Highlights
The New England Patriots are a professional football team that has enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout its checkered history. Under owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots won three Super Bowls during a four-year period (2001-04). The team originated when Boston businessman William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the upstart American Football League on Nov. 16, 1959. Originally known as the Boston Patriots, the team played home games at several venues during the 1960s, including six years at Fenway Park. The Patriots were one of 10 AFL teams that joined the NFL when the two leagues merged on Feb. 1, 1970. The following year, t...
The New England Patriots are a professional football team that has enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout its checkered history. Under owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots won three Super Bowls during a four-year period (2001-04). The team originated when Boston businessman William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the upstart American Football League on Nov. 16, 1959. Originally known as the Boston Patriots, the team played home games at several venues during the 1960s, including six years at Fenway Park. The Patriots were one of 10 AFL teams that joined the NFL when the two leagues merged on Feb. 1, 1970. The following year, the team was renamed the New England Patriots and started playing home games at newly built Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The venue would be renamed twice, first as Sullivan Stadium (1983-89) in honor of the man who founded the franchise and later as Foxboro Stadium (1990-2001) after Sullivan sold the team to Victor Kiam, owner and CEO of Remington Products in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1988. In 1992, Kiam sold the controlling interest of the team to James Orthwein. The ownership changed hands two years later when Kraft, who strategically purchased Sullivan Stadium in November 1988 with the hopes of buying the team some day, fulfilled a lifelong dream when he became the fourth owner in Patriots history on Feb. 25, 1994. The following day fans responded to the sale by purchasing nearly 6,000 season tickets, a single-day sales record at the time. The Patriots have come a long way. At his introductory press conference as head coach in 1969, Clive Rush was shocked, literally, when he grabbed a microphone that wasn't grounded and received a jolt. With the team headed to the postseason in 1978, fans were stunned to learn that coach Chuck Fairbanks had accepted a job to be the University of Colorado coach. The team suspended Fairbanks for the final game of the regular season but reinstated him for the playoffs and the Patriots played like a distracted team in a 34-14 loss to Houston. In 1985, the Patriots won three playoff games on the road for the team's first trip to the Super Bowl. Days after getting hammered by the Bears 46-10, six Patriots players were identified as drug users. The next time the Patriots played in the Super Bowl, there was more dysfunction. A power struggle between coach Bill Parcels and Kraft resulted in Parcells quitting shortly after a 35-21 loss to the Packers. He was replaced by Pete Carroll, who lasted three seasons. The Belichick era began in 2000 and coincided with the opening of Gillette Stadium two years later. In Belichick's first eight seasons, the team won the AFC East six times and three world championships with Tom Brady as quarterback.
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Big trouble in Big D?
Judging from the actions of coach Wade Phillips, WRTerrell Owens and CB Adam Jones, the Cowboys are either unraveling in Week6 or playing an inside joke. This much seems clear: After losing to the Redskins and nearly the Bengals, they aren't the same team...Tags: Jacksonville Jaguars, Eddie Kennison, Terrell Owens, National Football League, Marvel Smith
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Best games on TV today
Rams (0-4) @Redskins (4-1) TIME, TV: 1 p.m., chs. 45, 5 LINE: Redskins by 13 FANTASY FACTOR: In the teams' last meeting, Rams RB Steven Jackson rushed 33times for 150yards and a touchdown and caught sixpasses for 102 yards and another touchdown. ......Tags: Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Terrell Owens, National Football League
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Fallston volleyball: sweeping perfection
Special to the Baltimore SunThe Fallston volleyball team has been perfect through the first half of its season. The Cougars were 9-0 through the middle of last week, sweeping each opponent, including defending Class 2A state champion Rising Sun. "I am pleased with the progress...Tags: Chesapeake Bay, Volleyball, Chevy Chase, Lehigh University
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Report: Chiefs' Gonzalez could be dealt by Tuesday
Tony Gonzalez, the most productive tight end in NFL history, will be traded to a contender if the Kansas City Chiefs get the right price. Three people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that the nine-time...Tags: Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Clinic, Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs, National Football League
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Could Bengals beat Jets? It might come to pass
erik.boland@newsday.comNo excuses now. A loss today against the winless Bengals would have qualified as embarrassing but - given the Jets' difficulty in defending the pass and the Bengals' ability to hang tough against some top teams - not inexcusable. But with Bengals...Tags: Dhani Jones, National Football League, John Thornton, Laveranues Coles, Shayne Graham
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BOB GLAUBER'S NFL HOT READS
California dreamin' Once the NFL schedule came out in the offseason, Patriots coach Bill Belichick had a decision to make: With consecutive West Coast games against the 49ers in Week 5 and the Chargers in Week 6, does he fly the team back and forth for...Tags: Multi-Sport Events, National Football League, Dancing, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
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The catch to his return
tom.rock@newsday.comWhile the Giants were practicing on the main field at Giants Stadium last week, a sound other than the usual grunts and whistles filled the bowl. Clap, clap, clap. Polite applause? Nope. It was wide receiver David Tyree, running up and down the steps of...Tags: ESPN, National Football League, Injuries, New York Giants, Rodney Harrison
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Giants won't believe the hype that they're super
shaun.powell@newsday.comThey rallied to save their season after an 0-2 start, then won a big playoff game in Dallas, then another in frostbitten Green Bay, then beat the team with the longest winning streak in NFL history to win the championship, and all along, the Giants were...Tags: Multi-Sport Events, National Football League, Tom Brady, Washington Redskins, Michael Strahan
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NFL Quick Snaps
Running Is His Forte Bears running back Matt Forte leads all rookie running backs with 383 yards and leads Chicago with 22 receptions. Only seven rookies since 1970 have led their teams in both categories: ++++++++++++++++++++ || Year || RB || Team ||...Tags: Kurt Warner, Tom Brady, Trent Green, Buffalo Bills, Calvin Johnson
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Giants At Home On Road
These out-of-town guests are smug, rude and inconsiderate. New Yorkers who hang out in New Jersey, they treat every place they visit like they own it. With 11 straight wins, 12 if you count last season's Super Bowl victory, the Giants are the NFL's...Tags: Cleveland Browns, Multi-Sport Events, San Francisco 49ers, Major League Baseball, National Football League
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Chargers Vs. Patriots Tonight
Before Tom Brady and Shawne Merriman were lost for the season with knee injuries, tonight's game between the Patriots and Chargers looked to be a battle between two of the AFC's elite teams. It should still be a pretty good show, the renewal of a rivalry...Tags: Injuries, Tom Brady, Super Bowl
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Lightning stops 2-point try
South Florida Sun-SentinelCypress Bay linebacker Phil Walker had no doubt. With Miramar looking for the win on a 2-point conversion, the Patriots were going to put the ball in the hands of their playmaker, Eugene Smith. So with 6.4 seconds left, Walker surged forward and...
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