Today in Patriots History

[Actual Pats Fan]

win for the Patriots

Yesterday would have been the 99th birthday for John Michael Yovicsin (October 17, 1918 – September 13, 1989). John was born in Steelton, PA and played at Gettysburg College from 1937 to 1939 and then with the NFL Eagles in 1944. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant in '48, and was head coach from 1952-56, before being head coach at Harvard from '57-'70. His overall record is 110–53–5, with three league titles.

Looking back at last February in Houston, I had no problem at all hanging in there through three quarters, as I learned as a little boy. My father had a rule about football games: Never leave before the final gun. That came in handy on November 23rd, 1968, as Yovicsin's Harvard squad was down 22-0 in the first half, and 29-13 with less than two minutes left in the game.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 is one of the best movies I've ever seen, as it breaks down the players, stakes and details of what happened, especially in the last 42 seconds. Many people thought it must have been a home job, but only one of the officials' calls is questionable - and it was. Our family sat in the perfect place to see it all unfold at the end, except we were surrounded by loud, obnoxious Yale fans (looking back, hard to blame them...I mean, they came up from New Haven for future Patriot Brian Dowling and future Cowboy Hall of Famer Calvin Hill's last game).

 

[jmt57]

October 20

Happy 76th Birthday to Don Trull, born October 20, 1941

Baylor Football Legend: Don Trull

The Oklahoma City native became one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football history. A first-team All-American who was fourth in the 1963 Heisman Trophy balloting, Trull twice led the nation in passing...

Drafted by both the Houston Oilers and Baltimore Colts, Trull played six years in the AFL and NFL with the Oilers and Boston Patriots and also played in the Canadian Football League, the World Football League and even one game in the Continental Football League.

"Not many people can say that they played in five pro leagues," he said.

A toothy Trull appeared on the Aug. 17, 1964, cover of Sports Illustrated before his rookie season with the Houston Oilers. But he had to bide his time behind veteran quarterback George Blanda.

"There was the old quarterback controversy the first couple years between Blanda and the young kid from Baylor," Trull said. "I thought I had a better chance in Houston, because Blanda was getting up in years and (the Colts' Johnny) Unitas wasn't. And lo and behold, I retired, and Blanda was still playing."​

Hall of Fame profile: All-American QB Don Trull took leap of faith with Baylor

“I had heard of Elgin Baylor and Baylor wristwatches,” Trull said. “But I had never heard of Baylor. But Coach Bridgers told me he was going to put in the Baltimore Colts’ offense, and I idolized Johnny Unitas, so I figured that was the best thing for me.”

Trull’s instincts paid off as he flourished in Bridgers’ pro-style passing attack. After working his way up the Bears’ depth chart, Trull became an All-American in 1963 and went on to play for the Houston Oilers and Boston Patriots.

Playing in a spread-style shotgun offense, Trull threw 24 touchdown passes in 10 games in an era when most teams stuck to the ground.

“We were an anomaly because we passed the ball all the time,” Trull said. “We weren’t real big, but we had some receivers and halfbacks who could catch. I was going to Oklahoma Baptist, but then my senior year came along and I ended up at Baylor.”​

Baylor Legend Don Trull Elected to CFB Hall of Fame

Former Baylor quarterback Don Trull was among 14 players and coaches elected to the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class, as announced by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame Tuesday.

A 1963 first-team All-American and first-team All-Southwest Conference selection, Trull led the nation in touchdowns and passing yards his senior season. He was a two-time winner of the Sammy Baugh Award for leading the country in completions (1962, 1963), and he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior. A trailblazer on the field and off, Trull became Baylor’s first two-time first-team Academic All-American honoree in 1962 and 1963 as well as the school’s first NFF National Scholar-Athlete (1963). Trull led the Bears to the 1961 Gotham Bowl and the 1963 Bluebonnet Bowl under coach John Bridges.

The Oklahoma City native enjoyed an eight-year career in the professional ranks, playing for the Houston Oilers and Boston Patriots as well as the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. Following his playing days, he served as an assistant coach at Arkansas from 1972-74.​

Trull was traded to the Patriots in 1967. That season was a tough one for the Pats as the team plummeted from a Super Bowl contender to one of the worst in the league. Having to begin the season with five consecutive road games because they played at Fenway Park did not help matters, but injuries and age were the biggest issues.

There were no wild card teams back then; to make the playoffs you had to win your division. Trull took over for Babe Parilli at QB late in the season when the Pats were all but mathematically eliminated. His tenure as a pro football starting QB was not as successful as his collegiate career. The Pats went 0-3 with Trull throwing seven picks and only one touchdown. His first game against the Jets wasn't bad, but he bottomed out two weeks later in a 5-20 performance against the Bills, throwing for 57 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Trull went back to the Oilers for two years, then played two seasons in the CFL. After a couple years as a position coach at Arkansas he came back to play two years in the World Football League. In 1976 Trull retired for good and went into business in the Houston area.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Having to begin the season with five consecutive road games because they played at Fenway Park did not help matters

The Patriots of the sixties overcame obstacles and disadvantages beyond what the rest of their AFL counterparts faced. After the merger, when we became the New England Patriots, despite finally having a home stadium the franchise became the sole object of league derision and denigration which was previously directed at the entire AFL.

The similarities of how Billy Sullivan and Robert Kraft were simultaneously accepted into the inner circle of league owners, yet still looked down upon regardless of anything they did, is striking. Despite Kraft's entrenched determination to run operations properly in stark contrast to Sullivan, nothing has changed the general perception of the franchise nationwide. When the Patriots won conference championships in 1985, 1996 and 2001, for example, the national consensus - and diatribe - was that they didn't really belong (Fluke wild card, Jaguars upset, Tuck rule etc.). The seeds of recent Goodell insanity - including Tagliabue declaring the Patriots a "national embarrassment" while hardly holding the Broncos accountable for clearly violating the vaunted salary cap in two consecutive title-winning seasons - are blindingly obvious to anyone today, as they were to Patriot fans all along.

I would say that the New England Patriots are the red headed step children of the NFL.

Further, not to sound redundant, but I would say that the Patriots more than any other franchise should proudly wear and honor their historic logo and attire every week of every season, and that the subsequent increase in team profits from sales, promotion, marketing and merchandise would vastly offset whatever deluded financial concerns the owner stubbornly clutches.

 

[turkeyneck]

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29

I remember playing in a sandlot game that day and trying to follow the H/Y game on a little transistor radio blaring tinnily on the side lines. Finally had to stop our game to listen to the finish.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

had enough

Happy Birthday, Morris "Mo" C. Lewis (born October 21, 1969 in Atlanta)

Mo's on the Jets All-Time Four Decade Team

Both of his sons play basketball; Mo IV, plays at the United States Naval Academy and the younger, Chris, is committed to play for Harvard.

And, oh yeah, he helped us move along to winning in this century

 

[jmt57]

October 22:

Happy 52nd Birthday to Otis Smith.



Number 45 had a 47-yard fumble return for a TD in the 20-6 AFCCG victory vs Jacksonville in the 1996 post-season. After a few years in purgatory he cleansed the Jete stench off himself by returning to Foxboro for the 2001 season. That year he led the NFL with two interceptions returned for a touchdown, and earned a ring in Super Bowl 36 with a pick off Kurt Warner.

Otis Smith had ten interceptions and four fumble recoveries in 56 regular season games with the Patriots. He was also a clutch player in his six playoff games for the Pats.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

October 22:

Happy 52nd Birthday to Otis Smith.



Number 45 had a 47-yard fumble return for a TD in the 20-6 AFCCG victory vs Jacksonville in the 1996 post-season. After a few years in purgatory he cleansed the Jete stench off himself by returning to Foxboro for the 2001 season. That year he led the NFL with two interceptions returned for a touchdown, and earned a ring in Super Bowl 36 with a pick off Kurt Warner.

Otis Smith had ten interceptions and four fumble recoveries in 56 regular season games with the Patriots. He was also a clutch player in his six playoff games for the Pats.

Otis is an excellent example of a guy who was not a star or even considered special, but who nonetheless played a crucial role in coach Belichick's defensive scheme.

Unselfishness, cooperation and compatibility with others on the team are underplayed and underappreciated, but make the difference in having a defense capable of winning a championship in any sport. We've been blessed in Boston to see a lot of guys like Otis contribute to winning titles over generations.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Pats History: October 23rd
​

October 23, 1960:
Butch Songin threw three touchdown passes and Ron Burton became the first Patriot to run for 100+ yards, going for a career high 127 yards but the Broncos were able to come from behind and defeat the Patriots 31-24 in Denver. Abe Cohen blocked a punt, becoming the first player in Patriots franchise history to do so.


October 23, 1962: QB Doug Flutie was born.
No point going in to Flutie's bio here, we all know his story. He had two stints with the Patriots. He was traded by the Bears to the Pats prior to the start of the 1987 season, infamously being one of the first veterans to cross the picket line and play during the strike. Over three seasons for Raymond Berry he went 8-5 as a starter, splitting time with Steve Grogan, Tony Eason, Marc Wilson and Tom Ramsey. Flutie returned for his final pro football season in 2005 at the age of 43, highlighted by this play:

​

October 23, 1964:
The Patriots improved to 5-1-1 to keep close to the undefeated Buffalo Bills in the AFC East with a 24-7 victory over Kansas City at Fenway Park. The Pats defense suffocated the Chiefs in this game, limiting KC to just seven first downs while forcing seven fumbles. Babe Parilli threw two touchdown passes to Jim Colclough and Ron Burton added a touchdown run in the win.


October 23, 1964: DE Brent Williams was born.
The Flint native was a 7th round (192nd overall) draft pick out of Toledo. Despite the low odds of even making the roster, Williams started every game as a rookie. He played in 121 games over eight season with the Pats, registering 43.5 sacks. At that time that was the second most in franchise history, and today still ranks as the sixth most. Williams took advantage of what was then a new initiative, the NFL Internship Program. That opportunity led to a career in finance, and he is now a Vice President for Merrill Lynch’s Wealth Management Division. Williams also on the board of directors of the Easton, Mass., Pop Warner league as well as the Urban League in that area.


October 23, 1966:
The Pats overcame two long touchdown passes from John Hadl to Lance Alworth, coming from behind to defeat the Chargers 35-17 at Fenway Park. Larry Garron's second 53-yard touchdown pass from Babe Parilli gave the Pats the lead in the third quarter, then Garron and Jim Nance both scored on 2-yard touchdown runs in the 4th quarter to put the game away. Garron finished with 142 yards from scrimmage and Nance had 108 yards rushing on the day. Parilli earned AFL Offensive Player of the Week honors from his play in this game.


October 23, 1977:
In a game where the final score was not indicative of how dominating it was, the Patriots downed the previously undefeated Baltimore Colts 17-3 in a late afternoon game at Schaefer Stadium. The Pats defense limited the Colts to just 86 yards of total offense and 8 first downs on the day while sacking Bert Jones five times. Overall the Pats out-gained the Colts 370 yards to 86 and ran 68 offensive plays compared to Baltimore’s 41; the only thing that kept the score relatively close was two red zone turnovers by the Patriots.


October 23, 1983:
The Patriots blow what was a close game wide open with 24 points in the 4th quarter, shutting out the Buffalo Bills 31-0 at Rich Stadium. Roland James had three interceptions, all in the third quarter(!), Tony Collins rushed for 147 yards (including a 50-yard TD run), and Derrick Ramsey had two touchdown catches from Steve Grogan for the Pats.


October 23, 1985: LS Jake Ingram was born.
The Pats selected the University of Hawaii alum in the sixth round, 198th overall in the 2009 draft. He beat out veteran Nathan Hodel for the long snapper job in training camp and played in every game that year. After a fine rookie season he regressed in 2010, however. Ingram struggled to get the ball to punter Zoltan Mesko both on punts and field goal attempts. In a game against the Chargers he bounced snaps, leading Bill Belichick to go for it on 4th down plays. Ingram was released on November 9, 2010, and replaced by Matt Katula. He was signed by the Saints ten days later, but released after one game. Ingram spent time in the off season with the Titans and Jaguars, but never made it back to a regular season NFL roster. His final year of pro football was in 2012 with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.


October 23, 1988:
The New England defense forces four turnovers and nearly pull off a big upset, but fall to the 7-1 Buffalo Bills 23-20 at Rich Stadium on a game-winning field goal by Scott Norwood. For the Patriots John Stephens and Bob Perryman scored on touchdown runs, Irving Fryar had a 12-yard TD pass from Doug Flutie on his 26th birthday, and Stephens had a career-best 134 yards rushing on the day.


October 23, 1995:
The Patriots upset the Buffalo Bills 27-14 on Monday Night Football at Foxboro Stadium. The Bills entered the game 5-1 while the Pats were 1-5, but the Patriots controlled the clock thanks to a steady diet of Curtis Martin (career-high 36 carries for 127 yards) to keep the ball out of Thurman Thomas‘ hands (just six touches). The Pats defense had four sacks (two by Willie McGinest) and forced three turnovers and the Pats offense gained a total of 423 yards on the evening.


October 23, 2016:
The Patriots travel to Heinz Field and defeat Pittsburgh 27-16, to improve their record to 6-1. The Steelers were down by just one point (14-13) in the third quarter but LeGarrette Blount ran for 11 and 25 yards to set up a 36 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal. A Pittsburgh FG made it 20-16 but then the Pats went 75 yards on six plays, highlighted by a 37 yard pass from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski. Blount punched it in on the next play from five yards out, his second TD of the game against his former team. The New England defense bent but did not break, limiting Pittsburgh to 1-4 on their red zone opportunities.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

October 23, 1966:
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single, ‘Hey Joe’, at De Lane Lea studios in London.

​

 

[jmt57]

Today in Pats History: October 24th​

October 24, 1965:
Jim Whalen had 103 yards receiving but the Patriots rally for an upset over the Raiders fell short with Oakland winning 30-21 at Frank Youell Field. Ron Burton scored two 4th-quarter touchdowns to pull the Pats within two but Babe Parilli threw a pick six and the Patriots remained winless, dropping to 0-6-1. Gino Cappelletti had a 21-yard touchdown reception from Parilli but the Pats were done in by three turnovers, while their defense was not able to come up with any takeaways. Fred Bilentnikoff had 7 receptions for 128 yards and Art Powell caught two **** Wood touchdown passes for the Silver and Black.


October 24, 1971:
The Patriots lost their first ever meeting with Dallas, 44-21 at Texas Stadium. The loss was the first of seven consecutive losses to the Cowboys. Though the Pats have won five straight since then their all-time winning percentage against Dallas was the lowest of any NFL opponent of the Patriots prior to defeating Dallas 30-6 in 2015. For the Pats Randy Vataha had 7 receptions for 107 yards and TE Tom Beer had the longest reception of his career, a 31-yard TD; Dallas put the game out of reach with a pair of long Roger Staubach to Bob Hayes touchdown passes. One side note to this game: surprisingly it was the first NFL game that two former Heisman Trophy winning QB’s faced each other: Staubach and Jim Plunkett.


October 24, 1974:
Corey Dillon was born in Seattle. The running back joined the Patriots in 2004 and played a vital role in the 17-2 season that culminated with the Pats winning their third Super Bowl. Dillon ran for 1635 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns that year to earn his 4th Pro Bowl honor.


October 24, 1976:
The Patriots hold off a 4th quarter rally to beat the Bills 26-22 at Rich Stadium and improve to 5-2. Sam Cunningham scored a touchdown, ran for 118 yards and added 43 yards receiving to compliment a Pats defense that forced five turnovers. Steve Grogan scored on a 10-yard run and also threw a 9-yard TD pass to Russ Francis; O.J. Simpson led the Bills with 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns.


October 24, 1988:
Chris Hogan was born in Ramapo NJ. The wide receiver known as 7-11 (he's always open) was signed by the Patriots as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills on March 11, 2016. Hogan was undrafted in 2011 and was originally signed by the Niners; he also spent time with the Giants and Dolphins before making an NFL regular season roster with Buffalo. He was able to immediately grasp the intricacies of the Patriot offense and had a career-high 680 receiving yards in 2016. Hogan averaged 17.9 yards per reception, which tied for the league lead. "7-11" (he's always open) cam through in a big way in the post season. In three playoff games Hogan had 17 receptions for 332 yards and two scores. On January 22, 2017 Hogan set a franchise post season record with 180 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns in the AFC championship victory over Pittsburgh. Then in Super Bowl 51 Hogan made a crucial third down reception for 16 yards in the game winning overtime drive versus Atlanta.


October 24, 1993:
Leonard Russell runs for 97 yards and adds another 28 receiving, but the Pats offense is able to muster only three Scott Sisson field goals in a 10-9 loss to the Seahawks at the Kingdome. Seattle comes from behind for the win on a late one-yard touchdown pass from Rick Mirer to Brian Blades; this was the first game in a five-game stretch when the Patriots were held to a total of just two touchdowns.


October 24, 1999:
The Patriots hold off a late rally and edge the Broncos 24-23 at Foxboro Stadium. Terry Allen ran for 106 yards and two scores and Kevin Faulk had a 15-yard touchdown run for the Pats; Ed McCaffrey led Denver with five receptions for 111 yards.


October 24, 2004:
In a defensive battle of undefeated teams the Patriots beat the Jets 13-7 in front of a late afternoon national television audience and a packed house at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots extended their NFL victory streak to 21 games and also set the regular-season NFL mark of 18 straight wins, surpassing the 17 won by the 1933-34 Chicago Bears. The winning points were scored with five seconds remaining in the first half on a 7-yard pass from Tom Brady to David Patten. The play culminated a perfectly run two-minute offense by Brady as the Pats responded to a 1-yard Chad Pennington bootleg run for a score and got the ball back with just 1:55 to go in the half.

Late in the 4th quarter Herm Edwards had the Jets go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 23 and Pennington got the first down on a quarterback sneak. The Jets drove to the Pats 27 but on third down Richard Seymour and Willie McGinest stuffed Curtis Martin for a loss of three on 3rd and 5. On the next play Rodney Harrison broke up a Pennington pass intended for Wayne Chrebet, and the Pats took over on downs with 2:14 remaining to seal the win.

Corey Dillon had 115 yards on 22 carries and became the first player to rush for over 100 yards on the Jets defense that year. David Givens had five catches for 107 yards, the second 100-yard game of his career. Ted Johnson also had a key play, forcing a fumble when the Jets had driven down to the Pats 15-yard line which was recovered for the Pats by Randall Gay.


October 24, 2010:
The Patriots forced four turnovers and defeat the Chargers 23-20 at Qualcomm Stadium. Rob Ninkovich had a 63-yard fumble recovery, Jerod Mayo and James Sanders both had fumble recoveries as well, and Devin McCourty added an interception.



Other notable NFL players born on this day include Y.A. Tittle (10/24/1926-10/8/2017). The Hall of Fame quarterback was named to seven Pro Bowls over a 17-year career with the Colts, Niners and Giants. In 1963 at the age of 37 Tittle was 11-2 as the starter, leading the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown passes (36 in a 14-game season), touchdown percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

October 24, 1962:
James Brown recorded “Live At The Apollo”; Rolling Stone magazine listed it as the #24 greatest album of all time.

​

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: October 25​

October 25, 2015:
Tom Brady completed 14 of 17 fourth quarter passes to overcome a 20-16 deficit and defeat the Jets 30-23. With the victory the Pats went to 6-0, opening up a two-game lead over Gang Green in the AFC East. Brady went 34-54 for 354 yards overall but was victimized by 11 drops, including six by WR Brandon LaFell. The Patriot defense limited AFC leading rusher Chris Ivory to 41 yards on 17 carries, but WR Eric Decker had 94 yards on six receptions. Rob Gronkowski had a career high 11 receptions for 108 yards and a TD, and Danny Amendola had 8 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

The Pats seemed to have control of the game, up 30-20 with less than a minute to play. They kicked a field goal on a first down with 23 seconds remaining to make it 30-23, and then recovered the ensuing onside kick. After a completion to Decker, Brandon Marshall failed to get set on the subsequent spike, a false start was called, and the game was over due to the ten-second runoff.


October 25, 2009:
The Patriots cruise to a 35-7 win over Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium in London. Tom Brady threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns, Wes Welker had ten receptions for 107 yards, and the Pats defense came up with three interceptions and three sacks.

The Pats started things off just 2:34 into the game when Brandon Meriweather stepped in front of Sammie Stroughter on a short slant, picked off Josh Johnson‘s throw and ran untouched into the end zone. Brady hit Randy Moss for a 37-yard pass and then Welker scored on a 14-yard screen pass to make the score 14-0 with 2:16 remaining in the 1st quarter.

After Brady was picked off in the end zone on a pass to Moss he came back on the next series with a short throw to Sam Aiken, who juked Bucs’ LB Barrett Ruud and went untouched down the sideline for a 54-yard score. The Pats also scored on a 35-yard reception by Ben Watson and a one-yard run by Laurence Maroney. Brandon Meriweather had two interceptions on the day and Darius Butler also had a pick (though he was also beat on Tampa Bay’s only score, a 33-yard pass from Johnson to Antonio Bryant). Mike Wright, Patrick Chung and Derrick Burgess were each credited with a sack in this game.



October 25, 1998:
No touchdowns were scored in this defensive battle – a bit of a surprise considering the quarterbacks were Dan Marino and Drew Bledsoe – as the Dolphins edged the Patriots 12-9 at Pro Player Stadium. Olindo Mare kicked four field goals for Miami, including the game winner from 43 yards out 10:42 into overtime.

The Patriots picked off three Marino passes but he came through in the clutch. First he moved the Dolphins 52 yards in the final two minutes of regulation to set up Mare’s game-tying 25 yard field goal, and then guided the Dolphins to the game-winner, as the Pats never had the ball on offense on overtime.

After Miami got the kickoff in OT a pass-interference penalty on Ty Law on third-and-10 allowed Miami to keep possession deep in its own territory. Marino completions of 25 to O.J. McDuffieand 10 yards to Oronde Gadsen set up Mare’s game-winner. Mare also connected earlier from 48 and 38 yards.

Adam Vinatieri kicked field goals of 41, 30 and 36 yards for the Patriot scores. Ty Law, Willie Clay and Larry Whigham each had an interception off Marino while Chad Eaton, Henry Thomas and Brandon Mitchell had one sack a piece on the Dolphins’ quarterback. Shawn Jefferson was the Pats offensive star of the day with four receptions for 116 yards; Bledsoe threw for 240 yards but completed only 13 of his 33 passes. The Dolphins held New England to just 26 yards rushing and ended Robert Edwards‘ scoring streak: he was the first NFL rookie to rush for at least one touchdown in each of his first six games. The Patriots had won their four previous games against Miami and fell to second place with a 4-3 record, one game behind the Dolphins.



October 25, 1992:
The Cleveland Browns score twice in the 4th quarter to come from behind and defeat the Patriots 19-17 at Foxboro Stadium. Hugh Millen threw two touchdown passes, a 19-yarder to Kevin Turner and a 22-yarder to Ben Coates in the loss. Cleveland QB Mike Tomczak‘s 6-yard TD pass to Scott Galbraith with 31 seconds remaining was the game-winner, dropping the Pats to 0-7. The score was set up when Browns LB Mike Johnson sacked Millen and Cleveland recovered their fourth fumble of the day, this one deep in Patriots territory.

The Pats finished 2-14 and **** McPherson was fired at the end of the ’92 season, to be replaced by Bill Parcells.



October 25, 1987:
The Patriots face former head coach Ron Meyer for the first time since they fired him after the 1984 season. The Colts entered the game on a six-game losing streak to the Pats, dating back to 1983. Stanley Morgan has seven receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown but the Patriots lost to the Colts 30-16 at the Hoosier Dome. Jack Trudeau passed for 239 yards and a TD for his first win in 13 starts substituting for injured Indy QB Gary Hogeboom. The game was held on the first weekend after players returned from a strike; the previous three weeks rosters consisted of replacement players, and a handful of players who crossed the picket line.

Dean Biasucci‘s third field goal put the Colts up 16-6 in the third quarter. Three plays later Duane Bickett sacked Tony Eason and Donnell Thompson picked up the fumble, returning it 28 yards for a TD to put the Colts up 23-6.

The Patriots scored on the next drive on a 27-yard TD pass from Eason to Morgan. After forcing a punt the Pats got the ball back and drove into Colts territory but fumbled the ball away at the Indy 28. The Pats forced another punt but had to settle for a 49-yard Tony Franklin field goal after an offensive pass interference penalty halted that drive.

Once again the Pats regained possession, back but could not move the ball. Rich Camarillo‘s punt was blocked by replacement player Terry Wright; that set up the final score of the game, a 12-yard run by Alfred Bentley with 3:25 to go. Another replacement player, Mike Prior, ended the Pats’ final drive by intercepting Eason and returning the ball 38 yards with just 1:40 remaining.

The Patriots finished the season with an 8-7 record, missing the playoffs by one game.



October 25, 1981:
Despite statistically dominating this game the Patriots lost 24-22 to Washington at RFK Stadium. The Pats out-gained the Redskins 409 yards to 230 but Washington forced New England to settle for field goals, got a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown, and the Pats turned the ball over three times in the loss.

With 51 seconds to play on a third and 20 from the Redskins 36, Stanley Morgan was called for offensive pass interference on Redskin corner Lamar Parish. Washington declined the penalty and John Smith attempted a 51-yarder that fell short.

For the Patriots Steve Grogan threw for 306 yards but also had two picks; Tony Collins ran for 103 yards and a TD on 22 carries; Don Hasselbeck had five receptions for 112 yards and Harold Jackson had four catches for 83 yards.

From this game on the two teams headed in opposite directions. First year Washington head coach Joe Gibbs got his second NFL victory and the hot seat he was on after a 1-6 start got a bit cooler. Washington went on to win four in a row and narrowly miss the playoffs, and they built on that second half surge to win the Super Bowl the following year. The Patriots were coming off a 28-point victory over Houston but would not win another game that season. This would be the first of what turned out to be nine consecutive losses as they finished a league-worst 2-14 record. At the end of the season Ron Erhardt (who referred to the team as the best 2-14 team ever) was fired and was replaced by Ron Meyer.



October 25, 1976:
Chris Hanson was born in Senoia, Georgia. After seven NFL seasons (mostly with Jacksonville), the former Marshall Thundering Herd joined the Patriots in 2007 to become the team's punter. With that prolific offense he didn't see much action: he was called on to punt just 44 times, as opposed to the 80+ punts he typically had with the Jaguars. In three season with the Patriots he punted 149 times, averaging 41.5 yards gross and 35.5 yards net. 51 of those punts were downed inside the 20, 37 were fair catches, and 21 went for touchbacks.



October 25, 1970:
Ron Sellers has five receptions for 101 yards but Johnny Unitas throws three touchdown passes and no interceptions. Meanwhile Joe Kapp produces the opposite stats (zero touchdowns and three picks) and the Patriots lose 27-3 to the Baltimore Colts, who would go on to defeat Dallas in the Super Bowl that post-season.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

October 25, 1964:
The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. After a riot broke out in the studio Sullivan said that ‘I promise you they’ll never be back on our show again’. Due to the band’s popularity he reconsidered, and the Stones went on to make five more appearances on Sullivan’s top-rated show between 1965 and 1969.

​

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

He was traded by the Bears to the Pats prior to the start of the 1987 season

Doug never got a fair shot in the NFL. Had he not been insanely benched at the end of '88, there's no telling what would have occurred on the field over following seasons. He practically never lost at Foxborough.

October 23, 1966:
The Pats overcame two long touchdown passes from John Hadl to Lance Alworth, coming from behind to defeat the Chargers 35-17 at Fenway Park

This series goes back a long way...this will be the first time we've met them as the LA Chargers since they bombed us 45-16 at Nickerson Field on October 28, 1960.

October 23, 1977:
In a game where the final score was not indicative of how dominating it was, the Patriots downed the previously undefeated Baltimore Colts 17-3 in a late afternoon game at Schaefer Stadium. The Pats defense limited the Colts to just 86 yards of total offense and 8 first downs on the day while sacking Bert Jones five times. Overall the Pats out-gained the Colts 370 yards to 86 and ran 68 offensive plays compared to Baltimore’s 41; the only thing that kept the score relatively close was two red zone turnovers by the Patriots.

Welcome back, John & Leon.

October 23, 1983:
The Patriots blow what was a close game wide open with 24 points in the 4th quarter, shutting out the Buffalo Bills 31-0 at Rich Stadium. Roland James had three interceptions, all in the third quarter(!), Tony Collins rushed for 147 yards (including a 50-yard TD run), and Derrick Ramsey had two touchdown catches from Steve Grogan for the Pats.

Yeah that's the right guy at QB

October 23, 1988:
The New England defense forces four turnovers and nearly pull off a big upset, but fall to the 7-1 Buffalo Bills 23-20 at Rich Stadium on a game-winning field goal by Scott Norwood. For the Patriots John Stephens and Bob Perryman scored on touchdown runs, Irving Fryar had a 12-yard TD pass from Doug Flutie on his 26th birthday, and Stephens had a career-best 134 yards rushing on the day.

With Flutie at the helm, that Pats team was capable of beating anyone.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

One of the greatest musicians, ever.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Stanley Gifford Nielsen (born October 25, 1954), calmly stated for TV prior to this game that he would lead his team to victory. Vernon Perry was a monster in these playoffs.

Divisional playoffs[edit]
December 29, 1979[edit]
AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14[edit]
Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Oilers 0 10 7 0 17
Chargers 7 0 7 0 14
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 51,192
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): **** Enberg and Merlin Olsen

[show]Game information
The Oilers offense, playing without starting quarterback Dan Pastorini, receiver Ken Burrough, and running back Earl Campbell due to injuries, could only generate 259 yards compared to San Diego's 385. But they still won the game, largely due to the effort of rookie safety Vernon Perry, who set a playoff record with 4 interceptions as the Oilers defeated the Chargers 17–14. In his first career playoff game, Chargers future hall of fame quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards, but was intercepted 5 times. The Chargers' high powered offense scored on their first possession of the game and of the second half but turnovers prevented further scoring.

San Diego took the opening kickoff and started out strong, moving the ball 81 yards in 11 plays. Fouts completed a 34-yard pass to tight end Greg McCrary and a 17-yarder to John Jefferson before Clarence Williams' 1-yard rushing touchdown finished the drive. The Chargers threatened to score again on their next drive, but Perry intercepted a pass at the Houston 18-yard line.

In the second quarter, Perry blocked a field goal attempt and returned the ball 57 yards to the San Diego 28-yard line, setting up Toni Fritsch's 26-yard field goal. On San Diego's next drive, Perry recorded another interception and lateralled the ball to safety Mike Reinfeldt, who gained 7 yards to the Chargers 38. Three plays later, Oilers quarterback Gifford Nielsen rushed 14 yards to the Chargers 4-yard line. San Diego's defense managed to keep them out of the end zone for three plays, but on Fritch's field goal attempt, they were penalized for having 12 men on the field, moving the ball just inches away from the goal line. On fourth and inches with 19 seconds left in the half, Houston coach Bum Phillips decided to gamble and go for the touchdown, a gamble that paid off when Boobie Clark scored on a sweep left to give the Oilers a 10–7 first half lead.

In the third period, Fouts connected with Charlie Joiner for 20 yards and hit tight end Bob Klein for 16, with a roughing the passer penalty turning it into a 31-yard gain. Lydell Mitchell finished the 65-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to give the Chargers a 14–10 lead. However, Houston defensive back J.C. Wilson's interception later gave Houston the ball at the San Diego 44-yard line. Faced with 3rd and 13 two plays later, Nielsen threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Renfro, putting the Oilers back in front at 17–14. There were still more than 17 minutes left in regulation, but this would be the final score. Perry recorded two more interceptions as the Oilers defense shut down the Chargers offense for the rest of the game.[1][2]

After the game, it was revealed that the Oilers coaching staff was able to figure out the Chargers' coaches' signs as they signaled the play call from the sideline; this was one reason their defensive backs seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. "We pretty much knew ahead of time when they were going to pass, and where they were going to pass it." said Oilers defensive coordinator Ed Biles. It was a monumental upset against the heavily favored Chargers, who had scored at least 26 points in 10 games during the season and had defeated both eventual Super Bowl teams, the Rams and Steelers, by a combined scoring margin of 75-23.

It was the first AFC playoff game that was a rematch of an earlier AFL championship game.

...only blight on the story is sh*thead was the referee.

A typical Al Davis reclamation project, John Daniel "Tooz" Matuszak (October 25, 1950 – June 17, 1989) was no angel but his story ascending from a tragic family background to national success in various fields is compelling.

John Matuszak - Wikipedia

His performance in the movie Caveman is endearing.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Other notable NFL players born on this day include Y.A. Tittle (10/24/1926-10/8/2017). The Hall of Fame quarterback was named to seven Pro Bowls over a 17-year career with the Colts, Niners and Giants. In 1963 at the age of 37 Tittle was 11-2 as the starter, leading the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown passes (36 in a 14-game season), touchdown percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating.

He wasn't afraid to throw a pick, which is exactly what he did prior to this photo.

I've been scoffed at for suggesting this guy is one of the all-time greats, but I think his record speaks for itself. Titles aren't always the best measure of greatness.

And, I hate the Giants.

In a sports column in 1963, George Strickler for the Chicago Tribune remarked Tittle had "broken records that at one time appeared unassailable and he has been the hero of more second half rallies than Napoleon and the Harlem Globetrotters."

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Ron Erhardt (who referred to the team as the best 2-14 team ever)

He's right.

 

[jmt57]

This Day In Patriots History: October 26


October 26, 1950:
Chuck Foreman was born in Frederick MD. The 5-time Pro Bowl running back finished his too-short career in 1980 with the Patriots as a backup to Vagas Ferguson and Don Calhoun. Foreman began his career with six consecutive seasons with over 1100 yards from scrimmage. He scored 59 touchdowns from 1974-76, and had over 1700 yards from scrimmage in both 1975 and 1976.


October 26, 1957:
Bob Golic was born in Cleveland. The Patriots drafted the Notre Dame alum in the second round (52nd overall) in the 1979 draft. Golic appeared in 33 games over three seasons. He was a training camp cut and picked up on waivers by the Browns just before the start of the 1982 season. Cleveland moved Golic from linebacker to nose tackle, and he started 95 games for the Browns, and then had 53 starts for the Raiders over the next four years. Overall he played in 187 games with 160 starts over 14 NFL seasons, and also appeared in eight playoff games.


October 26, 1962:
The Patriots defeat the Raiders 26-16 at Nickerson Field to improve their record to 5-2. Gino Cappelletti kicked four field goals, two extra points and caught a touchdown pass to score a total of twenty points. Larry Garron‘s 41-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter broke a 16-16 tie and then Gino booted his 4th FG on the day for the final score. Garron ran for 140 yards on just 13 carries and had a total of 231 yards on the day: 140 rushing, 21 receiving, a 39-yard pass and two kick returns for 31 yards. TE Tony Romeo had 87 yards receiving and RB Ron Burton added 94 yards from scrimmage: 7 rushes for 37 yards and 4 catches for 57 yards. The Pats out-rushed the Raiders 253 yards to 94, and overall had 430 yards of total offense to Oakland’s 279.


October 26, 1963:
The Buffalo Bills beat the Patriots 28-21 at War Memorial Stadium. The game was a low-scoring defensive battle for three quarters before the two teams combined for four touchdowns in the final fifteen minutes. The Bills took a 21-7 lead on Jack Kemp‘s third one-yard touchdown run but the Patriots came back. Two plays after Buffalo blocked a Gino Cappelletti field goal attempt Ron Hallintercepted Kemp and returned it to the Buffalo 25, setting up a touchdown run by Framingham’s Harry Crump. The Pats forced a three and out and on their first play from scrimmage Babe Parillihit Art Graham with a 77-yard touchdown strike to tie the game with 5:49 remaining.

On the ensuing possession Kemp drove the Bills all the way down to the Pats 11-yard line but was sacked on back-to-back plays, pushing the Bills all the way back to the 40-yard line. Buffalo’s 47-yard field goal fell short and the Pats took over but were forced to punt. The Bills took over at their own 28-yard line with less than a minute remaining. Kemp had been connecting on slants against the Pats defense in the second half and faked a slant to Charley Ferguson. Three Patriot defenders bit on the fake and Ferguson took off on a post pattern; Kemp hit him in stride for a game-winning 72-yard touchdown pass with just 28 seconds remaining on the clock.


October 26, 1969:
The Patriots nearly pull off a huge upset but lose to the defending Super Bowl champion New York Jets 23-17 at Shea Stadium. Safety John Charles intercepted a Joe Namath pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to give the winless Patriots a 17-10 halftime lead, but the Jets defense shut down the Pats the rest of the way. For the Pats WR Bill Rademacher had 78 yards receiving and the first score of the game, a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mike Taliaferro, and Jim Nance had 58 yards rushing on 11 carries. Emerson Boozer‘s 2-yard 4th quarter touchdown run gave the Jets the lead and Matt Snell finished with 109 yards rushing for gang green.


October 26, 1975:
In his first NFL start Steve Grogan throws two touchdown passes to lead the Patriots to a 24-16 victory over the 49ers at Schaefer Stadium. Grogan had made his NFL debut seven days earlier against Baltimore, replacing an injured Jim Plunkett and rallying his team, winless in four previous games, to a 21-10 victory. Andy Johnson rushed for 13 yards and scored on an 11-yard reception from Grogan while Randy Vataha had seven catches for 70 yards, with his 7-yard TD reception from Grogan in the 4th quarter putting the game away. The Pats defense was stout, limiting San Francisco to just 31 yards rushing on 17 attempts, and Ron Bolton and Bob Howard both came up with interceptions off 49er QB Norm Snead.


October 26, 1980:
The Bills beat the Patriots 31-13 at Rich Stadium to move into a first place tie with the Pats at 6-2 in the AFC East. Buffalo’s defense dominated this game, limiting the Pats to just 8 first downs and 148 total yards of offense. The Pats pulled to within one point entering the 4th quarter on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan to Russ Francis and John Smith‘s second field goal, but Joe Cribbs ran for two touchdowns to ice it for the Bills.


October 26, 1986:
In another defensive struggle the Patriots down the Bills 23-3 at Rich Stadium. Their second straight road win put the Pats at 5-3, and this game was the second of what would end up being a seven game winning streak. The Pats running backs couldn’t get much going – they combined for just 70 yards on 35 carries – but the Patriots defense was even better, picking off Jim Kelly and Frank Reich four times and sacking them five times. Ronnie Lippett had two interceptions and Andre Tippett had 3.5 sacks to lead the New England defense.


October 26, 2003:
For the second time in three games the Patriots do not allow a single touchdown and the Pats win their 4th game in a row, 9-3 over the Browns at Gillette Stadium. Cleveland reached New England territory just once the entire game. Meanwhile the Pats offense squandered some opportunities, coming away with only three Adam Vinatieri field goals on four trips inside the red zone. Mike Vrabel led the way for the Pats defense, sacking Tim Couch once and Kelly Holcomb twice. The Patriots confused and pressured the two quarterbacks all day, limiting them to 119 net yards and just 3.3 yards per pass attempt.

Kevin Faulk rushed for what was at the time a career high of 96 yards on 23 carries and TE Daniel Graham had career highs of seven receptions and 110 yards receiving.


October 26, 2008:
Despite having three of their running backs sidelined the Patriots persevere and defeat the Rams 23-16 at Gillette Stadium, improving their record to 5-2.

Josh Brown‘s second field goal of the game with 12:25 remaining put the Rams up 16-13 but Stephen Gotkowski responded four minutes later with his third field goal, this one from 41 yards out to tie the score. After taking over on a punt on their own 47 Matt Cassel completed passes of 23 and 3 yards to Randy Moss, and a 7-yard run by Faulk gave the Pats a first down at the St. Louis 28. Cassel then threw an 8-yard completion to Moss, and Faulk ran for 5 yards giving the Pats another first down at the 15. Cassel then connected with Faulk on a 15-yard touchdown pass that was just in bounds, with Faulk securing the ball despite being hit by Rams LB Pisa Tinoisamoa for the winning score with 3:13 remaining.

St. Louis got the ball back with plenty of time remaining but on a 3rd and 15 with 1:26 to go from the Patriots 38, Deltha O’Neal intercepted a Marc Bulger pass deep down the right sideline and held on to secure the victory.

Randy Moss had seven receptions for 102 yards; it was the 58th 100-yard game of his career. Faulk led the Pats with 60 yards on 13 carries and added 47 yards on four receptions, and Wes Welker had seven catches for 79 yards. Matt Cassel finished 21-for-33 and had what was then a career high of 267 yards passing.


October 26, 2014:
Tom Brady was nearly perfect as the Patriots crushed the Chicago Bears by the score of 51-23. TB12 threw five touchdown passes and completed 30 of his 35 passes. Only one of those five incomplete passes was not a drop.

The Pats scored on each of their first five possessions to take a 38-7 lead at halftime. Near the end of the half the Patriots finished off a 10-play 80 yard drive with a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, who had three scores on the day. After forcing a 3-and-out Julian Edelman returned the punt 42 yards, with another ten yards tacked on for a Chicago hold. On the next play Brady connected with Brandon LeFell for a 9-yard TD. The on the first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff Rob Ninkovich scored on a 15-yard return of a Jay Cutler's fumble. It was the Pats third touchdown in 57 seconds. Darrelle Revis intercepted Cutler on the next play form scrimmage, but time ran out in the half before New England could score again.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

October 26, 1991:
Concert promoter Bill Graham died when the helicopter he was riding in hit the top of a Pacific Gas and Electric transmission tower near Sears Point, northwest of Vallejo, and exploded.

October 26, 1984:
A 19-year old commits suicide after spending the day listening to Ozzy Osbourne. A year later his parents sued Ozzy and CBS Records, alleging that the song “Suicide Solution” from the album Blizzard of Ozz contributed to their son’s death. The case was eventually thrown out of court.

October 26, 1982:
Thirty five years ago today the top mainstream rock song was Pat Benatar‘s “Love Is A Battlefield”.

​

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Thirty years ago today the top mainstream rock song was Pat Benatar‘s “Love Is A Battlefield”.

Married teenager Pat quit her job to pursue a singing career after she caught a Liza Minnelli concert she saw in Richmond, VA.

"I can do this," she told herself.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

October 26, 1986:
In another defensive struggle the Patriots down the Bills 23-3 at Rich Stadium. Their second straight road win put the Pats at 5-3, and this game was the second of what would end up being a seven game winning streak. The Pats running backs couldn’t get much going – they combined for just 70 yards on 35 carries – but the Patriots defense was even better, picking off Jim Kelly and Frank Reich four times and sacking them five times. Ronnie Lippett had two interceptions and Andre Tippett had 3.5 sacks to lead the New England defense.

After John Hannah's retirement, our running game plummeted to the very bottom of the league. But, we still had the D. In the playoffs, we were able to run more, but Tony Eason's five sacks did us in in Denver.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: October 27​

October 27, 1941:
Len St. Jean was born in Newberry, Michigan. The Patriots selected St. Jean in the ninth round (68th overall) in the 1964 draft, out of Northern Michigan. He did not miss a single game over the course of his ten year pro football career, all with the Patriots. St. Jean was a defensive lineman in his first two AFL seasons, and then switched to right guard - and was named to the AFL All Star team in his first year at his new position. He is a member of the Patriots All-Decade Team for the sixties. At the time when he retired his 140 games played was third most in franchise history. After retiring from football, St. Jean worked as a sales representative in the electronic components industry.



October 27, 1956:
Matt Cavanaugh was born in Youngstown Ohio. The Patriots drafted the quarterback in the second round (50th overall) in the 1978 draft, out of Pitt. He showed promise in 1980, going 3-1 as a starter when Steve Grogan was injured. However neither he nor Grogan performed well the following season, and 1982 was his final season in New England. Cavanaugh served as a backup to Grogan in his four seasons with the Pats, making 15 starts and throwing 19 touchdowns. He spent 13 years in the NFL as a player, also spending time with San Francisco, Philadelphia and the Giants. During that time he won two super bowl rings: one as Joe Montana's backup with the Niners in SB 19, and another as Jeff Hostetler's backup for the Giants in SB 25. After five years as a position coach, Cavanugh has worked as the Offensive Coordinator for the Bears (twice), Ravens, Steelers, and is now the OC for Washington.



October 27, 1968:
Jim Whalen catches an 87-yard touchdown pass from Tom Sherman for the longest reception of his career but the Patriots lose to the Jets at Shea Stadium. The tight end was a first team all-pro this season, finishing the year with 718 yards and seven touchdowns. Bob Scarpitto also had a 33-yard touchdown reception; it was the only TD as a Patriot for the long-time Denver Bronco.



October 27, 1974:
In a game old time Patriots will surely remember, TE Bob Windsor wills his way to a touchdown with time running out despite blowing his knee out on the play, and the Pats beat the Vikings 17-14 at Metropolitan Stadium.

With 1:29 left to play Fran Tarkenton scored on a keeper at the near corner of the end zone and the Vikings took a 14-10 lead. With time running out Jim Plunkett hit Randy Vataha on a desperation heave for his only catch of the day that went for 55 yards, giving the Pats the ball on the Minnesota ten yard line with nine seconds remaining. Windsor caught a pass from Plunkett near the seam on the right side on the two-yard line; at the same time the catch was made Lew Krausse delivered a big hit to Windsor on his knee, tearing his ACL to shreds. Windsor somehow stayed on his feet and dragged Krausse to the goal line before falling into the end zone for the game winning score.

The play not only ended Windsor’s season but effectively ended his career. Although he did return the following season he was clearly not the same and finished with only six receptions before retiring from football.

Although both the Patriots and Vikings came into the game with identical 5-1 records this was considered to be a huge upset; the Pats were coming off a 5-9 season while Minnesota had made it to the Super Bowl with an NFL-best 12-2 record. Unfortunately the Patriots were snakebitten with injuries such as this one and those losses finally took their toll: after a 6-1 start the Pats won only one more game the rest of the way and finished 7-7.



October 27, 1985:
The Patriots beat the Buccaneers 32-14 at the Old Sombrero in Tampa Bay. This was the third in what turned out to be a six game winning streak; the team would end up winning 14 games overall and make it to the franchise’s first Super Bowl three months later.

Tampa Bay jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead but it was all Patriots the rest of the way. Craig James ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and also threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tony Collins. Collins finished with 164 yards from scrimmage; he had 55 yards on 10 rushed and 109 yards on six receptions. Steve Grogan was an efficient 14-for-21 for 237 yards and no turnovers. The Pats doubled up on the Bucs on total yardage, outgaining them 420 to 209 and ran for 197 yards while holding Tampa Bay to 79 on the ground. OLB Don Blackmon led the defense, getting his 4th career interception and then sacking Steve DeBerg in the end zone for a safety for the only points of his NFL career.



October 27, 1991:
The Patriots come close to pulling off a major upset but fall just short, losing to Denver 9-6 at Foxboro Stadium. The Pats defense stymied John Elway for 55 minutes, keeping him out of the end zone and limiting him to 154 yards passing on the day. However with time running out, as he did so often Elway came through in the clutch, directing a nine-play, 42-yard drive that culminated with a game winning 34 yard field goal by David Treadwell. Other than Leonard Russell rushing for 89 yards on 17 carries the Patriots couldn’t do much of anything on offense; they got close to scoring twice but had to settle for 17 and 20-yard field goals by Jason Staurovsky.



October 27, 1996:
The Patriots beat the Bills 28-25 on Sunday Night Football at Foxboro Stadium to move into a first place tie in the AFC East.

The Bills seemed to be headed for their fifth three-point victory of the season, but the Patriots scored two touchdowns in the last 1:25 for the hard fought victory. Curtis Martin had scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 10-yard run. Then, with Jim Kelly trying to lead his 24th successful fourth-quarter comeback, Willie McGinest returned his first career interception 46 yards for another touchdown with 41 seconds remaining. The 28-18 lead seemed secure, but there was still time for more drama.

With 24 seconds to play, Kelly connected with Andre Reed on a 48-yard desperation pass for a touchdown, and Steve Christie‘s extra point cut the lead to just three points. But Keith Byars, in just his second game since being picked up from Miami, recovered the onside kick and the Patriots held on.

The victory left New England, Buffalo and Indianapolis (which had lost to the Patriots a week earlier) all tied for the division lead at 5-3; t could have actually been a four-way tie had Miami beaten Dallas earlier in the day.

Drew Bledsoe was 32-for-45 for 373 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for the Patriots. Other than his touchdown the Bills defense did a good job containing Curtis Martin, limiting him to 54 yards on 21 carries. Shawn Jefferson had 95 yards receiving and Keith Byarshad seven catches for 52 yards out of the backfield. For Buffalo Thurman Thomas rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown, and Andre Reed finished with 121 yards receiving and one TD.



October 27, 1997:
In a rematch of the previous season’s Super Bowl the Patriots once again lose to the Packers, this time by a score of 28-10 on Monday Night Football at Foxboro Stadium.

The game turned on the opening possession of the 2nd half. The Pats received the kickoff and drove down to Green Bay’s one-yard line. Drew Bledsoe had to throw the ball away on 2nd down, CB Tyrone Williams broke up a pass intended for TE Ben Coates on the next play, and then Williams deflected another pass, this one for RB Keith Byars. The Packers took over on downs and proceeded to march 99 yards for a touchdown to go up 21-10, completely deflating the team and the crowd. The 17-play drive consumed 9:31 and was capped off by Brett Favre‘s third touchdown pass of the evening, a 20-yarder to WR Robert Brooks.

Terry Glenn had 7 receptions for 163 yards to lead the Patriots and Curtis Martin had 117 yards (65 rushing, 52 receiving). Drew Bledsoe went 20-36 for 268 yards but threw three interceptions. The only touchdown for the Patriots came early in the 2nd quarter on an 11-yard pass from Bledsoe to TE Ben Coates. The game sparked much second guessing of head coach Pete Carroll. The Packers came in to the game with one of the NFL’s worst run defenses, but the Pats inexplicably threw the ball rather than utilize Curtis Martin all game – most notably in that goal line situation.



October 27, 2002:
The defending Super Bowl champs lost their 4th straight game, losing 24-16 to the Broncos at Gillette Stadium to fall to 3-4. As had been the case in the previous losses the Pats defense faltered in the red zone, allowing three touchdowns in the four times Denver got the ball inside the twenty. For the season the Pats at this point had allowed 18 touchdowns in 22 red zone situations, a stark reversal from 2001 when they led the NFL in red zone defense.

Bronco rookie Clint Portis gained 111 yards on 26 carries (including a pair of TDs) to become the fifth straight back to gain over 100 yards on the Pats; on the flip side the Pats couldn’t run the ball with Antowain Smith gaining 58 yards on just 13 carries.

Denver scored on three of their five first half possessions to open up a 21-7 halftime lead. After the break the Pats showed some life, with Adam Vinatieri kicking a 26-yard field goal after a penalty on Denard Walker wiped out a Denver interception by Deltha O’Neal. After forcing a second straight three-and-out, Deion Branch returned a punt 40 yards to the Broncos 35 and the Pats cashed in when Tom Brady connected with a wide-open TE Christian Fauria in the end zone for an eight-yard TD pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Pats went for two but Brady’s pass was knocked down, leaving the score at 21-16.

However on the first two plays after the kickoff Brian Griese completed 19 and 21 yard passes to WR Ed McCaffrey. Denver drove deep into Patriots territory but Tedy Bruschi stopped RB Mike Anderson on third-and-goal at the 1, but Jason Elam‘s 19-yard FG extended the lead to 24-16, and that is how the game ended. Denver dominated the game more than the final score would indicate, outgaining the Patriots by almost a two to one margin, 351 yards to 179 yards.

♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯ ♪ ♫ ♮ ♯​

October 27, 1975:
A then unknown Bruce Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines simultaneously.

​

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Len St. Jean

Saw "The Boston Strong Boy" couple weeks ago.

Got a "Yes" vote on restoring Pat Patriot.

Matt Cavanaugh

Wasn't quite good enough to patent "MC12"

October 27, 1974:
In a game old time Patriots will surely remember, TE Bob Windsor wills his way to a touchdown with time running out despite blowing his knee out on the play, and the Pats beat the Vikings 17-14 at Metropolitan Stadium.

The Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox provided lots of fireworks that year, but the unsung Patriots started 5-0 behind huge contributions from Mack Herron, who didn't like our nickname "Mini-Mack" but nonetheless had a record-breaking season after Chuck Fairbanks picked him up from the CFL.

I've said it here before, that this remains one of the most dramatic games I've ever seen, and played a huge role in putting the modern Patriots on the map. Hanging on every play. When we got the ball at the end, I figured it was obvious that Jim was going to Vataha, as he always did here and at Stanford.

Bob Windsor will always be a Patriots hero.

October 27, 1975:
A then unknown Bruce Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines simultaneously.

"...and now, I'd like to sing a song about a car..."

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History - October 28​

October 28, 1960:
Walter Beach scored on a 51-yard pass from Butch Songin for the only touchdown reception of his pro football career in one of the only highlights of the day as the Pats lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 45-16 at Nickerson Field. The Chargers scored two defensive touchdowns and literally ran over the Patriots, rushing for 219 yards while holding the Pats to 46 yards on the ground.


October 28, 1973:
In what would have been an upset of epic proportions the Patriots lead at halftime but can’t hold on, losing to Miami 30-14. The Dolphins were coming off their undefeated Super Bowl championship season and entered the game 5-1; the Pats were 2-4 and coming off a 3-win season. Sam Cunningham scored twice, on a 34-yard pass from Jim Plunkett and then on a 6-yard run for the first half lead. However the Miami defense forced the Pats to punt nine times and their ground game, led by Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, controlled the clock and the tempo. Three Garo Yepremian field goals finally gave the Dolphins a two-point lead, and then Morris and Csonka each scored a touchdown late to complete the scoring for the day. Cunningham finished with 132 yards from scrimmage (70 rushing, 62 receiving) and Daryl Stingley had three receptions for 53 yards for the Pats.


October 28, 1979:
Stanley Morgan scores on 56 and 27 yard touchdowns, but the Colts upset the Patriots 31-26 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. For the second year in a row Joe Washington single-handedly beat the Patriots, this time scoring three touchdowns - including the game winning 12-yard run in the 4th quarter.

A year before on a miserable rainy night Washington caught a 23-yard touchdown pass early in the 4th quarter, then took a pitchout and threw a perfect spiral for a 53-yard touchdown He then capped things off with a 90-yard touchdown on a kickoff return with 1:17 remaining after the Pats had just tied the score. Between the alcohol, weather, result of the game and frustration from the last couple of seasons an already nasty crowd turned into an unruly mob, with hundreds of fans arrested. Foxboro selectmen responded to the embarrassing melee by placing a ban on Monday Night Football games that remained in effect for more than fifteen years after that debacle.


October 28, 1984:
In Raymond Berry‘s first game as head coach the Patriots knock off the Jets 30-20 at Sullivan Stadium. Berry had just replaced Ron Meyer in a controversial move; Meyer was fired despite the Pats owning a winning (5-3) record at the time. The Patriots were down 20-3 late in the first half but came storming back, scoring 27 unanswered points. Momentum shifted when Luke Prestridge booted a punt about 40 yards for the Pats. The punt coverage team surrounded the Jets’ Kirk Springs and the ball bounced and rolled about another 40 more yards, with the Pats downing what turned out to be an 82-yard punt on the Jets 1-yard line. Tony Franklin connected on his second and third field goals of the day, and then Craig James rushed for a 25-yard touchdown to pull the Pats within four at the end of three quarters. Tony Eason hit Stephen Starring on a five-yard pass to give the Pats the lead and then Tony Collins scored on a four yard run to cap off the comeback. Roland James and Steve Nelson both had interceptions and Dennis Owens had two of the Patriots four sacks to help shut down the Jets. Berry’s team finished the season in second place with a winning record but missed the playoffs; the following year they made it to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.


October 28, 1990:
In the midst of the most forgettable season in team history the Patriots lose 27-10 to the Bills at Foxboro Stadium. John Stephens ran for 93 yards on 19 carries and Sammy Martin scored one of the two touchdowns of his NFL career on a 19-yard pass from Steve Grogan. The Pats were done in by three turnovers and Thurman Thomas, who rushed for 136 yards for the Bills.


October 28, 2001:
The Patriots fall to 3-4 after a 31-20 loss to Denver at Invesco Field. Tom Brady had started off his NFL career with 162 passes without an interception, but then he threw four in a span of ten pass attempts in this game, all in the 4th quarter. Denard Walker and Deltha O’Neal both had two picks for Denver, and Rod Smith caught six passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. Troy Brown had nine receptions for 86 yards and a 31-yard run for the Pats in a game that was noteworthy for featuring two starting quarterbacks who were college teammates: Brady and the upperclassman he had backed up at Michigan, Brian Griese. After this loss the Patriots would go on to win eleven of their next twelve games en route to their first championship.


October 28, 2007:
The Patriots faced the statistically best defense they had seen all season, and proceeded to obliterate the Washington Redskins by the score of 52-7 for their eighth straight win. The victory set up a much anticipated game the following week between two unbeaten teams, the 7-0 Colts and the 8-0 Patriots.

Washington played almost exclusively in a nickel defense with their linebackers dropping back in an attempt to thwart the long pass, so the Patriots ran for 152 yards and took the open passes underneath.

This is the game where many in the media accused the Patriots of running up the score, as the Pats twice went for it on 4th down in the 4th quarter when they were leading by first 38 and then 45 points. Tom Brady also had a touchdown pass to Randy Moss on a fake spike play with 17 seconds left in the half to put the Pats up 24-0 as well as a TD pass to Mike Vrabel that gave the Pats a 14-0 lead, with the trickery apparently rubbing some sports writers and talking heads the wrong way.

Brady went 29 for 38 for 306 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions before being replaced by Matt Cassel; Wes Welker had nine receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown and Laurence Maroney averaged 5.4 yards per carry with 75 yards on 14 attempts. The Patriots held the ball for 37:49 and more than doubled up on Washington for total yardage, 486 yards to 224. On defense Roosevelt Colvin ran a fumble back 11 yards for a touchdown, Asante Samuel had an interception, and Vrabel had three sacks and 13 tackles as the D limited the Redskins to just two third down conversions in twelve attempts.


October 28, 2012:
The Patriots the St. Louis Rams by the score of 45-7 in London. Sam Bradford hit Chris Givens on the first possession of the game, but it was all New England after that. With the victory the Pats advanced to 5-3 heading in to their bye week, maintaining a half game lead in the AFC East over Miami.

The Patriot offensive line was solid, despite the absence of Logan Mankins due to calf and hip injuries. Tom Brady was barely touched by the Rams and was able to work in a clean pocket for the entire game. TB12 was 25-35 for 304 yards and four touchdown passes, accumulating a 131.1 passer rating on the day. The Patriots had 350+ yards for the 17th straight game, breaking a record by the Greatest Show On Turf Rams from 1999-2000. Rob Gronkowski had eight receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns, and Brandon Lloyd also had two touchdown catches. Stevan Ridley added 127 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, breaking off runs of 20, 30, 16 and 41 yards. The Patriot defense - despite missing starting safeties Patrick Chung and Steve Gregory due to injuries - held the Rams scoreless on their final nine possessions, including two interceptions and two stops on 4th down.

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Only one former Patriot born on October 28, plus three other players with New England area connections born today:

Scott Dragos, b. 10/28/1975
Born in Old Rochester; Old Rochester Regional High School, class of '94; Boston College, class of '98. Was one of 13 BC players suspended for gambling in 1996, but says the he never placed a bet or spoke with a bookie in that controversy. The FB/TE was originally signed by the Pats as a rookie free agent on 4/24/98. He was waived 8/18/98 and spent time with the Giants, Barcelona in NFL Europe, and played in 15 games for the Bears in 2000-01. The Pats re-signed Dragos on 3/12/2002, but he did not make the final roster. Dragos is now an Executive Vice President for Colliers International in Boston.

Andrew Adams, b. 10/28/1992
Safety went to UConn prior to joining the Giants in 2016.

John Moffitt, b. 10/28/1986
Born in Guilford CT and went to Notre Dame High School in West Haven. Started 15 games at guard for Seattle in 2011-12. Made headlines earlier this month by weighing in on Cam Newton's comments about women football sports writers.

Dave Heffernan, b. 10/28/1962
Born in Boston, but grew up in Florida. Spent four seasons kicking around the NFL with the Chiefs, Bucs and Jets, officially appearing in two 1987 NFL games. A starting OT for the 1983 collegiate champion Hurricanes, he went back to the University of Miami to earn a law degree. Has been practicing law in south Florida for two decades.


Other notable NFL players born today:

- Jim Katcavage (10/28/34-2/22/95). Defensive End played in 165 games for the Giants from 1956 to 1968, and was named to three Pro Bowls.

- Terrell Davis (10/28/72). Hall of Fame running back twice led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and rushed for 2008 yards with Denver in 1998.

- Steve Atwater (10/28/66). Hard hitting safety was named to eight Pro Bowls as well as three all-pro honors, earning two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos.

Best football name: Steve Stonebreaker (10/28/38-3/28/95), who fittingly played linebacker and tight end from 1962 to 1968.

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October 28, 1936:
Charlie Daniels was born in Leland, North Carolina. Still regularly playing live shows now even though he is in his eighties.

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