Patriots news
- Thread starter LordSensei1958
- Start date
He should be working with that guy non-stop. He's got a lot to unlearn as well as a lot to learn.
The New England Patriots will open their 2024 campaign against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET, which is now 73 days away.
Until the opening kickoff of the season for the Patriots, we'll be counting down each day by looking back at those who have worn each specific jersey number.
Since 1960, only seven players have worn No. 73 in New England, as it has been retired for over 30 years now. With 73 days until their first game of the year, here's a look at everyone who's worn the number for the team:
Until the opening kickoff of the season for the Patriots, we'll be counting down each day by looking back at those who have worn each specific jersey number.
Since 1960, only seven players have worn No. 73 in New England, as it has been retired for over 30 years now. With 73 days until their first game of the year, here's a look at everyone who's worn the number for the team:
OL Danny Villa: 1987-89
Villa was a fifth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 1978 draft out of Arizona State. He appeared in 75 games over six seasons with the Patriots. He also spent time with the Phoenix Cardinals (1992), Kansas City Chiefs (1993-96) and Carolina Panthers (1998).OL John Hannah: 1973-1985
Hannah was the Patriots' fourth-overall pick in the 1973 draft out of Alabama. He was a staple for the team, starting 183 games over his 13 seasons. He made seven First-team All-Pros, three Second-team All-Pros and nine Pro Bowls. The number was retired for him in 1991 when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.DE Bill Atessis: 1971
Atessis was a second-round pick of the Baltimore Colts in 1971 out of Texas. He spent his rookie season with the Patriots, appearing in five games for the team. After one season in New England, he had stops with the St. Louis Cardinals (1972) and New York Jets (1973).OT Tom Funchess: 1968-70
Funchess was a second-round pick of the Boston Patriots in the 1968 AFL/NFL draft out of Jackson State. He played in 39 games for Boston before spending three seasons with the Houston Oilers (1971) and one with the Miami Dolphins (1974).DL Ed Khayat: 1966
Khayat went undrafted in 1957 out of Tulane. He played for Washington (1957, 1962-63) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1958-61, 1964-65) before joining the Patriots for all 14 games in 1966. He then transitioned to coaching, becoming the Eagles head coach in 1971-72 and New England's defensive line coach from 1985-89.OL Billy Neighbors: 1962-65
Neighbors was a sixth-round pick of the Boston Patriots in the 1962 AFL draft as well as a fourth-round pick of Washington in the 1962 NFL draft. He appeared in 56 games over four seasons for the Patriots and earned AFL All-Star honors in 1963 before joining the Miami Dolphins for three seasons (1966-69) to end his career.OL/DL Harry Jagielski: 1960-61
Jagielski was a seventh-round pick of Washington in the 1954 NFL draft out of Indiana. He spent one season split between Washington and Chicago Cardinals (1956). He then jumped to the AFL, playing 19 games for the Boston Patriots from 1960-61 and eight for the Oakland Raiders (1961).
now i understand why we couldn't part with 2-3 million more to lock down Calvin Ridley... money/cap is tight...
Polk better turn into the next Keenan Allen, otherwise our offense will still flounder until they solve that legit #1 WR threat
how in the hell does the Giesiki touchdown make #1?
not even sure how it makes a top 10 list really, but then again.. thats how bad our offense was last year lol
that jabril peppers play was beautiful
TheRainMaker
Well-known member
Remember when Edelman was targeted early in the season in 2012 and we thought how weird that was? Many were pissed off Bill played hardball with Welker and let him walk after the season. Edelman said on his podcast had Welker re-signed, Edelman was ready to leave the Pats because they also had Hernandez pre arrest was a big part of their offense as well. This was another underrated tough decision Bill made.
Bill also signed Emmanuel Sanders to an offer sheet in 2013 where the Steelers matched at the 11th hour just to piss off the Pats. Had the Steelers not matched and both he and Brady were on the same page with a healthy Gronk, do they beat Denver in 2013? I think the Pats get homefield and beat Denver to play Seattle.
TheRainMaker
Well-known member
I agree. That was a routine throw and catch.
Jules was the best, tough as nails, clutch, a true champion. Fucking love that guy
And he's loyal too!!! He was and still is the consummate Patriot.
— Brandon Aiyuk, unhappy with contract, meets with 49ers. Should Patriots get involved?
It’s Groundhog Day in San Francisco as rumors of star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk being on the outs with the team are circulating again.According to ESPN’s Ryan Clark and Adam Schefter, Aiyuk met with the 49ers on Monday regarding his contract situation as he enters the final year of his rookie contract — the fifth-year option that San Francisco picked up last Spring.
Aiyuk is coming off of a career season with the 49ers. En route to a Super Bowl appearance, Aiyuk hauled in 84 receptions for 1,491 yards and eight touchdowns over 16 regular season games and three playoff games. He became quarterback Brock Purdy’s top target on offense, and earned Second-team All-Pro honors for his performance.
The 26-year-old has outwardly spoken about his frustrations on his contract in recent weeks. Although he told TMZ on Friday that he “for sure” wants to remain in San Francisco, he also posted a video call with former teammate and current Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on TikTok earlier this month where he says that the 49ers “don’t want [him] back.” Additionally, he told “The Pivot” podcast that the Commanders and Steelers could be options for him should they not come to an agreement.
So what about the Patriots?
View: https://twitter.com/mikekadlick/status/1805332152118395014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1805332152118395014%7Ctwgr%5E3e9353b2393ade179c38885243aacb8744db84d7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clnsmedia.com%2Fpatriots-notes-quotes-and-anecdotes-lets-talk-about-brandon-aiyuk-again%2F
New England has longed for a true, No. 1 wide receiver since the days of Randy Moss. Failed draft picks of Chad Jackson, Aaron Dobson, N’Keal Harry, and Tyquan Thornton have haunted them for 10+ years. Among other mistakes, they didn’t equip Mac Jones with the proper weapons to succeed in the NFL. Don’t make the same mistake twice with Drake Maye.
Sure, the Patriots took two solid swings on Ja’Lynn Polk (R2, Pick 37) and Javon Baker (R4, Pick 104) — and the early returns on both have looked solid. But those two are just as inexperienced as Maye at the NFL level. Quarterbacks who have succeeded earlier in their careers (Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert) all have at least one thing in common: a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver to throw to and rely on.
If you can’t get it across the finish line, so be it. But if the Patriots don’t at least call on Aiyuk again, it’s a missed opportunity.
— Bill Belichick: Lacrosse coach?
Bill Belichick has made several premier appearances since parting ways with the Patriots back in January: The Roast of Tom Brady, Pat McAfee’s NFL Draft Spectacular, Tom Brady’s retirement ceremony, and the Manning Passing Academy to name a few. He’s also been seen showing up to lacrosse games, speaking at coaching clinics, and vacationing on his beloved Nantucket island.But is he ready to get back into coaching? That’s the big question. While he seemingly didn’t have a chance to this offseason after being passed up by 31(!!) NFL teams, Belichick reportedly was given a chance to coach lacrosse in 2024.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Premier Lacrosse League founder, president, and former Boston Cannon Paul Rabil told Paul Calcaterra that Philadelphia Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney almost got Belichick to be his defensive coordinator this season:
“I’ll give you some tea first,” said Rabil. “You know who Bill [Tierney] went to for his defensive coordinator position? Bill Belichick. Almost got him. Almost got him.”
“You’re kidding,” responded Calcaterra.
“Well, he went to him,” Rabil continued. “He made him say no.”
Now that would have been something.
— Gronk on Belichick.
Speaking of Belichick, for the second week in a row we have a former Patriot seemingly standing up for the former head coach.On Julian Edelman’s latest episode of “Games with Names“, Rob Gronkowski had this to say about the 72-year-old:
“I think Coach Belichick may be my new favorite person since the roast,” the former All-Pro tight end said when talking about their time at Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction. “If he just showed that personality at all while he was a head coach, I still think we would be playing with the New England Patriots and winning Super Bowls.”
— Roster moves:
No roster moves were made by the Patriots this week.— Patriots tried to trade for Adam Thielen in 2019.
Although the Patriots have been snake-bitten by their attempts at landing a true No. 1 wide receiver, you can’t say they haven’t tried — as seen in their signings of (albeit troubled) pass-catchers Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown.Apparently, they also once tried to trade for former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.
In an interview on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take last week, Theilen explained how despite a rather public beef between he and Bill Belichick, that there were no hard feelings:
“I just let him know I didn’t feel like that was the right thing to do,” Thielen said when explaining that an apparent fake injury by former New England safety is what started the ruckus.”
“I believe going into that next offseason [Belichick] had reached out to the [Vikings] about, you know, possibly trading for me, trying to get me to come there,” he continued. “So it must have been like a good impression, he must have liked that kind of tenacity or competitiveness.”
Obviously, that didn’t happen, and two years later there looked to be no love lost:
View: https://twitter.com/mikekadlick/status/1596205271894077440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1596205271894077440%7Ctwgr%5E3e9353b2393ade179c38885243aacb8744db84d7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clnsmedia.com%2Fpatriots-notes-quotes-and-anecdotes-lets-talk-about-brandon-aiyuk-again%2F
Today, Friday July 5th, there's some entertaining football porn on the NFL Network between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM EST. They're showing "America's Game" Super Bowls 36, 38 and 39. I'm going to try to get Dingle to let us wager on the games.
The name Bernard Pollard isn’t popular among New England Patriots fans for good reasons. Some would call it bad luck, and others have gone to far more nefarious extremes for the former NFL defensive back that Rob Gronkowski calls “the Patriot killer.”
When appearing on “Games with Names,” the legendary tight end commented on the defender some still view as the reason the Patriots didn’t win at least three more Super Bowls.
“Pollard was kind of like the Patriot killer,” said Gronkowski. “He took out [Tom Brady’s] knee. I think he messed up [Wes] Welker as well, in a way. I forgot that injury. He was kind of a Patriot killer. He was a dirty player, I feel like at the time. There was a lot of them back in the day though when the rules was kind of like whatever. You could do whatever out there as a defensive player.”
After having their perfect season ruined by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, there were high expectations for the Patriots in the 2008 season. It was set to be their revenge tour following one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.
However, Brady suffered a torn ACL in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs after taking a low hit from Pollard. He missed the rest of the season, and despite a valiant effort with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots failed to make the playoffs.
View: https://x.com/i/status/1567301666923335688
A year later, Pollard had on a Houston Texans uniform, and he was the one in on the play that resulted in Welker tearing his ACL in Week 17 of the 2009 season.
Granted, Welker hurt himself on a non-contact injury, while attempting to make a move with the ball in his hands. So that injury really had nothing to do with Pollard.
But it’s still bizarre that he was the one credited with the tackle. That incident left the Patriots without one of their best playmakers in the postseason, and they got eliminated in the wild card round by the Baltimore Ravens.
Pollard was also responsible for the hip-drop tackle that injured Gronkowski in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.
Gronkowski was officially diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, and he looked like a shell of himself when attempting to play through the injury at Super Bowl XLVI, where the Patriots lost to the Giants, again.
After initially calling Pollard dirty, Gronkowski walked back the comments about his injury. He credited the former defender for a good tackle on that play in particular.
“I ain’t going to say it was a dirty play at all. It was a proper tackle, and he just ended up landing on my ankle,” said Gronkowski. “When I fell down, my ankle basically twisted the other way and snapped. It was a high sprain.”
Some often forget that Pollard was also the defender who delivered the knockout blow to former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, causing a fumble and turnover on downs in the 2012 AFC Championship Game. The Patriots went on to lose that game 28-13 at Gillette Stadium.
It’s a weird run of coincidences that four of the most game-changing injuries for the Patriots involved one player.
When appearing on “Games with Names,” the legendary tight end commented on the defender some still view as the reason the Patriots didn’t win at least three more Super Bowls.
“Pollard was kind of like the Patriot killer,” said Gronkowski. “He took out [Tom Brady’s] knee. I think he messed up [Wes] Welker as well, in a way. I forgot that injury. He was kind of a Patriot killer. He was a dirty player, I feel like at the time. There was a lot of them back in the day though when the rules was kind of like whatever. You could do whatever out there as a defensive player.”
After having their perfect season ruined by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, there were high expectations for the Patriots in the 2008 season. It was set to be their revenge tour following one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.
However, Brady suffered a torn ACL in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs after taking a low hit from Pollard. He missed the rest of the season, and despite a valiant effort with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots failed to make the playoffs.
View: https://x.com/i/status/1567301666923335688
A year later, Pollard had on a Houston Texans uniform, and he was the one in on the play that resulted in Welker tearing his ACL in Week 17 of the 2009 season.
Granted, Welker hurt himself on a non-contact injury, while attempting to make a move with the ball in his hands. So that injury really had nothing to do with Pollard.
But it’s still bizarre that he was the one credited with the tackle. That incident left the Patriots without one of their best playmakers in the postseason, and they got eliminated in the wild card round by the Baltimore Ravens.
Pollard was also responsible for the hip-drop tackle that injured Gronkowski in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.
Gronkowski was officially diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, and he looked like a shell of himself when attempting to play through the injury at Super Bowl XLVI, where the Patriots lost to the Giants, again.
After initially calling Pollard dirty, Gronkowski walked back the comments about his injury. He credited the former defender for a good tackle on that play in particular.
“I ain’t going to say it was a dirty play at all. It was a proper tackle, and he just ended up landing on my ankle,” said Gronkowski. “When I fell down, my ankle basically twisted the other way and snapped. It was a high sprain.”
Some often forget that Pollard was also the defender who delivered the knockout blow to former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, causing a fumble and turnover on downs in the 2012 AFC Championship Game. The Patriots went on to lose that game 28-13 at Gillette Stadium.
It’s a weird run of coincidences that four of the most game-changing injuries for the Patriots involved one player.
