UConn head coach Bob Diaco talks with #22 Andrew Adams during at timeout against Boise State at Rentschler Field on September 13, 2014.
UConn Huskies football coach Bob Diaco talks about the younger players on his team after the Boise State game.
photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs
The NCAA football rankings are out for the week and the Florida State Seminoles remain the number one team in the country.
The AP Top 5 stayed the same as the Seminoles are followed by the Oregon Ducks, Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma Sooners and Auburn Tigers. In the Amway Coaches Poll, the Seminoles are followed by Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma and Auburn.
The difference in the top five in the Coaches Poll is Oregon and Oklahoma flipping spots.
There are no teams from the American Athletic Conference ranked again this week.
The East Carolina Pirates are the highest AAC team in the others receiving votes of both polls and are joined by the Cincinnati Bearcats in both as well. The Memphis Tigers are among the others receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.
| AP Top 25 | USA Today Poll | ||||||
| RK | TEAM | REC | PTS | RK | TEAM | REC | PTS |
| 1 | Florida State (37) | 2-0 | 1466 | 1 | Florida State (50) | 2-0 | 1502 |
| 2 | Oregon (17) | 3-0 | 1424 | 2 | Alabama (1) | 3-0 | 1408 |
| 3 | Alabama (1) | 3-0 | 1346 | 3 | Oregon (6) | 3-0 | 1399 |
| 4 | Oklahoma (2) | 3-0 | 1325 | 4 | Oklahoma (4) | 3-0 | 1390 |
| 5 | Auburn | 2-0 | 1252 | 5 | Auburn | 2-0 | 1297 |
| 6 | Texas A&M (3) | 3-0 | 1195 | 6 | Baylor | 2-0 | 1179 |
| 7 | Baylor | 3-0 | 1134 | 7 | Texas A&M | 3-0 | 1159 |
| 8 | LSU | 3-0 | 1114 | 8 | LSU | 3-0 | 1107 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 917 | 9 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 966 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 840 | 10 | UCLA | 3-0 | 861 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 1-1 | 832 | 11 | Michigan State | 1-1 | 776 |
| 12 | UCLA | 3-0 | 807 | 12 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 769 |
| 13 | Georgia | 1-1 | 729 | 13 | Arizona State | 3-0 | 732 |
| 14 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 718 | 14 | Georgia | 1-1 | 693 |
| 15 | Arizona State | 3-0 | 680 | 15 | Stanford | 2-1 | 561 |
| 16 | Stanford | 2-1 | 560 | 16 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 529 |
| 17 | USC | 2-1 | 459 | 17 | Wisconsin | 1-1 | 436 |
| 18 | Missouri | 3-0 | 446 | 18 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 402 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 1-1 | 414 | 19 | Missouri | 3-0 | 382 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 2-0 | 326 | 20 | Kansas State | 2-0 | 381 |
| 21 | BYU | 3-0 | 246 | 21 | USC | 2-1 | 338 |
| 22 | Clemson | 1-1 | 209 | 22 | Nebraska | 3-0 | 325 |
| 23 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 204 | 23 | BYU | 3-0 | 222 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 3-0 | 172 | 24 | Clemson | 1-1 | 207 |
| 25 | Oklahoma State | 2-1 | 126 | 25 | North Carolina | 2-0 | 128 |
| Dropped from rankings: | Dropped from rankings: | ||||||
| Virginia Tech 17, Louisville 21 | Virginia Tech 19 | ||||||
| Others receiving votes: | Others receiving votes: | ||||||
| North Carolina 82, Duke 55, Mississippi State 55, Virginia Tech 54, Penn State 51, East Carolina 44, TCU 42, Pittsburgh 40, Florida 31, Marshall 28, Boston College 22, West Virginia 14, Washington 14, Cincinnati 10, Virginia 6, Arkansas 3, Arizona 3, North Dakota State 3, Louisville 2 | Duke 100, Mississippi State 92, Oklahoma State 83, Florida 72, TCU 50, Virginia Tech 47, Washington 44, East Carolina 35, Penn State 26, Marshall 25, West Virginia 19, Arizona 18, Cincinnati 15, Northern Illinois 10, Oregon State 8, Louisville 8, Arkansas 7, Pittsburgh 5, Boston College 4, North Carolina State 4, Memphis 2, Virginia 1, Boise State 1 | ||||||
Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a DAILY basis.
Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Football links
Mistakes Haunt UConn In 38-21 Loss To Boise State [sox & dawgs]
Photos: UConn Huskies vs Boise State Broncos – 9/13/14 [sox & dawgs]
Report Card: UConn Vs. Boise State [desmond conner – hartford courant]
News and Notes: Turnovers doom chances [john silver – sny uconn]
UConn Football: Boise State Post Game Wrap [uconn huskies youtube]
UConn can’t keep pace with Boise State [ct post]
UConn Falls To Boise State, 38-21 [hartford courant]
Give Huskies A ‘C’ So Far, But 6 Wins An Attainable Goal [hartford courant]
TV Technical Difficulties Temporarily Leave Fans Without Access To UConn Game [hartford courant]
Huskies Defense Stifles Broncos’ Star Ajayi [hartford courant]
Turnovers cost UConn in loss to Boise State [new haven register]
Diaco focuses on silver linings in loss to Boise State [new haven register]
Commissioner Mike Aresco: AAC football a work in progress [new haven register]
UConn lets Boise off the hook [the day]
Huskies take small step in right direction [the republican-american]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
x
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Boatright: ‘We’re Chasing History’ … Back To Atlantis … Other Huskies Notes [dom amore – hartford courant]
Rakim Lubin here for rebounds (and assists?); Steve Enoch here, too; Ryan Boatright gives history lesson [david borges – new haven register]
Enoch’s AAU coach: Ollie’s ‘perfect coach for Steve’ [ct post]
Daniel Hamilton ready to start a new chapter with Huskies [new haven register]
Norwalk’s Enoch verbally commits to play basketball at UConn [the hour]
Move east a breath of fresh air for UConn freshman [nbc sports]
Other UConn related links
W. Volleyball. Volleyball Sweeps 2014 Bucknell Tournament [uconn huskies]
W. Cross Country. Women’s Cross Country Finishes Second at the Minutemen Invitational [uconn huskies]
M. Cross Country. Cross Country Announces 2014 Team Captains [uconn huskies]
M. Cross Country. Men’s Cross Country Grabs a Third-Place Finish at the 2014 Wolfie Invitational [uconn huskies]
Here are photos from the Boise State Broncos 38-21 win over the UConn Huskies at Rentschler Field on Saturday, September 13, 2014.
photo credits: ian bethune – sox & dawgs
Boise State LB #20 Tanner Vallejo scoops up an Arkeel Newsome fumble and returns it for a touchdown against the UConn Huskies in the first quarter at Rentschler Field on September 13, 2014.
For the third straight week, the UConn Huskies shot themselves in the foot. Last week, they were fortunate enough to sneak out a victory. This week, not so much.
The Boise State Broncos took advantage of three UConn turnovers turning them into 21 points as they went on to a 38-21 road win in front of 30,098 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT on Saturday afternoon.
UConn falls to 1-2 on the season while Boise State improves to 2-1.
“14 uncontested points where the defense or the special teams is not on the field against any opponent we are going to play, it becomes impossible to win the games, let alone a nationally branded powerhouse.” said UConn head coach Bob Diaco. “When you factor in another plus-field turnover, you’re talking about 21 points. That has to get solved. We are working hard to solve it and it’s hard to win football games when you do that. Those are the things that cause losing.”
In the game against BYU, Max DeLorenzo fumbled and BYU scored on it. Last week, Joshua Marriner fumbled and Stony Brook scored on it. This week, it was Arkeel Newsome who fumbled and Boise’s Tanner Vallejo scooped it up and took it to the end zone to put Boise out in front.
Give the Huskies credit though, they didn’t lay down or fold their cards.
They battled back and took the lead in the second quarter at 10-7 when Chandler Whitmer found Alec Bloom for a 16 yard touchdown. Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last as Boise scored 14 unanswered points to enjoy a 21-10 halftime lead.
After the kickers exchanged field goals during the third quarter, the Huskies cut the lead to eight when Whitmer hit Geremy Davis for a 10 yard pass and then hooked up with Newsome on a pass for the two point conversion. This got the Rent rocking.
The UConn defense did its job in holding Boise. But the offense went three and out. Again the defense stepped up and kept the Broncos from pay dirt.
Then the one thing that has plagued Whitmer during his career at UConn, untimely interceptions, happened. He tried to hit Deshon Foxx but Jonathan Moxey under cut the route and picked it up. Boise made the Huskies pay when Grant Hedrick hit Matt Miller for the second time to put the visitors up 31-21.
Any chance of a comeback took a hit when Donte Deayon picked off Whitmer (actually ripped the ball out of Davis’ hands) and returned it 50 yards for the touchdown.
Honestly, UConn had its chances but the things that cause losing happened. They had the crowd behind them after scoring to make it 24-21 and then they go three and out. They need to find a way to score points. They need to find a way to protect their quarterbacks. The combo of Whitmer and Tim Boyle were sacked eight times (Whitmer 7, Boyle 1).
Most importantly, they need to hold on to the football.
As Diaco said, you can’t spot the team a lead. UConn did its best to keep the Boise offense off the field early on. The problem was when they took the field for the first time, the Broncos were leading 7-0.
“We fought.” said Whitmer. “We were competitive. We overcame adversity. It is a four-quarter game and we have to find a way to finish in the end. We just can’t let it fall apart. We have to put this behind us.”
The Huskies now enter conference play starting next Friday night when they travel to Tampa, FL for a matchup with the South Florida Bulls. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Scoring:
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Boise State Broncos | 7 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
| UConn Huskies | 3 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 21 |
1st quarter
BSU – 12:24 – Tanner Vallejo 31 Yd Fumble Return (Dan Goodale Kick)
CON – 6:46 – Bobby Puyol 39 Yd Field Goal
2nd quarter
CON – 9:54 – Alec Bloom 16 Yd pass from Chandler Whitmer (Bobby Puyol Kick)
BSU – 5:03 – Matt Miller 35 Yd pass from Grant Hedrick (Dan Goodale Kick)
BSU – 0:32 – Grant Hedrick 7 Yd pass from Matt Miller (Dan Goodale Kick)
3rd quarter
CON – 7:30 – Bobby Puyol 24 Yd Field Goal
BSU – 3:26 – Dan Goodale 38 Yd Field Goal
CON – 1:09 – Geremy Davis 10 Yd pass from Chandler Whitmer (Chandler Whitmer Pass to Arkeel Newsome for Two-Point Conversion)
4th quarter
BSU – 9:19 – Matt Miller 9 Yd pass from Grant Hedrick (Dan Goodale Kick)
BSU – 4:00 – Donte Deayon 50 Yd Interception Return (Dan Goodale Kick)
Offensive Players of the Game:
Boise State WR Matt Miller had five catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one touchdown pass for seven yards to his quarterback Grant Hedrick.
Defensive Player of the Game:
Boise State’s Donte Deayon had six tackles and a 50 yard interception return for a touchdown.
Turning Point(s) of the Game:
With UConn trailing by just three points, Boise’s Jonathan Moxey picked off UConn QB Chandler Whitmer at the UConn 37. Boise needed four plays after that to find the end zone and take the wind out of the sails for the Huskies.
Offensive Notes:
Chandler Whitmer was 16-of-29 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two interceptions and was sacked seven times. Tim Boyle saw his first action of 2014 and was 6-of-9 for 33 yards. Two of the misses were drops by wide receivers that should have been caught including one in the end zone by Dhameer Bradley. Max DeLorenzo had 10 carries for 43 yards. Deshon Foxx led the Huskies with six catches for 107 yards. Thomas Lucas had five catches for 35 yards while Geremy Davis had catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Alec Bloom caught the other touchdown pass from Whitmer.
Defensive Notes:
Obi Melifonwu led UConn with 10 tackles while his safety partner Andrew Adams had nine. Marquise Vann had nine tackles of his own while Graham Stewart had seven. Cole Ormsby had the only Huskies sack of the day.
Special Teams Notes:
Bobby Puyol hit both of his field goals (39 and 24 yards). He had one kickoff go out-of-bounds which is unacceptable. Justin Wain averaged 42 yards on seven punts. Fortunately for him, the one he shanked didn’t cost the team. Jon Hicks had a fumble recovery on a punt when it a Boise player.
Game Notes:
Boise State Broncos @ UConn Huskies 9/13/14 box score
Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Bob Diaco and Boise State head coach Brian Harsin.
Here are the postgame notes courtesy of the UConn Athletic Communications Department:
Saturday marked the first game between Boise State and UConn.
Injuries:
Graham Stewart suffered an undisclosed injury during the first half but returned to the game.
AAC Games and Results:
Thursday, September 11
Houston 25
(25) BYU 33
Friday, September 12
Toledo 34
Cincinnati 58
Saturday, September 13
Central Florida 10
Missouri 38
East Carolina 28
(17) Virginia Tech 21
North Carolina State
South Florida, 3:30 p.m.
Tulsa
Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m.
SE Louisiana
Tulane, 8 p.m.
Things to Work On:
Up Next:
UConn takes to the road for the first time this season as they open up American Athletic Conference play against the South Florida Bulls on Friday night at 8 p.m.
photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs
UConn head coach Bob Diaco talks with #22 Andrew Adams during at timeout against Boise State at Rentschler Field on September 13, 2014.
Before getting into the Q & A period after the loss to the Boise State Broncos on Saturday afternoon, UConn Huskies football coach Bob Diaco took a moment to talk about the energy that was felt from the crowd as well as thanking them for coming to the game.
photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs
Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a DAILY basis.
Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.
It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team as they’ll host the Boise State Broncos at 12 p.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. If you missed our Boise State vs UConn preview be sure to check that out.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Football links
Video: UConn Football Bob Diaco Talks About Tim Boyle [sox & dawgs]
Boise State’s Ajayi a problem for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]
Game preview: UConn hosts Boise State [ed daigneault – the republican-american]
Preview: UConn vs. Boise State [john silver – sny uconn]
UConn Hosts Boise State in Noon Matchup Saturday [the american]
Norwalk’s Thomas has matured into promising player at UConn [ct post]
Spotlight On QBs Whitmer, Boyle As UConn Hosts Boise State [hartford courant]
UConn looks to limit juggernaut Boise State offense [new haven register]
Can Huskies keep pace with Boise? [the day]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
New Husky Kia Nurse Named To Canadian National Team [sox & dawgs]
Another WNBA title for former UConn star [jim fuller – new haven register]
Former UConn Players Pleased To Be Coached By Geno Again [hartford courant]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Omar Calhoun’s Dedication To UConn Program Impresses Ollie [hartford courant]
Other UConn related links
Softball. McIntyre Receives National Coaching Honor [uconn huskies]
W. Cross Country. Women’s Cross Country Heads To Amherst For The 2014 Minutemen Invitational [uconn huskies]
Field Hockey. Field Hockey Picks Up First Road Win of the Season, Moves to 4-0 [uconn huskies]
W. Volleyball. Volleyball Sweeps Cornell on Friday Night [uconn huskies]
W. Soccer. Hill Strikes Twice In 4-1 Win Over St. John’s [uconn huskies]
M. Soccer. UConn Drops Match Against No. 10 Washington, 3-1 [uconn huskies]
STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut freshman guard Kia Nurse has earned a spot on Canadian Women’s National Team that is set to compete in the 2014 FIBA World Championships from Sept. 27-Oct. 5 in Turkey, as announced on Friday afternoon.
Nurse, one of five newcomers to the 2014-15 Husky squad, made her debut for Team Canada at the 2011 FIBA U-16 Americas tournament and averaged 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists as the team finished third and qualified for the 2012 FIBA U-17 world championships. In high school, Nurse Led St. Thomas Moore to gold at the AAAA OFSAA Championship in 2012 and 2013 and also won five-straight Provincial Championships with her Transway team and two National Championships with Team Ontario.
“After a fantastic summer of preparation, we are excited to have selected our team that will represent Canada at Worlds”, said Canadian head coach Lisa Thomaidis. “These women have shown tremendous dedication and commitment to our program, and we are excited to go and showcase what we’ve been working towards. We have a great mix of youth and experience on this team. We have several players who have experience playing at a World Championship and Olympic Games, and others who will be experiencing this level of competition for the first time in their careers. We are looking forward to a fantastic tournament.”
The announcement comes as Canada prepares to compete against Team USA in an exhibition game on September 15th (Live on ESPN2, 7PM ET), before closing out their pre-World Championship schedule in Logrono, Spain, where the Women will face off against both Cuba and Spain.
The focus is now on UConn Huskies QB #14 Tim Boyle with #12 Casey Cochran retiring from football.
When Casey Cochran and Chandler Whitmer were named the starting quarterback and key backup, the plan for UConn Huskies head football coach Bob Dico was to try and do everything possible they could to redshirt Tim Boyle.
But with Cochran having to retire from football due to concussions, the plan has changed. Now Boyle, the “quarterback of the future” according to Diaco on his radio show on Thursday night, will start to see time at the position during the games.
How many snaps Boyle will get remains to be seen. Only the UConn coaching staff and the players know the participation plan for Saturday’s game against Boise State.
If I had to venture a guess, he’ll see snaps when situations develop that he’s comfortable in at first. But as time goes along, he’ll push Whitmer for the starting job.
Watch below as Diaco talks about how much Boyle will play, what he brings to the table and what he needs to work on to get better:
photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs
This Week
The New England Patriots visit the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m.
| The Patriots | The Vikings | |||
| Overall Record | 0-1 | Overall Record | 1-0 | |
| Road Record | 0-1 | Home Record | 0-0 | |
| NFC North | 0-0 | AFC East | 0-0 | |
| NFC Conf | 0-0 | AFC Conf | 0-0 | |
Tony Corrente is the referee for the game
The Line/Prediction
As of Thursday the line on the game from Sports Betting via Yahoo Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 3. The over/under is 49.
My Prediction is Vikings 30, Patriots, 24. Take the points (Vikings) and take the over. I am 1-0 against the spread and 1 of 1 on calling the over/under in 2014.
Tickets
Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster. You can check the availability here.
Getting to the Game
If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Minneapolis make sure you check out the links.
Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Minneapolis MN.
Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking information and map and a TCF Bank 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 drive sober or get pulled over.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television
CBS in televising the game regionally and Ian Eagle will do play by play while Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts will provide the game analysis and Jenny Dell will work the sidelines. You can look here for your local affiliate.
See if you’re getting the game courtesy of J.P. Kirby at the506.com.
The DirecTV designation is Channel 706.
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. Bob Socci handles the play-by-play and former Patriots QB Scott Zolak will do game analysis. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 10 a.m. on 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 132 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.
The Vikings Radio Network has Paul Allen calling play by play and former Vikings linebacker, former coach Pete Bercich doing the color and former Vikings punter Greg Coleman works the sidelines via their flagship stations KFAN-FM 100.3 and KTLK-AM 1130.
Their call is available on Sirius Channel 85, XM Channel 85 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 817.
National Sports Radio USA is also broadcasting the game to their national affiliates with Larry Kahn on play by play, John Robinson doing analysis and Troy West covering the sidelines.
Patriots All Access
Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team. It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.
You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section.
Last Week
History
Patriots Team Notes
Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.
2014 Patriots Schedule/Results
The Patriots overall franchise record is 438-374-9. They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in seven appearances. Overall they are 25-18 in the post season.
They last appeared in the playoffs in 2013 when they beat Indianapolis in the AFC Divisional Round 43-22 and lost at Denver 26-16 in the AFC Championship Game.
It was the 3rd consecutive AFC Championship game appearance for the franchise and 10th overall. They are 7-3 in those AFC title games.
The Patriots were 12-4 (1-1 in playoffs) in 2013 and are the defending five-time AFC East Champions. They have won the division 11 times and the conference 5 times since 2000.
New England is the only NFL team to finish .500 or better in each of the last 13 seasons (2001-2013).
They have 11 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins.
They are the first team in the free agency era (1993) to win more than half their games in a 13-season span.
Since 2003 the Patriots have the NFL’s best record at 138-39.
Since 2000 New England is a NFL best 73-40 in road games.
They are 0-1 for the first time since 2003 when they lost at Buffalo 31-0.
New England is 11-1 vs. the NFC North since 2002 in the regular season.
Patriots have an 11-game win streak vs. the NFC North.
It is the longest streak any team has vs. any division.
Patriots have never played at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The last time the team played on a college campus was in 2002 when they beat the Chicago Bears at the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL.
New England and Minnesota played at the University of Minnesota before. On August 8, 1971 they had a preseason game at Memorial Stadium to benefit the U of M scholarship fund.
This is the 27th time under Bill Belichick the Patriots have played consecutive road games in those 55 games they are 36-19. They have won back-to-back road 10 times and lost back-to-back road games just twice.
New England is PLUS 1 in turnover differential tied for 11th in the NFL. They have 1 INT and have recovered 2 fumbles while they have thrown 0 INT’s and lost 2 fumbles.
The Patriots are tied for 16th in points scored averaging 20.0 points per game and are 26th in fewest points allowed with 33.0 points per game.
This is the 21st season of Patriots ownership by the Kraft family. Since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 they:
From 1960 to 1993 the New England/Boston Patriots won a total of 225 games.
Patriots Staff Notes
This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Vikings.
Bill Belichick is 3-3 against the Vikings, 3-1 as the head coach in New England.
Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 198-106 in his 19th NFL season as a head coach. He is 163-62 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland. He is 19-9 in the playoffs, 18-8 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season. When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 218-115.
Belichick’s 218 wins are good for 5th all-time.
He has won 5 conference titles; he needs one more to tied Don Shula’s record of 6.
He is the first head coach to have had 4 teams that scored at least 500 points in a season.
Belichick is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father (Steve Belichick) played in the league. The others are former Kansas City head coach Todd Haley (Dick Haley), former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan (Dick Nolan), former Cincinnati head coach David Shula (Don Shula) and former NY Jets head coach Joe Walton (Frank Walton).
Belichick is one of just four coaches to win three Super Bowls, joining Chuck Noll (4), Joe Gibbs (3) and Bill Walsh (3). Those men are all in the Hall of Fame.
He is the only coach in NFL history to win three championship titles in four seasons.
No coach either as the head coach or an assistant has appeared in more Super Bowls than Belichick who has been to 8 (five as a head coach).
He is the only coach in NFL history to have led his team to 10+ wins in 11 consecutive seasons.
He has been NFL Coach of the Year three times he and Chuck Knox are the only three time winners, while Don Shula won four times.
Only one of three coaches in NFL history with 100 more wins than loses joining Don Shula and George Halas.
Defensive assistant Brendan Daly had two stints with the Vikings, serving as the defensive assistant/defensive line coach from 2006-2008 and most recently as the defensive line coach during the 2012-2013 seasons.
WR coach Chad O’Shea served as the offensive assistant/wide receivers coach with the Vikings from 2006-2008.
Patriots Possible Starters
Offense:
Defense:
Patriots Players Notes
Tom Brady Notes:
Rob Gronkowski notes:
Danny Amendola notes:
Julian Edelman notes:
Stevan Ridley notes:
Shane Vereen notes:
Stephen Gostkowski notes:
Vince Wilfork notes:
Darrelle Revis notes:
Jerod Mayo notes:
Rob Ninkovich notes:
Chris Jones notes:
Chandler Jones notes:
There are only two players on the team who played on at least one of the Super Bowl championship teams, Brady (3) and Wilfork (1).
Roster moves this week:
Patriots team captains for 2014:
Former Vikings on the Patriots:
Players with New England roots:
Players with Minnesota roots:
Players from New England based colleges and universities:
Players from Minnesota based colleges and universities:
The Patriots have 6 retired numbers:
Vikings Team Notes
Here is the Vikings roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.
Minnesota’s all-time record is 432-365-10 they are 19-27 in the post season with their last post season appearance coming in 2012 when they lost at Green Bay 24-10 in the NFC Wildcard Game.
The Vikings have played in four Super Bowls losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7 (Super Bowl IV), to the Miami Dolphins 24-7 (Super Bowl VIII), the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-6 (Super Bowl IX) and to the Oakland Raiders 32-14 (Super Bowl XI).
They last played in a Conference Championship Game in 2009 losing at New Orleans, 31-28 in overtime.
Vikings have 25 playoff seasons since the 1970 merger second most in league history behind Pittsburgh and Dallas who each have 26.
The Norsemen have 7 undefeated home seasons.
This is just the second regular season game played by Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium their temporary home in 2014 and 2015 while their new stadium is being built on site of the old Metrodome.
They are 0-1 at TCF losing to Chicago 40-14 on December 20, 2010 after the Metrodome bubble collapsed.
The Norsemen were 97-59-4 at Metropolitan Stadium (1961-81), 168-92 at the Metrodome (1982-2013) and 0-1 at Ford Field in Detroit (2010) where they hosted the New York Giants the day after the bubble collapse because the Giants didn’t have any cold weather gear available.
All time vs. the AFC East the Vikings are 18-26.
Minnesota is seeking its first outdoor home win since November 1981.
Vikings have lost last three games to the Patriots.
Minnesota’s 28-point margin of victory in week 1 at St. Louis is the franchises largest since 1994 and 8th largest in team history.
The Vikings 28-point margin of victory is the 2nd most in team history in season opening road games (40-9 at New Orleans, 9/12/76). The 6 points allowed is the 2nd fewest ever in an opening game (24-3 at Atlanta, 9/9/07).
Minnesota is PLUS 2 in turnover differential tied for 4th in the NFL. They have 2 INT’s and have recovered 0 fumbles while they have thrown 0 INT’s and lost 0 fumbles.
The Vikings are tied for 4th in points scored averaging 34.0 points per game and are tied for 1st in fewest points allowed with 6.0 points per game.
Vikings Staff Notes
Read what Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer had to say to the New England media about the match up.
Zimmer is in his 1st season as a NFL head coach, he is 1-0 since taking over. This is his home debut as a head coach. He is the 9th head coach in Vikings history.
He was previously the defensive coordinator for Cincinnati (2008-13), Atlanta (2007)and Dallas (2000-06). He has never been a head coach in college or the NFL.
George Edwards is the defensive coordinator for Minnesota. In the past was a defensive coordinator for Washington (2003) and Buffalo (2010-11). He was Miami’s linebackers coach the last two seasons.
Norv Turner is the Vikings offensive coordinator after spending last season as the OC in Cleveland. He has also been the OC at Dallas (1991-93), San Diego (2001), Miami (2002-03) and San Francisco (2006). He has also been the head coach at Washington (1994-2000), Oakland (2204-05) and San Diego (2007-12).
RB coach Kirby Wilson held the same position with the Patriots from 1997-99.
OL coach Jeff Davidson worked as the New England offensive line coach from 1997-2004.
DL coach Andre Patterson served as the Patriots defensive assistant during the 1997 season.
Vikings Possible Starters
Offense:
Defense:
Vikings Players Notes
Matt Cassel notes:
Adrian Peterson notes:
Cordarrelle Patterson notes:
Greg Jennings notes:
Chad Greenway notes:
Former Patriots on the Vikings:
Players with New England roots:
Players from New England based colleges and universities:
Vikings team captains:
Minnesota has 6 retired numbers:
Next Week
Up next: Oakland Raiders – AFC West
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro MA
Date/Time: Sunday September 21 at 1 p.m.
TV Network: CBS