A look at Patriots-Bills connections as we head into Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Bills S Corey Graham played his college career at New Hampshire.
- Buffalo senior offensive assistant Chris Palmer played quarterback at Southern Connecticut State and later coached at Connecticut, New Haven, and Boston University.
BUFFALO TIES
- Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll grew up in Buffalo and attended St. Francis High School.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Bills LB Brandon Spikes played for the Patriots from 2010-2013 and compiled 328 tackles on the New England defense during that time.
- Buffalo WR Brandon Tate played for the Patriots from 2009-10 and caught 24 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns.
- Buffalo senior offensive assistant Chris Palmer was the wide receivers coach for the Patriots from 1993-95 and coached the quarterbacks during the 1996 season.
- Bills assistant head coach/defense Rob Ryan was the linebackers coach in New England from 2000-03 and won two Super Bowls with the Patriots.
FORMER BILLS
- Patriots WR Chris Hogan played for the Bills from 2012-15 and totaled 87 receptions for 959 yards and six touchdowns.
- New England DL Alan Branch played in Buffalo during the 2013 season and finished the year with 39 tackles.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATES
- Buffalo LB Lorenzo Alexanderand TE Jim Dray were teammates with Patriots G Jonathan Cooper at the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-14.
- Bills S Colt Anderson played with Patriots TE Clay Harbor**at the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Buffalo FBJerome Feltonand SRobert Blantonplayed for the Vikings when Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly worked in Minnesota.
- Bills GRichie Incognito, TECharles Clay *and KDan Carpenter played for the Dolphins when Patriots LB Jonathan Freeny was in Miami and when Patriots tight ends coachBrian Daboll*was the offensive coordinator for the Dolphins.Â
- Buffalo DELeger Douzable, WRGreg Salasand G*Richie Incognito *played with Patriots DE Chris Long and WR Danny Amendola at the St. Louis Rams.
- Bills GRyan Groyand TJordan Millsplayed with Patriots TE Martellus Bennett and LB Shea McClellin at the Chicago Bears. Buffalo offensive line coachAaron Kromer *and offensive assistantPat Meyer*were also with the Bears when Bennett and McCellin played in Chicago.
- Buffalo RB*LeSean McCoy *played with New England TE Clay Harbor at the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Bills WRBrandon Tateplayed with Patriots FB James Develin at the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Buffalo linebackers coachBobby April IIIwas the defensive quality control/ secondary coach at the Eagles when Patriots TE Clay Harbor played in Philadelphia.
- Bills assistant head coach/defenseRob Ryan *was the defensive coordinator for the Browns when Patriots tight ends coachBrian Daboll *was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland.
- Ryan was also the defensive coordinator at the Dallas Cowboys when Patriots TE Martellus Bennett played for the team.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Bills T Cordy Glenn played with Patriots C David Andrews and WR Malcolm Mitchell at Georgia.
- Buffalo WR Marquise Goodwin and Patriots DL Malcom Brown were teammates at Texas in 2012.
- Bills LB Jerry Hughes played with New England OL Marcus Cannon at Texas Christian.
- Buffalo T Cyrus Kouandijo played at Alabama with Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower.
- Bills RB LeSean McCoy played at Pittsburgh with Patriots DL Jabaal Sheard.
- Buffalo T Jordan Mills and New England P Ryan Allen were teammates at Louisiana Tech.
- Bills defensive line coach John Blake worked at North Carolina when Patriots G Jonathan Cooper played for the Tarheels.
