franchise joined the NFL in the AFL–NFL merger in . The team began to play in 1960 at the Polo Grounds. Under new ownership, the current name was adopted in 1963 and the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in 1964 and then to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in 1984. The Jets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl III where they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game. Since 1968, the Jets have appeared in the playoffs 13 times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. However, the Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl, making them one of three NFL teams to win their lone Super Bowl appearance, along with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Apart from the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, who have never reached the Super Bowl (although both won NFL championships prior to 1966), the Jets' drought is the longest among current NFL franchises.
New England Patriots Cheerleaders
The New England Patriots Cheerleaders are the official cheerleading squad of the NFL's New England Patriots. The Patriots Cheerleaders perform various dance stunts at Gillette Stadium. The squad was formed in 1971. The squad currently (as of the 2016 New England Patriots season) has 33 members. The squad also makes appearances off the field with Patriots mascot Pat Patriot. The group also has a "Junior Patriots Cheerleaders", with girls of ages 7–17 being allowed to join, with a fee of $425.00 per participant. The squad also releases a swimsuit calendar yearly. The Patriots Cheerleaders' auditions take place at Gillette Stadium. In 2008, the squad went to China to train Chinese dancers for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
New England Patriots
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the American Football Conference (AFC) East division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years. As a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots. The name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22, 1971, the team officially announced they would change its geographic name to New England.
2001 New England Patriots season
The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the New England Patriots in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI.
Jim Plunkett
UCLA coach Tommy Prothro had called Plunkett the "best pro quarterback prospect I've ever seen", echoing Sweeney's words from the year prior. His excellent arm strength and precision made him attractive to pro teams that relied much more heavily on the passing game than most college teams of the late 1960s. In 1971, he was drafted with the first overall pick in the NFL draft by the New England Patriots (the team was still known as the Boston Patriots at the time of the draft; the name change to New England did not become official until March 21 of that year). Plunkett owns the distinction of being the only player of Hispanic heritage to be drafted with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. The Patriots finished the season at 6-8, fourth place in the AFC East. Plunkett's first game was a 20-6 victory over the Oakland Raiders, the Patriots' first regular-season contest at Schaefer Stadium. New England also influenced the AFC East championship race, as Plunkett's 88-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to former Stanford teammate Randy Vataha on the final day of the season dropped the Baltimore Colts to a 10-4-0 record and into second place in the division behind the 10-3-1 Miami Dolphins. Two weeks before the Patriots defeated the Colts, Plunkett engineered a 34-13 victory over the Dolphins.
2007 New England Patriots season
With the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs, the Patriots first defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31–20, then the San Diego Chargers 21–12, to advance to Super Bowl XLII, their sixth in franchise history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with this accomplishment, they became the first professional sports team since 1884 in any of the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey) to win the first 18 games of their season. Facing the prospect of a perfect 19–0 season with a victory over the underdog New York Giants, analysts saw the 2007 Patriots as being the greatest team in NFL history.
Sports in New England
New England is home to an NFL Football team, the New England Patriots. The Patriots, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, are the most popular NFL team in Massachusetts. However, the other 5 states all have a more popular fan base with another NFL team. The Pittsburgh Steelers are most popular in eastern New England (Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine), and the New York Giants are more popular in the western states (Connecticut, Vermont).
New England Patriots
The Patriots' current coach, Bill Belichick, was hired in 2000, and a new home field, Gillette Stadium, was opened in 2002. Under Belichick, the team won three Super Bowls in four years (2001, 2003, and 2004). The Patriots finished the 2007 regular season with a perfect 16–0 record, becoming only the fourth team in league history to go undefeated in the regular season, and the only one since the league expanded its regular season schedule to 16 games. After advancing to Super Bowl XLII, the team's fourth Super Bowl in seven years, the Patriots were defeated by the Giants to end their bid for a 19–0 season. With the loss, the Patriots ended the year at 18–1, becoming only one of three teams to go 18–1 along with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers and the 1985 Chicago Bears. The Patriots' returned to the Super Bowl in 2012 but lost again to the Giants, 21–17. In 2015, they won Super Bowl XLIX, defeating the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24. The Patriots became the first team to reach nine Super Bowls in the 2016–17 playoffs and faced the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, which ended up paving the way for their fifth Super Bowl victory, tying them with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers for the second-most in NFL history, 1 behind the Pittsburgh Steelers with 6; the game was also the first Super Bowl to go into overtime.
History of the New England Patriots
In 1973, the team hired Chuck Fairbanks, who had enjoyed success as head coach at the University of Oklahoma, as head coach. The Patriots showed marked improvement in Fairbanks's second season, 1974, finishing 7–7, but with injuries to Plunkett in 1975, regressed to 3–11 that season. Following the 1975 season, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, and eventually would win two Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders.
2007 New England Patriots season
The Patriots finished the 2007 regular season by winning all sixteen of their games. They became only the fourth team in NFL history to finish a regular season undefeated, and first to do so since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots were also the first team with a perfect regular season since the NFL expanded its schedule to sixteen games in 1978. Thus, they broke the record for victories in a single regular season that had been shared by the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, and the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, and later tied by the 2011 Green Bay Packers and 2015 Carolina Panthers, who each finished with a record of 15–1. The 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears would win Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XX, respectively, the 1998 Vikings and 2004 Steelers would lose their conference championship games, the 2011 Packers would lose their first playoff game, and the 2015 Panthers would lose Super Bowl 50.
Billy Sullivan (American football)
William Hallissey Sullivan Jr. (September 13, 1915 – February 23, 1998) was an American businessman who owned the Boston Patriots franchise from their inception in the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969) until their sale, as the New England Patriots of the NFL, to Victor Kiam in 1988.
List of New England Patriots starting quarterbacks
Butch Songin became the first starting quarterback for the Patriots in 1960, when the franchise was first established. He started the first 12 games of the season, and Tom Greene replaced him as starting quarterback for the final two games. Babe Parilli was the next starting quarterback for the Patriots, from 1961 to 1967.
History of the New England Patriots
In the Super Bowl, though the Bears had not allowed a point in the playoffs, the Patriots took an early 3-0 lead after a Walter Payton fumble in the 1st quarter. This resulted a field goal by Tony Franklin.
History of the New England Patriots
Under Rust, the Patriots finished with the worst season in franchise history in 1990 – a 1–15 record. On the day after what turned out to be the team's only win that year (against the Colts), the Patriots were thrown into the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when "Boston Herald" reporter Lisa Olson was sexually and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room and was later labeled a "classic bitch" by Kiam. Following an investigation into the scandal, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue fined the team $50,000, and players Zeke Mowatt, Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman $12,500, $5,000, and $5,000 respectively. As a final indignity, their season finale against the New York Giants would be one of their few sellouts of the year; however, most of the fans at the game that day were Giants fans. The team lost that game, missing a game-tying field goal in the closing seconds.
Super Bowl
The New England Patriots became the dominant team throughout the early 2000s, winning the championship three out of four years early in the decade. They would become only the second team in the history of the NFL to do so (after the 1990s Dallas Cowboys). In Super Bowl XXXVI, first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady led his team to a 20–17 upset victory over the St. Louis Rams. Brady would go on to win the MVP award for this game. The Patriots also won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX defeating the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles respectively. This four-year stretch of Patriot dominance was interrupted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48–21 Super Bowl XXXVII victory over the Oakland Raiders.
1996 New England Patriots season
The relationship between team owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Parcells collapsed during the NFL draft, when Parcells wanted to draft a defensive lineman but Kraft overruled him, giving head scout Bobby Grier the choice of a player, and receiver Terry Glenn was selected. Parcells stormed out of the Patriots draft war room after the choice was made and vowed to reporter Will McDonough that he was done with New England after 1996. Despite this, the Patriots rallied from a 0–2 start to finish 11–5, then defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars to advance to Super Bowl XXXI. The season saw the arrival of former Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick as he took over coaching New England's defensive backs.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have appeared in the Super Bowl eleven times in franchise history, the most of any team, nine of them since the arrival of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady in 2000. The Patriots have since become one of the most successful teams in NFL history, winning 16 AFC East titles in 18 seasons since 2001, without a losing season in that period. The franchise has since set numerous notable records, including most wins in a ten-year period (126, in 2003–2012), an undefeated 16-game regular season in 2007, the longest winning streak consisting of regular season and playoff games in NFL history (a 21-game streak from October 2003 to October 2004), and the most consecutive division titles won by a team in NFL history (won ten straight division titles from 2009 to 2018). The team owns the record for most Super Bowls reached (nine) and won (five) by a head coach–quarterback tandem, and most Super Bowl appearances overall (eleven). Currently, the team is tied with the 49ers and Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl wins with five, after the Steelers, who have six.
History of the New England Patriots
The draft picks acquired in the Plunkett trade were used to select defensive backs Mike Haynes and Tim Fox and set the stage for the team's first winning seasons in the NFL. Second-year player Steve Grogan – who had played much of the 1975 season with Plunkett injured – became New England's top quarterback in 1976. The Patriots finished 11-3, their best record in team history to that point, and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1963.
List of New England Patriots starting quarterbacks
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They are a member of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC). The team began as the Boston Patriots in the American Football League, a league that merged with the National Football League before the start of the 1970 season. In 1971, the team relocated to Foxborough, where they then became the New England Patriots. Between 1971 and 2001, the Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium. Since 2002, the Patriots have played their home games at Gillette Stadium (formerly CMGI Field), which was built adjacent to Foxboro Stadium (which was then demolished, and the site was turned into a parking lot for Gillette Stadium).
History of the New England Patriots
Shortly thereafter, the Patriots revamped their front office. Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson, a New England native who had been the coach at Syracuse University. Additionally, Sam Jankovich, who had been athletic director at the University of Miami and oversaw the national resurgence of their athletic program (and specifically their football team), was brought on as CEO of the Patriots.
2017 New England Patriots season
The 2017 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League, the 58th overall and the 18th under head coach Bill Belichick.
The New England Patriots entered the season as the defending champions of Super Bowl LI. They failed to match their 14–2 record from last season with their Week 14 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Despite that, in Week 15, the Patriots secured their 9th consecutive AFC East title, their 15th of the last 17 seasons, with their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With their win over the Buffalo Bills in week 16, the Patriots obtained their 8th consecutive 12-or-more win season stretching all the way from 2010, an NFL record. Their Week 17 victory over the New York Jets clinched their top seed in the AFC for the second straight year, thus giving the Patriots home-field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs for the second year in a row.
History of the New England Patriots
Though Orthwein's period as owner was short and controversial, he did oversee major changes to the team. Former New York Giants coach Bill Parcells was hired in 1993, and the drastic changes were made the same year to the Patriots uniforms, changing their primary colors from their traditional red and white to blue and silver, and introducing a new logo. Parcells would bring the Patriots to two playoff appearances, including Super Bowl XXXI, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 35–21. Pete Carroll, Parcells' successor, would also take the team to the playoffs twice.
1975 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1975 season with a record of three wins and eleven losses, and finished tied for fourth in the AFC East Division. Hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 1963, the Patriots entered the season hoping that success from the previous season in which they finished the season with an even 7-7 record, their best outing since 1966, the last time they had a winning season, would help them have a strong preseason and make them try to go on a postseason run during the 1975 season. However, New England continued its forgetful period of the '70s, as they finished 3–11 and missed the playoffs for the 12th straight season. New England started terribly, losing its first 4 games, each by 7 or more points. After winning 3 of their next 4 games, the Patriots would lose their final 6 games to conclude the season. Although they tied the New York Jets for last place in the AFC East, they lost the tiebreaker by virtue of New York winning both matchups during the season.
New England Patriots
In 1993, a new logo was unveiled involving the gray face of a minuteman wearing a red, white and blue hat that begins as a tricorne and transitions into a flowing banner-like design. The logo bears some superficial resemblance to the aborted 1979 logo. It became popularly known as the "Flying Elvis" due to many observing its resemblance to the profile of a young Elvis Presley. In 2000, the blue color was darkened.
History of the New England Patriots
The Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in an AFL Eastern Division playoff game in 1963, and played in the 1963 AFL championship game, losing to the San Diego Chargers 51–10. Although they would not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season game for another 13 years, in the AFL, the Patriots often challenged the dominant Bills for the Eastern Division title.
History of the New England Patriots
Local product Doug Flutie (from Natick, Massachusetts), who won the Heisman Trophy for Boston College in 1984, was acquired by the Patriots during the 1987 players' strike and crossed the picket line to play his first game for the Patriots, which was also the last of three games played by replacement players in the 1987 season. Many defensive players for New England also crossed the picket line. However, late-season injuries put the Patriots out of playoff contention at 8–7. In 1988, Flutie played five games before he was replaced by Eason, after which they would alternate as the Patriots' starting quarterback. Though the Patriots had some success with this atypical arrangement, finishing the season 9–7, the Patriots narrowly missed the playoffs.
List of New England Patriots seasons
The modern NFL championship game, the Super Bowl, was founded in the 1966 season; the first four were contested between the champions of the AFL and the NFL. After the merger, the Super Bowl became the united league's championship. The Patriots made the 1963 AFL Championship Game, but struggled severely in the early years of the united league, not making the postseason until 1976. After a few good seasons including a Super Bowl appearance against a champion Bears outfit, the Patriots reached a nadir between 1989 and 1993 when they won only 19 of 80 games.
1993 New England Patriots season
Amid year-long rumors that the team would move to St. Louis and become the Stallions (even to the point of a team logo being unveiled and hats being printed), the Patriots ran through the year, the first for coach Bill Parcells, who’d been a linebackers coach in Foxboro in 1980 under Ron Erhardt. The Patriots drafted Drew Bledsoe as the #1 pick and he was named starter.
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick achieved his 200th career head coaching win (regular season and playoffs) on November 22, 2012, defeating the Jets 49–19; it was his 163rd such win as Patriots coach. The Patriots defeated the Jets in Week seven of the 2015 season by a score of 30–23, to give them a 6–0 record to date.
The Patriots rivalry with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts ran through the two clubs' tenure together in the AFC East (1970–2001). The two clubs clashed in several close games, such as on December 19, 1971, as a late Patriots touchdown decided a 21–17 New England win; on September 18, 1978, the Colts rallied to defeat the Patriots 34–27 on "Monday Night Football" on a virtual one-man scoring rampage by running back Joe Washington; on September 4, 1983, the Colts defeated the Patriots in overtime 29–23 in their final season in Baltimore. The Patriots defeated the Colts in back-to-back overtime games, 23–17 on December 8, 1991, and 37–34 on November 15, 1992.
History of the New England Patriots
In the 2009 season opener on "Monday Night Football", the Patriots celebrated their 50th season with an American Football League "legacy game" against the Buffalo Bills. Down 11 points late in the 4th quarter, the Patriots scored two touchdowns to secure a victory in Brady's first game back from injury. In November, the 6–2 Patriots traveled to face the undefeated Indianapolis Colts; with a six-point lead late in the 4th quarter, the Patriots tried to convert a 4th and 2 situation inside their own 30-yard line but failed, setting up a Colts touchdown and the Patriots' third loss of the season. After losing two of their next three games, the Patriots went on to win three in a row to secure a division title; the team also finished with their fourth perfect regular season record at home in seven years. With the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs, the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens at home in the Wild Card Playoffs. The Ravens opened up a 24–0 lead in the 1st quarter, and the Patriots did not recover, ending their season with a 33-14 loss.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era
Before coming to New England, Belichick had an 11-year stint with the New York Giants from 1979–1990. During this period, he was the defensive coordinator during the Giants' 20-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. Bill Belichick came to the New England Patriots in 1996 to serve as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for Bill Parcells. The Patriots went 11-5 and earned a trip to Super Bowl XXXI, but fell to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Belichick subsequently served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the New York Jets. When their head coach, Bill Parcells, retired in 1999, Belichick resigned as his successor and went to New England, this time as their head coach. In his 18-year tenure in New England, the Patriots have missed the playoffs only three times: 2000 (5-11), 2002 (9-7), and 2008 (11-5). In 2008, Belichick coached the Patriots to an 11-5 record despite losing franchise quarterback Tom Brady in Week 1 versus the Kansas City Chiefs. However, a series of division tiebreakers put the 11-5 Miami Dolphins as the AFC East champions, making the 2008 Patriots the second team in NFL history to go 11-5 and miss the playoffs.
History of the New England Patriots
On the field in 1971 was a new quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett. Plunkett, from Stanford University, was the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft, which the Patriots received for having finished with the NFL's worst record in 1970. The Patriots also signed free agent Randy Vataha, who had been one of Plunkett's favorite wide receivers at Stanford.
Jets–Patriots rivalry
The Jets–Patriots rivalry is a rivalry between the New York Jets and New England Patriots of the National Football League. The teams both play in the AFC East. They have been in the same division since the two teams' inception in 1960 in the American Football League, and have played each other at least twice a year since then.
History of the New England Patriots
The 2013 season was more of the same. Even though injuries and a lack of experience wrecked the team's depth for much of the season, New England still finished as the AFC East champions and the No. 2 seed. They opened the season 4–0 before losing to the Cincinnati Bengals 13–6 in Week 5. After a home win against the New Orleans Saints on Week 6, the Patriots fell to the rival Jets 30–27 on a converted Nick Folk field goal following an unsportsmanlike penalty to rookie Chris Jones. They rebounded with a pair of home wins against the Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but lost 24–20 on Monday Night Football to the Carolina Panthers following the bye week on a controversial end-game interception by Luke Kuechly. They went on to finish with five wins in their last six games to clinch another division title and first round bye.
History of the New England Patriots
The Patriots' time in the AFL saw them without a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium, all in or near Boston, served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. Early Patriots stars included defensive tackles Jim Lee "Earthquake" Hunt and Houston Antwine; quarterback Vito "Babe" Parilli; and flanker-placekicker Gino "The Duke" Cappelletti. Hunt, Parilli and Cappelletti played every year of the existence of the AFL, with Hunt and Cappelletti spending all ten years with the Patriots. Cappelletti was the all-time leading scorer in the AFL. Later the Patriots were joined by such stars as defensive end Larry Eisenhauer, fullback Jim Nance, and middle linebacker and future Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti. Cappelletti and Nance were AFL Most Valuable Players, Cappelletti in 1964 and Nance in 1966. Buoniconti and Antwine were later named to the American Football League All-Time Team.
History of the New England Patriots
Opening the 2011 campaign in Miami on "Monday Night Football", New England breezed to victory 38–24; Brady set a personal single-game record with 517 passing yards, highlighted by an NFL record-tying 99-yard touchdown reception by Wes Welker. They easily beat San Diego in Week 2 in their home opener, but in Week 3 their 15-game win streak against the Buffalo Bills finally ended when Tom Brady threw four interceptions, and the Patriots lost 34–31 on a last-second field goal. Determined to not lose two in a row, the team smashed Oakland 31–19 in Week 4, then got a measure of revenge for the 2010 playoff loss by beating the Jets 30–21. In Week 6, the Dallas Cowboys made their first trip to Foxboro since 2003; they ground to a 16–13 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Brady led a drive ending in a game-winning touchdown to tight end Aaron Hernandez and a 20–16 Patriots win. During the Patriots' subsequent bye week, a minor incident occurred where tight end Rob Gronkowski was seen in a photo with an adult film actress wearing his game shirt. Following a 25–17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Julian Edelman was arrested for indecent assault following an incident in a Back Bay nightclub on Halloween night. In what was a Super Bowl preview, the Giants beat the Patriots 24–20 on a last-second drive. The Patriots would win their last eight games to take the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
History of the New England Patriots
1995 was also marked by the Patriots' first home appearance on "Monday Night Football" since 1981. During the Patriots' last appearance on the program, a number of fans in attendance proved to be rowdy and uncontrollable, and there was an abnormally high number of arrests. As a result of this behavior, the Town of Foxborough and the NFL refused to schedule Monday night home games in New England. (This behavior, which occurred during day games as well, led the Patriots to only sell reduced-alcohol beer for several seasons in the 1980s.)
List of New England Patriots seasons
The Patriots have won five Super Bowl championships (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, and LI). They also played in and lost Super Bowls XX, XXXI, XLII, XLVI, and Super Bowl LII. During the 2007 regular season, the Patriots became the only NFL team in history to win 16 games, and the first since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (in a 14-game season) to complete the regular campaign undefeated. Belichick's Patriots are one of only two teams to win three Super Bowls in four years (the other being the Dallas Cowboys from 1993 to 1996).
History of the New England Patriots
After losing Tom Brady for the first four games of the season due to the punishment imposed by Commissioner Roger Goodell stemming from Deflategate, the Patriots turned to back-up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo led the Patriots to a win opening night against the Arizona Cardinals. After a shoulder injury to Garoppolo in the second game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, rookie, third-string back-up quarterback Jacoby Brissett entered the game and led the Patriots to victory. Four days later on Thursday Night Football, Brissett led the Patriots to a 27-0 shutout victory against the Houston Texans. A thumb injury to Brissett's throwing hand derailed the Patriots offense the following week, leading to a shutout home loss to the Buffalo Bills. Brady returned the following week and led the Patriots to four straight victories. A loss mid-season in Week 10 to the Seattle Seahawks proved to be the final defeat of the year, as the Patriots closed the regular season winning seven straight games, along with their eighth consecutive division title and securing the #1 seed overall in the AFC.
New England Patriots
An original member of the American Football League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971. The Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season. The Patriots' rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL.
2007 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots of 2007 are the only NFL team of the modern (Super Bowl) era to have an undefeated record during the regular season and not win the Super Bowl.
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League, the 46th overall and the 6th under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos, ending their hopes of becoming the first NFL team to three peat in the Super Bowl.
2007 New England Patriots season
The Patriots were not able to join the 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears as Super Bowl champions, losing the Super Bowl and failing to go 19–0 and claim their fourth Super Bowl victory. They would have become just the fourth team to win at least four Super Bowls (joining the 49ers, Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys, each of whom had won five at the time). In Super Bowl XLII, the New York Giants defeated the Patriots 17–14 in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
New England Patriots Radio Network
The New England Patriots Radio Network is a radio network which carries live game broadcasts of the New England Patriots. The network's flagship station is WBZ-FM, located in Boston, Massachusetts. Gil Santos, former WBZ sports reporter who was known as the "Voice of the New England Patriots" retired after the 2012 season (during the Patriots' December win over the Dolphins that season part of Santos' radio call was simulcast by CBS television in recognition of his time with the team) and was replaced by Bob Socci, who now does the play-by-play with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak providing the color commentary and former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham and WBZ-TV/WSBK-TV sports reporter Steve Burton providing the sideline reports. Marc Bertrand and "Boston Globe" sports columnist Chris Gasper host the pregame, and the postgame show is hosted by Bertrand . Former hosts of the network's pre- and postgame show include Gary Tanguay, Andy Gresh, Bill Abbate, Mike Ruth, Tim Fox, and Pete Brock, and Steve DeOssie. Albert Breer and "Patriots Football Weekly" writers Paul Perillo and Andy Hart are regular guest analysts on the network's pre-game show.
History of the New England Patriots
The Patriots were heavily favored to go to Super Bowl XLV, but faced a Jets team that was now prepared for their revamped post-Randy Moss trade offense. New York's pass defense effectively shut the Patriots down, as Brady found it all-but impossible to make throws. The Jets won 28–21, sending New England to a second straight home playoff exit.
History of the New England Patriots
On July 30, 1960, the Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in the first AFL pre-season game. The Boston Patriots played in the first-ever game in the American Football League, against the Denver Broncos on September 9, 1960, a game which they lost by a score of 10-13. Although the team made only one AFL playoff appearance (in 1963), it had numerous stars. In 1963, eleven Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti, Jim Colclough, Nick Buoniconti, and Babe Parilli. That year the Patriots made it to the AFL Championship for the first time ever, but lost to the San Diego Chargers 51–10. Linebacker Tom Addison, an original Patriot and the first Patriot all-star, founded and was selected President of the AFL Players Association in the mid-1960s. In the late-1960s, fullback Jim Nance became an offensive weapon for the Patriots, gaining 1,458 yards in 1966 and 1,216 in 1967, when he was the AFL MVP.
Bill Parcells
After a two-year hiatus, Parcells returned to the NFL in 1993 as the head coach for the New England Patriots. Within two years, he coached the team to a 10–6 record and its first playoff game in eight years. In 1996, he led the Patriots to their first division title in 11 years, and only the second and third home playoff games in franchise history. The Patriots went all the way to Super Bowl XXXI, but lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35–21, in New Orleans.
History of the New England Patriots
Throughout his tenure as owner of the Patriots, Robert Kraft attempted to get a new stadium built somewhere in New England. After failing to reach an accord with either the City of Boston or the State of Rhode Island, in 1998 Kraft came close to reaching a deal with the Massachusetts Legislature for Kraft to build a new, self-financed stadium adjacent to the old stadium with the state providing $75 million in infrastructure improvements. However, Massachusetts House Speaker Tom Finneran refused to support the bill, saying that he did not want public money benefiting private interests. Unable to overcome Finneran's objections, Kraft reached a deal with Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland to build a new stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, originally scheduled to open in 2001. However, after the stadium plan was approved by the Connecticut General Assembly, there were a number of problems discovered with the proposed stadium site that would result in considerable delay of the stadium construction. At the same time, the NFL announced loan incentives where teams in the six largest markets (which included Boston) could be eligible to borrow up to $150 million from the league at advantageous interest rates and terms in order to build new stadiums. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Legislature, and Finneran, also indicated that they would be amenable to further discussions with Kraft.
History of the New England Patriots
Prior to the Patriots' matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell said he did not know the names of the Patriots' defensive backs, which was taken as a sign of disrespect by the Patriots' "replacement" secondary. The Patriots would go on to defeat the Eagles 24–21 in their second straight Super Bowl victory and third championship in four seasons, leading to some labeling the Patriots of the era a dynasty. , the 2003–2004 New England Patriots are the most recent team to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots feature 22 former players and two contributors in their team hall of fame, established in 1991. A committee of media and staff selected 11 players for enshrinement between 1991 and 2001, before a six-year span of no selections. In 2007, in advance of the 2008 opening of The Hall at Patriot Place, the Patriots introduced a new nomination committee to select three candidates, with the winner of an Internet fan vote being enshrined in the hall of fame. In order to be eligible, players and coaches must be retired for at least four years. Beginning in 2011, and meeting every five years, a senior selection committee has the option of voting a player who has been retired for at least 25 seasons into the hall of fame.
History of the New England Patriots
Mandates set in the wake of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970 required that all teams reside in stadiums with at least 50,000 seats. None of the four stadiums the Patriots had used up to that point qualified, and because Boston is one of the oldest and most densely built cities in North America, there was little room in Boston for a new stadium. Rumors began to spread about a possible relocation to Tampa, Florida; these rumors ultimately never came to fruition (Tampa eventually got the Buccaneers instead). In 1971 the Patriots moved into a hastily and inexpensively constructed stadium in suburban Foxborough (also known as Foxboro), on land granted by the Bay State Raceway. The team was renamed the New England Patriots in March 1971, to reflect its new location roughly halfway between Providence and Boston as well as a desire to better position itself as New England's regional NFL team (this would influence the name of the New England Whalers hockey team when they began play in 1972, like the Patriots, labeling themselves a New England team). The original choice, Bay State Patriots, was rejected by the NFL. The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, was built at a cost of about $7.1 million in only 325 days. The stadium was one of the first stadiums in the country to be named after a corporate sponsor, as the Schaefer Brewing Company paid $150,000 for naming rights. Additionally, the town of Foxborough was one of the first in the country to assess a surtax on every ticket sold.
History of the New England Patriots
Although Robert Edwards had a promising rookie season, his career was permanently derailed after he suffered a dislocated knee in Hawaii while playing a game of flag football on the beach – a game that was an officially sponsored activity that took place during Pro Bowl weekend. Edwards would miss the next three seasons and would not play for the Patriots again (although he did play for the Miami Dolphins as a reserve in 2002).
Indianapolis Colts
The rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots is one of the NFL's newest rivalries. The rivalry is fueled by the quarterback comparison between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The Patriots owned the beginning of the series, defeating the Colts in six consecutive contests including the 2003 AFC Championship game and a 2004 AFC Divisional game. The Colts won the next three matches, notching two regular season victories and a win in the 2006 AFC Championship game on the way to their win in Super Bowl XLI. On November 4, 2007 the Patriots defeated the Colts 24–20; in the next matchup on November 2, 2008, the Colts won 18–15 in a game that was one of the reasons the Patriots failed to make the playoffs; in the 2009 meeting, the Colts staged a spirited comeback to beat the Patriots 35–34; in 2010 the Colts almost staged another comeback, pulling within 31–28 after trailing 31–14 in the fourth quarter, but fell short due to a Patriots interception of a Manning pass late in the game; it turned out to be Manning's final meeting against the Patriots as a member of the Colts. After a dismal 2011 season that included a 31–24 loss to the Patriots, the Colts drafted Andrew Luck and in November of 2012 the two teams met with identical 6–3 records; the Patriots erased a 14–7 gap to win 59–24. The nature of this rivalry is ironic because the Colts and Patriots were division rivals from 1970 to 2001, but it did not become prominent in league circles until after Indianapolis was relocated to the AFC South. On November 16, 2014, the New England Patriots traveled at 7–2 to play the 6–3 Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. After a stellar four touchdown performance by New England running back Jonas Gray, the Patriots defeated the Colts 42–20. The Patriots followed up with a 45–7 defeat of the Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship Game.
History of the New England Patriots
The Patriots drafted Curtis Martin in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft, giving the team its best running back in decades. Despite a dramatic opening day win against Belichick's Browns to start the 1995 season, and a sensational rookie campaign by the young Martin, Bledsoe struggled with injuries, the team struggled with inconsistency, and the Patriots finished a lackluster 6–10.
History of the New England Patriots
Two seasons after winning Super Bowl XXXVI, the Patriots went into 2003 after missing the playoffs in 2002. In a salary cap-related move, captain and Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy was released days before the start of the regular season, prompting second-guessing of head coach Bill Belichick among fans and a report by ESPN analyst Tom Jackson that Patriots players "hated their coach", an accusation later denied by players. Milloy signed with the Buffalo Bills, who defeated the Patriots 31–0 in the season opener. The Patriots would rebound, though, not losing another game after starting with a 2–2 record. Due to multiple injuries, the Patriots started 42 different players during the season, an NFL record for a division winner until the Patriots started 45 different players in 2005. Undefeated at home, nose tackle Ted Washington coined the phrase "Homeland Defense" for a Patriots' defense, boosted by the acquisitions of Washington and San Diego Chargers castoff safety Rodney Harrison in the offseason, that gave up a league-low 14.9 points per game en route to a 14–2 regular season record. The regular season was bookmarked with a 31–0 victory over the Bills at home in Week 17, a score that reversed the Patriots' shutout loss to the Bills in Week 1.
The Patriots had the NFL's best record at 14–2 and, for the first time in their history, earned the top seed in the AFC 2003-04 playoffs, ensuring home-field advantage throughout. Their opponent in the divisional playoffs was the Tennessee Titans. Played in a temperature of 4 °F (-16 °C) (making it the second-coldest game in NFL history), the Patriots and Titans played close until Adam Vinatieri kicked the go-ahead field goal with 4 minutes left. An incomplete Steve McNair pass on 4th down with 1:40 left won the game 17–14 for New England. The Patriots then faced the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC Championship. The Patriot defense frustrated Colts quarterback Peyton Manning all day, forcing him into throwing four interceptions (three to Ty Law) and sacking him three times. Despite only one offensive touchdown by the Patriots, the team was dominant. Still, the Colts remained in the game until the very end, when a late Vinatieri field goal with 10 seconds left gave the Patriots their final margin of victory, 24–14. The Patriots were back in the Super Bowl, this time to face the Carolina Panthers.
History of the New England Patriots
The Patriots came out with the #2 seed in the AFC. The Patriots were given the bye week before they had to face the Houston Texans in a rematch of the previous Week 14 matchup. The Patriots were the highly favored team in that game, and ultimately won again, 41-28. But they had to face the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of the previous year's AFC Championship. Despite the Patriots leading 13-7 at halftime, the Ravens scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to win 28-13. The Ravens would go on to win Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers.
Robert Kraft
In 1996 Kraft founded the New England Revolution, a charter member of Major League Soccer which began playing alongside the Patriots at Foxboro Stadium.
2017 New England Patriots season
The Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round 35–14, and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game 24–20, claiming their second consecutive AFC title. This was their seventh consecutive AFC Championship appearance, adding onto their record from the previous year. The win also made Tom Brady the oldest quarterback (40 years, 163 days) to win a playoff game, surpassing Brett Favre for the record. It was also the second time they advanced to the Super Bowl two consecutive seasons since 2004. They faced the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX. This also made the Patriots the only team in NFL history to appear in ten Super Bowls, and gave the Patriots a chance to repeat as Super Bowl Champions for the second time in franchise history, and for the first time since 2004. In addition, they had the chance to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for the record of most Super Bowl wins by a team in NFL history with 6. However, due to a late strip-sack of Brady by Brandon Graham and a failed Hail Mary pass, the Eagles defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl LII by 41–33, ending the Patriots chance at a sixth Super Bowl title and resulting in their first Super Bowl loss since 2011. The loss prevented the Patriots from repeating their three-in-four Super Bowl run that they managed from 2001–2004. Also with the loss, the Patriots tied the NFL record for most Super Bowl losses with five, and made them the fifth defending Super Bowl champion to lose the next year's game, after the 1978 Dallas Cowboys, the 1983 Washington Redskins, the 1997 Green Bay Packers, and the 2014 Seattle Seahawks.
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Schaefer Stadium (later known as Sullivan Stadium, then Foxboro Stadium) opened in 1971 as the home of the New England Patriots, after the football team spent its first eleven seasons playing at various stadiums in Boston. The family of Billy Sullivan owned both the Patriots and the stadium until they sold the team in 1988. The stadium, however, lapsed into bankruptcy and was then bought by paper magnate Robert Kraft. With Kraft in control of Foxboro Stadium, he prevented the Patriots from relocating to St. Louis in 1994 by refusing to let the team break their lease, then bought the Patriots outright. Kraft then founded the New England Revolution, one of the charter clubs of Major League Soccer, in 1996.
James Orthwein
Orthwein purchased the New England Patriots from Victor Kiam in 1992, when the latter was facing bankruptcy and owed him millions. During his ownership, Orthwein hired Bill Parcells as head coach and oversaw the drafting of first-overall draft pick quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who helped to return the moribund franchise to respectability. He planned to relocate the Patriots franchise to St. Louis, renaming the team the St. Louis Stallions. However, those plans were derailed when Boston paper magnate Robert Kraft, owner of Foxboro Stadium, refused to accept a buyout of the lease. Kraft used his ownership of the stadium to stage a hostile takeover, offering to pay $175 million for the Patriots franchise knowing that Orthwein no longer wanted the team if he could not move it to St. Louis. Orthwein accepted the bid on January 21, 1994.
2002 New England Patriots season
Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium in the NFL's prime-time Monday Night Football opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44–7 road win against the division rival New York Jets, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span. In the final week of the season, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins on an overtime Adam Vinatieri field goal to give both teams a 9–7 record. A few hours later, the Jets, who defeated the Patriots the week prior, also finished with a 9–7 record with a win over the Green Bay Packers. Due to their record against common opponents, after the Jets won the tiebreaker for the division title, both the Patriots and Dolphins were eliminated from the playoff contention. As of 2018 this is the last season the Patriots failed to win at least 10 games.
1986 New England Patriots season
The 1986 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League and 27th overall. The Patriots matched their 11-5 record from the previous season, but this time they finished first in the AFC East, thus winning the division title. This would be the last AFC East Division title the Patriots would win until 1996.
2010 New England Patriots season
The 2010 New England Patriots season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 51st season overall. The Patriots improved on their 10–6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league-best 14–2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC, before losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs.
2015 New England Patriots season
With the loss, New England fell to 10-2. This would be the Patriots' first loss to the Eagles (preseason notwithstanding) since Tom Brady took over as the starting quarterback in 2001.
History of the New England Patriots
In the 1998 offseason, the Patriots tendered restricted free agent running back Curtis Martin with the highest possible tender, which would return the Patriots' 1st- and 3rd-round draft picks if any team were to sign him and the Patriots were to decide not to match the offer. Fueling the rivalry between the two teams, the Jets and Parcells, who had resigned from the Patriots two years earlier, signed Martin, and per restricted free agency rules, ceded their 1st- and 3rd-round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft to the Patriots. With the 1st-round pick, the Patriots selected another running back, Robert Edwards, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign. After stumbling through the first half of the 1998 season (5-6 after the first 11 games), Drew Bledsoe, playing with a broken finger, engineered late 4th-quarter comebacks against the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills to save the season. The Bills game was especially controversial, as the game was prolonged due to a series of questionable calls. With under a minute to go and down by four points, the Patriots engineered a long drive. However, the Buffalo defense appeared to stop the Patriots on 4th down with a juggled catch out of bounds. The referee needed to determine whether receiver Shawn Jefferson was inbounds, caught the ball, and achieved first down yardage. The referee on the sideline signaled first down after a conference with other officials. Several Bills claimed one said "just give it to them" (referring to 1st-down yardage) in the huddle. Television instant replays showed that he was short of first down yardage, but the NFL had discontinued use of instant replay after the 1991 season. This was followed by a questionable pass interference call made in the end zone on what would have been the game's final play. Bledsoe hit tight end Ben Coates for a touchdown on the final untimed play of the game. In protest, the Bills left the field and let Patriots kicker Adam Vinateri walk in for a meaningless two-point conversion. Doug Flutie, then the Bills' quarterback, later quipped, "They gave them the game, we figured we might as well give them the extra point." Drew Bledsoe and Terry Glenn were later both knocked out for the season, and the Patriots backed into the last playoff spot with a 9–7 record. Backup quarterback Scott Zolak proved to be no match for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first playoff game, as the Patriots lost 25-10.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have had 14 coaches through their history. Their first coach was Lou Saban, who coached them to a 7–12–0 record in 1960. Bill Belichick has the longest term as head coach with the Patriots.
New South Wales Patriots
The Patriots were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as New South Wales until 1988 when the Claxtion Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League. In 1999 they were invited to join the International Baseball League of Australia which they competed in for 2 seasons (1999-00 and 2002). After this point the Claxton Shield reverted to a competition similar to 1988.New South Wales Patriot's roster for the 2010 Claxton Shield, announced by Baseball NSW. Sydney blue Sox
2002 New England Patriots season
The 2002 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League, the 43rd overall and the 3rd under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth. It was their first season at their new home field, Gillette Stadium, which replaced the adjacent Foxboro Stadium.
1985 New England Patriots season
The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East Division. They then became the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning 3 playoff games on the road, defeating the New York Jets 26–14, the Los Angeles Raiders, 27–20, and the Miami Dolphins 31–14, in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots' win in Miami was their first victory in that stadium since 1969. The win over the Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins were heavily favored.
New England Revolution
The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots along with his son, Jonathan Kraft. The name "Revolution" refers to the New England region's significant involvement in the American Revolution that took place from 1775–1783.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Cordarrelle Patterson ( ; born March 17, 1991) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.
List of New England Patriots first-round draft picks
Gerhard Schwedes, a running back from Syracuse, was the first player to be drafted to the Patriots team. He was selected third overall in the 1960 American Football League Draft. Jim Plunkett, a quarterback from Stanford, was the Patriots' first selection in the 1971 NFL Draft. The Patriots have selected first overall five times, drafting Jack Concannon in 1964, Plunkett in 1971, Kenneth Sims in 1982, Irving Fryar in 1984, and Drew Bledsoe in 1993. The team has selected third overall once and fourth overall three times. Through 2017, two Patriots first-round draft picks have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Hannah and Mike Haynes. Twenty Patriots first-round draft picks have been selected for the Pro Bowl. The team's most recent first-round draft pick was Malcom Brown, a defensive tackle from the University of Texas.
List of New England Patriots starting quarterbacks
In 1971, when the team moved to Foxborough and renamed from the "Boston Patriots" to the "New England Patriots", Jim Plunkett took over as quarterback. Plunkett started every regular season game for four straight seasons, until he was replaced by Steve Grogan as the starting quarterback in the 1975 season. Grogan was the only starting quarterback for six straight seasons, until Matt Cavanaugh started for four of the sixteen games in 1980. Grogan continued to start for the Patriots for parts of seasons until his retirement in 1990. Grogan finished his career with 135 games as starting quarterback, the second-most of any Patriots starting quarterback ever.
1971 New England Patriots season
The 1971 New England Patriots season was the team's twelfth, and second in the National Football League. The 1971 season was the first that the team played as the New England Patriots, changing their name from the Boston Patriots, briefly to the Bay State Patriots before changing it again to the New England Patriots, in an effort to regionalize the franchise's equal distance from Boston and Providence.
History of the New England Patriots
Although optimism was high entering the 1992 season, the team was disappointing and finished 2–14, which eventually led to the departures of both MacPherson and Jankovich. Rumors of a possible move to St. Louis, Missouri intensified when Kiam sold the team to St. Louis businessman James Orthwein, a scion of the Busch family. Orthwein wanted to return the NFL to his hometown of St. Louis and saw the Patriots as a vehicle to make that happen.
1972 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League’s 1972 season with a record of three wins and eleven losses, and finished last in the AFC East Division. The Patriots continued their period of futility as they slumped to another horrendous record of 3–11, and missed the playoffs for the 9th straight season. After getting embarrassed 31–7 in their home opener against Cincinnati, the Patriots would win their next 2 games against Atlanta and Washington. However, the Patriots would continue their midseason misery, as they would lose 9 straight games to slide to 2–10 before winning their first (and only) road game against the New Orleans Saints. New England went winless against AFC opponents. Besides their embarrassing home opening loss, the Patriots had plenty of other bad moments during the season. One good example was a 52–0 thrashing given to them by the powerful Miami Dolphins. The loss went down as the worst loss in Patriots history and the most points ever allowed in a game in franchise history.
Patriot Place
Opened in September 2008, The Patriots Hall of Fame is a museum that includes the New England Patriots Hall of Fame and displays the history of the New England Patriots – including historical wins and losses, the uniforms of famous players such as John Hannah, Mike Haynes, and Ben Coates, and Super Bowl trophies. The Hall is sponsored by Raytheon. On the first floor is the official Patriots Pro Shop, a large store selling various apparel and memorabilia themed to the New England Patriots.
New England Patriots
When owner Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, he did so for $175 million. Since then, the Patriots have sold out every home game in both Foxboro Stadium and Gillette Stadium. By 2009, the value of the franchise had increased by over $1 billion, to a "Forbes" magazine estimated value of $1.361 billion, third highest in the NFL only behind the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. , the Patriots are the sixth most valuable sports franchise in the world according to "Forbes" magazine with a value of $3.7 billion.
New England Patriots
The closest geographically has been the rivalry with the New York Jets. The Patriots and Jets have been in the same division (what is now the AFC East) since both teams' foundings in 1960, and have played each other at least twice a year since then. The rivalry between the Jets and Patriots has escalated since 1996, when Patriots head coach Bill Parcells left the Patriots under controversy to become the head coach of the Jets; he was replaced by former Jets coach Pete Carroll. Four years later Carroll was fired, and Parcells's assistant, Bill Belichick, resigned the day he was named the Jets' head coach to become the head coach of the Patriots. Six years after that, Eric Mangini, an assistant under Belichick, became the head coach of the Jets.
1976 New England Patriots season
After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one non-losing season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3. It marked their first winning season as an NFL team (their last winning season came in 1966, when the team was still in the AFL). The team had gone just 3–11 the previous season, and was considered a "Cinderella team" in 1976. Coach Chuck Fairbanks was named NFL Coach of the Year, and cornerback Mike Haynes was named NFL Rookie of the Year.
History of the New England Patriots
In the months and years after Kraft's purchase of the Patriots, relations between Kraft and Parcells were increasingly strained. This was primarily due to a struggle over Parcells' authority over football operations. Kraft wanted Parcells to yield some of his authority over personnel moves to a separate general manager. Parcells had effectively been the Patriots' general manager as well since his arrival, and was not interested in yielding authority that he had been granted over personnel when he was hired. He famously complained that "if they're gonna let you cook the dinner, they at least ought to let you shop for some of the groceries." The conflict climaxed in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, with rampant rumors that Parcells would leave the Patriots after the season to take the vacant head coaching job with the New York Jets. Despite these distractions, the Patriots played the Packers close for much of the game, and actually took the lead briefly in the 2nd quarter. However, two long Brett Favre touchdown passes and a Super Bowl record 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by MVP Desmond Howard sealed New England's fate, with the Packers winning their 12th title, and third of the Super Bowl era, 35–21.
Boston
While they have played in suburban Foxborough since 1971, the New England Patriots of the National Football League were founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, changing their name after relocating. The team won the Super Bowl after the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, and 2016 seasons. They share Gillette Stadium with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. The Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer, which formed in 2009, play their home games at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville. The Boston Storm of the United Women's Lacrosse League was formed in 2015.
The area's many colleges and universities are active in college athletics. Four NCAA Division I members play in the area—Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. Of the four, only Boston College participates in college football at the highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision. Harvard participates in the second-highest level, the Football Championship Subdivision. The Boston Cannons of the MLL play at Harvard Stadium.
New England Patriots
The Patriots originally wore red jerseys with white block numbering at home, and white jerseys with red block numbering on the road. Both uniforms used white pants and white helmets, first with the hat logo over the player's number, then with the "Pat Patriot" logo starting in 1961. A blue stripe was added to the two red helmet stripes in 1964. The numbers on both the home and away jerseys gained a blue outline in 1973. In 1979, the Patriots began the first of many sporadic runs of wearing red pants with the white jerseys. The red pants were dropped in 1981, but returned in 1984. After being dropped again in 1988, they were used again from 1990 to 1992.
Rod Rust
Rodney Arthur Rust (August 2, 1928 – October 23, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He is best known in the United States as the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League during the 1990 season, which ended with a 1–15 record.
History of the New England Patriots
The Patriots finished 12–4 for the third straight year, winning their sixth straight AFC East title, as well as the top-overall seed and home field advantage for the AFC playoffs. With their seeding, New England was awarded a first-round bye in the playoffs for the fifth season in a row, the first such occurrence for any team since the league switched to a 12-team playoff format in 1990 (surpassing the 1992–95 Dallas Cowboys).
History of the New England Patriots
After the Patriots' successful season, however, Robert Kraft successfully lobbied the Town of Foxborough and the NFL to schedule the Patriots on a Monday night. The NFL granted Kraft's request, scheduling the Patriots on Monday, October 23, in a game against the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots won the game, 27–14, and the crowd was peaceful and orderly, with only a handful of isolated disturbances and arrests. In appreciation, Kraft took out a full-page ad in the Boston Globe thanking fans for their excellent behavior, and the Patriots have since hosted many more night games without incident.
Nick McDonald
McDonald was signed to the New England Patriots' practice squad on September 4, 2011. He was released from the squad on September 15, but was re-signed the following day. On December 3, 2011, he was promoted to the active roster to replace the released Taylor Price. McDonald was part of the Patriots postseason team for Super Bowl XLVI but his hopes for a second straight championship came short when the Patriots lost the game to the New York Giants. On July 31, 2013, McDonald was waived by the New England Patriots.
History of the New England Patriots
On February 5, 2017, the Patriots faced newly crowned NFL MVP Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. A poor three quarters of play found the Patriots down 28-3, in what looked like an insurmountable lead for Atlanta. The Patriots stormed back in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, as Tom Brady went 43-for-62 with 466 yards, two touchdowns and one interception to lead the Patriots to tie the score 28-28 in the closing minutes of the game. In the first overtime in Super Bowl history, the Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. Brady led the Patriots down the field, to the 1-yard line of the Falcons. Running back James White ran a toss into the end zone, giving the Patriots a 34-28 comeback victory and their second league title in three seasons. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth time and surpassed Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw with his fifth Super Bowl victory as a quarterback, the most all-time.
History of the New England Patriots
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, which would serve as their home for 30 years; the team also changed their name to the New England Patriots to reflect the location change, as well as its following throughout the region as its only NFL team (though both New York City teams have substantial followings in parts of Connecticut as well). During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card-berth—and in 1978—as AFC East champions. They would lose both games. In 1985, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX, which they lost against the Chicago Bears 46–10. Following their Super Bowl loss, they returned to the playoffs in 1986, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years. They changed ownership several times in that period, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992. Orthwein intended to move the team to his native St. Louis, Missouri, but sold the team two years later to current owner, local businessman Robert Kraft in 1994.
History of the New England Patriots
Prior to the 2011 season, the Patriots drafted Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett. The team also made two high-profile trade acquisitions in defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
2018 New England Patriots season
The 2018 Patriots are the second team ever in an American major sports league to win at least 10 straight division titles, joining Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves (set during 1991–2005, excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season). The Patriots also secured their 16th-straight 10-win season, tying the San Francisco 49ers' league record streak, set between 1983 and 1998. Notable records set during the season include Tom Brady achieving the record for most career passing touchdowns (including playoffs).
Billy Sullivan (American football)
For the 1971 season, the Patriots' second in the post-merger NFL, Sullivan changed the team's name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots (after his request to rename the team Bay State Patriots was denied by the NFL) to correspond with the team's move into Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and to embrace all of New England, as the New York Giants were soon to play two seasons in the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.
Otis Smith (American football)
Originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a rookie free agent in 1990. He spent five seasons with the team before joining the New York Jets in 1995. He signed with the New England Patriots in 1996, starting nine games, including the playoffs and Super Bowl XXXI loss to the Green Bay Packers. During his first stint with the Patriots, Smith was perhaps best remembered by Patriots fans for recovering a fumble in the 1996 AFC Title Game against the Jaguars. Smith returned it 47 yards for a touchdown which make the score 20-6 and effectively put the game away, pushing the Patriots to their second ever Super Bowl appearance.
New England Patriots
Since 2002, the Patriots' home stadium has been Gillette Stadium, a $350 million facility privately financed by Kraft. It houses all administrative offices for the team and its owning entity, The Kraft Group, as well as the Kraft-owned Major League Soccer team, the New England Revolution. The field, which was originally natural grass, was replaced with a FieldTurf surface during the 2006 season. The area around the stadium was developed, beginning in 2007, into a $375 million "lifestyle and entertainment center" called Patriot Place; among its largest structures is a multi-floor restaurant and bar called CBS Scene.
New England Patriots
The Ravens first met the New England Patriots in 1996, but the rivalry truly started in 2007 when the Ravens suffered a bitter 27–24 loss in the Patriots' quest for perfection. The rivalry began to escalate in 2009 when the Ravens lost to the Patriots 27–21 in a game that involved a confrontation between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. Both players would go on to take verbal shots at each other through the media after the game. The Ravens defeated the Patriots in the 2009 AFC Wild Card playoff game, 33–14. This was the first time the Ravens had ever defeated the Patriots.
The Ravens faced the Patriots in week six of the 2010 season. The Patriots ended up winning 23–20 in overtime; the game caused controversy from a hit to the helmet of tight end Todd Heap by Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather.
The Ravens played the Patriots for the third consecutive season in the 2012 AFC championship game, which the Ravens lost 23–20. The rivalry reached a new level of friction with this, the second career playoff game between the two clubs. The Ravens clawed to a 20–16 lead in the fourth quarter, but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady dove into the end zone to make the score 23–20 with around 11 minutes remaining; this proved to be the winning touchdown. On the Ravens' last possession of the game, quarterback Joe Flacco threw a pass to wide receiver Lee Evans in the corner of the end zone which looked to be the game-winning touchdown, before a last-second strip by Sterling Moore forced the ball from the hands of Evans, forcing the game to be decided on a last-minute field goal by Ravens placekicker Billy Cundiff. With 11 seconds remaining on the clock, the kicker missed the 32-yard field goal attempt, allowing the Patriots to kill the clock on their way to Super Bowl XLVI for a rematch with the New York Giants.
2011 New England Patriots season
The 2011 New England Patriots season was the 42nd season for the team in the National Football League and 52nd season overall. The Patriots finished the regular season at 13–3, and represented the AFC in Super Bowl XLVI. It was the seventh Super Bowl trip in franchise history, and the fifth for head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
List of New England Patriots starting quarterbacks
There have been 28 starting quarterbacks in the history of the franchise. The most starting quarterbacks the Patriots have had in one season is five quarterbacks, in 1987. Past quarterbacks for the Patriots include Patriots Hall of Fame inductees Babe Parilli, Steve Grogan, and Drew Bledsoe. Butch Songin became the first starting quarterback for the Patriots in 1960, when the franchise was first established. He was replaced by Tom Greene for the final two games of the season. Hall of Famer Parilli was the next starting quarterback for the Patriots, from 1961 to 1967. As of the 2017 season, New England's starting quarterback is Tom Brady, whom the Patriots selected in the 6th round (199th pick overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft. He is the only quarterback to have led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory.
Super Bowl XLII
When the New England Patriots arrived at Super Bowl XLII, they were already billed as the greatest team in NFL history. The Patriots were not only competing for a fourth Super Bowl title since the 2001 season; they were aiming to become the first team in NFL history to achieve a 19–0 record. Their perfect 16–0 record in the regular season was the first since the league moved to a 16 game regular season in 1978. It was also only the fourth undefeated and untied regular season in NFL history. New England set NFL records with 589 points scored (an average of 36.8 points per game) (since broken by the 2013 Broncos), 75 total touchdowns, and a net differential of +315 points (they gave up 274 points, fourth best in the league). Some experts have suggested that the Patriots' 16–0 record is the culmination of a larger trend towards better records for top NFL teams since the league realignment in 2002.
The team was led by quarterback Tom Brady who won his first NFL MVP & NFL Offensive MVP award, throwing for a career-high 4,806 yards and a then NFL record 50 touchdowns (22 more than his previous best season; since broken by Peyton Manning in 2013), and just eight interceptions. His passer rating of 117.2 was the second-highest season rating in NFL history. One often-cited reason for Brady's improved numbers was the acquisition of receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker. The Patriots acquired Moss, a nine-year veteran, from the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft after Moss had, statistically, the worst year of his career (with 42 receptions for 553 yards and three touchdowns). With the Patriots, though, Moss caught 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 touchdowns, and was selected a first-team All Pro. The Patriots also gave the Miami Dolphins second- and seventh-round picks for Welker; Welker tied for the league lead with 112 receptions for 1,175 yards and 8 touchdowns and was named a second-team All Pro. Welker and Moss both earned votes for Offensive Player of the Year. Other major contributors to the Patriots' passing game included Donté Stallworth, who added 697 yards and three touchdowns, and tight end Benjamin Watson, whose 36 receptions totaled 389 yards and six touchdowns.