Today in Patriots History
Randy Moss

Happy 43rd birthday to Randy Gene Moss, the pride of Rand, West Virginia. Although he played in New England for a much shorter time than Stanley Morgan, the argument can be made that Moss is the greatest wide receiver in Patriots history.

Happy 43rd birthday to Randy Moss
Born Feb 13, 1977 in Rand, West Virginia
Patriot WR, 2007-2010; uniform #81
Acquired April 29, 2007 from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a 2007 fourth round draft pick (#110 overall). (That turned out to be John Bowie, who played in a total of five games in his NFL career).?

Regular season stats and franchise rankings:
50 touchdown receptions (in just 52 games!) ranks 3rd in team history
3,904 receiving yards ranks 12th
259 receptions ranks 14th
75.1 yards receiving per game ranks 2nd
15.1 yards per catch ranks 16th (minimum 100 receptions)
Patriots record with Randy Moss: 40-12 (.769)
Named to Patriots All-Decade Team of the 2000s

Randy Moss 2007 Patriots vs. Jets (First Game as Patriot):
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHdKP-VXdf8[/embedyt]

Awards and NFL season rankings while with Patriots:
2007 Comeback Player of the Year
2007 First Team All Pro
2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Offensive Player of the Week for Week 9
2007 Offensive Player of the Week for Week 11
2007 Offensive Player of the Month for November
Set NFL record for TD receptions in single season with 23 in 2007
Also in 2007: ranked 1st in total touchdowns (23); ranked 2nd in points scored (138); ranked 2nd in yards receiving (1,493); ranked 8th in total yards from scrimmage (1,493)
2009: led NFL in touchdown receptions (13); 5th in receiving yards (1,264)

Randy Moss Patriots Highlights | 2007-2010:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucpy4JbwKls[/embedyt]

Randy Moss | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site

In 2007, Moss set the NFL single-season record for touchdown receptions in a season with 23 to help the New England Patriots become the only team to finish a regular season with perfect 16-0 record. Moss made two Super Bowl appearances – Super Bowl XLII with the New England Patriots and XLVII with the San Francisco 49ers.

Moss caught 10 or more touchdown passes in nine seasons and had 10 seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Moss received first-team All-Pro honors four times and was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He finished his career with 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. His career receiving yards and career touchdowns ranked third and fourth respectively in the NFL record book at the time of his retirement.

Aqib Talib headlines the list of other Patriots celebrating a February 13 birth date.

Happy 34th birthday to Aqib Talib
Born February 13, 1986; hometown: Richardson, Texas
Patriot CB, 2012-2013; uniform #31
Acquired on Nov 1, 2012 with a 7th round draft pick (Michael Buchanan) from Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth round pick (William Gholston).

Perhaps the most telling statistic of the time Aqib Talib spent in New England is the won-loss record. The Pats were 15-4 in the regular season with Talib – but just 2-2 in the playoffs. My first thought of Talib as a Patriot is not his one pick-six, but that of him standing on the sideline in postseason losses to Baltimore and Denver.

In 19 regular season games Talib had five interceptions, 16 passes defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also had 65 tackles (51 solo) with one tackle for a loss. The five-time Pro Bowler has 35 career interceptions and won a super bowl ring with Denver three years ago.

Happy 64th birthday to John Zamberlin
Born February 13, 1956 in Tacoma, Washington
Patriot ILB, 1979-1982; uniform #54
Pats 5th round (135th overall) selection of the 1979 draft, from Pacific Lutheran

John Zamberlin played in 56 games over four seasons with the Patriots, then finished his NFL career with two more years in Kansas City. Since then he has a very extensive coaching career that includes ten years as head coach at Central Washington and four more as HC at Idaho State. Zamberlin is now a first-time high school football coach in Idaho.

Happy 61st birthday to Willie Scott
Born February 13, 1959 in Newberry, South Carolina
Patriot TE, 1986-1988; uniform #88
Acquired on July 22, 1986 from KC in exchange for a 1987 8th round draft pick.

Willie Scott was the 14th overall pick of the 1981 draft by the Chiefs, out of South Carolina. He was a backup to Greg Hawthorne and then Lin Dawson in his first two seasons, then became an afterthought when Russ Francis re-joined the Pats at the age of 35 in 1988. Willie played in 99 NFL games from 1981 to 1988 with 15 touchdowns. He returned to South Carolina as a high school teacher’s assistant and assistant football coach until an unfortunate choking incident occurred in 2019.

Happy 42nd birthday to Michael Stone
Born February 13, 1978 in Southfield, Michigan
Patriot safety, 2005; uniform #24
Signed as a veteran free agent on September 27, 2005.

Michael Stone was originally a second round draft pick by Arizona in 2001. Stone played in 13 games with three starts in his one season in Foxboro, making 46 tackles. He was added to the roster as depth after Rodney Harrison suffered a week three knee injury at Pittsburgh.

Other pro football players born on this date with a New England connection:

Leo Douglass (1901-1985)
Wakefield, Mass; University of Vermont
The fullback and defensive back played for the Brooklyn Lions and the 1926 champion Frankford Yellow Jackets. Prior to that he was part of a pre-NFL travelling football team with Jim Thorpe.

Millville Athletic Club

Bethlehem Bears

Cornelius O’Brien (1898-1993)
Commerce High School, Springfield MA; Boston College

The Irish immigrant (or not?) went by the name of Con, not Conan. He was a tackle with the New York Brickley Giants in the twenties. Apparently there is some debate over where he was born, and when he died.