| **DATE:** | Friday, August 4, 2000 |
| **SITE:** | Pontiac Silverdome (80,311)- Turf |
| **TIME:** | 7:00 p.m., EDT |
| **TELEVISION:** | This week's game will be broadcast locally on WCVB Channel 5 in Boston for the sixth consecutive year. Don Criqui will provide the play-by-play detail and will be joined by broadcast partner Jerry Glanville. They will be joined by Mike Lynch from the sidelines. All games will also be televised in Providence on WNAC (Channel 64), WTXX in Hartford, Conn. (Ch. 20) and WMTW in Portland, Maine (Ch 8). |
| **RADIO:** | WBCN's Rock Radio Network 104.1 FM. Gil Santos, who enters his 24th season as voice of the Patriots, will call the action along with Gino Cappelletti. The tandem is entering their 17th year together. |
The New England Patriots returned to Smithfield, R.I. early Tuesday morning, after a 20-0 season opening win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Monday night. This week, the Patriots will have just one day of practice (on Wednesday, Aug. 2) before departing for Detroit on Thursday, Aug. 3 for their game against the Lions on Friday. It is the first of three games this season that the Patriots will have short weeks of preparation, playing two games in five days. The Patriots end the preseason with games on Aug. 20 and again on Aug. 24. During the regular season, they play on Thanksgiving Day at Detroit, on Thurs., Nov. 23, four days after hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. All three of those "short" weeks are anchored to nationally televised games.
Monday night's game was not only the debut of ABCs new Monday Night Football broadcast team, but it was also Bill Belichick's debut as the head coach of the Patriots. Both teams received high marks for their season-opening performances. For the Patriots, the 20-0 shutout was the first preseason shutout by the team in the 41-year history of the franchise and the first since the 1996 season.
Defensively, the Patriots put pressure on the 49ers passers all day, forcing seven sacks and limiting the 49ers offense to just 210 total net yards, including just 65 yards rushing. Offensively, the Patriots rushed for 193 yards and their quarterbacking triumvirate of Drew Bledsoe, Michael Bishop and Tom Brady combined to complete 70 percent of their passes.
Patriots fans can expect to see extended playing time from Bishop and Brady once again this week. Last week, Bishop took over the offense after the first offensive series. He completed a touchdown pass to Kevin Faulk just before the half and scored on a scramble from 22 yards out in the third quarter. Brady finished the game with a 3-for-4 effort in the fourth quarter.
While in college, the two combined for a 66-8 record. Bishop had a 46-3 record as a starter at Blinn Junior College and Kansas State and Brady was 20-5 in two years as a starter at Michigan.
"What I'd like to do," stated Belichick, "is get the two younger quarterbacks a good opportunity in the first two preseason games to play and then evaluate things after that."
The Patriots return to Bryant College for three daily double sessions next week (Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 9) before traveling to Washington on Thursday for their final preseason road game on Friday, Aug. 11.
