Comments on: 50th Anniversary Minute – the 1996 Patriots

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:56:22 +0000

One of the best throws of Bledsoe’s career, no joke.

Glenn ran right past Rod Woodson (who was still a cornerback at the time) and Bledsoe pretty much hit him in stride)—first offensive play of the game, and it definitely set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:58:54 +0000

It was not a screen pass to Glenn that set up the first touchdown against Pittsburgh in the fog. It was a long pass down the sideline, through the fog, that Terry as able to catch.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:06:51 +0000

I will always remeber freezing in the parking lot watching the Packer/Panthers NFC Title game and how revved up the crowd was for that AFC Title game. Then, of course, the lights went out causing a delay. It seemed so perfect for that awful stadium to be embarrassed on national television.

Glenn was incredible that year. The fog game was surreal. Just a fun year… until the Parcells nonsense that killed the buzz. To say the least.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:40:55 +0000

Small correction . . . the 1996 season was actually Parcell’s fourth (and, come to find out, final) season with the Pats, and not the third as Brendon wrote above.

And, yes, the Jaguars upset of the Broncos in the postseason was an incredible bit of good fortune for the Pats. I believe it was only the Jags second season in the league, too, IIRC.

If someone had told us after the ‘97 Super Bowl loss that the Pats would get to play in four more Super Bowls — and win three of them — we would have thought they were nuts. Good times, kids.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:15:46 +0000

I attended the regular season game against Jacksonville. The Pats were all over them in the first half. I think they were up 22-0 or something, and my friends and I were actually talking about leaving after the 3rd quarter to beat the traffic. Then Brunell hit a Hail Mary for a TD on the last play of the first half to make it 22-7, and then things got scary. Jacksonville probably should have won in regulation–they had a pick-six late in the game called back for an illegal block below the waist penalty, and then Brunell’s SECOND Hail Mary completion of the game fell about a half-yard short of the goal line on the last play of the 4th quarter, which allowed the Pats to escape with a regulation tie and get the game into OT. They finally moved the ball into scoring range on their first OT possession and Vinatieri–who at the time was struggling after missing four FGs in a loss in Buffalo in Week 2–nailed the winner.

That team was good, but man, did they ever have some luck that season too. I remember the game against the Jets in the Meadowlands when Ben Coates was stopped about a yard short of a first down on a crucial 4th and 2 play midway through the 4th quarter, but the refs inexplicably spotted the ball beyond the first down marker–no replay challenges back then, so the spot stood, the Pats got the first down, and then Bledsoe hit Byers with the go-ahead TD later on that same drive with about 4 minutes left in the game.

And, of course, their ultimate stroke of luck was Denver losing in the divisional round, because the Pats had lost to the Broncos by 26 points, at home, in November, and would have had little-to-no shot to beat them in the AFC title game on the road.

The Super Bowl was disappointing, but Green Bay was just a better team, and I never really thought the Pats had a chance to win that game anyway.

Of course, the “Parcells Affair” which followed was probably the worst part of that season.