Patriot Games Media

The New England Patriots finished the 2012-2013 record season with a 12-4 record under head coach Bill Belichick. Their record was strong enough for them to win the AFC East division and earn a first round bye in the playoffs. They defeated the Houston Texans by a score of 41-28 in the divisional round, but were upset by the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 28-13. That game exposed some key flaws in the armor of the New England Patriots, particularly in the secondary and on the defensive line. Consequently, Bill Belichick may be looking to this year’ (more…)

The New England Patriots were the second best team in the NFL last season. That being said they still have needs to fill during the off season. The biggest need of course is on the defensive side of the football. The Patriots defense improved as the season went on, but could use a few upgrades. The drafting of DE Chandler Jones and ILB Dont’a Hightower gives them a greater ability to rush the passer, and in turn help a secondary that ranked 31st against the pass. The addition of (more…)

Draft sleepers are generally considered to be players who aren’t receiving much media attention but could outperform their draft slot. For example, a fifth round player starting during his rookie season. Here are some possible sleeper picks in the upcoming draft.

Carl Johnson is an offensive lineman from the University of Florida. He’s massive at 6’5″ and 360 pounds. Johnson will probably be limited to run-based schemes prioritizing size and strength. He does have some character concerns.

Jeron Johnson is a safety from Boise. Although he runs a 4.53 in the 40, Johnson is more of (more…)

It’s not every year that you can say that a 14-2 team had a disappointing season, but when you talk about the 2010 Patriots, that’s exactly what your dealing with. For the second consecutive season, the Patriots lost their first playoff game, which means that it’s been six seasons in Foxboro without a champsionship, which is a big deficit when you have arguably the best team on paper year in and year out. The Patriots have been known as great drafters, and the 2011 draft (more…)

Let’s pretend that the current NFL lockout finishes in the next couple of weeks and the draft goes off as scheduled, as do all of the different free agents signings. If all goes according to plan then there will be NFL Exhibition games starting on August 8th. Here are five games to take an eye out for:

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Ohio.
While it’s big because it’s the first exhibition game of the season, it’s also interesting to see whether Carson Palmer will still be a Bengal and whether Tony Romo will be back in top (more…)

The Patriots are famed for being at the center of not one, but two, famed rivalries in the NFL. The first notable rivalry for the Patriots is with the Indianapolis Colts. The teams were rivals in the AFC East from 1970 through 2001, but when the Colts were transferred to the AFC South during the NFL realignment, the competition reached a new level. The match-up is exemplified by the competition between quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.There have been some interesting connections between the teams over the years. Roy Meyer coached the Patriots from 1982 through October 1984, then coached the Colts from December 1986 to October 1991. Kicker Adam Vinatieri was responsible for the winning field goal against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI and played with the Patriots at three other Bowls as well. After 2005, however, Vinatieri became a free agent and joined the Colts in 2006. Sprint, majority owner of the clear wireless internet company, referenced this rivalry in an ad concerning their NFL update service for their phones. (more…)

For most people, a heavy snowstorm is a sign to stay indoors, brew up a cup of hot cocoa, and watch I Love Lucy re-runs until they fall asleep. Or is that just me? Anyway, Massachusetts football fans aren’t most people, and they weren’t going to cancel a game over a little flurry. Little did they know that what began as a friendly competition would become a tale of intrigue and accusations.The date in question was December 12, 1982, and the New England Patriots were matched up against the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots had started out with a 2-3 losing season, and knew a win was their only hope for remaining playoff contenders. However, circumstances combined to keep the game tied at 0-0 for three full quarters and most of the fourth. With less than five minutes left in the game, Patriots coach Ron Meyer called a time-out and put in Mark Smith, hoping that he would be able to manage a field goal. The sight of Smith trying to dig a clear-enough spot to kick from was a pitiful sightand one which gave Meyer an idea. (more…)

When the New England Patriots come out to play, they’re joined by a legendary figure who looks like he stepped right out of dinner with Thomas Jefferson. The gentleman’s name is Pat Patriot, and he’s the kind of man you want to have on your side. Pat wears a traditional three-cornered hat and a proudly American Continental Army uniform. Is he smirking, or just really excited for the game? We don’t know, but we admire his consistency. Pat was created by illustrator Phil Bissell, who was cartooning for the Boston Globe when he created the character in a rushed daily assignment. (more…)

Born in Tennessee and raised in Annapolis, Bill Belichick first lived in Massachusetts during a postgraduate year at Andover’s Phillips Academy in the early 1970s. Bill’s dad played for the Detroit Lions during the 1941 season and coached at the Annapolis Naval Academy, and Belichick played for Wesleyan University during his time there. After graduating, though, he stepped off the field as a player and was hired as an assistant to Colts coach Ted Marchibroda.It wouldn’t be until 1996 that Belichick would return to Massachusetts, when he served as an assistant head coach for the Pats with Bill Parcells. After a brief two-year period with the Parcells and the New York Jets, Belichick chose to leave the city and return to Boston, becoming head coach in 2000. He’s held that position ever sincethe longest any coach has stayed with the team. (more…)

Tight end Aaron Hernandez was one of five players nominated for Pepsi’s Rookie of the Week award, based on his performance during the weekend of September 26-27. The young player made a decisive showing during the Patriots’ Sunday win against Buffalo. He was present for 52 of the 68 plays that game, the highest yet in his first three weeks.Hernandez was drafted from the Florida Gators, where he won the John Mackey Award his junior year. The annual award honors the best tight end in college sports, and is named after the Baltimore Colts tight end. (more…)