A look at the connections between the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin is from Springfield, Mass. and coached at Worcester Tech, Northeastern and Harvard.
- Packers QB Tim Boyle grew up in Middlefield, Conn. and was named Connecticut High School Coaches' Association Player of the Year after leading his school to a state title his senior season.
- Packers defense run game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Patrick Graham grew up in Waterbury, Conn. before playing defensive line for a Yale team that won the Ivy League title in 1999.
- Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans played running back at the University of Maine and began his coaching career there as a running backs coach/recruiting coordinator. Sirmans was an all-conference player and earned All-New England honors following a senior year where he rushed for 1,214 yards. Sirmans also coached the running backs at Boston College from 2007-11.
WISCONSIN TIES
- Patriots RB James White played at the University of Wisconsin from 2010-13 and totaled rushing 4,015 yards and 45 rushing touchdowns to go with 73 receptions for 670 yards and three scores.
- Patriots consultant to the head coach Bret Bielema was defensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin from 2004-05 before becoming head coach of the Badgers from 2006-12.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Packers defense run game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Patrick Graham broke into the NFL with the Patriots, working as an assistant before coaching the linebackers and defensive line from 2009-2015.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATES
- Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine coached in the same role at Buffalo in 2013 when Patriots WR Chris Hogan and CB Stephon Gilmore played for the Bills. Packers offense-pass game coordinator Jim Hostler was the senior offensive assistant in Buffalo in 2014 with Hogan and Gilmore.
- Packers TE Lance Kendricks played for the Rams from 2011-16, playing with Patriots LB Nicholas Grigsby in 2016. Patriots offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels and defensive line coach Brendan Daly work in the same roles for the Rams in 2011.
- Packers QB DeShone Kizer played for Cleveland in 2017 with Patriots WR Josh Gordon, DB Jason McCourty and DL Danny Shelton. Packers CB Tramon Williams also played for Cleveland from 2015-16, teaming up with Shelton. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine also was head coach for Cleveland from 2014- 15, coaching Patriots QB Brian Hoyer, Shelton and Gordon while Packers tight ends coach Brian Angelichio and defensive quality control coach Ryan Downard was on the Browns coaching staff.
- Packers LB Antonio Morrison played for Indianapolis with Patriots TE Dwayne Allen, WR Phillip Dorsett and DE John Simon. Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin coached Allen and Dorsett in 2016 as an assistant head coach/offensive line coach and assistant special teams coach Maurice Drayton coached assistant special teams for the Colts. Finally, Packers offense-pass game coordinator Jim Hostler coached the tight ends for the Colts in 2016.
- Patriots RB Kenjon Barner teamed up with Packers T/G Byron Bell for Carolina in 2013.
- Patriots DE Adrian Clayborn played for Tampa Bay while Packers tight ends coach Brian Angelichio coached in the same role for the Buccaneers from 2012-13.
- Patriots DE John Simon played for Baltimore in 2013 when Packers offense-pass game coordinator Jim Hostler coached the wide receivers.
- Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort worked for Houston's scouting department when Packers secondary coach Jason Simmons played defensive back for the Texans.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Packers TE Lance Kendricks played for Wisconsin from 2007-10, teaming up with Patriots RB James White in 2010. Patriots consultant to the head coach Bret Bielema was head coach of the Badgers when Kendricks and White played in Madison.
- Patriots WR Matthew Slater played with Packers TE Marcedes Lewis at UCLA from 2004-05.
- Patriots consultant to the head coach Bret Bielema coached the linebackers at Iowa while Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin coached the offensive line for the Hawkeyes from 1999-2001.
- Patriots DE Adrian Clayborn played with Packers T Bryan Bulaga (2007-09) and DL Mike Daniels (2008-10) at Iowa.
- Patriots OL Cole Croston also attended Iowa, playing with Packers CB Josh Jackson from 2014-16. Packers wide receivers coach David Raih coached both Clayborn and Croston at Iowa as a graduate assistant.
- Packers quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti Jr. was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Fresno State when Patriots strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera was assistant strength and conditioning coach and coaching assistant Cole Popovich played offensive line for the Bulldogs.
- Packers LB Antonio Morrison played for Florida with Patriots OL Trent Brown (2013-14) and DB J.C. Jackson (2014).
- Patriots DL Danny Shelton played on the Washington defense with Packers CB Kevin King from 2013-14.
- Green Bay C Corey Linsley teamed up with Patriots DE John Simon (2010-12) and DB Nate Ebner (2010-11) at Ohio State.
- Patriots LB Kyle Van Noy played with Packers RB Jamaal Williams at BYU from 2012-13.
- New England OL Joe Thuney played with Green Bay S Josh Jones (2014-15) and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (2013-14) at N.C. State.
- Patriots TE Dwayne Allen played at Clemson with Packers CB Bashaud Breeland in 2011.
- New England P Ryan Allen played with Green Bay S Kentrell Brice at Louisiana Tech in 2012.
- Patriots OL Ted Karras played for Illinois with Packers WR Geronimo Allison (2014-15) and LB James Crawford (2012-15).
- Packers T David Bakhtiari played at Colorado when Patriots strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera was assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Buffaloes.
- Packers DL Montravius Adams and S Jermaine Whitehead played for Auburn with Patriots DB Jonathan Jones and LB Brandon King.
- Patriots DL Adam Butler played on the Vanderbilt defense with Packers LB Oren Burks from 2014-16.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer played at Michigan State while Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans coached the running backs and special teams from 2005-06.
- Patriots cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer was a graduate assistant at Kent State when Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans coached the running backs from 2002-03.
- Patriots DL Geneo Grissom played at Oklahoma when Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery coached the defensive line for the Sooners from 2013-14.
- Packers LB Kyler Fackrell played at Utah State when Patriots coaching assistant Cole Popovich was a graduate assistant there from 2013-14.
- Patriots DB Duron Harmon played for Rutgers in 2011 when Packers quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti Jr. was the offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach and tight ends coach Brian Angelichio worked in the same role for the Scarlet Knights.
