15 Years Ago Today: Pats Rout Mangini's Jets in Playoffs, 37-16

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 7
Patriots rout Jets 37-16 in Wild Card​

Sun Jan 7, 2007 at 1:00
2006 AFC Wild Card Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 37, New York Jets 16
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Chad Pennington
Odds: New England favored by 9
Pats improve to 13-4; next game is at 14-2 San Diego
Jets finish the 2006 season 10-7

Key Stat:
3rd Down: Patriots 11-16; Jets 3-11

Richard Seymour slams Chad Pennington to the ground, a play that temporarily forced Pennington from the game with an injured elbow.

Pennington was under duress the whole game, as in this hit by Ty Warren.

Vince Wilfork with his impression of a running back on a 31 yard fumble recovery.​

Game Recap | AP/ESPN

Tom Brady capped long scoring drives with short touchdown passes to Daniel Graham and Kevin Faulk, and Asante Samuel sealed it with a 36-yard interception return for a score with 4:54 left as New England beat Eric Mangini's New York Jets 37-16 on Sunday.​

​

Brady improved to 10-2 against the Jets (10-7), and played much better than in the teams' last meeting, when New York frustrated the quarterback with blitzes and won 17-14.​

​

New England, which has won seven of eight since that loss to New York, improved to 9-1 at home in the playoffs. The Jets made things interesting early, taking a 10-7 lead in the second quarter on a 77-yard touchdown catch and run by Jerricho Cotchery.​

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But it was all New England from that point in the teams' second-ever meeting in the playoffs, the last also a victory by the Patriots in 1985.​

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With the Patriots leading 23-16, Brady engineered the type of drive that has made him so deadly in big games. New England took over at its 37 and, with a series of short passes and runs got to the Jets 7.​

​

Brady then found Kevin Faulk with a short pass and the running back zipped into the end zone with 5:16 left as the Patriots quarterback put up both hands and pointed skyward.​

​

Brady finished 22-of-34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while Jabar Gaffney had eight catches for 104 yards. The Patriots also outrushed the Jets 148-70.​

​

New England also took advantage of a big mistake by the Jets late in the third quarter.​

​

Chad Pennington's pass was knocked down by Rosevelt Colvin and picked up by Vince Wilfork, who rumbled 31 yards to the Jets 15 before being tackled by Cotchery. The play was ruled a backward pass and a fumble, and the ruling was upheld after a challenge by Mangini.​

Patriots beat Jets 37-16 in AFC Wild Card | Reuters

Patriots ground Jets 37-16

Patriots 37, Jets 16 - Boston.com

"Master vs Apprentice"; 9:55 Highlight Video:
​

 

[VectorPrime]

I choose not to remember that postseason.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 7
Patriots win 10th straight playoff game, 28-3 over Jacksonville​

Saturday January 7, 2006 at 8:00
2005 AFC Wild Card Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 3
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Jack Del Rio
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Byron Leftwich
Odds: New England favored by 8
Pats improve to 11-6; play at Denver the next week
Jacksonville finishes 12-5

Key Stats:
3rd Down: Patriots 7-14, Jaguars 1-4
Turnovers: Patriots 0, Jaguars 2
The Patriots fumbled the ball four times, but retained possession all four times.

The Patriots outscore Jacksonville 21-0 in the second half to advance to the divisional round. Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes, including 63 yarder to Ben Watson to make the score 21-3 late in the third quarter. Jacksonville was driving into New England territory when Asante Samuel intercepted a Byron Leftwich pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and raced down the sideline 73 yards to put the game out of reach. Willie McGinest set NFL records for most sacks in a game (4½), and most postseason career sacks (16).

Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich wasn't prepared for the snap.

Benjamin Watson tiptoed down the sideline during his 63-yard scoring catch-and-run in the third quarter.

As Asante Samuel raced for the end zone with his interception return, Willie McGinest (55) began the celebration.

Deion Branch eludes a diving tackle attempt by Jacksonville’s Gerald Sensabaugh.

Alvin Pearman hit the deck and lost the ball after a jarring hit by Eugene Wilson; Richard Seymour recovered the fumble.

Willie McGinest crashes down on defenseless Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich.​

Patriots Make It A Perfect 10; Brady Has 3 TD Passes for Two-Time Defending Champs: Patriots 28, Jaguars 3 | WaPo

Patriots still have it going on / Brady, McGinest make 10th straight playoff win look easy

Patriots too strong for Jaguars as playoff streak builds - The Boston Globe

Two Minute Highlight Video:
​

 

[TheRainMaker]

‘05-‘07 playoff loses were brutal.

When they lost to Denver my friends were like “about fuking time they lose”.

They all loved it when they lost to the Colts and were throwing a party when they lost to the Giants after me talking sheet all season they were going undefeated.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 7
**** MacPherson is named head coach​

January 7, 1991:
**** MacPherson is hired as the franchise's tenth (non-interim) head coach. He succeeded Rod Rust, who lasted just one season. In 1991 the Pats won five more games than they did the previous year - a number that to this day is still the best improvement in club history for a first year head coach, and third best single season improvement overall. Granted, coming off a 1-15 season that many not be saying much, but it is still noteworthy - especially considering the situation at quarterback. No opponents were going to devise a defensive game plan to stop Hugh Millen or Tom Hodson.

MacPherson Is Hired By the Patriots (Published 1991)

www.nytimes.com

In a rush to put a happy face on a sad team, the New England Patriots today hired **** MacPherson, Syracuse's successful and spirited coach, as their third coach in three years.​

​

"If you're going to come in and change the attitudes and your approach, you better do it immediately," said Sam Jankovich, the former University of Miami athletic director, who joined the Patriots as their chief executive officer on Dec. 20. "If you wait very long, people are going to fall into the same rut."​

​

MacPherson, a Maine native who attended Springfield (Mass.) College, brings an outgoing personality to a team that struggled the last two seasons under two reserved coaches, Rust and Raymond Berry.​

Syracuse's MacPherson named new Patriots head coach - UPI Archives

**** MacPherson of Syracuse University, looking to take his coaching career to a 'higher level,' Monday accepted the job as head coach of the NFL's worst...

www.upi.com

The Patriots finished the 1990 season at 1-15, the worst mark in franchise history. The Patriots tied NFL season records for most losses and most consecutive defeats (14).​

​

'Hiring **** MacPherson as head coach of the New England Patriots is a great way to start a new era for this organization,' Jankovich said. '**** as head football coach represents all the qualities that we believe are essential to winning in the NFL.'​

​

'**** has a wealth of experience, character and knowledge that translates into exciting football,' said Jankovich, who expects MacPherson to establish 'a disciplined program' at New England.​

Dick MacPherson: I made a huge mistake in going to New England

Coach Mac will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame next week in New York.

www.syracuse.com

"I think I made a huge mistake in going because, see, the thing you ought to make sure is, who the hell are you working for. I don't think it was a good marriage. I've never gotten a divorce before, you know.​

​

"The thing about it is this, I never got fired until there. That was the biggest present he ever gave me. I think I had five or six years left on my contract. Fine."​

​

MacPherson coached at New England during a tumultuous time of changing ownership and constant threats of moving the franchise. He was 6-10 during his first season with the Patriots. He was 2-14 in his second and was fired. His replacement was Bill Parcells, who last three years and took the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Parcells left the Patriots for the New York Jets and was replaced in New England by Pete Carroll, who lasted four years.​

​

MacPherson was head coach of the Syracuse Orangemen between 1981 and 1990. He posted a record of 66-46-4. After the team finished 5-6 in 1986, MacPherson took Syracuse on a magical run in which the Orangemen were 36-10 including an 11-0-1 mark in 1987 that included a berth in the Sugar Bowl and a fling with the national championship.​

**** MacPherson with quarterbacks Tommy Hodson and Scott Zolak​

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I choose not to remember that postseason.

Yah, 2006 wa one of several brutal contiguous post seasons. Had Pats D been healthy 2nd half winning the SB was a layup.
Was celebrating 1st half with friends and ran out of adult beverages. Ran out at halftime to re-stockonly to return to utter depression.
Face guarding, my ***!

 

[Pape]

Today in Patriots History: January 7
**** MacPherson is named head coach​

January 7, 1991:
**** MacPherson is hired as the franchise's tenth (non-interim) head coach. He succeeded Rod Rust, who lasted just one season. In 1991 the Pats won five more games than they did the previous year - a number that to this day is still the best improvement in club history for a first year head coach, and third best single season improvement overall. Granted, coming off a 1-15 season that many not be saying much, but it is still noteworthy - especially considering the situation at quarterback. No opponents were going to devise a defensive game plan to stop Hugh Millen or Tom Hodson.

MacPherson Is Hired By the Patriots (Published 1991)

www.nytimes.com

In a rush to put a happy face on a sad team, the New England Patriots today hired **** MacPherson, Syracuse's successful and spirited coach, as their third coach in three years.​

​

"If you're going to come in and change the attitudes and your approach, you better do it immediately," said Sam Jankovich, the former University of Miami athletic director, who joined the Patriots as their chief executive officer on Dec. 20. "If you wait very long, people are going to fall into the same rut."​

​

MacPherson, a Maine native who attended Springfield (Mass.) College, brings an outgoing personality to a team that struggled the last two seasons under two reserved coaches, Rust and Raymond Berry.​

Syracuse's MacPherson named new Patriots head coach - UPI Archives

**** MacPherson of Syracuse University, looking to take his coaching career to a 'higher level,' Monday accepted the job as head coach of the NFL's worst...

www.upi.com

The Patriots finished the 1990 season at 1-15, the worst mark in franchise history. The Patriots tied NFL season records for most losses and most consecutive defeats (14).​

​

'Hiring **** MacPherson as head coach of the New England Patriots is a great way to start a new era for this organization,' Jankovich said. '**** as head football coach represents all the qualities that we believe are essential to winning in the NFL.'​

​

'**** has a wealth of experience, character and knowledge that translates into exciting football,' said Jankovich, who expects MacPherson to establish 'a disciplined program' at New England.​

Dick MacPherson: I made a huge mistake in going to New England

Coach Mac will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame next week in New York.

www.syracuse.com

"I think I made a huge mistake in going because, see, the thing you ought to make sure is, who the hell are you working for. I don't think it was a good marriage. I've never gotten a divorce before, you know.​

​

"The thing about it is this, I never got fired until there. That was the biggest present he ever gave me. I think I had five or six years left on my contract. Fine."​

​

MacPherson coached at New England during a tumultuous time of changing ownership and constant threats of moving the franchise. He was 6-10 during his first season with the Patriots. He was 2-14 in his second and was fired. His replacement was Bill Parcells, who last three years and took the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Parcells left the Patriots for the New York Jets and was replaced in New England by Pete Carroll, who lasted four years.​

​

MacPherson was head coach of the Syracuse Orangemen between 1981 and 1990. He posted a record of 66-46-4. After the team finished 5-6 in 1986, MacPherson took Syracuse on a magical run in which the Orangemen were 36-10 including an 11-0-1 mark in 1987 that included a berth in the Sugar Bowl and a fling with the national championship.​

**** MacPherson with quarterbacks Tommy Hodson and Scott Zolak​

McPherson coming to New England... aka... how i got to meet Dave Bavaro... and one of my greatest football regrets

McPherson was the hc of Syracuse as well all know... after he left, the Orangemen hired Paul Pasqualoni as their new head coach... He did fairly well there iirc... he was the coach there thru the McNabb years... he led some really good nfl players thru that system as well... was a good coach...

so it was the late 90's, early 2000's... i really don't remember the year... I got hired to teach a private scuba class... three guys, one had a pool... One of the guys in the class was named dante... he was a pretty cool guy, worked as a host at foxwoods... so the guy who owned the home we were doing the classes at had a huge football memorabilia collection... helmets, jerseys, footballs, etc... mostly pro stuff... so we got to talking football... Dante told me his brother was named Paul, and he was the head coach at Syracuse... i was like damn, thats cool... so we talked about the program, how Paul built his coaching resume, etc, landing at syracuse, how he built the program considering the difficulties he had recruiting guys to go to the ass end of new york etc...

So Dante and I kept in touch... he dropped me a call one day, asked if i wanted to see Syracuse @ Boston College... which I did... so I met up with his crew ... we went to the game, and sitting right next to me was Dave Bavaro... former Patriot player and younger brother of Mark Bavaro... that was a pretty cool day...

As for the regret... After Parcells landed in Dallas, he hired Paul as an assistant coach... I got offered a trip to Dallas with Dante... Meet Parcels, meet the coaches, players, tour cowboys stadium etc... I was unable to swing that particular trip on short notice... told him raincheck... Parcells retired, Dante moved from RI back to the center of CT and we never really kept in touch after that... Ah well, woulda been cool...

 

[jmt57]

Today's Birthdays​

Bob Scarpitto was born Jan 7, 1939 in Rahway, New York
Patriot Punter and Flanker in 1968; uniform #46
Bob was a running back at Notre Dame, scoring twenty touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons for the Fighting Irish. He switched to flanker in the pros, and also took on punting duties in his fifth season in the AFL, in 1965. He held the mark for the longest punt of the year in each of his four seasons of punting, and also led the AFL in yards per punt in '66 (45.2) and '67 (44.9).

Scarpitto, who was All-AFL at punter in 1966, was released at the end of the 1968 training camp by Denver, and immediately signed by the Pats. He led the league in 1968 with the longest punt (87 yards) - but also led in punts blocked (2). All that happened in just the first four games of the season, before Mike Holovak switched to Belmont native Terry Swanson at punter. Scarpitto played in every game for the Pats that season, but was limited almost exclusively to special teams. He had two receptions that year, the final one being a 33-yard touchdown reception from Tom Sherman during garbage time in a week eight loss to the Jets.

Al Marshall was born Jan 7, 1951 in Monroe, Louisiana
Patriot WR in 1974; uniform #88
Marshall was born in Louisiana, grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and went to college at Boise State. He was a tenth round draft pick by Denver in 1973, released as a final preseason cut. The Patriots signed Marshall as a free agent on April 8, 1974. He was a preseason sensation, catching nine passes for 123 yards. However, a shoulder injury resulted in his spending most of the year on injured reserve. Marshall rejoined the team for the final four games of the '74 season, making one catch, a 17-yard TD vs the Raiders. Marshall then spent the entire 1975 season on injured reserve with a knee injury; he was released early in the following training camp, on July 26, 1976.

Al Marshall, 1974​

Local Guy:
Ivan Caesar was born Jan 7, 1967
Dorchester High School and Boston College
LB played 14 games for the Vikings in 1991.

BC, Dorchester star Ivan Caesar mourned

Former coaches and teammates were saddened by the news that former Boston College and Dorchester High School football star Ivan Caesar was shot and killed inside his Orlando, Fla., home Sunday morn…

www.bostonherald.com

Other NFL Birthdays
1/7/1997 - QB Lamar Jackson
1/7/1986 - Steeler LG Ramon Foster
1/7/1979 - SF RB Kevan Barlow
1/7/1973 - Chi/Sea WR Bobby Engram
1/7/1969 - PR/WR Todd Kinchen
1/7/1962 - LB & HC Ron Rivera
1/7/1960 - OL & NFL analyst Brian Baldinger
1/7/1958 - Atl/Hous CB-PR-KR Kenny Johnson
1/7/1948 - Cle/Phi/Was DE Joe 'Turkey' Jones


1/7/1946 - Atl LB Greg Brezina
1/7/1930 - QB Eddie LeBaron had 13 4th quarter comebacks with Washington and Dallas, and was named to four Pro Bowls - despite having a career record of 28-54-3.
Eddie LeBaron, the diminutive 'Little General' of 1950s Redskins, dies at 85 | WaPo
Obituary: Eddie LeBaron, 85, starred at UOP and in NFL

 

[Hyped]

Damn man...that was the start of the bullschitt Spy Gate saga....

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

Today in Patriots History: January 7
Patriots win 10th straight playoff game, 28-3 over Jacksonville​

Saturday January 7, 2006 at 8:00
2005 AFC Wild Card Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 3
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Jack Del Rio
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Byron Leftwich
Odds: New England favored by 8
Pats improve to 11-6; play at Denver the next week
Jacksonville finishes 12-5

Key Stats:
3rd Down: Patriots 7-14, Jaguars 1-4
Turnovers: Patriots 0, Jaguars 2
The Patriots fumbled the ball four times, but retained possession all four times.

The Patriots outscore Jacksonville 21-0 in the second half to advance to the divisional round. Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes, including 63 yarder to Ben Watson to make the score 21-3 late in the third quarter. Jacksonville was driving into New England territory when Asante Samuel intercepted a Byron Leftwich pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and raced down the sideline 73 yards to put the game out of reach. Willie McGinest set NFL records for most sacks in a game (4½), and most postseason career sacks (16).

Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich wasn't prepared for the snap.

Benjamin Watson tiptoed down the sideline during his 63-yard scoring catch-and-run in the third quarter.

As Asante Samuel raced for the end zone with his interception return, Willie McGinest (55) began the celebration.

Deion Branch eludes a diving tackle attempt by Jacksonville’s Gerald Sensabaugh.

Alvin Pearman hit the deck and lost the ball after a jarring hit by Eugene Wilson; Richard Seymour recovered the fumble.

Willie McGinest crashes down on defenseless Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich.​

Patriots Make It A Perfect 10; Brady Has 3 TD Passes for Two-Time Defending Champs: Patriots 28, Jaguars 3 | WaPo

Patriots still have it going on / Brady, McGinest make 10th straight playoff win look easy

Patriots too strong for Jaguars as playoff streak builds - The Boston Globe

Two Minute Highlight Video:
​

my first ever game at Gillette. Willy was a monster with 4.5 sacks that game. Ben Watsons big TD on third down

 

[Kontradiction]

I cannot believe that was already 15 years ago. Jesus.

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

Right, to this day that Colts loss hurts more than 18-1 for some reason.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

Right, to this day that Colts loss hurts more than 18-1 for some reason.

No way.... Nothing hurts more than that.

 

[captain stone]

Today in Patriots History: January 7
Patriots rout Jets 37-16 in Wild Card​

Sun Jan 7, 2007 at 1:00
2006 AFC Wild Card Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 37, New York Jets 16
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Chad Pennington
Odds: New England favored by 9
Pats improve to 13-4; next game is at 14-2 San Diego
Jets finish the 2006 season 10-7

Key Stat:
3rd Down: Patriots 11-16; Jets 3-11

Richard Seymour slams Chad Pennington to the ground, a play that temporarily forced Pennington from the game with an injured elbow.

Pennington was under duress the whole game, as in this hit by Ty Warren.

Vince Wilfork with his impression of a running back on a 31 yard fumble recovery.​

Game Recap | AP/ESPN

Tom Brady capped long scoring drives with short touchdown passes to Daniel Graham and Kevin Faulk, and Asante Samuel sealed it with a 36-yard interception return for a score with 4:54 left as New England beat Eric Mangini's New York Jets 37-16 on Sunday.​

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Brady improved to 10-2 against the Jets (10-7), and played much better than in the teams' last meeting, when New York frustrated the quarterback with blitzes and won 17-14.​

​

New England, which has won seven of eight since that loss to New York, improved to 9-1 at home in the playoffs. The Jets made things interesting early, taking a 10-7 lead in the second quarter on a 77-yard touchdown catch and run by Jerricho Cotchery.​

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But it was all New England from that point in the teams' second-ever meeting in the playoffs, the last also a victory by the Patriots in 1985.​

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With the Patriots leading 23-16, Brady engineered the type of drive that has made him so deadly in big games. New England took over at its 37 and, with a series of short passes and runs got to the Jets 7.​

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Brady then found Kevin Faulk with a short pass and the running back zipped into the end zone with 5:16 left as the Patriots quarterback put up both hands and pointed skyward.​

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Brady finished 22-of-34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while Jabar Gaffney had eight catches for 104 yards. The Patriots also outrushed the Jets 148-70.​

​

New England also took advantage of a big mistake by the Jets late in the third quarter.​

​

Chad Pennington's pass was knocked down by Rosevelt Colvin and picked up by Vince Wilfork, who rumbled 31 yards to the Jets 15 before being tackled by Cotchery. The play was ruled a backward pass and a fumble, and the ruling was upheld after a challenge by Mangini.​

Patriots beat Jets 37-16 in AFC Wild Card | Reuters

Patriots ground Jets 37-16

Patriots 37, Jets 16 - Boston.com

"Master vs Apprentice"; 9:55 Highlight Video:
​

“Great game Eric…”

Was it at the end of this particular game when I heard Bill say that to him?

 

[captain stone]

Right, to this day that Colts loss hurts more than 18-1 for some reason.

No way.... Nothing hurts more than that.

Each of those losses hurt badly in their own way during the Lost Decade (+ 2017), but yeah if I had to choose only one game where I could reverse the outcome it would still probably be SB42…

 

[1960Pats]

I cannot believe that was already 15 years ago. Jesus.

My father mentioned to me that once I had children I'll see the years go by more quickly. He knew what he was talking about. Our oldest is now 42 and I remember his birth like it was yesterday.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Wasn’t this after the media started calling him “Mangenius”?

 

[captain stone]

My father mentioned to me that once I had children I'll see the years go by more quickly. He knew what he was talking about. Our oldest is now 42 and I remember his birth like it was yesterday.

Truer words were never spoken.