Over the past two decades, there haven’t been too many stories about the Patriots dynasty we don’t already know, but for younger followers of the team like the writer behind this blog, there are occasional ones I’ve admittedly missed, but maybe you have too.
An instance occurred last week when NFL Films shared the story of long-snapper Brian Kinchen and his unexpected role during the Patriots’ run to their second Super Bowl title.
The Patriots chapter of Kinchen’s NFL career began towards the end of the 2003 season after veteran Lonie Paxton suffered a season-ending injury. To make matters worse, his backup Sean McDermott also suffered a season-ending injury after just one game.
In desperate need of someone with two games remaining in the season and playoffs, Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick contacted Kinchen, who was a wide receiver during his tenure as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the early 90s.
However, by the time the Patriots called Kinchen, he had been retired from football since 2000 and was teaching seventh grade in his home state of Louisiana.
Understanding the Patriots’ emergency need, Kinchen elected to come out of retirement and help the team down the stretch.
“When [Scott Pioli] asked me to come try out, I didn’t really know that I wanted to,” Kinchen told NFL Films. “I told him I didn’t know. And I told him to call me back later and I’ll make a decision. I decided to go, and a couple of games, everything was good. And then playoffs hit, and chaos ensued.”
In the Patriots’ three playoff games, Kinchen struggled at times to keep the football off the ground but saved his best snap for last when he delivered the perfect ball to holder Ken Walter as kicker Adam Vinatieri sealed the Patriots’ second Super Bowl victory.
“I’m not gonna be shy,” Kinchen said. “I’m gonna throw it like I always did. So as soon as [Ken Walter] gave me his hand, I released it, and I knew it was perfect.”
You can view the complete “NFL Films Presents” mini-documentary highlighting Kinchen’s time with the Patriots below.
"I'm not gonna be shy. I'm gonna throw it like I always did."
Facing a case of Super Bowl yips, @Patriots long snapper Brian Kinchen found the courage to believe in himself when he needed it most. #NFLFilmsPresents pic.twitter.com/B1GetVLaK6
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) February 9, 2023
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