Patriot rivalries
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.The other rivalry is between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets and dates back to 1960 (when the Patriots still had a “Boston” in front of their name and the Jets were known as the “Titans of New York”). The sparks flew in the teams’ very first meeting on September 17, 1960, when the Patriots rallied from an impressive Titans 3rd-quarter lead (24-7) and won 28-24. The Titans accused of linebacker Jack Rudolph kicking the ball after a fumble by Rick Sapienza, but the referees allowed the play.In 1966, the Patriots tied the Jets 24-24 at Fenway Park, then lost each rivalry game until October 10, 1971, when they defeated the Jets 20-0 at Schaefer Stadium. Over the course of the rivalry, there have been a number of defining moments, including the controversial transfer of Bill Parcells from the Patriots to the Jets as a consultant in 1997 and the “poison pill” contract offered to Patriots running back Curtis Martin in 1998. However, the most-televised aspect of the rivalry is still the videotaping controversy of 2007, when Belichick was accused of taping the Jets’ defensive signals from on-field.