Information
New England Patriots information, The New England Patriots, often referred to as the "Pats" by sports journalists and fans, are a professional American football team based just outside of Greater Boston. Their home games are played in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium which opened in 2002. The Pats are a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). In 1971, the team owners changed the club’s name from the original Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots after they relocated the team to Foxborough. They are currently the American Football Conference Champions, after winning the 2007 AFC Championship Game.
The Patriots were an original member of the American Football League (AFL) and joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues. They qualified for the playoffs four times before making it to the Super Bowl in January of 1986 (Superbowl XX), where they lost to the Chicago Bears. The team also appeared in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997 with the same result, a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Between 2001 and 2005, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win three Super Bowls in four years (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX), and the eighth to win consecutive Super Bowls. Many called the Patriots a ‘Dynasty’.
The 2007 Patriots team became only the fourth team in NFL history to complete a perfect regular season (16-0) before being defeated by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
The 2008 Patriots season got off to a tough start. Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the season opener, putting backup Matt Cassel in the hot seat. Cassel led the Pats to win that game, and the next on the road against the Jets. In week 3, however, the Patriots fell victim to the Miami Dolphins vicious wildcat offense, and were blown out 13-38. After the bye, the Pats beat the 49ers at Candlestick Park, and lost to the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Returning to Gillette, the Pats blew out the Broncos and edged out the Rams to move to a 5-3 record. The Pats lost a hearbreaker on the road to the Colts, but bounced back with a solid win over the division rival Bills. The Jets beat the Pats in a tough OT game at home, but the Pats settled in and got revenge against the Dolphins on the road. After one final loss against the Steelers, the 8-5 Patriots won out their season; winning games against the Seahawks, Raiders, Cardinals, and Bills. The 11-5 Pats became the first team (since the new playoff format was instituted) to go 11-5 and not make the playoffs.
This offseason was a busy one for the Patriots. Confident that Tom Brady would be effective again as a starter, the Pats traded away Cassel (along with longtime linebacker Mike Vrabel) to obtain the #34 overall pick. The team added running back Fred Taylor, tight end Chris Baker, WR Joey Galloway, and has been rumored to add QB Michael Vick as an anchor to a potential single-wing wildcat offense.The 2009 team will still look very similar to that of the dominant 2007 roster; with the majority of the players still under contract. Look for them to come back hungry and capture a 4th Superbowl title under the on-field leadership of MVP QB Tom Brady, and the off-field guidance of Coach Bill Belichick.
Image by Flickr user Paul Keleher
