FOXBOROUGH, Mass.- The New England Patriots released veteran quarterback Jim Miller and first-year offensive tackle Tim Provost today. The team also placed veteran defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield on the reserve / injured list with an ankle injury. The Patriots are now in compliance with the NFL's 65-man roster limit, plus NFL Europe roster exemptions.
Miller, 33, was signed by the Patriots on July 19, 2004 after spending the 2003 season out of football. He is in his 10th NFL season and served as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 2001 and 2002. In his career, the 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound native of Waterford, Mich. has completed 610 of 1,046 passes for 6,387 yards and 36 touchdowns. His most successful season was in 2001 when he played in a career-high 14 games, starting 13 for the Bears, while passing for 2,299 yards and 13 touchdowns on 228 completions. The Michigan State product has also spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe.
Provost, 24, was signed to the Patriots' practice squad on Sept. 2, 2003 and spent the entire 2003 season on the practice squad. The 6-foot-5-inch, 300-pounder out of San Jose State was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round (209th overall) of the 2003 NFL draft.
Stubblefield, 33, was signed by the Patriots on Aug. 5, 2004. He has started in 149 of the 154 games he has played in over his 11-year NFL career, including stints with the San Francisco 49ers (1993-97, 2001-02), Washington Redskins (1998-2000) and Oakland Raiders (2003). The 6-foot-2-inch, 290-pound defensive lineman has amassed 428 career tackles (341 solo), including 53.5 sacks for losses of 325 yards. He has also recorded 32 pass deflections, two interceptions, nine forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 1994, 1995 and 1997 seasons and was named the Associated Press NFL defensive player of the year following a career-best 15-sack season in 1997. The University of Kansas product has spent seven of his 11 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (1993-97, 2001-02), the club that selected him with the 26th pick in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft.
