Today in Patriots History
Pats sign Aaron Hernandez,
Extend Gronk and Jules,
Brandon Spikes' hit and run,
and other newer June 8 News
June 8, 2001:
Patriots waive QB -- Patriots.com
One day after finishing mini-camp, New England waived quarterback Ben Leard.
The 6-3, 220-pound Leard signed with the Patriots on April 27 as a rookie free agent out of Auburn. He was with the team for rookie orientation, passing camp and mini-camp.
As a senior at Auburn Leard completed 193-of-319 passes for 2,158 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also had three rushing touchdowns.
The move lowers the roster total to 88 and leaves the Patriots with four quarterbacks. The remaining quarterbacks are Drew Bledsoe, Damon Huard, Tom Brady and Michael Bishop.
June 8, 2004:
New England re-signs
Terrell Buckley
The corner had been with the team in 2001-02, but did not make it onto the 2004 roster. For more on Buckley see the June 7 entry.
The New England Patriots signed unrestricted free agent cornerback Terrell Buckley today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Subsequently, the team announced the release of three players, running back Frank Moreau, fullback Philip Crosby and long snapper Sean McDermott.
The Patriots signed McDermott as a free agent on Dec. 10, 2003 and handled the team's long snapping duties in a 27-13 victory over the Jaguars on Dec. 14, 2003. He suffered an injury in that game and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 17.
Both Philip Crosby and Frank Moreau were signed by the Patriots as free agents immediately following the 2003 season on Feb. 6, 2004.
June 8, 2005:
Steve Wilburn passes away at the age of 44
Defensive end played in three games for the Pats in 1987. He initially played in the CFL after graduating from Illinois State, and also played for the Vikings prior to signing with the Patriots.
Chicago Mendel Catholic High School 1951 – 1988 Courtesy of Anthony Johnson (Mendel HS, Class of 1979) The History of Chicago Mendel Catholic High School Chicago (population 2.7 mil…
illinoishighschoolglorydays.com
June 8, 2006:
The Patriots announced the signing of first-year offensive tackle Jon Doty.
www.boston.com
The Patriots signed offensive tackle Jon Doty today. A first-year player out of Kansas State, Doty spent the spring of 2006 as a member of the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe (10 games, 9 starts). He is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds.
Doty was originally signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2005. He was released on Sept. 3 and was signed to the Giants’ practice squad on Dec. 13. Doty was released by the Giants on May 30, 2006.
Doty, a longshot to make the team’s 53-man roster, joins the team’s already deep mix at offensive tackle:
Matt Light
Nick Kaczur
Brandon Gorin
Jeff Roehl
Ryan O’Callaghan
Wesley Britt
Jon Doty
Randy Hand
Logan Mankins and Ross Tucker, who project to play guard, also have experience at tackle.
June 8, 2007:
The New England Patriots signed defensive linemen Rashad Moore and Kenny Smith , both free agents, and released long snapper Tony Case yesterday. Moore played in 13 games and made 11 tackles last sea…
www.telegram.com
The New England Patriots signed defensive linemen Rashad Moore and Kenny Smith, both free agents, and released long snapper Tony Case on Friday.
Moore played in 13 games and made 11 tackles last season with the New York Jets after sitting out the 2005 season. He spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons with Seattle, which cut him after training camp in 2005. He had started six games as a rookie with the Seahawks.
Smith played four seasons with New Orleans then signed with Oakland in 2005 but spent that season on injured reserve. He was out of football in 2006 then signed with Tampa Bay last March 7 and was released on April 30.
The Patriots had signed Case as a free agent on April 25. He played at Adams State College in Colorado but was out of the NFL the last two years.
Analysis on the signing of veteran DLs Rashad Moore and Kenny Smith.
www.boston.com
Following the passing of Marquise Hill, the Patriots had nine players under contract on the defensive line and have been seeking to add to the numbers.
The team returns starters Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren, as well as top reserves Jarvis Green and Mike Wright. The next layer of depth includes Le Kevin Smith (2006 sixth-round pick), Kareem Brown (2007 fourth-round pick), Santonio Thomas (2005-2006 practice squad player) and Zach West (2007 rookie free agent).
Rashad Moore and Kenny Smith — both of whom were signed on Friday — figure to compete among that second group.
June 8, 2010:
The New England Patriots have signed former Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez, their fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
www.gainesville.com
The New England Patriots have signed former Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez, their fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
The 6-1, 250-pound Hernandez had 68 catches for 850 yards — both school records for tight ends — while playing with star quarterback Tim Tebow last season.
The 113th overall selection in the draft, Hernandez acknowledged that he violated the substance abuse police once in college but denied published reports he was a multiple offender.
Hernandez, a native of Bristol, Conn., is the fourth of 12 Patriots' draft choices to sign with the team. Terms were not disclosed.
June 8, 2010:
Calvin Stephens passes away at the age of 42
The Pats selected Stephens in the third round of the 1991 draft. A guard from South Carolina, he played in 13 games for the Patriots in 1992, with one start.
Mountain Island Charter defensive back Gabe Stephens is the son of former Gamecock standout Calvin Stephens of Kings Mountain
www.gastongazette.com
June 8, 2012:
Pats sign TE
Rob Gronkowski to a six-year contract extension, through 2019
Rob Gronkowski is going to be in New England for a long time.
www.cbsnews.com
Rob Gronkowski is going to be in New England for a long time.
The Patriots' tight end agreed to a six-year extension with the Patriots, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The report says the deal is worth $54 million, though the specifics of that money are not yet known.
With perhaps the best tight end in the entire NFL on the roster for two more years at short money, the Patriots had no reason to rush to ink Gronkowski to a long-term deal. However, the team clearly prioritized him in order to avoid any potential contract issues in the future.
Gronkowski, still just , was scheduled to make a base salary of just $540,000 and $575,000 in the last two years of his rookie deal. Now, he'll be the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, according to Schefter.
Gronkowski caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, while also adding a two-yard touchdown that technically went into the stats as a rushing attempt. He set an NFL record for most touchdowns in a single season by a tight end and most receiving yards by a tight end, though an ankle injury suffered in the AFC Championship Game limited him to just two catches for 26 yards in the Super Bowl.
June 8, 2012:
New England Patriots tight end Brad Herman underwent surgery to repair an Achilles injury and will likely miss the season, according to a league source.
www.espn.com
New England Patriots tight end Brad Herman underwent surgery to repair an Achilles injury and will likely miss the season, according to a league source.
The undrafted rookie from Iowa was carted off the field during warmups of the team's organized team activity on Thursday. The Patriots have yet to make a roster move, but if Herman is placed on injured reserve (after first clearing waivers), he will not count against the 90-man roster limit.
Herman was one of just three tight ends set to practice on Thursday, joining second-year converted defensive end Alex Silvestro and veteran Bo Scaife. The team was without Rob Gronkowski (ankle) and Daniel Fells (unknown) for all of its OTA sessions open to the media, while Aaron Hernandez also missed Thursday's practice.
The injury ended Brad Herman's football career. A few days later he would be waived/injured, and revert to injured reserve. He never caught on with another NFL team after that.
Brad Herman - Football 2008-09
hawkeyesports.com
June 8, 2015:
Patriots release LB
Brandon Spikes
The move came one day after Spikes' vehicle was on I-495 in the early morning with no headlights and rear ended another automobile, causing substantial damage to both cars. Spike's Mercedes was abandoned on the median strip with the driver fleeing the scene.
Mercedes-Maybach found with front-end damage on Sunday as police say it is unclear who was driving and reported collision with a deer
www.theguardian.com
Former New England Patriot linebacker Brandon Spikes pleaded guilty Wednesday to leaving the scene of an accident last month on Interstate 495.
boston.cbslocal.com
Brandon Spikes considers himself a lucky man -- and a changed man -- to have an opportunity with the Bills after last year's life-altering crash.
www.espn.com
June 8, 2015:
The sixth year man out of William & Mary has 13 career interceptions.
www.boston.com
The Patriots made a move to add to their defensive backfield Monday with the signing of cornerback Derek Cox. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound Cox has played five seasons in the NFL with Jacksonville and San Diego, starting 56 of 63 career games and intercepting 13 passes.
Cox was benched three times in four November games by the Chargers in 2013, and replaced in the starting lineup in early December of that season. He did not play in the NFL in 2014 after spending training camp with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings released him on Aug. 25, and he was signed by Baltimore just two days later before being released by the Ravens on Aug. 30.
The signing of Derek Cox by the Patriots sparked memories of one of the best trades of Bill Belichick's 16-year tenure.
www.espn.com
The New England Patriots announced the signing of veteran cornerback Derek Cox on Monday, a move that sparks memories of one of the best trades of Bill Belichick's 16-year tenure.
In 2009, the Patriots traded a third-round pick to the Jaguars, who selected Cox. In turn, the Patriots received a seventh-round draft pick (WR Julian Edelman) and a 2010 second-rounder that was in a position (No. 44) that allowed the club to jump to No. 42 to select tight end Rob Gronkowski.
June 8, 2017:
Edelman has been irreplaceable since becoming the No. 1 receiver in 2013. But before that, the Patriots almost let him walk in free agency without much of a fight.
www.masslive.com
FOXBORO — Julian Edelman may very well be a Patriot for life.Edelman and the Patriots agreed to the terms of a multiyear contract extension, according to a source.The 31-year-old wide receiver was originally signed through 2017, but…
www.bostonherald.com
Julian Edelman may very well be a Patriot for life.
Edelman and the Patriots agreed to the terms of a multiyear contract extension, according to a source.
The 31-year-old wide receiver was originally signed through 2017, but now his status is secure for quite a bit longer. The exact details of the extension were not disclosed, as Edelman was still waiting to put the pen to paper, which could seemingly happen at any moment. The Pats wrapped up minicamp yesterday and have their Super Bowl ring ceremony at owner Robert Kraft’s residence tonight.
It’s been a terrific week for Edelman. His six connections with Tom Brady in three minicamp practices were tied for the second most on the team. Edelman caught a team-high 10 passes overall yesterday from Brady and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in team drills.
This will yield a great degree of comfort for Edelman after far more stressful contract negotiations in prior years. As a first-time free agent in 2013, Edelman visited with the Giants for a couple days before re-signing on a one-year, $1.015 million contract.
June 8, 2017:
On Thursday, the agency representing third-round pick Derek Rivers announced that the Patriots' top pick had officially signed his rookie contract.
www.masslive.com
Derek Rivers, a defensive end out of Youngstown State, was the fourth and final draft pick to sign his rookie deal. OT Tony Garcia, the team's other third-round pick, inked his deal on Tuesday while both DE Deatrich Wise and OT Conor McDermott signed their deals back in May.
June 8, 2019:
Eric Patterson dies at the age of 26
The Patriots had originally signed the CB from Ball State as an undrafted rookie on May 8, 2015.
Eric Patterson played college football at Ball State and then bounced around the NFL for a little bit after being signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent.
www.si.com
TAMPA — Eric Patterson was a well-liked, standout football player at Plant High School who went on to play at Ball State University and then a short stint in the NFL.
www.tampabay.com
