It's finally here!
** 2011 Patriots Football ** 
VS 
Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 4:15 PM EDTRegular Season Game 2 - Home Game 1
TV: CBS, WBZ-TV Channel 4
National Radio: Sports Radio USA Network
Radio: 98.5 THE SPORTS HUBatGillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located at One Patriot Place, Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and 20 miles from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team. In 2012, it will also become the home stadium for the football program of the University of Massachusetts. Owned and operated by the
Kraft Sports Group, the facility opened in 2002, replacing the old Foxboro Stadium. The seating capacity is 68,756, including 6,000 club seats and 87 luxury suites. The current Gillette/Patriots partnership contract extends through the 2031 season.
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SUMMARYThe New England Patriots will open the 2011 home schedule against the San Diego Chargers for the second time in the last four years. In 2007, the Patriots opened the home schedule with a 38-14 win against the Chargers on Sept. 16, 2007. The Patriots have won 14 of their past 16 home openers, including a perfect 9-0 record at Gillette Stadium since its opening in 2002. The nine consecutive wins by the Patriots in home openers is the longest streak in the NFL. The game marks the Patriots‘ 300th game, including postseason, under Robert Kraft. The Patriots are 198- 101 since Kraft purchased the team in 1994.
Last season, the Patriots traveled to San Diego on Oct. 24 and forced four first half turnovers in an eventual 23-20 victory.
BROADCAST INFORMATIONTelevisionThis week‘s game will be broadcast to a national audience by CBS and can be seen in Boston on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Jim Nantz will handle play-byplay duties with Phil Simms providing color. The game will be produced by Lance Barrow and directed by Mike Arnold.
National RadioThis week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by the Sports Radio USA Network. Larry Kahn and Ross Tucker will call the game. Troy West will serve as the sideline reporter.
Radio98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network‘s 37 stations can be found in this press release. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 35th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Scott Zolak will provide sideline analysis.
SERIES HISTORYThe Patriots and Chargers will play for the 39th time overall, including three postseason meetings. The teams met in the 1963 AFL Championship game, the 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff game and the 2007 AFC Championship game. The Patriots lead the series with a 2-1 postseason mark, with the one loss coming in the 1963 AFL Championship game.
The Patriots lead the regular-season series with an 19-14-2 record and are 21-15-2 overall against the Chargers. This week‘s game will be the first time the teams have met at Gillette Stadium since the 2007 AFC Championship game. The last two regular season games have been played in San Diego with the Chargers earning a 30-10 win on Oct. 12, 2008 and the Patriots claiming a 23-20 win last season in San Diego on Oct. 24 at Qualcomm Stadium.
The series dates back to 1960, the inaugural season for each team. Bill Belichick is 4-5 in his career against the Chargers in the regular season with a 3-3 record while the Patriots head coach.
SERIES BREAKDOWN(Includes Postseason)Overall Record, 21-15-2
Home Record, 11-8-1
- Boston, 2-7-1
- Foxborough, 9-1-0
Away Record, 10-7-1
- Los Angeles, 1-0-0
- San Diego, 8-7-1
Longest winning streak, 10 games (12/02/73-10/14/01)
Longest losing streak, 4 games (11/10/68- 11/15/70)
Bill Belichick vs. San Diego, 4-5 (1-2 with Cleveland)
Norv Turner vs. New England, 2-5 (1-3 with San Diego)
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CONNECTIONS NEW ENGLAND TIESChargers Executive Vice President and General Manager A.J. Smith graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R.I., was an assistant coach at Cranston West High School from 1971-76, was head coach of the Rhode Island Kings (EFL) in 1976, an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island in 1978 and a part-time scout for the Patriots from 1978-80.
Chargers Executive Officer A.G. Spanos attended Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
San Diego DE Jacques Cesaire was born in Worcester, Mass., attended Gardner High School (Mass.) and played college football at Southern Connecticut State University.
Chargers ILB Stephen Cooper is familiar with the New England area; he attended Wareham (Mass.) High School and played college football for the University of Maine Black Bears.
Chargers DT Antonio Garay attended Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Chargers rookie RB Jordan Todman attended Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, Mass., earning all-state honors twice.
SAN DIEGO TIESPatriots WR Matthew Slater, C Ryan Wendell, S Patrick Chung, and rookie RB Shane Vereen are Southern California natives.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATESPatriots WR Wes Welker played for the Miami Dolphins with Chargers TE Randy McMichael between 2004 and 2006.
FORMER CHARGERSPatriots WR Wes Welker was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Chargers in the spring of 2004.
FORMER PATRIOTSChargers Special Teams Coach Steve Crosby was special teams and tight ends coach for the New England Patriots in 1990.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATESPatriots C Dan Koppen and Chargers DT Antonio Garay were teammates at Boston College from 1999-2002.
Patriots T Matt Light and Chargers OLB Shaun Phillips played together for Purdue from 1999-2000.
Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich and Chargers C Nick Hardwick were teammates at Purdue in 2004.
Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski and Chargers CB Antoine Cason were teammates at Arizona in 2007.
Patriots OL Ryan Wendell and Chargers RB Ryan Mathews were teammates at Fresno State in 2007.
Patriots P Zoltan Mesko and Chargers rookie LB Jonas Mouton were teammates at the University of Michigan from 2007-09.
Patriots rookie QB Ryan Mallett and Mouton were teammates at Michigan in 2007 before Mallett transferred to the University of Arkansas.
Patriots rookie RB Stevan Ridley and Chargers FB Jacob Hester were teammates at Louisiana State University in 2007.
QUICK HITSThe Patriots won 10 straight games against the Chargers from Dec. 2, 1973 through Oct. 14, 2001.
The Patriots first championship game was played at San Diego against the Chargers on Jan. 1, 1964 in the AFL Championship game. San Diego beat the Patriots in that game, 51-10.
Tom Brady‘s first 300-yard game was on Oct. 14, 2001 when he completed 33-of-54 passes for 364 yards in a 29-26 overtime win. Brady threw his first two NFL touchdowns in that game with a a 21-yarder to WR Terry Glenn in the second quarter and a 3-yader to TE Jermaine Wiggins in the fourth quarter.
PATRIOTS AGAINST THE AFC WESTThe Patriots are 65-73-6 all-time against AFC West opponents. The Patriots are 12-10 against the AFC West under head coach Bill Belichick in the regular season. Last season, the Patriots faced just one AFC West team, beating the Chargers in San Diego, 23-20. The Patriots will play at Oakland on Oct. 2, vs. Kansas City on Nov. 21 and at Denver on Dec. 18.
PASSING PERFORMANCESTom Brady has played against San Diego five times in the regular-season and twice in the postseason. While he is 2-0 in the postseason following an AFC divisional win in 2006 and a 2007 win in the AFC Championship Game, Brady has a 3-2 record against the Chargers in regular-season meetings. Philip Rivers has started against the Patriots three times, including twice in the playoffs.
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What To Look For In 2011TOM BRADYTom Brady enters 2011 with an NFL record of 335 consecutive regular season pass attempts without an interception.
Brady enters the 2011 season tied for 10th place with Dave Krieg with 261 career touchdown passes. He needs 13 touchdown passes to surpass his childhood hero Joe Montana (273) into ninth place (see Brady section for entire list).
Brady enters 2011 with 111 regular season wins as a starter and needs nine wins to become just the sixth quarterback with 120 or more regular season victories as a starter.
Brady currently has an NFL record of 28 straight wins as a starter in the regular season at home. The last time the Patriots lost a regular season home game in which Brady started was on Nov. 12, 2006 against the New York Jets.
Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick need six more wins to become the all-time winningest coach/QB tandem in NFL history. Dan Marino and Don Shula have the most wins with 116 wins.
Brady threw a touchdown pass in all 16 games in 2011 and needs to throw at least one touchdown pass in the next four games to break his own team record of 19 straight games with at least one touchdown pass.
WES WELKERWes Welker enters the 2011 season with a streak of 61 straight regular season games with at least one reception as a member of the Patriots. He needs three more games with at least one reception to surpass the team mark of 63 set by TE Ben Coates.
Welker needs 100 receptions in 2011 to become the third player in NFL history with four 100-catch seasons. Welker can join Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice has the only players with four 100-reception seasons.
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By The Numbers2The number of kickoff returns that WR Brandon Tate returned for a touchdown in 2010 after he returned a 97-yard kickoff for a touchdown vs. Cincinnati (9/12) and a 103-yard kickoff for a touchdown at Miami (10/4). Tate is the first Patriots‘ player to return two kicks for a touchdown in a season since Kevin Faulk returned two for a touchdown in 2002. The Patriots record for most returns in a single season is three by Raymond Clayborn in 1977.
2The number of blocked kicks recorded by S Patrick Chung in 2010 after he blocked a punt and a field goal in the Patriots win at Miami (10/4). He is the first NFL player to block a field goal and a punt in the same game since CB Ramon Walker of Houston blocked a field goal and a punt vs. New England on Nov. 23, 2003.
4The number of interceptions that the Patriots returned for a touchdown in 2010 after LB Gary Guyton returned an interception 59 yards for a score vs. Cincinnati (9/12), S Patrick Chung returned an interception 51 yards for a score at Miami (10/4), S James Sanders returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown at Pittsburgh (11/14), and CB Kyle Arrington returned an interception 36 yards for score vs. Green Bay (12/19).
5.64The average yards per carry by Danny Woodhead in 2010 after he finished with 97 rushes for 547 yards. His average set a Patriots team record, topping Don Clahoun‘s previous team record of 5.59 yards per carry in 1976.
7The number of interceptions by CB Devin McCourty in 2010. It is the second most interceptions by a rookie in Patriots history to Mike Haynes (eight) in 1976.
10The number of touchdown receptions by rookie TE Rob Gronkowski in 2010, a record for most touchdown catches by a tight end in Patriots history. The only other rookie tight end in NFL history to have more touchdowns was Mike Ditka (12).
13The number of rushing touchdowns in 2010 by BenJarvus Green- Ellis, establishing a career high. His previous best was the five he had as a rookie in 2008. He is the first Patriots player with 10-plus rushing touchdowns since Corey Dillon had 13 in 2006.
65The number of touchdowns by the 2010 Patriots, a total that ranks as the eighth-highest total in NFL history. New England set the NFL record with 75 touchdowns in 2007.
71The number of yards Dan Connolly gained on a second quarter kickoff return vs. Green Bay (12/19). It is the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in NFL history.
193The number of total tackles by LB Jerod Mayo in 2010. That number is the third-highest in team history and led the NFL in 2010.
1,008The number of yards that BenJarvus Green-Ellis had rushing in 2010, becoming the first Patriots player to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark since Corey Dillon had a team-record 1,635 yards in 2004.
Tom Brady6The number of times that Brady has finished a season with 25 or more touchdowns. He is the sixth QB in NFL history to have 25 or more touchdown passes in at least six different seasons.
8The number of times Tom Brady has passed for 3,000 or more yards in a season, a franchise record for most 3,000-yard seasons. He finished the season with 3,900 yards.
18The number of times Tom Brady has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He earned the award in back-to-back weeks in 2010: at Detroit (11/25) and vs. NY Jets (12/6).
28The number of consecutive regular-season starts that Tom Brady has won at Gillette Stadium, setting an NFL record for most consecutive home wins by a starting quarterback in the regular season.
36The number of touchdown passes thrown by Brady in 2010 to lead the NFL. He is one of just 13 players since the 1970 merger to have at least two 30 touchdown seasons. He set an NFL record with 50 in 2007.
35The number of regular-season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record.
83The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 71-12 when he throws for two or more touchdowns.
112The number of wins that Brady has as a starting quarterback. He reached the 100-win milestone in the fewest number of starts (131) among all quarterbacks in the modern era.
The Kraft Era3The number of Super Bowl championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Only Denver (2; 1997 and 1998) and Pittsburgh (2; 2005 and 2008) have won multiple Super Bowl titles since 1994.
5The number of conference championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh is second with three conference titles since 1994.
10The number of division championships won by the Patriots since Kraft purchased the team in 1994.
12The number of playoff seasons earned by the Patriots in the 17 seasons since Robert Kraft purchased the team.
17The number of playoff games the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh ranks second with 15 playoff wins over that span.
26The number of playoff games the Patriots have appeared in since 1994. The mark is tied with Pittsburgh for the most playoff games during that time period.
The Belichick Era4Bill Belichick is one of just four coaches to win three championships since the Super Bowl era began.
Belichick joins three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the exclusive club (Chuck Noll 4, Joe Gibbs 3 and Bill Walsh 3).
Belichick is the only coach to win three Super Bowls in the post-1993 salary cap era and the only one to ever win three in four years.
177Bill Belichick has 178 career victories as a head coach, including playoff games. Belichick is in sole possession of 10th place in all-time coaching victories.
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DREW BLEDSOE AND JON MORRIS INTO PATRIOTS HALLDrew Bledsoe and Jon Morris are the 2011 honorees that will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Bledsoe and Morris will be inducted in a public ceremony outside The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17. The event is free to the public and Patriots fans are encouraged to attend.
Bledsoe was voted by the fans as the 17th player and 18th member to enter the Patriots Hall of Fame. Since the new process for induction was instituted in 2007, Bledsoe earned the highest percentage of votes for any candidate and becomes the first player to be selected by the fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Morris was selected by a 10-person senior selection committee. The selection was made on Friday, March 25 and affirmed with a phone call from Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, who notified Morris of his induction later that afternoon.
PATRIOTS DEDICATE 2011 SEASON TO MYRA KRAFTThe New England Patriots announced that they will dedicate the 2011 season to the loving memory of Myra Kraft, who passed away on July 20 after a courageous battle with cancer. Every Patriots player and coach will honor Myra‘s memory by wearing a patch with her initials on it in recognition of her lifelong contributions to the local and global community and her influence on the charitable mission of the entire Patriots organization. The patch will be worn on the left chest of every player throughout the season.
PEYTON & ELI'S KIND GESTURE TO KRAFTIn his NFL Notes column on Sunday, Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Globe notes the kind gesture of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Both made what owner Robert Kraft called "substantial donations" to the Myra Kraft Giving Back Fund.
"We lost our ability to win Super Bowls back-to-back years to Manning brothers, and then to see each of them send very generous checks to this fund . . . and Peyton wrote me a beautiful note," Kraft tells Bedard.
"They’re sort of two people that broke my heart on the field in back-to-back years, and then they warm my heart with generous donations. It’s something special about this NFL and the great people associated with it.
"It’s sort of the great part of football, the fact that it’s a team sport and you have all these rivalries but they together - with people like Matt Cassel and Junior Seau and Tom Brady and just a ton of guys - have made contributions, dozens of Patriots players, that are going to allow us to keep the spirit of Myra’s giving back to the community live for generations to come."
** This is kind of a new thing for me and a work-in-progress, so feel free to PM me with any suggestions or ideas for improvement of the game threads, as I will be doing this throughout the season, and want to make it as user-friendly as possible. Thanks! **
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Bahku
GO PATRIOTS!! 
Topic: Patriots (1-0) vs Chargers (1-0) 9/18 (Read 15466 times)