History of the New England Patriots
Encyclopedia
The History of the New England Patriots
began when Boston business executive Billy Sullivan
was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League
(AFL) on November 16, 1959. 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" (reflecting Boston's role in early American history). Immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell developed the "Pat Patriot" logo.
The Patriots' time in the AFL saw them without a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field
, Harvard Stadium
, Fenway Park
, and Alumni Stadium
, all in or near Boston, served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. Early Patriots stars included defensive tackles Jim Lee "Earthquake" Hunt
and Houston Antwine
; quarterback Vito "Babe" Parilli; and flanker-placekicker Gino "The Duke" Cappelletti
. Hunt, Parilli and Cappelletti played every year of the existence of the AFL, with Hunt and Cappelletti spending all ten years with the Patriots. Cappelletti was the all-time leading scorer in the AFL. Later the Patriots were joined by such stars as defensive end Larry Eisenhauer
, fullback Jim Nance
, and middle linebacker and future Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti
. Cappelletti and Nance were AFL Most Valuable Players
, Cappelletti in 1964 and Nance in 1966. Buoniconti and Antwine were later named to the American Football League All-Time Team
.
The Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills
in an AFL Eastern Division playoff game in 1963, and played in the 1963 AFL championship game, losing to the San Diego Chargers
51-10. Although they would not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season
game for another 13 years, in the AFL, the Patriots often challenged the dominant Bills for the Eastern Division title.
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970
, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East
division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston, which would serve as their home for 30 years; the team also changed their name to the New England Patriots to reflect the location change, as well as its following throughout the region as its only NFL team (though both New York City teams have substantial followings in parts of Connecticut as well). During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card
-berth—and in 1978—as AFC East champions. They would lose both games. In 1985
, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX
, which they lost to the Chicago Bears
46–10. Following their Super Bowl loss, the returned to the playoffs in 1986
, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years. They changed ownership several times in that period, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam
in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein
in 1992. Orthwein intended to move the team to his native St. Louis, Missouri
, but sold the team two years later to current owner, local businessman Robert Kraft
in 1994.
Though Orthwein's period as owner was short and controversial, he did oversee major changes to the team. Former New York Giants
coach Bill Parcells
was hired in 1993, and the drastic changes were made the same year to the Patriots uniforms, changing their primary colors from their traditional red and white to blue and silver, and introducing a new logo. Parcells would bring the Patriots to two playoff appearances, including Super Bowl XXXI
, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers
by a score of 35–21. Pete Carroll
, Parcells's successor, would also take the team to the playoffs twice.
The Patriots current coach, Bill Belichick
, was hired in 2000, and a new home field, Gillette Stadium
was opened in 2002. Under Belichick, the team won three Super Bowls in four years, and finished the 2007 regular season
with a perfect 16-0 record, becoming only the fourth team in league history to go undefeated, and the only one since the league expanded its regular season
schedule to 16 games.
played in the first-ever game in the American Football League
, against the Denver Broncos
on September 9, 1960. Although the team made only two AFL playoff appearances, it had numerous stars. In 1963
, eleven Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti
, Nick Buoniconti
, and Babe Parilli. That year the Patriots
made it to the AFL
Championship for the first time ever, but lost to the San Diego Chargers
51-10. Linebacker
Tom Addison
, an original Patriot and the first Patriot all-star, founded and was selected President of the AFL Players Association in the mid-1960s. In the late-1960s, fullback
Jim Nance
became an offensive weapon for the Patriots, gaining 1,458 yards in 1966
and 1,216 in 1967
, when he was the AFL MVP
.
After bouncing around between four different Boston-area stadiums in their first 11 seasons, in 1971
the Patriots moved into a new stadium in suburban Foxborough
(also known as Foxboro), on land granted by the Bay State Raceway
. The team was renamed the New England Patriots in March 1971, to reflect its new location roughly halfway between Providence
and Boston
as well as a desire to better position itself as New England's regional NFL team (this would influence the name of the New England Whalers
hockey team when they began play in 1972, like the Patriots, labeling themselves a New England team). The original choice, Bay State Patriots, was rejected by the NFL. The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, was built at a cost of about $
7.1 million in only 325 days. The stadium was one of the first stadiums in the country to be named after a corporate sponsor, as the Schaefer Brewing Company
paid $150,000 for naming rights. Additionally, the town of Foxborough was one of the first in the country to assess a surtax
on every ticket sold.
The first event held at the new Schaefer Stadium was a preseason game against the New York Giants
on August 15, 1971. In a sign of things to come, in the days leading up to the game there was great concern with the plumbing at the facility. To ensure the proper functioning of the plumbing a "flush-off" was conducted, where every toilet in the stadium was flushed at the same time, to ensure that the plumbing could withstand the heaviest use.
On the field in 1971 was a new quarterback, Heisman Trophy
winner Jim Plunkett
. Plunkett, from Stanford University
was the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft
which the Patriots received for having finished with the NFL's worst record in 1970. The Patriots also signed free agent Randy Vataha
, who had been one of Plunkett's favorite wide receiver
s at Stanford.
John Hannah in the 1973 NFL Draft
, who would anchor the Patriots' offensive line for the next twelve seasons and eventually become the first career Patriot to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. This draft also brought running back
Sam Cunningham
, the team's all-time leading rusher and wide receiver Darryl Stingley
to New England.
In 1973, the team
hired Chuck Fairbanks
, who had enjoyed success as head coach of the University of Oklahoma
, as head coach. The Patriots showed marked improvement in Fairbanks's first season 1974
finishing 7-7, but with injuries to Plunkett in 1975
, regressed to 3-11 that season
. Following the 1975 season, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers
, and eventually would win 2 Super Bowl
s with the Oakland Raiders
.
The draft picks acquired in the Plunkett trade were used to select defensive back
s Mike Haynes and Tim Fox
and set the stage for the team's first winning seasons in the NFL. Second-year player Steve Grogan
- who had played much of the 1975 season with Plunkett injured - became New England's top quarterback for the 1976 season
. The Patriots
finished 11–3, their best record in team history to that point, and advanced to the playoffs
for the first time since 1963.
Their opponent in the first round would be the Oakland Raiders
, whose only regular season loss had come at the hands of New England, 48–17. By late in the game, the Patriots were leading the Raiders, 21-17. On a critical third down play late in the fourth quarter, Patriots defensive tackle Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton appeared to get a critical sack on Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler
which would have forced the Raiders into a fourth down situation and the possible end to their season. However, referee Ben Dreith
called a roughing the passer penalty on Hamilton, nullifying the sack and giving the Raiders an automatic first down deep in New England territory. Replays would show that there was no illegal contact - a point that Stabler himself would all but concede in interviews years later. The call would ultimately prove fatal to the Patriots, as Stabler would score on a short touchdown run with less than a minute left, and the Raiders held on for a 24-21 win. Partially because of the controversy, the league never assigned Dreith to officiate Patriots games again.
The 1977 season
was a disappointing one for the Patriots
, aided by contract holdouts by offensive linemen John Hannah and Leon Gray
. The Patriots finished 9-5, one game out of first place, and out of the playoffs
.
In a 1978 preseason game against the Raiders
, wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed from the neck down from a tackle by Oakland's Jack Tatum
. Tatum, who would write a book called "They Call Me Assassin", never apologized for the hit. Despite this devastating loss, the Patriots
would rally and finish 11-5 for their first post-merger AFC East title. However, hours before the final game of the regular season
, coach Chuck Fairbanks
surprised many by announcing he would be leaving the team to become head coach at the University of Colorado
. Owner Billy Sullivan
immediately suspended Fairbanks and offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt
and defensive coordinator Hank Bullough
were left to coach the final game without a head coach. Fairbanks was reinstated for the playoffs, but the team lost its first round playoff
game to the Houston Oilers
, which also was the first Patriots post-season game at Schaefer Stadium.
after starting 7-3, the team
would lose four out of their last six games, including three in a row to divisional rivals in December, to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. In 1980
, with star running back Sam Cunningham
holding out all season, the Patriots
started 6-1 but finished 10-6, again out of the playoffs. With these performances in mind, a local sportswriter intimated that the team suffered from the "Bozo Syndrome," meaning that they played "like clowns in the clutch." The Patriots
continued to slide in 1981
, finishing 2-14, including two losses to the Baltimore Colts
which were the only two games the Colts won that year.
Following the 1981 season Erhardt was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer
, who had been the head coach at Southern Methodist University
. The Patriots had the top draft pick overall in the 1982 NFL Draft
and selected Kenneth Sims
, a defensive end
from the University of Texas at Austin
, who would largely prove to be a disappointment in his seven seasons with the team.
In the strike-shortened year of 1982
, the highlight of the Patriots season
was the so-called "Snow Plow Game," a controversial 3-0 late-season win over the Miami Dolphins
. The controversy came in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were preparing for a field goal attempt. Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, used a John Deere
tractor with a rotating sweeper to clear a swath of field to aid the Patriots. Kicker John Smith
's 33-yard attempt was good, and the points would prove to be the only points scored by either team that afternoon. The win would help put the Patriots in the playoffs, but the first-round rematch
in Miami was easily won by the Dolphins.
In 1983
quarterback Tony Eason
was drafted in the first round
, the fourth of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Eason would play sparingly in 1983
, but would become the Patriots' starting quarterback in 1984
. Meanwhile, the team's pattern of not being able to finish seasons strong became apparent again. The team
again lost some key games late, and finished out of the playoffs
at 8-8. Also that year, the naming-rights deal with Schaefer expired, and Sullivan renamed the stadium Sullivan Stadium after himself.
The Patriots would acquire the top draft pick overall for the 1984 NFL Draft
and selected Irving Fryar
, a wide receiver from the University of Nebraska
. With Tony Eason starting at quarterback, the Patriots
got off to a strong 5-2 start. However, after a pair of losses the Patriots fired head coach Ron Meyer, and replaced him with former Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry
. The players initially responded well to Berry, winning three of their first four games under him. However, showing once again a failure to finish strong, the Patriots again lost three straight games in December, and again missed the playoffs
at 9-7.
, new coach Raymond Berry
replaced Eason with Grogan. But Grogan broke his leg late in the season, and Eason got the starting job again. New England won six straight games and finished 11-5, with a wild card playoff
berth. During the season Stanley Morgan
, Irving Fryar
, Lin Dawson
and Craig James all led the Patriots in Touchdowns. In the first round the Patriots beat the New York Jets
for their first playoff win since 1963. Stanley Morgan
received a touchdown pass from Eason. Then later Ronnie Lippett
returned a fumble for a TD to end the Patriots-Jets game for good. In the divisional playoff against the Los Angeles Raiders
the Patriots forced six turnovers and won 27–20, gaining a measure of revenge for their crushing 1976 defeat. Lin Dawson
started the game with a touchdown, then when the Patriots were kicking off in the 4th quarter a fumble by the Raider returner resulted in a touchdown for Jim Bowman. After winning two playoff games this set up an AFC Championship showdown against the rival Miami Dolphins
. The Patriots had lost 20 straight games in Miami at the time, but won this one, dominating the Dolphins defensively again en route to a 31–14 win. Tony Eason threw touchdowns to Tony Collins
and Derrick Ramsey
to get game started. Later a Mosi Tatupu
touchdown ended the AFC Championship game with the Patriots as the AFC Champions of 1985. Thus the Patriots completed an improbable run to Super Bowl XX
, where they faced the Chicago Bears
.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they would be caught in the middle of a bizarre Super Bowl week subplot. Prior to the AFC Championship game, Irving Fryar
had cut two fingers with a kitchen knife, requiring them to be put in a cast. At first it was dismissed as a freak accident, but after the conference championship that the truth came out: Fryar's wife Jacqueline had slashed him in a domestic incident after Fryar had knocked her down. It was a distraction that, many thought, epitomized the history of these Patriots - coming as it did in what was otherwise to that point the franchise's finest hour.
In the Super Bowl, though the Bears had not allowed a point in the playoffs, the Patriots took an early 3–0 lead after a Walter Payton
fumble in the first quarter. This resulted a field goal by Tony Franklin.
The opening drive would be marked by an injury to tight end
Lin Dawson
who would be forced to leave the contest with a broken leg. The Bears would go on to score the next 46 points, including a touchdown by William "Refrigerator" Perry
. The Patriots would add a meaningless touchdown at the end to make the final score 46-10, the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history at the time. The only Patriot touchdown was by Irving Fryar.
wrote a story alleging that six Patriots players, including Fryar, cornerback Raymond Clayborn
, safety Roland James
, and running back Tony Collins
were marijuana users. Further, allegations surfaced that Fryar was involved in gambling of NFL games. The Patriots' strength was their passing game, led by Eason and star receiver Stanley Morgan
, who gained nearly 1,500 yards receiving. Despite having statistically the worst rushing offense in the league, New England
won the AFC East with an 11-5 record, and traveled to Denver
to take on the Broncos
in the first round playoff
game. A late fourth-quarter touchdown pass from John Elway
to Vance Johnson
won the game for Denver, who would eventually succeed the Patriots as AFC Champions. This would be the team's last playoff appearance for eight years.
Local product Doug Flutie
(from Natick, Massachusetts
), who won the Heisman Trophy for Boston College
in 1984, was acquired by the Patriots during the 1987 players' strike and crossed the picket line to play his first game for the Patriots, which was also the last of three games played by replacement players in the 1987 season
. Many defensive players for New England also crossed the picket line. However, late-season injuries put the Patriots
out of playoff contention at 8-7. In 1988
, Flutie played five games before he was replaced by Eason, after which they would alternate as the Patriots' starting QB. Though the Patriots
had some success with this atypical arrangement, finishing the season 9-7, the Patriots narrowly missed the playoffs.
During this time, the Sullivan family - who had owned the Patriots since their inception - lost millions of dollars on poor investments, most notably their involvement in producing The Jackson 5
1984 Victory tour, headed by family scion Chuck Sullivan. They were never among the NFL's wealthiest owners, and the investments, and specifically the losses suffered from the Victory tour, had a considerable negative impact on the family fortune and compromised in many ways the operation of the Patriots. Facing the possibility of bankruptcy, Billy Sullivan asked the NFL for permission to sell 50 percent of the team's stock to the public. The NFL refused, and the Sullivans were forced to sell the team to Remington Products
magnate Victor Kiam
in 1988 for $
84 million, though Billy Sullivan remained as team president until 1992. Sullivan Stadium, however, lapsed into bankruptcy, and was bought out of bankruptcy court by Boston paper magnate Robert Kraft
--a development whose importance wouldn't be fully realized until long after the Sullivans had left the scene.
Although the Patriots
were respectable in 1988
, missing the playoffs by only a game, the 1989 season
was a disaster for the team
. Three of the team's biggest players on defense (Andre Tippett
, Garin Veris
and Ronnie Lippett
) were injured in the same preseason game. Neither Eason, Flutie, nor Grogan emerged as the starting quarterback, and each rotated the starting quarterback job throughout the season. The Patriots finished the season 5-11.
Following the season, Flutie left for the Canadian Football League
, and long time general manager Dick Steinberg also left to take a similar job with the New York Jets
. Berry was fired and replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers
defensive coordinator Rod Rust
for 1990.
Under Rust, the Patriots
finished with the worst season in franchise history in 1990
— a 1-15 record. On the day after what turned out to be the team's only win that year (against the Colts
), 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 and was later labeled a "classic bitch" by Kiam. 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.
As a final indignity, their season finale against the New York Giants
would be one of their few sellouts of the year; however, most of the fans at the game that day were Giants fans. The team lost that game, missing a game-tying field goal in the closing seconds. Shortly thereafter, the Patriots revamped their front office. Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson
, a New England native who had been the coach at Syracuse University
. Additionally, Sam Jankovich
, who had been athletic director at the University of Miami
and oversaw the national resurgence of their athletic program (and specifically their football team), was brought on as CEO
of the Patriots.
The Patriots
showed marked improvement in 1991. Hugh Millen
took over at quarterback partway through the 1991 season
, and the Patriots responded to MacPherson's upbeat, positive style. The Patriots improved to 6-10 with several upsets over playoff teams, including wins against the Minnesota Vikings
and eventual AFC Champion Buffalo Bills
and were competitive in many of their losses. Attendance and fan interest improved.
Although optimism was high entering the 1992 season
, the team
was disappointing and finished 2-14, which eventually led to the departures of both MacPherson and Jankovich. Rumors of a possible move to St. Louis, Missouri
intensified when Kiam sold the team to St. Louis businessman James Orthwein
, a scion of the Busch
family. Orthwein wanted to return the NFL to his hometown of St. Louis and saw the Patriots as a vehicle to make that happen.
, in every way. The most dramatic change was the hiring of Bill Parcells
, a 2-time Super Bowl
winner, as head coach. One of the most respected coaches in the history of the game, Parcells brought instant credibility and respectability for the franchise. He was also largely given a free hand with respect to personnel. Changes to the uniforms and logo were rolled out as well. The old "Pat Patriot" logo - which to many was a symbol of the Patriots' ineptitude - was retired and replaced with a stylized Patriot head, designed in tandem with NFL Properties that many fans would eventually call "Flying Elvis". The team's primary color changed from red to blue, and the helmets from white to silver.
With the first pick in the 1993 NFL Draft
, the Patriots selected quarterback Drew Bledsoe
from Washington State University
. This was only part of a major season of change in New England. Other draft picks such as tight end Ben Coates
and linebacker Chris Slade
, helped the team immediately. Bledsoe started the season as the starting quarterback, but after losing the first four games, he was injured and replaced with former Dolphins backup Scott Secules
, who won one of his two games.
The 1993 season began with an 1-11 record. Of their 11 losses, eight were by 7 points or less, and only two of their 11 defeats were by more than 14 points, both coming before Week 4. Finally, at the end of the season, the Patriots' luck began to turn. They ended their season by winning their last four games in a row, over Cincinnati
, Cleveland
, Indianapolis
, and, most dramatically, over Miami
in overtime in the finale - a game that eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs.
, the team's landlord since 1988, $75 million to break the operating covenant of the lease, which would then free him to move the Patriots to St. Louis. Kraft refused, which continued to bind the Patriots to playing at Foxboro. When it became apparent that Kraft would not allow Orthwein to buy out the lease, Orthwein put the team up for sale. Kraft bought the team for a then-NFL record $175 million in 1994, beating out an investor group which included Paul Newman
and Walter Payton
as investors (the latter of which was on the Chicago Bears
team that beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. On February 26, 1994, Kraft's first full day as owner of the Patriots, the Patriots sold 5,958 season tickets, shattering by over sixfold the team's prior single-day record of 979. Moreover, since Kraft took control over the team, the Patriots have sold out every home game, including pre-season games.
, the Patriots looked flat. They were 3-6 and had lost 4 straight when they faced the Minnesota Vikings
at home for Week 10. With the season on the line, Drew Bledsoe sparked a second-half comeback by switching to a no-huddle offense. Bledsoe set single-game records for pass attempts and completions, and the Patriots won the game 26-20 in overtime. This led to the Patriots winning their last seven games of the regular season, finishing 10-6 and making the playoffs
as a wild card. In their first playoff game in eight years, the Patriots were beaten in the first round by the Cleveland Browns
20-13 - the last team to beat New England in the regular season, who were coached by one-time Parcells assistant (and future Patriots coach) Bill Belichick
.
in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft
, giving the team its best running back in decades. Despite a dramatic opening day win against Belichick's Browns to start the 1995 season
, and a sensational rookie campaign by the young Martin, Bledsoe struggled with injuries, the team struggled with inconsistency and the Patriots finished a lackluster 6-10.
The 1995 season was also marked by the Patriots' first home appearance on Monday Night Football
since 1981. During the Patriots' last appearance on the program, a number of fans in attendance proved to be rowdy and uncontrollable and there was an abnormally high number of arrests. As a result of this behavior, the Town of Foxborough and the NFL refused to schedule Monday night home games in New England. (This behavior, which occurred during day games as well, led the Patriots to only sell reduced-alcohol beer for several seasons in the 1980s.)
After the Patriots successful season however, Bob Kraft successfully lobbied the Town of Foxborough and the NFL to schedule the Patriots on a Monday night. The NFL granted Kraft's request, scheduling the Patriots on Monday, October 23, in a game against the Buffalo Bills
. The Patriots won the game, 27-14, and the crowd was peaceful and orderly, with only a handful of isolated disturbances and arrests. In appreciation, Kraft took out a full-page ad in the Boston Globe thanking fans for their excellent behavior and the Patriots have since hosted several more night games without incident.
Another major change was the primary home station for most Patriots regular season games. Since 1965, they had aired on WBZ-TV
, Boston's longtime NBC
affiliate. After owner Westinghouse Broadcasting
switched the station's affiliation to CBS
, WHDH-TV
took on airing the NFL on NBC
package locally.
the team added wide receiver Terry Glenn
as a first-round draft pick. Despite Parcells referring to Glenn as "she" during a pre-season press conference, Glenn provided much the same spark to the receiving corps that Martin had provided to the running game. On defense, rookie safety Lawyer Milloy
made an impact, as did Willie Clay
(signed from the Detroit Lions
) and second-year cornerback
Ty Law
. Linebackers Tedy Bruschi
and Ted Johnson
arrived on the scene to help veterans such as Willie McGinest
and Slade. Despite all these additions, the Patriots once again started out lackluster in 1996
. After an early-season loss to the Redskins
at home dropped the Patriots down to 3-3, the Patriots proceeded to win their next 4 games in a row, and 8 out of their last 10 (only losing to the Denver Broncos
(who would finish with the AFC's best record) and the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys
to finish 11-5, winning the AFC East and earning a first-round bye in the playoffs
as a #2 seed. The Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers
28-3 in a divisional playoff game--only the second home playoff game in franchise history. The game was played mostly under thick fog. They then held off the Jacksonville Jaguars
20-6 in the first AFC Championship game played in Foxboro (a game marked by a sudden power "brownout
" just as Adam Vinatieri
was to attempt a field goal in the second quarter.) The team advanced to Super Bowl XXXI
against the Green Bay Packers
.
In the months and years after Kraft's purchase of the Patriots, relations between Kraft and Parcells were increasingly strained. This was primarily due to a struggle over Parcells' authority over football operations. Kraft wanted Parcells to yield some of his authority over personnel moves to a separate general manager. Parcells had effectively been the Patriots' general manager as well since his arrival, and was not interested in yielding authority that he had been granted over personnel when he was hired. He famously complained that "if they're gonna let you cook the dinner, they at least ought to let you shop for some of the groceries." The conflict climaxed in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, with rampant rumors that Parcells would leave the Patriots after the season to take the vacant head coaching job with the New York Jets. Despite these distractions, the Patriots played the Packers close for much of the game, and actually took the lead briefly in the second quarter. However, two long Brett Favre
touchdowns and a record 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard
sealed New England's fate, with the Packers winning their twelfth title, and third of the Super Bowl era, 35-21.
. The Jets decided that since Parcells couldn't be their head coach in 1997 because of an earlier contract renegotiation which eliminated the 1997 season from his contract, they would hire Parcells as a consultant and have Bill Belichick
, the assistant head coach who followed Parcells from the Patriots, hold the title of head coach. Kraft, who was requesting a first-round pick in return for allowing Parcells to coach elsewhere, called the Jets' agreement "a transparent farce" that "demonstrated it was the Jets' intention all along for Bill Parcells to become head coach of the Jets for the '97 season." Despite Parcells claiming the Jets had been given league permission for the consulting agreement, the NFL denied any permission was given, instead having commissioner Paul Tagliabue
arrange an agreement between the two sides. The Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the 1997 NFL Draft
, a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft
, and a first-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft
in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.
After being rebuffed by former 49ers coach George Seifert
, Kraft hired Pete Carroll
as the new head coach of the Patriots. The new regime, led by personnel man Bobby Grier, was immediately derided for botching draft picks, and the Patriots slipped back further in the standings during each of Carroll's years. In 1997 season
the Patriots still won the AFC East with a 10–6 record, but some key losses (including a loss to Parcells' Jets and a 4th-quarter collapse against the Pittsburgh Steelers
) meant the team had to play in the wild card round in the playoffs
. After having an easy time with the Miami Dolphins
in Foxboro, the injury-plagued Patriots met the Steelers in Pittsburgh for a rematch in the divisional playoff. A late fumble (recovered by future Patriot Mike Vrabel
) won the game for Pittsburgh, 7–6.
running back Curtis Martin
with the highest possible tender, which would return the Patriots first- and third-round draft picks if any team were to sign him and the Patriots were to decide not to match the offer. Fueling the rivalry between the two teams, the Jets and Parcells, who had resigned from the Patriots two years earlier, signed Martin, and per restricted free agency rules ceded their first- and third-round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft
to the Patriots. With the first-round pick the Patriots selected another running back Robert Edwards, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign. After stumbling through the first half of the 1998 season (5–6 after the first 11 games), Bledsoe, playing with a broken finger, engineered late 4th-quarter comebacks against the Miami Dolphins
and Buffalo Bills
to save the season. The Bills game was especially controversial, as the game was prolonged due to a series of questionable calls. With under a minute to go and down by four points, the Patriots engineered a long drive. However, the Buffalo defense appeared to stop the Patriots on 4th down with a juggled catch out of bounds. The referee needed to determine whether receiver Shawn Jefferson
was inbounds, caught the ball, and achieved first down yardage. The referee on the sideline signaled first down after a conference with other officials. Several Bills claimed one said "just give it to them" (referring to first down yardage) in the huddle. Television
instant replay
s showed that he was short of first down yardage, but the NFL had discontinued use of instant replay the previous season. This was followed by a questionable pass interference call made in the end zone on what would have been the game's final play. Bledsoe hit Ben Coates for a touchdown on the final untimed play of the game. In protest, the Bills left the field and let the Patriots kicker Adam Vinateri walk in for a meaningless two-point conversion. Doug Flutie, then the Bills' quarterback, later quipped "They gave them the game, we figured we might as well give them the extra point.” Bledsoe and Glenn were later both knocked out for the season, and the Patriots backed into the last playoff seed with a 9-7 record. Backup quarterback Scott Zolak
proved to be no match for the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the first playoff
game.
Although Edwards had a promising rookie season, his career was permanently derailed after he suffered a dislocated knee in Hawaii
while playing a game of flag football on the beach – a game that was an officially-sponsored activity that took place during Pro Bowl
weekend. Edwards would miss the next three seasons and would not play for the Patriots again (although he did play for the Miami Dolphins as a reserve in 2002
).
Also during 1998, most Patriots games moved back to WBZ-TV after a three-year absence. This came because the AFC package moved to CBS
.
were veteran Terry Allen and rookie Kevin Faulk
, but neither player was able to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing and overall the Patriots' rushing offense was 23rd in the NFL. The Patriots opened with an emotional 30-28 victory over the New York Jets
, then followed by hosting the Indianapolis Colts
and second-year quarterback Peyton Manning
; Manning raced the Colts to a 28-7 halftime lead but was limited to just 13 second-half yards as Drew Bledsoe
threw three touchdowns, two of them to Ben Coates
which turned out to be his final touchdown catches with New England; after an Edgerrin James
fumble Adam Vinatieri
kicked the winning field goal in a 31-28 final. The Patriots began the season with a 6–2 record, but after a 27-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals
Coates went to the media to protest that he was not being thrown to enough; it soured Coates' relationship with Bledsoe and Carroll, and the team stumbled down the stretch, finishing 8–8 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 1995
. Further demoralizing the team was a late-season fight between Milloy and Vincent Brisby
that began at a charity event hosted by linebacker Willie McGinest
and continued the next day at a team meeting. Following the season finale, third year head coach Pete Carroll
was fired, while vice president of player personnel Bobby Grier was retained only until the 2000 NFL Draft
.
Following the firing of three-year head coach Pete Carroll
in January, Patriots owner Robert Kraft
pursued Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick
for the Patriots' head coaching vacancy. Belichick, who had been an assistant coach under Parcells with the Patriots in 1996, followed Parcells to the Jets after that season and was contractually named Parcells' successor. A day after the 1999
season, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Jets and made his second retirement from NFL coaching. Belichick, who had been assistant head coach of the Jets, became the Jets' next head coach. The following day, at a press conference for his hiring, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a napkin ("I resign as HC of the NYJ."), and proceeded to give a half-hour resignation speech to the press. Despite rumors that he had been offered the Patriots' vacant head coaching position, Belichick cited the Jets' uncertain ownership situation following the death of owner Leon Hess
earlier that year as the reason for his resignation. The Jets denied Belichick permission to speak with other teams, and as had happened in 1997 with Parcells, the NFL upheld Belichick's contractual obligations to the Jets. Belichick then filed an antritrust
lawsuit against the NFL in federal court. After Parcells and Kraft, talking for the first time since Parcells' resignation from the Patriots, agreed to settle their differences, the Patriots and Jets agreed to a compensation package to allow Belichick to become the Patriots' head coach. With the deal, the Patriots sent their first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
and fourth and seventh-round picks in the 2001 NFL Draft
to the Jets, while also receiving the Jets' fifth-round selection in 2001 and seventh-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft
.
Belichick restructured the team's personnel department in the offseason, and later proclaimed that the team "could not win with 40 good players while the other team has 53," after a number of players showed up out of shape for the start of training camp. The Patriots went on to finish the season
5-11, finishing last in the AFC East
and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
's first season in 2000
, the Patriots were not expected to fare much better in 2001
. While Bledsoe was signed to a 10-year contract extension in March, Bruce Armstrong retired and Terry Glenn had a pre-season contract holdout and was also hit with a drug suspension by the league for the first four games of the season. Despite these high profile losses, the Patriots were able to find adequate replacements at very low cost. Receivers Troy Brown
and David Patten
had career seasons, first-round draft pick Richard Seymour
anchored the defensive line, and Antowain Smith
(a free agent signed from Buffalo) ran for over 1,000 yards.
The season would not began without tragedy, however. In training camp quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein
died of cardiac arrest
on August 6 at the age of 45. The Patriots lost their opener to the Cincinnati Bengals
, and in the first post-9/11
game against the Jets
, Bledsoe was severely injured, shearing a blood vessel
in his chest after being tackled out of bounds by the Jets' Mo Lewis
.
In Bledsoe's absence, Tom Brady
, a sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
, took the helm and won three out of his first four starts, setting an NFL record by not throwing an interception in his first 162 career passes. As a result, Brady earned the confidence of Belichick and his teammates, and when Bledsoe was cleared to play, Belichick announced that Brady would remain the team's starting quarterback. Despite Bledsoe's unhappiness about his new role - he was quoted as saying that he 'looked forward to competing to get (his) job back' - he caused no distractions and was supportive of Brady and the Patriots. Led by Brady, who immediately became a fan favorite, the Patriots continued to play good football, winning their final six games to capture the AFC East with an 11–5 record. The Patriots additionally won a first-round bye as the #2 seed in the playoffs
, for the second time in their history.
In the final game ever played at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders
in a snowstorm which endured through the entire game. This game became known as the "tuck rule game", when a play originally ruled to be a Brady fumble was reversed by referee Walt Coleman
as an incomplete pass based upon the obscure "tuck rule
." After review, Coleman ruled that, because Brady's arm was moving forward when he lost the football, he was deemed to have been in the act of throwing when he lost control of the ball. Had the call stood, the Raiders would essentially clinched the win; instead the Patriots continued to drive. Into the teeth of a frigid wind and heavy snow, kicker Adam Vinatieri
tied the game with a 45-yard field goal in the final 30 seconds. The Raiders did not attempt to run a play at the end of regulation, and after losing the toss to start overtime would not see the ball again, as the Patriots won the game, 16-13.
The team then went to Pittsburgh to face the favored Steelers
in the AFC Championship Game
. After Brady injured his ankle in the second quarter, Bledsoe (in his last appearance as a Patriot) came off the sideline and immediately led the team to their only offensive touchdown of the game, with the drive culminating in a touchdown pass. In the second half, thanks to help from two special teams touchdowns and two fourth quarter Kordell Stewart
interceptions, the Patriots upset Pittsburgh 24-17 to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI
. It would be the Patriots' third Super Bowl in team history, all of which to that point had been played in New Orleans.
In the Super Bowl, the Patriots faced the heavily-favored St. Louis Rams
, led by league MVP Kurt Warner
and known as "The Greatest Show on Turf
", who had beaten the Patriots in the regular season in Foxboro. The Patriots were introduced second, and rather than coming out player-by-player, they were introduced collectively as a team, "the New England Patriots." The team introduction was met with great praise and admiration, and has since been used by each team at the Super Bowl. In contrast to the regular season game, Bill Belichick devised a defensive game plan that used the blitz very sparingly, but called for chipping the Rams receivers and running back Marshall Faulk
as they went into their patterns. This disrupted the Rams' precise passing routes and the entire rhythm of the offense and caused the usually cool under pressure Warner to look shaky in the pocket, being sacked several times. The Patriots forced three turnovers, all of which led to scores (including an interception returned by Ty Law
for a touchdown).
Belichick's defense held the Rams high-powered offense in check until the fourth quarter, but after trailing 17-3 early in the fourth quarter, St. Louis scored two touchdowns to tie the game at 17-17. With 1:30 to go and no time outs, and with John Madden
on the Fox Sports telecast
opining that the Patriots should play for overtime, Brady calmly led New England's offense downfield, missing on only one pass (an intentional spike to stop the clock with 0:07 remaining), after which Adam Vinatieri won the game with a 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots their first Super Bowl win in the team's 42nd season.
The Patriots victory parade in Boston was attended by 1.5 million fans. The team was invited to Fenway Park
for opening day of the Boston Red Sox season
. The Patriots also became the last major sports team in Boston to win its first championship. Brady was selected Super Bowl MVP
and signed a long-term contract with the team in the off-season. Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills
in the offseason for a first-round draft pick in the 2003 NFL Draft
.
Throughout his tenure as owner of the Patriots, Robert Kraft attempted to get a new stadium built somewhere in New England. After failing to reach an accord with either the City of Boston or the State of Rhode Island
, in 1998 Kraft came close to reaching a deal with the Massachusetts Legislature
for Kraft to build a new, self-financed stadium adjacent to the old stadium with the state providing $75 million in infrastructure improvements. However, Massachusetts House Speaker Tom Finneran refused to support the bill, saying that he did not want public money benefiting private interests. Unable to overcome Finneran's objections, Kraft reached a deal with Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland
to build a new stadium in Hartford, Connecticut
originally scheduled to open in 2001. However, after the stadium plan was approved by the Connecticut General Assembly
, there were a number of problems discovered with the proposed stadium site that would result in considerable delay of the stadium construction. At the same time, the NFL announced loan incentives where teams in the six largest markets (which included Boston) could be eligible to borrow up to $150 million from the league at advantageous interest rates and terms in order to build new stadiums. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Legislature, and Finneran, also indicated that they would be amenable to further discussions with Kraft.
With this in mind, mindful of the mounting issues in Hartford and growing opposition to the deal, in the spring of 1999 Kraft announced that he was abandoning the Hartford stadium project. Kraft, preferring to keep the team where it was, eventually reached a mutually acceptable deal with the Massachusetts legislature for the necessary infrastructure improvements. The final hurdle the stadium needed to clear was approval by the citizens of Foxborough on six separate measures. Despite some initial hesitation regarding a proposed dedicated access road for premium ticket holders, the Patriots won approval on each measure by an over 90% majority. This cleared the way for what was originally known as CMGi Field to be built adjacent to the old stadium in Foxboro. The naming rights to the stadium were originally purchased by CMGi
, an e-commerce company based in nearby Waltham, Massachusetts
which at the time was parent company to internet auction site uBid
.
The stadium would open in the spring of 2002 with a "soft opening", including games of the New England Revolution
and concerts. In the months leading up to the grand opening of the stadium in September 2002, CMGi Corporation fell upon difficult financial times and sold the naming rights to the Gillette Company prior to the grand opening. The stadium was renamed Gillette Stadium and is sometimes referred to by fans as "The Razor".
seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium
in the NFL's prime-time Monday Night Football
opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers
, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44-7 road win against the division rival New York Jets
, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span. In the final week of the season, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins
on an overtime Adam Vinatieri
field goal to give both teams a 9-7 record. A few hours later, the Jets, who defeated the Patriots the week prior, also finished with a 9-7 record with a win over the Green Bay Packers
. Due to their record against common opponents, the Jets won the tiebreaker for the division title, which eliminated the Patriots and Dolphins from the playoffs.
Two seasons after winning Super Bowl XXXVI
, the Patriots went into 2003
after missing the playoffs in 2002. In a salary cap
-related move, captain and Pro Bowl
safety Lawyer Milloy
was released days before the start of the regular season, prompting second-guessing of head coach Bill Belichick
among fans and a report by ESPN
analyst Tom Jackson
that Patriots players "hated their coach," an accusation later denied by players. Milloy signed with the Buffalo Bills
, whose team
defeated the Patriots, 31–0, in the season opener. The Patriots would rebound though, not losing another game after starting with a 2–2 record. Due to multiple injuries, the Patriots started 42 different players during the season, an NFL record for a division winner until the Patriots started 45 different players in 2005
. Undefeated at home, nose tackle Ted Washington
coined the phrase "Homeland Defense" for a Patriots' defense, boosted by the acquisitions of Washington and San Diego Chargers
castoff safety Rodney Harrison
in the offseason, that gave up a league-low 14.9 points per game en route to a 14–2 regular season record. The regular season was bookmarked with a 31–0 victory over the Bills at home in Week 17, a score that reversed the Patriots' shutout loss to the Bills in Week 1.
The Patriots had the NFL's best record at 14-2 and for the first time in their history earned the top seed in the AFC playoffs
, ensuring home-field advantage throughout. Their opponent in the divisional playoff was the Tennessee Titans
. Played in a temperature of 4 °F (-16 °C) (making it the second-coldest game in NFL history) the Patriots and Titans played close until Adam Vinatieri kicked the go-ahead field goal with 4 minutes left. An incomplete Steve McNair
pass on 4th down with 1:40 left won the game 17-14 for New England. The Patriots then faced the Indianapolis Colts
for the AFC Championship
. The New England defense frustrated Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
all day, forcing him to throw four interceptions (three to Ty Law) and sacking him three times. Despite only one offensive touchdown by the Patriots, the Patriots were dominant. Still, the Colts remained in the game until the very end, when a late Vinatieri field goal with 10 seconds left gave the Patriots their final margin of victory, 24-14. The Patriots were back in the Super Bowl, this time to face the Carolina Panthers
.
Super Bowl XXXVIII
was one of the closest championship games ever played. After a defensive battle for most of the first half, the teams traded touchdowns late in the second quarter, then more quick strikes by both teams made the score 14-10 Patriots at halftime. The third quarter was scoreless, but Antowain Smith
scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 21-10. Carolina scored two more touchdowns (but failed to convert the two-point conversion on both) to take a 22-21 lead. The Patriots answered with a long drive that culminated in a trick pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel, followed by Kevin Faulk
's run for a two-point conversion that put the Patriots up 29-22 with 2:51 left to play. Undaunted, the Panthers drove quickly downfield and, as he had done two years previous with the Rams, Ricky Proehl
's late touchdown catch and extra point tied the game at 29 with 1:08 to play. As he had two years prior, Brady led the Patriots on another dramatic, game-ending drive, which culminated with a Vinatieri 41 yard field goal with four seconds left. The Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three years, 32-29; and Brady was once again named MVP. The victory also made the 2003 Patriots the first team ever to win - or for that matter, even reach - the Super Bowl after having been shut out on opening day.
Following a Super Bowl win in 2003, the Patriots looked to improve their running game in the 2004 offseason. Replacing Antowain Smith
was longtime but disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals
running back Corey Dillon
, who was acquired in a trade days before the 2004 NFL Draft
; Dillon would rush for a career-high 1,635 yards in 2004. Winning their first six games of the season
, the Patriots set the NFL record for consecutive regular season victories (18), which was later broken by the 2006
–2008
Patriots (21), and consecutive regular season and playoff victories (21) before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers
on October 31. In that game, Pro Bowl
cornerback Ty Law
was lost for the season with a foot injury. Combined with the loss of other starting cornerback Tyrone Poole
two weeks earlier, the Patriots were forced to complete the regular season and playoffs by using second-year cornerback Asante Samuel
, undrafted free agent Randall Gay
, and longtime Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown
at cornerback, among others.
With a 14–2 record and the second seed in the AFC
playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts
at home in the playoffs for the second-straight year, holding the Colts' top offense to three points. The Patriots then defeated the top-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers
on the road, 41–27, in the AFC Championship Game. Prior to the Patriots' matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles
in Super Bowl XXXIX
, Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell
said he did not know the names of the Patriots' defensive backs, which was taken as a sign of disrepsect by the Patriots' "replacement" secondary. The Patriots would go on to defeat the Eagles 24–21 in their second straight Super Bowl victory and third championship in four seasons, leading to some labeling the Patriots of the era a sports dynasty
.
, linebacker Tedy Bruschi
suffered a stroke
and initially planned on missing the entire season; Bruschi returned to the field against the Buffalo Bills
on October 31. Cornerback Ty Law
was released in the offseason, and injuries at cornerback, as well as a season-ending injury to safety Rodney Harrison
in Week 3, forced the Patriots to start a number of players in the secondary early in the season
. Overall, injuries caused the Patriots to start 45 different players at one point or another during the season, an NFL record for a division champion (breaking the record of 42 set by the Patriots in 2003
). Beginning the season with a 4–4 record, the Patriots lost their first game at home since 2002
against the San Diego Chargers
in Week 4. The team ended the season on a 5–1 run to finish 10–6, earning their third straight AFC East
title. With the fourth seed in the AFC
playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the Wild Card Playoffs but fell to the Denver Broncos
on the road in the Divisional Playoffs, committing five turnovers in the game.
The Patriots entered the 2006 season
without their two starting wide receivers from 2005
; David Givens
left in free agency while Deion Branch
held out for a new contract before being traded in early September. Eventually replacing them were Reche Caldwell
and Jabar Gaffney
, who was signed as a street free agent in October. Back-to-back losses in November ended the team's streak of 57 games without consecutive losses, three games shy of the NFL record. With a 12–4 record and their fourth straight division title, the Patriots entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, defeating the New York Jets
in the Wild Card Playoffs. A close win over the top-seeded San Diego Chargers
on the road set the Patriots up to face their rival Indianapolis Colts
in the AFC Championship. Despite opening up a 21–3 lead, the Patriots stumbled down the stretch at the RCA Dome
and the Colts emerged with a 38–34 victory.
and Randy Moss
in the spring; Welker would lead the NFL in receptions in 2007 while Moss would set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches. The season began with controversy, when in Week 2 head coach Bill Belichick
and the Patriots were penalized by the NFL for their involvement in the videotaping of opponents' defensive signals from an unauthorized location in their Week 1 game against the New York Jets
, referred to in the press as Spygate
. Despite the media scrutiny, the Patriots continued to gain momentum, winning mid-season games by scores such as 52–7 and 56–10, as quarterback Tom Brady
iterated the team's desire to blow out and "kill teams."
The Patriots clinched the AFC East before their eleventh game (in Week 12), the fourth time since the NFL introduced the 16-game schedule in 1978
that a team had clinched a division title by its eleventh game. In the season finale, the Patriots looked to finish the regular season with the first 16–0 record in NFL history, and did so successfully. In that game, Brady and Moss connected on two touchdown passes, with Moss setting his 23 catch record and Brady setting an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes on the season. It was the first undefeated regular season in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins
finished 14-0. Brady earned his first NFL MVP award, while the Patriots' offense broke numerous records, including those for points scored and point differential.
With the first seed in the AFC
playoffs
, the Patriots defeated both the Jacksonville Jaguars
and San Diego Chargers
in order to advance to Super Bowl XLII
; according to the Elias Sports Bureau
, this made them the first professional team since 1884 in any of the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey) to win the first 18 games of their season. Facing the prospect of a perfect 19–0 season with a victory over the underdog New York Giants
, analysts saw the 2007 Patriots as being the greatest team in NFL history.
Despite being the overwhelming favorites in the game, the Patriots had to protect a four-point lead on a Giants
drive late in the fourth quarter. A dramatic pass
from Eli Manning
to David Tyree
put the Giants deep in Patriots territory, and a Manning touchdown pass to Plaxico Buress gave the Giants a lead with seconds left. The Patriots could not score again and came out on the losing end of what is considered one of the greatest upsets in football history. The loss left the 1972 Dolphins as the only undefeated champions in NFL history. The Patriots ended the season at 18-1, becoming one of only three teams to go 18-1 along with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers
and the 1985 Chicago Bears
, both of whom won their respective Super Bowls.
In the season opener, quarterback Tom Brady
, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a knee injury and missed the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel
replaced Brady. Cassel's start in Week 2 was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week ended the streak. This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts
in 2009.
Despite entering the last week of the season with a three-game winning streak, the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny. In addition to a Week 17 win, they also needed either a Miami Dolphins
loss to win the AFC East, or a Baltimore Ravens
loss to earn a wild card berth. However, both Baltimore and Miami won, and the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots all finished the season with an 11-5 record. Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker (better conference record: 8-4 to 7-5). Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker (better conference record: 8-4 to 7-5). The Patriots thus became the first team since the 1985 Denver Broncos
to finish with an 11-5 record and not make the playoffs.
, the Patriots' offseason was marked by a number of front office, coaching, and personnel changes. Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli
, who had been head coach Bill Belichick
's personnel director since 2000
, departed to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
, while offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
was named head coach of the Denver Broncos
. Quarterback Matt Cassel
, who led the team to 11 wins in 2008 after starter Tom Brady
was injured, was traded to the Chiefs along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel
in March. Defensive starters Tedy Bruschi
and Rodney Harrison
both retired, while All-Pro
defensive end Richard Seymour
was traded to the Oakland Raiders
for a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
days before the start of the regular season.
, the Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversary season with an American Football League
"legacy game" against the Buffalo Bills
. Down 11 points late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots would score two touchdowns to secure a victory in Brady's first game back from injury. In November, the 6–2 Patriots traveled to face the undefeated Indianapolis Colts
; with a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots tried to convert a 4th and 2 situation inside their own 30-yard line but failed, setting up a Colts touchdown and the Patriots' third loss of the season
. After losing another two games of three, the Patriots went on to win their next three games to secure a division title; the team also finished with their fourth perfect regular season record at home in seven years. With the third seed in the AFC playoffs
, the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens
at home in the Wild Card Playoffs. The Ravens opened a 24–0 lead in the first quarter and the Patriots could not recover, ending their season.
The Patriots went into 2010
without either a named offensive or defensive coordinator following the departure of defensive coordinator Dean Pees
. After beating Cincinnati on the opener game, they suffered a frustrating 28-14 loss to the Jets in the new Giants Stadium. In Week Three the Patriots hosted the Buffalo Bills
and triumphed in a high-scoring affair 38-30. In Week Four they crushed Miami 41-14, but following the game WR Randy Moss
was traded to the Vikings
while regaining Deion Branch
from the Seahawks
. After beating the Chargers in San Diego, the Patriots won 28-18 against a struggling Vikings team before losing a trap game to the Browns. Then came a primetime match with the Steelers where the Patriots won 39-26. Week 11 brought about the much anticipated annual battle with Peyton Manning and the Colts, and New England avenged the 2009 game to win 31-28. On Thanksgiving, they beat the Lions 45-24 before a hotly-anticipated battle with the Jets in Week 13. However, the game turned into a rout as the Patriots demolished their division rival 45-3. Then came another rout as they smashed the Bears in a blowing snowstorm at Soldier Field. The Week 15 game with the Packers proved a surprise as the latter's backup QB Matt Flynn nearly brought his team to a victory in Gillette Stadium. By routing the Bills in Week 16, New England swept that team for the sixth consecutive season along with locking up another AFC East title and the #1 seed. Week 17 saw a meaningless win over the Dolphins. Tom Brady
finished the regular season with an NFL-record 335 pass attempts without an interception, while the Patriots only committed an NFL-record low ten turnovers on the season.
The Patriots were heavily favored to go to Super Bowl XLV, but had the misfortune of facing a Jets team that was now prepared for their revamped post-Randy Moss trade offense. New York's pass defense effectively shut the Patriots down as Tom Brady found it all-but impossible to make throws. The Jets won 28-21, sending New England to a second straight home playoff exit.
Prior to the 2011 season, the Patriots drafted Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet. The team made two high profile trade acquisitions in defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
Opening the 2011 campaign in Miami on Monday Night Football
, New England breezed to victory 38-24; Brady set a career record with 517 passing yards highlighted by a record 99 yard TD reception by Wes Welker
. They easily beat San Diego in Week 2 on their home opener, but in Week 3 their long win streak against Buffalo finally ended when Tom Brady threw four interceptions and the Patriots lost 34-31. Determined to not lose two in a row, the team smashed Oakland 31-19 in Week 4, then got a measure of revenge for the 2010 playoff loss by beating the Jets 30-21. In Week Six the Dallas Cowboys
made their first trip to Foxboro since 2003; they ground to a 16-13 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Brady led a drive ending in a game-winning touchdown to Aaron Hernandez
and a 20-16 Patriots win. During the Patriots' subsequent bye week a minor incident occurred where TE Rob Gronkowski
was seen in a photo with an adult film actress wearing his game shirt. Following a 25-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
receiver Julian Edelman
was arrested for indecent assault following an incident in a Back Bay nightclub on Halloween
night.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
began when Boston business executive Billy Sullivan
Billy Sullivan (American football)
William Hallissey "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. was an American businessman who owned the Boston Patriots franchise from their inception in the American Football League until their sale, as the New England Patriots of the NFL, to Victor Kiam in 1988.-Early life:Sullivan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts...
was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) on November 16, 1959. 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" (reflecting Boston's role in early American history). Immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell developed the "Pat Patriot" logo.
The Patriots' time in the AFL saw them without a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field
Nickerson Field
Nickerson Field is a stadium on the site of Braves Field, in Boston, Massachusetts, the former home of the National League Boston Braves baseball team which is now located in Atlanta...
, Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Built in 1903, the stadium seats 30,323. The stadium seated up to 57,166 in the past, as permanent steel stands were installed in the north end of the stadium in 1929...
, Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, and Alumni Stadium
Alumni Stadium
Alumni Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, approximately sixmiles west of downtown Boston. The stadium lies within the city limits of Boston, although its postal address is Chestnut Hill. It is the home of the Boston College Eagles...
, all in or near Boston, served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. Early Patriots stars included defensive tackles Jim Lee "Earthquake" Hunt
Jim Lee Hunt
Jim Lee "Earthquake" Hunt was an American college and professional football player from Prairie View A&M University who played defensive tackle for the American Football League's Boston Patriots from 1960 through 1969, and for the NFL' Boston Patriots in 1970. He was a four-time AFL All-Star, and...
and Houston Antwine
Houston Antwine
Houston J. Antwine is a former college and professional American football player from Southern Illinois University. He was drafted by the American Football League's Houston Oilers, then traded to the Boston Patriots in 1961. He is in the Southern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame...
; quarterback Vito "Babe" Parilli; and flanker-placekicker Gino "The Duke" Cappelletti
Gino Cappelletti
Gino Cappelletti is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He played at the University of Minnesota, and was a star in the American Football League for the Boston Patriots...
. Hunt, Parilli and Cappelletti played every year of the existence of the AFL, with Hunt and Cappelletti spending all ten years with the Patriots. Cappelletti was the all-time leading scorer in the AFL. Later the Patriots were joined by such stars as defensive end Larry Eisenhauer
Larry Eisenhauer
Lawrence Conway Eisenhauer was an American college and professional football defensive end. A graduate of Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, the Boston College standout was one of several Boston-area athletes to join the American Football League's Boston Patriots...
, fullback Jim Nance
Jim Nance
James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance was an American collegiate and Professional Football fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League...
, and middle linebacker and future Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti
Nick Buoniconti
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti is a former American Football League and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins....
. Cappelletti and Nance were AFL Most Valuable Players
American Football League Most Valuable Players
During its ten-year existence , the American Football League's best player for each year was called the Most Valuable Player by some sports-news sources and the Player of the Year by others...
, Cappelletti in 1964 and Nance in 1966. Buoniconti and Antwine were later named to the American Football League All-Time Team
American Football League All-Time Team
The American Football League All- Time Team was selected on January 14, 1970. The first and second teams would be determined by a panel of members of the AFL's Hall of Fame Board of Selectors: Since the First team included two halfbacks, rather than a halfback and a fullback, Cookie Gilchrist, a...
.
The Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills
1963 Buffalo Bills season
The 1963 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s fourth season in the American Football League.-Season schedule:-Postseason:-Season standings:-Roster:-References:**...
in an AFL Eastern Division playoff game in 1963, and played in the 1963 AFL championship game, losing to the San Diego Chargers
1963 San Diego Chargers season
The 1963 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–10 record in 1962. They won their only AFL Championship with a win over the Boston Patriots. Lance Alworth was named the league M.V.P....
51-10. Although they would not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
game for another 13 years, in the AFL, the Patriots often challenged the dominant Bills for the Eastern Division title.
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
, a suburb of Boston, which would serve as their home for 30 years; the team also changed their name to the New England Patriots to reflect the location change, as well as its following throughout the region as its only NFL team (though both New York City teams have substantial followings in parts of Connecticut as well). During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
-berth—and in 1978—as AFC East champions. They would lose both games. In 1985
NFL playoffs, 1985-86
The NFL playoffs following the 1985 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XX.Because the Jets and Giants both used Giants Stadium as their home field, the two wild card playoff games were held on different days.-AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14:...
, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
, which they lost to the Chicago Bears
1985 Chicago Bears season
The 1985 Chicago Bears season was their 66th regular season and 16th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 15-1 record, earning them the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Bears defeated their three post season opponents by a combined score of 91-10 en...
46–10. Following their Super Bowl loss, the returned to the playoffs in 1986
NFL playoffs, 1986-87
The NFL playoffs following the 1986 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXI.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the New York Giants did not play the Washington Redskins in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: New York Jets...
, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years. They changed ownership several times in that period, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam
Victor Kiam
Victor K. Kiam was an American entrepreneur and the owner of the New England Patriots football team from 1988-1991....
in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein
James Orthwein
James Busch Orthwein was an American advertising executive and great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch. Orthwein owned the New England Patriots from 1992-1993.-Life and career:...
in 1992. Orthwein intended to move the team to his native St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, but sold the team two years later to current owner, local businessman Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
in 1994.
Though Orthwein's period as owner was short and controversial, he did oversee major changes to the team. Former New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
was hired in 1993, and the drastic changes were made the same year to the Patriots uniforms, changing their primary colors from their traditional red and white to blue and silver, and introducing a new logo. Parcells would bring the Patriots to two playoff appearances, including Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers
1996 Green Bay Packers season
The 1996 Green Bay Packers season was the team's 76th in the National Football League, which culminated with the franchise winning its third Super Bowl and league-record 12th NFL World Championship . The Packers posted a league-best 13-3 regular season won-loss record, going 8-0 at home and 5-3 on...
by a score of 35–21. Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
, Parcells's successor, would also take the team to the playoffs twice.
The Patriots current coach, Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
, was hired in 2000, and a new home field, Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
was opened in 2002. Under Belichick, the team won three Super Bowls in four years, and finished the 2007 regular season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
with a perfect 16-0 record, becoming only the fourth team in league history to go undefeated, and the only one since the league expanded its regular season
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
schedule to 16 games.
1960–1969: AFL beginnings
On July 30, 1960, the Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in the first AFL pre-season game. The Boston Patriots1960 Boston Patriots season
The Boston Patriots finished the inaugural American Football League's 1960 season with a record of five wins and nine losses, and thus were last place in the AFL's Eastern Division...
played in the first-ever game in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
, against the Denver Broncos
1960 Denver Broncos season
The Denver Broncos finished the inaugural American Football League's 1960 season with a record of four wins, nine losses, and one tie, thus finishing last in the AFL's western division.-Regular season:-External links:*...
on September 9, 1960. Although the team made only two AFL playoff appearances, it had numerous stars. In 1963
1963 American Football League season
The 1963 American Football League season was the fourth regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the San Diego Chargers defeated the Boston Patriots in the AFL Championship game.-Division Races:...
, eleven Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti
Gino Cappelletti
Gino Cappelletti is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He played at the University of Minnesota, and was a star in the American Football League for the Boston Patriots...
, Nick Buoniconti
Nick Buoniconti
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti is a former American Football League and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins....
, and Babe Parilli. That year the Patriots
1963 Boston Patriots season
The 1963 Boston Patriots season was the third season for the team in the American Football League. During their first season at Fenway Park, , the Patriots stood around the .500 mark all season, as they were able to clinch a spot in the playoffs, with a victory on their final game...
made it to the AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
Championship for the first time ever, but lost to the San Diego Chargers
1963 San Diego Chargers season
The 1963 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–10 record in 1962. They won their only AFL Championship with a win over the Boston Patriots. Lance Alworth was named the league M.V.P....
51-10. Linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Tom Addison
Tom Addison
Tom Addison was a professional American football linebacker and sports labor leader, and is a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.- Playing career :...
, an original Patriot and the first Patriot all-star, founded and was selected President of the AFL Players Association in the mid-1960s. In the late-1960s, fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Jim Nance
Jim Nance
James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance was an American collegiate and Professional Football fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League...
became an offensive weapon for the Patriots, gaining 1,458 yards in 1966
1966 Boston Patriots season
The Boston Patriots finished the American Football League's 1966 season with a record of eight wins and four losses and two ties, and finished second in the AFL's Eastern division.-Staff:-Game-by-game results:-Roster:...
and 1,216 in 1967
1967 Boston Patriots season
The Boston Patriots finished the American Football League's 1967 season with a record of three wins, ten losses and one ties, and finished last in the AFL's Eastern division.-Staff:-Game-by-game results:-Roster:1967 Boston PatriotsHall of Fame = *...
, when he was the AFL MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
After bouncing around between four different Boston-area stadiums in their first 11 seasons, in 1971
1971 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1971 season with a record of six wins and eight losses, and finished third in the AFC East division. It was the first season the Patriots played in Schaeffer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts after playing in three different...
the Patriots moved into a new stadium in suburban Foxborough
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
(also known as Foxboro), on land granted by the Bay State Raceway
Foxboro Raceway
Foxboro Raceway, known for much of its existence as Bay State Raceway, was a harness racing track located in Foxborough, Massachusetts that operated from 1947 until 1997. It stood next to Foxboro Stadium and the site of Gillette Stadium....
. The team was renamed the New England Patriots in March 1971, to reflect its new location roughly halfway between Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
as well as a desire to better position itself as New England's regional NFL team (this would influence the name of the New England Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
hockey team when they began play in 1972, like the Patriots, labeling themselves a New England team). The original choice, Bay State Patriots, was rejected by the NFL. The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, was built at a cost of about $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
7.1 million in only 325 days. The stadium was one of the first stadiums in the country to be named after a corporate sponsor, as the Schaefer Brewing Company
Schaefer Beer
Schaefer Beer is a brand of American beer. Schaefer Beer was first produced in 1842 by the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company. The name "Schaefer" is derived from the last name of founding brothers Frederick and Maximiliam Schaefer....
paid $150,000 for naming rights. Additionally, the town of Foxborough was one of the first in the country to assess a surtax
Surtax
A surtax may be a tax levied upon a tax, or a tax levied upon income.-United Kingdom:In 1929, Supertax was renamed Sur-tax...
on every ticket sold.
The first event held at the new Schaefer Stadium was a preseason game against the New York Giants
1971 New York Giants season
The 1971 New York Giants season was the 47th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had a 4–10 record for the season and finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
on August 15, 1971. In a sign of things to come, in the days leading up to the game there was great concern with the plumbing at the facility. To ensure the proper functioning of the plumbing a "flush-off" was conducted, where every toilet in the stadium was flushed at the same time, to ensure that the plumbing could withstand the heaviest use.
On the field in 1971 was a new quarterback, Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Jim Plunkett
Jim Plunkett
James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...
. Plunkett, from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
was the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft
1971 NFL Draft
The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
which the Patriots received for having finished with the NFL's worst record in 1970. The Patriots also signed free agent Randy Vataha
Randy Vataha
Randel Edward "Randy" Vataha, , was a wide receiver who played seven seasons in the NFL.-College career:Vataha, a wide receiver, was one of Jim Plunkett's favorite receiving targets at Stanford...
, who had been one of Plunkett's favorite wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s at Stanford.
1973–1978: Fairbanks era
The Patriots continued to have difficulties even after moving to Schaefer Stadium, and went through three coaches in their first four post-merger seasons. One bright spot was the arrival of offensive guardGuard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
John Hannah in the 1973 NFL Draft
1973 NFL Draft
The 1973 National Football League Draft was held on January 30–31, 1973.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, who would anchor the Patriots' offensive line for the next twelve seasons and eventually become the first career Patriot to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. This draft also brought running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Sam Cunningham
Sam Cunningham
Samuel Lewis "Sam" Cunningham, Jr is a retired American football fullback. The media referred to him as Sam "Bam" Cunningham.-College career:...
, the team's all-time leading rusher and wide receiver Darryl Stingley
Darryl Stingley
Darryl Floyd Stingley was an American professional football wide receiver whose career was cut short by an injury. He played his entire career with the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He died from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia.-Early life:Stingley...
to New England.
In 1973, the team
1973 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1973 season with a record of five wins and nine losses, and finished third in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
hired Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks is a former American football coach, a head coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. The offensive and defensive systems he introduced and helped develop have proven influential in the NFL....
, who had enjoyed success as head coach of the University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, as head coach. The Patriots showed marked improvement in Fairbanks's first season 1974
1974 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1974 season with a record of seven wins and seven losses, and finished tied for third in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Regular season:...
finishing 7-7, but with injuries to Plunkett in 1975
1975 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1975 season with a record of three wins and eleven losses, and finished tied for fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
, regressed to 3-11 that season
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
. Following the 1975 season, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, and eventually would win 2 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
The draft picks acquired in the Plunkett trade were used to select defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s Mike Haynes and Tim Fox
Tim Fox
Timothy Richard Fox is a former American Football safety who played for the New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1986....
and set the stage for the team's first winning seasons in the NFL. Second-year player Steve Grogan
Steve Grogan
Steve James Grogan is a former American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.-High school and college:...
- who had played much of the 1975 season with Plunkett injured - became New England's top quarterback for the 1976 season
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. The Patriots
1976 New England Patriots season
The 1976 New England Patriots season was the seventh season for the team in the National Football League and 17th season overall. After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one .500 season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3 and rushing for 2,957...
finished 11–3, their best record in team history to that point, and advanced to the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1976-77
The NFL playoffs following the 1976 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XI.-Bracket:-AFC: Oakland Raiders 24, New England Patriots 21:The Patriots scored first after an 86-yard drive was capped by running back Andy Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run...
for the first time since 1963.
Their opponent in the first round would be the Oakland Raiders
1976 Oakland Raiders season
-Season:The Road to their first World Championship began on opening day as they faced the reigning world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. In their home opener, Oakland trailed 28–14 with just over five minutes to play, yet orchestrated what many to this day refer to as their Comeback Classic of 1976...
, whose only regular season loss had come at the hands of New England, 48–17. By late in the game, the Patriots were leading the Raiders, 21-17. On a critical third down play late in the fourth quarter, Patriots defensive tackle Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton appeared to get a critical sack on Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
which would have forced the Raiders into a fourth down situation and the possible end to their season. However, referee Ben Dreith
Ben Dreith
Ben Dreith is a former American professional football on-field official who worked from 1960 to 1969 in the American Football League and from 1970 to 1990 in the NFL. Prior to his teaching and officiating career, he was a three-sport athlete at the University of Northern Colorado.Dreith developed...
called a roughing the passer penalty on Hamilton, nullifying the sack and giving the Raiders an automatic first down deep in New England territory. Replays would show that there was no illegal contact - a point that Stabler himself would all but concede in interviews years later. The call would ultimately prove fatal to the Patriots, as Stabler would score on a short touchdown run with less than a minute left, and the Raiders held on for a 24-21 win. Partially because of the controversy, the league never assigned Dreith to officiate Patriots games again.
The 1977 season
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
was a disappointing one for the Patriots
1977 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1977 season with a record of nine wins and five losses, and finished tied for third in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:...
, aided by contract holdouts by offensive linemen John Hannah and Leon Gray
Leon Gray
Leon Gray was an American football tackle in the National Football League for the New England Patriots, Houston Oilers, and the New Orleans Saints. Gray played college football at Jackson State University.-Early life:...
. The Patriots finished 9-5, one game out of first place, and out of the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1977-78
The NFL playoffs following the 1977 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XII.Due to Christmas, the Divisional playoff games were held in a span of three days. The AFC playoff games were played on December 24 while the NFC games were held on December 26...
.
In a 1978 preseason game against the Raiders
1978 Oakland Raiders season
The 1978 Oakland Raiders season was the team’s 19th season. Jack Tatum made a hit against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a pre-season game. The hit paralyzed Stingley from the chest down.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:...
, wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed from the neck down from a tackle by Oakland's Jack Tatum
Jack Tatum
John David Tatum was an American football defensive back who played ten seasons from 1971 through 1980 for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League...
. Tatum, who would write a book called "They Call Me Assassin", never apologized for the hit. Despite this devastating loss, the Patriots
1978 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1978 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Regular season:...
would rally and finish 11-5 for their first post-merger AFC East title. However, hours before the final game of the regular season
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, coach Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks is a former American football coach, a head coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. The offensive and defensive systems he introduced and helped develop have proven influential in the NFL....
surprised many by announcing he would be leaving the team to become head coach at the University of Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
. Owner Billy Sullivan
Billy Sullivan (American football)
William Hallissey "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. was an American businessman who owned the Boston Patriots franchise from their inception in the American Football League until their sale, as the New England Patriots of the NFL, to Victor Kiam in 1988.-Early life:Sullivan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts...
immediately suspended Fairbanks and offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt
Ron Erhardt
Ron Erhardt is a former football coach at both the collegiate and professional levels, and from 1979-1981 served as head coach of the National Football League's New England Patriots.-College assistant and high school head coach:...
and defensive coordinator Hank Bullough
Hank Bullough
Henry Charles "Hank" Bullough is a former American Football player and coach. He played college football at Michigan State and graduated in 1954. Bullough was a starting guard for the Spartans team that won the 1952 Rose Bowl...
were left to coach the final game without a head coach. Fairbanks was reinstated for the playoffs, but the team lost its first round playoff
NFL playoffs, 1978-79
The NFL playoffs following the 1978 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIII.This was the first year that the playoffs expanded to a ten-team format, adding a second wild card team from each conference...
game to the Houston Oilers
1978 Houston Oilers season
The 1978 season was the Houston Oilers 19th season and their ninth in the NFL. The franchise scored 283 points while the defense gave up 298 points. Their record of 10 wins and 6 losses resulted in a second place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared twice on Monday Night Football...
, which also was the first Patriots post-season game at Schaefer Stadium.
1979–84: Coaching changes
For the next two years the Patriots would suffer late-season collapses that would deny them return trips to the playoffs. In 19791979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
after starting 7-3, the team
1979 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1979 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
would lose four out of their last six games, including three in a row to divisional rivals in December, to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. In 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
, with star running back Sam Cunningham
Sam Cunningham
Samuel Lewis "Sam" Cunningham, Jr is a retired American football fullback. The media referred to him as Sam "Bam" Cunningham.-College career:...
holding out all season, the Patriots
1980 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1980 season with a record of ten wins and six losses, and finished second in the AFC East division....
started 6-1 but finished 10-6, again out of the playoffs. With these performances in mind, a local sportswriter intimated that the team suffered from the "Bozo Syndrome," meaning that they played "like clowns in the clutch." The Patriots
1981 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1981 season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
continued to slide in 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
, finishing 2-14, including two losses to the Baltimore Colts
1981 Baltimore Colts season
The 1981 Baltimore Colts season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1981 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, and finished tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots...
which were the only two games the Colts won that year.
Following the 1981 season Erhardt was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...
, who had been the head coach at Southern Methodist University
SMU Mustangs football
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
. The Patriots had the top draft pick overall in the 1982 NFL Draft
1982 NFL Draft
The 1982 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 27–28, 1982...
and selected Kenneth Sims
Kenneth Sims
Kenneth Wayne Sims is a former American professional football player who was selected by the New England Patriots as the first overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 272 lbs. defensive end from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a two-time All-American...
, a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
from the University of Texas at Austin
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
, who would largely prove to be a disappointment in his seven seasons with the team.
In the strike-shortened year of 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, the highlight of the Patriots season
1982 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1982 season with a record of five wins and four losses, and finished seventh in the American Football Conference....
was the so-called "Snow Plow Game," a controversial 3-0 late-season win over the Miami Dolphins
1982 Miami Dolphins season
-NFL Draft:-Regular season:The Dolphins finished the strike-shortened regular season with a 7–2 record, ranking them second in the AFC.The Dolphins' main strength was their defense, nicknamed the "Killer Bees" because 6 of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B"...
. The controversy came in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were preparing for a field goal attempt. Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, used a John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
tractor with a rotating sweeper to clear a swath of field to aid the Patriots. Kicker John Smith
John Smith (American football)
John Michael Smith is an English-born retired American football placekicker. He made his professional debut with the New England Patriots in 1974, remaining with the team until 1983...
's 33-yard attempt was good, and the points would prove to be the only points scored by either team that afternoon. The win would help put the Patriots in the playoffs, but the first-round rematch
NFL playoffs, 1982-83
The NFL playoffs following the 1982 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVII.A players' strike reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff format , just for this year. Division standings were ignored...
in Miami was easily won by the Dolphins.
In 1983
1983 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1983 season with a record of eight wins and eight losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
quarterback Tony Eason
Tony Eason
Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason, IV is a former quarterback. He played college football for the University of Illinois and professional football for the New England Patriots and New York Jets .-Early years:Eason grew up in Walnut Grove, California, and attended Delta High School in Clarksburg,...
was drafted in the first round
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
, the fourth of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Eason would play sparingly in 1983
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
, but would become the Patriots' starting quarterback in 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
. Meanwhile, the team's pattern of not being able to finish seasons strong became apparent again. The team
1984 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1984 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
again lost some key games late, and finished out of the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1983-84
The NFL playoffs following the 1983 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVIII.Due to Christmas, the two wild card playoff games were played in a span of three days....
at 8-8. Also that year, the naming-rights deal with Schaefer expired, and Sullivan renamed the stadium Sullivan Stadium after himself.
The Patriots would acquire the top draft pick overall for the 1984 NFL Draft
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
and selected Irving Fryar
Irving Fryar
Irving Dale Fryar is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League.Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School...
, a wide receiver from the University of Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
. With Tony Eason starting at quarterback, the Patriots
1984 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1984 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
got off to a strong 5-2 start. However, after a pair of losses the Patriots fired head coach Ron Meyer, and replaced him with former Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
. The players initially responded well to Berry, winning three of their first four games under him. However, showing once again a failure to finish strong, the Patriots again lost three straight games in December, and again missed the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1984-85
The NFL playoffs following the 1984 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIX.The two wild card games were held on different days because both venues were in the Pacific Standard Time Zone. The NFL did not schedule prime time playoff games on the east coast until 2002. Normally, playoff games started at...
at 9-7.
1985: First Super Bowl appearance
After struggling to start the 1985 season1985 NFL season
The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
, new coach Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
replaced Eason with Grogan. But Grogan broke his leg late in the season, and Eason got the starting job again. New England won six straight games and finished 11-5, with a wild card playoff
NFL playoffs, 1985-86
The NFL playoffs following the 1985 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XX.Because the Jets and Giants both used Giants Stadium as their home field, the two wild card playoff games were held on different days.-AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14:...
berth. During the season Stanley Morgan
Stanley Morgan
Stanley Douglas Morgan is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the New England Patriots. Morgan was selected out of the University of Tennessee in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft . He also played one season for the Indianapolis Colts in 1990...
, Irving Fryar
Irving Fryar
Irving Dale Fryar is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League.Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School...
, Lin Dawson
Lin Dawson
for the Kansas City Chiefs Hall Of Fame quarterback, see Len DawsonJames Linwood Dawson is the current athletic director at Grambling State University he is also a former professional American football player who played tight end for nine seasons for the New England Patriots in the National...
and Craig James all led the Patriots in Touchdowns. In the first round the Patriots beat the New York Jets
1985 New York Jets season
The 1985 New York Jets season was the 26th season for the team and the 16th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 7–9 record from 1984 under head coach Joe Walton. Among quarterbacks, Ken O'Brien had the lowest rate of interceptions. He had 8...
for their first playoff win since 1963. Stanley Morgan
Stanley Morgan
Stanley Douglas Morgan is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the New England Patriots. Morgan was selected out of the University of Tennessee in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft . He also played one season for the Indianapolis Colts in 1990...
received a touchdown pass from Eason. Then later Ronnie Lippett
Ronnie Lippett
Ronald Leon Lippett , is a former American professional football player who played eight seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League from 1983–1988 and 1990-1991. A 5'11", 180 lbs...
returned a fumble for a TD to end the Patriots-Jets game for good. In the divisional playoff against the Los Angeles Raiders
1985 Los Angeles Raiders season
The 1985 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 26th in the league. They improved upon their previous season's output of 11–5, winning 12 games. The team qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight season.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-MVP:...
the Patriots forced six turnovers and won 27–20, gaining a measure of revenge for their crushing 1976 defeat. Lin Dawson
Lin Dawson
for the Kansas City Chiefs Hall Of Fame quarterback, see Len DawsonJames Linwood Dawson is the current athletic director at Grambling State University he is also a former professional American football player who played tight end for nine seasons for the New England Patriots in the National...
started the game with a touchdown, then when the Patriots were kicking off in the 4th quarter a fumble by the Raider returner resulted in a touchdown for Jim Bowman. After winning two playoff games this set up an AFC Championship showdown against the rival Miami Dolphins
1985 Miami Dolphins season
The 1985 Miami Dolphins season was the 20th season in franchise history. The club won their fourth consecutive AFC East championship and appeared in the AFC Championship Game.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Monday Night game vs...
. The Patriots had lost 20 straight games in Miami at the time, but won this one, dominating the Dolphins defensively again en route to a 31–14 win. Tony Eason threw touchdowns to Tony Collins
Tony Collins
Anthony Collins is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League and the Arena Football League.-Early years:...
and Derrick Ramsey
Derrick Ramsey
Derrick Ramsey is a former professional American football player who played tight end for nine seasons for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, New England Patriots, and Detroit Lions....
to get game started. Later a Mosi Tatupu
Mosi Tatupu
Mosiula Faasuka Tatupu was a National Football League special teamer and running back who during a fifteen year professional career played for the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. His tenure with the Patriots lasted from 1978 to 1990...
touchdown ended the AFC Championship game with the Patriots as the AFC Champions of 1985. Thus the Patriots completed an improbable run to Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
, where they faced the Chicago Bears
1985 Chicago Bears season
The 1985 Chicago Bears season was their 66th regular season and 16th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 15-1 record, earning them the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Bears defeated their three post season opponents by a combined score of 91-10 en...
.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they would be caught in the middle of a bizarre Super Bowl week subplot. Prior to the AFC Championship game, Irving Fryar
Irving Fryar
Irving Dale Fryar is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League.Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School...
had cut two fingers with a kitchen knife, requiring them to be put in a cast. At first it was dismissed as a freak accident, but after the conference championship that the truth came out: Fryar's wife Jacqueline had slashed him in a domestic incident after Fryar had knocked her down. It was a distraction that, many thought, epitomized the history of these Patriots - coming as it did in what was otherwise to that point the franchise's finest hour.
In the Super Bowl, though the Bears had not allowed a point in the playoffs, the Patriots took an early 3–0 lead after a Walter Payton
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
fumble in the first quarter. This resulted a field goal by Tony Franklin.
The opening drive would be marked by an injury to tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Lin Dawson
Lin Dawson
for the Kansas City Chiefs Hall Of Fame quarterback, see Len DawsonJames Linwood Dawson is the current athletic director at Grambling State University he is also a former professional American football player who played tight end for nine seasons for the New England Patriots in the National...
who would be forced to leave the contest with a broken leg. The Bears would go on to score the next 46 points, including a touchdown by William "Refrigerator" Perry
William Perry (American football)
William Perry is a former professional American football player. He is best known for his years as a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. In reference to his large size, he was popularly known as "The Refrigerator" or, abbreviated, "The Fridge".-Life and athletic career:Perry was born in...
. The Patriots would add a meaningless touchdown at the end to make the final score 46-10, the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history at the time. The only Patriot touchdown was by Irving Fryar.
1986–1992: Ownership changes
John Hannah, generally considered one of the best guards to play pro football, retired after the Patriots' Super Bowl experience. Also, the day after the game, Boston Globe sportswriter Ron BorgesRon Borges
Ron Borges is currently a sportswriter for the Boston Herald. He previously wrote for The Boston Globe, and was a regular guest on Michael Felger's radio show The Mike Felger Show, which aired on 890 ESPN until July 2008. Borges also was a regular contributor to the until 2008...
wrote a story alleging that six Patriots players, including Fryar, cornerback Raymond Clayborn
Raymond Clayborn
Raymond DeWayne Clayborn , is a former American Football cornerback who played for the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns in the NFL. Before his NFL career, he played for the University of Texas at Austin.Clayborn had a superb career with the Patriots, making the Pro Bowl 3 times...
, safety Roland James
Roland James
Roland Orlando James is a former American football defensive back who was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft. At 6'2", 190 lbs from the University of Tennessee, James played his entire NFL career for the Patriots from 1980 to 1990...
, and running back Tony Collins
Tony Collins
Anthony Collins is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League and the Arena Football League.-Early years:...
were marijuana users. Further, allegations surfaced that Fryar was involved in gambling of NFL games. The Patriots' strength was their passing game, led by Eason and star receiver Stanley Morgan
Stanley Morgan
Stanley Douglas Morgan is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the New England Patriots. Morgan was selected out of the University of Tennessee in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft . He also played one season for the Indianapolis Colts in 1990...
, who gained nearly 1,500 yards receiving. Despite having statistically the worst rushing offense in the league, New England
1986 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1986 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:...
won the AFC East with an 11-5 record, and traveled to Denver
Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the...
to take on the Broncos
1986 Denver Broncos season
-Regular season:The Broncos won their first six games of the season, before being felled by the then-5-1 New York Jets on Monday Night Football. They won two more games to improve to 8–1, tied with the Jets for the best record in the league...
in the first round playoff
NFL playoffs, 1986-87
The NFL playoffs following the 1986 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXI.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the New York Giants did not play the Washington Redskins in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: New York Jets...
game. A late fourth-quarter touchdown pass from John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
to Vance Johnson
Vance Johnson
Vance Edward Johnson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 174 lb...
won the game for Denver, who would eventually succeed the Patriots as AFC Champions. This would be the team's last playoff appearance for eight years.
Local product Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
(from Natick, Massachusetts
Natick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
), who won the Heisman Trophy for Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
in 1984, was acquired by the Patriots during the 1987 players' strike and crossed the picket line to play his first game for the Patriots, which was also the last of three games played by replacement players in the 1987 season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
. Many defensive players for New England also crossed the picket line. However, late-season injuries put the Patriots
1987 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1987 season with a record of eight wins and seven losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
out of playoff contention at 8-7. In 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
, Flutie played five games before he was replaced by Eason, after which they would alternate as the Patriots' starting QB. Though the Patriots
1988 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1988 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
had some success with this atypical arrangement, finishing the season 9-7, the Patriots narrowly missed the playoffs.
During this time, the Sullivan family - who had owned the Patriots since their inception - lost millions of dollars on poor investments, most notably their involvement in producing The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
1984 Victory tour, headed by family scion Chuck Sullivan. They were never among the NFL's wealthiest owners, and the investments, and specifically the losses suffered from the Victory tour, had a considerable negative impact on the family fortune and compromised in many ways the operation of the Patriots. Facing the possibility of bankruptcy, Billy Sullivan asked the NFL for permission to sell 50 percent of the team's stock to the public. The NFL refused, and the Sullivans were forced to sell the team to Remington Products
Remington Products
Remington Products, commonly known as simply Remington, is a worldwide personal care corporation which manufactures razors , epilators, and haircare products for both men and women. It is a subsidiary of Spectrum Brands.-History:...
magnate Victor Kiam
Victor Kiam
Victor K. Kiam was an American entrepreneur and the owner of the New England Patriots football team from 1988-1991....
in 1988 for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
84 million, though Billy Sullivan remained as team president until 1992. Sullivan Stadium, however, lapsed into bankruptcy, and was bought out of bankruptcy court by Boston paper magnate Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
--a development whose importance wouldn't be fully realized until long after the Sullivans had left the scene.
Although the Patriots
1988 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1988 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
were respectable in 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
, missing the playoffs by only a game, the 1989 season
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
was a disaster for the team
1989 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1989 season with a record of five wins and eleven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
. Three of the team's biggest players on defense (Andre Tippett
Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett is a former American football linebacker who played for the New England Patriots of the NFL. Currently, he is the Patriots' Executive Director of Community Affairs. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.-Personal life:Tippett was born in Birmingham,...
, Garin Veris
Garin Veris
Garin Lee Veris was an American football defensive end in the National Football League, mainly for the New England Patriots....
and Ronnie Lippett
Ronnie Lippett
Ronald Leon Lippett , is a former American professional football player who played eight seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League from 1983–1988 and 1990-1991. A 5'11", 180 lbs...
) were injured in the same preseason game. Neither Eason, Flutie, nor Grogan emerged as the starting quarterback, and each rotated the starting quarterback job throughout the season. The Patriots finished the season 5-11.
Following the season, Flutie left for the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, and long time general manager Dick Steinberg also left to take a similar job with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Berry was fired and replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
defensive coordinator Rod Rust
Rod Rust
Rodney A. Rust is a former American football player and coach. He is best known in the United States as the coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League during the 1990 season, which ended with a 1–15 record....
for 1990.
Under Rust, the Patriots
1990 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of one win and fifteen losses, and finished last in the AFC East division...
finished with the worst season in franchise history in 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
— a 1-15 record. On the day after what turned out to be the team's only win that year (against the Colts
1990 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1990 Indianapolis Colts season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 7th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of 7 wins and 9 losses, and finished third in the AFC East division.-NFL...
), the Patriots were thrown into the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
reporter Lisa Olson
Lisa Olson
Lisa Olson is an American sportswriter and a national sports columnist for AOL Fanhouse. Her work has been featured in the anthology, "The Best American Sports Writing"...
was sexually and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room and was later labeled a "classic bitch" by Kiam. Following an investigation into the scandal, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue is a former Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. Tagliabue's retirement took effect on September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL...
fined the team $50,000, and players Zeke Mowatt
Zeke Mowatt
Ezekiel Mowatt is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played for the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. He played college football at Florida State University...
, Michael Timpson
Michael Timpson
Michael Dwain Timpson is a former American football player and sprinter.-Early life:Timpson was a track star and multi-sport athlete at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School in Hialeah, Florida from 1981 to 1985.-NFL:...
and Robert Perryman $12,500, $5,000, and $5,000 respectively.
As a final indignity, their season finale against the New York Giants
1990 New York Giants season
The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history...
would be one of their few sellouts of the year; however, most of the fans at the game that day were Giants fans. The team lost that game, missing a game-tying field goal in the closing seconds. Shortly thereafter, the Patriots revamped their front office. Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson
Dick MacPherson
Richard F. MacPherson is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1971 to 1977 and at Syracuse University from 1981 to 1990, compiling a career college football record of 111–73–5...
, a New England native who had been the coach at Syracuse University
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
. Additionally, Sam Jankovich
Sam Jankovich
Sam Jankovich, a Butte, Montana native is sports administrator that has held several positions including athletic director at the Washington State and the University of Miami...
, who had been athletic director at the University of Miami
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
and oversaw the national resurgence of their athletic program (and specifically their football team), was brought on as CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the Patriots.
The Patriots
1991 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1991 season with a record of six wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
showed marked improvement in 1991. Hugh Millen
Hugh Millen
Hugh Breedlove Millen is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 216-lb...
took over at quarterback partway through the 1991 season
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
, and the Patriots responded to MacPherson's upbeat, positive style. The Patriots improved to 6-10 with several upsets over playoff teams, including wins against the Minnesota Vikings
1991 Minnesota Vikings season
-Schedule:-References:*...
and eventual AFC Champion Buffalo Bills
1991 Buffalo Bills season
The 1991 Buffalo Bills season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bills finished the National Football League's 1991 season with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, and finished first in the AFC East division...
and were competitive in many of their losses. Attendance and fan interest improved.
Although optimism was high entering the 1992 season
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
, the team
1992 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished last in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
was disappointing and finished 2-14, which eventually led to the departures of both MacPherson and Jankovich. Rumors of a possible move to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
intensified when Kiam sold the team to St. Louis businessman James Orthwein
James Orthwein
James Busch Orthwein was an American advertising executive and great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch. Orthwein owned the New England Patriots from 1992-1993.-Life and career:...
, a scion of the Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
family. Orthwein wanted to return the NFL to his hometown of St. Louis and saw the Patriots as a vehicle to make that happen.
1993
The Patriots went about the business of giving the team a brand new look for 19931993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
, in every way. The most dramatic change was the hiring of Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
, a 2-time Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
winner, as head coach. One of the most respected coaches in the history of the game, Parcells brought instant credibility and respectability for the franchise. He was also largely given a free hand with respect to personnel. Changes to the uniforms and logo were rolled out as well. The old "Pat Patriot" logo - which to many was a symbol of the Patriots' ineptitude - was retired and replaced with a stylized Patriot head, designed in tandem with NFL Properties that many fans would eventually call "Flying Elvis". The team's primary color changed from red to blue, and the helmets from white to silver.
With the first pick in the 1993 NFL Draft
1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...
, the Patriots selected quarterback Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
from Washington State University
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
. This was only part of a major season of change in New England. Other draft picks such as tight end Ben Coates
Ben Coates
Ben Terrence Coates is a former American football tight end in the National Football League and former CIAA football coach and former NFL tight ends coach. Coates didn't play football until his senior year of high school, and was a multi-sport player at Livingstone College located in Salisbury,...
and linebacker Chris Slade
Chris Slade (American football)
Christopher Carroll Slade was an American football linebacker who plays in the National Football League. He played most of his career with the New England Patriots. Slade was named to his 1st Pro Bowl after the 1997 season. He played college football at the University of Virginia.-Personal...
, helped the team immediately. Bledsoe started the season as the starting quarterback, but after losing the first four games, he was injured and replaced with former Dolphins backup Scott Secules
Scott Secules
Thomas "Scott" Wescott Secules is a former professional American football quarterback who played 6 seasons in the National Football League from 1988 to 1993 for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots.Secules was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 6th round of the 1988...
, who won one of his two games.
The 1993 season began with an 1-11 record. Of their 11 losses, eight were by 7 points or less, and only two of their 11 defeats were by more than 14 points, both coming before Week 4. Finally, at the end of the season, the Patriots' luck began to turn. They ended their season by winning their last four games in a row, over Cincinnati
1993 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 1993 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 26th year in professional football and its 24th with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:-Awards and records:...
, Cleveland
1993 Cleveland Browns season
The 1993 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 44th season with the National Football League. This season was notable for coach Bill Belichick deciding to bench, and then ultimately release, longtime starting quarterback Bernie Kosar in favor of Vinny Testaverde...
, Indianapolis
1993 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1993 Indianapolis Colts season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 10th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1993 season with a record of 4 wins and 12 losses, and finished fifth in the AFC East division...
, and, most dramatically, over Miami
1993 Miami Dolphins season
The 1993 Miami Dolphins' season was the 28th for the franchise and 24th in the NFL. The season was marked by Don Shula becoming the winningest coach in NFL history, passing George Halas against the Philadelphia Eagles...
in overtime in the finale - a game that eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs.
1993–94 offseason: Kraft buys team
Interest in the Patriots grew both during and after the 1993 season. By many measures, the Patriots were as popular as they had ever been - even more popular than they had been during the 1985 Super Bowl year. Despite this unprecedented interest, however, rumors abounded that the team was going to move to St. Louis as soon as Orthwein could clear all the hurdles. Finally, in the 1993 off-season, the issue reached its climax. Orthwein offered Robert KraftRobert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
, the team's landlord since 1988, $75 million to break the operating covenant of the lease, which would then free him to move the Patriots to St. Louis. Kraft refused, which continued to bind the Patriots to playing at Foxboro. When it became apparent that Kraft would not allow Orthwein to buy out the lease, Orthwein put the team up for sale. Kraft bought the team for a then-NFL record $175 million in 1994, beating out an investor group which included Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
and Walter Payton
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
as investors (the latter of which was on the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
team that beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. On February 26, 1994, Kraft's first full day as owner of the Patriots, the Patriots sold 5,958 season tickets, shattering by over sixfold the team's prior single-day record of 979. Moreover, since Kraft took control over the team, the Patriots have sold out every home game, including pre-season games.
1994
Halfway through the 1994 season1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
, the Patriots looked flat. They were 3-6 and had lost 4 straight when they faced the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
at home for Week 10. With the season on the line, Drew Bledsoe sparked a second-half comeback by switching to a no-huddle offense. Bledsoe set single-game records for pass attempts and completions, and the Patriots won the game 26-20 in overtime. This led to the Patriots winning their last seven games of the regular season, finishing 10-6 and making the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1994-95
The NFL playoffs following the 1994 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIX.-Bracket:-NFC: Green Bay Packers 16, Detroit Lions 12:The Packers defense held Lions running back Barry Sanders to -1 rushing yards, while holding Detroit to 12 points and -4 yards on the ground. Green Bay scored first when...
as a wild card. In their first playoff game in eight years, the Patriots were beaten in the first round by the Cleveland Browns
1994 Cleveland Browns season
The 1994 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 45th season with the National Football League.-Staff:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-References:...
20-13 - the last team to beat New England in the regular season, who were coached by one-time Parcells assistant (and future Patriots coach) Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
.
1995
The Patriots drafted Curtis MartinCurtis Martin
Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, giving the team its best running back in decades. Despite a dramatic opening day win against Belichick's Browns to start the 1995 season
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
, and a sensational rookie campaign by the young Martin, Bledsoe struggled with injuries, the team struggled with inconsistency and the Patriots finished a lackluster 6-10.
The 1995 season was also marked by the Patriots' first home appearance on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
since 1981. During the Patriots' last appearance on the program, a number of fans in attendance proved to be rowdy and uncontrollable and there was an abnormally high number of arrests. As a result of this behavior, the Town of Foxborough and the NFL refused to schedule Monday night home games in New England. (This behavior, which occurred during day games as well, led the Patriots to only sell reduced-alcohol beer for several seasons in the 1980s.)
After the Patriots successful season however, Bob Kraft successfully lobbied the Town of Foxborough and the NFL to schedule the Patriots on a Monday night. The NFL granted Kraft's request, scheduling the Patriots on Monday, October 23, in a game against the Buffalo Bills
1995 Buffalo Bills season
The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the 36th season for the club and its 26th in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-AFC Wild Card Game:...
. The Patriots won the game, 27-14, and the crowd was peaceful and orderly, with only a handful of isolated disturbances and arrests. In appreciation, Kraft took out a full-page ad in the Boston Globe thanking fans for their excellent behavior and the Patriots have since hosted several more night games without incident.
Another major change was the primary home station for most Patriots regular season games. Since 1965, they had aired on WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
, Boston's longtime NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate. After owner Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
switched the station's affiliation to CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
took on airing the NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
package locally.
1996: Super Bowl XXXI
Over Bill Parcells' objections, in the 1996 NFL Draft1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
the team added wide receiver Terry Glenn
Terry Glenn
Terry Tyree Glenn is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots seventh overall in the 1996 NFL Draft...
as a first-round draft pick. Despite Parcells referring to Glenn as "she" during a pre-season press conference, Glenn provided much the same spark to the receiving corps that Martin had provided to the running game. On defense, rookie safety Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy is an American football safety. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington....
made an impact, as did Willie Clay
Willie Clay
Willie James Clay , is a former American football Defensive back in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints....
(signed from the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
) and second-year cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
. Linebackers Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and Ted Johnson
Ted Johnson
Ted Curtis Johnson is a former American football player in the National Football League. He grew up in Carlsbad, California where he graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1991. From there he attended the University of Colorado and was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1995 NFL...
arrived on the scene to help veterans such as Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
and Slade. Despite all these additions, the Patriots once again started out lackluster in 1996
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
. After an early-season loss to the Redskins
1996 Washington Redskins season
The 1996 Washington Redskins season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record from 1995. This was the Redskins' last season playing at RFK Stadium, where they had played since 1961.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-References:...
at home dropped the Patriots down to 3-3, the Patriots proceeded to win their next 4 games in a row, and 8 out of their last 10 (only losing to the Denver Broncos
1996 Denver Broncos season
-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:Pro BowlQB John ElwayRB Terrell DavisTE Shannon SharpeT Gary ZimmermanDE Alfred WilliamsDT Michael PerryLB Bill RomanowskiS Steve AtwaterS Tyrone BraxtonAP Offensive Player of the Year – Terrell Davis...
(who would finish with the AFC's best record) and the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys
1996 Dallas Cowboys season
-Regular season:Against the Chicago Bears in week one, running back Emmitt Smith would leave the game late with an injury that left him temporary paralyzed. Though not career-threatening, Smith's injury would hamper his effectiveness for the duration of the season...
to finish 11-5, winning the AFC East and earning a first-round bye in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1996-97
The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion...
as a #2 seed. The Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers
1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Bill Cowher's fifth season as head coach of the Steelers resulted in yet another trip to the playoffs for the team, as Pittsburgh won the AFC Central Division championship for the fourth time under Cowher. However, the team's 10–6 record was not good enough to earn the Steelers a first-round bye...
28-3 in a divisional playoff game--only the second home playoff game in franchise history. The game was played mostly under thick fog. They then held off the Jacksonville Jaguars
1996 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the team's second year in the National Football League, and saw the Jaguars trying to improve on their 4-12 record from their inaugural season. The Jaguars marked success as they won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9–7...
20-6 in the first AFC Championship game played in Foxboro (a game marked by a sudden power "brownout
Brownout (electricity)
A brownout is an intentional drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system used for load reduction in an emergency. The reduction lasts for minutes or hours, as opposed to short-term voltage sag or dip. The term brownout comes from the dimming experienced by lighting when the voltage sags...
" just as Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
was to attempt a field goal in the second quarter.) The team advanced to Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
against the Green Bay Packers
1996 Green Bay Packers season
The 1996 Green Bay Packers season was the team's 76th in the National Football League, which culminated with the franchise winning its third Super Bowl and league-record 12th NFL World Championship . The Packers posted a league-best 13-3 regular season won-loss record, going 8-0 at home and 5-3 on...
.
In the months and years after Kraft's purchase of the Patriots, relations between Kraft and Parcells were increasingly strained. This was primarily due to a struggle over Parcells' authority over football operations. Kraft wanted Parcells to yield some of his authority over personnel moves to a separate general manager. Parcells had effectively been the Patriots' general manager as well since his arrival, and was not interested in yielding authority that he had been granted over personnel when he was hired. He famously complained that "if they're gonna let you cook the dinner, they at least ought to let you shop for some of the groceries." The conflict climaxed in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, with rampant rumors that Parcells would leave the Patriots after the season to take the vacant head coaching job with the New York Jets. Despite these distractions, the Patriots played the Packers close for much of the game, and actually took the lead briefly in the second quarter. However, two long Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
touchdowns and a record 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard is a former NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.He played football for the University of Michigan from 1989–1991 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991...
sealed New England's fate, with the Packers winning their twelfth title, and third of the Super Bowl era, 35-21.
1997
After the Super Bowl, Parcells resigned from the Patriots, prompting Kraft to believe the Jets had been tampering with Parcells in an attempt for him to resign and take the Jets' vacant head coaching position and have say in the Jets' first overall selection in the 1997 NFL Draft1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
. The Jets decided that since Parcells couldn't be their head coach in 1997 because of an earlier contract renegotiation which eliminated the 1997 season from his contract, they would hire Parcells as a consultant and have Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
, the assistant head coach who followed Parcells from the Patriots, hold the title of head coach. Kraft, who was requesting a first-round pick in return for allowing Parcells to coach elsewhere, called the Jets' agreement "a transparent farce" that "demonstrated it was the Jets' intention all along for Bill Parcells to become head coach of the Jets for the '97 season." Despite Parcells claiming the Jets had been given league permission for the consulting agreement, the NFL denied any permission was given, instead having commissioner Paul Tagliabue
Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue is a former Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. Tagliabue's retirement took effect on September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL...
arrange an agreement between the two sides. The Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
, a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
, and a first-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.
After being rebuffed by former 49ers coach George Seifert
George Seifert
George Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
, Kraft hired Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
as the new head coach of the Patriots. The new regime, led by personnel man Bobby Grier, was immediately derided for botching draft picks, and the Patriots slipped back further in the standings during each of Carroll's years. In 1997 season
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
the Patriots still won the AFC East with a 10–6 record, but some key losses (including a loss to Parcells' Jets and a 4th-quarter collapse against the Pittsburgh Steelers
1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers was considered a transitional year heading into the season due to many key free agent losses in the offseason, as well as the first season of Kordell Stewart starting at quarterback....
) meant the team had to play in the wild card round in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1997-98
The NFL playoffs following the 1997 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXII.-Bracket:-NFC: Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Giants 22:The Vikings scored 10 points in the final 90 seconds of the game to stun the Giants.-AFC: Denver Broncos 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 17:Denver ran over the Jaguars with...
. After having an easy time with the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Foxboro, the injury-plagued Patriots met the Steelers in Pittsburgh for a rematch in the divisional playoff. A late fumble (recovered by future Patriot Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
) won the game for Pittsburgh, 7–6.
1998
In the offseason, the Patriots tendered restricted free agentRestricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
running back Curtis Martin
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
with the highest possible tender, which would return the Patriots first- and third-round draft picks if any team were to sign him and the Patriots were to decide not to match the offer. Fueling the rivalry between the two teams, the Jets and Parcells, who had resigned from the Patriots two years earlier, signed Martin, and per restricted free agency rules ceded their first- and third-round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
to the Patriots. With the first-round pick the Patriots selected another running back Robert Edwards, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign. After stumbling through the first half of the 1998 season (5–6 after the first 11 games), Bledsoe, playing with a broken finger, engineered late 4th-quarter comebacks against the Miami Dolphins
1998 Miami Dolphins season
The 1998 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 33rd as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins improved upon their previous season's output of 9–7, winning ten games. The team qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year.-Schedule:...
and Buffalo Bills
1998 Buffalo Bills season
The 1998 Buffalo Bills season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League. The season marked an important development in the Bills history as a quarterback controversy would consume the whole season between Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie. It would also mark the beginning of the...
to save the season. The Bills game was especially controversial, as the game was prolonged due to a series of questionable calls. With under a minute to go and down by four points, the Patriots engineered a long drive. However, the Buffalo defense appeared to stop the Patriots on 4th down with a juggled catch out of bounds. The referee needed to determine whether receiver Shawn Jefferson
Shawn Jefferson
Shawn Jefferson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 9th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
was inbounds, caught the ball, and achieved first down yardage. The referee on the sideline signaled first down after a conference with other officials. Several Bills claimed one said "just give it to them" (referring to first down yardage) in the huddle. Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
s showed that he was short of first down yardage, but the NFL had discontinued use of instant replay the previous season. This was followed by a questionable pass interference call made in the end zone on what would have been the game's final play. Bledsoe hit Ben Coates for a touchdown on the final untimed play of the game. In protest, the Bills left the field and let the Patriots kicker Adam Vinateri walk in for a meaningless two-point conversion. Doug Flutie, then the Bills' quarterback, later quipped "They gave them the game, we figured we might as well give them the extra point.” Bledsoe and Glenn were later both knocked out for the season, and the Patriots backed into the last playoff seed with a 9-7 record. Backup quarterback Scott Zolak
Scott Zolak
Scott David Zolak is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for nine seasons...
proved to be no match for the Jacksonville Jaguars
1998 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 1998 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the team's fourth year in the National Football League. The Jaguars appeared twice on Monday Night Football.-Staff:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:...
in the first playoff
NFL playoffs, 1998-99
The NFL playoffs following the 1998 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXIII.-Bracket:* Indicates overtime victory-AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17:...
game.
Although Edwards had a promising rookie season, his career was permanently derailed after he suffered a dislocated knee in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
while playing a game of flag football on the beach – a game that was an officially-sponsored activity that took place during Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
weekend. Edwards would miss the next three seasons and would not play for the Patriots again (although he did play for the Miami Dolphins as a reserve in 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
).
Also during 1998, most Patriots games moved back to WBZ-TV after a three-year absence. This came because the AFC package moved to CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
.
1999
Taking Edwards' place in 19991999 New England Patriots season
The 1999 New England Patriots season was the 30th season for the team in the National Football League and 40th season overall. They finished with a 8–8 record, tied for fourth place in the division, and out of the playoffs....
were veteran Terry Allen and rookie Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
, but neither player was able to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing and overall the Patriots' rushing offense was 23rd in the NFL. The Patriots opened with an emotional 30-28 victory over the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, then followed by hosting the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and second-year quarterback Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
; Manning raced the Colts to a 28-7 halftime lead but was limited to just 13 second-half yards as Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
threw three touchdowns, two of them to Ben Coates
Ben Coates
Ben Terrence Coates is a former American football tight end in the National Football League and former CIAA football coach and former NFL tight ends coach. Coates didn't play football until his senior year of high school, and was a multi-sport player at Livingstone College located in Salisbury,...
which turned out to be his final touchdown catches with New England; after an Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James
Edgerrin Tyree James is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami....
fumble Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
kicked the winning field goal in a 31-28 final. The Patriots began the season with a 6–2 record, but after a 27-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Coates went to the media to protest that he was not being thrown to enough; it soured Coates' relationship with Bledsoe and Carroll, and the team stumbled down the stretch, finishing 8–8 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 1995
1995 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1995 season with a record of six wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
. Further demoralizing the team was a late-season fight between Milloy and Vincent Brisby
Vincent Brisby
Vincent Cole Brisby , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 193 lb...
that began at a charity event hosted by linebacker Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
and continued the next day at a team meeting. Following the season finale, third year head coach Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
was fired, while vice president of player personnel Bobby Grier was retained only until the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
.
2000: Belichick hired
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
in January, Patriots owner Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
pursued Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
for the Patriots' head coaching vacancy. Belichick, who had been an assistant coach under Parcells with the Patriots in 1996, followed Parcells to the Jets after that season and was contractually named Parcells' successor. A day after the 1999
1999 New York Jets season
The 1999 New York Jets season was the 40th season for the team, and the 30th in the National Football League. The team tried to maintain or improve upon its 12–4 record from 1998. An injury to starting quarterback Vinny Testaverde in the season's opening game essentially doomed the Jets' chances at...
season, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Jets and made his second retirement from NFL coaching. Belichick, who had been assistant head coach of the Jets, became the Jets' next head coach. The following day, at a press conference for his hiring, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a napkin ("I resign as HC of the NYJ."), and proceeded to give a half-hour resignation speech to the press. Despite rumors that he had been offered the Patriots' vacant head coaching position, Belichick cited the Jets' uncertain ownership situation following the death of owner Leon Hess
Leon Hess
Leon Hess was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets.-Biography:Hess was born on March 13, 1914. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as an oil delivery man in Asbury Park, New Jersey during the Great Depression.He married Norma around 1945 and they had...
earlier that year as the reason for his resignation. The Jets denied Belichick permission to speak with other teams, and as had happened in 1997 with Parcells, the NFL upheld Belichick's contractual obligations to the Jets. Belichick then filed an antritrust
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
lawsuit against the NFL in federal court. After Parcells and Kraft, talking for the first time since Parcells' resignation from the Patriots, agreed to settle their differences, the Patriots and Jets agreed to a compensation package to allow Belichick to become the Patriots' head coach. With the deal, the Patriots sent their first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
and fourth and seventh-round picks in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
to the Jets, while also receiving the Jets' fifth-round selection in 2001 and seventh-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
.
Belichick restructured the team's personnel department in the offseason, and later proclaimed that the team "could not win with 40 good players while the other team has 53," after a number of players showed up out of shape for the start of training camp. The Patriots went on to finish the season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
5-11, finishing last in the AFC East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
2001: Super Bowl championship
Coming off a fifth-place finish in head coach Bill BelichickBill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
's first season in 2000
2000 New England Patriots season
The 2000 New England Patriots season was the 31st season for the team in the National Football League and 41st season overall. They finished with a 5–11 record and in last place in the division....
, the Patriots were not expected to fare much better in 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
. While Bledsoe was signed to a 10-year contract extension in March, Bruce Armstrong retired and Terry Glenn had a pre-season contract holdout and was also hit with a drug suspension by the league for the first four games of the season. Despite these high profile losses, the Patriots were able to find adequate replacements at very low cost. Receivers Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
and David Patten
David Patten
David Patten is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Albany Firebirds as a street free agent in 1996. He played college football at Western Carolina....
had career seasons, first-round draft pick Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
anchored the defensive line, and Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
(a free agent signed from Buffalo) ran for over 1,000 yards.
The season would not began without tragedy, however. In training camp quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein
Dick Rehbein
Dick Rehbein was a former American football coach in the National Football League.-Playing career:Rehbein attended Ripon College, where he was a Division II All-American center...
died of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
on August 6 at the age of 45. The Patriots lost their opener to the Cincinnati Bengals
2001 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 34th year in professional football and its 32nd with the National Football League.-NFL Draft: -Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* * *...
, and in the first post-9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
game against the Jets
2001 New York Jets season
The 2001 New York Jets season was the 42nd season for the team, and the 32nd in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 9–7 record from 2000. Under new head coach Herman Edwards, the team finished 10–6 and qualified for the final Wild Card position in the American Football...
, Bledsoe was severely injured, shearing a blood vessel
Blood vessel
The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
in his chest after being tackled out of bounds by the Jets' Mo Lewis
Mo Lewis
Morris "Mo" C. Lewis is a former American football player who played linebacker for the New York Jets from 1991 until 2003.-Career:...
.
In Bledsoe's absence, Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
, a sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
, took the helm and won three out of his first four starts, setting an NFL record by not throwing an interception in his first 162 career passes. As a result, Brady earned the confidence of Belichick and his teammates, and when Bledsoe was cleared to play, Belichick announced that Brady would remain the team's starting quarterback. Despite Bledsoe's unhappiness about his new role - he was quoted as saying that he 'looked forward to competing to get (his) job back' - he caused no distractions and was supportive of Brady and the Patriots. Led by Brady, who immediately became a fan favorite, the Patriots continued to play good football, winning their final six games to capture the AFC East with an 11–5 record. The Patriots additionally won a first-round bye as the #2 seed in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2001-02
The NFL playoffs following the 2001 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVI.For the first time, the NFL scheduled prime time playoff games for the first two rounds in an attempt to attract more television viewers. Saturday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00...
, for the second time in their history.
In the final game ever played at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders
2001 Oakland Raiders season
-AFC Divisional Playoff:-References:...
in a snowstorm which endured through the entire game. This game became known as the "tuck rule game", when a play originally ruled to be a Brady fumble was reversed by referee Walt Coleman
Walt Coleman
Walt Coleman is an American football official in the National Football League since the 1989 NFL season. He wears uniform number 65.- Personal :Coleman resides in Little Rock, Arkansas and is a sixth-generation family operator of Coleman Dairy....
as an incomplete pass based upon the obscure "tuck rule
Tuck rule
The tuck rule is a rule in American football, currently used only by the National Football League .Introduced in 1999, it reads:NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward...
." After review, Coleman ruled that, because Brady's arm was moving forward when he lost the football, he was deemed to have been in the act of throwing when he lost control of the ball. Had the call stood, the Raiders would essentially clinched the win; instead the Patriots continued to drive. Into the teeth of a frigid wind and heavy snow, kicker Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
tied the game with a 45-yard field goal in the final 30 seconds. The Raiders did not attempt to run a play at the end of regulation, and after losing the toss to start overtime would not see the ball again, as the Patriots won the game, 16-13.
The team then went to Pittsburgh to face the favored Steelers
2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season
In 2001, after 3 mediocre seasons in which they had a combined regular-season record of 22-26, the Steelers returned to the top seed in the AFC, rolling to a 13-3 record in their first season playing at Heinz Field...
in the AFC Championship Game
NFL playoffs, 2001-02
The NFL playoffs following the 2001 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVI.For the first time, the NFL scheduled prime time playoff games for the first two rounds in an attempt to attract more television viewers. Saturday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00...
. After Brady injured his ankle in the second quarter, Bledsoe (in his last appearance as a Patriot) came off the sideline and immediately led the team to their only offensive touchdown of the game, with the drive culminating in a touchdown pass. In the second half, thanks to help from two special teams touchdowns and two fourth quarter Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" , is a former American NFL quarterback. Stewart attended the University of Colorado and was drafted 60th in the 1995 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers...
interceptions, the Patriots upset Pittsburgh 24-17 to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
. It would be the Patriots' third Super Bowl in team history, all of which to that point had been played in New Orleans.
In the Super Bowl, the Patriots faced the heavily-favored St. Louis Rams
2001 St. Louis Rams season
The 2001 St. Louis Rams season was the 64th season for the team in the National Football League and seventh season in St. Louis. The Rams set a franchise record for wins in a season , while also going a perfect 8-0 on the road. Quarterback Kurt Warner would go on to win his second league M.V.P....
, led by league MVP Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
and known as "The Greatest Show on Turf
The Greatest Show on Turf
"The Greatest Show on Turf" was the nickname for the St. Louis Rams' considerably talented and famous record-breaking offense during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 National Football League seasons. The offense was designed by attack oriented offensive coordinator Mike Martz who advocated an unrelenting...
", who had beaten the Patriots in the regular season in Foxboro. The Patriots were introduced second, and rather than coming out player-by-player, they were introduced collectively as a team, "the New England Patriots." The team introduction was met with great praise and admiration, and has since been used by each team at the Super Bowl. In contrast to the regular season game, Bill Belichick devised a defensive game plan that used the blitz very sparingly, but called for chipping the Rams receivers and running back Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
as they went into their patterns. This disrupted the Rams' precise passing routes and the entire rhythm of the offense and caused the usually cool under pressure Warner to look shaky in the pocket, being sacked several times. The Patriots forced three turnovers, all of which led to scores (including an interception returned by Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
for a touchdown).
Belichick's defense held the Rams high-powered offense in check until the fourth quarter, but after trailing 17-3 early in the fourth quarter, St. Louis scored two touchdowns to tie the game at 17-17. With 1:30 to go and no time outs, and with John Madden
John Madden (American football)
John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
on the Fox Sports telecast
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
opining that the Patriots should play for overtime, Brady calmly led New England's offense downfield, missing on only one pass (an intentional spike to stop the clock with 0:07 remaining), after which Adam Vinatieri won the game with a 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots their first Super Bowl win in the team's 42nd season.
The Patriots victory parade in Boston was attended by 1.5 million fans. The team was invited to Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
for opening day of the Boston Red Sox season
2002 Boston Red Sox season
The 2002 Boston Red Sox season involved the Red Sox finishing 2nd in the American League East with a record of 93 wins and 69 losses.-Offseason:* October 9, 2001: Craig Grebeck was released by the Boston Red Sox....
. The Patriots also became the last major sports team in Boston to win its first championship. Brady was selected Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
and signed a long-term contract with the team in the off-season. Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the offseason for a first-round draft pick in the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
.
Gillette Stadium
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, in 1998 Kraft came close to reaching a deal with the Massachusetts Legislature
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
for Kraft to build a new, self-financed stadium adjacent to the old stadium with the state providing $75 million in infrastructure improvements. However, Massachusetts House Speaker Tom Finneran refused to support the bill, saying that he did not want public money benefiting private interests. Unable to overcome Finneran's objections, Kraft reached a deal with Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
to build a new stadium in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
originally scheduled to open in 2001. However, after the stadium plan was approved by the Connecticut General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
, there were a number of problems discovered with the proposed stadium site that would result in considerable delay of the stadium construction. At the same time, the NFL announced loan incentives where teams in the six largest markets (which included Boston) could be eligible to borrow up to $150 million from the league at advantageous interest rates and terms in order to build new stadiums. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Legislature, and Finneran, also indicated that they would be amenable to further discussions with Kraft.
With this in mind, mindful of the mounting issues in Hartford and growing opposition to the deal, in the spring of 1999 Kraft announced that he was abandoning the Hartford stadium project. Kraft, preferring to keep the team where it was, eventually reached a mutually acceptable deal with the Massachusetts legislature for the necessary infrastructure improvements. The final hurdle the stadium needed to clear was approval by the citizens of Foxborough on six separate measures. Despite some initial hesitation regarding a proposed dedicated access road for premium ticket holders, the Patriots won approval on each measure by an over 90% majority. This cleared the way for what was originally known as CMGi Field to be built adjacent to the old stadium in Foxboro. The naming rights to the stadium were originally purchased by CMGi
CMGI
ModusLink Global Solutions, formerly CMGI Inc., is an American technology and venture capital company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company supplies a range of internet and communications services, mostly to computer companies, its biggest customer being Hewlett-Packard Company...
, an e-commerce company based in nearby Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
which at the time was parent company to internet auction site uBid
UBid
uBid.com manages an online auction and shopping website that offers both goods sold directly by the company and items sold by pre-approved uBid Certified Merchants.-Overview:...
.
The stadium would open in the spring of 2002 with a "soft opening", including games of the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
and concerts. In the months leading up to the grand opening of the stadium in September 2002, CMGi Corporation fell upon difficult financial times and sold the naming rights to the Gillette Company prior to the grand opening. The stadium was renamed Gillette Stadium and is sometimes referred to by fans as "The Razor".
2002
Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVISuper Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
in the NFL's prime-time Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers
2002 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2002 Pittsburgh Steelers season had the team coming off a 13–3 record and making an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. The team fell off slightly to a 10–5–1 record, although it was still good enough for a division championship. With their finish the Steelers became the first champions of...
, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44-7 road win against the division rival New York Jets
2002 New York Jets season
The 2002 New York Jets season was the 43rd season for the team, and the 33rd in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 10–6 record from 2001...
, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span. In the final week of the season, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins
2002 Miami Dolphins season
The 2002 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 37th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 11–5, instead winning only nine games. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.-Staff:-Schedule:-References:...
on an overtime Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
field goal to give both teams a 9-7 record. A few hours later, the Jets, who defeated the Patriots the week prior, also finished with a 9-7 record with a win over the Green Bay Packers
2002 Green Bay Packers season
During the 2002 Green Bay Packers season, the team completed a 12-4 regular season with before losing in the Wild Card playoff round to Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field...
. Due to their record against common opponents, the Jets won the tiebreaker for the division title, which eliminated the Patriots and Dolphins from the playoffs.
2003–04: Back-to-back Super Bowl wins
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
, the Patriots went into 2003
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
after missing the playoffs in 2002. In a salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
-related move, captain and Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
safety Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy is an American football safety. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington....
was released days before the start of the regular season, prompting second-guessing of head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
among fans and a report by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
analyst Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (American football)
Thomas Louie "Tom" Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an NFL analyst for ESPN and a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos.-College:...
that Patriots players "hated their coach," an accusation later denied by players. Milloy signed with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, whose team
2003 Buffalo Bills season
The 2003 Buffalo Bills season was their 44th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–8, instead finishing 6–10...
defeated the Patriots, 31–0, in the season opener. The Patriots would rebound though, not losing another game after starting with a 2–2 record. Due to multiple injuries, the Patriots started 42 different players during the season, an NFL record for a division winner until the Patriots started 45 different players in 2005
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
. Undefeated at home, nose tackle Ted Washington
Ted Washington
Theodore Washington, Jr. is a former American football nose tackle. He was originally drafted out of Louisville by the San Francisco 49ers, 25th overall in the 1991 NFL Draft, but also played for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland...
coined the phrase "Homeland Defense" for a Patriots' defense, boosted by the acquisitions of Washington and San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
castoff safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
in the offseason, that gave up a league-low 14.9 points per game en route to a 14–2 regular season record. The regular season was bookmarked with a 31–0 victory over the Bills at home in Week 17, a score that reversed the Patriots' shutout loss to the Bills in Week 1.
The Patriots had the NFL's best record at 14-2 and for the first time in their history earned the top seed in the AFC playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs following the 2003 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.Beginning with the 2003–04 season, the NFL changed the selection procedures regarding officials for playoffs games. The league suspended the prior practice of assembling "all-star" officiating crews of highly-rated...
, ensuring home-field advantage throughout. Their opponent in the divisional playoff was the Tennessee Titans
2003 Tennessee Titans season
The 2003 Tennessee Titans season was the team's 44th season and their 34th in the National Football League. At 12–4 the Titans posted the 15th season with at least ten wins in the franchise's history dating to their Houston Oilers days...
. Played in a temperature of 4 °F (-16 °C) (making it the second-coldest game in NFL history) the Patriots and Titans played close until Adam Vinatieri kicked the go-ahead field goal with 4 minutes left. An incomplete Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
pass on 4th down with 1:40 left won the game 17-14 for New England. The Patriots then faced the Indianapolis Colts
2003 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League and 20th in Indianapolis.-Roster:-Schedule:- Division standings :...
for the AFC Championship
NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs following the 2003 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.Beginning with the 2003–04 season, the NFL changed the selection procedures regarding officials for playoffs games. The league suspended the prior practice of assembling "all-star" officiating crews of highly-rated...
. The New England defense frustrated Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
all day, forcing him to throw four interceptions (three to Ty Law) and sacking him three times. Despite only one offensive touchdown by the Patriots, the Patriots were dominant. Still, the Colts remained in the game until the very end, when a late Vinatieri field goal with 10 seconds left gave the Patriots their final margin of victory, 24-14. The Patriots were back in the Super Bowl, this time to face the Carolina Panthers
2003 Carolina Panthers season
-Regular season:-Postseason:-NFC Wild Card playoff:The Cowboys' turnaround season under coach Bill Parcells came to a crashing halt. The Panthers outgained the Cowboys in total yards 380-204 and held the ball for 34:23. Dallas Quarterback Quincy Carter threw for only 154 yards and an...
.
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
was one of the closest championship games ever played. After a defensive battle for most of the first half, the teams traded touchdowns late in the second quarter, then more quick strikes by both teams made the score 14-10 Patriots at halftime. The third quarter was scoreless, but Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 21-10. Carolina scored two more touchdowns (but failed to convert the two-point conversion on both) to take a 22-21 lead. The Patriots answered with a long drive that culminated in a trick pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel, followed by Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
's run for a two-point conversion that put the Patriots up 29-22 with 2:51 left to play. Undaunted, the Panthers drove quickly downfield and, as he had done two years previous with the Rams, Ricky Proehl
Ricky Proehl
Richard Scott Proehl is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts...
's late touchdown catch and extra point tied the game at 29 with 1:08 to play. As he had two years prior, Brady led the Patriots on another dramatic, game-ending drive, which culminated with a Vinatieri 41 yard field goal with four seconds left. The Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three years, 32-29; and Brady was once again named MVP. The victory also made the 2003 Patriots the first team ever to win - or for that matter, even reach - the Super Bowl after having been shut out on opening day.
Following a Super Bowl win in 2003, the Patriots looked to improve their running game in the 2004 offseason. Replacing Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
was longtime but disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
running back Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
, who was acquired in a trade days before the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
; Dillon would rush for a career-high 1,635 yards in 2004. Winning their first six games of the season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, the Patriots set the NFL record for consecutive regular season victories (18), which was later broken by the 2006
2006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
–2008
2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...
Patriots (21), and consecutive regular season and playoff victories (21) before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
on October 31. In that game, Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
was lost for the season with a foot injury. Combined with the loss of other starting cornerback Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole is a retired American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft...
two weeks earlier, the Patriots were forced to complete the regular season and playoffs by using second-year cornerback Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, undrafted free agent Randall Gay
Randall Gay
Randall "Blue" Jerome Gay, Jr. is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Louisiana State...
, and longtime Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
at cornerback, among others.
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts
2004 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2004 Indianapolis Colts season was the 52nd season for the team in the National Football League and 21st in Indianapolis. The 2004 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their 12–4 record from 2003, and advance farther into the playoffs...
at home in the playoffs for the second-straight year, holding the Colts' top offense to three points. The Patriots then defeated the top-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers
2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers looked to rebound after a disappointing 6–10 season the year before, which saw the team go through the entire season without winning consecutive games....
on the road, 41–27, in the AFC Championship Game. Prior to the Patriots' matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles
2004 Philadelphia Eagles season
-Regular season:-Playoffs:-Week 1: vs. New York Giants:The highly-anticipated Eagles' season began with a convincing rout of the division-rival New York Giants in a game that was not as close as the 31–17 score. New York scored the first points when Ron Dayne finished a first quarter drive with a...
in Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
, Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Lee Mitchell, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League for four seasons. A four-sport athlete at Kathleen High School, Mitchell committed to the University of California, Los Angeles to play football for the Bruins...
said he did not know the names of the Patriots' defensive backs, which was taken as a sign of disrepsect by the Patriots' "replacement" secondary. The Patriots would go on to defeat the Eagles 24–21 in their second straight Super Bowl victory and third championship in four seasons, leading to some labeling the Patriots of the era a sports dynasty
Dynasty (sports)
A sports dynasty is a team that dominates their sport or league for multiple seasons or years. Such dominance is often only realized in retrospect...
.
2005–06: Playoff losses
Two weeks after earning a victory in Super Bowl XXXIXSuper Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
, linebacker Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and initially planned on missing the entire season; Bruschi returned to the field against the Buffalo Bills
2005 Buffalo Bills season
The 2005 Buffalo Bills season was their 46th in the National Football League. The team was unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 9–7, instead finishing 5–11. This was the sixth consecutive season in which the team missed the playoffs....
on October 31. Cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
was released in the offseason, and injuries at cornerback, as well as a season-ending injury to safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
in Week 3, forced the Patriots to start a number of players in the secondary early in the season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
. Overall, injuries caused the Patriots to start 45 different players at one point or another during the season, an NFL record for a division champion (breaking the record of 42 set by the Patriots in 2003
2003 New England Patriots season
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII....
). Beginning the season with a 4–4 record, the Patriots lost their first game at home since 2002
2002 New England Patriots season
The 2002 New England Patriots season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League and 43rd season overall. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth....
against the San Diego Chargers
2005 San Diego Chargers season
The 2005 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 12–4 record in 2004. They finished the campaign 3rd in their division and as a result missed out on the playoffs. Outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was named rookie of the Year at the end of the season.-NFL...
in Week 4. The team ended the season on a 5–1 run to finish 10–6, earning their third straight AFC East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
title. With the fourth seed in the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars
2005 Jacksonville Jaguars season
After a 9–7 season in 2004 the Jaguars came out of the gates prepared to become a dominant force in the AFC. They achieved that task, going 12–4 in the regular season, but did not manage to win their own division, getting swept by the Indianapolis Colts as they went 14–2...
in the Wild Card Playoffs but fell to the Denver Broncos
2005 Denver Broncos season
In 2005 the Denver Broncos ended the 2005 regular season with a 13–3 record, the franchise's second-best number of wins of all time and their third best win percentage ever. They won their first playoff game since winning Super Bowl XXXIII in the 1998 season...
on the road in the Divisional Playoffs, committing five turnovers in the game.
The Patriots entered the 2006 season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
without their two starting wide receivers from 2005
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
; David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
left in free agency while Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
held out for a new contract before being traded in early September. Eventually replacing them were Reche Caldwell
Reche Caldwell
Donald Reche Caldwell, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for six seasons in the early 2000s...
and Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, who was signed as a street free agent in October. Back-to-back losses in November ended the team's streak of 57 games without consecutive losses, three games shy of the NFL record. With a 12–4 record and their fourth straight division title, the Patriots entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, defeating the New York Jets
2006 New York Jets season
The 2006 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 2005. The season marked the first for rookie head coach Eric Mangini, who replaced Herman Edwards after the latter left the Jets to coach the Kansas City Chiefs...
in the Wild Card Playoffs. A close win over the top-seeded San Diego Chargers
2006 San Diego Chargers season
The 2006 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 2005. They finished the campaign as the #1 seed in the AFC ending the season at 14–2, best record in the NFL...
on the road set the Patriots up to face their rival Indianapolis Colts
2006 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2006 Indianapolis Colts season was the 54th season for the team in the National Football League and 23rd in Indianapolis. The 2006 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their regular season record of 14–2 from the 2005 season, and advance farther into the playoffs....
in the AFC Championship. Despite opening up a 21–3 lead, the Patriots stumbled down the stretch at the RCA Dome
RCA Dome
RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....
and the Colts emerged with a 38–34 victory.
2007: 18–1
After having lost their two starting wide receivers in the previous offseason, the Patriots added Donté Stallworth in free agency and traded for Wes WelkerWes Welker
-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...
and Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
in the spring; Welker would lead the NFL in receptions in 2007 while Moss would set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches. The season began with controversy, when in Week 2 head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
and the Patriots were penalized by the NFL for their involvement in the videotaping of opponents' defensive signals from an unauthorized location in their Week 1 game against the New York Jets
2007 New York Jets season
The 2007 New York Jets season was the 38th NFL season and 48th overall season for the football team. This season was the second under head coach Eric Mangini. The team attempted to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2006, but finished the season with a 4–12 record.-Free agents heading into the...
, referred to in the press as Spygate
Spygate
"UGAWN" The 2007 New England Patriots videotaping controversy, widely dubbed "Spygate," refers to an incident in the 2007 National Football League season when the New England Patriots were disciplined by the National Football League for videotaping New York Jets' defensive coaches' signals during...
. Despite the media scrutiny, the Patriots continued to gain momentum, winning mid-season games by scores such as 52–7 and 56–10, as quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
iterated the team's desire to blow out and "kill teams."
The Patriots clinched the AFC East before their eleventh game (in Week 12), the fourth time since the NFL introduced the 16-game schedule in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
that a team had clinched a division title by its eleventh game. In the season finale, the Patriots looked to finish the regular season with the first 16–0 record in NFL history, and did so successfully. In that game, Brady and Moss connected on two touchdown passes, with Moss setting his 23 catch record and Brady setting an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes on the season. It was the first undefeated regular season in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins
1972 Miami Dolphins season
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only National Football League team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season. The undefeated campaign was led by coach Don Shula and notable players Bob Griese, Earl Morrall, and Larry Csonka...
finished 14-0. Brady earned his first NFL MVP award, while the Patriots' offense broke numerous records, including those for points scored and point differential.
With the first seed in the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2007–08
The National Football League playoffs for the 2007 season began on January 5, 2008 and led up to Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.-NFC: Seattle Seahawks 35, Washington Redskins 14:...
, the Patriots defeated both the Jacksonville Jaguars
2007 Jacksonville Jaguars season
-Final roster:-Schedule:The Jacksonville Jaguars pre-season schedule was announced on April 11, 2007.-Schedule:-Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans:-Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons:-Week 3: at Denver Broncos:-Week 5: at Kansas City Chiefs:...
and San Diego Chargers
2007 San Diego Chargers season
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner , they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall...
in order to advance to Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
; according to the Elias Sports Bureau
Elias Sports Bureau
The Elias Sports Bureau is an American company that provides historical research and statistical services in the field of professional sports.In 1913, Al Munro Elias and his brother Walter established the Al Munro Elias Bureau in New York City...
, this made them the first professional team since 1884 in any of the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey) to win the first 18 games of their season. Facing the prospect of a perfect 19–0 season with a victory over the underdog New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, analysts saw the 2007 Patriots as being the greatest team in NFL history.
Despite being the overwhelming favorites in the game, the Patriots had to protect a four-point lead on a Giants
2007 New York Giants season
The 2007 New York Giants season was the 83rd season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division...
drive late in the fourth quarter. A dramatic pass
Eli Manning pass to David Tyree
Eli Manning's pass to David Tyree was an American football play involving the two aforementioned New York Giants players in the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. It was instrumental in the Giants' 17–14 upset victory over the New England Patriots...
from Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
to David Tyree
David Tyree
David Mikel Tyree is a retired American football wide receiver and special teams player. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse University. Tyree has also played for the Baltimore Ravens...
put the Giants deep in Patriots territory, and a Manning touchdown pass to Plaxico Buress gave the Giants a lead with seconds left. The Patriots could not score again and came out on the losing end of what is considered one of the greatest upsets in football history. The loss left the 1972 Dolphins as the only undefeated champions in NFL history. The Patriots ended the season at 18-1, becoming one of only three teams to go 18-1 along with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers
1984 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1984 San Francisco 49ers season was their 39th season in the National Football League. The season was highlighted by their second Super Bowl victory. The franchise had their best season ever with a record of 15 wins and only 1 loss...
and the 1985 Chicago Bears
1985 Chicago Bears season
The 1985 Chicago Bears season was their 66th regular season and 16th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 15-1 record, earning them the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Bears defeated their three post season opponents by a combined score of 91-10 en...
, both of whom won their respective Super Bowls.
2008: The Cassel Years
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a knee injury and missed the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
replaced Brady. Cassel's start in Week 2 was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week ended the streak. This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in 2009.
Despite entering the last week of the season with a three-game winning streak, the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny. In addition to a Week 17 win, they also needed either a Miami Dolphins
2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 39th season in the National Football League and 43rd overall. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008...
loss to win the AFC East, or a Baltimore Ravens
2008 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2008 Baltimore Ravens season was the 13th season for the team in the NFL. Despite having one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, the Ravens completed a major turnaround from the 2007 season, finishing the season with an 11–5 record and a playoff berth...
loss to earn a wild card berth. However, both Baltimore and Miami won, and the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots all finished the season with an 11-5 record. Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker (better conference record: 8-4 to 7-5). Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker (better conference record: 8-4 to 7-5). The Patriots thus became the first team since the 1985 Denver Broncos
1985 Denver Broncos season
-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:* *...
to finish with an 11-5 record and not make the playoffs.
2008–09 offseason: Changes
After missing the playoffs in 20082008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...
, the Patriots' offseason was marked by a number of front office, coaching, and personnel changes. Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . Pioli was previously a front office executive for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New England Patriots...
, who had been head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
's personnel director since 2000
2000 New England Patriots season
The 2000 New England Patriots season was the 31st season for the team in the National Football League and 41st season overall. They finished with a 5–11 record and in last place in the division....
, departed to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, while offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is the former head coach of the Denver Broncos and currently the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots...
was named head coach of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Quarterback Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, who led the team to 11 wins in 2008 after starter Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
was injured, was traded to the Chiefs along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
in March. Defensive starters Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
both retired, while All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
defensive end Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
was traded to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
days before the start of the regular season.
2009–10: Early playoff exits
In the season opener on Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, the Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversary season with an American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
"legacy game" against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Down 11 points late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots would score two touchdowns to secure a victory in Brady's first game back from injury. In November, the 6–2 Patriots traveled to face the undefeated Indianapolis Colts
2009 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2009 Indianapolis Colts season was the 57th season for the team in the National Football League and the 26th in Indianapolis. It was the first season since 2002 that the Colts did not have Tony Dungy on their coaching staff, due to his retirement from coaching...
; with a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots tried to convert a 4th and 2 situation inside their own 30-yard line but failed, setting up a Colts touchdown and the Patriots' third loss of the season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
. After losing another two games of three, the Patriots went on to win their next three games to secure a division title; the team also finished with their fourth perfect regular season record at home in seven years. With the third seed in the AFC playoffs
2009–10 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2009 season began on January 9, 2010 and led up to Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
, the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens
2009 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2009 Baltimore Ravens season is the franchise's 14th season as a team in the National Football League . The franchise entered the season off an 11–5 record in their previous season, a playoff berth, but a loss in the American Football Conference Championship game against the eventual Super...
at home in the Wild Card Playoffs. The Ravens opened a 24–0 lead in the first quarter and the Patriots could not recover, ending their season.
The Patriots went into 2010
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
without either a named offensive or defensive coordinator following the departure of defensive coordinator Dean Pees
Dean Pees
Dean Pees is an American football coach who is currently the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Pees is also a former head coach at Kent State University.-College:...
. After beating Cincinnati on the opener game, they suffered a frustrating 28-14 loss to the Jets in the new Giants Stadium. In Week Three the Patriots hosted the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and triumphed in a high-scoring affair 38-30. In Week Four they crushed Miami 41-14, but following the game WR Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
was traded to the Vikings
2010 Minnesota Vikings season
The 2010 Minnesota Vikings season was the franchise's 50th season in the National Football League, and the fifth under head coach Brad Childress until November 22, when he was fired and Leslie Frazier was named interim head coach...
while regaining Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
from the Seahawks
2010 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2010 Seattle Seahawks season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League. Jim Mora was fired on January 8, 2010, leading the Seahawks to come to an agreement with Pete Carroll, instating him as head coach the following day. This marks the 9th season that the Seahawks will...
. After beating the Chargers in San Diego, the Patriots won 28-18 against a struggling Vikings team before losing a trap game to the Browns. Then came a primetime match with the Steelers where the Patriots won 39-26. Week 11 brought about the much anticipated annual battle with Peyton Manning and the Colts, and New England avenged the 2009 game to win 31-28. On Thanksgiving, they beat the Lions 45-24 before a hotly-anticipated battle with the Jets in Week 13. However, the game turned into a rout as the Patriots demolished their division rival 45-3. Then came another rout as they smashed the Bears in a blowing snowstorm at Soldier Field. The Week 15 game with the Packers proved a surprise as the latter's backup QB Matt Flynn nearly brought his team to a victory in Gillette Stadium. By routing the Bills in Week 16, New England swept that team for the sixth consecutive season along with locking up another AFC East title and the #1 seed. Week 17 saw a meaningless win over the Dolphins. Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
finished the regular season with an NFL-record 335 pass attempts without an interception, while the Patriots only committed an NFL-record low ten turnovers on the season.
The Patriots were heavily favored to go to Super Bowl XLV, but had the misfortune of facing a Jets team that was now prepared for their revamped post-Randy Moss trade offense. New York's pass defense effectively shut the Patriots down as Tom Brady found it all-but impossible to make throws. The Jets won 28-21, sending New England to a second straight home playoff exit.
Prior to the 2011 season, the Patriots drafted Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet. The team made two high profile trade acquisitions in defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
Opening the 2011 campaign in Miami on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, New England breezed to victory 38-24; Brady set a career record with 517 passing yards highlighted by a record 99 yard TD reception by Wes Welker
Wes Welker
-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...
. They easily beat San Diego in Week 2 on their home opener, but in Week 3 their long win streak against Buffalo finally ended when Tom Brady threw four interceptions and the Patriots lost 34-31. Determined to not lose two in a row, the team smashed Oakland 31-19 in Week 4, then got a measure of revenge for the 2010 playoff loss by beating the Jets 30-21. In Week Six the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
made their first trip to Foxboro since 2003; they ground to a 16-13 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Brady led a drive ending in a game-winning touchdown to Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez
-New England Patriots:Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Shortly after he was drafted, The Boston Globe reported Hernandez had admitted to marijuana use and had failed multiple drug tests while in college, causing his draft stock to drop...
and a 20-16 Patriots win. During the Patriots' subsequent bye week a minor incident occurred where TE Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski is an American football tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
was seen in a photo with an adult film actress wearing his game shirt. Following a 25-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
receiver Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman
Julian Francis Edelman is a wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Kent State as a quarterback.-Early years:Edelman was born in Redwood City, California...
was arrested for indecent assault following an incident in a Back Bay nightclub on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
night.