FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots clinched their seventh consecutive AFC East division title with a 12-4 record and earned a first-round playoff bye for the sixth consecutive season. While the team prepares for its AFC Divisional Round playoff game on Saturday, Jan. 16, at Gillette Stadium, fans can still enjoy Patriots football during the playoff bye week with a visit to The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon.
On Saturday, Jan. 9, The Hall will host the "Playoff Huddle," an hour-long question and answer forum featuring former Patriots assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia and ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss. The duo will engage with fans about the team from 1-2 p.m. inside The Raytheon Theatre.
"With the AFC Wild Card games kicking off later in the day, we thought this would be a great time for fans to come in before the action starts and get their fill of Patriots football talk," said Hall Executive Director Bryan Morry.
Scarnecchia, who retired from the Patriots in January 2013, coached 32 seasons in the NFL, including a franchise record 30 seasons with the Patriots (1982-88, 1991-2013). Scarnecchia was on the Patriots coaching staff for 18 playoff seasons and coached in 39 playoff games in team history, including seven Super Bowl appearances. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick named Scarnecchia the team's assistant head coach/offensive line in 2000, a position he held with the team until his retirement. Scarnecchia was an offensive line coach for 28 of his 44 seasons in the coaching profession.
Reiss first started reporting on the Patriots in 1997 for the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, and is now in his fifth season doing so for ESPNBoston.com. He has covered the team over parts of the last three decades and is considered to be one of the leading voices when it comes to Patriots football.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have these two personalities available to talk playoff football with our fans," Morry said. "The experience they bring from different perspectives will give fans a unique opportunity to gain insight into how things may or may not change in the postseason. Coach Scarnecchia brings a wealth of knowledge from a game planning, preparation and coaching perspective while Mike Reiss has been covering the Patriots for almost 20 years and brings an outstanding media perspective to the discussion."
There is no charge to attend this event.
The Hall is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check www.thehallatpatriotplace.com for schedule changes and closings.
ABOUT THE HALL AT PATRIOT PLACE PRESENTED BY RAYTHEON
The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon is the crown jewel of Patriot Place and the only sports and education experience of its kind. Through a dazzling array of interactive multimedia exhibits and artifacts never before viewable by the public, The Hall showcases the tradition of the New England Patriots, explores the history of football in New England and promotes math and science education for thousands of schoolchildren each year. The Hall's signature exhibit and premier photo opportunity is The Super Bowl Experience. Visitors to the interactive exhibit can re-live each of the team's four Super Bowl championships, view the four Vince Lombardi Trophies and Super Bowl championship rings and re-enact Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl XLIX game-winning interception. The Hall received a Gold MUSE Award from the American Association of Museums and The Hall's signature film, "Patriots Way," won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. The Hall was named to Boston Globe Magazine's Best of the New, and was a Yankee magazine Editor's Choice recommendation. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.TheHallatPatriotPlace.com, visit "The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon" on Facebook or follow @TheHall on Twitter.
