!NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS vs. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Thursday, August 11, 2011 - 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Gillette Stadium (68,756)
After beginning training camp on July 28, the New England Patriots will open the preseason at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots will open the preseason at home for the fifth time since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002.
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 Eastern Canada. The network's flagship station is WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston. Veteran CBS broadcaster Don Criqui provides play-by-play for the 17th year and is joined by three-time NFL Pro Bowler and CBS analyst Randy Cross for the ninth year.
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 in this press release. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 34th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Santos and Cappelletti are celebrating their 28th season as a tandem.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Jaguars will meet in the preseason for the second time and will clash for the 11th time overall. The Patriots only other preseason meeting against Jacksonville was in the 2004 preseason finale when the Jaguars won, 31-0, at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are 5-0 against the Jaguars in the regular season and 3-1 against the Jaguars in the postseason. The last regular season meeting between the two teams was on Dec. 27, 2009 when the Patriots defeated the Jaguars, 35-7. Tom Brady set a team record with a pass completion percentage of .885. He completed 23 of 26 pass attempts for 267 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
PRESEASON HISTORY
The Patriots are 39-31 (.558) in the preseason since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Prior to 1994, the Patriots were 60- 96-1 (.385) in the preseason. New England enters this week's game with an all-time preseason mark of 99-127-1 (.436).
BILL BELICHICK IN THE PRESEASON
Bill Belichick has compiled an overall record of 36-29 (.554) in the preseason, including a 25-20 (.556) mark as Patriots head coach. Belichick's teams have been .500 or above in 14 of his 16 previous preseasons as a head coach in the NFL.
PRESEASON VS. AFC
This week, the Patriots will play an AFC team in the preseason for just the sixth time in their last 27 preseason games.
CONNECTIONS
- Patriots OL Dan Connolly was a member of the Jaguars from 2005-06.
- Patriots WR Matthew Slater was college teammates with Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew and TE Marcedes Lewis at UCLA from 2004-05. Slater and Patriots DB Bret Lockett were teammates at UCLA with Jaguars KB Kyle Bosworth in 2007.
- Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich and Jaguars OL Uche Nwaneri were teammates at Purdue in 2004.
- Patriots S Brandon McGowan and Jaguars FB Montell Owens were born in New Jersey and were teammates at Maine from 2002-04.
- Jaguars CB Terrence Wheatley was drafted by the Patriots in the 2008 NFL draft. Wheatley played for the Patriots for three seasons. Wheatley and Patriots rookie T Nate Solder were teammates at the University of Colorado from 2006-07.
- Patriots CB Leigh Bodden and Jaguars QB Luke McCown both played for the Cleveland Browns in 2004.
- Patriots CB Darius Butler and Jaguars LB Scott Lutrus teammates at the University of Connecticut in 2007.
- Patriots rookie LB Markell Carter and Jaguars DE Larry Hart were teammates at Central Arkansas from 2007-09.
- Patriots LB Jermaine Cunningham, TE Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes and Jaguars DL Jeremy Mincey were teammates at the University of Florida from 2007-09.
- Patriots rookie CB Ras-I Dowling and Jaguars rookie WR Dontrelle Inman were teammates the past four years at the University of Virginia. Dowling was also teammates with Jaguars DT Nate Collins and OT Eugene Monroe at Virginia from 2007-08.
- Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, Jaguars OT Eben Britton and WR Mike Thomas were teammates at the University of Arizona from 2007-08.
- Patriots LB Gary Guyton, DL Darryl Richard and Jaguars S Dawan Landry were teammates at Georgia Tech from 2004-05.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer and Jaguars rookie LB Eric Gordon were teammates at Michigan State from 2007-08.
- Patriots CB Devin McCourty, Jaguars S Courtney Greene, WR Tiquan Underwood and OT Kevin Haslam were teammates at Rutgers University from 2005-08. Patriots OL Rich Ohrnberger and Jaguars LB Paul Posluzsny were teammates at Penn State in 2006.
- Patriots rookie TE Lee Smith and Jaguars OT Daniel Baldridge at The Marshall University from 2006-10.
- Patriots rookies WR Jeremy Ross, RB Shane Vereen and Jaguars DT Tyson Alualu were teammates at the University of California from 2007-09. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2011
TOM BRADY
- Tom 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 9 wins to become just the sixth quarterbacks 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 6 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 WELKER
- Wes 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. BY THE NUMBERS
2
The 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.
2
The 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.
4
The 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).
5.64
The 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.
7
The number of interceptions by CB Devin McCourty in 2010. It is the second most interceptions by a rookie in Patriots history to Mike Haynes (8) in 1976.
10
The 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).
13
The 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.
65
The 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.
71
The 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.
193
The 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.
1,008
The 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 BRADY BY THE NUMBERS
6
The 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.
8
The 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.
17
The 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).
28
The 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.
36
The 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.
34
The number of regular-season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record.
82
The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 70-12 when he throws for two or more touchdowns.
111
The 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 ERA
3
The 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.
5
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 three conference titles since 1994.
10
The number of division championships won by the Patriots since Kraft purchased the team in 1994.
12
The number of playoff seasons earned by the Patriots in the 17 seasons since Robert Kraft purchased the team.
17
The 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.
26
The 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 ERA
4
Bill 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.
177
Bill Belichick has 177 career victories as a head coach, including playoff games. Belichick is in sole possession of 10th place in alltime coaching victories.
