Today in Patriots History
John Harbaugh Loses His Mind
Impetus for Deflategate Witch Hunt is Conceived
Saturday January 10, 2015 at 4:30
2014 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 35, Baltimore Ravens 31
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Joe Flacco
Odds: New England favored by 7
Pats improve to 13-4; next game home vs Colts, who beat Denver 24-13
Baltimore finishes 11-7
The Patriots twice came back from 14 point deficits to defeat the Ravens. This was the game that Baltimore head coach
John Harbaugh cried foul over Patriot 'trick' formations. In the post-game Q&A Tom Brady poured gasoline on the fire by answering a question about trick plays with this response:
"Maybe those guys got to study the rule book and figure it out. We obviously knew what we were doing, and we made some pretty important plays. It was a real good weapon for us. Maybe we'll have something in store next week. I don't know what's deceiving about that. [The Ravens] should figure it out."
In my opinion the trick plays - and especially Brady's comments - were the impetus for the botched frame job a week later, that became the witch hunt known as deflategate. While I have no proof, I believe Harbaugh called his old friend and former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano - at that time head coach of the Colts, the Pats next opponent. Let's not forget also that the Patriots had thoroughly embarrassed Pagano's Colts in the playoffs the previous season.
Baltimore limited the Pats to 14 yards rushing, but
Tom Brady set franchise postseason records for completions (33) and yards passing (367). Despite the points allowed the Patriot defense did its part with interceptions by
Devin McCourty and
Duron Harmon off
Joe Flacco.
With the score 28-14 the Pats deployed an unusual formation, keeping only four offensive linemen on the field. TE
Michael Hoomanawanui lined up in the traditional left tackle position. The Patriots put two players to the right side of the line of scrimmage, which meant the inside player (
Shane Vereen) was ineligible to receive a pass - and Hoomanawanui, who was at the end of the line on the other side - was an eligible receiver.
Hooman caught passes for 16 and 14 yards, with the Baltimore defense in disarray. Harbaugh went ballistic - devoid of any composure to call a timeout and gather his defense on how to defend the unique formation. Instead he went out on the field, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, thus giving the Patriots first and goal.
Rob Gronkowski caught a 5-yard TD, and the Pats had cut the Baltimore lead to 28-21.
The unfocused Ravens went three-and-out on the next series. After getting the ball back Brady connected on short passes to
Julian Edelman for 9 yards, and Vereen for 10. On the third play of the drive Brady passed to Jules behind the line of scrimmage. The former college quarterback then hit
Danny Amendola for a 51 yard touchdown, and the score was tied.
Harbaugh was absolutely fit to be tied, completely lacking any sense of self control. I thought he was going to have a stroke right then and there on the field.
Baltimore finally settled down somewhat and a
Justin Tucker field goal put the Ravens back up by three with just over ten minutes to play. Brady completed eight out of nine passes on the following drive, as well as gaining a first down on a quarterback sneak. The winning points came on a 23 yard touchdown to
Brandon LaFell with 5:21 left to play. On the ensuing drive Baltimore drove as far as the New England 36, then Flacco threw his fourth interception - this one snared by
Duron Harmon with 1:46 to play to seal the victory.
NFL says Patriots' formations, reporting were legal | Baltimore Sun
"It's a substitution type of a trick type of thing," Harbaugh said Saturday night after the game. "So, they don't give you the opportunity. They don't give you a chance to make the proper substitutions and things like that. It's not something that anybody's ever done before. The league will look at that type of thing, and I'm sure that they'll make some adjustments and things like that."
Saturday January 10, 2004 at 8:15
2003 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 17, Tennessee Titans 14
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Jeff Fisher
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Steve McNair
Odds: New England Favored by 6
Pats improve to 15-2; next play at home vs Colts, who beat KC 38-31
Tennessee finishes 13-5
Coldest Game in Patriot Franchise History
The Pats advanced to the AFC Championship game for the third time in four years in a game that is most remembered for its frigid temperature.
Adam Vinatieri's 46-yard field goal with 4:11 remaining was the game winner on a Saturday night where temperatures hovered around zero with a wind chill of 14 below. Due to the conditions the Pats lifted their ban on bringing blankets and sleeping bags into the stadium, and free coffee and hot chocolate was made available in the parking lot. There were reports of beer freezing in the stadium before fans could finish drinking their beverage, though that may just be an urban legend.
It was New England’s 13th consecutive win, and they improved to 9-0 at home for the season. The win was
Tom Brady's 14th when tied or coming from behind in the 4th quarter in just 47 career starts, and his fifth of the 2003 season. Brady improved his record to 14-1 in games decided by seven or fewer points, and 35-12 for his career overall.
On the first drive Brady completed a pass across the middle to
Kevin Faulk for a 19-yard gain, then burnt an early timeout when he was confused by Tennessee’s defensive coverage. The decision to call a timeout proved to be a good one; on the ensuing play Brady found
Bethel Johnson open over the top for a 41-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead just four minutes into the game.
After Tennessee tied the score on a 5-yard run by
Chris Brown the Pats drive appeared to stall. On a 3rd-and-13 Brady hit Johnson, who then cut back looking for a running lane; Brady threw a key block on the Titans safety and Johnson gained 14 yards on the play for a first down. Later in the drive Brady made a first down on a naked bootleg on a 3rd-and-3; two plays later
Antowain Smith scored to give the Pats a 14-7 halftime lead. The score would have been closer if not for
Richard Seymour's block of a field goal late in the half.
Tennessee tied the game on an 11-yard pass from
Steve McNair to
Derrick Mason to make it 14-all heading into the fourth quarter. Brady hit
Troy Brown on a 4th-and-3 from the Tennessee 33 to get the ball close enough for Vinatieri's clutch field goal, but there was plenty of time left. McNair drove the Titans to the New England 33 but two penalties left them out of field goal range. The Tennessee quarterback then threw a pass on 4th-and-12 to
Drew Bennett who was somehow wide open at the 10-yard-line – but the ball bounced off his hands and fell incomplete. From there the Patriots ran out the clock to advance to the AFC Championship game against Indianapolis.
Credit the Patriot defense, as they harassed McNair all night.
Willie McGinest had seven tackles and three sacks;
Mike Vrabel had a sack;
Rodney Harrison had an interception that led to a touchdown, five tackles, and several hits on McNair; and
Tedy Bruschi had nine tackles.
Patriots outlast Titans in frigid playoff test | Boston Globe
Playing in the coldest game in franchise history (4 degrees, minus-10 wind-chill at kickoff), the top-seeded Patriots held on for a 17-14 win over the wild-card Titans. Adam Vinatieri, who had missed a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter, gave New England the win with a 46-yarder with 4 minutes 6 seconds to play.
The Patriots, winners of 13 straight, will host the winner of Sunday’s Indianapolis-Kansas City matchup in the AFC Championship game. A win would put the Patriots in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
The Titans made it interesting on their last possession, driving 36 yards to New England’s 40 before self-destructing after the two-minute warning. First, Tennessee was penalized 10 yards for intentional grounding by Steve McNair. Guard Benji Olson’s holding penalty pushed the Titans back another 10 yards and put them in a third-and-22 situation.
McNair threw 10 yards to Drew Bennett on third down. On fourth and 12 from New England’s 43, Rodney Harrison’s blitz forced McNair to throw up a jump ball to Bennett, who bobbled it and had it knocked away by Asante Samuel.
Highlights:
Full Game:
Sunday January 10, 2010 at 1:00
2009 AFC Wild Card Game at Gillette
Baltimore Ravens 33, New England Patriots 10
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Joe Flacco
Odds: New England favored by 4
Pats finish 10-7
Ravens improve to 10-7; lose 20-3 the following week at Indianapolis
A week after losing
Wes Welker to a knee injury a week earlier, the Pats came out flat and were run over by the Ravens.
Ray Rice rushed for an 83-yard touchdown right up the middle on the game's first play from scrimmage, and things went downhill from there.
Tom Brady threw two touchdowns, but also threw three picks and lost a fumble on one of three times he was sacked. This fiasco was a fitting end to a season of discontent and turmoil, and coincidentally the final game of
Adalius Thomas' NFL career.
Happy birthday to
Mike Montler (1944-2018)
Born January 10, 1944 in Columbus, Ohio
Patriot LG/LT, 1969-1972; uniform #64
Pats 2nd round (32nd overall) selection of the 1969 draft, from Colorado
Mike Montler was a four-season starter with the Patriots, playing in 53 games with 50 starts during that down post-Holovak/pre-Fairbanks era when the head coaches were Clive Rush and John Mazur. Montler was part of a horrible trade with Buffalo when he, Jim Cheyunski and Halvor Hagen were sent to the Bills for three players that even the most die hard of Patriot fans never heard of.
Find A Grave | Mike Montler
For ten seasons (1969 to 1978), he played at the center, guard and tackle positions in the American and National Football Leagues with the Boston/New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions. Born Michael Russell Montler, he attended St. Mary's High School in Ohio and following graduation, he served with the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.
Following his return home, he enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he played collegiate football and achieved All-American honors in 1968. Selected by the Patriots during the 2nd Round of the 1969 NFL Draft, he totaled 123 career regular season games.
At the stature of 6 feet, five inches and weighing 250 pounds Montler, along with future Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure formed a highly effective Buffalo Bills' offensive line nicknamed "The Electric Company", which provided crucial blocking for running back O.J. Simpson who produced 2,003 rushing yards in 1973.
In 1977, he joined the Broncos and served as center for quarterback Craig Morton. He experienced an AFC Championship and an appearance in the Super Bowl in 1978.
Happy 59th birthday to
Clarence Weathers
Born January 10, 1962 in Green Pond, South Carolina
Patriot WR, 1983-1984; uniform #82
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on July 19, 1983
Clarence Weathers came to visit his brother Robert, who was a running back with the Pats in 1983. Offensive Coordinator Lew Erber saw his athletic ability and signed him as a free agent, even though he had not played any organized football since dropping out of Delaware State as a freshman four years earlier.
Weathers played in all 16 games with the Pats in 1983, but a fractured left foot limited him to the final nine games of 1984. In two years with the Patriots he appeared in 25 games, with 27 catches for 494 yards and 5 touchdowns. Despite all the time missed from college football he ended up playing nine years in the NFL (primarily with the Browns), as a backup receiver and special teams player.
Happy 35th birthday to
Mike Rivera
Born January 19, 1986 in Shawnee, Kansas
Patriot LB, 2012; uniform #52
Signed as a free agent on November 9, 2011
The linebacker from the University of Kansas spent parts of 2011 and 2012 on the New England practice squad. He played in the first two games of 2012 for the Pats, was released, and signed with Miami. The
Pats re-signed Rivera in October, and he ended up playing ten games that year with one start for the Patriots. Rivera also played in the two 2012-13 postseason games for New England. He was part of cuts at the end of the 2013 training camp, ending his pro football career.
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