PATRIOTS - EAGLES QUICK HITS

• The NFL's two winningest head coaches since 2001 will square off in this week's game. Patriots coach Bill Belichick leads the NFL with a 40-14 (.741) record over that span and Eagles head man Andy Reid ranks second with a 39-16 (.709) mark.
• The last time Philadelphia visited Foxborough for a preseason meeting was for the first football game in Gillette Stadium history. New England took a 16-15 decision in that game.
• The Patriots have defeated the Eagles by a combined 71 points in the last five preseason meetings.
• Half of the 16 preseason meetings between the teams have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
• Bill Belichick is 3-0 against the Eagles as head coach of the New England Patriots in both preseason and regular-season games.
  PASSING PERFORMANCES
  Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb are slated to start against each other for the third time in less than a year. Brady and the Patriots came out on top in the 2003 regular-season and preseason meetings, and the Patriots starter holds an overall record of 3-0 against the Eagles including the preseason. McNabb was injured for the teams' 1999 clash and was replaced by Koy Detmer but has started against the Patriots in each of the last two preseasons and also in the 2003 regular season.

HEAD COACHES RECORDS

BILL BELICHICK
Overall Record: 82-70 (.539)
Regular Season: 75-69 (.521)
Postseason: 7-1 (.875)
Overall with New England: 45-25 (.643)
Overall since 2001: 40-14 (.741)
Overall Preseason Record: 24-13 (.649)
Preseason with New England: 13-4 (.765)
*-Not included in above totals

ANDY REID
Overall Record: 56-33 (.629)
Regular Season: 51-29 (.637)
Postseason: 5-4 (.556)
Overall with Philadelphia: 56-33 (.629)
Overall since 2001: 39-16 (.709)
Overall Preseason Record: 7-12 (.369)
Preseason with Philadelphia: 7-12 (.369)
*-Not included in above totals

CONNECTIONS

• Patriots QB Tom Brady and Eagles linebacker Dhani Jones were college teammates at Michigan from 1996-99.
• Patriots WR Deion Branch and Eagles WR Terrell Owens both competed in the 4 x 100 relay on their college track teams.
• Patriots linebackers coach Dean Pees was the defensive coordinator/secondary coach at Miami (OH) University from 1983-86 where Eagles special teams coach John Harbaugh was a defensive back from 1980-83.
• Patriots current assistant head coach/offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia was the tight ends/special teams coach in New England from 1982-88, during which time current Eagles defensive line coach Tommy Brasher was defensive line coach for the Patriots from 1982-84.
• Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown was a teammate of Eagles long snapper Mike Bartrum at Marshall and also in New England from 1996-99. The two players organized a one-day football camp at Spring Valley HS in Huntington, W.Va. and a golf tournament the following day to benefit each player's charitable endeavors.
• Eagles linebacker Keith Adams is the son of former Patriots defensive end Julius Adams (1971-85, 87).
• Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry signed with the Philadelphia Eagles (09/20/00) and played in 13 regular season games as well as two postseason contests for Philly in 2000.
• Patriots fullback Fred McCrary was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round (208th overall) of the 1995 NFL draft.
• Patriots wide receiver David Patten made his first NFL start against the Eagles as a member of the Giants (12/07/97).
• Patriots rookie nose tackle Dan Klecko played his college ball in Philadelphia at Temple.
• Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi recorded his first career interception against Philadelphia (12/19/99) and also finished that game with 12 tackles.

THIS WEEK IN PATRIOTS HISTORY
AUGUST 6 - AUGUST 13
August 13, 1967: The Patriots played the Baltimore Colts of the NFL in a preseason matchup, marking the first time the AFL Patriots had played an NFL team. The Colts were victorious by a 33-3 score.
August 10, 1984: The Patriots installed a new SuperTurf surface at Sullivan Stadium, replacing the original SuperTurf that was laid in 1977.
August 6, 2001: Patriots quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein died due to a heart condition at the age of 45.

PRESEASON SUCCESS STREAK
New England has won seven consecutive preseason games and has been victorious in 11 of its last 13 preseason contests. The Patriots are 16-4 (.800) at home in the preseason since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, including a 7-1 (.875) mark at home in the preseason under head coach Bill Belichick. Since Belichick took over as head coach in 2000, the Patriots hold an overall mark of 13-4 (.765) in the preseason.

PRESEASON HISTORY
The Patriots are 27-15 (.643) in the preseason since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. New England has had a winning record in seven of its last eight preseasons. 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 87-111-1.

WINNING PRESEASON=SUCCESS
A winning record in the preseason has historically been a harbinger of success for New England. The Patriots have qualified for the playoffs seven of the last nine times they recorded a winning preseason record. The last seven times the Patriots have made the playoffs, they have also had a winning preseason record.

2003: A PERFECT EXHIBITION
In 2003, New England won all four of its preseason contests, finishing the exhibition slate undefeated for the third time in club history. The Patriots were also perfect in the preseason in 1978 and 1981. The Patriots posted a winning record in the preseason for the fourth straight year and for the seventh time in the past eight years.

BILL BELICHICK IN THE PRESEASON
Bill Belichick has compiled an overall record of 24-13 (.649) in the preseason, including a 13-4 (.765) mark as Patriots head coach. Belichick's teams have been .500 or above in all nine of his previous preseasons as a head coach in the NFL.

PATRIOTS PRESEASON OPENERS
Since Bill Belichick took over as head coach of the Patriots, the team is 3-1 in preseason openers, including last year's 26-6 victory over the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 7. Overall, New England is 15-29 (.326) in preseason openers.