Today In Patriots History Jan 30, 1973: Fairbanks drafts John Hannah, Sam Cunningham, Darryl Stingley

Tuesday January 30, 1973:
The 38th Annual NFL Player Selection Meeting
Better known as the 1973 NFL Draft
Day One, rounds one through seven
American Hotel, 811 Seventh Avenue, New York City
Rounds 8-17 to take place on January 31



Day One of the 1973 NFL Draft is held at the Americana Hotel in New York City. The Houston Oilers selected defensive end John Matuszak from the University of Tampa with the first overall pick.

Three picks later new head coach and general manager Chuck Fairbanks selected guard John Hannah of Alabama. He was only the fifth guard to be drafted with a top-five pick since WWII, which drew much skepticism at that time. (Insert facepalm here.)



In addition to their own sixth overall pick, the Patriots also had the #11 selection; that was from the previous year when the Pats had traded Fred Dryer (who wanted to be near Hollywood) to the Rams. New England used that pick on fullback Sam Cunningham, from Southern Cal.



With Cunningham now a Patriot, Fairbanks traded RB Carl Garrett to Chicago for a first round pick. At #19 overall the Pats selected Purdue wide receiver Darryl Stingley.



The Patriots did not have a second round pick - that had stupidly been traded away in 1972 to the Giants when Billy Sullivan just had to have shiny new toy Dryer - but so what? After those three first round picks they were playing with house money.

The Patriots added fullback Brad Dusek in the third round, with the intention of transitioning him to linebacker. Unfortunately New England was not patient enough and would soon be deep at that position. The Pats gave up on him too early; he would go on to play eight seasons in Washington.

Other draft picks on this day were offensive linemen Allen Gallaher (fourth pick of the fourth round, 82nd overall) and Doug Dumler (fourth selection of the fifth round, 108th overall), who played in New England for one year and three yearsrespectively. Alcorn State RB Charles Davis (21st selection of the third round, 73rd overall) never made it in the NFL.


A few side notes to day one of the 1973 draft:

- The player selected just before Hannah at #3 was Texas OT Jerry Sizemore, by Philadelphia. Sizemore had a good 12-year career with the Eagles, twice being named to the Pro Bowl, but he was not of the same caliber as Hog.

- The Giants traded the second round pick obtained in the Dryer trade to Cleveland, who used it on Greg Pruitt. Pruitt was a good running back for Fairbanks at Oklahoma who went on to five Pro Bowls with the Browns and Raiders. In return the Giants received Dorchester native Freddie Summers, a safety who was placed on injured waivers in training camp and never played in the NFL again.

- In 1978 Dusek recovered a Horace Ivory fumble for Washington in a game at Schaefer Stadium with less than three minutes to play, and the Patriots leading 14-9. Dusek ran 31 yards for the game winning touchdown, stunning the crowd as well as the players.

- The player selected after Dusek was Bills QB Joe Feguson, who led the NFL in TD passes in 1975 and passing yards in 1977.

- Also available was Dan Fouts, selected by the Chargers, seven picks after Ferguson. If Fairbanks had drafted Fouts, would he have adapted the offense to more of offense? What if Buffalo had drafted Fouts rather than Feguson - what would their offense have been like with both him and OJ Simpson?

- Selecting Fouts (or Ferguson) that early was not realistic though. Plunkett had been drafted number one overall just two years earler, in 1971. Steve Grogan would be selected in the fifth round two years later in 1975, and Fairbanks would send Plunkett to San Francisco in 1976 in exchange for draft picks that netted C Pete Brock, S Tim Fox, CB Raymond Clayborn, RB Horace Ivory, plus backup QB Tom Owen.

- The pick used on Charles Davis came from Dallas, when the Cowboys traded for WR Ron Sellers - who proceeded to replace legend Bob Hayes in the Cowboys starting lineup.

- Miami was on the clock five picks later, and used it on future Patriot LT Leon Gray. Thank you Don Shula for that gift of releasing Gray at the end of his rookie training camp.

- The previous year the Patriots traded away a sixth round pick to New Orleans for MLB Jim Flanigan. Another of many dumb trades from the Clive Rush/John Mazur era, Flanigan never played a single down for the Patriots.

- Fourth pick of the seventh round, #160 overall, had been traded away to Miami in 1972 for DE Kevin Reilly - who played in all of four games for the Pats.

- More of the same that shows how short-sighted and desparate Mazur was: after receiving nothing more than a seventh round pick for Ed Philpott, the Pats sent that pick to Miami for safety Benny Shephard. The undrafted rookie from Arkansas State never played a down in the NFL. Either retaining Philpott, or using the pick on All-Pro/five-time Pro Bowl guard Ed Newman would have been the way to go here.

That Sam Cunningham guy is the best!!!!

Tuesday January 30, 1968:
The 33rd Annual Player Selection Meeting
Second-ever "Common Draft"
Better known as the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft
Day One, rounds one through five
Belmont Plaza Hotel, New York City
Rounds 6-17 to take place on January 31



The 1968 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. As part of negotiations between the two leagues, Wellington and Tim Mara were able pull some strings that gave the New York Giants some incredibly favorable terms. For one, the Jets had to pay the Giants $10 million in 1966, a huge amount at the time, for 'infringing on their territorial rights' - even though the two teams had different fan bases, played in different burroughs, and the Jets had been playing for six seasons at that point.

The other part of this ridiculous agreement was that the Giants would receive a bonus pick, first overall in either the 1967 or 1968 NFL/AFL draft - regardless of the presence of an expansion team, regardless how bad the record of the worst team from the previous season, and regardless their own record from the previous year. The Giants used this massive freebie by trading it to Minnesota in exchange for Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton. In a bit of poetic justice, the Vikings used that pick on a future pro football hall of famer, USC OT Ron Yary. Meanwhile Tarkenton went 33-36 in his five seasons with the Giants - then returned to Minnesota where he was the 1975 MVP and the Vikings made it to four conference championships and three super bowls.


Five selections after Minnesto chose Yary, the Boston Patriots selected Dennis Byrd, a defensive tackle from North Carolina State. Byrd was an exceptional collegiate player until he suffered a knee injury during his senior year. The Patriots ignored that issue and used an early pick on him anyways. Byrd played in all 14 games his rookie season, but then had to retire, as medical rehab on a knee injury in the sixties was not the same as it is today. It was decisions like this that led the Pats to seven consecutive losing seasons.


After that the Patriots selected Tom Funchess in the second round, who would start at left tackle for three seasons before being traded away to Houston. In the next two rounds the Pats added WR Aaron Marsh and RB R.C. Gamble; both only lasted for two insignificant years. Notre Dame CB Jim Smithberger was the fifth round pick; he never played a down in the NFL. The sixth round pick was relinquished to Cincinnati by every AFL team (except the Dolphins) as part of their expansion draft.


The only player drafted on day one that ever did anything noteworthy for the Patriots was Bill Lenkaitis; he was drafted by the Chargers in round three.


Fortunately day two was slightly better. Daryl Johnson (round 8) was a three-year starter at CB before departing for more money in the World Football League. Johnny Outlaw (round 10) played four seasons with the Patriots - then developed into a much better player after he joined the Eagles. Jim Cheyunski (12th round) was a starting MLB during his five seasons with New England, then played for Buffalo after an awful trade with the Bills. NC State safety Art McMahon was a decent special teamer and backup, exceeding expectations for a player selected with the 385th overall pick of the draft. Catawba LB Ed Koontz (440th overall) played in six games in his one pro football season for the Pats.

Meanwhile Notre Dame safety Jim Smithberger (5th round) was released at the end of camp and has zero pro football stats. Toledo QB John Schneider (7th round) chose to sign with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. Northland (WI) OT Paul Feldhausen (11th round) spent most of his New England football playing days with the Lowell Giants and Quincy Giants of the old Atlantic Coast Football League. BYU OT Max Huber (13th round) turned down the Pats and played for ten seasons in the CFL. Guilford SE Henry McKay spent a few years playing minor league football, but never caught on in the AFL or NFL. Tennessee QB/RB Charlie Fulton also chose to play in Canada rather than sign with the Patriots, playing two seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos.

Have asked many times why hasn't Darryl Stingley ever been considered for the Pats HOF???
A player cannot give more than he did on the field...

Thursay January 30, 1969:
Boston Patriots sign Clive Rush to a three-year contract to be Vice President and Head Coach

Rush became the third coach in franchise history when Billy Sullivan chose him over Chuck Noll - who proceeded to be hired by the Steelers and coach Pittsburgh to four Super Bowls.

Oddly enough the discussions came during the 1969 draft, while Rush was still employed with the Jets. The hiring came one day after the draft, meaning Rush presumably had zero input - and Sullivan calling all the shots in that draft, as GM/HC Mike Holovak had been fired back on January 8. The super bowl was on January 12; wouldn't Sullivan want to finalize the hiring as quickly as possible, so Rush could prepare for the draft, or at minimum offer some input?

Clive Rush lasted just 1½ seasons, going 5-16.


Patriots Offer Rush Position of Head Coach













Two weeks later at the press conference to announce the hiring of GM George Sauer, Rush was famously electrocuted while grabbing the microphone.

Rush walked up to the podium and put his hand on the microphone – and immediately began screaming in anguish. Electricity from the live mike went up one arm, across his shoulders and down the other arm. The current temporarily paralyzed his muscles. As a result he was unable to let go, and the voltage continued to flow through his body. Rush staggered to the corner, still unable to make his hand release the microphone from his grap. Patriot board member Dan Marr jumped up and began ripping every wire he could get his hands on out of the sockets they were plugged into. That caused the current to finally stop flowing through Rush’s body, saving his life.

That kicked off four years of bizarre and embarrassing dysfunction with Rush and his first hire, John Mazur, coaching the Patriots before Chuck Fairbanks arrived and brought some semblance of normalcy and competence.

I am still crazy now that we did not win the Super Bowl on 1976
Could have been a GREAT turnaround for the franchise
Pity and sad
Ben Dreith destroyed us...

Wednesday January 30, 1974:
The 39th Annual Player Selection Meeting
Better known as the 1974 NFL Draft
Day Two, rounds six through 17
Americana Hotel, New York City
Rounds 1-5 took place on January 29

As a preface, the Patriots did not have a first round selection, as HC John Mazur and GM Upton Bell had traded that pick away in 1972 for TE Bob Windsor. One second round pick was used on Boston College guard Steve Corbett, who played in only 14 games due to multiple injuries. The Pats then used their own second rounder on one of the franchise's all time greats, North Dakota State inside linebacker Steve Nelson. A third round pick was traded away the previous year for DE Donnell Smith (21 games, four sacks in two seasons), and a fourth round pick had been traded away in 1973 to Pittsburgh for safety Ralph Anderson (one season, 13 games, 11 starts). (The Steelers used that selection on WR John Stallworth - one of four future Hall of Famers Pittsburgh drafted in 1974). Another fourth round pick had also been traded away in 1973 for LB Bill Peterson, who spent that season on IR and then departed for the World Football League in'74.





On day two the Pats traded their own sixth round pick (#140) to Baltimore for Jack Mildren. He had been a wishbone quarterback at Oklahoma for Fairbanks, and converted to safety in the NFL. There was some speculation that Fairbanks - who had a horrible relationship with Jim Plunkett - brought Mildren in to to replace Plunkett and run a college, running style offense in Foxboro. Mildren started ten games in '74 at strong safety for New England.

The Patriots also owned the very next pick, obtained from Philadelphia a year earlier for Dennis Wirgowski. The Pats used that on punter Chuck Ramsey; he did not make the roster, but did play for eight seasons with the Jets.

In the 15th round the Patriots finally struck gold, selecting Stephen F Austin State linebacker Sam Hunt with the 374th pick of the 1974 draft. Sam started at inside linebacker for each of the next six seasons. Hunt is a member of the Patriots All-Decade Team of the 1970s.[/SIZE]


Overall this was not a good draft at all - except for the two selections, Steve Nelson and Sam Hunt balancing out the bad trades and other unproductive picks.

What a great draft that was

jmt57 said:

Today in Patriots History
Day One of the 1968 NFL Draft​

Tuesday January 30, 1968:
The 33rd Annual Player Selection Meeting
Second-ever "Common Draft"
Better known as the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft
Day One, rounds one through five
Belmont Plaza Hotel, New York City
Rounds 6-17 to take place on January 31

The 1968 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. As part of negotiations between the two leagues, Wellington and Tim Mara were able pull some strings that gave the New York Giants some incredibly favorable terms. For one, the Jets had to pay the Giants $10 million in 1966, a huge amount at the time, for 'infringing on their territorial rights' - even though the two teams had different fan bases, played in different burroughs, and the Jets had been playing for six seasons at that point.

The other part of this ridiculous agreement was that the Giants would receive a bonus pick, first overall in either the 1967 or 1968 NFL/AFL draft - regardless of the presence of an expansion team, regardless how bad the record of the worst team from the previous season, and regardless their own record from the previous year. The Giants used this massive freebie by trading it to Minnesota in exchange for Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton. In a bit of poetic justice, the Vikings used that pick on a future pro football hall of famer, USC OT Ron Yary. Meanwhile Tarkenton went 33-36 in his five seasons with the Giants - then returned to Minnesota where he was the 1975 MVP and the Vikings made it to four conference championships and three super bowls.


Five selections after Minnesto chose Yary, the Boston Patriots selected Dennis Byrd, a defensive tackle from North Carolina State. Byrd was an exceptional collegiate player until he suffered a knee injury during his senior year. The Patriots ignored that issue and used an early pick on him anyways. Byrd played in all 14 games his rookie season, but then had to retire, as medical rehab on a knee injury in the sixties was not the same as it is today. It was decisions like this that led the Pats to seven consecutive losing seasons.

After that the Patriots selected Tom Funchess in the second round, who would start at left tackle for three seasons before being traded away to Houston. In the next two rounds the Pats added WR Aaron Marsh and RB R.C. Gamble; both only lasted for two insignificant years. Notre Dame CB Jim Smithberger was the fifth round pick; he never played a down in the NFL. The sixth round pick was relinquished to Cincinnati by every AFL team (except the Dolphins) as part of their expansion draft.


The only player drafted on day one that ever did anything noteworthy for the Patriots was Bill Lenkaitis; he was drafted by the Chargers in round three.


Fortunately day two was slightly better. Daryl Johnson (round 8) was a three-year starter at CB before departing for more money in the World Football League. Johnny Outlaw (round 10) played four seasons with the Patriots - then developed into a much better player after he joined the Eagles. Jim Cheyunski (12th round) was a starting MLB during his five seasons with New England, then played for Buffalo after an awful trade with the Bills. NC State safety Art McMahon was a decent special teamer and backup, exceeding expectations for a player selected with the 385th overall pick of the draft. Catawba LB Ed Koontz (440th overall) played in six games in his one pro football season for the Pats.

Meanwhile Notre Dame safety Jim Smithberger (5th round) was released at the end of camp and has zero pro football stats. Toledo QB John Schneider (7th round) chose to sign with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. Northland (WI) OT Paul Feldhausen (11th round) spent most of his New England football playing days with the Lowell Giants and Quincy Giants of the old Atlantic Coast Football League. BYU OT Max Huber (13th round) turned down the Pats and played for ten seasons in the CFL. Guilford SE Henry McKay spent a few years playing minor league football, but never caught on in the AFL or NFL. Tennessee QB/RB Charlie Fulton also chose to play in Canada rather than sign with the Patriots, playing two seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos.

Click to expand...

jmt57 said:

Today in Patriots History
Day One of the 1973 NFL Draft​

Tuesday January 30, 1973:
The 38th Annual NFL Player Selection Meeting
Better known as the 1973 NFL Draft
Day One, rounds one through seven
American Hotel, 811 Seventh Avenue, New York City
Rounds 8-17 to take place on January 31

Day One of the 1973 NFL Draft is held at the Americana Hotel in New York City. The Houston Oilers selected defensive end John Matuszak from the University of Tampa with the first overall pick.

Three picks later new head coach and general manager Chuck Fairbanks selected guard John Hannah of Alabama. He was only the fifth guard to be drafted with a top-five pick since WWII, which drew much skepticism at that time. (Insert facepalm here.)

In addition to their own sixth overall pick, the Patriots also had the #11 selection; that was from the previous year when the Pats had traded Fred Dryer (who wanted to be near Hollywood) to the Rams. New England used that pick on fullback Sam Cunningham, from Southern Cal.

With Cunningham now a Patriot, Fairbanks traded RB Carl Garrett to Chicago for a first round pick. At #19 overall the Pats selected Purdue wide receiver Darryl Stingley.

The Patriots did not have a second round pick - that had stupidly been traded away in 1972 to the Giants when Billy Sullivan just had to have shiny new toy Dryer - but so what? After those three first round picks they were playing with house money.

The Patriots added fullback Brad Dusek in the third round, with the intention of transitioning him to linebacker. Unfortunately New England was not patient enough and would soon be deep at that position. The Pats gave up on him too early; he would go on to play eight seasons in Washington.

Other draft picks on this day were offensive linemen Allen Gallaher (fourth pick of the fourth round, 82nd overall) and Doug Dumler (fourth selection of the fifth round, 108th overall), who played in New England for one year and three yearsrespectively. Alcorn State RB Charles Davis (21st selection of the third round, 73rd overall) never made it in the NFL.


A few side notes to day one of the 1973 draft:

- The player selected just before Hannah at #3 was Texas OT Jerry Sizemore, by Philadelphia. Sizemore had a good 12-year career with the Eagles, twice being named to the Pro Bowl, but he was not of the same caliber as Hog.

- The Giants traded the second round pick obtained in the Dryer trade to Cleveland, who used it on Greg Pruitt. Pruitt was a good running back for Fairbanks at Oklahoma who went on to five Pro Bowls with the Browns and Raiders. In return the Giants received Dorchester native Freddie Summers, a safety who was placed on injured waivers in training camp and never played in the NFL again.

- In 1978 Dusek recovered a Horace Ivory fumble for Washington in a game at Schaefer Stadium with less than three minutes to play, and the Patriots leading 14-9. Dusek ran 31 yards for the game winning touchdown, stunning the crowd as well as the players.

- The player selected after Dusek was Bills QB Joe Feguson, who led the NFL in TD passes in 1975 and passing yards in 1977.

- Also available was Dan Fouts, selected by the Chargers, seven picks after Ferguson. If Fairbanks had drafted Fouts, would he have adapted the offense to more of offense? What if Buffalo had drafted Fouts rather than Feguson - what would their offense have been like with both him and OJ Simpson?

- The pick used on Charles Davis came from Dallas, when the Cowboys traded for WR Ron Sellers - who proceeded to replace legend Bob Hayes in the Cowboys starting lineup.

- Miami was on the clock five picks later, and used it on future Patriot LT Leon Gray. Thank you Don Shula for that gift of releasing Gray at the end of his rookie training camp.

- The previous year the Patriots traded away a sixth round pick to New Orleans for MLB Jim Flanigan. Another of many dumb trades from the Clive Rush/John Mazur era, Flanigan never played a single down for the Patriots.

- Fourth pick of the seventh round, #160 overall, had been traded away to Miami in 1972 for DE Kevin Reilly - who played in all of four games for the Pats.

- More of the same that shows how short-sighted and desparate Mazur was: after receiving nothing more than a seventh round pick for Ed Philpott, the Pats sent that pick to Miami for safety Benny Shephard. The undrafted rookie from Arkansas State never played a down in the NFL. Either retaining Philpott, or using the pick on All-Pro/five-time Pro Bowl guard Ed Newman would have been the way to go here.

Click to expand...

What a fantastic draft that was. Stingly, Hannah, and Cunnigham

Nice - slightly before my time but crazy to me to think that people were questioning whether drafting an LG at #5 with Hannah was a questionable pick.

January 30, 1992:
Freddie Childress is traded to Cleveland for a 1992 8th round pick
Danny Villa is traded to the Phoenix Cardinals

Childress was an OT that played in 15 games for the Pats in 1991 with one start, and a total of 31 NFL games.
The Pats used that pick on RB Scott Lockwood, who appeared in six games with the Pats in 1992-93.

Villa was a starting LT during his first three seasons, and later also played right tackle, right guard, center and long snapper during his 12-year NFL career. He played in 75 games with 62 starts in two stints for the Patriots, but is best known for disgusting, repulsive off-field activities. Vile Villa later became head coach and athletic director at Walpole High School. In 2009 he received a cushy plea deal where he agreed to serve just two years on three counts of rape of a child and two counts of enticing a child that happened while he was high school football coach.





January 30, 1998:
Patriots re-sign free agent LB Bernard Russ

Russ was an undrafted rookie from West Virginia who had spent most of 1997 on the Pats practice squad, then most of 1998 on injured reserve with a fractured jaw. Over the course of three seasons he played in nine regular season games plus two postseason games for the Pete Carroll's Patriots.





January 30, 2001:
Patriots sign free agent Brad Costello

The punter from Boston University had finished the 2000 season on the Pats practice squad, and was then allocated to the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe. Costello was released as part of final roster cuts on September 2, unable to unseat incumbent Lee Johnson. Costello played in a total of eight NFL games for the Bengals in 1998-99.





January 30, 2003:
John Hufnagel is named Quarterbacks Coach

The Patriots had an opening for a QB coach after **** Rehbein tragically passed away at the age of 45 in August of 2001. Charlie Weis held the dual role of OC as well as QB coach for the rest of 2001 and all of 2002 before Hufnagel was hired. He had previously worked in the CFL as OC with Jeff Garcia and Doug Flutie, as the QB coach for the Browns, Colts (Peyton Manning) and Jaguars (Mark Brunell), and after Tom Brady won his second Super Bowl MVP, he was a hot coaching prospect. The Giants hired Hufnagel as their offensive coordinator in 2004, at which point some guy named Josh McDaniels became the Pats new QB coach.





January 30, 2006:
OT Wesley Britt, S Antwain Spann and OL Ryan Krug are re-signed, and free agent OT Jeff Roehl is signed

Britt, Krug and Eric Alexander would be allocated to NFL Europe the next day. Britt played in 16 games for the Pats before becoming more well known as the husband to a congresswoman from Tennessee. Krug was a guard from UConn who never progressed beyond the practice squad. Spann played in 19 regular season games plus three postseason games for the Patriots from 2006 to 2008, pressed into duty after Rodney Harrison was placed on IR in 2008, ending his pro football career.





January 30, 2023:




Mark Daniels was getting a little ahead of his skis with that speculation. The Pats released Bowden very early in the 2023 offseason, on May 10. His final stat line with the Patriots reads 14 snaps in one game played. Bowden played in a total of 26 NFL games, last seen on the Saints practice squad in 2023.

Happy 55th birthday to Chris Slade
Born Jan 30, 1971 in Newport News, Virginia; hometown Yorktown VA
Patriot LB, 1993-2000; uniform #53
Pats 2nd round (31st overall) selection of the 1993 draft, from Virginia
Pats résumé: 8 seasons, 127 games (108 starts); 640 tackles, 51 sacks, 2 touchdowns; 1997 Pro Bowl; Patriots All-1990s Team


- Patriot All-Decade Team LB for the 1990s
- 1997 Pro Bowl
- 127 regular season games (108 starts)
- 664 tackles (452 solo); 16 tackles for a loss
- 16 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions; two touchdowns
- 7 playoff games: 3½ sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery




FARINELLA: Slade was good guy, but not player (2001)






The Last Bad Patriot Team | The Ringer (2017)

Happy 49th birthday to Deltha O'Neal
Born Jan 30, 1977 in Palo Alto, California
Patriot CB, 2008; uniform #21
Signed as a veteran free agent on September 1, 2008
Pats résumé: one season, 16 games (10 starts); three interceptions


The Pats signed Deltha O'Neal two days after his release by the Bengals. This transaction came 24 hours after New England released safety John Lynch and wide receiver Chad Jackson. O'Neal played in all 16 games for the Pats in 2008, with ten starts. The 31 year old had three interceptions and eight passes defensed, with 32 tackles.

He became a free agent the following February and signed with Houston but was cut at the end of their training camp, ending his pro football career. In nine NFL seasons (mostly with Denver and Cincinnati) Deltha O'Neal played in 132 games, with 34 interceptions. He was named to two Pro Bowls and led the league with ten interceptions in 2005.


September 2, 2008:








Some opinions before, and mostly after the fact with the benefit of hindsight:

Sept 1, 2008 - Patriots.com press release:


AP report:


Mike Reiss, Sept 4, 2008:


11-page PatsFans thread:


Glen Farley, Oct 14, 2008:
Pats coach Bill Belichick blames secondary - Quincy Patriot Ledger




Pats have issues to address in offseason - Dec 28, 2008






July 28, 2009:









Dec 19, 2019:

In memory of Bobby Nichols, who would have been 84 today
Born January 30, 1942 in Boston
Patriot TE, 1967-1968; uniform #87
Pats 17th round (440th overall) selection of the 1967 draft

The South Boston native played in fifteen games for the Patriots in a backup role behind Jim Whalen.

Robert P. Nichols Obituary




Happy 56th birthday to Mario Johnson
Born January 30, 1970 in St. Louis
Patriot DT, 1993; uniform #98

Johnson was originally a 10th round pick by the Jets in 1992, from Missouri. He was signed by the Patriots as a free agent the following year, playing in six games for the Pats.




Happy 37th birthday to Leonard Hankerson
Born January 30, 1989 in Fort lauderdale
Patriot WR, 2015; uniform #15
Claimed off waivers from Atlanta on Dec 17, 2015
Hankerson was originally a third round pick out of Miami in 2011. He had a few decent seasons (68 receptions for Washington in 2012-13) but was also coming off his second stint on IR. The Pats released Hankerson nine days after signing him, with practice squad WR Chris Harper taking his place on the roster. Hankerson was on the field for ten offensive snaps with no other stats in the Pats 33-16 week 15 victory over Tennessee.




Happy 33rd birthday to Stephen Anderson
Born January 30, 1993 in San Jose
Patriot TE, 2018; uniform #80
Signed to the practice squad on Sept 6, 2018

Stephen Anderson was originally signed by Houston as an undrafted rookie in 2016. He had been a wide receiver at Cal and converted to tight end, appearing in 28 games with 36 receptions in two seasons with the Texans. Anderson was promoted from the practice squad to New England's 53-man roster on January 8, 2019. He remained there throughout the playoffs but was inactive for each of those three games.

The Pats re-signed Anderson to the practice squad on September 1, 2019 after roster cuts; he was released for good eight days later. Since then he has been with the Chargers; he had eight receptions for 106 yards in 2020.

July 31, 2019: Patriots TE Stephen Anderson hopes versatility pays off - ProJo





Happy 43rd birthday to Kareem Brown
Born January 30, 1983 in Miami
Patriot DT, 2007; uniform #95
Pats 4th round (127th overall) selection of the 2007 draft, from Miami

Kareem Brown made the roster out of training camp, but never got on the field over the course of 11 weeks. The Pats released him and the Jets claimed him on waivers. Brown also spent time with the Giants and Titans but appeared in only one NFL game, retiring in 2010 due to a shoulder injury.

Former NFL Player Living Out His Dream




Happy 38th birthday to Lance Kendricks
Born Januray 30, 1988 in Milwaukee
Patriot TE, 2019; uniform #81
Signed as a veteran free agent on July 24, 2019

Kendricks was 31 years old and a late addition to the tight end-deficient 2019 roster, following Gronk's retirement. On August 24 the NFL suspended Kendricks one game for a 2017 marijuana possession charge, missing the week one game versus Pittsburgh. Kendricks was released on September 9 to clear space on the roster for WR Antonio Brown, ending his nine year, 137 game NFL career.




Happy 26th birthday to JaQuae Jackson
Born January 30, 2000 in Pittsburgh
Patriot WR, 2024; uniform #82
Claimed off waivers from Atlanta on June 6, 2024

Jackson was an undrafted rookie from Rutgers (shocking). In the first preseason game - Jerod Mayo's first game as head coach - Jackson caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Joe Milton. A week later he was carted off with a leg injury in a game against Philadelphia, and was placed on IR. The Pats released Jackson two days after the 2025 draft; he recently signed a futures contract with the Chargers.



In memory of Paul Flatley, who would have turned 85 today
Born January 30, 1941 in Richmond, Indiana
Patriot WR, 1971 offseason
Claimed off waivers from Atlanta on July 12, 1971

Paul Flatley was the 1963 Rookie of the Year when he had 51 receptions for 867 yards for the Minnesota Vikings. When he left the Vikings after the 1967 season he was their career leader in total receptions, receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns. Flatley was coming off postseason knee surgery, and the Pats doctor advised him against playing again because his knees were in such poor condition. While Flatley thought he might be able to get himself back into playing shape over a period of months, he concluded that was impractical and announced his retirement in July 1971, at age 30. Over the course of his eight-year, 106-game NFL career Flatley had 306 receptions for 4,905 yards and 24 TDs.




Happy 62nd birthday to Leon Seals
Born January 30, 1964 in New Orleans
Patriots DE, 1993 offseason
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent on March 17, 1993

"Dr Sack" was a defensive end who had played for Buffalo from 1987 to 1991 and then one year with Philadelphia. (Despite the nickname, Seals only had 14½ sacks since entering the league six years earlier.) Seals was a starter for the Bills in their SB25 Wide Right 20-19 loss to the Giants, and the following year's SB26 37-24 loss to Washington, when Jim Kelly threw four picks, and Mark Rypien was the game's MVP.

Seals suffered a serious knee injury in week six of the 1992 season that resulted in his spending the rest of the year on IR. It was severe enough that the Patriots released Seals well ahead of training camp, on June 15, and it ended his NFL career at the age of 28. Seals later became an officer in the Hinds County (Mississippi) Sheriff Department.




Happy 30th birthday to Arlington Hambright
Born January 30, 1996 in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Patriots G, 2022 offseason
Signed to a futures contract on Jan 18, 2022

Hambright was 7th round draft pick by Chicago in 2020, from Colorado. He was waived as part of final roster cuts on August 30, then signed by the Colts to their practice squad. Hambright has played in 15 NFL games but has not been on a roster since last August.




Happy 49th birthday to Dwight Johnson
Born January 30, 1977 in Waco, Texas
Patriots DE, 2004 offseason
Signed as a free agent on July 28, 2004

Johnson was undrafted out of Baylor in 2000, and spent time with the Eagles, Frankfurt in NFL Europe, the Giants and 49ers before finishing his pro football career in New England, appearing in 14 NFL games. He is the older brother of four time KC Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson, and cousin of WR Bert Emmanuel, who played briefly for the Pats in 2001.




Happy 74th birthday to Richard Williams
Born January 30, 1952 in Campville, Florida
Patriots WR, 1975 offseason
Signed as a free agent, July 1975

A 1974 fourth round pick by Cincinnati out of Abiline Christian, Williams' NFL playing time consists of two games with the Saints his rookie year.




Other pro football players with a New England connection sharing this birth date:

Trey Taylor, 25 (2001)
Draft Pick Trade
On Sept 21, 2022 the Patriots sent OT Justin Herron and a 2024 seventh round pick (used on Taylor) to the Raiders for a 2024 sixth. That sixth round pick was subsequently traded for OT Vederian Lowe. Taylor is a safety from Air Force that appeared in nine games in 2024 but was out of football all of 2025.

Bill Budness (1943-2018)
Born and raised in Chicopee; Chicopee High School; Boston University
The linebacker was a 4th round pick by the Raiders in '64; he played in 100 games, including Super Bowl II.

Zach Triner, 35 (1991)
Born and raised in Marshfield MA; Marshfield HS; Assumption University (Worcester)
Zach is a long snapper that has played in 85 games over seven seasons, plus nine postseason games. He earned a ring with the Bucs after 2020 season.

Les Maynard (1911-1952)
Born in Torrington CT; High School of Commerce, Springfield MA
End for the Staten Island Stapletons in 1932.

Skip Lane, 66 (1960)
Born in Norwalk, CT; Staples High School in Westport CT
Defensive back from '84-'87 with the Jets, Chiefs and Washington.

Jamaal Branch, 45 (1981)
Born in Hartford; New Hampton (NH) Prep School
Running back for the Saints, 2005-06.

Tevaun Smith, 33 (1993)
Kent Prep School, Kent CT
Wide receiver was with the Colts, Raiders and Jaguars from 2016-18, getting onto the field for two games with Indy in 2017.

jmt57 said:

Mike Reiss, Sept 4, 2008:

Another perspective on Deltha O'Neal

Deltha O'Neal's gambling style is a nice complement to a defense that can apply pressure, says former NFL personnel executive Mike Lombardi.

www.boston.com

“O’Neal is similar to Asante Samuel in his style of play,” (Mike Lombardi) writes. “He has good hands and will take chances on the ball. When he is prepared, he can make plays and create turnovers. This is an excellent signing for the Patriots, as he can come in and adapt to their style of play. He has the skill level to make their secondary effective. It helped the Patriots that Rodney Harrison and O’Neal have the same agent, Steve Feldman. When O’Neal plays for a team that can apply pressure, his skills as a gambler and his ability to catch the ball make him a valuable commodity.”​

Click to expand...

Very similar to Asante if you take away the 3 Pro Bowl appearances, the AP 2nd team CB, and 26 additional interceptions that Asante had after leaving NEP compared to the 3 O'Neal had in 2008. No it was a terrible replacement Mouthpiece Lombardi.