New England Patriots

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New England Patriots

Year founded: 1960
Helmet Logo
City	Foxborough, Massachusetts
Other nicknames	The Pats
Team colors	"Nautical" Blue, "New Century" Silver, Red, and White
Head Coach	Bill Belichick
Owner	Robert Kraft
General manager	Bill Belichick
Mascot	Pat Patriot
League/Conference affiliations
American Football League (1960–69) Eastern Division (1960–69) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970–present) AFC East (1970–present)
Team history
New England Patriots (1971–present)
Championships
League Championships (3) Super Bowl Championships (3) 2001 (XXXVI), 2003 (XXXVIII), 2004 (XXXIX)
Conference Championships (5) AFC: 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004
Division Championships (10) AFL East: 1963 AFC East: 1978, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Home fields
Nickerson Field (1960–62) Fenway Park (1963–68) Alumni Stadium (1969) Harvard Stadium (1970) Foxboro Stadium (1971–2001) a.k.a. Schaefer Stadium (1971–82) a.k.a. Sullivan Stadium (1983–89) Gillette Stadium (2002–present)

The New England Patriots, nicknamed the "Pats" by sports writers and fans,^[1] are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They currently belong to the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team's ownership changed the name, originally the Boston Patriots, after relocating the team to Foxborough in 1971.

An original member of the American Football League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the league merger of 1970. The team advanced to the playoffs four times before appearing in Super Bowl XX in January 1986. This Super Bowl appearance resulted in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The team also appeared in, and lost Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, to the Green Bay Packers.

Between 2001 and 2004, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win three Super Bowls in four years (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX), and the eighth (and to date, the last) time a team has won consecutive Super Bowls. Their dominance in the early part of the decade has some dubbing them as the modern NFL championship dynasty.

[edit] Franchise history

Main article: History of the New England Patriots

[edit] The AFL Years

On November 16, 1959, Boston heating oil company executive William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr., former publicist for the Boston Braves of Major League Baseball and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League (AFL). The following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football team's official name. The most popular choice—and the one that Sullivan selected—was "Boston Patriots", which derived from the historical Patriots of the American Revolution. Several months later, Phil Bisell created the "Pat Patriot" logo (see section), and Lou Saban was selected as the team's first head coach.

The franchise's first training camp began on July 4 1960, two months before their first official game against the Bills.^[2] On September 9 of that year, the Boston Patriots played the Denver Broncos in the first-ever AFL regular season game. The Broncos defeated the Patriots by a score of 13–10. The franchise played first at legendary Braves Field in Boston, the old home of the Boston Braves that was eventually purchased by Boston University and renamed Nickerson Field. From 1963 to 1968, the Patriots played at Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox. Five thousand temporary seats covered the left field wall, and field goals were regularly kicked into the right field visitors' bullpen. The Patriots failed to reach the playoffs in each of their first three seasons, despite posting a cumulative 23-17 record. However, in 1963 the Patriots reached the AFL Championship for the first time, resulting in a loss to the San Diego Chargers by a score of 51–10. Although the franchise lost the championship, it was honored when eleven Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti, Nick Buoniconti, Jim Lee Hunt, Houston Antwine, Bob Dee, and Babe Parilli.

Although Boston failed to reach the AFL playoffs for the remainder of the decade, the team was noted in 1966 when fullback Jim Nance gained 1,458 yards, and the title of the American Football League's MVP.^[3][4] Tom Addison, the first Patriot All-star, founded the AFL Players Association in the mid 1960s.

[edit] 1970-1991

The Patriots' second decade began with significant changes. In 1970, the Patriots' franchise joined the NFL pursuant to the merger of the AFL and NFL that had been agreed to three years earlier. The Patriots were merged into the American Football Conference (AFC), where they remain to the present day. However, the Patriots' first season as part of the NFL resulted in a record of 2–12, sole possession of the newly merged league's worst record. Despite the lack of wins, local morale increased in 1971 when the Patriots moved into a new stadium in Foxborough (also known as Foxboro). The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, became Sullivan Stadium in 1983 and, ultimately, Foxboro Stadium in 1990. This marked stability for the Patriots, who shifted between four different Boston-area stadiums since its creation. In March 1971, the team was renamed the "Bay State Patriots" and later that year the "New England Patriots" to reflect the relocation.

By the early 1970s, several new players were added to the lineup, including Heisman Trophy^[5] winner Jim Plunkett^[6] and offensive lineman John Hannah, who became the first career Patriot to make the Hall of Fame in 1991.^[7]Despite the changes in personnel, the Patriots' series of losing seasons continued into the early 1970s. Chuck Fairbanks was hired as head coach and general manager in 1973 after leading a top-ten program at the University of Oklahoma. Fairbanks began assembling one of the most talented - but ultimately underachieveing - squads in the NFL of the 1970s. The Patriots finished 7–7 in 1974 and 3–11 in 1975, which resulted in offensive changes. Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and replaced by second year player Steve Grogan.

After the string of losing seasons, the Patriots finished the 1976 season with an 11–3 mark — the best record in team history to that point — and a playoff slot for the first time since 1963. In the first round of the 1976 playoffs, the Patriots lost to the Oakland Raiders 24–21. In 1978, Fairbanks was fired as head coach when it was revealed he had been secretly hired as the new head coach of the University of Colorado. Fairbanks was replaced by Ron Erhardt, who coached the team to a playoff appearance later that year. The Patriots lost to the Houston Oilers in the first round and did not return to the tournament until 1982. Under new coach Ron Meyer, the Patriots were once again eliminated in the first game — this time by the Miami Dolphins. With the team unable to assemble playoff victories, the Sullivans replaced head coach Ron Meyer with former wide receiver Raymond Berry in 1984.

In the 1985 regular season, the team finished with an 11-5 record and obtained a wild card playoff berth. The Patriots won three road playoff games on their way to Super Bowl XX — an NFL record.^[8] At Super Bowl XX, the Patriots surrendered a 3-0 first quarter lead and lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 46-10. The following season, New England won the AFC East with another 11–5 record, but fell to the Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. Local resident Doug Flutie was a member of the Patriots during the 1987–1988 seasons, in which they finished with records of 8–7 and 9–7, respectively. Berry remained head coach through both seasons.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Patriots' lack of playoff appearances was underscored by personnel changes and controversy within the Sullivan ownership.^[9] The Sullivan family lost millions of dollars on expensive investments, including The Jacksons' 1984 Victory tour. Additional pressure was placed on the ownership when they calculated that $100 million was already invested in the franchise.^[10] These financial losses and demands forced the Sullivans to sell the team. In 1986, Francis W. Murray arranged financing to keep the team afloat and, in return, was granted an option to purchase the team. When Murray tried to exercise his option, the Sullivans refused to acknowledge his rights and Murray sued and won in court. As a result, Murray agreed to partner with Victor Kiam to purchase the team in 1988. Kiam and Murray purchased the team for $84 million — $16 million less than the cost of the team.^[11] Although Kiam was now the majority owner, he decided to keep Billy Sullivan and his son, Pat Sullivan, as franchise president and General Manager respectively.^[12] Meanwhile, entrepreneur Robert Kraft began his involvement with the Patriots by purchasing Sullivan Stadium (previously Schaefer Stadium) on November 23, 1988. Essentially, Kraft owned the stadium and Kiam possessed the team.^[13] During this leadership change, head coach Berry was replaced by Rod Rust — a change that was short-lived.

The Patriots' worst season in franchise history — a 1-15 record — came under Rust in 1990. During the season, the Patriots were thrown into the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson was sexually and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room — a bad situation made worse by Kiam first deriding the reporter as "a classic [expletive]" and by making lewd jokes at public events about the whole affair instead of allowing it to die quietly. Following an investigation into the scandal, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue fined the team $50,000, and players Zeke Mowatt, Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman $12,500, $5,000, and $5,000 respectively. Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson at the end of the season. The Olson scandal and the 1-15 record are cited as the two primary reasons why Rod Rust was told to leave.^[14]

[edit] 1992–1997

In 1992, St. Louis businessman James Orthwein became sole owner of the Patriots franchise, sparking rumors of a possible franchise relocation to St. Louis. However, no move was scheduled for the 1992 season, despite a sub-par 1992 season.^[15] During the 1992-1993 offseason, the Patriots shifted gears by replacing MacPherson with Bill Parcells. The team's draft selections for the offseason included Drew Bledsoe, who quarterbacked the team until 2001. Despite these acquisitions, the 1993 season resulted in a losing record, and rumors about relocation to St. Louis resparked during the offseason. However, one hurdle to relocation was the Patriots' stadium lease. The owner of Foxboro Stadium, Robert Kraft rejected a $75,000,000 buyout bid to void the remaining years of the lease^[16], prompting Orthwein to put the franchise up for sale. Kraft then proceeded to outbid the field of competition and obtained full ownership of the Patriots in 1994.^[17] Kraft implemented changes in organization and leadership, which culminated in a ten-season stadium sell-out streak from 1996 to the present.

New England entered the 1994 season after drafting first round and fourth overall pick on defensive end Willie McGinest, who would later play linebacker on all three Super Bowl-winning teams. Although the team lost in the first round of the 1994 playoffs and finished the 1995 season with a 6–10 record, Kraft decided to keep Parcells. In 1996, the Patriots finished with an 11–5 record and an AFC East division championship. The team eventually advanced to Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers 35–21. Parcells would leave to coach the New York Jets.

[edit] 1997-2000

Due to rising tensions between Parcells and Kraft, Parcells resigned, and was replaced by Pete Carroll in 1997. Meanwhile, the Patriots and the New York Jets began switching players and coaches, including the aforementioned Parcells and running back Curtis Martin. Nevertheless, New England finished with a 10–6 record and first place in the AFC East. The Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 17–3 at home in the opening round, before losing against the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 7–6. In the 1998 season, the Patriots finished 9–7, and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. A subpar 1999 season resulted in Carroll's firing.

[edit] 2000-present

After Carroll was fired, Bill Belichick, hand-picked to be Parcells' successor with the Jets, quit after one day as Jets head coach to join New England.In 2000, Belichick's first season resulted in a 5–11 record. In 2001, quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured in the second game of the season on a hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, and was replaced by Tom Brady, a sixth-round draft pick, who then led the team into the playoffs with an 11–5 record. The Patriots defeated the Oakland Raiders, in the so-called "The Tuck" game played in a driving snowstorm in Foxborough, followed by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. That set up their third trip to New Orleans and Super Bowl XXXVI, where, amidst a theme of patriotism spawned by the September 11 terror attacks, they defeated the St. Louis Rams on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. In New England's first Super Bowl victory, Brady drove his team 48 yards in 1:21 with no timeouts, and was selected Super Bowl MVP. Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills in the 2002 off-season.

In 2002, Robert Kraft opened the new Gillette Stadium after privately funding its construction. After getting no support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to build a new stadium, Kraft made a deal to move the team to Hartford, Connecticut in 1998.^[18] However, environmental cleanup problems with the Hartford site, combined with Massachusetts' eventual willingness to loan $57,000,000 in infrastructure costs around Foxboro to be repaid through parking revenue led to a reversal of the Hartford deal. As a result of threats of lawsuits by Connecticut Governor John Rowland, Kraft paid $2.4M to Connecticut to avoid any future litigation.^[19] The state-of-the-art stadium is widely considered to be one of the premier stadiums in NFL Football.^[20][21]

The Patriots missed the 2002 playoffs after finishing with a record of 9–7 and missing out on the division title via a tiebreaker to the New York Jets. In 2003, the Patriots started 2–2 but finished with a 14–2 record and fourteen straight wins on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers. The Patriots won by a score of 32–29; the final three points came from another Adam Vinatieri field goal. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career.

In 2004, the Patriots broke the NFL all-time regular season consecutive winning streak record of 18 straight wins, with a victory against the Miami Dolphins. Later in the season, the Patriots lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which halted their winning streak at 21 games. Information on the winning streak being stopped by the Steelers at 21 wins. Accessed 28 January 2006. However, the NFL only counts regular-season wins in determining the consecutive wins record, so the Patriots' streak officially stands at 18 games.

After finishing the 2004 season with a 14-2 record, the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers en route to Super Bowl XXXIX. The Patriots went on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24–21. The victory made the Patriots the first team in six years to repeat as NFL Super Bowl champions, and the second team ever to win three Super Bowls in four years. After the 2004 season, Belichick's top two coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel left the team to pursue head coaching positions. Significant players moved on as well, including longtime Patriot cornerback Ty Law. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi missed half of the 2005 season while recovering from a mild stroke. During the 2005 season, the team lost several starters to injuries, including safety Rodney Harrison and offensive tackle Matt Light. At the end of the season, the Patriots won the AFC East with a 10–6 record. The Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28–3 in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Broncos 27–13. New England became the seventh team in NFL history to fail on a chance to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons, the last team to do so being the Broncos.

The 2006 off-season saw the departure and arrival of several personnel. Dean Pees took over as defensive coordinator when Eric Mangini left the team to become head coach of the New York Jets. Quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels was promoted to offensive coordinator after New England went one season without replacing Charlie Weis. Notable Patriot players David Givens, Willie McGinest, and Adam Vinatieri left New England for the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and Indianapolis Colts respectively. Deion Branch would later be traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Despite this, they finished the 2006 regular season with a 12-4 record and won the AFC East for the fourth consecutive time. The Patriots went on to defeat their rival, the Jets 37-16 in the wild card round. The following game, Brady, despite throwing 3 INTs, engineered a 4th quarter comeback to defeat the San Diego Chargers by the score of 24-21. They played the Colts in the Conference Championship but lost 38-34 after leading 21-3 early in the game, to date the largest collapse in NFL conference championship history.

The Kraft years have provided a major turnaround for the fan base of the Patriots. Before Kraft's arrival, the Patriots rarely played at Foxboro Stadium's maximum capacity (with the only exception being the highly successful 1986 season). The attendance was particularly low during the early 1990s, when poor performance and the aforementioned rumors of franchise relocation to St. Louis loomed; the average home attendance was below 60% of maximum capacity. However, the improvements made during Bill Parcells' coaching tenure (both on and off the field) resulted in a rejuvenation of the fan base. From the 1996 season onward, every Patriots home game has sold out, both at Foxboro and Gillette stadiums, including preseason games.^[22][23]

[edit] Logo and uniforms

See also Logos and Uniforms of the New England Patriots

The original Patriot logo was a stylized depiction of a Revolutionary War tricorne hat. Midway through the first season, it was replaced by an image of a New England Revolutionary War minuteman snapping a football, developed by artist Phil Bissell.^[24] Initial Patriots owner William Sullivan coined the logo's nickname — "Pat Patriot" — in late 1961.^[25] The team's original uniforms used a color scheme matching that of the American flag — red and white shirts, blue stripes on the sleeves, and white pants and helmets. As with most NFL teams, the helmets featured the team logo on both sides.^[26]

In 1979, the Patriots enhanced the American flag color arrangement by introducing red pants worn with the white and blue jerseys — a design that was used for home games. The pant design was reverted for the 1982 and 1983 seasons. In 1984, the Patriots introduced red jerseys and white pants, but in the 1985 season the team wore the white jerseys during all home games. However, in Super Bowl XX, the Patriots opted to wear their red jerseys as the designated home team against the Chicago Bears after road playoff victories over the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins wearing the red jerseys, though they lost resoundingly, 46-10.

In 1993, changes to the Patriots' uniforms and logo were rolled out by owner James B. Orthwein and NFL Properties.^[27] Apparently, due to the original 1960s-vintage "Pat the Patriot" logo being the most ornate and graphically detailed logo to be used anywhere in North American professional sports up to that time, with the associated greater expense with its replication for use, it was replaced with the silhouette of a Patriot's head wearing a red-white-and-blue tricorne hat — a symbol that was nicknamed the "Flying Elvis" by fans,^[28] and was also jokingly compared to the logo of Colonial lunchmeats. The team's jerseys were changed from red to "Patriot" (dark) blue, and both the helmets and pants from white to silver.^[29]

In 2000, the team introduced a darker shade of blue to the jerseys.^[30] Blue pants were introduced with the white jerseys, and twice during the 2002 season, the Patriots wore an all-blue combination. In 2003, the Patriots introduced a silver alternate jersey that is worn occasionally at home with the blue pants.^[31] When the Patriots wear the silver jersey, the visiting team is obligated to don its contrasting dark jersey.

[edit] Strategy

See also New England Patriots Strategy for strategies of the Patriots.

[edit] Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

+ = Due to a strike-shortened season in 1982, all teams were ranked by conference instead of division.

[edit] Players and coaches of note

[edit] Current roster

The following is accurate as of April 6, 2007.^[32]

[edit] Updated Patriots Depth Chart

[edit] Pro Football Hall of Famers

• Nick Buoniconti LB
• John Hannah G
• Mike Haynes CB

[edit] Retired numbers

• 20 Gino Cappelletti K/WR
• 40 Mike Haynes CB
• 57 Steve Nelson LB
• 73 John Hannah G
• 78 Bruce Armstrong T
• 79 Jim Lee Hunt DL
• 89 Bob Dee DL

In addition to the seven players above, QB Steve Grogan (14), QB Babe Parilli (15), LB Andre Tippett (56) and LB Nick Buoniconti (85) were inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame.^[33]

[edit] Other notable alumni

[edit] Head coaches

• Lou Saban (1960–61)
• Mike Holovak (1961–68)
• Clive Rush (1969–70)
• John Mazur (1970–72)
• Phil Bengtson (interim) (1972)
• Chuck Fairbanks (1973–78)
• Ron Erhardt (1979–81)
• Ron Meyer (1982–84)
• Raymond Berry (1984–89)
• Rod Rust (1990)
• Dick MacPherson (1991–92)
• Bill Parcells (1993–96)
• Pete Carroll (1997–99)
• Bill Belichick (2000–present)

[edit] Current staff

• Owner/Chairman/CEO - Robert Kraft
• President - Jonathan Kraft
• Vice President of Player Personnel - Scott Pioli

• Head Coach - Bill Belichick
• Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach - Dante Scarnecchia

Offensive Coaches

• Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach - Josh McDaniels
• Running Backs Coach - Ivan Fears
• Wide Receivers Coach - Nick Caserio
• Tight Ends Coach - Pete Mangurian
• Offensive Assistant - Bill O'Brien

Defensive Coaches

• Defensive Coordinator - Dean Pees
• Defensive Line Coach - Pepper Johnson
• Linebackers Coach - Matt Patricia
• Defensive Backs Coach - Joel Collier
• Defensive Assistant - Otis Smith

Speciality Coaches

• Special Teams Coach - Brad Seely
• Strength and Conditioning Coach - Mike Woicik
• Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach - Harold Nash

[edit] First Round Draft Picks

1990’s

2000’s

[edit] Radio and Television

As of 2006, the Patriots' flagship radio station is WBCN 104.1FM, owned by CBS Radio. The larger radio network is called the "Patriots Rock Radio Network," whose 35 affiliate stations span over 7 states. Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti are the longtime announcing team.

Any preseason games not on national television are shown on ABC affiliate WCVB, channel 5. Don Criqui has been the play-by-play announcer the last several years, with Randy Cross as an analyst and Mike Lynch as a reporter.

[edit] Cheerleaders

The Patriots NFL Cheerleaders are simply known as the The Patriots Cheerleaders. In 2005, cheerleader Kristin Gauvin won Miss Massachusetts, in part from her local commitment with the Patriots.

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] See also

• Active NFL playoff appearance streaks
• Gil Santos
• History of the New England Patriots (Greater depth)
• List of American Football League players
• New England Patriots Strategy
• Patriots Video News

[edit] External links

• Search New England Patriots Audio and Video Archive
• New England Patriots aggregated news
• New England Patriots official website
• Sport E-Cyclopedia.org