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The Name
The New Enlgand Patriots is the currnet name of the team.
It use to be the Boston Patriots. -
Rivals
The closest geographically has been the rivalry with the New York Jets, who have also been members of the AFC East since its inception in 1970 and played each other in the same division since both teams' foundings in 1960. -
Rivals
Other rivalries over the years have included divisional foes in the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. The Patriots defeated the Bills 26-8 in a 1963 divisional playoff for the two clubs' only playoff showdown entering 2012. The Bills dominated the rivalry during their O.J. Simpson era, going 11-5 in Simpson's career in Buffalo. -
Struggle
The Patriots' time in the AFL saw them struggle most years as they never had a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. They did play in one AFL championship game, following the 1963 season. -
News
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East division, where they still play today. -
Stadium
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for 30 years. -
Getting Started
The Patriots joined the NFL in 1970 after playing in the AFL
for 6 years before. -
Coach
Belichick launched his career in 1975 as a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts, then became an assistant special teams coach with Detroit (1976-77) and Denver (1978). In 1979, he joined the New York Giants to begin a 12-season stint. Belichick was named head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1991, becoming the youngest head coach in the NFL at age 37. By 1994, Belichick returned the Browns to the playoffs, finishing 11-5 and advancing to the second round, while allowing a league-low 204 to -
Strategy
Under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have employed specific on-field and off-field strategies. On the field, the Patriots have typically utilized an "Erhardt-Perkins" offense and a "Fairbanks-Bullough" 3–4 defense, referred to commonly as a 2-gap 3–4 defensive system. -
Hall of Fame
The New England Patriots feature 17 former players and one contributor in their team hall of fame, established in 1991. A committee of media and staff selected 11 players for enshrinement between 1991 and 2001, before a six-year span of no selections. In 2007, in advance of the 2008 opening of the Hall at Patriot Place, the Patriots introduced a new nomination committee to select three candidates, with the winner of an internet fan vote being enshrined in the hall of fame.[ -
The Best
In 2000 the Patriots were considerd one of the best teams in the NFL, they have appeared in the superbowl 3 times since they started. -
Super Bowl XXXVI
In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, the 14-point underdog Patriots defeated the Rams by the score of 20–17, winning their first ever Super Bowl. -
Foxboro
Prior to 2002, the Patriots played in Foxboro Stadium dating back to 1971, the team's second year in the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger. During the team's days in the American Football League, the Boston Patriots were hosted by a number of fields in or around Boston - they played at Braves Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium -
New Staduim
Since 2002, the Patriots' home stadium has been Gillette Stadium, a $350 million facility privately financed by Kraft. It houses all administrative offices for the team and its owning entity, The Kraft Group, as well as the Kraft-owned Major League Soccer team, the New England Revolution. -
Dolphins
The rivalry between the Patriots and Dolphins involves the two clubs with the most wins in the AFC East (as of the 2011 season) and the two teams most associated with the quest for perfection, as the 1972 Dolphins posted a perfect season and the 2007 Patriots came within a minute of doing likewise.
