After the second game of the preseason, the New England Patriots announced the release of three players.  The team cut ties with DE Jonathan Fanene, OT Kyle Hix and K Chris Koepplin.

Fanene, an 8-year veteran who signed as free agent in the off season, was a surprise.  The 30-year old signed a three year contract and got nearly a $4 million signing bonus only to develop a knee injury that kept him from practicing the last month.  Swelling had been settling into the joints, similar to arthritis, making it difficult for him to be ready to play.

Head coach Bill Belichick said of Fanene “it just didn’t work out”.  Fanene, was expected to help along the defensive line with his ability to play anywhere along the line and in both pass and run situations.

Fanene’s contract was terminated and he is a free agent.

Hix, who spent last year on the IR, was signed as a rookie free agent out of the University of Texas in July of 2011.  He was expected to compete for a possible practice squad spot this season but another injuury kept him off the field.  He was released and after clearing waivers was reverted back to the teams IR list.

Koepplin, a kicker from UMass, was brought in for his second go around with the club.  In 2011 he was in camp while regular kicker Stephen Gostkowski recovered from a torn thigh muscle suffered during the 2010 season.  This year he was brought back to give the team a second kicker in camp and he was impressive both in camp and the little he got to kick in games but with Gostkowski ahead of him he had no roster spot.  It is expected that some team will pick him up as a place kicker.

By my count that brings the team roster down to 83 players with a major cut coming shortly after the third preseason game.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: espn.com

The Philadelphia Eagles came into Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Monday night with a lot of people nationally wanting to see where they think this club might finish after a disappointing 8-8 season in 2011.  They came away with a 27-17 win over the New England Patriots in a nationally televised preseason game.

The first half between the two clubs was fought to a 14-14 tie.  It was basically a battle between most of New England’s second and third team players against the Philadelphia starters and the Patriots backups handled the situation fairly well.

The Patriots got on the board first behind 2nd year QB Ryan Mallett, who started in place of Tom Brady and over normal 2nd string QB Brian Hoyer.  Mallett played the first four drives of the game for New England and led the team on two scoring strikes; the first was a 51-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that capped a 1st quarter drive of 11 plays on 56 yards.

With the Patriots up 3-0 the defense got a little rough with Eagles QB Michael Vick, DE Jermaine Cunningham, manhandled an offensive lineman and smoked Vick.  Vick ended up going down on one knee before he could back to the huddle and was removed from the field by trainers and taken for X-rays on his ribs.

Mallett, a former Arkansas Razorback, wasn’t all sunshine and roses he got picked in the 1st quarter by Philadelphia’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie but it was nullified by roughing the passer penalty on Rookie of the Year candidate Fletcher Cox and the Patriots caught a huge break.

Mallett made up the error in his ways when he threw a 7-yard TD pass to Alex Silvestro who converted from DE to TE a little over a week ago.  The TD capped a 13 play 80-yard drive and gave the Patriots an 11-0 lead after a penalty to the Eagles on the TD.  Bill Belichick decided to run the goal line offense and went for two and converted on a Shane Vereen 1-yard run.

The Eagles though rallied with a pair of scores in the second quarter to take a 14-11 lead.  RB LeSean McCoy Puente it in from 1 yard out for the first score.  The run capped a 3-play 24-yard drive after New England rookie Brandon Bolden muffed a punt that Philadelphia recovered.

The Eagles defense set up their offense for the second score when Hoyer, who came into the game for the first drive of the second quarter, fumbled while being sacked.  Eagles rookie backup QB Nick Foles threw a 1-yard TD pass to TE Clay Harbor for the score.  It only took two plays to go 12 yards and take the lead.

The Patriots were able to get even prior to the half when Gostkowski added his second field goal a 35-yarder to tie it 14-14.

Philadelphia had a chance to take a lead going into the half but Patriots rookie S Nate Ebner picked Foles at 2-yard line just seconds before the half ended to kill the drive.

The Eagles took the lead 21-14 early in the third quarter when Foles hit Harbor again for another TD on a three yard pass that capped the opening drive of the half.

After Philadelphia’s Alex Henery missed a 55-yard field goal attempt the Patriots were able to get three points back when Gostkowski hit his own 55-yarder, his third of the game, to cut the deficit to 21-17 in the middle of the third quarter.

Henery redeemed himself somewhat when he made a 42-yard attempt nearing the end of the 3rd quarter to give the Eagles a 24-17 lead after three.

Late in the fourth quarter Henery added a 21-yard chip shot to make the final score 27-17 in favor of the Eagles.

To continue reading the Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots preseason week 2 recap, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Game Notes:

Robert Kraft and the Patriots had a moment of silence for Garrett Reid, son of the Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who passed away two weeks ago.

Andy Reid is among Bill Belichick’s closest friends in the NFL coaching fraternity.

The Patriots honored all the Olympic medalists from New England prior to the game.

Patriots started Ryan Mallett at quarterback instead of Brian Hoyer.

The Patriots did not dress 26 players, among them were:

• QB Tom Brady
• CB Kyle Arrington
• CB Devin McCourty
• LB Jerod Mayo
• G Logan Mankins
• DT Vince Wilfork
• TE Aaron Hernandez
• WR Wes Welker
• WR Brandon Lloyd
• T Sebastian Vollmer
• RB Jeff Demps
• DE Gerard Warren
• DE Jonathan Fanene

This was the 20th preseason meeting between the teams and the first since 2009.

Patriots lead the Preseason Series, 10-9.

The Eagles last played a preseason game at Gillette in 2008 and won 27-17.

New England has won 8 of the last 10 preseason meetings between the clubs.

Eagles QB Nick Foles transferred from Michigan State when Brian Hoyer took over as the Spartans QB.

Two weeks in a row the Patriots have had a quarterback get sacked and fumble, when Hoyer coughed up the ball in the second quarter.  Both led to opponent TD’s.

Rookie LB Dont’a Hightower was calling the defensive signals in place of Jerod Mayo.  That’s how highly thought of the first rounder out of Alabama is thought of.

Tough night for the Patriots offensive tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon they got beat by Eagle defenders several times.

Michael Vick did not return to the game after the Cunningham hit, the X-rays were negative.

Patriots S Patrick Chung left the game in the first quarter with a possible shoulder injury after tackling Eagles RB LeSean McCoy.

We learned Mike Tirico is a huge Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fan, he saw them for the 28th time Saturday night in Foxboro.

Next Game

The Patriots visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa FL.  Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. on the Patriots Television Network.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: reuters pictures

Jeff Demps wanted to represent his country in the 2012 London Olympics as a sprinter before pursuing his NFL career and he got to do that.  In doing so, the former University of Florida running back/kick returner went undrafted this past April but it didn’t mean he was unwanted,

At one time all 32 NFL teams made contact with Demps, 26 of them stayed in constant contact through out the Olympics and as many as 8 teams were still in on him today before he agreed to a 3 year contract with the New England Patriots.

The 5’7” native Floridian, who won a Bronze medal in the Olympics in the 4x100m relay, played his college ball at Florida under Urban Meyer where he was a National Championship winning team in 2009.  In his four-year college career, he gained 2470 yards on 367 carries and scored 23 touchdowns.

He is expected to give the Patriots some unbridled speed in the backfield and possibly be used to return kicks and/or punts and is seen as a poor man’s Percy Harvin in the return department.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: ap photo

This Week

The New England Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Monday at 8 p.m.

The Eagles (2011)                        The Patriots (2011)

Overall          8-8                        Overall          13-3

Road record   5-3                        Home record  7-1

AFC East       2-2                        NFC East       3-1

AFC Conf       2-2                        NFC Conf       3-1

The Eagles are 1-0 and the Patriots are 1-0 in the preseason.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo Sports has the game as a PICK ‘EM.  The OVER/UNDER is 40.5.

My Prediction is Patriots 17, Eagles, 13.  Take the Patriots in the pick ‘em and take the under.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 195th consecutive sell out dating back to the 1994 season opener.  The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

After market tickets are available through the Official Patriots Ticket Exchange where season ticket holders can sell their unused seats to fans on the season ticket waiting list.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Foxboro make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Foxboro MA.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking information and map and a Gillette Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

ESPN is televising the game nationally and Mike Tirico will do play by play while Jon Gruden will provide the game analysis and Lisa Salters will cover the sidelines.

Here are all the rules on NFL TV broadcasts including explaining the blackout rules, flex scheduling and commercial breaks.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Scott Zolak does the color. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 5 p.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 88 and XM Channel 88 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.

To continue reading the Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots preseason week 2 preview, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

Both teams won tight games, the Eagles beat the Steelers, 24-23 while the Patriots defeated the Saints, 7-6.

History

• This is the 20th preseason meeting between the teams but the first since 2009.
• The Patriots won the last preseason meeting in Philadelphia, 27-25 in 2009.
• Patriots lead the Preseason Series, 10-9.
• The Eagles last played a preseason game at Gillette in 2008 and won 27-17.
• New England has won 8 of the last 10 preseason meetings between the clubs.

Game Notes

The Eagles are playing their second game since the death of head coach Any Reid’s son, Garrett.

Philadelphia did not make the playoffs in 2011 despite finishing second in the NFC East.

The Eagles were 8th in points per game last season with 24.8 and the Patriots were 3rd with 32.1.

The Eagles defense finshed 10th in points allowed in 2011 with 20.5 while the Patriots were 15th with 21.4.

Philadelphia is my preseason pick to win Super Bowl XLVII.

Bill Belichick is 39-36 in the preseason, he is 28-22 with New England.

Eagles T Thomas Welch is a former Patriots 7th round draft pick in 2010.

Patriots WR Donte Stallworth (2006) and LB Tracy White (2009) each spent one season with Philadelphia.

The Patriots have scored the second most points in the NFL since 2009.  The Eagles have the 5th most.

Next Game

The Patriots visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa FL.  Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. on the Patriots Television Network.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

In a meaningless August preseason game between two of the NFL’s normally most potent offenses, the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots struggled with Patriots pulling out a 7-6 win at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Thursday night.

The Saints got on the board first in the opening quarter when Patriots QB Tom Brady was sacked, as he seems prone to do, coughed up the ball.  If there’s one thing about Brady in the “negative column” for me it’s the sacked/forced fumble stat.

After the fumble recovery the Saints were pretty much stymied offensively and had to rely on a 46-yard field goal by John Kasay to give them a 3-0 lead.

That slim margin lasted until the half.  It nearly didn’t but a missed 51-yard field goal attempt by New England’s Stephen Gostkowski went wide and the Saints took the lead into the locker room.

The worst news of the first half came early in the second half when the NFL Networks Ian Rappoport learned that Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher tore his ACL.  If the report is accurate, and I believe it is, he is done for the season.

In the third quarter, with back up QB Brian Hoyer directing the New England offense they went 97 yards in 14 plays in just over 5 minutes with Hoyer hitting WR Britt Davis with a 3-yard pass for the score and a 7-3 Patriots lead.

New Orleans opened the 4th quarter with a Garrett Hartley field goal this one from 34 yards to cut the lead to 7-6.

With just over three minutes to go Kasay was brought on to try a field goal from 41 yards out and he pushed wide right.

The Saints got one more crack at it but a sack and forced fumble by Trevor Scott nearly got the ball back for New England but the Saints recovered and after a 3 and 18 chance were forced to punt.  The Patriots then ran the clock out on their first win of the preseason.

To continue reading the New Orleans Saints vs New England Patriots preseason game one recap, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Game Notes:

The Patriots did not dress 19 players, among them were:

LB Brandon Spikes

G Logan Mankins

G Brian Waters

T Sebastian Vollmer

DL Jonathan Fanene

DL Gerard Warren

WR Deion Branch

Among the Saints not dressed for the game were:

RB Mark Ingram

TE Jimmy Graham

WR Nick Toon

CB Jabari Greer

There were scouts on hand at the game from 13 different NFL teams and 2 CFL teams.  Among the teams represented were the Dolphins, Jets, Ravens, Raiders and Steelers.

Patriots started first round picks DE Chandler Jones and LB Dont’a Hightower on defense.  They are projected as opening day starters as well.

On the Patriots scoring drive second year RB Shane Vereen was gained 79 of the 97 yards on the drive.

The offensive line needs some work but that was to be expected with the retirement of T Matt Light and G Brian Waters excused from camp, G Logan Mankins recovering from an ACL and T Sebastian Vollmer not dressing for the game.

New England leads the preseason series, 6-4.

This was the fifth time the Patriots have opened their preseason against New Orleans.  The others being 1968, 1985, 1994 and 2010.

Next Game

The Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday August 20th at Gillette Stadium.  Kick off is at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: getty images

This Week

The New England Patriots host the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

The Saints (2011)                    The Patriots (2011)

Overall          13-3                      Overall          13-3

Road record   5-3                       Home record  7-1

AFC East       0-0                        NFC South     0-0

AFC Conf      4-0                        NFC Conf       3-1

The Saints are 1-0 in the preseason having beat Arizona 17-10 on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Game.

The Line/Prediction

As of Tuesday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 3.  The OVER/UNDER is 38.5.

My Prediction is Patriots 21, Saints, 17.  Give the points (Patriots) and take the under.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 194th consecutive sell out dating back to the 1994 season opener.  The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

After market tickets are available through the Official Patriots Ticket Exchange where season ticket holders can sell their unused seats to fans on the season ticket waiting list.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Foxboro make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Foxboro, MA.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking information and map and a Gillette Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

The Patriots Preseason Television Network is televising three of the Patriots four preseason games through out New England and Hawaii.

Longtime national play-by-play announcer Don Criqui and former NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman Randy Cross will call the games.

Stations in the Patriots Preseason TV Network include:

• WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston MA
• WNAC-TV Channel 64 in Providence RI
• WMUR-TV Channel 9 in Manchester NH
• WMTW-TV Channel 8 in Portland ME
• WCTX-TV Channel 9 in Hartford/New Haven CT
• WWLP-TV Channel 22 in Springfield MA
• WVII-TV Channel 7 or WFVX-TV Channel 22 in Bangor ME
• WVNY-TV Channel 22 in Burlington VT
• KFVE-TV Channel 5 in Honolulu HI

Check your local listings for your station.

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket is not allowed to carry preseason games per the NFL Broadcast Rules.

Preseason television rights belong to the teams and not to the league, hence no DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket until Week 1 of the regular season.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Scott Zolak does the color. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 4:30 p.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 85 and XM Channel 230.  You can listen on line with SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.

To continue reading, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

History

• The teams have met nine previous times in the preseason, the last time was in 2010.
• New England leads the preseason series, 5-4.
• The Patriots won that last preseason meeting at Gillette 27-24.
• This is the fifth time the Patriots have opened their preseason against New Orleans.  The others being 1968, 1985, 1994 and 2010.
• The 1994 meeting was Robert Kraft’s first game as owner of the Patriots and was the start of the consecutive sell out streak by the team.

Game Notes

While this is the Patriots first preseason game, it’s the second for the Saints who played in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton on Sunday night.  The HOF Game isn’t looked at as a preseason game by the NFL so those two teams end up with five preseason games, while everyone else has the standard four.

Saints QB Drew Brees signed the largest contract in NFL history in July when he got a five-year, $100 million deal with $60 million guaranteed and $40 million payable in the first year.

The two teams held joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.  It’s the second time in three years the teams have done this.

This is the fourth consecutive time these teams have had a preseason game in Foxboro.

The Patriots are 97-125-1 all-time in the preseason, 41-33 since Kraft bought the team.

Bill Belichick is 27-22 as the Patriots head coach in the preseason.

Both teams finished 13-3 and won their divisions in 2011.

They were the #2 (Saints) and #3 (Patriots) scoring offenses in 2011.

They were the #1 (Saints) and #2 (Patriots) offenses in total yardage and passing yard per game in 2011.

Saints TE David Thomas is a former Patriot, drafted in the 3rd round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich was originally drafted by the Saints in the 5th round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Patriots WR Donte Stallworth was a 1st round draft pick in 2002 by the Saints.  The 13th overall selection played with New Orleans from 2002-05 before being traded to Philadelphia in 2006.

Members of both staffs attended the funeral of Garret Reid, son of Eagles coach Andy Reid, on Tuesday.

Next Game

The Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday August 20th at Gillette Stadium.  Kick off is at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

Well it’s that time of year to take a look at the New England Patriots 2012 schedule and make my annual predictions on how the team will fare in the season.  This year the schedule features games with Denver and Baltimore as well as the division rivalries and match ups against the NFC West and AFC South.

Week 1 September 9 @Tennessee 1p CBS

Open with OT road win over Titans, 30-24

Week 2 September 16 ARIZONA 1p FOX

Cardinals really should have looked for a QB, Pats win 34-17

Week 3 September 23 @Baltimore 8:20p NBC

Another epic battle, Ravens come out on top, 28-24

Week 4 September 30 @Buffalo 1p CBS

Much improved Bills nearly steal another, 38-35

Week 5 October 7 DENVER 4:15p CBS

Peyton comes to Foxboro, leaves with loss 30-21

Week 6 October 14 @Seattle 4p FOX

Seahawks 12th man helps in win, 31-21

Week 7 October 21 NY Jets 4:15p CBS

Patriots rebound with whipping of Jets, 42-17

Week 8 October 28 @St. Louis (London) 1p CBS

Pats pound Rams into submission, 38-10

Week 9 November 4 BYE WEEK

To continue reading, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Week 10 November 11 BUFFALO 1p CBS

Bills rebound with a Foxboro stunner, 28-17

Week 11 November 18 INDIANAPOLIS 1p CBS

No Luck this year Andrew, Pats in rout 42-14

Week 12 November 22 @NY Jets 8:20p NBC

Patriots stuff Jets on Turkey Day, 28-20

Week 13 December 2 @Miami 1p CBS

Fish get humiliated, 38-7

Week 14 December 10 HOUSTON 8:30p ESPN

Possible AFC title game, Texans stun Pats 31-27

Week 15 December 16 SAN FRANCISCO 8:20p NBC

Niners can’t quite pull it off as Pats win 24-23

Week 16 December 23 @Jacksonville 1p CBS

Jags have a lot of work to do, 33-24

Week 17 December 30 MIAMI 1p CBS

Too cold in Foxboro for Fish, 36-17

Overall predicted record 12-4

Record at home: 6-2

Wins: ARI, DEN, NYJ, INDY, SF, MIA

Loss: BUF, HOU

Record on road: 6-2

Wins: @TEN, @BUF, @STL, @NYJ, @MIA, @JAX

Losses: @BAL, @SEA

Record vs. AFC East: 5-1

Record vs. AFC: 9-3

Record vs. NFC: 3-1

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: reuters pictures

For the 2012 season, New England Patriots fans can listen to every play of every game on the “Safety Insurance, 98.5 The Sports Hub, Patriots Radio Network”. Each game, home and away, from preseason to post season is broadcast from the three-time Super Bowl Champions flagship station, WBZ-FM in Boston. 

The legendary Gil Santos is calling the Patriots play-by-play for his 36th season (1966-79; 1991-present).  Santos has also called Boston College and Penn State football, Providence College basketball, Big East Basketball and the NFL for CBS Television and ABC Radio.

New to the booth as the Patriots color analyst is Scott Zolak who replaces the retired Gino Cappelletti.  Zolak, who came aboard last season as the sideline reporter, is a former 4th round draft choice of the Patriots as a quarterback out of the University of Maryland in 1991.  He was with the Patriots from 1991-98 and spent 1999 with the Miami Dolphins.

To get you ready for the game, make sure you tune in along the Patriots Radio Network three hours prior to game time for Patriots Preview and stay for three hours after the game with Patriots Postgame. Veteran TV and radio personality Gary Tanguay hosts both shows and is joined by former University of Rhode Island lineman Andy Gresh for analysis both before and after the game.

Patriots Preview is an information packed prelude to kickoff, and has the only game-day interviews with head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots president Jonathan Kraft.

Patriots Postgame wraps up the game with a breakdown of the game, live press conferences with the players who made a difference and reaction from you, the fans.

A full look at the stations in Patriots Radio Network after the jump.

Below is a list of the stations in the Patriots Radio Network. If you are outside of the broadcast area of the stations on the Patriots Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass.  Field Pass allows you to listen to any NFL game live on your computer and you can select which broadcast you want to listen to. NFL game feeds are available with a subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio and you can also receive NFL games on XM Satellite Radio with a “XM Premier Package” subscription added to your regular XM account.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

The Patriots Preseason Television Network is televising three of the Patriots four preseason games through out New England and Hawaii. The lone game not covered by the Patriots Preseason Television Network will be carried nationally by ESPN on Monday August 20^th against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The games on the Patriots Preseason Television Network are:

• Aug 9  – New Orleans – 7:30 p.m.
• Aug 24 – @ Tampa Bay – 7:30 p.m.
• Aug 29 – @ NY Giants – 7:30 p.m.

Longtime national play by play announcer Don Criqui and former NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman Randy Cross will call the games for along the network.

Stations in the Patriots Preseason TV Network include:

• WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston MA
• WNAC-TV Channel 64 in Providence RI
• WMUR-TV Channel 9 in Manchester NH
• WMTW-TV Channel 8 in Portland ME
• WCTX-TV Channel 9 in Hartford/New Haven CT
• WWLP-TV Channel 22 in Springfield MA
• WVII-TV Channel 7 or WFVX-TV Channel 22 in Bangor ME
• WVNY-TV Channel 22 in Burlington VT
• KFVE-TV Channel 5 in Honolulu HI

Check your local listings for your station.

There is no DirecTV channel designation for preseason games.  DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket is not allowed to carry preseason games per the NFL Broadcast Rules. Preseason television rights belong to the teams and not to the league, hence no DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket until Week 1 of the regular season.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII