Today in Patriots History

Happy 72nd birthday to Carl Garrett
Born Aug 31, 1947 in Denton, Texas
Patriot RB, 1969-1972; uniform #30
Pats 3rd round (58th overall) selection of the 1969 draft, from New Mexico Highlands


Carl Garrett | FS64



Carl Garrett has some noteworthy Patriot trivia attached to his name. He is the player that the Patriots sent to Dallas in the bizarre 1971 Duane Thomas trade that was later rescinded after Thomas refused to take a three point stance for Pats head coach John Mazur.

Garrett was later traded to the Bears, spent some time with the Jets, and eventually became a kick returner and backup RB in Oakland. Carl Garrett was blanketed in the end zone when Ken Stabler threw a desperation fourth down pass in his direction on December 18, 1976. That was the play that will live in infamy as one of the worst calls by an official in the history of the NFL.

It was Carl Garrett who was the intended receiver on what should have been a turnover on downs in the Ben Dreith Game.




Happy birthday to Dennis Byrd
Born Aug 31, 1946 in Lincolnton, North Carolina
Died in 7/23/2010 at the age of 63
Patriot DE, 1968-1969; uniform #78
Pats 1st round (6th overall) selection of the 1968 draft, from NC State

Not to be confused with the more well known Jet Dennis Byrd, our Dennis Byrd is often considered to be one of the biggest draft busts in Patriot history. Byrd was one of the best players in NC State history and one of the best players in college football from 1965-67, constantly breaking through double teams. The problem was that he had injured his knee his senior year in a game against Duke, and attempted to return too soon.


If this type of injury happened today it would be one thing, but medical science in the area of knee surgeries and treating ACL tears was completely different fifty years ago. Superior results in arthroscopic surgery would not happen for another ten or twenty years, when benefits from flexible fiber optics began to become available.

The reality is that Dennis Byrd had no business playing football, and the Patriots were foolish to have drafted him that high - if at all. He gave it a good try, but his career had no chance. Byrd started all 14 games for the Pats in 1968, but was unable to play beyond his rookie season. He died at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack while undergoing back surgery.

Dennis Byrd, 2007 | North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

Dennis Byrd, 2010 | College Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame to honor Dennis Byrd




Happy 74th birthday to Pete Barnes
Born Aug 31, 1945 in Keatchie, Louisiana
Patriot LB, 1976-1977; uniform #59

Pete Barnes was a two-time All American - in two sports, football and baseball. He spent 11 years an the AFL and NFL, with his final two seasons being in Foxborough. Barnes played in 25 games with 18 starts for the Pats, with one interception and two fumble recoveries.

In 1984 Barnes was arrested on drug charges, and a 2009 article mentioned an unconfirmed report that Barnes was homeless. Over his 11 year pro football career Barnes played in 142 games with 98 starts, tallying 15 interceptions (one for a TD) and six fumble recoveries.





Happy birthday to Edgar Chandler
Born Aug 31, 1946 in Cedartown, Georgia
Died 10/17/92 at the age of 46
Patriot MLB, 1973; uniform #50

Edgar Chandler was a right tackle at the University of Georgia. He was drafted by the Bills in '68 and converted to linebacker to better utilize his speed and agility. On April 19, 1973 the Pats made an ill advised trade with Buffalo, sending Jim Cheyunski, Halvor Hagen and Mike Montler to the Bills in exchange for Chandler, Jeff Lyman and Patrick. Chandler was the only one of those three to even play for the Pats, while Buffalo received three productive players.


Chandler played for one season with the Pats, starting 11 games. A year later he bolted for better money in the World Football League, winning a championship with the Birmingham Americans. He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, and in his post-football career he was manager of public relations for All-American Contel Communications. Edgar Chandler died at the age of 46 from cancer.




Happy 69th birthday to Ed Jenkins
Born Aug 31, 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida
Patriot RB, 1974; uniform #30

The Holy Cross pioneer and graduate was an 11th round draft pick by Miami in 1972. Jenkins appeared in three games with the Patriots; for his career he played in 15 games, with one reception for 12 yards.





Happy 36th birthday to Justin Rogers
Born Aug 31, 1983 in Penngrove, California
Patriot LB, 2007 offseason; uniform #51
Pats 6th round (180th overall) selection of the 2007 draft, from Southern Methodist

The Patriots traded OT Brandon Gorin to Arizona near the end of training camp in 2006. In exchange the Pats received a 2007 sixth round draft pick, which was used on Rogers. He is one of six 6th and 7th round choices from that draft that had either little or no impact with the Patriots, fueling 'Bill the GM is killing Bill the HC' hot takes on sports talk radio for a few years. Rogers went on to spend a couple seasons in Dallas, appearing in 32 games with no starts.





Other pro football players born on this date with a New England connection:

Ken MacAfee (1929-2007)
Born and raised in North Easton; Oliver Ames High School
The elder Ken MacAfee is the only Oliver Ames grad to make it to the NFL. After his college playing days at Alabama, he spent six seasons in the late fifties playing tight end, mostly for the Giants. MacAfee scored 18 career touchdowns, including eight as a rookie in 1954. His son was also a tight end, and a 7th overall pick by San Francisco in the 1978 draft.

John Dorsey, 59 (1960)
UConn
A 4th round pick by Green Bay in '84, the linebacker played in 76 games over five seasons for the Packers.

Arnie Shockley (1903-1988)
The 6'2, 220 native of Oklahoma played tackle for the 1929 Boston Bulldogs.




And some other notable pro football players sharing this birth date:

Larry Fitzgerald, 36 (1983)
The future Hall of Famer has five seasons with 100+ receptions, five with 10+ touchdown receptions, and nine seasons of 1,000+ yards receiving - including four of over 1,400 yards.

Jim Finks (1927-1994)
Hall of Famer spent 27 seasons as GM of the Vikings, Bears and Saints. Prior to that he was a quarterback with Pittsburgh from 1949-1955. In 1952 Finks led the NFL with 20 touchdown passes, and in '55 he led the league in passing yards.

Gary Johnson (1952-2010)
'Big Hands' was the 8th overall pick by San Diego in '75, and a four-time Pro Bowl DT with the Chargers. At the end of his 11 year career he was traded to San Francisco. In 23 games with the 49ers he had nine sacks, a safety, three fumble recoveries and a touchdown, helping SF in the '84-85 playoff run with three more sacks, culminating with a 38-16 victory over Miami in SB 19.

Alvin Haymond, 77 (1942)
Return specialist from Southern University led the NFL in punt returns three times, punt return yardage three times, yards per punt return in 1969 (13.2), combined kick and punt return yardage three times, and kick return yardage once. Over his career Haymond had 6,749 yards on returns; at the time he retired that was second most in NFL history.

Lance Moore, 36 (1983)
Former wide receiver with the Saints had 45 career touchdowns.

Ten years ago on this date Tedy Bruschi retired, after a preseason that he appeared to have lost half a step. Bill Belichick seemed to come close to tears in the retirement press conference.

9/1/2009: In his own words: Tedy Bruschi's retirement announcement | Brockton Enterprise




8/31/2009: Tedy Bruschi calls it quits after 13 seasons | espn





August 31, 1997 at Foxboro Stadium
1997 Week One Game; Sunday, 1:00 pm
New England Patriots 41, San Diego Chargers 7
Head Coaches: Pete Carroll, Kevin Gilbride
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe, Stan Humphries
Television: NBC; Marv Albert, Randy Cross
- Patriots had a 14-0 lead before San Diego had a first down
- Halftime: Patriots 31, Chargers 0
- Turnovers: SD 3, Pats 0; Willie Clay with a 53-yard pick-six
- Sacks: Pats 4, Chargers 0
- Net Passing Yards: Patriots 340, Chargers 142
- Bledsoe: 26-39, 340 yards, 4 TD, 0 Int
- Humphries/Jim Everett: 18-38, 194, 1, 1

This was the only regular season game in franchise history to be played in August.

The Super Bowl used to be on the last Sunday in January, and working backwards from that date gives you when the season would need to begin. Both the 1996 and 1998 seasons started only a day later, on September 1st, so it's more a calendar fluke than anything else that 1997 had week one games on August 31.

Following the 9/11 attacks which led to an entire week being postponed, Super Bowl 36 was the first to be held in February. The 2002 season returned to the January format with no off week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, but every season since has added the week off and the Super Bowl in the first week of February.

From a business perspective, the NFL was probably leary about pushback of the season not ending until February. When there was none, they kept the schedule like it is now. The benefit is that the league does not have to go head-to-head with their customers having other plans for a long weekend, still being away at a vacation cottage, competing with backyard barbecues for paying customers or eyeballs watching a television set. That was something the NFL had tried to avoid up until 1977. We could revert to that format though if the league gets their way with an 18-game season.

Patriots 41, Chargers 7

Thursday Aug 31, 2017 at Gillette Stadium
Preseason Game #4: Giants 40, Patriots 38
Pats finish preseason with a record of 1-3

Jacoby Brissett played the whole game, going 28-39 with 349 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He also ran the ball four times for 29 yards - for three first downs and one touchdown. Devin Lucien had five receptions for 96 yards and a TD.

The Pats were down 37-21 in the fourth quarter when Brissett scored on a 4-yard run with 6:21 to play to cut the deficit to nine. A 4-yard TD pass to Jacob Hollister with 2:10 to go made it 37-35, and Stephen Gostkowski 55-yard field goal with 44 seconds to play to give the Pats a 38-37 lead. However, Davis Webb completed 4 of 6 passes for 19, 5, 10 and 11 yards in 39 seconds to move the Giants from their own 25 to the Patriot 30, setting up a 48 yard game winning field goal as time expired.




Thursday Aug 31, 2006 at East Rutherford
Preseason Game #4: Giants 31, Patriots 23

Matt Cassel started at QB, going 15-28 for 196 yards and one touchdown. He led the team 67 yards for a score on the opening drive. The Pats had a second and goal at the one and twice gave the ball to FB Heath Evans, who was stopped both times by LB Chase Blackburn. On 4th down Evans got a third chance and Blackburn tackled him again, but Evans was already across the goal line for the touchdown. The Patriot offense sputtered after that, not scoring another touchdown until the final minute of play after a Giants fumble at the 19 yard line. New York gave 285 pound quarterback Jared Lorenzen - the Pillsbury Throwboy - plenty of playing time, which was a unique viewing experience. The Patriots finished the preseason with a 2-2 record.




Aug 31, 1990 in Foxboro
Preseason Game #4:
Falcons (4-0) 45, Patriots (0-4) 14
Atlanta finishes the preseason 4-0
New England finishes the preseason 0-4
Both teams would finish last in their division, proving how meaningful preseason records are.

In 1990 Jerry Glanville was head coach for Atlanta, leaving will call tickets for Elvis, and the Falcons switched uniforms from red helmets to black, with silver pants.

Two weeks after this game the infamous Lisa Olson incident occurred, and the Patriots proceeded to go 1-15 in Rod Rust's one and only season as head coach.




Aug 31, 1985 in Los Angeles
Preseason Game #4: Rams 14, Patriots 13
Rams improve to 3-1; Patriots finish preseason 1-3

With under six minutes left to play in the game, the Pats were on the Ram 27 yard line, down 14-6. Tony Franklin connected on a 44-yard field goal, but the Rams were called for being offside. Rather than leaving the points on the scoreboard the Pats took the five yard penalty, giving them a first down at the 22. The strategy was a success as the Patriots scored a few plays later, making the score 14-13 rather than 14-9.

New England got the ball back with a little more than a minute remaining, and Tony Eason drove the Pats to the LA 16 yard line. Eason took a knee on both first and second down, letting the clock wind down to two seconds. As time expired Franklin nailed a 34 yard kick that momentarily gave the Patriots a 16-14 victory. However, there was a flag on the field. Don Blackmon was penalized for being offside and the Rams obviously took the penalty rather than the result of the play. That nullified the field goal and returned the score to 14-13 - with time expired. The clock management strategy backfired; with no time remaining there was no opportunity to try another field goal.

Happy 67th birthday to Tom Owen
Born Sept 1, 1952 in Shreveport, Louisiana
Patriot QB, 1976-1981; uniform #17

Tom Owen was a 13th round draft pick by the 49ers in 1974, going 4-4 over two seasons in a carousel that included over the hill quarterbacks Norm Snead and Steve Spurrier. It was that lack of a decent QB that led San Francisco to trade for Jim Plunkett. While most remember all the draft picks the Patriots received in return, few remember that Owen came to Foxboro in that deal as well.

With Steve Grogan and later Matt Cavanaugh ahead of him on the depth chart, Owen seldom got on the field. He played in 12 games, throwing for 655 yards with three touchdowns - and nine interceptions.


Ironically Tom Owen's best game came in a very depressing, lackluster loss by the Patriots. After having been suspended th week before, Chuck Fairbanks coached his final game in Foxboro under a gray sky on New Year's Eve in 1978. The first home playoff game in franchise history should have made for a festive atmosphere, but the mood at Schaefer Stadium was somber and lifeless. Steve Grogan was a dismal 3-12 with two interceptions before Fairbanks pulled him and inserted Owen into the lineup. The backup QB from Wichita State went 12-22 for 144 yards as the Pats scored two second half touchdowns, but it was too little, too late; the Oilers won 31-14.

The only other game of note is another when Owen came off the bench to replace an ineffective Grogan. On October 7, 1979 the Patriots had blown a 14-0 lead and were down 17-14 against Detroit. Owen led the Pats to two fourth quarter scores, going 7-13 for 81 yards and a touchdown to rally the Pats to 24-17 victory.




Happy birthday to Gene Thomas
Born Sept 1, 1942 in Barberton, Ohio
Died in 1993 at the age of 50
Patriot RB, 1968; uniform #22

Gene Thomas played in nine games with three start for the Patriots. He had 300 yards from scrimmage and scored touchdowns in games against the Jets and Raiders. His best games were both in victories for the Pats. On 9/29/68 he had 34 yards rushing and two catches for 39 yards in a 20-17 win at Denver. Three weeks later Thomas got the start against Buffalo and carried the ball 18 times for 76 yards as the Pats defeated the Bills 23-6.




Happy 34th birthday to Vince Redd
Born Sept 1, 1985 in Elizabethton, Tennessee
Patriot LB, 2008; uniform #49



Nov 22, 2008: Patriots sign LB Vince Redd to active roster | Patriots.com



Jan 28, 2019: The Patriot Way: Former New England linebacker enjoying life back in Elizabethton | Johnson City Press






Other pro football players born on September 1 with a New England connection:

Adam Terry, 37 (1982)
Draft day trade
On April 23, 2005 the Pats traded down, sending their 2nd round (64th overall) pick to the Ravens, who used that to select Terry. In return the Pats received a 3rd round (84th overall) pick, which was used on CB Ellis Hobbs. The left tackle was a draft bust in Baltimore, starting only 18 games over four seasons. Hobbs was a solid contributor with the Pats, playing in 63 games and handling kickoff return duties in addition to starting at corner.

The Pats also received a 6th round pick, which was traded to Oakland for two picks. Those were used to select Matt Cassel and Ryan O'Callaghan.

Baltimore also included a 2006 3rd round pick in the deal, but the return on that did not work out as well. The Pats used that to trade up in the 2nd round of the '06 draft to select WR Chad Jackson at #36 overall. Green Bay used what had been the Pats original 2nd round pick on WR Greg Jennings at #52.


Dan Sullivan, 80 (1939)
Born and raised in Boston; Boston Technical High School; Boston College
Dan was a guard and tackle with the Baltimore Colts from 1962-1972. He was the starting RT on the 1970 team that beat Dallas 16-13 in Super Bowl V, and the starting RG on the Colt team that lost to the Jets in SB III.


Jerry Azumah, 42 (1977)
University of New Hampshire
Jerry was a 5th round pick by Chicago in 1999. The cornerback played in 105 games over seven seasons with the Bears, and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003.


Mark Herzlich, 32 (1987)
Boston College
Mark was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, and projected to be a first round draft pick. The middle linebacker elected to return for his senior year at BC, but in May of 2009 he announced that he had bone cancer. Herzlich returned to play in 2010, but went undrafted the following spring. He signed with the Giants and played in 88 games from 2011 to 2016, earning a super bowl ring in his rookie season.

Sept 1, 1966 at Pro Player Stadium
4:00 pm Week 1 game
Dolphins 24, Patriots 10
Head Coaches: Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe, Dan Marino
Odds: Miami -3

Key Stats:
Time of Possession: Dolphins 35:59, Pats 24:01
Rushes-Yards-TD: Dolphins 39-146-1; Pats 14-29-0
Turnovers: Pats 4, Dolphins 1
Sacked: Pats 4 (-21), Dolphins 0
Third Down: Dolphins 5-12, Pats 2-10

Shawn Jefferson had a day worth forgetting. In the span of four plays he lost two fumbles after completed passes, the second which led to a touchdown and a Miami 17-3 lead. He fumbled the ensuing kickoff out of bounds just before the end of the half, and then also fumbled the second half kickoff. Unfortunately that did not go out of bounds and was recovered by Louis Oliver - who had a 60-yard interception return to go along with two fumble recoveries and a pass deflection on the day. The Dolphins were much more than fortunate than Jefferson in the fumble department. Two of their own fumbles were recovered by a teammate - for touchdowns.




Sept 1, 1991 at the Hoosier Dome
4:00 pm Week 1 game
Patriots 16, Colts 7
Head coaches: **** MacPherson, Ron Meyer
Quarterbacks: Tommy Hodson, Jeff George
Odds: Colts (-9)

Key Stats:
Pats K Jason Staurovsky: 3-3 on field goals
Colt K Dean Biasucci: 0-4 on FG attempts
Incomplete Passes: Pats 5, Colts 15

Tommy Hodson went 13-18 with a 23 yard touchdown pass to Marv Cook for the Pats only touchdown. Leonard Russell rushed for 72 yards while Cook and Irving Fryar both had 57 yards receiving. Indy QB Jeff George passed for 301 yards but also threw two picks, and was sacked four times.




Thurs Sept 1, 2016
Preseason Week 4
Giants 17, Patriots 9
Pats finish the preseason with a 3-1 record
Tom Brady went 16-26 with one touchdown in a final tuneup before having to serve a four game suspension in the witchhunt that ignored science and other evidence, better known as deflategate. D.J. Foster was the Pats leading receiver with nine catches for 110 yards.


Thurs Sept 1, 2011
Preseason Week 4
Giants 18, Patriots 17
Both teams finish the preseason with a 2-2 record
The Patriots led 10-0 with both teams starters on the field, but fell behind in the 4th quarter in the battle of third stringers on a fumble returned for a touchdown and a fake punt that scored another TD.


Thurs Sept 1, 2005
Preseason Week 4
Giants 27, Patriots 3
Pats go 2-2


Friday Sept 1, 1989
Preseason Week 4
Packers 16, Patriots 0
Pats finish 2-2
















Sept 1, 2019: Patriots Sign Eight to Practice Squad | Patriots.com


Sept 1, 2018:


Sept 1, 2017:
Patriots release Sam Cotton, Jason King, Mikey Bart and Glenn Gronkowski.

Sept 1, 2015:
Pats place CB Darryl Roberts, a 7th round draft choice from Marshall, on IR due to a wrist injury.

Sept 1, 2013:
Tim Tebow is released, creating a massive collective sigh of relief throughout Patriot Nation.

Sept 1, 2012:
Patriots trade late draft pick to Rams for WR Greg Salas.

Sept 1, 2009:
Former Pats RB John Stephens dies in auto accident.

Sept 1, 2008:
Pats sign CB Deltha O'Neal.

Sept 1, 2007:
Rodney Harrison suspended four games for using HgH as part of recovery from a sprained MCL on a dirty hit the previous season versus Tennessee.

Ron Meyer's final season as head coach got off to a good start. Andre Tippett was in on three sacks, Steve Grogan averaged 10.3 yards per pass attempt, Tony Collins averaged 4.0 yards on 21 carries, and Stephen Starring and Cedric Jones combined for 176 yards receiving on just seven catches.

Meyer would go on to join a small group of head coaches to be fired despite his team owning a winning record (albeit, just 5-3). Marty Schottenheimer, who was canned after going 14-2 in 2006 sits atop that list.




Sept 2, 1984 at Rich Stadium
1:00 pm Week 1 game
Patriots 21, Bills 17
Head Coaches: Ron Meyer, Kay Stephenson
Quarterbacks: Steve Grogan, Joe Ferguson
Odds: Patriots favored by 3

Grogan Strikes Twice Quickly; Patriots Hold Off Bills, 21-17 | Washington Post





Sept 2, 2010
Preseason Game 4
Giants 20, Patriots 17

Sept 2, 2004
Preseason Game 4
Jacksonville 31, Patriots 0

Sept 2, 1999
Preseason Game 4
Carolina 23, Patriots 20




Sept 2, 2018:
The Patriots sign eight players to their initial practice squad: OL Cole Croston, QB Danny Etling, OL James Ferentz, DL Trent Harris, WR Riley McCarron, DT Vincent Valentine, RB Ralph Webb and CB Jomal Wiltz. All of those players were with the team for training camp. In addition, the Pats place 2018 7th-round draft pick (250th overall) TE Ryan Izzo on injured reserve.

The Pats also claim WR Amara Darboh off waivers from Seattle and WR Chad Hansen off waivers from the Jets.


Sept 2, 2017:
Patriots trade QB Jacoby Brissett to the Colts for WR Phillip Dorsett.

Patriots trade a 2019 6th round draft pick to Detroit for CB Johnson Bademosi.

Patriots trade a 5th and 7th round draft pick to Seattle for DE Cassius Marsh.

Pats place WR Julian Edelman, CB Cyrus Jones and 3rd-round draft pick DE Derek Rivers on IR.

Pats place OL Andrew Jelks and DL Keionta Davis on the non-football injury/reserve list, and place OL Tony Garcia on the reserve/non-football illness list.

Pats cut 11 veterans: RB Brandon Bolden, OL Jamil Douglas, OL James Ferentz, RB D.J. Foster, LB Jonathan Freeny, DL Geneo Grissom, DL Woodrow Hamilton, OL Ted Karras, DL Darius Kilgo, TE James O'Shaughnessy and WR Tony Washington.

Pats release four first-year players: LB Trevor Bates, FB Glenn Gronkowski, WR Devin Lucien and WR K.J. Maye.

Pats release 17 rookies: DL Josh Augusta, DL Michael Bart, WR Austin Carr, TE Sam Cotton, RB LeShun Daniels, Jr., LB Brooks Ellis, WR Cody Hollister, DB David Jones, DB D.J. Killings, OL Jason King, DB Will Likely, OL Conor McDermott, DB Kenny Moore II, OL Max Rich, DB Jason Thompson, DB Damarius Travis and LB Nick Usher.


Sept 2, 2013:
Pats release FB James Develin and rookie free agent OL Josh Kline. Develin would be re-signed four days later. The Pats also re-signed CB Marquice Cole and re-signed rookie WR Quentin Sims to the practice squad.


Sept 2, 2012:
Patriots sign free agent FB James Develin to the practice squad. He had spent the 2012 training camp in Cincinnati and was on the Bengals practice squad for all of 2011 and the last month of the 2010 season.


Sept 2, 2011:
Pats release veteran LB Ricky Brown, OL Jonathan Compas and DL)Darryl Richard; first-year players TE Carson Butler and WR Buddy Farnham; and rookie free agents OL Mike Berry, RB Richard Medlin and OL Corey Woods.


Sept 2, 2009:
The Detroit Lions claim QB Kevin O'Connell off waivers from the Patriots.


Sept 2, 2007:
Patriots lose three players on waiver claims. LB Justin Rogers (a 2007 6th round, 180th overall draft pick) goes to Dallas, TE Garrett Mills (2006 4th round pick, 106th overall) is claimed by Minnesota (allegedly the genesis of a feud between BB and Viking HC Brad Childress), and guard Gene Mruczkowski is signed by Miami.


Sept 2, 2006:
The Patriots attempt to bolster a shaky wide receiver corps by sending a 2007 5th-round draft pick to Oakland for WR Doug Gabriel.


Sept 2, 2002:
New England loses two players on waiver claims. OL Drew Inzer (who had spent 2001 on the Pats practice squad) went to Jacksonville, and LB/ST Maugaula 'Ula" Tuitele, who had been with the Pats for two seasons, was claimed by Buffalo.

Happy 37th birthday to Dan Connolly
Born Sept 2, 1982 in St. Louis, Missouri
Patriot G/C, 2007-2014; uniform #63





Dan Connolly was originally signed as an undrafted rookie from Southeast Missouri State by Jacksonville in 2005. The Jaguars were unable to tap his potential, and the Patriots signed him to their practice squad on September 13, 2007, 12 days after being waived by the Jags. He spent all of 2007 and most of 2008 on the practice squad, finally being promoted to the active roster for one game in December of '08.


In 2009 Connolly played in 14 games, with four starts when Stephen Neal was injured. The following year the Patriots surprisingly traded Logan Mankins. Connolly stepped up and filled the void admirably, erasing fears that the starting left guard position would be a problem.


Connolly was a versatile player who started at various times at left guard, center and right guard. He played in 88 games with 71 starts for the Patriots, and also appeared in 12 playoff games. He was a captain of the 2014 team that defeated Seattle in Super Bowl 49.

July 16, 2015: Patriots guard Dan Connolly retires | Portland Press Herald

July 16, 2015: Veteran OL Dan Connolly retires | Mike Reiss, espn

Photo Gallery: Dan Connolly calls it a career | Patriots.com




Happy 53rd birthday to Hart Lee Dykes
Born Sept 2, 1966 in Bay City, Texas
Patriot WR, 1989-1990; uniform #88
Pats 1st round (16th overall) selection of the 1989 draft, from Oklahoma State

Hart Lee Dykes is most well remembered for off the field incidents rather than any plays during games.

As a senior in 1988, Dykes caught 74 passes for 1,278 yards and 14 touchdowns in the same offense as Barry Sanders. The NCAA granted Dykes immunity after he complied with an investigation during his recruitment process at Oklahoma State. OSU outbid three other schools to sign Dykes, paying him $23,000. The Cowboys received a three year ban from bowl games as part of the sanctions against the football program, and fans there remained resentful towards Dykes for decades.



In 1990 Dykes and Irving Fryar were involved in an early morning bar brawl. Dykes suffered an eye injury that caused him to miss six games. In 1991 he fractured a kneecap in an exhibition game, resulting in a missed season on injured reserve. Then in the summer of '92 Dykes re-fractured his right kneecap without any contact, while playing catch. The final straw was torn ligaments to his left knee in another non-contact injury, this time in May of 1993 while running a pass pattern at the Pats indoor practice facility.


Dykes finished his career with 83 receptions for 1,344 yards and seven touchdowns in 26 games with the Patriots.

Oct 11, 1990: 2 Patriots injured in fight | LA Times

Oct 12, 1990: Doorman arraigned in assault on Patriots receiver | UPI

May 11, 1993: Dykes' Future In Doubt After Another Knee Injury | Hartford Courant

Nov 8, 2013: Dykes no longer wants recognition | ocolly.com




Other football players born on this date with a New England connection:

Julian Stanford, 29 (1990)
Born and raised in Bloomfield CT; Bloomfield High School
The special teamer and backup middle linebacker has played in 72 games since 2012. Stanford has been with the Bills since 2018; he was previously with the Jaguars, Lions and Jets.

Fred Robinson, 89 (1930)
Born and raised in West Haven CT; West Haven High School
Fred was selected 169th overall by Cleveland in the 1955 draft; he was the starting RG for the Browns in 1957.

Joe DiVito, 74 (1945)
Born and raised in Lynn; St. Mary's High School (Lynn); Boston College, class of '68
DiVito went undrafted but won a job out of training camp as a backup quarterback for Denver in 1968, and also hundled punting duties. He came in off the bench late in a week 3 blowout loss to Kansas City and completed only one of his five pass attempts. A week later DiVito was replaced on the depth chart by Marlin Briscoe as the backup to Jim LeClair, and never got back on the field. He was cut at the end of training camp in 1969, and never played in the AFL or NFL again. DeVito later played for the Hartford Knights in the old Atlantic Coast Football League. On a side note Joe DiVito is the only student from St. Mary's High School to make it to the NFL or AFL.

Jim MacMurdo (1909-1981)
Offensive lineman spent six seasons in the NFL in the thirties, including 1932-1933 with the Boston Braves/Boston Redskins.

September 3rd marks the anniversary of the first regular season game for Bill Belichick as the head coach of the New England Patriots, as well as the third game with Belichick and Bill Parcells as head coaches on opposite sidelines.


Sun Sept 3, 2000 at 1:00
Week 1, Game 1 at Foxboro Stadium
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21, New England Patriots 16
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy
QBs: Drew Bledsoe, Shaun King
Odds: Tampa Bay favored by 3

The offense had a tough time going up against one of the NFL's all-time best defenses. Derrick Brooks made 15 tackles (two for a loss) with a forced fumble and pass deflection, while Warren Sapp and other Bucs combined to sack Drew Bledsoe six times. The Patriot touchdowns came on a Troy Brown 66 yard punt return midway through the second quarter, and a 39 yard pass from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn with 3:01 remaining in the game.

A two point attempt failed but Willie McGinest sacked Shaun King for a loss of 11, and the Pats regained possession at the Tampa 45 with 1:53 left to play. With 29 seconds left Bledsoe completed his fifth straight pass on 4th and 1 to Troy Brown at the 22, but the game ended on four consecutive incomplete passes.

AP/espn recap






Sun Sept 3, 1995 at 1:00
Week 1, Game 1 at Foxboro Stadium
New England Patriots 17, Cleveland Browns 14
Head Coaches: Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick
QBs: Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde
Odds: New England favored by 3

In his first NFL game Curtis Martin rushed for 102 yards, and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds to play. Drew Bledsoe threw for 302 yards and Ben Coates had nine catches for 106 yards, including a nine-yard reception on the final drive that put the ball on the Cleveland 3-yard line.






Mon Sept 3, 1979 at 9:00
Week 1, Game 1 at Schaefer Stadium
Pittsburgh Steelers 16, New England Patriots 13 in OT
Head Coaches: Chuck Noll, Ron Erhardt
QBs: Steve Grogan, Terry Bradshaw
Odds: Pittsburgh favored by 2

This game was a defensive battle, with a combined nine sacks, four turnovers and 16 punts. The Steelers tied the score with 4:09 left to go on a defensive coverage breakdown, then won the game on rookie Matt Bahr's 41 yard field goal in overtime. The victory was the 100th for Steeler head coach Chuck Noll. The game was also the first for Ron Erhardt in a permanent capacity as head coach, having replaced Chuck Fairbanks in the offseason.







Sun Sept 3, 1978 at 1:00
Week 1, Game 1 at Schaefer Stadium
Washington Redskins 16, New England Patriots 14
Head Coaches: Chuck Fairbanks, Jack Pardee
QBs: Steve Grogan, Joe Theismann
Odds: New England favored by 9½

After a 3-0 first half, Steve Grogan threw touchdown passes of 33 yards to Stanley Morgan and 45 yards to Harold Jackson to give the Patriots a 14-9 fourth quarter lead. It was Jackson's first game with the Patriots; the team had just traded for the receiver following the spinal cord injury in the preseason to Darryl Stingley.

The Patriots were attempting to run out the clock in the final three minutes when Horace Ivory (16 carries for 89 yards) was running wide to the right and hit hard, causing a fumble. The ball bounced on one hop right into the hands of former Patriot Brad Dusek, and the linebacker ran 31 yards down the sideline for the game winning touchdown.




Sun Sept 3, 1967 at 4:00
Week 1, Game 1 at Bears Stadium
Denver Broncos 26, Boston Patriots 21
Head Coaches: Mike Holovak, Lou Saban
QBs: Babe Parilli, Steve Tensi

This was the first of five straight road games the Patriots had to play to begin the 1967 season. The Red Sox had decided they did not want football games tearing up the field at Fenway until the baseball season was over, and the '67 Impossible Dream extended the end of MLB for another week - forcing the Pats to play a week five home game against the Chargers in San Diego.

Denver led 16-7 in the third quarter, with the only Patriot points coming on a 79 yard bomb from Babe Parilli to Art Graham. The Pats came back on two more touchdown passes from Parilli - screen passes to running backs Jim Nance for 10 yards and 20 yards to Larry Garron - to take 21-16 lead.

After a Bronco field goal cut the lead to two, Bronco CB Goldie Sellers intercepted Parilli and returned it 29 yards for the winning touchdown to upset the Patriots. Despite the three touchdown passes it was a game to forget for Parilli, as he threw a franchise record six interceptions on the day.

Saturday September 4, 1971:

When Schaefer Stadium was hastily built on a barebones budget, one item that was scrimped on was the plumbing. The water system could not handle all the toilets being flushed continuously during halftime of the first preseason game, obviously a major issue. The water pressure failed, causing unflushable toilets to back up and overflow (including in the visitors locker room, for example).

The Foxborough Board of Health was not amused and was on the verge of shutting the stadium down as a health hazard. On the day before the second preseason game Bill Sullivan thought the problem had been fixed, but he had to convince the local authorities.

In order to prove to the town that Schaefer Stadium was ready for the game, the Patriots' front office rounded up a Great Flus committee of 320 people, including all the Sullivans and many beat writers, to flush every toilet in the building at the exact same moment. The stadium passed the test (barely), but that was enough to go ahead and play the next game.

Ah, the memories from Schaefer and Foxboro Stadium

jmt57 said:

Today in Patriots History
The Great Flush​

Saturday September 4, 1971:

When Schaefer Stadium was hastily built on a barebones budget, one item that was scrimped on was the plumbing. The water system could not handle all the toilets being flushed continuously during halftime of the first preseason game, obviously a major issue. The water pressure failed, causing unflushable toilets to back up and overflow (including in the visitors locker room, for example).

The Foxborough Board of Health was not amused and was on the verge of shutting the stadium down as a health hazard. On the day before the second preseason game Bill Sullivan thought the problem had been fixed, but he had to convince the local authorities.

In order to prove to the town that Schaefer Stadium was ready for the game, the Patriots' front office rounded up a Great Flus committee of 320 people, including all the Sullivans and many beat writers, to flush every toilet in the building at the exact same moment. The stadium passed the test (barely), but that was enough to go ahead and play the next game.

Ah, the memories from Schaefer and Foxboro Stadium

Click to expand...

Sorry call me crazy but I love that old stadium.

BTW How many overflowed toilets have I had to deal with in my life?!

Feels like more than half that were there. And I'm not a (paid) janitor.

"Damn! I got to pee!"

jmt57 said:

Today in Patriots History
The Great Flush​

Saturday September 4, 1971:

When Schaefer Stadium was hastily built on a barebones budget, one item that was scrimped on was the plumbing. The water system could not handle all the toilets being flushed continuously during halftime of the first preseason game, obviously a major issue. The water pressure failed, causing unflushable toilets to back up and overflow (including in the visitors locker room, for example).

The Foxborough Board of Health was not amused and was on the verge of shutting the stadium down as a health hazard. On the day before the second preseason game Bill Sullivan thought the problem had been fixed, but he had to convince the local authorities.

In order to prove to the town that Schaefer Stadium was ready for the game, the Patriots' front office rounded up a Great Flus committee of 320 people, including all the Sullivans and many beat writers, to flush every toilet in the building at the exact same moment. The stadium passed the test (barely), but that was enough to go ahead and play the next game.

Ah, the memories from Schaefer and Foxboro Stadium

Click to expand...

Thank you for posting all this great Patriot history JMT...it's very much appreciated.

Yes...awesome job...compliments

italian pat patriot said:

Yes...awesome job...compliments

Click to expand...

jmt57 said:

Aug 31, 1985 in Los Angeles
Preseason Game #4: Rams 14, Patriots 13
Rams improve to 3-1; Patriots finish preseason 1-3

With under six minutes left to play in the game, the Pats were on the Ram 27 yard line, down 14-6. Tony Franklin connected on a 44-yard field goal, but the Rams were called for being offside. Rather than leaving the points on the scoreboard the Pats took the five yard penalty, giving them a first down at the 22. The strategy was a success as the Patriots scored a few plays later, making the score 14-13 rather than 14-9.

New England got the ball back with a little more than a minute remaining, and Tony Eason drove the Pats to the LA 16 yard line. Eason took a knee on both first and second down, letting the clock wind down to two seconds. As time expired Franklin nailed a 34 yard kick that momentarily gave the Patriots a 16-14 victory. However, there was a flag on the field. Don Blackmon was penalized for being offside and the Rams obviously took the penalty rather than the result of the play. That nullified the field goal and returned the score to 14-13 - with time expired. The clock management strategy backfired; with no time remaining there was no opportunity to try another field goal.

Click to expand...

I remember this game.

The announcers were astonished - and I have wondered in every game since then, why teams do not every time leave enough seconds on the clock to re-try in the case of an offensive penalty.

I believe some have got burned this way since.

BTW Don't remember exactly when it was, that Brian Holloway stated in a live TV interview with Bob Lobel that "We're pissed off..." regarding the team's outlook that preseason.

That was taboo language for TV at that time...but we did wind up in the Super Bowl, at last.

jmt57 said:

When Schaefer Stadium was hastily built

Click to expand...

That's me, APF, trudging by Jim.

OK maybe not, but I was eleven, blond, and a sulker.

jmt57 said:

How Morgan ended up with 557 receptions for 10,716 yards and 72 touchdowns with that kind of game plan and offensive strategy is amazing.

Click to expand...

Steve Grogan passed the ball. Well. He should be at least a one-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.

And starting Eason over him was just stupid.

I've told this one before, but it never gets old.

Don't remember when it was, but Grogan threw the ball as far as he could, probably thinking to throw it away, and Steamer ran all the way down the field, and caught it for a touchdown.

When he made it off the field, he sat down next to Grogan on the bench and huffed:

"Don't...Ever...Do...That...Again..."

Sun Sept 14, 1997 at 8:00 pm
Week 3, Game 3 at Foxboro Stadium
Patriots 27, Jets 24 in OT
Head Coaches: Pete Carroll, Bill Parcells
QBs: Drew Bledsoe, Neil O'Donnell



This game was the first showdown against Parcells since he bolted from Foxboro to work for the Jets. Chris Canty returned the opening kickoff 63 yards and then Bledsoe hit Ben Coates for a 32 yard score, giving the Pats a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. On the next possession Tom Tupa's punt was blocked, leading to a NY touchdown. Curtis Martin ran for 33 yards on the first play of the Pats third possession, and finished the drive with a 2-yard TD to finish the first quarter 14-7.

The Jets scored a field goal early in the second quarter, but squandered two ensuing drives. On 2nd and 4 from the 13 Jimmy Hitchcock tackled WR Jeff Graham a yard short of the sticks, then Chris Slade blanketed Graham on 4th and 1 for a turnover on downs. Just before halftime O'Donnell completed a 1st and 5 from the six screen pass to Richie Anderson, and Ty Law stripped the ball and recovered the fumble.

On the Pats first possession of the second half Mo Lewis picked off Bledsoe and returned the interception 43 yards for a touchdown, giving the Jets a 17-14 led. After an Adam Vinatieri field goal, Chris Slade sacked O'Donnell and Willie McGinest recovered the fumble, giving the Pats the ball near midfield. The Patriots put together a 10-play, 7:58 drive capped by a 10-yard TD from Bledsoe to Lovett Purnell to put the Pats up 24-17.

Keyshawn Johnson's 24-yard TD reception tied the score with just over two minutes to go. Derrick Cullors fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, giving the Jets a golden opportunity to win the game - but the 29 would-be game winning field goal was blocked by Mike Jones.

The Pats again tried to give the game away on the opening drive in overtime, with Bledsoe being picked off by Otis Smith. The defense responded though, with Chris Slade delivering a loss of 8 on a sack and then Tedy Bruschi stopping Wayne Chrebet well short of a first down to force a punt.

On the next drive Carroll came to his senses and took the ball away from Bledsoe. Curtis martin - who rushed for 199 yards on the day - carried the ball on seven of the next eight plays, down to the Jet 17 yard line. Vinatieri connected on a 34 yard field goal and the Pats won, 27-24. New England improved to 3-0, while the Jets dropped to 1-2.

There is a good summary from the Sports Illustrated archives (9/22/1997 edition) on what is was like leading up to this game, as well as summary here:
Tuna Bowl: The Patriots held off the Jets in overtime, but not before getting a lesson or two from their old boss | SI



Sept 14, 2003 at 4:15
Week 2, Game 2 at Lincoln Financial Field
Patriots 31, Eagles 10
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Andy Reid
QBs: Tom Brady, Donovan McNabb

Seven days after the 31-0 loss to Lawyer Milloy and the Buffalo Bills, the team showed Tom Jackson that he may have been a bit premature in burying the Patriots. TB12 passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the defense had seven sacks and forced six turnovers. Christian Fauria caught two TD passes, Willie McGinest had two sacks and one fumble recovery and Tedy Bruschi returned an interception 18 yards for a TD for the Pats. The Patriots evened their record at 1-1, while Philly dropped to 0-2.

Pats - Eagles recap | espn





Sept 14, 2008 at 4:15
Week 2, Game 2 at Giants Stadium
Patriots 19, Jets 10
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini
QBs: Matt Cassel, Brett Favre

Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals and Matt Cassel won in his first start at quarterback since he was in high school eight years earlier. The Pats improved to 2-0 while the Jets, who spent $100 million in free agency, dropped to 1-1.


The Cast Changes, But You Know The Ending | NY Times


Patriots - Jets recap | espn



Mon Sept 14, 2009
Week 1, Game 1 at Gillette Stadium
Patriots 25, Bills 24
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, **** Jauron
QBs: Tom Brady, Trent Edwards

TB12 threw for 378 yards in his first game in 24 months. Brady threw two touchdown passes to Ben Watson 1:16 apart, the second with 55 seconds left to play for the win. The second TD was set up when Pierre Woods forced a fumble on the kickoff return, recovered by Stephen Gostkowski at the Buffalo 31. Randy Moss had 12 receptions for 141 yards, Wes Welker had 12 more for 93 yards, and Watson caught six of seven passes thrown his way for 77 yards, with the two touchdowns.

Patriots - Bills recap | espn





Sept 14, 2014
Week 2, Game 2 at TCF Bank Stadium
Patriots 30, Vikings 7
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Mike Zimmer
QBs: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel

Cassel threw four picks in his first start against Brady, which led to 17 Patriot points. Chandler Jones also blocked a field goal and returned it 58 yards for a TD with nine seconds left in the half as the defense dominated. Stevan Ridley rushed for 101 yards on 25 carries and Brady got his 149th win as a starter, passing John Elway for third most in NFL history. The Patriots improved to 1-1 after a 33-20 season opening loss at Miami.

Patriots - Vikings recap | espn





Sept 14, 1980
Week 2, Game 2 at Schaefer Stadium
Falcons 37, Patriots 21
Head Coaches: Ron Erhardt, Leeman Bennett
QBs: Steve Grogan, Steve Bartkowski

Leeman Bennett's biggest claim to fame is being the head coach for Atlanta's first playoff game in '78, a 14-13 victory over the Eagles; the Falcons would not win again in the postseason until their 26th year of existence, in 1991. In 1980 his Falcons went 12-4; he had a 38-65 record in his seven other seasons as head coach.


The Pats were favored by 8, but were hurt by three turnovers. Atlanta WR Junior Miller caught eight passes for 177 yards, including two 2nd quarter TDs of 12 and 22 yards to give the Falcons a 28-14 halftime lead. The Pats opened with a 9-yard TD from Grogan to Don Hasselbeck, and tied the score at 14 on a Don Calhoun run. After Miller's two touchdowns Grogan hit Stanley Morgan on a 25 yard pass to make the score 28-21 at the half. Atlanta shut the Patriots out in the second half while adding three field goals for the final score. Both teams had 1-1 records after this game, with Atlanta finishing the season 12-4 and winning the NFC West; the Pats went 10-6, 2nd in the AFC East and missing the playoffs by one game.



Sept 14, 1969
Week 1, Game 1 at Mile High Stadium
Broncos 35, Patriots 7
Head Coaches: Clive Rush, Lou Saban
QBs: Mike Taliaferro, Steve Tensi

Taliaferro threw four picks in this blowout. The Pats only score came in the 4th quarter on a Carl Garrett run after they were down by 35. Jim Nance had 70 yards on 12 carries and RC Gamble had five catches for 71 yards for the Pats.



Sept 14, 1963
Week 2, Game 2 at Balboa Stadium
San Diego Chargers 17, Boston Patriots 13
Head Coaches: Mike Holovak, Sid Gillman
QBs: Babe Parilli/Tom Yewcic, Tobin Rote/John Hadl

The Pats defense limited San Diego to 240 yards, but two big plays were the difference. In the 2nd quarter Lance Alworth scored on a 43 yard pass from Tobin Rote, then the Pats D was fooled on a 71 yard halfback option TD pass from Paul Lowe to Jerry Robinson. Tom Yewcic came off the bench to replace an ineffective Babe Parilli at QB, and scored on a 1-yard keeper to make it 14-10 at halftime. Gino Cappelletti's 36 yard 4th quarter field goal cut the deficit to one, but the Pats were unable to score again. San Diego improved to 2-0 while the Pats dropped to 1-1.

Happy birthday to Ed Philpott
Born Sept 14, 1945 in Wichita, Kansas
Died in 1995
Patriot LB, 1967-1971; uniform #52
Pats 4th round (101st overall) selection of the 1967 draft, from Miami of Ohio

Ed played in 68 games with 57 starts for the Patriots. He recorded nine interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries and one touchdown. He is a member of the Patriots All-Decade Team of the 1960s.

After his playing time decreased the 26-year old Philpott asked to be traded, and was sent to San Diego in exchange for middle round draft pick. Injuries cut his career short though, and he never played in the NFL again. In '74 he made a brief comeback with the Southern California Sun of the WFL.

Philpott following in her father's footsteps





Happy 58th birthday to Paul Fairchild
Born Sept 14, 1961 in Carroll, Iowa
Patriot G/C, 1984-1990; uniform #66
Pats 5th round (124th overall) selection of the 1984 draft, from Kansas

Paul Fairchild played in 83 games with 38 starts over seven seasons with the Patriots. He replaced John Hannah at guard after the Hall of Famer retired in 1985. As one should expect, there was no confusing the performance of those two players.





Happy 33rd birthday to Dane Fletcher
Born Sept 14, 1986 in Bozeman, Montana
Patriot LB, 2010-2015; uniform #52
Signed as a rookie UDFA in 2010, from Montana State

Dane Fletcher played in 38 games with six starts for the Patriots. The special teams standout went on IR with a blown out knee in 2015, ending his NFL career.

NFL to business owner: Dane Fletcher tackles post-football dream




Happy 57th birthday to Randy Robbins
Born Sept 14, 1962 in Casa Grande, Arizona
Patriot safety, 1992; uniform #48

After eight seasons in Denver, Robbins spent his final NFL season in New England. He started 15 games, with two interceptions and one fumble recovery.




Happy 84th birthday to Ed Khayat
Born Sept 14, 1935 in Moss Point, Mississippi
Patriot DT, 1966; uniform #73

Ed Khayat spent nine seasons with Philadelphia and Washington before joining the Patriots for what would be his last season as a player. He appeared in 14 games for the Pats, and a few years later became head coach of the Eagles.




Happy 55th birthday to Chris Gambol
Born Sept 14, 1964 in Pittsburgh
Patriot LG, 1990; uniform #74

Chris Gambol was a third round pick by the Colts in 1987. He played in all 16 games for the Patriots in 1990, with 15 starts.




Happy 38th birthday to Lousaka Polite
Born Sept 14, 1981 in North Braddock, Pennsylvania
Patriot FB, 2011; uniform #36

Polite had spent seven seasons with the Cowboys, Bears and Dolphins before joining the Pats near the end of the 2011 season. He returned in 2012 but was cut at the end of training camp.




Other pro football players with New England area connections born today:

Brian Herosian, 69 (1950)
Born and raised in Worcester; Worcester Academy; UConn
Defensive back played for the Colts in the early seventies

Milt Piepul (1918-1994)
Born and raised in Springfield; Cathedral High School
Played FB for the Lions in the forties

Steve Sinko (1909-1999)
Tackle played 30 games for the Boston Redskins from 1934-36




A few other players born on this date:

Deshaun Watson, 24 (1995)
Houston Texans QB has already thrown 48 touchdown passes in his career - but has also been sacked 87 times.

Michael Crabtree, 32 (1987)
Wide receiver has 633 receptions and 54 touchdowns over ten seasons.

Ken Rice, 80 (1939)
In 1961 the OL was the 1st overall pick by the Bills in the AFL draft, and 8th overall by the Cardinals in the NFL draft.

Dee Milliner, 28 (1991)
The 9th overall pick by the Jets in 2013 lasted just 21 games over three NFL seasons.

Sept 15, 2002
Week 2, Game 2 at Giants Stadium
Patriots 44, Jets 7
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Herm Edwards
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Vinny Testaverde
Odds: 1-0 Jets favored by one over 1-0 Pats

Many thought the 2001 Patriots were a fluke, and without Drew Bledsoe or Curtis Martin or Bill Parcells the team would return to 1999-2000 form, when the Pats missed the playoffs with a combined record of 13-19. That was not to be the case on this day.

The game began slowly, with no scoring from each of the team's first four drives. The Jets had an opportunity after an interception gave them the ball at the New England 35, but were forced to punt after a penalty and three incomplete passes. The Patriots had an 11-play 60-yard drive with first and goal at the one, but Marvin Jones recovered a fumble to keep the Pats off the board.

After two more Jet 3-and-outs the Pats scored on a short pass from Brady to Cam Cleeland with 8:48 to play in the half. The score was set up by three straight completions: 9 yards across the middle to Marc Edwards, 10 yards on the right to Troy Brown, and 39 yards on the left sideline to David Patten. Adam Vinatieri connected on a short field goal after a 19-play drive to make the score 10-0 as time expired in the first half.

On the 3rd-and-2 on the opening drive of the second half Testaverde was sacked and Tebucky Jones scooped the ball up, running it in from the 24 yard line to give the Pats a 17-0 lead. After he Patriot defense forced another 3-and-out, the Pats had another long drive (12 plays, 5:41) that resulted in a short field goal, and the score was 20-0.


The Jets finally got something going on the ensuing drive. Testaverde hit Santana Moss for a 35-yard completion, and the Jets had a first down at the 18. On the next play former Jet Victor Green picked off Testaverde and ran it back 90 yards for a TD. With 2:44 still left to play in the third quarter the Patriots were up 27-0, and fans were heading for New Jersey exit 44W as fast as they could.



Brady finished 25-35, 269 yards, 2 TD and 1 Int, and Troy Brown had nine catches for 94 yards. The real story was the defense though: the Pats D outscored the Jet offense 14-7! The Jets were limited to 9 first downs and 200 total yards of offense, turning the ball over twice for 14 points. Curtis Martin had the worst day of his career, rushing for a mere five yards. The Pats converted 10-16 third down opportunities while the Jets went just 1-9 on third down. With Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk splitting carries the Pats rushed for 163 yards, controlling the ball for a whopping 38:04. The Patriot defense forced six 3-and-outs plus two turnovers on downs in addition to their two scores.




Sept 15, 1996
Week 3, Game 3 at Foxboro Stadium
Patriots 31, Cardinals 0
Head Coaches: Bill Parcells, Vince Tobin
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe, Boomer Esiason/Kent Graham
Odds: 0-2 Patriots favored by 10 over 0-2 Arizona

The Patriots entered their home opener 0-2 after losing 24-10 at Miami and 17-10 at Buffalo. Despite that the Pats were 10-point favorites; Arizona was coming off a tumultuous 4-12 1995 season, the final year with Buddy Ryan as their head coach. Curtis Martin rushed for 92 yards and caught all five passes thrown his way for another 33 yards. Martin scored 20 points to provide the Pats with all the offense that was needed: a 13 yard reception in the first quarter, a one yard run in the second quarter, and a 7 yard catch in the third quarter - with another reception for the two-point conversion.

Boomer Esiason started at quarterback for Arizona but was pulled less than halfway through the third quarter. The Patriot defense limited Esiason to 4-12 passing for 22 yards, with two interceptions. Arizona turned the ball over four times (the Pats none), gaining just 170 yards of total offense and making only nine first downs in this game. The Pats played keep away, holding the ball for 39:21 - thanks in part to converting three out of four fourth down attempts.

Legend has it that rookie Adam Vinatieri - who had missed three field goals in the previous week's seven-point loss at Buffalo - had a 'make this FG or else' ultimatum from Parcells in the fourth quarter. Adam connected on the 31 yard attempt, kept his job, and the rest is history.




Sept 15, 1991
Week 3, Game 3 at Three Rivers Stadium
Steelers 20, Patriots 6
Head Coaches: **** MacPherson, Chuck Noll
Quarterbacks: Tommy Hodson, Bubby Brister
Odds: 1-1 Steelers favored by 13.5 over 1-1 Pats

This game was actually a whole lot closer than the final score would indicate. It was a 6-6 tie score until Brister hit tight end Eric Green in the fourth quarter, for the first touchdown on the day. Later in the quarter Ernie Mills blocked a Bryan Wagner punt and recovered it in the end zone for the final points.

Brister (22-29, 262 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int, 1 sack for -15) outperformed Hodson (11-24, 114, 0 TD, 2 Int, 3 sacks for -22), but the Patriot defense made key plays throughout the game to keep it close. Pittsburgh gained just 43 yards rushing, as the Pats were able to contain Barry Foster and Merril Hoge all day. That led to Pittsburgh converting only one of eight third down opportunities (plus 0-1 on fourth). Meanwhile the Pats went 6-15 on third down, and held the ball for 33:06.

The Pats would finish the 1991 season 6-10, a five-game improvement over 1990. Pittsburgh went 7-9 in what was Chuck Noll's final season as head coach; he would be replaced by Bill Cowher the following year.




Sept 15, 1985
Week 2, Game 2 at Soldier Field
Bears 20, Patriots 7
Head Coaches: Raymond Berry, Mike Ditka
Quarterbacks: Tony Eason, Jim McMahon
Odds: 1-0 Bears favored by 4.5 over 1-0 Pats

Little did we know at the time, but this would be a precursor to the Super Bowl to be played four months later. The outcome wasn't much different, though the beating was not quite as bad.


9/15/85 game preview from the Chicago Sun-Times: Two top sackers meet



The Patriot game plan was to contain Walter Payton (11 carries for 39 yards, 1 catch for 1 yard) and force Jim McMahon into an errant throw. The first part of the plan worked, but McMahon went 13-21 for 232 yards and a touchdown, taking only one sack and throwing only one pick.

The article above noted that the Bears protect McMahon better than the Pats protect Eason. While McMahon was sacked just once, Eason was sacked six times for a loss of 55 yards. Mike Singletary was absolutely dominant, with three sacks plus an interception. The Pats turned the ball over four times and had to bring Rich Camatillo out to punt more often (11 times) than they registered a first down (10). Eason finished with a 39.5 passer rating (15-35, 234 yards, 1 TD, 3 Int - and the six sacks), while the Pats were held to 27 yards rushing on 16 carries.






Sept 15, 1974
Week 1, Game 1 at Schaefer Stadium
Patriots 34, Dolphins 27
Head Coaches: Chuck Fairbanks, Don Shula
Quarterbacks: Jim Plunkett, Bob Griese
Odds: Dolphins favored by 14

Mack Herron joined the Pats in 1973, and immediately became a fan favorite for his special teams play. On this day the 5'5 back became a regular on offense - and the Patriots shocked the defending NFL champions in a huge upset.

The Pats took the season opening kickoff and drove to the Miami 14. What happened next was one of the most spectacular plays in the history of the franchise.

From Sean Glennon's book Game Changers:



Sept 16, 1974: Dolphins Upset by Patriots | New York Times