A look at the connections between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie was born and raised in the Boston area. He earned his B.A. from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., his master's degree from Boston University and doctorate from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and several of his business interests remain headquartered in the greater Boston area.
- Eagles T Will Beatty attended Connecticut from 2004-08 and played in 37 games at left tackle for the Huskies.
- Eagles S Corey Graham played at the University of New Hampshire from 2003-06. He still holds the school record and ranks 7th all-time in Division I-AA history with 1,787 yards on 65 kickoff returns (27.5 avg.) and 3 TDs in his four seasons.
- Eagles special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spent two seasons (1998 safeties, 1999 secondary/special teams coordinator) coaching at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
- Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at inside linebacker at Southern Connecticut State. He earned Little All-America honors as a senior and was named a team captain. Stoutland began his coaching career at his alma mater as the inside linebackers coach from 1984-85. In 1988, he returned for his second coaching stint at the school where he served as the team's offensive coordinator for four seasons.
- Eagles defensive quality control/assistant secondary coachDino Vasso was a four-year defensive back at the University of New Hampshire (2006-10). He started 51 consecutive games and earned first-team AFCA All-American honors as a senior.
PHILADELPHIA AREA TIES
- Patriots FB James Develin hails from Gilbertsville, Pa., a town about an hour from Philadelphia. He attended Boyertown Area Senior High School, where he lettered in football and lacrosse and was named a football team captain and team MVP.
- Patriots special teams coach Joe Judge was born in Philadelphia, Pa. And played quarterback and strong safety during a four-year high school career at Landsdale (Pa.) Catholic High School under Jim Algeo. He was named All Area as a junior and senior.
- Patriots assistant special teams coach Ray Ventrone appeared in 35 games at Villanova where he earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team his junior year. Ventrone finished his Wildcat career with 251 tackles, two sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 11 passes defensed.
- Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly coached the defensive line at Villanova in 2005.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Eagles DE Chris Long played for the Patriots in 2016 and was a member of the Super Bowl LI championship team. In his one season at New England, Long played in all 16 regular season games with seven starts and totaled 35 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also played in the team's three playoff games.
- Eagles RB LeGarrette Blountplayed for the Patriots from 2013-16, winning two Super Bowls with the team during that time. In his tenure at New England, Blount rushed 677 times for 2,917 yards and 34 touchdowns, included a career high 299 rush attempts for 1,161 yards and an NFL-leading 18 TDs in 2016.
- Eagles LB Kamu Grugier-Hill was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft but was released during roster cut downs at the end of training camp that year.
- Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin began his NFL career in 2004 as a defensive assistant with the New England Patriots, working with the secondary. In his one year with the Patriots, he helped the team capture a victory in Super Bowl XXXIX.
- Eagles assistant offensive line/tight ends/run game coach Eugene Chung entered the NFL with the Patriots as the team's first-round pick (13th overall) in the 1992 NFL Draft and played at New England for three seasons.
FORMER EAGLES
- Patriots S Patrick Chung spent the 2013 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he started in 10 of the 12 games he played and compiled 56 tackles, seven passes defense and one fumble recovery. Chung recorded four tackles in Philadelphia's postseason game vs. New Orleans.
- Patriots RB Dion Lewis played for the Eagles from 2011-12 and saw action in 24 games during that time.
- Patriots DB Eric Rowe was drafted by Philadelphia in the second round (47th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft and played one season for the Eagles before being traded to the Patriots. As a rookie, Rowe started five of 16 games played – including his first career start at New England – and tallied 25 tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATES
- Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was the quarterbacks coach at Philadelphia from 2011-12 when Patriots RB Dion Lewis played for the Eagles. Assistant offensive line/tight ends/run game coachEugene Chung was also an assistant offensive coach during that time.
- When Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the head coach of the Browns, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz entered the NFL under Belichick's tutelage in 1993 as a college/pro scout for Cleveland.
- Eagles LB Nigel Bradham, CB Ronald Darbyand S Corey Graham were teammates with Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore, WR Chris Hogan and RB Mike Gillislee at Buffalo. Bradham and Patriots DL Alan Branch also played together when they were both with the Bills in 2013.
- Additionally, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz served in the same capacity at the Bills in 2014 and coached Gilmore at Buffalo.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer played with Eagles G Brandon Brooks at Houston in 2015 and Eagles WRAlshon Jefferyat Chicago in 2016.
- Eagles QB Nick Foles and Patriots WR Kenny Britt were teammates at the St. Louis Rams in 2015. Under the tutelage of Eagles wide receivers coach Mike Groh, who served as the Rams' wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator in 2016, Britt also achieved his first 1,000-yard campaign at Los Angeles last season.
- Patriots WR Danny Amendola played at the St. Louis Rams with Eagles DE Chris Long from 2009-12, P Donnie Jones from 2009-11 and S Rodney McLeod in 2012. Also during that time, Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly (2009-11) and Patriots offensive coordinator/ quarterbacksJosh McDaniels (2011) served in the same capacity at the Rams, and Eagles linebackers coach Ken Flajole (2009-11) was the defensive coordinator.
- Patriots RB Mike Gilislee and Eagles LB Dannell Ellerbe played together at Miami from 2013-14.
- Patriots WR Brandin Cooks played at New Orleans with Eagles LB Dannell Ellerbe from 2015-16 and CB Patrick Robinson in 2014.
- Patriots TE Dwayne Allen and WR Phillip Dorsett were together at Indianapolis with Eagles CB Patrick Robinsonin 2016.
- Patriots WR Kenny Britt lined up alongside Eagles G Chance Warmack in 2013 when the two played for the Tennessee Titans.
- Patriots DL Lawrence Guy played at Baltimore with Eagles DTTim Jernigan from 2014-16 and WR Torrey Smith in 2014.
- Patriots DL Ricky Jean Francois and Eagles QBNate Sudfeld were together at Washington in 2016.
- Patriots LB James Harrison was teammates with Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley at Pittsburgh from 2004-06 and the two won a Super Bowl together to cap the 2005 season.
- Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich was an offensive assistant coach at San Diego in 2013 and 2014 when Patriots DL Lawrence Guy played for the Chargers.
- Eagles special teams coordinatorDave Fipp coached at San Francisco when Patriot DL Ricky Jean Francois played for the 49ers from 2009-10. Eagles tight ends coach Justin Peelle also played with Jean Francois at San Francisco in 2011.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer and Eagles QBNick Foles played together at Michigan State in 2007. Foles was also teammates with Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski at Arizona after transferring in 2008, but the two never took the field together. Foles had to redshirt in 2008 and Gronkowski missed his final season at Arizona in 2009 – Foles' first to play as a Wildcat – due to an injury. Foles and Patriots LB Marquis Flowers were also teammates at Arizona from 2010-11.
- Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore and Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery were teammates at South Carolina from 2009-11 and were drafted in the first and second round, respectively, of the 2012 NFL Draft – Gilmore by the Bills and Jeffery by the Bears.
- Patriots S Patrick Chung played at Oregon with Eagles RB LeGarrette Blount(2008) and assistant special teams coach Matthew Harper (2006-07), who also played safety for the Ducks.
- Eagles TE Zach Ertz was teammates with Patriots CB Johnson Bademosi (2009-11), DB Jordan Richards (2011-12) and OL Cameron Fleming (2010-12) at Stanford.
- Patriots WR Brandin Cooks and Eagles G Isaac Seumalo were offensive teammates at Oregon State from 2012-13.
- Patriots DL Alan Branch and LB David Harris played with Eagles DE Brandon Grahamat Michigan for one year in 2006.
- Patriots RB James White shared the backfield with Eagles RB Corey Clementat Wisconsin in 2013 and played with Eagles DT Beau Allen from 2010-13.
- Patriots DL Geneo Grissom played with Eagles T Lane Johnsonat Oklahoma from 2011-12.
- Patriots DL Alan Branch and Eagles DE Brandon Graham were defensive teammates at Michigan in 2006.
- Patriots RB Mike Gillislee, Eagles TE Trey Burtonand Eagles S Jaylen Watkins played at Florida together from 2010-12.
- Patriots DL Malcom Brown was teammates with Eagles WR Marcus Johnsonat Texas from 2012-14.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer was a freshman at Michigan State when Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland oversaw the same position group for the Spartans in 2005.
- Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley was the secondary coach at Eastern Illinois in 2012 when Eagles LB Kamu Grugier-Hill was a freshman on the squad.
- Patriots special teams coach Joe Judgeand Eagles wide receivers coach Mike Groh worked together on Alabama's support staff from 2009-11 and won two national championships together during their tenure. Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was also a part of the Crimson Tide's staff in 2011.
- Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears coached the receivers at Syracuse when Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutlandwas a graduate assistant/offensive line coach from 1986-87.
MINNESOTA TIES
- Patriots QB Tom Brady's mom, Galynn, hails from the town of Browerville, Minn., which is about 130 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.
- Patriots defensive assistant Brendan Daly was worked for the Minnesota Vikings on two separate occasions, first as the defensive line coach from 2012-13 and previously as the team's defensive assistant/defensive line coach from 2006-08.
- Patriots wide receivers coachChad O'Shea also served on the Vikings' staff as an offensive assistant/wide receivers coach from 2006-08.
- Patriots DB Damarius Travis (practice squad) attended the University of Minnesota from 2012-16. He started 23 of 53 games played and compiled 190 career tackles, four interceptions, 13 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
