November 25, 2007
FOXBORO -- Asante Samuel became the 20th -- that's right, 20th -- New England player to score a touchdown this season when he returned an interception 40 yards for a score in the opening minutes against the Eagles.
He joins Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Benjamin Watson, Sammy Morris, Donte Stallworth, Kyle Brady, Tom Brady, Kyle Eckel, Ellis Hobbs, Mike Vrabel, Willie Andrews, Matt Cassel, Rosevelt Colvin, Heath Evans, Kevin Faulk, Jabar Gaffney, Randall Gay, Laurence Maroney, and Adalius Thomas in getting into the end zone for the Patriots.
The NFL record for most players scoring in a season is 21, shared by the 2000 Denver Broncos and the 1987 Los Angeles Rams.
-- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson 
at 10:06 PM | Permalink
October 17, 2007
Hey all --
You could see this one coming from a mile away, but just because the Patriots are 6-0 and decimating every team that gets on the field with them does not mean Bill Belichick has forgotten the 21-0 loss New England suffered in Miami last year.
"That was a low point for us," Belichick said this morning.
In that game, Tom Brady was 12-for-25 for 78 yards and took four sacks. The Pats had just 12 first downs and 189 yards of total offense that afternoon.
Belichick acknowledged that Miami's offense under new head coach Cam Cameron is the same offense Cameron ran as San Diego's offensive coordinator -- "only the jerseys are different," he quipped -- and with the same defensive coordinator, Dom Capers, running the show, things aren't very different there either.
As for the players on the PUP list, Belichick said, "We'll let you know when we make those moves," and said that the player's situation as well as the team's situation dictates when the player begins to practice and/or is activated.
In the locker room, Tom Brady, Ellis Hobbs, Kevin Faulk, Rosevelt Colvin and Kyle Eckel had considerable media attention today.
We're out at practice shortly, and will check in with a report after we're kicked off the field.
shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young at 11:59 AM | Permalink
October 14, 2007
From the New England PR staff:
HIGHEST POINT TOTAL IN 23 YEARS
The Patriots scored 48 points today, marking their highest point total since 1984. The last time the Patriots scored 48 points or more was on Nov. 18, 1984, when they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 50-17. The 48 points are tied for the sixth-highest single-game total in franchise history.
BRADY SETS CAREER-HIGH WITH FIVE TOUCHDOWN PASSES, TYING FRANCHISE RECORD
In his 100th career start, Tom Brady set a career high with five touchdown passes today, tying the Patriots single-game franchise record and becoming the first New England player to achieve the feat since Steve Grogan on Sept. 9, 1979. Vito “Babe” Parilli also threw five touchdowns in a game for the Patriots on two occasions – on Oct. 15, 1967 and on Nov. 15, 1964. Brady had previously thrown four touchdown passes in a game on six occasions, most recently on Sept. 23, 2007 against Buffalo.
BRADY SETS NFL RECORD WITH THREE OR MORE TOUCHDOWNS IN FIRST SIX GAMES
By virtue of his five touchdown passes today, Tom Brady has set a new NFL record by becoming the first player in league history to throw for three or more touchdowns in each of a season’s first six games. The previous record was set by San Francisco’s Steve Young, when he threw for three or more touchdowns in each of the first five games of the 1998 season. Brady has totaled 21 touchdown passes through six games in 2007. Brady has now thrown for three or more touchdowns 25 times in his regular season career and his six three-touchdown games in 2007 set a new career-high, besting his five three-touchdown games in 2002. Last season, Brady threw for three or more touchdowns in a game on two occasions.
BRADY’S 388 YARDS ARE HIGHEST NON-OVERTIME TOTAL OF CAREER
Tom Brady totaled 388 passing yards today, marking the second highest total of his career. His yardage total against the Cowboys trails only his career-high 410 yards in an overtime game against Kansas City on Sept. 22, 2002. Brady’s 388 yards against Dallas stand as the highest non-overtime total of his career. Brady was 31-for-46 on the day, and his 31 completions are his highest in more than a year, dating back to when he also completed 31 passes against Denver on Sept. 24, 2006.
BRADY: 21 TOUCHDOWN PASSES THIS SEASON, 167 FOR HIS CAREER
Tom Brady’s career-high five touchdown passes raised his season total to 21 touchdown passes and his career total to 168 touchdown passes. With his fourth touchdown of the day – a 1-yarder to Kyle Brady in the third quarter – Tom Brady passed Drew Bledsoe (166 touchdown passes) for second place on the Patriots’ all-time list. Steve Grogan is the Patriots’ all-time leader with 184 touchdown passes. Brady’s 21 touchdown passes this season mark the sixth consecutive season he has exceeded 20 touchdown passes. Brady’s six straight seasons with 20 or more touchdown passes is the longest streak in Patriots history, topping Drew Bledsoe’s three straight years with 20 or more touchdown passes from 1996-98. Brady’s single-season career high is 28 touchdown passes, achieved in 2002 and 2004. Last season, Brady totaled 24 touchdown passes.
STALLWORTH HAULS IN 69-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS
Donte’ Stallworth caught a 69-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the fourth quarter to give the Patriots a 38-24 lead. The touchdown was the longest touchdown completion for the Patriots in nearly four years. The last time New England had a touchdown catch that long was on Oct. 19, 2003, when Troy Brown hauled in an 82-yard touchdown from Brady in overtime at Miami. Stallworth’s 69-yard play was the longest play from scrimmage for the Patriots this season and was the longest play from scrimmage for New England since Sept. 18, 2005, when Troy Brown caught a 71-yard pass from Brady in a game at Carolina. The 69-yard touchdown catch was Stallworth’s second of the season and the 30th of his career.
STALLWORTH TOTALS SECOND-HIGHEST YARDAGE TOTAL OF CAREER
Donte’ Stallworth recorded his first 100-yard game in a Patriots uniform, totaling 136 yards on seven catches (19.4 avg.). The yardage total is the second highest of Stallworth’s six-year career, trailing only his career-high 139 receiving yards (on six catches), for Philadelphia on Nov. 12, 2006 against Washington.
SEAU SETS CAREER HIGH FOR INTERCEPTIONS
With his fourth-quarter interception of Tony Romo, Junior Seau set a new single-season career high with his third interception of the season. Seau’s previous single-season high in his 18-year career was two interceptions, achieved six times, most recently in 2000. Last week against Cleveland, Seau tied his single-game career high with two interceptions.
WELKER SCORES TWO TOUCHDOWNS
Wes Welker set a career high with two touchdown receptions today, doubling his career total heading into the game. He hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the first quarter to give the Patriots a 14-0 lead and then grabbed a 12-yard scoring pass to give the Patriots a 21-10 lead in the second quarter. The touchdown catches were the second and third of the season for Welker, who also snared an 11-yard scoring reception to cap off the Patriots’ opening drive of the season against the New York Jets on Sept. 9. Welker’s touchdown catches against the Cowboys raised his career receiving touchdown total to four. He also scored a touchdown on a kickoff return with the Miami Dolphins in 2004.
WELKER SETS CAREER HIGHS FOR RECEPTIONS AND RECEIVING YARDS
Wes Welker had a career-high 11 receptions for a career-high 124 yards, recording his first career 100-yard receiving game. His previous career high was 97 yards (on three receptions), achieved on Oct. 16, 2005 with the Miami Dolphins in a game at Tampa Bay. Welker’s 11 receptions are tied for the sixth-highest single-game total in Patriots history and are the most by a Patriot since Troy Brown caught 11 passes on Nov. 10, 2002 against the Chicago Bears at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. Welker's previous single-game career high for receptions was nine, acheived with the Dolphins against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 8, 2006.
FAULK MOVES INTO TOP TEN ON FRANCHISE RUSHING LIST
With his 50 rushing yards today, Kevin Faulk moved into 10th place on the Patriots’ all-time rushing list, passing Craig James’s total of 2,469 yards from 1984-88. Faulk finished the game with 2,498 rushing yards for the Patriots.
MOSS SCORES EIGHTH TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON
Randy Moss gave the Patriots a 7-0 lead on a 6-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady on the Patriots’ opening drive of the game. The touchdown was Moss’s eighth of the season, making him the first Patriot since Ben Coates in 1997 to have eight or more scoring catches in a single season. The score was the 109th receiving touchdown of Moss’s career, a total that ranks fifth on the NFL’s all-time list. Moss has now caught a touchdown pass in five of New England’s six games this season.
BRADY-TO-BRADY TOUCHDOWN
Kyle Brady hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to give the Patriots a 28-24 lead with 4:56 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown pass was Tom Brady’s fourth of the day (tying his single-game career high) and was his 20th of the season. For Kyle Brady, the touchdown was his first of the season and his first in a New England uniform after joining the team as a free agent in the offseason. Kyle Brady’s last touchdown came on Nov. 20, 2005 while playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee. The score raised Kyle Brady’s career touchdown total to 23, achieved with the New York Jets (1995-98), Jaguars (1999-2006) and Patriots (2007).
HARRISON IS ALL-TIME DEFENSIVE BACK SACK LEADER
Rodney Harrison sacked Tony Romo for an 11-yard loss on third down in the first quarter, moving the Cowboys back to their own 8-yard line and forcing a punt on the next play. The sack raised Harrison’s career total to 29.5 sacks, a mark that is the highest in NFL history for a defensive back dating to when sacks became an official statistic in 1982. Carnell Lake ranks second among NFL defensive backs with 25.0 career sacks. Harrison, who has also recorded 32 career interceptions, is the only player in NFL history to total at least 25 career sacks and at least 30 career interceptions.
QUICK HITS
Ø Fullback Kyle Eckel scored his first career touchdown, on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter that made the score 48-24.
Ø The Patriots converted 11-of-17 third-down chances, totaling a 65 percent conversion rate.
Ø The Patriots converted four-of-four third-down attempts on their opening drive of the game as they went 74 yards in 14 plays, ending in a 6-yard touchdown catch by Randy Moss on third down.
Ø Vince Wilfork tackled Julius Jones in the backfield for a 1-yard loss on first down in the first quarter.
Ø The Patriots have outscored their opponents 58-7 in the first quarter through six games this season, including their 14-0 performance against the Cowboys today.
GOSTKOWSKI’S SUCCESS STREAK
Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Patriots a 31-24 lead. He has hit eight of his nine field goal attempts this season (88.9 percent) and has nailed 29 of his last 32 attempts (90.6 percent) dating back to Nov. 5, 2006, including a perfect 8-for-8 performance in last season’s playoffs.
STARTING STRONG
The Patriots scored first, taking a 7-0 lead on a 6-yard touchdown reception by Randy Moss in the first quarter. New England has scored on its opening drive in each game this season. New England has scored first in each of its six games this season and has achieved the feat in nine straight regular season and playoff games dating back to Jan. 7, 2007.
TWO-SCORE RECEIVER FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME
With Wes Welker’s two-touchdown performance today, the Patriots have had a receiver catch a pair of touchdowns in five consecutive games. Last season, the Patriots did not have a player with two or more scoring catches in a game. Randy Moss caught two touchdowns on Sept. 16, Sept. 23 and Oct. 1. Benjamin Watson set a career high with two touchdown receptions last week against Cleveland. Before Moss’s two-score performance on Sept. 16, the last Patriot to catch two or more touchdowns in a game was linebacker Mike Vrabel, who hailed in two scores against the New York Jets on Dec. 26, 2005.
SIXTH STRAIGHT GAME WITH A 100-YARD RECEIVER
With 100-yard receiving days for Donte’ Stallworth and Wes Welker against the Cowboys, the Patriots had a 100-yard receiver for the sixth consecutive game, adding to a team record. The previous team record was four straight games with a 100-yard receiver — from Nov. 23 to Dec. 21, 1975, when Russ Francis, Randy Vataha, Don Calhoun and Andy Johnson each broke the 100-yard mark one time in a four-game span. In addition to Welker’s 100-yard game against the Cowboys, Randy Moss exceeded the 100-yard mark in each of the first four games of the 2007 season and Benjamin Watson achieved the feat last week against Cleveland.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young at 11:14 PM | Permalink
