Today in Patriots History

Happy 35th birthday to Laurence Maroney
Born February 5, 1985 in St. Louis
Patriot RB, 2006-2009; uniform #39
Pats first round (26th overall) selection of the 2006 draft, from Minnesota

The 2005 season was a bit of a letdown for the Patriots. After consecutive 14-2 seasons culminating in a Super Bowl championship, in '05 the Pats started 6-5, finished with four fewer wins at 10-6, and lost by 14 in the division round. New England ranked 30th with 3.4 yards per rush, and a replacement for Corey Dillon would soon be needed. Dillon's rushing yardage dropped in half from 2004 to 2005, and his yards per carry fell from 4.7 to 3.5. He would turn 32 early in the 2006 season and his body was showing the wear from being tackled more than 2,600 times.

Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber formed one of the best college running back duos of the 21st century at the University of Minnesota. The pair rushed for 4,934 yards in 2003 and 2004, with Dallas drafting Barber in 2005. Maroney rushed for 1,464 yards in 2005, bringing his three year total as a Gopher to 3,933 yards and 6.0 yards per carry, with 33 touchdowns.

Maroney was the second running back taken in the 2006 draft, behind only Reggie Bush at #2. Unfortunately for the Pats other running backs selected later in the first (DeAngelo Williams, Joseph Addai) and second rounds (Maurice Jones-Drew) had more productive careers.


That's not to say Maroney was a bust. He was solid in the beginning, with over 900 yards from scrimmage in both of his first two seasons, with 13 touchdowns; he also averaged 28.0 yards returning kickoffs in 2006. Maroney had two very good games in the 2007 postseason, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown against both Jacksonville and San Diego - but was able to gain just 36 yards on 14 carries in the loss to the Giants.

Maroney missed nearly the entire 2008 season after suffering a broken bone in his shoulder in week two. There was speculation that the Pats tried to hide the injury, as well as rumors that Maroney leaked that information to the press after being portrayed as being soft. Maroney returned in '09 as the lead back in a running back by committee, sharing playing time with Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

In 2009 Denver was in need of a running back to split carries with Knowshon Moreno, and the Patriots had such an excess at the position that Maroney was inactive for week one. The Pats sent Maroney to the Broncos to be reunited with Josh McDaniels in exchange for a fourth round pick.

Laurence Maroney trade analysis | Mike Reiss, espn


Maroney played in just four games for Denver and was a healthy scratch for the final seven games. He was not re-signed the following offseason, never receiving a nice payday in free agency - and never again played in the NFL.

Laurence Maroney ranks 15th in franchise history with 2,430 career rushing yards, and is tied with Antowain Smith for 12th with 21 rushing touchdowns. His 4.2 yards per carry ranks ninth among players with at least 250 rushing attempts, and fourth for those with at least 500 carries.






Happy 73rd birthday to Ron Sellers
Born February 5, 1947 in Jacksonville, Florida
Patriot WR, 1969-1971; uniform #34
Pats first round (sixth overall) selection of the 1969 draft, from Florida State

Ron Sellers made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, scoring six touchdowns and averaging 26.1 yards per catch while totaling 705 yards receiving. Over three seasons he played in 35 games with 30 starts, with 1,477 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns. Sellers averaged 18.7 yards per catch while with the Patriots; that ranks as the third highest in franchise history for players with at least 75 receptions, behind only Harold Jackson and Stanley Morgan. At the time he left New England his touchdown reception ranked sixth in club history (31st now).

On July 13, 1972 the Patriots traded Sellers to Dallas for a third round draft pick. He began the season as a backup but eventually replaced Bob Hayes in the starting lineup. In a postseason playoff game he caught the winning touchdown from Roger Staubach to defeat the 49ers 30-28, capping a 17-0 fourth quarter comeback with 52 seconds left to play. His final NFL season was with Miami in 1973, winning a Super Bowl over Minnesota.

While with the Patriots Sellers worked at a Boston-based regional stock brokerage. In 1975 he opened his own life insurance agency and has worked in the securities industry ever since. Ron Sellers was named to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.


Florida Sports Hall of Fame - Ron Sellers

College Football Hall of Fame - Ron Sellers


Ron Sellers Bio: Hall of Fame class, 1977 | Seminoles.com


FSU all-time countdown: #8, WR Ron Sellers


Jingle Joints should be judged by his cover | Sports Illustrated


About Us: Key Retirement Solutions







Happy birthday to Eric Patterson, who would have been 27 today
Born February 5, 1993 in Tampa (1993-2019)
Patriot CB, 2015 offseason
Signed as an undrafted rookie from Ball State on May 9, 2015

Eric Patterson was only with the Patriots for a month, released prior to the start of training camp. He later spent time with the Colts, Rams and Browns, appearing in three NFL Games. Patterson was fatally shot by an intruder in his home on June 8, 2019.




Sunday February 5, 2012 at 6:30
Super Bowl 46 at Lucas Oil Stadium
New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

Sunday February 6, 2005 at 6:30
Super Bowl 39 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida
New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Andy Reid
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Donovan McNabb
Odds: New England favored by 7
Patriots finish 17-2, defeating their playoff opponents by a combined score of 85-51
Eagles finally win the NFC on their fourth consecutive attempt, finishing 15-4

MVP Deion Branch catches a super bowl record eleven passes for 133 yards and Rodney Harrison intercepts two passes, but all the national media seems to focus on is Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb puking, Terrell Owens going for 122 yards on a bad leg, and Andy Reid being completely unaware of the clock.


Donovan McNabb can't take the heat:



Super Bowl 39 Highlights:



Full Game Video:

Happy 39th birthday to Ty Warren
Born Feb 6, 1981 in Bryan, Texas
Patriot DE/DT, 2003-2010; uniform #94
Pats first round (13th overall) selection of the 2003 draft, from Texas A&M

The draft pick used on Ty Warren had a curious route before landing in Foxboro. Initially the Jets received that pick from Washington as compensation for the loss of restricted free agent WR Laveranues Coles. The Jets then packaged that pick with another first and a fourth in a trade with the Bears to move up to the #4 draft slot, where they chose DeWayne Robertson; Chicago used the latter first round pick on QB Rex Grossman. The Patriots then used the #14 overall pick - one that was acquired from Buffalo for Drew Bledsoe - together with a sixth round pick to move up one slot to draft Warren.

Ty Warren went on to become a very solid player, perhaps a bit underappreciated by the media and some fans due to his role as a space eater on the line. He played in 106 regular season games for New England when players like Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest, Ty Law and Tedy Bruschi received much of the recognition on defense. Warren had 37 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks, six fumble recoveries and 376 tackles. He also played in 16 playoff games for the Pats, earning a pair of super bowl rings.

The Patriots thought so highly enough of Warren that he was named a captain, and given a five year, $35 million contract in 2007. He suffered a hip injury early in the 2010 training camp and spent the season on injured reserve, then released at the start of training camp in 2011.

Ty Warren is a member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

Ty Warren is out for season with hip injury | Mike Reiss, espn





Ty Warren selected to Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame

Ty Warren no longer in running to be Somerville football coach

More information released on drowning at Ty Warren's home

Former A&M DT Ty Warren talks coaching, daughter signing with A&M

.

jmt57 said:

Pats defeat Eagles to win Super Bowl​

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Jacksonville was a horrible Super Bowl experience ... Houston & New Orleans were much better

Pape said:

Jacksonville was a horrible Super Bowl experience ... Houston & New Orleans were much better

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I have been to Jacksonville once or twice, and cannot imagine having a Super Bowl there. I recall a handful of bars and restaurants at Jackson Landing - kind of small, but an okay place. But other than that, you walk a few blocks and nothing. Nowhere near enough hotels - didn't they have to bring in cruise ships and use them as temporary hotels? I don't understand why the NFL didn't see that and reject the bid for that reason alone. Not enough rooms or restaurants, and not enough things to do other than go to the beach is a recipe for a bad super bowl experience.

If I recall correctly there were parking issues too. The stadium has plenty of parking for the Florida-Georgia game, but the NFL wanted to use so much of that space for their own events and social networking, etc. that there was not enough to accomodate ticket holders. Again, the NFL should have foreseen that when studying the bid.

I know the NFL has a long history of rewarding a city that uses tax dollars to fund a new stadium by letting them host a Super Bowl, but this was an issue that should have been foreseen by both sides. I would say that the blame for that experience falls on the NFL far more than the city.


Wasn't this the game that there was also a major issue with the toilets not working?

jmt57 said:

I have been to Jacksonville once or twice, and cannot imagine having a Super Bowl there. I recall a handful of bars and restaurants at Jackson Landing - kind of small, but an okay place. But other than that, you walk a few blocks and nothing. Nowhere near enough hotels - didn't they have to bring in cruise ships and use them as temporary hotels? I don't understand why the NFL didn't see that and reject the bid for that reason alone. Not enough rooms or restaurants, and not enough things to do other than go to the beach is a recipe for a bad super bowl experience.

If I recall correctly there were parking issues too. The stadium has plenty of parking for the Florida-Georgia game, but the NFL wanted to use so much of that space for their own events and social networking, etc. that there was not enough to accomodate ticket holders. Again, the NFL should have foreseen that when studying the bid.

I know the NFL has a long history of rewarding a city that uses tax dollars to fund a new stadium by letting them host a Super Bowl, but this was an issue that should have been foreseen by both sides. I would say that the blame for that experience falls on the NFL far more than the city.


Wasn't this the game that there was also a major issue with the toilets not working?

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The Jacksonville Landing was the center of the "action" which of course located half a city away from the NFL Experience .... And 30 minutes to the beaches, where all the bars were... And we were staying an hour north of the city in georgia because there were no hotels... Our seats at the game were in temporary seating erected for the game... I swear if I didn't get the tickets from the Patriots STH lottery, I would have thought we were getting fake tickets because they weren't on any normal seating chart...

One good thing though, I did meet Ron Jaworski there... When I get home will check my comp, see if I have the pic...

Besides Ty Warren, Tom Tupa and two other former New England Patriots celebrate a birthday today.


Happy 54th birthday to Tom Tupa
Born Feb 6, 1966 in Cleveland; hometown: Brecksville, Ohio
Patriot P/QB, 1996-1998; uniform #19
Signed as a veteran free agent on March 15, 1996

Tom Tupa was originally drafted by the Phoenix Cardinals in the third round of the 1988 draft. He punted for all four years at Ohio State but did not become a starting quarterback until he was a senior, after backing up Mike Tomczak. In the NFL he was a starting quarterback for only one season in Phoenix, then took over punting duties in 1994 in Cleveland under Bill Belichick. The Hoodie loves versatility in his players, and that made Tupa very valuable. Being a punter and backup QB saved a roster spot for another player, and his experience as a quarterback made him a genuine threat to pass out of a punting formation.

Tupa averaged 44.7 yards per punt in his three seasons with the Patriots, making him one of the better punters in franchise history. In 1999 he left to sign with the Jets, who played the Pats in week one. Tupa was forced to play quarterback after Vinny Testaverde went out with a torn achilles, and he went 6-10 for 165 yards with two touchdown passes against the Patriots. That same year he was named as the first team All Pro at punter.

Check out the video below:

Patriots-Jets, Week One 1999 (7:48):



Tom played in 220 NFL games from 1988 to 2004. He was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week five times, and of the month once. He ranked in the top ten for yards per punt eight times, including three times in the top three.

For a bit of trivia Tom Tupa was the first player in NFL history to score a two-point conversion. He is a member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team of the 1990s as their punter. In his post-NFL life Tupa returned to his Ohio hometown as their Recreation Director, and is also the offensive coordinator on the high school football team.




Happy 75th birthday to Gary Bugenhagen
Born Feb 6, 1945 in Buffalo; hometown: Clarence, NY
Patriot guard, 1970; uniform #67

Gary was originally a fourth round draft pick by the Bills in 1967, from Syracuse. The Bengals selected him a year later in the AFL expansion draft, and in 1969 he was playing for the Indianapolis Capitals of the minor league Continental Football League. The 1970 Patriots could use whatever help they could find, and signed him as a veteran free agent. Bugenhagen played in ten games with seven starts for the Patriots in 1970. The Pats waived him on August 2, 1971, ending his pro football career. Since then he has worked in the real estate business in central New York.


Gary Bugenhagen | Syracuse University Athletics





Happy birthday to Doug McDougald
Born Feb 6, 1957 in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Patriot DE, 1980; uniform #70
Pats fifth round (124th overall) selection of the 1980 draft, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute

The 6'5 Virginia Tech Hokie played in each of the first three games as a rookie with the Patriots in 1980. He didn't play again until mid-November due to an injury, reactivated on November 21. McDougald played in the final five games of the season as well, but that turned out to be his one and only season in the NFL.




February 6, 1969:
John Mazur is hired as offensive coordinator by new head coach Clive Rush.
Mazur had been the offensive backfield coach for Buffalo since 1962, and prior to that was an assistant coach at Boston University.




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

Eric Frampton, 36 (1984)
Draft Pick Trade
The Patriots were very thin at wide receiver in 2006, and on September 2nd of that year they traded a fifth round pick to Oakland for WR Doug Gabriel. The Raiders used that pick on Frampton; the safety and special teamer would go on to play in the NFL for seven seasons.

Ryan LaCasse, 37 (1983)
Born and raised in Stoughton MA; Stoughton High School
A 7th round pick by the Ravens, the linebacker was part of Indy's 2006 super bowl championship team.

Nathan Davis, 46 (1974)
Born in Hartford, CT
The defensive end was a second round pick by Atlanta in 1997; he was also later with the Cowboys and Broncos.

Ralph Calcagni (1922-1948)
Boston Yanks
The Pennsylvania native was an NFL tackle in the forties. He was a lieutenant in WWII and died at the age of 26 due to gangrene in his small intestine.

Jimmy Kennedy (1900-1974)
Born in Boston; raised in Somersworth, NH; Boston College, Holy Cross
Fullback for the Buffalo Bisons, 1925.

jmt57 said:

I have been to Jacksonville once or twice, and cannot imagine having a Super Bowl there. I recall a handful of bars and restaurants at Jackson Landing - kind of small, but an okay place. But other than that, you walk a few blocks and nothing. Nowhere near enough hotels - didn't they have to bring in cruise ships and use them as temporary hotels? I don't understand why the NFL didn't see that and reject the bid for that reason alone. Not enough rooms or restaurants, and not enough things to do other than go to the beach is a recipe for a bad super bowl experience.

If I recall correctly there were parking issues too. The stadium has plenty of parking for the Florida-Georgia game, but the NFL wanted to use so much of that space for their own events and social networking, etc. that there was not enough to accomodate ticket holders. Again, the NFL should have foreseen that when studying the bid.

I know the NFL has a long history of rewarding a city that uses tax dollars to fund a new stadium by letting them host a Super Bowl, but this was an issue that should have been foreseen by both sides. I would say that the blame for that experience falls on the NFL far more than the city.


Wasn't this the game that there was also a major issue with the toilets not working?

Click to expand...

I guess Roger is just continuing the tradition of management by derp.

February 7 is a slow news day in the history of the New England Patriots.


February 7, 1983:
Rod Rust is hired as defensive coordinator by Ron Meyer.

Rust had been the DC for the Kansas City Chiefs since 1978. He began his coaching career as an assistant at New Mexico in 1960, then held the same position at Stanford for four years. In 1967 Rust became the head coach at North Texas State, then defensive coordinator for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes from 1973-1975. The following year Rust moved to the NFL as a linebackers coach, a position he held for two seasons before moving to KC.

In Foxborough Rust replaced Jim Mora, who accepted a job as head coach of the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. Mora would win two championships in the USFL before the league disbanded, then coached for the Saints and Colts for 15 years.




Rust was a central figure of the drama that led to Meyer being fired. Meyer fired Rust after a 44-24 loss to Miami in the middle of the 1984 season without notifying general manager Patrick Sullivan. The GM wasn't bothered by Meyer's decision to make a change, but he was extremely upset about being kept out of the loop and hearing about the move second hand. The next day Rust was reinstated and Meyer was fired, despite the team having a winning record at that time.


On December 18, 1978 Rust was also in the middle of more Patriot drama. News that Chuck Fairbanks would leave the Patriots to coach at Colorado had leaked out, which infuriated the Sullivans. Fairbanks was suspended for the final game of the regular season. Rather than choose one coach to be the interim head coach, it was decided that the Pats would use two head coaches: their offensive coordinator would be the head coach when the Patriots had the ball, and the defensive coordinator would be in charge when the opponent had the ball. No word on what happened on punts and kickoffs.

In 1990 the Patriots hired Rust to be their head coach. The timing for him could not have been any worse, as the distractions from the Lisa Olson incident proved to be far too much to handle. After that Rust continued to coach in the NFL and CFL as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach until he was 77, in 2005.




Before moving on to Patriot birthdays, let's stick with Peyton for a moment.

February 7, 2010 in Miami
Super Bowl 44



Former Patriot TE David 'Wendy's' Thomas earned a super bowl ring in this game with New Orleans, a bit of retribution after having been beaten by the Colts when he was with the Pats in the 2006 AFC championship game.




One pro football player born on this date with a New England connection:

Happy 65th birthday to Rolf Benirschke
Born February 7, 1955 in Boston
The kicker was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 1983 and made the Pro Bowl in 1982, playing for the Chargers from 1977 to 1986.

Happy 38th birthday to Eric Alexander
Born February 8, 1982 in Tyler, Texas
Patriot LB, 2004-2009; uniform #49, #51
Signed as an undrafted rookie from LSU on April 28, 2004

Eric Alexander was waived at the end of training camp in 2004 and 2005, and spent most of those two seasons on New England's practice squad. He was allocated to NFL Europe before finally spending 14 games with the Pats in 2006. Alexander was a special teams ace and backup linebacker from '06-'09, with the exception of 2008 when he spent all but one game on injured reserve. He played in 45 regular season games plus seven playoff games in a Patriot uniform, and earned a ring from super bowl 39.


Alexander is unfortunately most remembered for the 2006 AFC championship game - despite having ten solo tackles, a forced fumble, a tackle for a loss, a pass defensed and a quarterback hit. Pats fans forget that part and instead remember one replay where his back is turned and you can see his name and number. He was the player who was beaten by Colt WR Bradley Fletcher for a 32-yard gain on Indy's game winning drive in Indy's 38-34 victory.

The forgotten part of that event is that happened due to the Patriot defensive philosophy of taking away an opponent's top offensive threats - in this case Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. The tactic worked - very well. Those two were limited to a combined nine receptions on twenty passes thrown in their direction, plus three coverage sacks when they were blanketed. However that strategy ultimately left a 240 pound linebacker covering a speedy number three receiver down the sideline with no safety help, and the rest is history.





Eric Alexander - Patriots Alumni

10/9/05 - Pats Sign LB Eric Alexander from Practice Squad; Release C Gene Mruczkowski

11/23/09 - Extension for Eric Alexander | Mike Reiss

LinkedIn - Eric Alexander






Happy 31st birthday to Justin Francis
Born February 8, 1989 in Opa-Locka, Florida
Patriot DE, 2012; uniform #94
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 4, 2012, from Rutgers


11/4/2012 - Football journey: Justin Francis | Mike Reiss

• 10 games played
• 3 sacks
• 9 tackles (6) solo
• 4 tackles for a loss
• 7 quarterback hits

Justin Francis was part of the Greg Schiano / Rutgers-to-Foxboro pipeline. His teammates with the Scarlet Knights included future Patriots Duron Harmon, Logan Ryan, Devin McCourty, Jonathan Freeny, Steve Beauharnais, Alex Silvestro, Jason McCourty, Tiquan Underwood, Alex Silvestro, Tim Wright and Mohamed Sanu.

In a surprise move Justin Francis was released on August 31, 2013. He later agreed to an injury settlement (high ankle sprain).

Francis was later with the Portland Thunder and Portland Steel of the Arena Football League, and the Nebraska Danger of the Indoor Football League. He last played in 2016.




Happy 48th birthday to Marcus Pollard
Born February 8, 1972 in Valley, Alabama
Patriot TE, 2008 offseason; uniform #87
Signed as a veteran free agent on April 23, 2008

• Released on August 19, 2008

• NFL career stats: 192 games; 349 receptions; 40 TD; 4,280 yards

7/26/08 - Marcus Pollard thrilled to be with the Patriots | Boston Herald

8/19/08 - Patriots release TE Marcus Pollard; Sign Tyson DeVree | Patriots.com

8/19/08 - Patriots cut Marcus Pollard | AP/ESPN

February 8, 1960:
The Patriots hire Lou Saban as the franchise's first head coach.

Lou Saban, 87, first coach of Patriots | The Boston Globe

jmt57 said:

Today in Patriots History
Eric Alexander​

Happy 38th birthday to Eric Alexander
Born February 8, 1982 in Tyler, Texas
Patriot LB, 2004-2009; uniform #49, #51
Signed as an undrafted rookie from LSU on April 28, 2004

Eric Alexander was waived at the end of training camp in 2004 and 2005, and spent most of those two seasons on New England's practice squad. He was allocated to NFL Europe before finally spending 14 games with the Pats in 2006. Alexander was a special teams ace and backup linebacker from '06-'09, with the exception of 2008 when he spent all but one game on injured reserve. He played in 45 regular season games plus seven playoff games in a Patriot uniform, and earned a ring from super bowl 39.

Alexander is unfortunately most remembered for the 2006 AFC championship game - despite having ten solo tackles, a forced fumble, a tackle for a loss, a pass defensed and a quarterback hit. Pats fans forget that part and instead remember one replay where his back is turned and you can see his name and number. He was the player who was beaten by Colt WR Bradley Fletcher for a 32-yard gain on Indy's game winning drive in Indy's 38-34 victory.

The forgotten part of that event is that happened due to the Patriot defensive philosophy of taking away an opponent's top offensive threats - in this case Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. The tactic worked - very well. Those two were limited to a combined nine receptions on twenty passes thrown in their direction, plus three coverage sacks when they were blanketed. However that strategy ultimately left a 240 pound linebacker covering a speedy number three receiver down the sideline with no safety help, and the rest is history.

Eric Alexander - Patriots Alumni

10/9/05 - Pats Sign LB Eric Alexander from Practice Squad; Release C Gene Mruczkowski

11/23/09 - Extension for Eric Alexander | Mike Reiss

LinkedIn - Eric Alexander






Happy 31st birthday to Justin Francis
Born February 8, 1989 in Opa-Locka, Florida
Patriot DE, 2012; uniform #94
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 4, 2012, from Rutgers

11/4/2012 - Football journey: Justin Francis | Mike Reiss

• 10 games played
• 3 sacks
• 9 tackles (6) solo
• 4 tackles for a loss
• 7 quarterback hits

Released on August 31, 2013 in a surprise move; later agreed to an injury settlement (high ankle sprain).

Francis has since been with the Portland Thunder and Portland Steel of the Arena Football League, and the Nebraska Danger of the Indoor Football League.




Happy 48th birthday to Marcus Pollard
Born February 8, 1972 in Valley, Alabama
Patriot TE, 2008 offseason; uniform #87
Signed as a veteran free agent on April 23, 2008

• 
  
  
  • Released on August 19, 2008
  • NFL career stats: 192 games; 349 receptions; 40 TD; 4,280 yards

7/26/08 - Marcus Pollard thrilled to be with the Patriots | Boston Herald

8/19/08 - Patriots release TE Marcus Pollard; Sign Tyson DeVree | Patriots.com

8/19/08 - Patriots cut Marcus Pollard | AP/ESPN

The New England Patriots released 13-year veteran tight end Marcus Pollard on Tuesday.

They also signed rookie tight end Tyson DeVree, who joins Benjamin Watson, David Thomas and Stephen Spach at that position.

Pollard signed with the Patriots on April 23 after being released by Seattle, where he spent one season. He played his first 10 seasons with Indianapolis and two with Detroit.

"It wasn't really going to work out here the way that we had hoped and he had hoped," coach Bill Belichick said. "At the same time, there are still a couple preseason games left and time before the season opener and I think there are some other teams that are looking for tight ends and maybe there is a better opportunity for him somewhere else."

In 191 games, including 133 starts, Pollard caught 349 passes for 4,280 yards and 40 touchdowns. Last season, he had 28 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.

DeVree originally signed with the Patriots on May 5 as a rookie free agent and was released on June 11. He played two seasons at Western Michigan and two at Colorado.



​

February 8, 1960:
The Patriots hire Lou Saban as the franchise's first head coach.

Lou Saban, 87, first coach of Patriots | The Boston Globe

But it was the winter of 1960 when Mr. Saban, who had played football in college and then with the Cleveland Browns under the great Paul Brown, was picked by Ed McKeever and team owner Billy Sullivan to build the first Patriots team.

In a 1994 interview with Globe sportswriter Michael Madden, Mr. Saban recalled the obstacles he faced.

"The thing is, we started so late," he said. "We were the last team. All the good players were gone. . . . We had to take what was left over.

"We had tryouts in the city of Boston from one end to the other. We had bricklayers, we had carpenters, we had stoker men . . . you name it, we had it."

In time a team was formed, a hardworking one. But the Patriots went 5-9 for the season.

"We just never wanted to look bad," Mr. Saban recalled. "We wanted to show we could play so the NFL wouldn't make fun of us."

As his second season began, Mr. Saban was shoring up his defensive line, bringing in some talented young players, and just as "we were starting to have a team," he was fired, he told Madden. Sullivan replaced him with Mike Holovak, who went on to win seven games. "No hard feelings," Mr. Saban said. "Mr. Sullivan owned the team. He could do what he wants. I've always felt that way."

Mr. Saban, who was 95-99-7 in 16 seasons of pro football, was also president of the New York Yankees from 1981 to '82.

"He has been my friend and mentor for over 50 years, and one of the people who helped shape my life," Steinbrenner said yesterday in a statement.

Patriots chairman Robert Kraft also honored Mr. Saban yesterday.

"A part of his football legacy will forever be linked to many of the firsts in our franchise's history," Kraft said in a statement. "This season, we will be celebrating the Patriots' 50th anniversary and reflecting back on that inaugural season. It should give us all cause to appreciate Lou's many contributions during the Patriots' formative years."​

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Apparently Lou Saban is Nick Saban's second cousin. The connections between BB and Nick are interesting.

Tony2046 said:

Apparently Lou Saban is Nick Saban's second cousin. The connections between BB and Nick are interesting.

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For whatever reason I just thought it was a coincidence that Lou and Nick shared the same last name.


There are definitely plenty of similarities between BB and Nick; it is noticeable even if you don't know they once worked together or that they communicate with each other frequently.

Going back to SB XLIX in Jacksonville ... Ron Jaworski at Jacksonville Landing

Edit should have been 39 not 38... My bad

jmt57 said:

He had been released by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League the previous year, after he organized a protest by the black players on the team against segregated accommodations in New Orleans, where Boston was scheduled to play a preseason game. While the white Patriots were set to stay in a luxury hotel, the black players were to stay with black families.

“I told them we signed up to play football, not to be segregated against,” Beach said. He told Mike Holovak, the Patriots’ coach at the time, that he would fly down the day of the game and then fly back to Boston after the game was over.

Identified as a troublemaker, Beach was cut the next day.

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Eureka!!!!

Finally, something or someone in Patriots history for us to really be ashamed of, other than the treatment of Darryl Stingley and Leon Gray.

Whew! That literally took years...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/04/26/sullivan-way-outside-gillette-stadium-renamed-because-of-namesakes-allegedly-racist-past/

Pape said:

Going back to SB XXXVIII in Jacksonville ... Ron Jaworski at Jacksonville Landing

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A real flag

jmt57 said:

Best Fan Reactions to the Interception [NOTE: Audio NSFW]



Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX beat Seattle on Malcolm Butler interception | Boston Herald

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I went over to my wife on the couch, kissed her, and said "We just won the championship!"

jmt57 said:

Today in Pro Football History
January 28, 1959: Vince Lombardi Hired as Head Coach/GM of Packers

Lombardi was not the most innovative head coach in pro football history, but he was outstanding at adapting other coaches’ methods and was a great teacher and motivator. When it came to the fundamentals, and performing the basics well, Lombardi’s teams excelled. The power sweep was the signature play of his offense over the years, and the Packers ran it with skill because they practiced it relentlessly and executed with precision.

Over nine seasons, the Packers compiled an 89-29-4 regular season record under Lombardi’s guidance, for a .754 winning percentage, and were 9-1 in the postseason. Considering his significant influence on coaching methods and the game in general, his nine years with Green Bay (he also coached one last year in Washington in 1969) seems surprisingly brief. But he set a standard for pro football coaches that others in the years since have sought to measure up to; it is only fitting that the Super Bowl winner’s trophy is named after him.

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Vince was the brightest young head coaching prospect in football, spending five years as an assistant with the Giants. However, it was made clear to him that he was never going to be head coach of the Brooklyn native's home town team -- due to his Italian extraction.

During the 1950's, Green Bay was aptly known as the "Siberia" of football. In those days when owners in pro sports had all power over players, if anyone acted out, missed curfew etc., all a coach had to do was sit the guy down, and say: "If you don't shape up, we're trading you to Green Bay." Problem solved. You'd have no trouble with that person ever again. In 1958, the Packers finished at 1–10–1, the worst record in Packer history. The players were dispirited, the Packer shareholders were disheartened, and the Green Bay community was enraged. The angst in Green Bay extended to the NFL as a whole, as the financial viability and the very existence of the Green Bay Packer franchise were in jeopardy [Sound familiar?]. On February 2, 1959, Lombardi accepted the position of head coach and general manager. He packed up his family and headed to a town in the Midwest that didn't even appear on a map.

Lombardi did not clean house. He kept the same players he inherited.

In his first meeting with players, Lombardi stated: "I am not remotely interested in being good."

That's called setting the bar where it belongs. At the top.

No team has won three straight titles since his Pack.

Today in Patriots History: Logan Ryan

John Morgan

Logan Ryan never missed a game while with the Patriots, appearing in 64 games with 40 starts. He had 13 interceptions, including a 79 yard pick-six off Geno Smith - and also appeared in ten playoff games for New England, with the Patriots going 8-2 in those contests.

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For those with click aversion:

Happy 29th birthday to Logan Ryan
Born February 9, 1991 in Berlin, New Jersey
Patriot CB, 2013-2016; uniform #26
Pats 3rd round (83rd overall) selection of the 2013 draft, from Rutgers




Logan Ryan never missed a game while with the Patriots, appearing in 64 games with 40 starts. In the regular season he had 13 interceptions, including a 79 yard pick-six off Geno Smith.




During his time in Foxborough the corner made 259 tackles (202 solo) with 2½ sacks, four forced fumbles, five tackles for a loss and six quarterback hits.




Logan Ryan also appeared in ten playoff games for New England, with the Patriots going 8-2 in those contests. He earned rings for Super Bowl victories over Seattle and Atlanta. He was on the field for 976 defensive snaps in 2015 (89%) and 897 in 2016 (86%), and for all but one defensive snap in the five 2016 and 2017 postseason games. Ryan’s fourth quarter interception against Houston that he ran back to the six yard line – just after the Texans had scored – set up the game clinching touchdown run by Dion Lewis.


Tennessee lured Ryan away in 2017 with a three year, $30 million contract. That was a nice payday for Logan, and he is due for one more. Ryan will be a coveted cornerback in free agency in 2020.




Happy 49th birthday to Pat O’Neill
Born February 9, 1971 at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
Patriot punter and kicker, 1994-1995; uniform #5
Pats 5th round (135th overall) selection of the 1994 draft, from Syracuse

Doctor Patrick O’Neill handled kickoffs and punts with the Patriots for a year and a half. He could have gone on to have a much longer NFL career, but instead put his brain power to use for a better purpose.

The Big, Slow Guy Wins the Race for the Football | New York Times



NFL punter becomes a surgeon | Sarasota Herald



Dr. Patrick J. O’Neill | Patrick J. O’Neill, MD





Happy 45th birthday to Terry Billups
Born February 9, 1975 in Wiesbaden, Germany
Patriot CB, 1999; uniform #23

Terry Billups went undrafted out of North Carolina, and spent time with Dallas in 1998. In ’99 he played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe, and also saw action in two games for the Patriots. With four tackles in one game against Baltimore he is okay in my book.

Billups is another player who has had a nice professional post-NFL career. He was a federal law clerk in Illinois, then an attorney in Cleveland from 2006 to 2014. He then worked as general counsel at Ursuline College for over five years, and opened his own law firm in 2019.




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

Dan Ross would have been 63 today
Born Feb 9, 1957 in Malden
Went to Everett High School and Northeastern

Ex-Bengal Ross, Super Bowl record holder, dies at 49 | espn




Dom Principe
Born Feb 9, 1917 in Brockton
Sandwiched around his time in the war, the Brockton High School alum was a fullback for the NFL’s New York Giants and AAFC Brooklyn Dodgers.



Tommy Myers
Born Feb 9, 1901 in New Britain CT
The Fordham Flash was a blocking back for a couple seasons in the twenties.



**** King
Born February 9, 1895 in Boston
Richard Stewart Cutter King went to Boston Latin High School and Harvard University. He was a coach and roadshow star fullback-wingback-tailback before the NFL was the NFL, when semi-pro teams toured middle america. In NFL’s infancy King played for teams like the Hammond Pros, Milwaukee Badgers, Rochester Jeffersons and St. Louis All-Stars. King was an anomaly, a married Harvard student working his way through college to pay for the two children he had by the age of twenty. He later made headlines marrying a twice-divorced woman, then died a mysterious death at the age of 35 in Bogata, Columbia.

Pape said:

Going back to SB XXXVIII in Jacksonville ... Ron Jaworski at Jacksonville Landing

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The great flag is yours?

italian pat patriot said:

The great flag is yours?

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Yes it is! It has been to Super Bowls 36, 38 & 39!