Today in Patriots History

[Actual Pats Fan]

the Dallas defense scored on a pick-6 and also registered ten sacks on Tony Eason

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Early in the 4th quarter OL Pete Brock brought a play in from the sideline. Brock told Steve Grogan the play was ‘222 to me’ rather than ‘222 tight end delay’; Brock caught the pass for a 6-yard touchdown, the only score of his 12-year NFL career. Afterwards Brock was given the nickname ‘Deep Threat’.

November 21, 1950:
A one time neighbor of mine from many many moons ago, Livingston Taylor was born on this day in Boston.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

November 13, 2008:
New York Jets 34, New England Patriots 31 in OT at Gillette Stadium

The Pats never got the ball in overtime as the Jets took over first sole possession of first place for the first time since 2001 on Jay Feely‘s 34-yard field goal.

The Jets had blown a 24-6 first half lead when the Pats came back on three Matt Casseltouchdowns: 19 yards to Jabar Gaffney, 10 yards to Ben Watson, and then 16 yards to Randy Moss with one second remaining in regulation.

Cassel finished the game with 400 yards passing and another 62 on the ground, Wes Welker had 7 receptions for 108 yards, Watson had 8 catches for 88 yards, and Gaffney had 7 for 86 yards.

The night we lost the playoffs.

The media was super-hyping the favored Jets, and the propaganda seemed to work in the first half; then in the second half we remembered that the Jets, as usual, actually sucked.

November 13, 2016:
Leon Russell passed away at the age of 74. Aside from his solo career he led Joe ****er’s band Mad Dogs & Englishmen, and appeared at George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Many of his the songs he wrote became hits for other musicians, such as 'Superstar' for the Carpenters, 'Delta Lady' for Joe ****er, and 'This Masquerade' for George Benson. More than 100 acts have recorded his 'A Song for You,' which Russell said he wrote in 10 minutes.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

November 12, 1945:
Neil Young was born.

When Buffalo Springfield cut their first album, record company management did not want Neil singing any solos, because they thought his voice sounded "weird".

 

[Pats1989]

November 30th 2014: Patriots lose a hard fought game in Green Bay. My concern was high that they could lose HFA. Turns out that would be the last loss ( not counting scrimmage Bills game at end) until a year later in Denver.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

the Pats rallied

We know something around here about all time quarterbacks, and one is
Otto Everett Graham Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003)

Yeah like most of the greats (except Tom) he got to play in those classic whites...

Walter Ray Perkins (born December 6, 1941) was on our coaching staff during some glory 70's years ('74-'77) and later was our OC on the way to the SB in '96.

"Romeo, can I warm you up?

Anyway, in between Ray hired BB as an assistant with the Giants in '79

Lindsay Eugene Scott (born December 6, 1960, in Jesup, Georgia) scored the winning TD in The greatest moment in Georgia football history in 1980, during the Florida–Georgia game, deep in their own territory, with a perfect season on the line and only a minute left in the game, Georgia quarterback Buck Belue hit Scott at the Georgia 25-yard-line in stride. Scott darted through Florida's secondary and reached the end zone with only seconds left.







Unforgettable.

Then, he goes on to play in the NFL for the Saints

Arthur Pershing "Tarzan" White (December 6, 1915 – January 23, 1996),
'Bama '37, played for the Giants and Cardinals. Don't know if his wife's name was Jane.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

The Patriots

Happy Birthday, Charles Louis Trippi (born December 14, 1921)

Amazing this guy is still with us, one of the G.O.A.T.

Charley Trippi - Wikipedia

Too bad Pats didn't give Flutie the chance the Cards gave him

Football and baseball Yankees - and Red Sox - tried to get him

Trippi's college career was interrupted by World War II, causing him to miss the 1944 season and all but six games in 1945. He served with the Fourth Air Force during the war. While in the service in 1945, he was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League as a future pick; per an agreement with Cardinals owner Charles Bidwell, Trippi was allowed to return to Georgia after his time in the military.

Due to relaxed regulations during WWII years, Trippi holds the unusual distinction of participating in the Chicago College All-Star Game a record five times: twice with Georgia, twice in the military, and once with the Cardinals. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the game in 1945. It was at the Chicago College All-Star Game that Bidwell decided he would draft Trippi first overall, as "Card-Pitt" was winless in 1944 and in need of a play-maker. "He said, 'I'm gonna get ya,'" Trippi recalled. "He wanted me to play for him, and I said, 'All you've got to do is draft me and I'm ready.'"

Happy Birthday, Nathan “Nate” Ebner (born December 14, 1988)

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

The Boston Patriots

Ted Drews (December 15, 1902 – April 15, 1982) was played wide receiver for two seasons for the Chicago Bears and Brooklyn Lions

To my knowledge, no relation to Terry Crews

Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (born December 15, 1940) was our Tedy Bruschi of the sixties, until we frustratingly traded him.

Yeah that's right all whites



Happy Birthday, Rodney Scott Harrison (born December 15, 1972)

I liked him when he was with the Chargers...never dreamed he'd come here - but he did

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: December 17​

December 17, 1959
Mike Holovak was hired as Director of Player Personnel. He is the first executive to be hired by the franchise.

Mike Holovak: The Forgotten Founder



December 17, 1967
Jim Nance rushes for 78 yards against the Jets in the season finale. That gives Nance 1,458 yards rushing for the season - a Patriot single-season record that stood for thirty years. Nance was later named the American Football League's Most Valuable Player for the 1967 season.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

New England

Happy Birthday, Scott Allison Woerner (born December 18, 1958 in Baytown, Texas) He played for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. In the 1981 Sugar Bowl, Woerner intercepted a pass by the Notre Dame quarterback in the closing minutes of the game which sealed Georgia's national championship for that year. He still holds several return records at the University of Georgia. He had the most kickoff return yards (190) in a single game (vs. Kentucky, 1977). He also holds the most punt return yards (488) in a season (1980). Woerner was drafted in the third round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Falcons.

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Watson (born December 18, 1980)

Will never forget his hustle play in Denver that was incorrectly called

Speaking of incorrect calls, December 18, 1976 is the day that will live in infamy forever.

"That was one of the worst-called games I have ever seen in my life," said an angry Patriots DE Julius Adams.



Denigration, corrupt bias, contempt, disdain and hatred for this franchise on the part of the same, very much alive and well NFL which (unsuccessfully, but were never held accountable) did everything they could to discredit, disparage and dismiss the AFL, was to be shoved in their faces, along with those of local and national media who persisted in portraying the team as losers for the prior six years since the merger.

The shadow of this stolen championship poisoned the sport for the next quarter century, until 2002 when justice prevailed on the field, and on the scoreboard.

However, all the abused authority and undeserved power of the league remains squarely aimed at the Patriots. It obviously will never be the current owner, but the possibility still exists for someone to set the record straight, and debunk and destroy the propaganda which imprisons people's minds regarding the Patriots in ignorance and stupidity.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

October 27, 1974:
In a game old time Patriots will surely remember, TE Bob Windsor wills his way to a touchdown with time running out despite blowing his knee out on the play, and the Pats beat the Vikings 17-14 at Metropolitan Stadium.

With 1:29 left to play Fran Tarkenton scored on a keeper at the near corner of the end zone and the Vikings took a 14-10 lead. With time running out Jim Plunkett hit Randy Vataha on a desperation heave for his only catch of the day that went for 55 yards, giving the Pats the ball on the Minnesota ten yard line with nine seconds remaining. Windsor caught a pass from Plunkett near the seam on the right side on the two-yard line; at the same time the catch was made Lew Krausse delivered a big hit to Windsor on his knee, tearing his ACL to shreds. Windsor somehow stayed on his feet and dragged Krausse to the goal line before falling into the end zone for the game winning score.

The play not only ended Windsor’s season but effectively ended his career. Although he did return the following season he was clearly not the same and finished with only six receptions before retiring from football.

Although both the Patriots and Vikings came into the game with identical 5-1 records this was considered to be a huge upset; the Pats were coming off a 5-9 season while Minnesota had made it to the Super Bowl with an NFL-best 12-2 record. Unfortunately the Patriots were snakebitten with injuries such as this one and those losses finally took their toll: after a 6-1 start the Pats won only one more game the rest of the way and finished 7-7.

Happy Birthday, Robert Edward Windsor (born December 19, 1942 in Washington, D.C.)

Bob played for the Niners before coming here in '72. Both teams had 5-1 records going into the game, but the Vikings had been to Super Bowl VIII the season before, while the upstart Patriots were coming off seven consecutive losing seasons and off to their best start since 1966. The Patriots won the game 17-14, and Windsor scored the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock by taking the pass from Jim Plunkett and breaking several tackles before dragging a tackler into the Vikings end zone who had a hold of his left leg.

The Vikings erased an early 10–0 New England lead and led 14–10 in the final minute; Tarkenton ran in a late touchdown, then threw the ball into the face of Ron Bolton after he tripped on a camera cable and mistakenly believed Bolton tripped him; a brief brawl ensued and both Bolton and Tarkenton were ejected. But Jim Plunkett drove the Pats down field and fired the ten-yard game-winning touchdown to Bob Windsor on the final play.

It remains one of the most thrilling moments I've ever experienced as a sports fan.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: December 20
MVP Gino Cappelletti leads league with 155 points scored​

December 20, 1960:
Clemson QB Harvey White becomes the first player to sign a Boston Patriots contract.

December 20, 1964:
Buffalo Bills 24, Boston Patriots 14 at Fenway Park

The final regular season game of the 1964 season was essentially a playoff game as the 10-2-1 Patriots hosted the 11-2 Bills. The winner would advance to the AFL championship game, while the season would be over for the loser; the concept of wild card spots and expanded playoffs was many years away.

In the first quarter Tony Romeo caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Babe Parilli. Although the Pats did not convert the extra point they were down by only one point, 7-6. In the second quarter Jack Kemp – who had earlier thrown a 57-yard touchdown pass to Elbert Dubenion – scored from one yard out, and Pete Gogolak’s 12-yard field goal made it 17-6 Bills at the half.

In the 4th quarter Kemp scored on another one-yard run, putting the Patriots down by 18. Parilli hit Romeo again on a 15-yard touchdown and the Pats converted the 2-point conversion to close the gap to ten points. Buffalo held on to win the game, and then defeated San Diego by the score of 20-7 for their first AFL title.

The Bills limited the Patriots to just 33 yards rushing on 11 attempts, so the Pats had to air it out. Parilli went 19-for-39 for 294 yards, with 2 touchdowns and also two picks. Jim Colclough averaged 22.3 yards per catch, with six receptions for 134 yards. The Pats picked Kemp off three times (twice by Ron Hall, once by Don Webb), but Buffalo burned time off the clock with a methodical running game (94 yards on 41 carries) once they had the lead.

Gino Cappelletti was named the AP and UPI Player of the Year, and also earned his third (of five) trips to the AFL All-Star Game. Cappelletti led the league with 155 points scored in 1964. To this day it is the 11th most points scored by a player in a single season. Every single one of those ranked ahead of him played a 16-game season rather than the 14-game season that was played back then. It was the third time in four years he led the AFL in scoring; the one other time he finished second. In 1964 Gino led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and shared the lead for most touchdown receptions. He was the American Football League MVP in '64.

Parilli was a first-team All Pro and All Star, and led the league in passing yardage (3,465), touchdown passes (31), game-winning drives (3), and comebacks (3).

Larry Garron made his third All Star game (ie, Pro Bowl), amassing 935 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. Garron led the Pats in rushing attempts, rushing yardage, and shared the lead for touchdown receptions.



December 20, 1970:
Cincinnati Bengals 45, New England Patriots 7 at Riverfront Stadium

The Joe Kapp Era mercifully came to an end in the Queen City on this day. Kapp went 7-for-21-for 101 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. For the Bengals Sam Wyche was 7-for-14 for just 91 yards, but he threw two touchdowns and no picks. The future head coach of the Bengals and Bucs also rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown. The Pats finished the season with a 2-12 record, worst in the league; Clive Rush and John Mazur both went 1-6 on the season as the team’s head coach.



December 20, 1981:
Baltimore Colts 23, New England Patriots 21 at Memorial Stadium

The Pats lost their ninth consecutive game, and in doing so they won the first overall pick in the upcoming draft by losing to the Colts. Of course they used that pick on Kenneth Sims rather than someone like Chip Banks or Mike Munchak so it wasn’t that big of a ‘win’; at least they nailed it when they grabbed Andre Tippett in the second round.

Bert Jones threw three touchdown passes as the Colts matched the Patriots with a final record of 2-14. Tom Owen got the start at QB in what would turn out to be his final NFL game, and threw a touchdown pass to Don Westbrook. Westbrook also caught a TD pass from Matt Cavanaugh. Those two scoring plays represent 67% of the touchdowns of Westbrook's NFL career.



December 20, 1987:
New England Patriots 13, Buffalo Bills 7 at Rich Stadium

Steve Grogan tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Jones in the 1st quarter and Reggie Dupard ripped a 36-yard run for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. After that the Pats defense did the rest, limiting Buffalo to just 148 total yards of offense. Garon Veris, Andre Tippett, Toby Williams and Brent Williams combined for five sacks, and Fred Marion had an interception to keep the 7-7 Pats playoff hopes alive.



December 20, 1992:
Cincinnati Bengals 20, New England Patriots at Riverfront Stadium

The two teams entered the game with a combined record of 6-22. Jeff Carlson inadvertently did his part to insure that the Patriots would get the number one pick in the 1993 draft. The lefty from Weber State went 7-20 for 60 yards (3.0 yards per attempt), no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 4.2 passer rating.

Jon Vaughan provided the lone Patriot highlight of the afternoon with a 100-yard kickoff return for the Pats only touchdown. The second-year running back from Michigan also had 58 yards rushing on 14 carries, and caught both Carlson passes thrown his way for nine yards. Cincinnati RB Harold Green had by far the best day of his NFL career, rushing for 190 yards.



December 20, 1998:
New England Patriots 24, San Francisco 49ers 21 at Foxboro Stadium

Scott Zolak made his first start in three years, subbing for an injured Drew Bledsoe while skeptics expected the worst. Zo led the Patriots to two scoring drives in the final eight minutes to silence his critics. Robert Edwards (101 yards rushing, 52 yards receiving, two touchdowns) scored on a 5-yard run to tie the score, then Adam Vinatieri kicked a game-winning 35-yard field goal with six seconds left to play. Zolak's numbers (205 yards, two touchdowns) were nothing special, but he did get the W over Steve Young.

Credit the New England defense, who shut San Fran out in the second half. SF had one drive last for 7:45, but the defense stiffened and forced a punt. On the next drive Willie Clay picked Young off and returned the ball to the 49. That set up the drive that culminated in Edwards' second touchdown, tying the score at 21. The Patriot defense forced two more three-and-outs, with their fifth sack of the game pinning SF back on their own 10 yard line. Troy Brown returned the punt 14 yards to start the drive on the Niner 41 yard line. Edwards ran the ball on four straight plays, down to the 17 yard line, to set up Vinatieri's kick.

Overall the Patriot defense had five sacks, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery, holding San Francisco scoreless on their last five possessions. SF had just five yards of offense on the final three drives.

Jerry Rice led the Niners with five catches on six receptions for 115 yards, including a 75-yard TD early on. Steve Mariucci's 49ers settled for a wild card as a result of the loss; after defeating Green Bay, they lost to NFC champion Atlanta in the division round.

With the victory the Patriots improved to 9-6, clinching a playoff berth for Pete Carroll's club.



December 20, 2003:
New England Patriots 21, New York Jets 16 at Giants Stadium

On Saturday night the Pats won their 11th straight game, to give them the best record in the NFL. The Patriots struggled somewhat against the Jet defense, but New England's defense was dominant. The Pats D intercepted five passes off Chad Pennington, and also racked up four sacks on the Jet quarterback.

On the second play of the game Tedy Bruschi picked off Pennington, and on the next play Tom Brady threw a 35-yard touchdown to David Givens. Then early in the second quarter Willie McGinest had a 15-yard pick-six to put the Patriots up 14-7.

Bethel Johnson ran the kickoff to open the second half back to the 40 yard line. Seven plays later Brady connected with Givens again, this time for a 5-yard TD to give the Pats a 21-10 lead.

Ty Law intercepted a pass intended for Santana Moss in the end zone to kill the next drive; that would become a recurring theme throughout this game. The Jets scored on their next possession though to pull within five points. After forcing the Pats to punt Rodney Harrison picked off another pass intended for Moss, but the Jets got the ball back near midfield after an interception. A 7-yard sack by Richard Seymour and McGinest forced a three-and-out though to end that drive. Antowain Smith (18 carries for 121 yards) chewed up nearly four minutes off the clock on the ensuing drive, and then Eugene Wilson intercepted yet another Pennington pass intended for Moss to seal the victory.



December 20, 2004:
Miami Dolphins 29, New England Patriots 28 at Pro Player Stadium

The 2-11 Dolphins shocked the 12-1 Pats, who were favored by 10, on Monday Night Football. The loss put the Patriots one game behind 13-1 Pittsburgh in the AFC playoff race. It was just the second loss in the last 29 games for New England. It was also the first time in 32 games that the Patriots lost after leading at halftime.

The Pats were up 28-17 with 3:59 left to play after Tom Brady's 2-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Graham. Miami came back with a quick 68-yard scoring drive, making it 28-24 with 2:01 to play. Jason Taylor pressured Brady on third down, and TB12 threw an ill-advised pass as Taylor hit his arm rather than take the sack. Brendan Ayanbadejo picked the pass off, and Miami had the ball at the Patriot 21 yard line. On 4th and 10 with 1:23 to go, A.J. Feeley connected with Derrius Thompson, who was being covered by Troy Brown, for the winning score.

Brady finished with four interceptions and no touchdowns. The only other time that has ever happened in his career was the 2003 'They Hate Their Coach Game'. In both instances Brady and the Patriots recovered, going on to win the Super Bowl.

On a side note, Bill Belichick saw more of a certain Miami player that he would make a point of acquiring. Wes Welker returned a punt 71 yards to the 2-yard line to set up Miami's first touchdown. Welker had 226 return yards on the day (averaged 27.8 yards on five kickoffs, and two punt returns for 87 yards). Earlier in the season Welker stepped in to take over kicking duties (3 kickoffs, 1-1 PAT, 1-1 FG) against the Patriots when Olindo Mare was injured, in addition to returning five kickoffs and five punts.



December 20, 2009:
New England Patriots 17, Buffalo Bills 10 at Ralph Wilson Stadium

A week after Carolina Panther defenders accused Randy Moss of 'quitting', Moss came back with five receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots racked up six sacks (including three by Tully Banta-Cain) on Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards. The Pats limited Buffalo to 2-12 on third down, and were up 17-3 before the Bills scored with three minutes left. Laurence Maroney had 81 yards rushing and one touchdown for the Pats.



December 20, 2015:
New England Patriots 33, Tennessee Titans 16 at Gillette Stadium

Tom Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 267 yards as the Pats improved to 12-2. James White filled in for an injured Dion Lewis and caught seven passes for 71 yards, including a 30-yard catch-and-run TD.

The Pats scored on their first drive on a 5-yard TD pass to Rob Gronkowski. Early in the second quarter a Chandler Jones strip sack resulted in another score when Akiem Hicks recovered the fumble for a touchdown, and a 14-0 lead.

After a Tennessee field goal, Keshawn Martin returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards. Two plays later Brady found James White (7 receptions, 71 yards) for a nice 30-yard catch and run for another TD. Stephen Gostkowski added a field goal and the Pats led 24-3 at the half.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

December 20, 1947:
Peter Criss (drummer for Kiss) was born in Brooklyn.

December 20, 1948:
Alan Parsons was born in London; besides his Alan Parsons Project he worked on the production of various notable albums such as Abbey Road and Dark Side Of The Moon.

December 20, 1973:
Bobby Darin died at the age of 37.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

October 29, 1972:
Brian Dowling scores on a one-yard run in a loss to the Jets. The Yale grad most well known for being the opposition to Vic Gatto in the ‘Harvard beats Yale 29-29‘ game (and the inspiration for 'BD' in the comic strip Doonesbury) would be one of the very few NFL modern era quarterbacks with more career touchdowns rushing (3) than passing (2).

"B.D."'s marks if they had a combine then probably would have been similar to Tom Brady's...he wasn't superior athletically in any way.

But he's the best college quarterback I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them. He had an uncanny awareness of everything and everybody on the field, like Cousy or Bird, and he'd tear up a defense's confidence like tissue paper. He never got the chance to make it in the NFL, and that's everybody's loss.

Happy Birthday, Richard Joseph Gannon (born December 20, 1965) who played eighteen seasons in the NFL.

Rich was born in Philadelphia, PA and played college football at the University of Delaware, where he directed coach Tubby Raymond's Wing-T offense. He recorded at least 2,000 offensive yards for three straight seasons at Delaware and was Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. In the 1987 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Gannon in the fourth round intent upon converting him to running back. He was soon traded to the Vikings. Rich had to wait to finally get his chance to start, and he was excellent when he finally did.

Happy Birthday, David Allen Pool, Born: December 20, 1966 in Cincinnati, OH

David wore #27 as a DB and had a pick-six (so did Vincent Brown) in our last season looking like the New England Patriots.

That was the first year under the ownership of James Busch Orthwein, who happily volunteered to purchase the team with nothing to do with any debts or the NFL assigning him there, a lifelong New Englander and Patriots fan who singularly wanted nothing more than to keep the team here, and who knew, understood and respected our long history and tradition and shared none and in fact fought against league- and nationwide-bias and contempt for the Pats franchise and who is a true Patriot and local hero

Oh, wait...

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: December 21​

December 21, 1975:
Baltimore Colts 34, New England Patriots 21 at Memorial Stadium

The Pats finished a rough season on a sour note, losing to the AFC East champs by 13 in Baltimore. Allen Carter took the opening kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown, and a 7-yard pass from rookie Steve Grogan to Sam Cunningham gave New England a 14-10 lead.

The Pats were overmatched by Bill Belichick mentor Ted Marchibroda's Colt team in the second half though. The Baltimore defense intercepted five Grogan passes, including a 30-yard pick six for the final score. Andy Johnson had 147 yards from scrimmage and 103 yards receiving for the Patriots, both of which were career highs.

For more on the 1975 Patriots, check out Foxboro Stadium History - 1975.



December 21, 1980:
New England Patriots 38, New Orleans Saints 27 at the Louisiana Superdome

The Patriots averaged over six yards per carry, rushing for 240 yards and two touchdowns to down the Saints. Don Calhoun (16 carries, 113 yards) and Vagas Ferguson (15-82) ran for most of that yardage, with Calhoun and Mosi Tatupu rushing for touchdowns. Matt Cavanaugh threw three touchdown passes (one to Russ Francis and two to Andy Johnson), and Stanley Morgan had four receptions for 63 yards.

Cavanaugh threw 2nd quarter TD's to Francis (39 yards) and Johnson (11 yards) to overcome an early 10-0 defecit, and head in to halftime with a 17-13 lead. Archie Manning's 23-yard TD to Wes Chandler put New Orleans up early in the 4th quarter though. The Patriots came back with a 22-yard touchdown run by Calhoun to retake the lead, and Tatupu's 4-yard score sealed the victory. The Patriot offense was dominant, with 473 yards of total offense and having to punt only three times.

The victory gave the Patriots a 10-6 record, but they missed the playoffs by one game. Five teams in each conference made the playoffs then (3 division winners, 2 wild cards). Five AFC teams had 11-5 records that season, including AFC East champions Buffalo. The Raiders were an 11-5 wild card team, and led by former Patriot Jim Plunkett. They went on to become the first NFL wild card team to win the Super Bowl, defeating the Eagles 27-10.



December 21, 1996:
New England Patriots 23, New York Giants 22 at Giants Stadium

The Patriots scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to erase a 22-0 deficit and beat the Giants in East Rutherford. The victory gave the Pats the AFC East division title by one game over Buffalo. New England would go on to defeat the Steelers and Jaguars in the playoffs, before losing to Green Bay in New Orleans in Super Bowl 31.

The Giants owned the first half, scoring on a safety, a one yard run, two field goals and a Jason Sehorn 23-yard pick-six. Bill Parcells' first return to the Meadowlands did not look good. Drew Bledsoe was just 12-20 for 64 yards and two interceptions in the first half, plus called for intentional grounding in the end zone for the safety.

The Patriots finally put points on the board in the third quarter on a 40-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. That drive began at the 4-yard line and included 31 and 29 yard passes to Terry Glenn. The wide receiver set an NFL record in this game for most receptions by a rookie in a season with 90 (broken by Anquan Boldin in 2003).

In the fourth quarter Bledsoe hit Glenn (8 receptions, 124 yards) for a 26 yards score to make it 22-10. Then Dave Meggett ran a punt back 60 yards for a TD and the Pats were down by only five. With time winding down Troy Brown (7 receptions on 7 targets for 75 yards) caught a third-and-13 pass while on his back to give the Patriots a first down at the 29. Then on 4th and 7 Bledsoe connected with Ben Coates for 13-yard game winning TD with 1:23 left to play.



December 21, 2008:
New England Patriots 47, Arizona Cardinals 7 at Gillette Stadium

The Patriots crushed the Cardinals on a snowy field, making them wish they never left the warmth and comfort of Arizona. The New England defense harassed Kurt Warner, limiting him to 6-18 and 30 yards passing in what was arguably his worst game ever. The Pats held Arizona - who entered the game as the NFL's second highest scoring offense - to 186 yards, and 3-13 on third down. Their only score came late in the fourth quarter after the Patriots were up 47-0.

New England's offense was equally dominant, piling up 514 yards and scoring on nine of the first ten possessions. Matt Cassel went 20-36 for 345 yards and three touchdowns. In a bit of irony Cassel started and got the win while the player he backed up in college, Matt Leinart, came off the bench to relieve Warner when the game was out of hand. Leinart went 6-14 for 138 yards with one TD and one pick.

Sammy Morris (15 carries for 88 yards, 45 yards receiving) and LaMont Jordan (78 yards rushing, 2 TD) got plenty of work in on offense. Jabar Gaffney had five receptions for 90 yards, Randy Moss had a 76 yard TD to open up the 2nd half, and Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals. The Pats went to 10-5 with the win to keep their slim playoff hope alive, while Arizona dropped to 8-7.

​

December 21, 2014:
New England Patriots 17, New York Jets 16 at MetLife Stadium

This was a defensive battle that began with a scoreless first quarter. Tom Brady hit Rob Gronkowski on a 3-yard TD to open up scoring, but the Jets held a 10-7 lead at the half.

Near the end of the third quarter Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 24-yard field goal after a Patriot drive stalled in the red zone, to cut the Jet lead to 13-10. Two plays later Jamie Collins intercepted an underthrown Geno Smith pass. That gave the Pats the ball back at the Jet 38 yard line. A pair of passes to Brandon LaFell and an 11-yard run by Brady set up a one-yard touchdown run by Jonas Gray.

After a Nick Folk field goal cut the lead to one, a Brady pass intended for LaFell was picked off. That gave the Jets the ball at the New England 30 yard line, with 7:18 to play. On 3rd & 4 Dont'a Hightower sacked Smith for a loss of ten yards, and then Vince Wilfork blocked Folk's 52-yard field goal attempt. The Patriots chewed up the final 5:16 on passes to Danny Amendola (8 catches, 63 yards) and runs by Brandon Bolden (5 carries for 29 yards on the final drive).

With the win Bill Belichick broke a tie with Curly Lambeau for fourth place in overall career NFL victories by a head coach with 230. The victory was also the 250th in 368 total games for Robert Kraft, tying him with Chicago legend George Halas for the fastest an owner has reached that milestone.

Happy Birthdays​

Tom Beer (December 21, 1944)
Patriot TE, 1970-1972
Uniform #82 and #68
Beer played in all 42 games over three seasons with the Patriots. The tight end had 25 receptions for 381 yards and three touchdowns. The Pats acquired Beer when they traded Jim Whalen in a typical SMH-trade of the Patriots of that era. In an even more typical of that era decision, the Pats decided to convert him to guard ... and then after putting on 30 pounds for that switch, the team decided to convert him back to tight end.

Prior to joining the Pats Beer had played with Denver for three seasons. Those two teams were among the worst pro football clubs at that time. Beer went on to write his memoirs of playing for a pair of losing franchises in his book, Sunday's Fools: Stomped, Tromped, Kicked and Chewed in the NFL. Condolences to any player that had to play for Clive Rush and John Mazur.


Kony Ealy (December 21, 1991)
Patriot DE, 2017 off season
Uniform #94
See what happens when you don't buy in to the Patriot Way? You get banished and have to play for the Jets. The good news is that this failed attempt only cost the Pats a handful of spots in next year's draft (64th to 72nd overall).


Fred Sheehan (12/21/1902-9/2/1984)
Not a Patriot, but he was a New England native that played pro football who was born today. Born and raised in Abington, Sheehan was a lineman for the 1925 Providence Steamrollers.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

December 21, 1940:
Frank Zappa was born in Baltimore.

December 21, 1943:
Guitarist Albert Lee was born in Leominster, England.

December 21, 1946:
The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson was born in Hawthorne, California.

December 21, 1970:
Elvis Presley pulled up to the White House, requesting a meeting with Richard Nixon to discuss how he could help the President fight the war on drugs.

December 21, 1985:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Born In The USA became the second longest lasting album ever on the Billboard Top 10; it stayed there for 79 weeks. The only album to ever stay in the Top 10 for a longer period of time was The Sound Of Music.

​

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Patriot TE

Happy Birthday Derrick Kent Ramsey (born December 23, 1956) who's Secretary of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, having been appointed by Governor Matt Bevin. He was the Deputy Secretary of Commerce under former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher from 2003 to 2007. He contributed to our run to our first Super Bowl in 1985. No. 88

 

[italian pat patriot]

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Watson (born December 18, 1980)

Will never forget his hustle play in Denver that was incorrectly called

what a play it was...i will never forget it...i always liked Ben Watson

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

the Patriot Way

Happy Birthday, Andre Bernard Tippett (born December 27, 1959)

Andre played college at Iowa

hid·e·ous
(hĭd′ē-əs)
adj.

Happy Birthday, Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972)

From Wikipedia: "Vinatieri has converted several of the most crucial field goals in NFL history, including the game-tying and winning kicks in blizzard conditions in the infamous 'Tuck Rule' Game'"

"infamous"...not..."legendary", "historic", "thrilling"

Sideline Gatorade drinking controversy

Main article: 1975 National Football League player beverage controversy

In an incident dubbed "GatorGate," on October 6, 1975, NFL security caught a Cowboys assistant serving orange-flavored Gatorade to players on the sidelines. The NFL rules state "No commercial beverages of any kind are permitted to be in use on the sidelines, on the field, or in the locker room during the game which are not sanctioned by the league." Only the lemon lime version of Gatorade is listed as authorized for use in the NFL, although there is no restriction on varying flavors or colors. Lions coach Rick Forzano, a former assistant at the Naval Academy when Roger Staubach was quarterback, tipped off league officials that the Cowboys might have been serving illegal beverages. After the game, the Lions formally complained to the league.

On October 11, the NFL fined Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry $500,000—the largest fine ever imposed on a coach in the league's 55-year history, and fined the Cowboys $250,000, both the maximum fines allowable under league rules. Additionally, the Cowboys forfeited their first round draft pick in the 1976 NFL Draft. Pete Rozelle, an alumnus of the University of San Francisco, said that he fined the Cowboys as a team because Landry exercises so much control over the Cowboys' on-field operations that "his actions and decisions are properly attributed to the club." Rozelle considered suspending Landry, but decided that taking away draft picks would be more severe in the long run. Alouicious Tomase, New York Daily News columnist, stated Landry should have been suspended by Rozelle for the Cowboys' next game against the Giants. Freelance sports reporter Chris Mortensen reported that the Cowboys' Gatorade was likely spiked with illegal steroids.

Landry later issued the following statement:

I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight's ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Schramm family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the Dallas Cowboys for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Cowboys fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career. [...] As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of orange Gatorade had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used orange Gatorade to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress. [...] Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect. [...] With tonight's resolution, I will not be offering any further comments on this matter. We are moving on with our preparations for Sunday's game.

Several coaches of other teams admitted using orange flavored Gatorade. Ultimately, the only technical violation Rozelle was able to determine the Cowboys committed was the use of blue and white colored coolers instead of the common green and orange coolers.

The sanctions against Landry were the harshest imposed on a head coach in league history.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Happy Birthdays

Alan Keith Branch (born December 29, 1984)

Yeah that's right

Charles Paul Gogolak (in Hungarian: Gogolák Károly Pál, born December 29, 1944) was signed out of Princeton University by the Redskins in the 1966 NFL Draft, marking the first time that a placekicker was selected in the first round. He played for the Redskins, as well as the Patriots. Gogolak was one of the first "soccer style" placekickers in the NFL along with his brother Pete. The brothers combined to score 14 extra points in a single game, tied for the most ever, in a 72-41 win for Charlie's Redskins vs Pete's New York Giants.

The kick, like our logo and uniforms, looks good

Raymond Ernest Nitschke (December 29, 1936 – March 8, 1998)

One of the GOAT, Ray also appeared in the comic film Head, starring The Monkees, as a footballer who repeatedly tackles Peter Tork in a mock war movie sequence. His character is listed in the credits as "Private One" because his jersey is emblazoned with the number "1".

Nitschke also appeared in the 1974 football comedy The Longest Yard as Guard Bogdanski.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Happy Birthdays

James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance (December 30, 1942 – June 17, 1992)

John Michael Smith (born 30 December 1949)

We can use him tomorrow...

Kyle Eckel (born December 30, 1981)

Bryan Heath Evans (born December 30, 1978)

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

the Patriots

Happy Birthday, Patrick Pass (born December 31, 1977)

...drafted in 2000 along with someone named Tom Brady