QUICK HITS
- Prior to this week's meeting, the Jaguars were one of just three teams the Patriots had not played in a preseason matchup. After this week, the only teams the Patriots will have yet to play in the preseason will be the Baltimore Ravens (ninth year as a franchise) and Houston Texans (third year).
- In winning four of five contests in the series, the Patriots have won 80 percent of their games against the Jaguars. The only other teams against which the Patriots have won at least 80 percent of their games are the Baltimore Ravens (2-0) and Houston Texans (1-0).
- The Jaguars are one of just three teams against which the Patriots own an undefeated home record (3-0). The Patriots are 1-0 at home against Baltimore and 2-0 against Chicago.
PRESEASON VS. AFC
This week, the Patriots will play an AFC team in the preseason for just the second time in their last 31 preseason games. Prior to their matchup against the AFC's Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago, the Patriots had played 28 consecutive preseason games against NFC teams dating back to 1997. This week's game is just the fourth preseason game against an AFC team since 1994.
CONNECTIONS
- While playing for Notre Dame in 1998, Jacksonville safety Deke Cooper stonewalled Patriots running back Michael Cloud (then playing for Boston College) at the goal line on the final play of the game, preserving a 31-26 Fighting Irish victory at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (11/07/98)
- Ray Hamilton, the Jaguars defensive line coach, played on the Patriots defensive line from 1973 to 1981 where he started a team-record 110 consecutive games and racked up 54 sacks to place him fifth on the team's all-time list. He later had two coaching tenures with the Patriots, as a defensive line assistant (1985-89) and a defensive line coach (1997-99).
- Paul Boudreau, the Jaguars offensive line coach, was the offensive line coach for the Patriots from 1999 to 2000. Boudreau also coached at Oxford (Mass.) High School, Boston College, Maine and Dartmouth prior to starting his professional coaching career.
- Jaguars guard Mike Compton played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2003, starting 37 games on the offensive line over that span. Last season, he started the first two games of the season before being placed on injured reserve. Compton signed with Jacksonville as a free agent this past offseason.
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick hired Terry McDonough as a scout while Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1992. McDonough is now an Executive Scout with the Jaguars and is a native of Hingham, Mass. He is the son of the late Will McDonough, a longtime sportswriter who covered the Patriots for the Boston Globe.
- Patriots assistant strength & conditioning coach Markus Paul was born on April 1, 1966, in Orlando, Fla. He was an all-state quarterback and defensive back at Osceola High and led his team to the high school Citrus Bowl in 1983.
- Jacksonville fullback Marc Edwards spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons with the Patriots, starting 23 of the 32 games he appeared in, as well as three postseason appearances. While with New England, Edwards had 82 rushes for 237 yards and 48 receptions for 386 yards.
- Jacksonville linebacker Hakim Akbar was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the 2001 NFL draft. He saw action on special teams in six games of the Patriots' first championship season. He was drafted by the Patriots as a safety before making the switch to linebacker.
- Jaguars running back Frank Moreau was on the Patriots roster in the 2003 preseason and was signed by New England on Feb. 6 of this year before being released prior to 2004 training camp on June 8. Moreau also worked as a security officer at Super Bowl XXXVIII last February.
PRESEASON HISTORY
The Patriots are 28-17 (.622) 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 88-113-1.
PRESEASON SUCCESS STREAK
New England has won eight of its last 10 preseason games and has been victorious in 12 of its last 16 preseason contests. The Patriots recently tied a franchise record with an eight-game preseason winning streak lasting from Aug. 17, 2002 to Aug. 13, 2004. Since Bill Belichick became the head coach, the Patriots hold an overall mark of 14-6 (.700) in the preseason. The Patriots have been especially tough at home in the preseason, compiling a 17-4 (.810) home preseason record since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Since Belichick took over as head coach in 2000, New England holds an 8-1 (.889) preseason mark at home.
BILL BELICHICK IN THE PRESEASON
Bill Belichick has compiled an overall record of 25-15 (.625) in the preseason, including a 14-6 (.700) 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 heading into this season and a win this week would continue that streak.
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
The Patriots have an all-time record of 65-41-1 (.612) against the teams that make up the AFC South. It is the only division in the NFL where the Patriots own a winning record against each team. New England owns winning marks against Tennessee (20-16-1), Indianapolis (41-24), Jacksonville (4-1) and Houston (1-0). In 2003, the Patriots were 6-0 against AFC South teams, sweeping the division in the regular season and defeating Tennessee in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game and Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game.
