Today In Patriots History 2022: The last time the Pats played a postseason game

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Bills stampede Patriots 47-17 in Wild Card game
Buffalo sets NFL record, scoring TDs on all seven possessions
Worst playoff loss in Bill Belichick's career​

Saturday January 15, 2022 at 8:15
2021 AFC Wild Card Game, at Highmark Stadium
Buffalo Bills 47, New England Patriots 17
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Sean McDermott
Quarterbacks: Mac Jones, Josh Allen
Odds: Bills favored by 4
Weather: 7°, 8 mph wind, minus-6° wind chill
Game MVPs: Josh Allen, Devin Singletary
Pats finish season with a record of 10-8
Bills improve to 12-6; advance to division round at Kansas City


The Patriots got off to another slow start, a recurring issue throughout much of the 2021 season. Buffalo sprinted out to a 14-0 first quarter lead as the defense looked slow and inexcusably flat. The Bills literally had their way with the New England defense, scoring touchdowns on all seven of their offensive possessions (excluding an end of game kneel down).

Consider some of the Buffalo offensive stats:
482 Total Yards - Buffalo outgained the Pats by 177 yards!
174 Yards Rushing (6 yards per carry)
Zero Interceptions
Zero Fumbles
Zero Sacks Allowed
Only four incomplete pass attempts
6-7 on third down - the only time they didn't convert was an end-of-game kneel down
8.9 yards per play
Five Touchdown Passes
157.6 Passer Rating
Zero Punts

Five thoughts from New England Patriots' embarrassing playoff loss to Buffalo Bills

The Patriots' season ended in ugly fashion.

www.enterprisenews.com

The Bills emasculated the Patriots in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs Saturday night, throttling their AFC East rival, 47-17, at a frigid Highmark Stadium to bring New England's season to an utterly disappointing end.​

The Patriots' defense didn't even look like it made the trip to Buffalo. The Bills humiliated New England from the outset, gashing the Patriots by scoring touchdowns on their first seven possessions – five of those scoring drives covered over 70 yards.​

The Bills didn't even attempt a punt for the second straight game against the Patriots. By the end of the contest, the Bills racked up 482 total yards of offense and averaged 8.9 yards per play.​

Throughout the season, New England's defense showed an inability to get off the field and it couldn't stop Buffalo with the Bills going 6-for-7 on third downs – the only time they didn't pick up a third down came on a kneel down to end the game.​

There were plenty of issues with the Patriots' defense. Cornerbacks Myles Bryant and Joejuan Williams were outmatched and got burned in the secondary time and time again as did Pro Bowler J.C. Jackson. The Patriots' pass rush was also unable to get to Josh Allen, giving him plenty of time to carve up the defense.​

But the most glaring problem facing New England's defensive unit is its severe lack of speed. The Patriots looked like they were moving in slow motion as Buffalo's speedy skill position players flew past them. In one instance, Isaiah McKenzie took a swing pass behind the line of scrimmage and bolted 19 yards down the sideline. That kick-started a drive in which the Bills covered 89 yards in four plays.​

Just an absolutely deplorable performance from New England's defense.​

Patriots, Jones end season with a dud in 47-17 loss to Bills

After gaining so much ground during Mac Jones' rookie season, the New England Patriots faltered at the finish.

www.wbur.org

After gaining so much ground during Mac Jones' rookie season, the New England Patriots faltered at the finish.​

Jones and the Patriots made strides turning around their season following a 2-4 start, putting together a seven-game win streak to make the playoffs for the first time in two seasons since Tom Brady left New England for Tampa Bay.​

But their progress stalled after a 14-10 win at Buffalo in Week 13 put them atop the division standings. The Patriots struggled coming out of their bye week, losing three of four, before suffering their worst postseason defeat since a 46-10 loss to the 1985 Chicago Bears.​

The loss was the most lopsided in the playoffs during Bill Belichick's tenure, which began in 2000, and second-worst overall after Buffalo opened the 2003 season with a 31-0 victory.​

Suddenly, the tables have begun turning on a proud Patriots franchise which won 17 division titles and six Super Bowls under Belichick, and was 35-5 against Buffalo from 2000 to 2019. New England has now dropped four of the last five meetings with Buffalo, which has staked its claim to the division by winning two straight titles.​

The Bills dominated the Patriots in this one, much like they were once dominated by New England.​

Buffalo became the NFL's first team to score touchdowns on each of its seven possessions not ending with a kneeldown. And the 47 points scored were the most against a Belichick-coached Patriots team.​

Jones was the first rookie quarterback to start a playoff game for the Patriots. He finished 24 of 38 passing for 232 yards with two touchdowns, and was intercepted twice while taking two sacks.​

The Patriots fell to 4-7 this season when failing to score first and 2-7 when going scoreless in the first quarter.​

The various headlines - local, upstate New York, and national - say it all.

Bills stampede Patriots 47-17 in Wild Card game, end Mac Jones’ rookie season

The Patriots finish at 10-8, with losses in four of their last five games and a sense of wonder of what could have been.

www.bostonherald.com

Final: Bills embarrass Patriots in 47-17 wild card rout

The Patriots’ 2021 season is over, and it ended in embarrassing fashion. The Buffalo Bills are moving on to the divisional round after a 47-17 romp at Highmark Stadium, led...

985thesportshub.com

Bills rout Patriots 47-17 in wild card game

NBC 10 WJAR is the news, sports and weather leader for Providence, Rhode Island and surrounding communities, including Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, Newport, Bristol and Narragansett, Rhode Island and Attleboro, North Attleborough, Swansea, Fall River, Taunton and New Bedford...

turnto10.com

Buffalo Bills make NFL history in 47-17 win over Patriots on Wild Card weekend

Buffalo's offense essentially pitched a perfect game.

www.syracuse.com

Bills serve Bill Belichick his worst-ever playoff loss in 47-17 Wild Card win over Patriots

Allen sets franchise record with 5 touchdown passes.

www.syracuse.com

Bills 47-17 Patriots (Jan 15, 2022) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots NFL game from January 15, 2022 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

Bills destroy Patriots 47-17 in AFC wild card for worst playoff loss of Bill Belichick’s career

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen controlled the game through the air with 308 yards passing and five touchdowns, despite frigid temperatures.

www.nytimes.com

Patriots, Jones end season with a dud in 47-17 loss to Bills

The New England Patriots have plenty to improve upon if they intend to close the gap on their AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.

www.seattletimes.com

NFL Wild Card Game Recap: Buffalo Bills 47, New England Patriots 17

Quarterback Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a 47-17 playoff victory over quarterback Mac Jones and the New England Patriots on Saturday night.

www.pff.com

Game Day Thread - Official Game day Playoff Thread- Pats @ Bills

Who's ready for this playoff game??? As fans, this is what we've been waiting all year for!!! Can't wait!!! We'll need to force a turnover or two and we Can't turn the ball over at all!!! It's going to be interesting to see what our O-line is if Wynn can't go and who steps in for Mills if...

www.patsfans.com

PostGame Thread - Official Post Game Thread- Bills beat the Pats

This is a tough ending to an otherwise good season. Not many would have thought we would have made the playoffs with a rookie qb. I think Mac is definitely our future. Our defense was as bad as I can remember though. We'll need to upgrade our secondary, add a big body in the middle and add more...

www.patsfans.com

​

Buffal Bills Drives

# Quarter Time LOS Plays Length Net Yds Result 1 1 15:00 BUF 30 9 5:15 70 Touchdown 2 1 5:40 BUF 20 10 5:00 80 Touchdown 3 2 13:23 BUF 19 10 6:03 81 Touchdown 4 2 3:44 BUF 11 4 1:51 89 Touchdown 5 3 12:53 BUF 42 6 4:05 58 Touchdown 6 3 4:12 BUF 23 9 5:50 77 Touchdown 7 4 10:13 NWE 39 3 1:36 39 Touchdown 8 4 1:44 BUF 23 3 1:44 -2 End of Game

Wild Card - New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills - January 15th, 2022 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 17 at Buffalo Bills 47 on January 15th, 2022 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[jmt57]

January 15, 2022:
This is what I wrote three years before the game kicked off.
Obviously some of those numbers need to be updated, given Buffalo's domination over the Patriots the last few seasons.


Prior to today's game the fifteenth was one of just a few days the Patriots have never played in the month of January. Most are understandably late in the month during the period of time prior to the Super Bowl (25th and 28th through 31st); the only other day is the 17th.

This game will mark the 124th time these two original AFL clubs meet. Considering that they have been in the same division that entire time, it is not surprising that this is only the second time they have played each other in the postseason. The first came in 1963 when the two teams tied for the AFL East title. Unlike today those situations were settled on the field rather than with a list of statistical tiebreakers. The Pats won that game by the score of 26-8. Overall the Patriots lead the franchise series with a 77-46-1 record, thanks to a 35-4 advantage from 2000 through 2019. However, the Bills have won three of the last four by a margin of 105-65.

The Patriots 37-21 all-time in the playoffs, but only 4-5 in wild card games. The last playoff victory was three years ago when New England defeated the Los Angeles Rams by the score of 13-3 in Super Bowl 53.

The Buffalo Bills are 16-18 all-time in the postseason. After losing the AFL East tiebreaker to the Patriots in 1963, the Bills defeated the Chargers for the AFL Title in each of the next two years - back when it was a single playoff game following the regular season. From the 1990-93 seasons the Bills went 9-4 in the postseason, famously losing four consecutive super bowls. After that Buffalo went on a 15-year winless streak, not winning in the postseason again until they defeated the Colts and Ravens a year ago.




Here is a look at what else the forum was talking about on the fifteenth of January over the years.

January 15, 2024:

Curran: Belichick's exit raises questions about Pats' power dynamics

A new era will begin in New England this year, but as Tom E. Curran writes, there’s still plenty left to untangle from Bill Belichick’s 24-year Patriots tenure.

www.nbcsportsboston.com

Battle of the Leaks: Kraft strikes back

Via Tom Curran https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/bill-belichicks-exit-raises-questions-patriots-power-dynamics/580171/

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2022:

Jerod Mayo favourite for Houston gig?

This would qualify us for a third round pick in this draft and next if he’s hired?

www.patsfans.com

Justin Herron (PFF's 6th Worst Pass Blocker in NFL) Set to Protect Mac Jones' Blind Side

article: "Starting LT Isaiah Wynn is also out, which does not bode well for the Patriots' passing attack. Justin Herron will take over, and he is PFF's sixth-worst graded pass-blocker this season." ------- Reporters asked Trent Brown and he didn't practice left tackle since preseason, and...

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2019:

?Patriots Report Card In Blowout Win Over the Chargers | PatsFans.com

Brady's best pass was in the fourth quarter. Brady lasered a BB down the field that Edelman turned into a 35-yard gain.

www.patsfans.com

https://www.patsfans.com/new-englan...son-thinks-patriots-cheated-in-sb-36.1146861/

January 15, 2018:

Malcolm Butler Mega Thread

Just not having the kind of year I expected. Is it psychological ? Is he not getting the help with some WR's he used to? Anytime someone caught the ball Saturday I was looking for 21 trailing the play, ok sometimes it was Rowe . Can he turn it around for next games? What about his free agency...

www.patsfans.com

OT: Random Kudos on the use of "Recency Bias"

I wish I remembered which commentator on one of the networks used this... but he off-handedly said, correctly, "Look, we all have recency bias." (Maybe it was an MVP conversation or a "greatest ever" conversation, I dunno.) Recency bias is a real thing. It's exactly what it sounds like, or...

www.patsfans.com

Mularkey out in Tenn; Titans aiming for McDaniels

There is a chance we get: Patricia Lions HC McDaniels Titans HC Vrabel Colts HC Flores Cardinals HC

www.patsfans.com

So who is our next OC And DC?

Both coordinators are top candidates to land a head coaching gig at the end of the season. Who is your top candidates? I personally like the idea of Chip Kelly and Brian Flores but you guys already know that’s not gonna happen. Chip is in UCLA and Flores might be heading to Cardinals

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2017:

Patriots Get Away With Subpar Performance | PatsFans.com

The Patriots did prevail in the end, outlasting the game but error-prone Houston Texans on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, 34-16.

www.patsfans.com

Patriots Wear Down Texans, Advance to AFC Title Game | PatsFans.com

It was the little big men for the Patriots, Dion Lewis and Julian Edelman who did the damage for the Pats offense.

www.patsfans.com

Earl Thomas: "Tom Brady has the easiest route, put his ass in our division and see what he does!"

Pathetic.

www.patsfans.com

Idle thoughts - the stop the whining edition -

Very odd game. Only your NE Patriots can play a game with a 16 point spread against a team that has won 10 NFL games this season, then BEAT the spread despite turning the ball over FOUR times, and have everyone look and sound like they lost. So now we have the narrative established for next...

www.patsfans.com

Patriots Defeat Planet Hoosten, 34-16 ~ A Few Ruminations

01 ~ Bill The Mad (Genius). I'ave often squawked, over the Years, about the propensity of most Coaches, and Mad Bill in particular, to rush injured Players back into Action. History makes it clear that it takes Time, usually about 12 to 18 month, if there're no SetBacks, to fully regain 100% of...

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2016:

Gronk and Brady should have sat against Miami

With the strategy they employed there was no reason to play either. Both were hurt in that pathetic game. Edit" Should have SAT in that game

www.patsfans.com

As If Enough Dark Clouds Haven't ALREADY Gathered in Foxboro........

Michael Giardi ? @MikeGiardi Guess who's in town this weekend? Mr. Mike Kensil.

www.patsfans.com

OT Mort has stage 4 throat Cancer

I hope he recovers. Hated what he did with deflategate but this is sad news

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2015:

Shaugnessy and Felger are guaranteeing a easy win; I am worried

Felger was falling all over himself tonight on the radio predicting a cakewalk for the Patriots against the Colts. Rochrist noted on another thread that: Shaugnessy keeps tweeting 'There's no possible way the Colts win this weekend! None! March of the Tomato Cans!' I am worried. These guys...

www.patsfans.com

Tanguay with Indy Star's Greg Doyel on the ineligible formation

So Tanguay had this guy from Indy on, Greg Doyle, who loudly proclaims that the formation play the Pats used was absolutely cheating, even though it was legal, but it was still cheating, and you'll see next year it will be illegal, and it's because BB is just a dirty rotten cheater. Who's...

www.patsfans.com

Edelman on the Pats formation against the Ravens

Pretty funny. The Ravens were doing all kinds of hand wringing about this little twist Bill slipped into the game. I love it when Belichick gets in the other team's head. Harbaugh just had a mental meltdown and it transferred immediately to his players. Another coach schooled by the Pats. "The...

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2014:

Semi-OT: Cowher to Steeler fans: Get over Spygate

NFL Cowher dismisses impact of 'Spygate' - ESPN Didn't he say this when the story actually broke out?

www.patsfans.com

Shaugnessy: Sorry, the Pats will lose

Sorry, the Patriots are going to lose to the Broncos - Sports - The Boston Globe Don't have access to the article, but just from the headline I can tell it's a gem. Edit: Here's my favorite part: "But we all know they are not that good. And they have no familiarity with road games in the...

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2013:

Patriots Mesko Was a Difference Maker Sunday

Looking back at Sunday's win over the Texans, it's tough not to appreciate the role that Zoltan Mesko played in the battle for field position, and he made some pretty big kicks during the victory.

www.patsfans.com

BY THE NUMBERS: Charting the Patriots Rushing Attack against Houston

While looking at the rushing stats it was interesting to note that the Patriots completely avoided running off right tackle or off the end on that side against the Texans on Sunday.

www.patsfans.com

Recapping Sunday's New England Patriots Milestones

Cleaning out some notes from Sunday's game, here's a quick list of some of the milestones reached by the Patriots during their AFC Divisional win over the Texans.

www.patsfans.com

Dan Fouts: Tom Brady gets special treatment from refs

It Is What It Is » Dan Fouts: Tom Brady gets special treatment from refs The patriots hate just never stops...especially their boy manning out. :mad:

www.patsfans.com

Ravens Are 3-4 Since Thanksgiving

Just a little something I haven't heard or seen much discussion about in all this cacaphony. They were 1-4 down the stretch in the regular season. At home, they beat a team everyone pegged as the worst playoff team in the tournament. They gutted out a courageous win against the vastly...

www.patsfans.com

Ravens Game strategy/strengths/weaknesses - Lets discuss

Lets maintain this thread for Game strategy and strengths/weaknesses of PATS vs Ravens. Early scouting report on Patriots-Ravens - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston 1. The vertical passing game. This much is clear from the Ravens’ Saturday night win in Denver: Quarterback Joe...

www.patsfans.com

Ray Lewis a liability on D vs. Pats?

With all that said, there is one area in which the Ravens have clearly played better without Lewis, and that is in pass coverage. When Lewis has played this season, opposing running backs have caught 70 percent of the passes thrown their way and averaged 5.6 yards per target. Those numbers are a...

www.patsfans.com

Source: Gronkowski break not identical to first one

Uhhhhhh..... THE PLLLLLAAATTTTEEEEE!!!!!! :eek: Source: Gronkowski break not identical to first one

www.patsfans.com

January 15, 2012:

Media Should Back Off Of Tebow

Just listened to his press conference. He called it a good day because he got to help a kid. Its real hard not to like the guy. It's too bad the media is so obsessed that their obsession makes people dislike him.

www.patsfans.com

First playoff win for Brian Waters in 12 years

Believe it or not, after 12 season, this is Brian Water's first playoff win. That's great perspective for this sometimes spoiled fan base. We do have it pretty good compared to most of the teams in this league.

www.patsfans.com

Better pray Baltimore wins.

B'more old and slow and it shows. They are getting their ass kicked by Houston everywhere but the scoreboard they'd be winning except for that ****** bonehead play on the punt.

www.patsfans.com

idle thoughts - satisfaction delayed part II

You can probably count the number of negative plays on one hand. There was Brady's interception of course. There was McCourty losing contain on McGahee's bounce out. There was Ridley's fumble, and perhaps a few others. But over all this was as methodical a beat down as we have seen in a very...

www.patsfans.com

Hernandez Stepped Up During the Patriots Playoff Win Over Denver

Rob Gronkowski obviously has his own set of skills, but Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has shown a lot of versatility in this offense this season.

www.patsfans.com

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Brady vs Tebow: It Wasn't Close This Time

Taking a look at the numbers tonight, Tim Tebow's not quite ready to go head to head with Tom Brady.

www.patsfans.com

Brady Shows He Has Other Ways Of Giving the Team a Leg Up This Postseason

Tom Brady showed Saturday night he's also dangerous with his legs after surprising Denver with a quick kick.

www.patsfans.com

Patriots, Brady Throw Wet Blanket On Naysayers

Tom Brady is a lock for the Hall of Fame and perhaps one of the top five QBs ever to play the game. But this week, he was a total non-entity. Think it bothered Brady? You bet it did.

www.patsfans.com

 

[turkeyneck]

Pats first ever playoff game was a 28-6 win over the Buffalo Bills on 28 December 1963. So there's that.

Followed by a crushing 51-10 defeat by the SD Chargers in the championship game...

 

[jmt57]

Aside from there only being one single January 15th football game for the Patriots, this date is devoid of famous birth dates as well.


Happy 74th birthday to Bill DuLac
Born January 15, 1951 in Detroit
Patriot guard, 1973-1975; uniform #68
Acquired in trade with Los Angeles Rams on July 24, 1973

Bill DuLac was a seventh round draft pick by the Rams in 1973, from Eastern Michigan. The Patriots traded him to Green Bay on August 9, 1973, just 16 days after acquiring him from the Rams. DuLac spent the 1973 season the taxi squad for Dallas, then re-signed with the Patriots when the Cowboys cut him at the end of their 1974 training camp.

DuLac played in 13 games with one start for the Patriots in both 1974 and 1975. He was released on July 1, 1976.

William DuLac - E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame | Eastern Michigan University Eagles

​

Perhaps of more interest is how Bill DuLac ever even came to become a New England Patriot.

Herb Adderley is a Hall of Fame cornerback; one of just four players at that time (five now: TB12) to win six NFL championships. Adderley played from 1961 to 1969 for Vince Lombardi and the Packers, then for Tom Landry in Dallas for three seasons. After being benched late in the 1972 season he was dealt to the Patriots for nothing more than a tenth round draft pick just before the start of training camp.

Patriots Get Adderley, Voss In Separate Transactions (Published 1973)

www.nytimes.com

After this things get murky. It appears as though Adderley never reported to the Patriots and they traded his rights to the Rams in exchange for DuLac. Wikipedia makes no mention of the Patriots in their Herb Adderley bio, stating he refused to report to the Rams. Pro Sports Transactions says that the Rams waived Adderley with an injury settlement two weeks after the trade with the Pats.




Happy 36th birthday to Chris White
Born January 15, 1989 in Mobile, Alabama
Patriot ST/LB, 2013-2014; uniform #59
Claimed off waivers from Detroit on September 1, 2013

Chris White was originally a sixth round draft pick by Buffalo in 2011, from Mississippi State. After two seasons with the Bills he was traded to Detroit for QB Thad Lewis; the Patriots picked him up off waivers less than a week later.

In 2013 White played in all 16 games with the Patriots and was on the field for 328 special team snaps (67%), as well as both playoff games (40 ST snaps, 70%). He had nine tackles (five solo) as the Pats went 13-5.

White appeared in 13 games the following season, missing three games late in the year with an ankle injury. He was on the field for 257 special team snaps and seven defensive snaps in the regular season, making seven tackles. White made four more tackles in the postseason, earning a ring from Super Bowl 49 versus Seattle. The Pats released White on August 10, to make room for a running back named Tony Creecy.

Football journey: Chris White

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Receiver Wes Welker is the highest profile acquisition the New England Patriots have made for a player with AFC East ties. But he’s far from the only one.

www.espn.com

Patriots re-sign LB Chris White

The New England Patriots announced the following transaction on Friday, March 13, 2015.

www.patriots.com

Happy 58th birthday to Fred DeRiggi
Born January 15, 1967 in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Patriot NT, 1990; uniform #71

Fred DeRiggi was originally a seventh round draft pick by the Bills in 1990, from Syracuse. He played in the final two games of the forgettable 1990 season for Rod Rust. DeRiggi was with the Pats for the 1991 offseason but was released as part of roster cutdowns in late August - even though at that point he was reunited with his college coach, **** MacPherson.

Fred DeRiggi - Syracuse University Athletics

6-2, 268, NG Scranton , PA West Scranton H.S. At SU: two letters…two year starter at nose guard…a program player ...

cuse.com

Syracuse football hopes LSU rematch looks like 1989 Hall of Fame bowl (photos, video)

Rob Drummond was the MVP of the Hall of Fame game 27 years ago when SU "punished" the Tigers 23-10. He's hoping for more of the same this weekend in the Carrier Dome.

www.syracuse.com

Rob Drummond can still clearly remember the vibe the last time Syracuse shared a football field with the folks from Louisiana State.​

"They were just so arrogant leading up to that game," Drummond recalled Tuesday evening. "We got the same feeling from them that we got the year before from Auburn at the Sugar Bowl.​

"You know, they were from the SEC. They had the best conference in the land. They played the tougher schedule. The world revolved around them. All that stuff. Their thing was they were the ones who weren't going to lose to the team from the north."​

Drummond, the former Orange running back (via Jamesville-DeWitt High School), was speaking of the 1989 Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa where 17th-ranked SU took on No. 16 LSU … and beat it 23-10 before a New Year's Day (plus one) gathering of 51,112.​

The two schools, which will meet again on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome, haven't butted heads since. And there may have been a reason beyond geography.​

Hard feelings, anyone?​

"We didn't care if we won the game," said Drummond, who gained 122 yards (on 23 carries) and scored two touchdowns en route to winning the affair's Most Valuable Player award. "We just wanted to beat them up physically and show them that we could play football up north, too."​

Wait. The goal was to batter the SEC co-champion Tigers, first … and out-score them, second?​

"Correct," Drummond declared. "And we did beat them up. From the very first play. We knocked, like, five of their guys out of the game."​

But back in January of '89 things were different. SU, on a 25-4-1 run, had traveled to Tampa with a program stocked with 16 athletes who'd eventually suit up in the NFL. And 11 of them saw the field down there in Florida.​

Drummond, David Bavaro, Rob Burnett, Frank Conover, Fred DeRiggi, John Flannery, Daryl Johnston, Rob Moore, Markus Paul, Todd Philcox, Terry Wooden. Each a future pro, they all played that day, 27 seasons ago, against the Tigers, and the stats they compiled were remarkable ones as the Orangemen outrushed LSU 208-76 in yardage, nearly doubled it in first downs (24-14) and shut it out in both the first and fourth quarters.​

Aug 19, 1991: Four players cut by Patriots | Hartford Courant

The Patriots cut their roster to 68 Monday by releasing four players, including Southington's Rob Thomson.​

Thomson, a free safety, signed with the Patriots as a free agent April 27. Thomson was a two-year starter for Syracuse and was the team's third-leading tackler in 1990.​

The Patriots also released tight end Randy Bethel, a 10th-round pick in April's draft, free-agent nose tackle Fred DeRiggi and free agent wide receiver Brian Wiggins.​

The Patriots must reduce their roster to 60 by 4 p.m. today.​

Dykes undergoes surgery​

Wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes, injured in Saturday night's 46-0 loss to Phoenix, underwent surgery on his fractured right kneecap. Dykes, who was a starter, is expected to miss the entire season.​

Dykes' injury moves second-year player Greg McMurtry into a starting position along with Irving Fryar. McMurtry, a third-round pick out of Michigan, caught 22 passes for 240 yards last season as a rookie.​

And some draft-pick-trade trivia involving players born on January 15:

Eric Kelly, 48 (Jan 15, 1977)
Third round (69th overall) pick of the 2001 draft

On April 21, 2001 the Patriots traded their third round (#69) pick of the 2001 draft to Minnesota, moving down 17 spots while adding a fourth round pick. The Pats used 3.86 to select CB Brock Williams, and 4.119 TE Jabari Holloway.

Neither Williams nor Holloway ever registered a single stat with the Patriots.

Williams dressed for the first game of 2001, then tore his ACL. The following offseason he was limited with an ankle injury before being released on Sept 1, 2002. He went on to play 12 NFL games with the Bears and Raiders.

Holloway began the 2001 training camp on the PUP list, then was placed on injured reserve for the '01 season. He was waived a year later on Aug 25, 2002. The tight end played for two seasons with Houston, with 15 receptions and no touchdowns.

Kelly was a starter for two season with the Vikings, then asked for his release in the 2004 offseason after his playing time had dwindled. The Texans claimed Kelly off waivers, then released him when he refused to renegotiate his contract and take a pay cut. Kelly signed with the Bears but he was cut at the end of 2004 training camp, and he never played in the NFL again.



Travis Lewis, 37 (Jan 15, 1988)
Seventh round (223rd overall) pick of the 2012 draft

The names in these trades (and six degrees of Travis Lewis) get a bit more interesting.


On Sept 4, 2010 the Patriots acquired this draft pick plus LB Tracy White from Philadelphia in exchange for a 2012 sixth round pick. White would go on to play 42 games over three seasons with the Pats.

A month later New England traded a 7th round 2012 draft pick (#223 overall) to Minnesota along with Randy Moss, in exchange for a 2011 third round pick. That pick was used to select QB Ryan Mallett.

In 2012 the Vikings made a draft day trade with Detroit, receiving a fourth round pick from the Lions. That fourth was one of four draft picks that Minnesota sent to New England in exchange for the Patriots' first round pick, 29th overall; the Viking used that on Cordarrelle Patterson.

The Patriots used the picks they recieved on Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan and Josh Boyce.

The Pats also later packaged a seventh round pick they received in the Minnesota trade with Jeff Demps, to trade for Tampa Bay RB LeGarrette Blount.




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

Fran Morelli (1939-2008)
Born in Medford; Medford High School
Tackle for the New York Titans in 1962

Obituary:

He was traded to the Oakland Raiders but due to injury moved onto teaching and coaching. He was a successful football coach and English teacher at Waltham and Woburn High Schools. Later, Fran held several executive positions in the Wine and Spirits industry with companies such as Fleishmann's, Publicker, Standard Brands, and SoGrape.​

 

[turkeyneck]

Didn't know of the Adderley / Pats connection. Great trivia. Adderley was one of my favorite players back in the day.