Today In Patriots History August 19, 2003: NE trades for Ted Washington

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Ted Washington​

On August 19, 2003, the Chicago Bears rid themselves of a player (and salary) they did not want, trading Ted Washington to the New England Patriots.

In my amateur opinion, the Pats do not rebound from missing the playoff to winning Super Bowl 38 without Big Ted.


The biggest problem with the 2002 Patriots was their run defense, which ranked 31st in the NFL. Up to this point the coaching staff wasn't sure who their nose tackle would be. They experimented with second-year player Jarvis Green, who was a fine player - at defensive end. Veteran Rick Lyle was a DE with little left in the tank, who never played nose tackle. Undrafted rookie Dan Klecko was given an opportunity during the offseason and early in training camp, but despite the family pedigree he was never going to be an impactful NFL player. Seventh round draft pick Ethan Kelley was another defensive tackle that you wanted to develop, not count on in any serious, meaningful way as a rookie. After that there was Ken Kocher, a 2002 practice squad player who ended up spending most of his pro football career in the Arena Football League.


Better late than never, Bill Belichick sent one of his three 2004 fourth round draft picks to the Bears for 6-5, 375-pound, 35-year old Ted Washington. At the time Chicago was gleeful, able to unload the $1.5 million salary. The Bears had signed Washington to a big free agent contract in 2001, and it initially paid off: Big Ted was a first team All-Pro run stuffer, and the Bears turned around from 5-11 to 13-3, while also allowing MLB Brian Urlacher to roam free and make plays. But in week two of 2002, Washington suffered a broken left fibula and torn Lis franc ligament in his left foot. Given his age, salary, and seriousness of that type of injury, the Bears were more than happy to move on.


As it turned out, Chicago surely had a large dose of seller's remorse. The trade turned out to become an absolute steal for the Patriots. 'Mount Washington' was superb, and a key element of that incredible defense that led the Patriots to their second NFL championship. That 2003 performance and his Super Bowl ring led to a nice free agent payday for himself with the Oakland Raiders. Despite the abbreviated stay, Ted Washington was an excellent short-term rental.

Patriots trade for nose tackle

The New England Patriots dealt a 2004 draft choice to the Bears for nose tackle Ted Washington.

www.patriots.com

Press Release: Patriots Acquire For Four-Time Pro Bowl NT Ted Washington

The New England Patriots acquired four-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Ted Washington from the Chicago Bears today for an undisclosed draft choice.

www.patriots.com

Patriots obtain DT Washington from Bears

BOSTON (AP) – The Chicago Bears traded veteran nose tackle Ted Washington to the New England Patriots on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in the 2004 NFL draft.Washington, 35, is a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He has 852 career tackles and 29 sacks in 12 seasons with San Francisco, Denver...

www.sunjournal.com

Pats add beef

Sign DT Ted Washington and lineman Corbin Lacina BOSTON -- The Chicago Bears traded veteran nose tackle Ted Washington to the New England Patriots on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in the 2004 NFL…

www.southcoasttoday.com

Washington crunched out of Chicago

Why would the Bears trade Ted Washington? GM Jerry Angelo shed some light on the trade.

www.patriots.com

Washington to Pats; Staley on the way?

While Bears fans waited for a Duce to be dealt Tuesday, Jerry Angelo played a wild card he had up his sleeve. The Bears surprised many by trading defensive tackle Ted Washington to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick in…

www.chicagotribune.com

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/sports/2003/08/21/washington-has-nose-for-middle/50945053007/

I didn't fully buy into his hype at the time given who porous the previous season's defense was, but as it turned out the Crypt-keeper did make some valid, albeit guarded predictions.

Patriots trade pick for DT Washington -- John Clayton

The Patriots and Dolphins have played a game of trying to top each other throughout the offseason. The Patriots signed sackmaster linebacker Rosevelt Colvin. The Dolphins traded for Dolphins linebacker Junior Seau.​

Tuesday's trade for Bears defensive tackle Ted Washington might be the deal that could put the Patriots over the top. For a fourth-round choice next season, the Patriots acquired the missing piece to their 3-4 defense, an immovable 375-pound defensive tackle who will draw double-team blocking.​

For the Bears, it was a move to free up playing time for younger defensive tackles such Ernest Grant and Alfonso Boone. For the Patriots, this trade made them a potentially dominating 3-4.​

From the ends, the Patriots can attack with powerful young defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Ty Warren, two former tackles who have decent quickness. Washington moves ahead of Rick Lyle and promising young nose tackle Jarvis Green as the run-stopper and space eater.​

Washington needed a little salesmanship, though, to accept the trade. A 12-year veteran that's moved around, Washington initially was reluctant to accept the trade. The Patriots had to call him and tell him their plans, and once that happened, he accepted the proposal and will report.​

This will be Washington's fifth team, and he's helped three different franchises make the playoffs -- San Francisco, Buffalo and Chicago. Washington has been to the playoffs in seven of his 12 years.​

Patriots Tackle Big Problem In Big Way

The Patriots succeeded in getting younger and faster in the offseason. Two days ago, the Patriots got bigger and stronger.

www.patsfans.com

The Patriots succeeded in getting younger and faster in the offseason. Two days ago, the Patriots got bigger and stronger. And when we say big and strong, we mean something like a guy who can fill in for a steamroller if one cannot be had to pave a neighborhood road.

Patriot Nation is hoping Washington can make a big splash on his opponents this year. Washington fills the one remaining void in the Patriot defense (unless nobody can play centerfield in the secondary), and gives the base 3-4 defense a massive presence in obvious run situations.

Washington comes with some caveats, despite all the euphoria over landing this distinguished veteran. He is 35, and missed all but two games last year with the Bears due to a foot injury. Old, possibly damaged goods, and he's needed to do the work of someone about six years younger. These issues cannot be ignored, though most everyone loyal to the Patriots would love to.


If you ask Washington, he'll tell you that everything is fine. He held a press conference shortly after his acquisition, and other than trying his best to convey to you how inconvenienced he was in being traded at this time, he did his level best to show you that he is indeed good to go.

Washington bluntly answered health questions by saying that he is "one hundred percent" and that he will play in Friday's preseason game at Philadelphia. He went on to say that he has vast experience in the 3-4 set (which everyone around here should know from his days in Buffalo), and that all he needs is to dig into the playbook so that he can "go over the plays and get the little kinks out and line back up in the two-gap position."


If Washington has anything left from his best days as a Bill, this is a terrific acquisition for the Patriots, costing them only a 2004 fourth-round draft pick. Washington has the size of a Gilbert Brown or a William Perry. But his age will probably limit Washington to only certain situations, mostly rushing plays. In other words, he will not be an every-down lineman. Will that be enough to make the right impact on the Patriot defense?

This is pretty much predicated upon Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel guessing right on rushing downs. What the Patriots will ask Washington to do, which Washington needs no primping on, is to tie up blockers at the line of scrimmage. This will enable Ted Johnson, Roman Phifer and Tedy Bruschi to make more tackles. It also might help Richard Seymour and Bobby Hamilton, or whoever plays at the end position, shed blockers better on their way to the opposing quarterback.


Another side benefit of Washington working out at the nose tackle position will be the development of top draft pick Ty Warren. Washington, who will likely be a "mentor" to young linemen like Warren, Jarvis Green, Ethan Kelley, Dan Klecko and possibly even Seymour, might expedite the progress of Warren to the point where he can excel at the end position, which is his natural position versus the nose. If Warren isn't needed to spend a great deal of time during the 2003 season trying to learn a new position, his development at end could be crucial to this season, as well as the next several seasons.

At six-foot-six and 375 pounds, Washington won't have too much trouble getting the attention of the aforementioned young and aspiring down linemen.


The biggest question marks surrounding Washington, if he is to be believed on the health issue, will be how well he plays at age 35. Phifer and Anthony Pleasant are that same age. How much gas does Washington have left in the tank?

Size ought not to be a huge factor, pardon the pun. NFL Films has a great feature on notoriously fat players, with former Ram Bill Bain as their poster boy. Being big and fat more often than not means nothing at all, as guys of that ilk who make it to the NFL often times are stronger than all get out and can make those huge frames move like Gale Sayers and hit like Ronnie Lott.

You might see him tomorrow night, if the Patriots have a uniform big enough to fit him. He is a veteran and knows the 3-4 like the back of his head. He'll have done his job if the Eagles cannot get a sustained ground game going and if a linebacker leads the team in tackles. As for Donovan McNabb, talk to Washington's old Bear Bud Rosevelt Colvin or Mike Vrabel. Outside containment will be an issue, albeit on a vanilla basis as, once again, the Patriots will see this team again in about a month.




.

 

[Clonamery]

Mount Washington

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Still wild that he ended up on the Patriots. That was still early in the dynasty years. Still hadn't gotten used to the idea of 'name' players coming to the Patriots. During the Bledsoe years, I can't remember if any of the free agents they signed were big names.

Willie Clay? Shawn Jefferson? Zefross Moss? Maybe Henry Thomas?

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
The Largest Crowd in AFL History

Officially the largest crowd in the history of the AFL was 62,627 at Shea Stadium for the 1968 title game between the Jets and Raiders. There was another game in which the attendance actually surpassed that number; ironically it did not take place in an AFL city.


On August 16, 1961 there were 73,916 spectators for a preseason game between the Patriots and Titans (as the Jets were known then). (To be more accurate it was an exhibition game - the term 'preseason' game did not occur until after the 1970 merger.) The game was played at Philadelphia Memorial Stadium - which would later become known as JFK Stadium before it was torn down in 1992.


Acme Supermarkets - which still operates a chain of 160 grocery stores from Maryland to Connecticut, with headquarters in Philadelphia - ran a promotion where any customer that spent ten bucks was given a free ticket to the game, which was named the 'Grocery Bowl'.


The link below has a preview from the Philadelphia Daily News:

Article clipped from Philadelphia Daily News

Clipping found in Philadelphia Daily News published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 8/19/1961.

www.newspapers.com

The final score was Titans 17, Patriots 6, with Larry Garron scoring the Pats only touchdown. Legend has it that the game ended in the final minute when loyal Acme shoppers ran onto the field as part of the store's promotion - but according to the article below, that was not the case.

In 1961 The AFL's Grocery Bowl Outdrew the NFL's Runner-Up Bowl

Here is a neat piece by Dave Steidel... In today’s bloated world of college bowl games you will find a plethora of events around the country in sun soaked, exotic locations that entice teams to come and participate in what is pretty much

talesfromtheamericanfootballleague.com

For whatever reason any of the bowl games existed, the one bowl game that few seem to remember (probably because it really wasn’t a real bowl game per se) was the infamous Grocery Bowl, played in Philadelphia on August 19, 1961. Housed in Philly’s Municipal Stadium, host of the annual Army-Navy game, and in 1964 re-named JFK Stadium, the Grocery Bowl drew twice as many fans as the NFL’s Playoff Bowl. More than 74,000 fans showed up to watch the New York Titans host the Boston Patriots in a pre-season game. Not only were there twice as many fans at the Grocery Bowl than the NFL’s Runner-up Bowl, it also out drew the New Year’s Day Orange and Cotton Bowls and represented nearly 65% of the Titans entire 7 game home attendance at the Polo Grounds in 1960.​

The game was promoted by the local Acme markets who offered shoppers a free ticket for a $10. purchase. The south Philly location, which sat next to the Navy ship yard, is now occupied by the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, the Flyers and 76ers Wells-Fargo Center and the Phillies Citizens Bank Park. Fans at the one-time ‘Bowl’ game saw the New Yorkers hold the Patriots to only 7 completed passes, intercept 5 and in the third quarter with the home team leading 10-7, were treated to a 74 yard Al Dorow to Don Maynard touchdown pass to clinch the Titans only exhibition game victory. With 15 seconds left in the game the Philly phaithful decided they had seen enough and stormed the end zone to tear down the goal posts, bringing the game to slightly premature end. And contrary to popular belief, there is no truth to the rumor that the Acme shopper ticket holders stormed the field because they were (cough, cough – slight pause to clear the throat) – ‘fed up’. As they live on today, I’m not sure that the Philadelphia area Acme markets realize that their 1961 Grocery Bowl promotion is firmly imbedded into American Football League lore.​

 

[jmt57]

 

[jmt57]

Still wild that he ended up on the Patriots. That was still early in the dynasty years. Still hadn't gotten used to the idea of 'name' players coming to the Patriots. During the Bledsoe years, I can't remember if any of the free agents they signed were big names.

Willie Clay? Shawn Jefferson? Zefross Moss? Maybe Henry Thomas?

I didn't realize until today that Ted Washington was hesitant to come to New England.

Apparently he felt the Bears, who won the AFC North when he was healthy in 2001 with a 13-3 record, were a better team. They were one and done in the playoffs, and that turned out to be their only postseason game from 1995 through 2004, and they never advanced beyond the divisional round from 1989 through 2009.

Back to the Patriots: yeah, if I recall it was usually at most a mid-level guy, starter but not star, like CB Ricky Reynolds. Dave Meggett was a relatively well known FA that Parcells knew of. Shawn Jefferson, good call there, I can remember being excited about that signing. But he wasn't a Pro Bowler or a truly 'big-name' player. Willie Clay, like you mentioned, had to have been the biggest: eight interceptions the previous year for Detroit.


Great question.

 

[TheRainMaker]

They do not go 14-2 and win the Super Bowl without him. Arguably the best trade of the dynasty era.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
David Patten​

In memory of David Patten, who would have turned 52 today
Born Aug 19, 1974 in Columbia, South Carolina
Died Sept 2, 2021 in a motorcycle accident at the age of 47 in Columbia, SC
Patriots wide receiver, 2001-2004; uniform #86
Signed as a free agent on April 2, 2001
Pats résumé: four seasons, 54 games, 165 receptions for 2,513 yards, 17 touchdowns
15 receptions for 154 yards in six postseason games, with two TD; two Super Bowl rings



David Patten went undrafted out of Western Carolina, and began his pro football career playing for the Albany Firebirds in the Arena League in 1996. In three seasons with the Giants he was seldom used, with 33 receptions for 460 yards and three touchdowns. His playing time improved in 2000 for Cleveland, catching 38 passes for 546 yards and one TD. Signing him as a free agent in 2001 turned out to be an excellent personnel move for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

Oct 23, 2001:

Quite a pitch ? and catch

FOXBORO, Mass. — The way the play was designed, wide receiver Troy Brown was supposed to take the lateral from quarterback Tom Brady and throw a pass to David Patten. But Patten wanted more. The …

www.seacoastonline.com

The way the play was designed, wide receiver Troy Brown was supposed to take the lateral from quarterback Tom Brady and throw a pass to David Patten.​

But Patten wanted more.​

The former NFL castoff campaigned to be the middleman on the trick play, and he so impressed the New England coaches with his arm strength in practice that they switched the two receivers' roles. The decision turned out so well that Patten wound up in the record books.​

"I was lobbying for it all week," Patten said Monday, a day after he became the first receiver ever with a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in the Patriots' 38-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. "I worked hard my whole career waiting to get this opportunity, to find a team willing to believe in me."​

Patten scored on a 29-yard end-around on the Patriots' first offensive play of the game. In the second quarter, he caught a 91-yard touchdown pass from Brady, the longest play from scrimmage in New England history.​

The Patriots took over at their own 40 on the next possession, and they called a "double pass" in which Brady spun around and threw a lateral to Patten. Patten threw it downfield, hitting Brown in stride for the touchdown that made it 21-3.​

That made Patten, who added a 6-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter, the first player to run for, pass for and receive a touchdown since Walter Payton did it in 1979. Patten is the sixth player in NFL history to complete the hat trick; all the others were running backs, who run and throw significantly more than receivers.​

Undrafted out of Western Carolina, Patten was loading 18-wheel trucks with 75-pound bags of coffee five years ago, supplementing the heavy lifting with some work as an electrician and in landscaping. He signed as a free agent with the New York Giants in 1997, then bounced to the Cleveland Browns before signing with the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent in the spring.​

Before Sunday, Patten had never thrown a pass in a game — not in any level of football. Still, with the Patriots listing only two quarterbacks since Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2, Belichick said he would consider letting the receiver take some snaps in an emergency.​

Belichick conceived the "double pass" to go from Brady to Terry Glenn to Brown, and they practiced it that way on Wednesday. But Glenn hurt his hamstring, so on Thursday, Patten filled in as the final receiver.​

They ran the play that way once, and then Patten turned around and heaved the ball 20 yards over Brown's head, as if to say, "I can throw, too."​

"Then we let David throw it, and it looked pretty good," Belichick said with a snicker. "We were trying to tell Brady, 'Watch Patten do this."'​

Nov 4, 2001: Patriots 24, Falcons 10 at the Georgia Dome - 7:30 Highlight Video
At the 3:25 mark Brady throws the ball into double coverage to Patten. The ball hits the knee of a defensive player,
ricochets ten yards backwards into the hands of Troy Brown, who proceeded to take the ball 44-yards for a score.
​

Dec 16, 2001:

A tape escape

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Receiver David Patten thought he was in another country. After winning another overtime game against the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots are in another world. Adam Vina…

www.seacoastonline.com

Receiver David Patten thought he was in another country. After winning another overtime game against the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots are in another world.​

Adam Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal in overtime, his fourth of the game, lifting New England to a 12-9 victory over the Bills on Sunday. The Patriots (9-5), in the thick of the AFC playoff race after finishing 5-11 last season, have won four straight for the first time in two years. The win allowed New England to pull to within a half-game of first-place Miami in the AFC East. The Dolphins, who visit New England next Saturday, lost to San Francisco, 21-0.​

The game turned on the overturn of a ruling that Patten fumbled after making a reception after five minutes of OT. Patten caught Tom Brady's pass at the Bills' 41, where he was hit hard by Buffalo's Keion Carpenter. The ball popped loose and was recovered by Buffalo's Nate Clements.​

Referee Mike Carey determined by a video review that Patten's head was out of bounds while the ball remained loose under his leg.​

Antowain Smith broke the game open on the ensuing play, bouncing off the pile and down the sideline before he was pushed out of bounds at the 3, setting up the game-winning kick.​

Patten couldn't comment on the call. Carpenter's hit knocked him unconscious. "I didn't know where I was. I could have been in Czechoslovakia," Patten said. "I thought I let the team down, but the replay was one thing that went our way."​

Carey, the referee, said the video review was "indisputable." "The ball was loose in the field of play, and while it was in contact with the receiver's calf, his hit (was) out of bounds," Carey said. "By rule, if a loose ball touches anything that is out of bounds, it is itself out of bounds."​

​

July 17, 2017:

Where Are They Now: David Patten

In their own unique way, each member of the 2001 New England Patriots played a role helping the team capture its first championship in franchise history following a thrilling, last-second 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

www.patriots.com

Then: David's three-score performance in the Patriots' October 21, 2001 win against Indianapolis made him just the sixth player in NFL history to run, catch and throw for a touchdown in a single game. He finished the regular season with 51 receptions for 749 yards and recorded New England's only offensive touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVI victory on an eight-yard pass from Tom Brady in the Patriots' win over the Rams.​

*Now:* In 2013, David returned to his alma mater, Western Carolina University (where he played from 1992-1995) to complete his degree in social work. He was also an assistant coach for the Catamounts. He is now reportedly a minister with the True Believers Church of Our Lord ************. David's son, Daquan, is a walk-on freshman wide receiver at Western Carolina.​

July 31, 2010 - Glen Farley:

Patriots’ Patten retires after career of big catches

The little man turned in a number of big plays, many during his four seasons at wide receiver with the Patriots, before opting to walk away from the game on Saturday.

www.enterprisenews.com

He stood all of 5-foot-10, weighed in at all of 190 pounds. Many were the Sundays, though, when David was Goliath.​

Over the course of four seasons in New England (2001-2004), he hauled in 165 passes for 2,513 yards and 16 TDs to rank 24th all-time on the Patriots’ career receptions list.​

A ringing endorsement for Patten is contained in his jewelry box – three Super Bowl rings.​

“Now you sit back and reflect, you say, ‘Hey, the career wasn’t that bad,’” said Patten, who will turn 36 this month. “Not bad for a kid undersized, out of Columbia, S.C., a small 1-AA school (Western Carolina), undrafted, working in a coffee bean factory, electrician work, landscaper.​

Many were the times when the little man rose, even on pro football’s grandest stage.​

In the 2001 postseason, for instance, he made a leaping, 11-yard TD catch of a Drew Bledsoe in the AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh one week, corralled an 8-yard TD toss from Brady in Super Bowl XXXVI against St. Louis the next.​

“I was just watching the NFL Network,” said Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, “and you see David Patten catching touchdowns in Super Bowls. The route he had to go was a long route and very difficult. To not give up and have the desire that he had to get where he knew he could be is pretty remarkable.”​

A Hall of Famer, he wasn’t. A gamer, he was.​

Patten, who says his future endeavors will include work in the ministry, got every ounce of the ability his maker gave him.​

While countless other NFL wide receivers are divas, Patten was a doer.​

"Remembering David Patten: Forever a Part of Our Patriots Family"
Short but sweet: a nice 1:30 highlight tribute video from the Patriots:
​

July 31, 2010 - Jeff Howe:

Old Patriots Hero David Patten Calls It a Career After 12 NFL Seasons - NESN.com

FOXBORO, Mass. — Wide receiver David Patten, one of the icons of the Patriots' dynasty, announced his retirement Saturday morning. The selfless, hardworking leader said he was "100 percent healthy" and was coming off a "great practice" Friday, but he just wasn’t as mentally into the game as he...

nesn.com

Patten was in his second stint with the Patriots, and through offseason practices and two days of training camp, he appeared to have a shot to make the roster. His chemistry with quarterback Tom Brady — who tried to talk Patten out of retiring Saturday morning — was extremely obvious, and it would have been a valuable asset for a team with a young receiving corps.​

However, Patten will say so long to a game that he treated so well — and in return, treated him well back.​

Patten went undrafted out of Western Carolina and found his way into the league after working as an electrician, a landscaper and in a coffee bean factory. He earned his stripes through hard work and dedication, and Belichick credited Patten as one of the players who got "the program started" in New England.​

"We have a lot of players that work hard," Belichick said. "I think David sets the pace in work ethic."​

"You play for the money," Patten said. "You play for the championships, but at the end of the day, you just want your fellow players, your teammates and your coaches to know that you gave everything that you have on a day-in and day-out basis."​

Patten played in New England from 2001 to 2004, catching 165 passes for 2,513 yards and 16 touchdowns. Patten caught 13 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns during the Patriots' 2001 postseason run, and two of his touchdown grabs — one against the Steelers in the AFC championship game and another against the Rams in the Super Bowl — have been burned into the memory of Patriots fans.​

"There have been a number of times when I've been over in the Hall or flip on the TV," Belichick said. "It seems like there's always a David Patten highlight."​

In 12 NFL seasons, he caught 324 passes for 4,715 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also spent time with the Giants, Browns, Redskins and Saints.​

Every David Patten Patriots Touchdown | David Patten Highlights (2:41)
​

July 31, 2010:

David Patten Retirement Press Conference

New England Patriots wide receiver David Patten announces his retirement from the NFL during his press conference at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, July 31, 2010. BILL BELICHICK BB: I spoke with David [Patten] this morning and David and I have a great rela

www.patriots.com

Patriots’ Patten retires after career of big catches

The little man turned in a number of big plays, many during his four seasons at wide receiver with the Patriots, before opting to walk away from the game on Saturday.

www.enterprisenews.com

Patriots receiver Patten announces retirement

Patriots wide receiver David Patten retired from football on Saturday.

www.espn.com

Wide receiver David Patten, who was a key contributor to the New England Patriots' three Super Bowl championships, announced his retirement Saturday morning at the team's training camp.​

Patten, who turns 37 on Aug. 19, said he believed he could keep up physically. But it was the mental challenge that led him to tell coach Bill Belichick he was retiring after four practices. Patten described his time with the Patriots, from 2001 to 2004, as the highlight of his career.​

Belichick said that the team had hoped to sign Patten as a free agent in 2000, which was Belichick's first year as Patriots coach. But the team lost out to the Cleveland Browns, whose offer was $50,000 richer.​

The Patriots finally got their man the following season, with Patten facing what he thought were long odds for a roster spot. About two weeks into training camp, Belichick pulled Patten out of a meeting, and Patten feared the worst.​

Instead, Belichick told him he had an opportunity to fight for a starting job, and that the team was offering him a three-year contract extension.​

He totaled 324 receptions for 4,715 yards and 24 touchdowns, while adding 20 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs.​

One of his biggest catches came in arguably the greatest victory in franchise history, in Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams, when he was on the receiving end of an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady.​

Patten was an underdog story, but his perseverance was ultimately rewarded.​

"You reflect now and say, 'Hey, your career wasn't that bad for a kid, undersized out of Columbia, South Carolina and a small I-AA school [Western Carolina]. Undrafted. Working in a coffee bean factory. Electrician work. Landscaper.' Who would have thought 12 years in the National Football League?" Patten said. "Three championships. So many memories. Now I can sit back and reflect on it and pass this on to my kids.​

 

[jmt57]