FanPost

Drama at Raymond James - The Story of the 2000 New England Patriots




Well, it's still a while till the draft and I'm really in need of some football. Therefore I bought the game Front Office Football Seven to bridge that time. Front Office Football is a text-based manager so it probably counts as pretty boring in the eyes of many, especially those who like to play directly like in Madden. Although the game is kind of expensive it is fun to play (provided you like handling around with statistics etc. etc.). As I'm still a beginner and don't like too much micro-management I limited myself to roster management, while leaving game planning to the AI coach. I started a game with the 2000 New England Patriots and it worked surprisingly well, the team outperformed my expectations and I thought it would be fun to tell the story of a crazy season.

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The Roster Players in italic are fictive players

QB: Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady, John Friesz

RB: Robert Edwards, Kevin Faulk, Lamont Warren, J.R. Redmond

FB: Tony Carter, Chris Floyd, Patrick Pass

TE: Eric Bjornson, Rod Rutledge, Asher Glover

WR: Terry Glenn, Chris Calloway, Evan Barton, Sean Morey, Troy Brown, Tony Simmons

C: Damien Woody, Jason Andersen

OG: Joe Andruzzi, Mark Schlereth, Adrian Klemm, Grey Ruegamer

OT: Bruce Armstrong, Max Lane, Derrick Fletcher, Grant Williams, Greg Randall

DE: Greg Spires, Bobby Hamilton, Brandon Mitchell, Willie McGinest, David Nugent

DT: Henry Thomas, Larry Webster, Chad Eaton, Garrett Johnson

LB: Tedy Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Rob Holmberg, Chris Slade, Gage Gordon, Antico Dalton

CB: Ty Law, Antonio Langham, Otis Smith, Corey Ivy, Steve Israel

SS: Lawyer Milloy, Matt Stevens

FS: Tebucky Jones, Larry Whigham

P: Lee Johnson

K: Adam Vinatieri

LS: Mike Bartrum

The Regular Season

Week 1 - Patriots@Bills: In the season opener the Patriots travelled to Buffalo to face the Bills. In the first quarter the Patriots couldn't get on track. After Antowain Smith gave Buffalo a 7-0 lead the Patriots fumbled on two of their next three possessions. It wasn't until the middle of the second quarter that the Patriots' scoring got underway with Drew Bledsoe throwing a 3 yard TD pass to Troy Brown. Two Vinatieri FGs and another TD pass by Bledsoe gave New England a 20-14 victory. Game MVP was Drew Bledsoe (22-29, 334 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs).

Week 2 - Jets@Patriots: In the home opener the Patriots turned the game into a laugher by shutting out the Jets 23-0. In a preview of what was to come the Patriots' defense held the Jets to only 169 net yards. Curtis Martin was stifled to 23 yards on 10 carries, while Pennington and Craig combined for a total of 144 passing yards and 5 sacks. Game MVP was again Drew Bledsoe (23-40, 304 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs).

Week 3 - Buccaneers@Patriots: Continuing the trend from last week the Patriots shut out the Bucs in a defensive slugfest 31-0. Tebucky Jones and Corey Ivy each had a pick-six to fuel the New England's scoring, while both offenses together combined for only 24 first downs and 412 net yards. Game MVP was Lawyer Milloy (12 TKL, 3 AST, 1.0 sacks, 1 INT).

Week 4 - Patriots@Falcons: In week 4 the undefeated Patriots travelled to Atlanta to face the 1-2 Falcons. In a back-and-forth game the Patriots' defense was again solid, limiting the Falcons to 224 yards. Drew Bledsoe's erratic play (26-37, 265 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs), however, handed the Patriots their first defeat of the season at 17-20. Game MVP was Atlanta DE Patrick Kearney (3.0 sacks, 2 hurries, 3 knockdowns).

Week 5 - Patriots@Bengals: The following week New England headed to Cincinnati to bounce back from their first defeat of the season as they took on Corey Dillon and the Bengals. While Dillon had a solid game with 59 yards on 10 carries the Bengals offense as a whole was crushed by the Patriots, managing only 166 net yards. Game MVP was once again Drew Bledsoe (24-36, 255 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs).

Week 6 - Saints@Patriots: Coming home following a two week road trip the Patriots pummeled the Saints with a third consecutive home shutout, defeating the 3-2 Saints 23-0. Rushing threat Ricky Williams was held to only 22 yards on 8 carries, while the Saints' passing managed only 70 net yards. New England's offense on the other side was driven by a determined rushing attack led by Game MVP Robert Edwards (17 attempts, 132 yards, 1 TD) and Kevin Faulk (15 attempts, 73 yards).

Week 7 - Patriots@Jets: In the week 7 matchup at the Meadowlands the Patriots offense was outplayed by the Jets one. Compered to the Jets 18 first downs and 304 total net yards the Pats managed only 13 first downs and 253 yards. However, New England was far more efficient in turning the yardage into points as Game MVP Drew Bledsoe tossed 3 TD passes, giving the Patriots a 21-10 victory over their AFC East rivals, who dropped to 0-7. The victory was overshadowed by Ty Law's ankle injury, which would force him to miss the next five weeks.

Week 8 - Dolphins@Patriots: The following week the Patriots defense once again turned to a bend-but-don't-break philosphy. Miami, led by Damon Huard's 345 yards, put up 392 net yards on the Patriots and took a 10-3 lead into halftime. Beginning in the middle of the third quarter the tables turned with Vinatieri and Bledsoe providing the scoring. First Vinatieri hit a 24-yard FG, before Bledsoe scrambled for a 21-yard TD. In the fourth quarter then another Vinatieri FG and a 28-yard pass from Bledsoe to Troy Brown sealed the Patriots' seventh victory. A victory that came at a high price. Leading receiver Terry Glenn and starting TE Eric Bjornson both suffered torn achilles tendons and were out for the season. With the trade deadline passing there was also no way for New England to bolster their weakened receiving corps through a trade, as they battled the 7-1 Bills for supremacy over the AFC East.

Week 9 - Steelers@Patriots: In the week before the bye the 7-1 Patriots squared off against the 3-4 Steelers. Despite turnover problems with two interceptions, Drew Bledsoe led New England to 397 total yards with his 28-37, 312 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile the defense blew up the Steelers' passing attempts, forcing 4 sacks, 11 hurries and 1 knockdown on 48 dropbacks. The 34-16 victory came at a price, however. Troy Brown suffered a leg injury that would force him to miss nine weeks, severely depleting Bledsoe's receiving corps, placing the responsibility mainly on the shoulders of veteran Chris Calloway.

Week 11 - Patriots@Panthers: After the bye week the 8-1 Patriots visited the 3-6 Carolina Panthers. While the Patriots' offense sliced up the Carolina's D, turnovers plagued the Patriots' efforts and gave the Panthers a 13-20 halftime lead. After intermission Lawyer Milloy single-handedly flipped the script by returning a 25-yard interception and a 43-yard fumble return for touchdowns for a final score of 40-20. Meanwhile Robert Edwards had 99 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries to help out Drew Bledsoe who fumbled twice and tossed one interception.

Week 12 - Broncos@Patriots: In week 12 the 6-4 Broncos made their way into Foxborough Stadium and played hard against a well-structured Patriots defense, which limited Denver to only 13 first downs. Good games by Robert Edwards and Game MVP Drew Bledsoe (24-36, 236 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs) gave the Patriots a deserved 19-14 victory.

Week 13 - Patriots@Texans: The following week New England faced off against the league's doormat, new expansion team Houston Texans. New England cakewalked to a 43-7 victory, led by Bledsoe's 354 yards and 3 TDs, as well as Calloway's 128 receiving yards.

Week 14 - Browns@Patriots: A week later the Patriots were shocked at home by the 7-5 Cleveland Browns. Especially defensively the tension was lacking, as Jason Garrett threw for 374 yards and 4 TDs, overcoming 3 INTs. After a 0-14 deficit midway through the second quarter the Patriots came back to make it a 21-21 game with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter. After that it was all Browns, as a 62-yard TD pass followed by an interception of Drew Bledsoe sealed a 21-31 victory. More ominously, starting DT and premier pass rusher Henry Thomas suffered a torn rotator cuff and was out for the season.

Week 15 - Patriots@Dolphins: With a chance to clinch the AFC East the Patriots travelled to Miami in week 15, to face the Dolphins. After taking a 17-0 halftime lead the Patriots allowed to Dolphins to make it a game by allowing 13 consecutive points, before Robert Edwards and Adam Vinatieri put the game away in the fourth quarter. Drew Bledsoe was named Game MVP for his 275 yard, 2 TD effort. Continuing the trend from the previous weeks, the Patriots suffered another major injury with starting guard Adrian Klemm forced to IR by an ankle injury. Furthermore cornerback Otis Smith injured his foot and was out for three weeks.

Week 16 - Patriots@Ravens: After successfully clinching the AFC East the Patriots were engaged with the 11-3 Kansas City Chiefs for homecourt advantage. Going into Baltimore the Patriots had tremendous success on both ends of the court. Drew Bledsoe completed 28-36 passes for 272 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs, while Robert Edwards rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries. Chris Calloway completed the offensive output with 10 catches for 103 yards. The defense meanwhile held Baltimore to 3 points, prompting a puzzling decision by the Ravens to replace Tony Banks with Trent Dilfer prior to the fourth quarter with the score being 17-3. Dilfer proceeded to throw 3 interceptions which enabled New England to cruise to a 37-3 victory.

Week 17 - Bills@Patriots: In the last game of the regular season the Patriots faced the Bills who fought for their playoff lives after a spectacular second half drop-off. Following a 7-1 start the Bills dropped to 9-6 and came into Foxborough on a three game losing streak. With them playing for the first seed in the AFC the Patriots showed Buffalo no mercy and dispatched the Bills 29-14. Robert Edwards rushed for 130 yards on 26 attempts, while Ty Law claimed MVP honours with two interceptions of Alex Van Pelt.

The Playoffs

Divisonal Round - Colts@Patriots: After beating the Titans 21-17 in the Wild Card Peyton Manning and the Colts travelled to Foxborough for the playoff opener of the Patriots. Despite talks about how he would struggle against the Patriots number 1 defense Manning came out to play and finished with 325 yards and 1 TD with no INTs. After a slow first half that ended 10-6 in favour of the Patriots, Manning and the Colts stormed out of halftime and won the third quarter 7-17. Facing a possible end of a great season Drew Bledsoe stepped up and led New England to a terrific fourth quarter comeback. After Vinatieri pulled the Patriots back within three, Bledsoe faced a 3rd and 8 with 3:17 to go. With the season on the line Drew Bledsoe scrambled for a 38 yard touchdown run, giving the Patriots a 27-23 lead.

Peyton Manning, however, didn't resign to his fate and led the Colts on a furious drive. On 3rd and 7 with 2:34 left he hit Jerome Pathen on a 21 yard strike. Four plays later on 4th and 3 Manning completed a 3 yard pass to Randolph Page. With 42 seconds on the clock, facing a 3rd and 10 at the New England 31 Manning hooked up with Jerome Pathen again for a 13 yard gain. 24 seconds later on 3rd and 10 Manning completed a 7 yard pass to Marvin Harrison who was deemed to have been intentionally held at the face mask, giving the Colts a 1st and Goal at the 6-yard line with 8 seconds left. Manning completed a pass to FB Jim Finn, who was stopped one yard shy of a game winning TD.

AFC Championship Game - Chiefs@Patriots: As was expected by pundits the AFC Championship Game saw the 13-3 Chiefs matched up against the 14-2 Patriots. While the Patriots were successful in limiting future Hall of Famer Warren Moon to only 89 yards, running back Mike Cloud ran all over the Patriots with 118 yards on 23 carries. Once again the game was full of drama. New England was seemingly on the way to the Super Bowl after taking a 10-0 lead midway through the third and the Chiefs offense sputtering. However, Kansas City put together a strong 10-play 83 yard drive to close within three with 11:52 on the clock in the fourth quarter. A Vinatieri strike from 42 yards out set up a nail-biting finish.

After the Patriots got the ball back with 4:31 on the clock to close the game out, Kevin Faulk fumbled the ball at the New England 26-yard line, giving the Chiefs prime position to gun for a go-ahead touchdown. On three consecutive plays Warren Moon failed to earn Kansas City a first down and the Chiefs faced a 4th and 3 from the Patriots' 19. Dropping back in this critical situation Moon successfully passed the ball to Tony Gonzalez who ran another 14 yards into the endzone, giving Kansas City the lead. Now it was on Drew Bledsoe to respond and he showed clutch genes as he brought the Patriots to the Chiefs' 30 yard line with 56 seconds to go. Kevin Faulk, who was not benched despite continuing fumble problems throughout the season, redeemed himself when he caught a screen pass and ran it 30 yards into the endzone, sending the Patriots to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXXV - Packers vs. Patriots: Facing the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXV were the 15-1 Green Bay Packers, who dispatched the Washington Redskins and defending champions St. Louis Rams on their way to Tampa. The game, in which the Packers were favoured by three points, was a back-and-forth for four quarters. Drew Bledsoe once again led his team to a fourth quarter comeback with Vinatieri hitting a 24-yard FG to tie the game with 2:55 left in the game. However, on this drive New England had a 2nd and 1 at the Packers' 7 but failed to punch it through, foreshadowing the doom that would befall them in overtime.

In OT the Packers won the coin toss but their drive stalled at the New England 6 and Green Bay was forced to kick the field goal. New England responded with a methodical drive that netted a 1st and Goal at the Packers' 2-yard line. On first down Robert Edwards was stopped one yard shy of the line of scrimmage. On second down Drew Bledsoe was hurried and the pass fell incomplete. On third down the Packers defense stopped Robert Edwards, who rushed for 169 yards on 26 carries, for a 1-yard gain, forcing a Vinatieri FG. Now the Patriots defense returned to the court, but was too tired to stop the Packers. On the last drive Green Bay ran the ball seven times for 47 yards and kicked the game winning 20-yard FG with 14:12 in the second overtime to break the Patriots' hearts.

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