It's finally here!
** 2011 Patriots Football ** 
AT 
Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 1:00 PM EDTRegular Season Game 3 - Away Game 2
TV: CBS, WBZ-TV Channel 4
National Radio: Compass Media Network
Radio: 98.5 THE SPORTS HUBatRalph Wilson Stadium - Orchard Park, New York
Ralph Wilson Stadium, (capacity 73,967), also known as "The Ralph", was commissioned as a result of the AFL–NFL merger. While suitable for American Football League play, Buffalo War Memorial Stadium was both in disrepair and deemed undersized for a National Football League team, with a capacity of under 47,000 (league mandates instituted after the merger dictated a minimum of 50,000 seats). The stadium opened in 1973. The construction of the stadium and its location were the source of years of litigation, which ended with a financial settlement for a developer who had planned to erect an all-weather stadium in Lancaster, New York. However, plans changed because it was not wanted to be close to Lancaster High School.[citation needed] The stadium ended up being built by a man named Frank Schoenle, and his construction company.
In 1972, Rich Products signed a 25-year, $1.5 million deal, by which the venue would be called "Rich Stadium"; this is one of the earliest examples of the sale of naming rights in North American sports. (The name was somewhat of a compromise, after Bills owner and founder Ralph Wilson rejected the name Rich wanted to use, "Coffee Rich Park.")[3] After the original deal expired in 1998, the stadium was renamed in honor of Wilson, after Rich balked at paying a greatly increased rights fee, which would have brought the price up to par with other NFL stadiums. The first playoff game at the stadium was a 17–10 Bills victory over the Houston Oilers on January 1, 1989. The Bills won every ensuing playoff game at the stadium until they were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 28, 1996.
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SUMMARYThe New England Patriots, who have won 15 straight games against Buffalo, will travel to face the 2-0 Bills at Ralph Wilson stadium. The Patriots have not lost a game to the Bills since a 31-0 loss on opening day of the 2003 season (9/7/03). The 15-game win streak is the third longest winning streak over a single opponent in NFL history.
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. Marv Albert will handle playby- play duties with Rich Gannon providing color.
National RadioThis week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by the Compass Media Network. Chris Carrino and Brian Baldinger will call the game.
Radio98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. 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 Bills will meet for the 103rd time, with New England holding a 61-40-1 edge following the Patriots seventh straight series sweep of Buffalo in 2010. The Patriots beat Buffalo 38-30 in the first meeting on Sept. 26 at Gillette followed by a 34-3 win at Buffalo on Dec. 26, 2010.
The Patriots, who have won 15 straight games against Buffalo, have not lost a game to the Bills since a 31-0 loss on opening day of the 2003 season (9/7/03). The 15-game win streak is the third longest winning streak over a single opponent in NFL history.
The series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960. The Patriots' 61 wins over the Bills are their highest victory total over any opponent, ten more than they own over the New York Jets (51). New England has won 15 straight games in the series and has won 20 of its last 22 games against Buffalo dating back to the 2000 season.
The Patriots are 29-21-1 all-time in Buffalo, including 22-15 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The teams have had many memorable matchups over the years, including a five-game span from 1999 to 2001 where four of the five contests were decided in overtime.
SERIES BREAKDOWNHome Record, 32-19
- Record in Foxborough, 26-14
- Foxboro Stadium, 17-14
- Gillette Stadium, 9-0
- Record in Boston, 6-5
Away Record, 29-21-1
- War Memorial Stadium, 7-6-1
- Ralph Wilson/Rich Stadium, 22-15
- Largest Margin of Victory, 46 points (2007)
- Largest Margin of Defeat, 35 points (1970)
Longest Win Streak, 15 games (current streak)
Bill Belichick vs. Buffalo Bills, 20-3 (20-2 with N.E)
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CONNECTIONSBUFFALO TIESPatriots brothers TE Rob Gronkowski and TE Dan Gronkowski grew up in Williamsville, N.Y. just 14 miles outside of Buffalo.
FORMER NFL TEAMATES Patriots LB Tracy White and Bills TE David Martin were teammates when they played for the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich was teammates with Martin when they played for the Miami Dolphins in 2007.
Patriots OL Donald Thomas and Martin were also teammates in Miami in 2008.
Patriots LB Tracy White played for the Green Bay Packers with Bills LB Nick Barnett from 2006-08.
Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich played with Bills SS Bryan Scott in New Orleans for the Saints in 2006.
FORMER PATRIOTS Bills TE Lee Smith was a fifth-round draft pick for the Patriots in the 2010 NFL draft. He spent training camp with the Patriots before being released and claimed off waivers by the Bills.
Buffalo Bills Defensive Quality Control Coach Adrian White spent his final year as a player in the NFL with the Patriots in 1993.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey was the head coach at Georgia Tech from 2002-07, and Patriots LB Gary Guyton played for him during his time with the Yellow Jackets.
New England S Patrick Chung and Buffalo S Jairus Byrd were four-year teammates at Oregon from 2005-08. The two were also drafted just eight picks apart in the 2009 NFL Draft, with Chung going to the Patriots with the 34th overall pick and Byrd to the Bills at No. 42.
Patriots DL Myron Pryor and Bills WR Steve Johnson were teammates at Kentucky from 2006-07.
Patriots rookie RB Stephan Ridley and Bills rookie LB Kelvin Sheppard were teammates at Louisiana State University from 2006-10.
Patriots LB A.J. Edds and Bills TE Scott Chandler were teammates at the University of Iowa in 2006.
Patriots LB Brandon Spikes and LB Jermaine Cunningham were teammates at the University of Florida with Bills WR David Nelson from 2006-09. Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez was also a Gator with Nelson from 2007-09.
Patriots DL Albert Haynesworth and Bills TE David Martin were teammates at the University of Tennessee from 1999- 2000. Patriots DE Shaun Ellis was also teammates with Martin from 1997-99.
Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco and Bills LB Nick Barnett were teammates at Oregon State in 2000.
QUICK HITS•New England has won 15 straight games against Buffalo, their longest series winning streak against an opponent.
•The Patriots are 22-15 all-time at Ralph Wilson Stadium, including wins in their last six trips to Buffalo.
•Bill Belichick is 10-1 at Buffalo as head coach of the Patriots.
•The Patriots are 8-2 at Buffalo in the month of December and 891 at Buffalo when the temperature is below 40 degrees.
•The Patriots have defeated the Bills 20 times in the last 22 games between the teams dating back to 2000.
•The Patriots have won ten straight games against Buffalo at home, including a perfect 9-0 record at Gillette Stadium.
•The Patriots have recorded 61 wins over the Bills, the most by the Patriots against any one opponent.
DIVISIONAL DOMINANCEThe New England Patriots own a 49-14 (.777) record in regular season AFC East games since the beginning of the 2001 season, compiling the best intra-division record of any team in the NFL over the last 10 seasons.
SERIES SUCCESSThe Patriots extended their win streak to 15 games over Buffalo with a 34-3 win on Dec. 26, 2010. The 15-game win streak over a single opponent is the third longest streak in NFL history against a division opponent.
PASSING PERFORMANCESTom Brady has led the Patriots to 17 regular season victories over the Bills, recording his highest regular season victory total over any opponent. Brady has compiled 13 consecutive victories over the Bills, marking his longest regular-season winning streak over any opponent. Additionally, Brady has thrown for more touchdowns (39) against Buffalo than any other opponent.
NFL'S BEST ROAD WARRIORS THIS DECADESince the start of the 2000 season, the Patriots have the second best regular-season road record at 58-31, behind only Indianapolis (59-30).
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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.
2The number of straight games where the Patriots had three players with seven or more receptions.
2The number of 2011 draft picks that were in the opening day starting lineup after T Nate Solder started at right tackle and S Ras-I Dowling started at cornerback.
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).
4The number of turnover the Patriots had in the 35-21 win against San Diego. It was the second straight season that the Patriots had four turnovers against the Chargers.
4The number of straight regular season games that TE Rob Gronkowski has had at least one touchdown reception after finishing with 2 vs. San Diego.
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.
7.10The number of receptions that Wes Welker is averaging during his Patriots career with 447 receptions in 63 games, best in franchise history.
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).
10The number of career 100-yard receiving games by Deion Branch after he finished with 8 receptions for 129 yards in the win vs. San Diego last week.
10The number of straight games that the Patriots have scored 30 or more points, dating back to last season. That number is a franchise record.
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.
19The number of 10-tackle games by LB Jerod Mayo after he finished with a team-high 11 total tackles vs. San Diego.
20The number of career rushing touchdowns by BenJarvus Green- Ellis. He is the 10th player in Patriots history to record 20 or more touchdowns. His 20 rushing touchowns rank 10th in team history.
28The number of yards that Vince Wilfork returned his first career interception vs. San Diego to help set up a field goal
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.
622The number of total yards by the Patriots in the win at Miami in the season opener, a franchise record. The previous best was 619 yards vs. Tennessee (10/18/09).
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 Brady1The number of NFL quarterbacks that followed a 500-yard performance with a 400-yard performance after Brady had backto- back games with 517 yards and 423 yards.
6The 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.
11The number of times an NFL quarterback has thrown for 500 or more yards after Brady threw for 517 in the 2011 opener at Miami.
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).
18The number of NFL quarterbacks that have reached 35,000 yards after Brady (35,261) reached the milestone at Miami.
29The 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.
36The number of regular-season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record.
84The 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.
113The 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.
940The number of passing yards by Brady in the first two games (517, 423). Brady's 940 yards ranks second all-time in consecutive games to Phil Simms, who holds the record with 945 yards (432 yards and 513 yards).
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 four 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.
179Bill 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 were inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Bledsoe and Morris were inducted in a public ceremony outside The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17. The event was free to the public and Patriots fans were 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, September 4, 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 (2-0) at Bills (2-0) 9/25 (Read 14016 times)