!PATRIOTS (2-1) vs. GIANTS (1-2)
Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Gillette Stadium (68,756)*
The New England Patriots and the New York Giants will meet for the 23rd time in the preseason and for the ninth straight year in the preseason finale this Thursday night. The clubs have been frequent preseason opponents recently, squaring off in the preseason openers for three straight years from 2001-03 and resuming the series in 2005 when they started to meet in the preseason finale.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by the Patriots Preseason Television Network and can be seen in every New England state as well as Hawaii. The preseason network's flagship station is WBZ-TV CBS in Boston. WBZ-TV'sDan Roche provides play-by-play and is joined by former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria in the broadcast booth. Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham will provide sideline analysis along with WBZ-TV'sSteve Burton. Patriots Football Weekly's beat writers Paul Perillo andAndy Hart will also provide insight and analysis.
PATRIOTS PRESEASON TELEVISION NETWORK
Massachusetts
Boston, Mass. WBZ-TV Ch. 4
Springfield, Mass. WWLP-TV Ch. 22
Rhode Island
Providence, R.I. WPRI-TV Ch. 12
New Hampshire
Manchester, N.H. WMUR-TV Ch. 9
Maine
Portland, Maine WMTW-TV Ch. 8
Bangor, Maine WVII-TV Ch. 7
Connecticut
Hartford, Conn. WCTX-TV Ch. 59
Vermont
Burlington, Vt. WCAX-TV Ch.3
Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii KFVE-TV Ch.5
The game will also be broadcast to a national audience by the NFL Network with Spero Dedes calling the game with Mike Mayock. Alex Flanagan will provide sideline analysis. Bob Goodrich and Mark Teitleman will produce the game and Artie Kempner will be the director.
RADIO: 98.5 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 here. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Giants will meet for the 23rd time in the preseason and for the ninth straight year in the preseason finale.
The clubs have been frequent preseason opponents recently, squaring off in the preseason openers for three straight years from 2001-03 and resuming the series in 2005 when they started to meet in the preseason-finale.
The teams played three times in during the 2011 season with a meeting in the preseason, the regular season and in Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants prevailed in all three contests. The Patriots lost 18-17 in the preseason-finale at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 1, 2011 and then ended a 20-game home winning streak in the regular season when the Giants beat the Patriots, 24-20, in a regular season game on Nov. 6, 2011 at Gillette Stadium.
Overall, the Giants hold a 14-8 advantage in the preseason series. The Patriots claim a 5-4 edge in the regular season play.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
In the decades leading up to the founding of the American Football League in 1960, many football fans in New England followed the Giants, a franchise founded in 1925. New England-based NFL outfits such as the Providence Steam Roller (1925-31), the Boston Redskins (1932-36) and the Boston Yanks (1944-48) folded or moved away, leaving the Giants as the closest NFL team to New England until the Patriots franchise inaugurated play in the 1960 season.
MEMORABLE PATRIOTS-GIANTS MATCHUPS
!Aug. 15, 1971- The Patriots defeated the Giants 20-14 in the opening preseason game at the old Foxboro Stadium.
Dec. 21, 1996- The Patriots rallied from a 22-3 fourthquarter deficit to clinch a first-round playoff bye with a 23- 22 win at Giants Stadium.
Aug. 10, 2001- New England began its first Super Bowl championship season with a 14-0 preseason shutout of the defending NFC champion Giants.
Dec. 29, 2007- The Patriots defeat the Giants by a thrilling 38-35 score to cap off the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history.
February 3, 2008- The Patriots faced the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz. The Giants 17-14 win snapped the Patriots perfect season.
February 5, 2012- The Patriots faced the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Ind. The Giants took a 21-17 lead when they scored with 57 seconds left in the game and held the Patriots on a final drive to secure the win.
CONNECTIONS
New England Ties
- Giants President and CEO John K. Mara attended Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., where he received his B.S. in Marketing and graduated Cum Laude in 1976.
- Giants Treasurer Jonathan M. Tisch graduated in 1976 from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees and is the naming benefactor of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.
- Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin served as the Head Coach at Boston College from 1991-1993, where he compiled a 21-13-1 record during his three-year tenure. Coughlin also served as the Eagles' quarterbacks coach for three seasons from 1981-1983.
- Bill Belichick and Coughlin coached together with the Giants from 1988-1990. Coughlin was the team's wide receivers coach during his tenure.
- Giants Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn held defensive coordinator jobs at Boston University in 1995 and Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. from 1996-1998.
- Giants Secondary/Cornerbacks Coach Peter Giunta is a Salem, Mass. native and attended Northeastern University, where he played four seasons as a defensive back. Giunta began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Swampscott (Mass.) High School from 1978- 1980 before moving on to Brown University in Providence, RI as a Wide Receiver/Tight Ends Coach from 1984-1985 and Offensive Coordinator from 1986-1987.
- Giants Running Backs Coach Gerald Ingram served as running backs coach at Boston College under Head Coach Tom Coughlin from 1991-1993.
- Giants Strength and Conditioning Coach Jerry Palmieri spent two years as the director of strength and conditioning at Boston College from 1993-1994.
- Giants Offensive Assistant Ryan Roeder served as Assistant Offensive Line Coach at Holy Cross in 2004 and Wide Receivers Coach at University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. in 2009.
- Giants Quarterbacks Coach Sean Ryan was a graduate assistant at Boston College from 2001-2002 and also served as running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at Harvard University in 2006.
- Giants LB Mark Herzlich played linebacker at Boston College from 2006-2010, where he earned First-Team All-America and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior in 2008. Herzlich also won the Rudy Award and Brian Piccolo Award in 2010 for his courage in overcoming Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that caused him to miss the entire 2009 season.
- Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka was also a standout at Boston College as a defensive end, setting school records with 37.5 sacks and 64.5 tackles for loss in his four-year career from 2002-2005 with the Eagles.
- Giants G Chris Snee also shined at Boston College from 2001-2003, starting every game at right guard his senior year and earning second-team All-America and first-team All-Big East Conference honors.
- Giants WR Victor Cruz attended University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2006-2009, where tallied 131 receptions for 1,958 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons as a wide receiver and was twice selected to the First-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association Team.
- Giants WR Jeremy Horne lined up alongside Cruz at receiver for three seasons from 2007-2009 after transferring from Syracuse at the end of his freshman year.
- Giants RB Michael Cox attended Avon Old Farms High School in Avon, Conn. before going on to play at UMass Amherst from 2009-2012.
- Giants LS Zak DeOssie is a native of North Andover, Mass. and attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. before going on to play football at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Zak's father Steve played two seasons on the Patriots from 1994-1995 as a linebacker and long snapper.
- Giants T Will Beatty played four seasons at the University of Connecticut from 2005-2008, where he started in 35 games and earned All-Big East First Team honors as a senior in 2008.
Former Patriots
- Giants Assistant Special Teams Coach Larry Izzo was a special teams standout on the Patriots from 2001-2008, where he earned three Super Bowl rings and made two Pro Bowl appearances (2002, 2004) during his eight-year stint with the club.
- Giants Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Markus Paul spent three years in the same capacity for the Patriots from 2000-2004, where he won three Super Bowl rings in his five-year tenure.
- Giants Tight Ends Coach Michael Pope coached running backs and tight ends for the Patriots from 1994-96. Pope was an assistant coach for the Giants from 1983-1991, including eight years while Bill Belichick was on the staff (1983-90).
Former Giants
- !Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent 12 seasons on the Giants' coaching staff, and was the team's defensive coordinator for their victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. Belichick joined the Giants as the special teams coach on Ray Perkins' staff in 1979, and during his tenure coached special teams (1979-82), linebackers (1980-84) and the secondary (1989-90), while also holding defensive coordinator responsibilities (1985-90).
- Patriots Defensive Line Coach Pepper Johnson was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He won two Super Bowls and twice earned Pro Bowl honors during his career with New York.
- Patriots Football Research Director Ernie Adams was hired by the Giants in 1979 as an Offensive Assistant and spent three years in that position before moving to the scouting department as the Pro Personnel Director from 1983-1984.
- Patriots TE Jake Ballard was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent on April 25, 2010 and spent two seasons with the club before tearing his ACL in Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants placed Ballard on Injured Reserve following the game and released him on June 11, 2012.
Former NFL Teammates
- Patriots DT Tommy Kelly was teammates with Giants G/T Kevin Boothe during the 2006 season and S Stevie Brown during the 2010 season on the Oakland Raiders.
- Patriots QB Tim Tebow was teammates with Giants RB Andre Brown during the 2010 on the Denver Broncos.
- Giants K Josh Brown and Patriots LB Niko Koutouvides were teammates for four seasons from 2004-2007 on the Seattle Seahawks. Brown was also teammates with TE Daniel Fells (2008-2010) and WR Danny Amendola (2009-2011) for three seasons as well as TE Michael Hoomanawanui for two seasons (2010- 2011) on the St. Louis Rams.
- Giants LB Aaron Curry was teammates with Patriots LB Leon Washington during the 2010 season on the Seattle Seahawks and DT Tommy Kelly during the 2011 and 2012 seasons on the Oakland Raiders.
- Patriots LB Mike Rivera was teammates with Giants DT Cullen Jenkins in Green Bay during Rivera's brief stint with the Packers in 2010.
- Giants CB Trumaine McBride was teammates with Patriots LB Mike Rivera for one season (2009) on the Chicago Bears and S Adrian Wilson for one season (2010) on the Arizona Cardinals.
- Patriots DT Tommy Kelly was teammates with Giants TE Brandon Myers for four seasons (2009-2012) and WR Louis Murphy for three seasons (2009-2011) on the Oakland Raiders.
- Giants DT Frank Okam was teammates with Patriots CB Aqib Talib and RB LeGarrette Blount for two seasons (2010-2011) and LB Niko Koutouvides for one season (2010) on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Giants DT Mike Patterson was teammates with Patriots DB Kyle Arrington (2008) and WR Danny Amendola (2009) during their brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Patriots S Adrian Wilson and Giants CB Antrel Rolle teamed up in the Arizona Cardinals defensive backfield for five seasons from 2005-2009.
- Patriots LB Niko Koutouvides and Giants RB Ryan Torain were teammates during the 2008 season on the Denver Broncos.
- Giants P Steve Weatherford was teammates with Patriots CB Marquice Cole for two seasons (2009-2010) on the New York Giants and DL Rob Ninkovich for one season (2006) on the New Orleans Saints
Fellow Countrymen
- Patriots T Sebastian Vollmer and Giants DT Markus Kuhn are the first two German citizens ever to be drafted into the NFL. Vollmer, a native of Dusseldorf, Germany, was drafted by the Patriots in 2009, while Kuhn, a native of Weinheim, Germany (approximately 170 miles southeast of Dusseldorf), was selected by the Giants in the 2012 NFL Draft.
MOST FREQUENT PRESEASON OPPONENTS
The Patriots will meet their most frequent preseason opponent this week for the 23rd time.
PATRIOTS LOSE THIRD PRESEASON GAME
The Patriots lost their third preseason game in 2001, 2004 and 2011 before advancing to the Super Bowl.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
BY THE NUMBERS
3
The number of interceptions in the end zone by DB Devin McCourty in 2012. He led the team with five interceptions. It is the second time in three years that he has led the team in interceptions.
3
The Patriots own the top three totals in NFL history for most ball control plays from scrimmage with 1,199 in 1994, 1,191 in 2012 and 1,187 in 1995.
5
Linebacker Jerod Mayo has led the Patriots in tackles in each of the last five seasons, amassing 648 tackles over that five-year span.
7
The number of players from Rutgers on the current Patriots roster, the second most from any NCAA school on one NFL team. The Patriots added five of those seven players this offseason by selecting three Scarlet Knights in the 2013 NFL Draft and signing two free agents. The Buccaneers have eight Rutgers players on their active roster.
8
Newly acquired RB Leon Washington and Oakland's Josh Cribbs share the NFL record with 8 kickoffs returned for touchdowns.
9
The number of fumble recoveries by Rob Ninkovich over the last three years (2010-12), the most of any player in the NFL. Brian Urlacher and Vince Wilfork are second with seven.
10
The number of Rob Gronkowski's receptions in 2012 that did not result in a first down. Gronkowski generated 45 first downs on 55 receptions for an 81.8% first down rate, trailing only Buffalo's Scott Chandler among tight ends with at least 40 receptions.
12
The Patriots enter the season having compiled a winning record in 12 consecutive seasons and are the third team in NFL history to have 12 straight winning seasons since the 1970 merger.
13.1
Julian Edelman has a 13.1 punt return average on 72 returns. He needs three more punt returns to reach the NFL qualifying number (75) to statistically become the NFL's all-time punt return leader in average. The NFL's all-time leader is George McAfee with a 12.8-yard average.
27
The Patriots have forced a turnover in 27 straight games, dating back to 2011, and including all 16 games of 2012. The last team to have at least one forced turnover in all 16 regular season games was the 2010 Atlanta Falcons.
26
The Patriots have 26 rookies on their roster, including 7 draftees and 19 undrafted free agents.
38
Including the 26 rookies, there are 10 new veterans and two new first year players for a total of 38 new faces on the 2013 Patriots roster.
48.7
The Patriots led the NFL with by converting on 110 of 226 third down attempts for a 48.7 conversation percentage. Atlanta was second with a 45.1 rate.
1,379
The number of total snaps by Ryan Wendell in 2012 (1,231 offense and 148 on special teams), to lead the NFL.
TOM BRADY BY THE NUMBERS
!7
The number of 12-win seasons that Brady has guided the Patriots to during his career, second only to Peyton Manning's 9.
10
The number of division championships by Tom Brady, surpassing the nine division titles by Joe Montana and Peyton Manning for an NFL record.
48
The number of consecutive games that Brady has thrown at least one touchdown pass, the longest active streak in the NFL and the second longest streak behind Drew Brees (54).
53
The number of regular season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record.
95.7
The percent of quarterback keepers converted by Brady (88 of 92) for first downs (66-of-68 on 3rd-and-2 or less and 22 of 24 on 4th-and-2 or less).
107
The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 91-16 (.850) when he throws for two or more touchdowns.
THE KRAFT ERA
3
The numr 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), Pittsburgh (2; 2005 and 2008) and the NY Giants (2: 2007 and 2011) have won multiple Super Bowl titles since 1994.
6
The 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.
12
The number of division championships won by the Patriots since Kraft purchased the team in 1994.
14
The number of playoff seasons earned by the Patriots in the 19 seasons since Robert Kraft purchased the team.
31
The number of playoff games the Patriots have appeared in since 1994, the most in the NFL. Green Bay has the second most with 28.
206
The number of consecutive home games that have been sold out, including all playoff and preseason games dating back to the 1994 season opener.
225
The number of games the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the franchise in 1994. Prior to Kraft's ownership, the team had won 225 total games in its entire history from 1960- 93.
4
Bill Belichick is the first coach to lead his team to four 500-point seasons (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012).
5
The number of wins Bill Belichick needs to pass Chuck Noll for fifth all-time in career wins as a head coach. Belichick currently has 205 victories, while Noll finished his career with 209 wins.
10
The number of 11-win seasons by Bill Belichick, tied with Tom Landry for second to Don Shula's 13.
24.6
In Bill Belichick's head coaching career, his teams have scored an average of 24.6 points per game, the highest total among head coaches with at least 200 games.
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