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About the Patriots |
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Table of Contents
4/100 Greatest Game-Changers
- Bill Belichick - Head Coach, 2000-present
- Tom Brady - Quarterback, 2000-present
- Randy Moss - Wide Receiver, 2007-2010
- The Mo Lewis Hit - Week 2, 2001
History
Billy Sullivan Jr., a Boston businessman with a strong sports promotional background, secured an American Football League franchise on November 22, 1959. In keeping with the New England heritage, the nickname "Patriots" was selected by a panel of Boston sportswriters in a contest to name the team. The Boston team was involved in two significant "firsts" in 1960. The Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in the first AFL pre-season game on July 30. On September 9, the Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos 13-10 in the first-ever AFL regular-season game.
During the Patriots' first decade, finding a suitable playing home in the Boston area was almost as urgent as putting a competitive team on the field. The Patriots played at Boston University Field in 1960 and 1961 and at Harvard in 1962 and again in 1970. From 1963 to 1969, the Patriots played at Fenway Park, the Red Sox baseball stadium. Then in 1971, two significant things happened. The team changed its name to New England Patriots and moved to a new 60,764-seat stadium in the town of Foxboro, about 25 miles south of Boston.
In spite of their stadium problems, the Patriots were frequent contenders during their AFL days
Following a string of losing seasons after the AFL-NFL merger, the Patriots became serious contenders in the late 1970s. They won the AFC Eastern championship in 1978 and wound up a close second in 1979. Raymond Berry took over the coaching reins in 1984 and led the Patriots to a 51-41-0 record the next five and a half years. Berry's 1985 team had an 11-5 record, earned a wild-card playoff berth and won three straight AFC playoff games on the road
Color Rush
In 2015, the NFL introduced the Color Rush jersey concept to make Thursday night games more appealing, and more money out of a new batch of apparel. Since then, the New England Patriots wore their one-colored, blue-on-blue outfit four times: they used it once in 2016 against the Houston Texans, brought it back against the Atlanta Falcons the following year, and wore it versus the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers last season.
The Patriots, who also wore an all-white look when playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, will go back to the Color Rush outfit on three different occasions this year as was announced on a Wednesday
New England is allowed to use its alternates thrice due to a rule change that was implemented during the 2018 offseason.
Previously, teams were only allowed to wear their non-standard outfits a total of three times each year: alternate and throwback jerseys were limited to two games, while Color Rush was only to be worn once every single season. Under the new rule, a distinction between Color Rush and alternate/throwback does no longer exist. We will therefore be able to see the Patriots' blue-on-blue ensemble three times this year.
What we will not see, however, is the team wearing throwbacks: the organization confirmed that it will not use its outfit from the 1990s during the 2019 season. The '90s throwbacks are of course the only historical jerseys New England is allowed to wear with the rules still in place that teams have to use the same helmet and colors all season long - a rule that prohibits the Patriots from bringing back their white throwback helmets and red uniforms.
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NFL All-Time Team
Head Coach - Bill Belichick Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is one of 10 coaches selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Quarterback - Tom Brady Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is one of 10 quarterbacks selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Linebacker - Junior Seau Former Patriot Junior Seau is one of 12 linebackers selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Cornerback - Mike Haynes Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Haynes is one of seven cornerbacks selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Kicker - Adam Vinatieri Former Patriot Adam Vinatieri is one of two kickers selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Tight End - Rob Gronkowski Former Patriot Rob Gronkowski is one of five tight ends selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Offensive Guard - John Hannah Patriots Hall of Famer John Hannah is one of seven guards selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Wide Receiver - Randy Moss Former Patriot Randy Moss is one of 10 wide receivers selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.