Patriots Zone

WELCOME TO PATRIOTS ZONE YOUR SOURCE FOR UPDATES ON THE TEAM ! On November 16, 1959, Boston executive William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. 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 prior to their first official game. 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 Patriots failed to reach the playoffs in each of their four 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, and Babe Parilli.The Patriots were unsuccessful in reaching the AFL playoffs for the remainder of the decade. Nevertheless, the team was noted in 1966 when fullback Jim Nance gained 1,458 yards, earning him the title of the American Football League's MVP Moreover, Tom Addison, the first Patriot All-star, founded the AFL Players Association in the mid 1960s.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 in their first 11 seasons. In March 1971 the team was renamed the "New England Patriots" in order to reflect the fact that the team was now located outside of the Boston city limits.By the early 1970s, several new players were added to the lineup, including Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett and offensive lineman John Hannah, who would become the first career Patriot to make the Hall of Fame in 1991.Despite the changes in personnel, the Patriots' series of losing 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 playoffs, the Patriots lost to the Oakland Raiders 24–21. The following year, the Patriots missed the playoffs. 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 appearence in 1978. The Patriots lost in the first round and did not return to the tournament until 1982. Now under coach Ron Meyer, the Patriots were again eliminated in the first round. With the team failing 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. 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 played several games with the Patriots during the 1987–1988 seasons, in which the Patriots finished with records of 8–7 and 9–7, respectively. Berry continued to coach the Patriots through the 1986-1988 seasons, but the team would not return to the playoffs until the next decade.During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Patriots' lack of playoff appearances was underscored by personnel changes and controversy within the the Sullivan ownership. 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. These financial losses and demands forced the Sullivans to sell the team in 1988. The highest bidder was Victor Kiam, who purchased the team for $84 million — $16 million less than the cost of the team. Although Kiam was now the full owner, he decided to keep Billy Sullivan and his son, Pat Sullivan, as franchise president and General Manager respectively. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Robert Kraft began his involvement with the Patriots by purchasing Sullivan Stadium (previously Schaefer Stadium) on November 23, 1988. Essensially, Kraft owned the stadium while Kiam possessed the team. 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 came under Rust in 1990, when the team finished 1–15. During the season, the Patriots were thrown into the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson was sexually harassed and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room. The NFL investigated the incident and following the report NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue fined the team $50,000, as well as players Zeke Mowatt, Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman who were fined $12,500, $5,000 and $5,000 respectively for the Lisa Olson incident. Immediately after the season concluded, Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson. The Olson scandal and the 1-15 record are cited as the two primary reasons why Rod Rust was discharged.In 1992, St. Louis businessman James Orthwein became sole owner of the Patriots franchise. Throughout New England, sportswriters and fans discussed the possibility that Orthwein would relocate the franchise to St. Louis. However, no move was scheduled for the 1992 season.After the sub-par 1991 and 1992 seasons, the Patriots shifted gears by firing MacPherson and hiring coach Bill Parcells in 1993. The highlight draft pick during the 1993 season included Drew Bledsoe, who would quarterback the team until 2001. Despite these acquisitions, the 1993 season resulted in a losing record, and rumors about relocation to St. Louis continued during the offseason. In order to save the team from relocation, Robert Kraft outbid an intense field of competition and obtained full ownership of the Patriots in 1994. Kraft developed changes in organization and leadership, several of which culminated in a ten-season stadium sell-out streak from 1996 to the present.The Patriots entered the 1994 season after drafting first round and fourth overall pick 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.Due to rising tensions between Parcells and Kraft, the former was replaced by Pete Carroll in 1997. Meanwhile, the Patriots and the New York Jets began switching players and coaches, including current Jets head coach Eric Mangini, the aforementioned Parcells, and running back Curtis Martin. Nevertheless, New England finished 1997 with a 10–6 record—good enough for 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. However, a subpar 1999 season resulted in Carroll's firing. President George W. Bush poses with the New England Patriots during a ceremony honoring the 2004 Super Bowl Champions in the Rose GardenAfter Carroll was fired, Bill Belichick, hand-picked to be Parcells' successor with the Jets, quit after one day to join New England. In 2000, Belichick's first season resulted in a 5–11 record. In 2001 Patriot quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured early in the season, and was replaced by Tom Brady, who led the team into the playoffs with an 11–5 record. The Patriots defeated the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI, where they defeated the St. Louis Rams on a last-second Adam Vinatieri field goal. In New England's first Super Bowl victory, Brady 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. Kraft privately funded the construction of the stadium. After getting no support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Kraft made a deal to move the team to Hartford, Connecticut in 1998. However, problems with the Hartford site, and Massachusetts' willingness to invest $70,000,000 in infrastructure around Foxboro, led to a reversal of the Hartford deal.The state-of-the-art stadium is widely considered to be one of the premier stadiums in NFL Football. That season, the Patriots missed the playoffs after finishing with a record of 9–7. 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. Patriot fans rally in front of Boston City Hall following the 2004 championshipIn 2004 the Patriots broke the all-time winning streak record of 18 consecutive wins, following 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. 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 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 (and the eighth in history) to repeat as NFL Super Bowl champions, and the second team ever to win three Super Bowls in four years (next to the Dallas Cowboys). Moreover, the Patriots won all three Super Bowls by 3 points — two of them with last second field goals by Vinatieri.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. In the final game of the season, Doug Flutie performed the first successful dropkick extra point since 1941. 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. The New England Patriots 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. The Patriots later signed receiver Reche Caldwell, cornerback Eric Warfield, safety Tebucky Jones, and kicker Martin Gramatica. Courtesy of Wikipedia
PRESEASON
Fri 8/11/2006 8:00 PM @ Falcons CBS
Sat 8/19/2006 8:00 PM vs Cardinals NFL Network
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Thu 8/31/2006 7:30 PM @ Giants WCVB
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Sun 9/10/2006 1:00 PM vs Bills WBZ / CBS
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Sun 10/8/2006 1:00 PM vs Dolphins WBZ / CBS
Sun 10/15/2006 vs Bye
Sun 10/22/2006 1:00 PM @ Bills WBZ / CBS
Mon 10/30/2006 8:30 PM @ Vikings WCVB / ESPN
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Sun 11/12/2006 1:00 PM vs Jets WBZ / CBS
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