1997 New England Patriots season
| 1997 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Pete Carroll |
| Home stadium | Foxboro Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoffs | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 17–3 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 6–7 |
| Pro Bowlers | T Bruce Armstrong QB Drew Bledsoe TE Ben Coates LB Chris Slade ST Larry Whigham |
| All-Pros | LB Chris Slade (2nd team) |
The
In January, when the Patriots were preparing to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, it was suspected head coach Bill Parcells was looking to move to another team after the game where he would have more say over personnel matters.[1] In the 1996 NFL draft, Parcells' relationship with owner Robert Kraft soured when Kraft selected wide receiver Terry Glenn. After the Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XXXI, Parcells resigned from the Patriots, using the phrase "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."[2] Due to an earlier renegotiation that had eliminated the 1997 season from Parcells' contract, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue ruled Parcells could not be a head coach for another team in 1997.[3] Parcells instead moved to the New York Jets as a "consultant", taking assistant head coach Bill Belichick with him to be the Jets' head coach; Kraft called this a "transparent farce" and accused the Jets of tampering with Parcells.[3] The NFL ruled in the Patriots' favor and the Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the 1997 NFL draft, a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL draft, and a first-round pick in the 1999 NFL draft in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.[3]
Taking Parcells' place with the Patriots was
1997 NFL draft
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Chris Canty | Cornerback | Kansas State |
| 2 | 59 | Brandon Mitchell | Defensive tackle | Texas A&M |
| 3[a] | 61 | Sedrick Shaw | Running back | Iowa |
| 3 | 89 | Chris Carter | Safety |
Texas |
| 4[a] | 97 | Damon Denson | Offensive guard |
Michigan |
| 4 | 125 | Ed Ellis | Offensive tackle |
Buffalo
|
| 5 | 159 | Vernon Crawford | Linebacker | Florida State |
| 6 | 192 | Tony Gaiter | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
| 7 | 230 | Scott Rehberg | Offensive guard |
Central Michigan |
Staff
| 1997 New England Patriots staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 31 | San Diego Chargers | W 41–7 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,190 | |
| 2 | September 7 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 31–6 | 2–0 | RCA Dome | 53,632 | |
| 3 | September 14 | New York Jets | W 27–24 (OT) | 3–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,072 | |
| 4 | September 21 | Chicago Bears | W 31–3 | 4–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,873 | |
| 5 | Bye | ||||||
| 6 | October 6 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–34 | 4–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,821 | |
| 7 | October 12 | Buffalo Bills | W 33–6 | 5–1 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,802 | |
| 8 | October 19 | at New York Jets | L 19–24 | 5–2 | Giants Stadium | 71,061 | |
| 9 | October 27 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–28 | 5–3 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,972 | |
| 10 | November 2 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 18–23 | 5–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 62,917 | |
| 11 | November 9 | at Buffalo Bills | W 31–10 | 6–4 | Rich Stadium
|
65,783 | |
| 12 | November 16 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 7–27 | 6–5 | Houlihan's Stadium | 70,479 | |
| 13 | November 23 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–24 | 7–5 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,002 | |
| 14 | November 30 | Indianapolis Colts | W 20–17 | 8–5 | Foxboro Stadium | 58,507 | |
| 15 | December 7 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 26–20 | 9–5 | Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
|
73,446 | |
| 16 | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 21–24 (OT) | 9–6 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,013 | |
| 17 | December 22 | at Miami Dolphins | W 14–12 | 10–6 | Joe Robbie Stadium
|
74,379 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Postseason
Schedule
| Round | Date | Opponent (Seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 28 | Miami Dolphins (6) | W 17–3 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,041 |
| Divisional | January 3 | at Pittsburgh Steelers (2) | L 6–7 | 1–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 61,228 |
Standings
AFC East
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) New England Patriots | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 369 | 289 | W1 |
| (6) Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 339 | 327 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 348 | 287 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 255 | 367 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 313 | 401 | L1 |
Notable games
- August 31 v San Diego Chargers:
The Pete Carroll era of the Patriots started with a bang as Drew Bledsoe threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns in a 41–7 runaway. Stan Humphries managed a touchdown throw but was pulled in the fourth quarter for Jim Everett; Everett was intercepted and Willie Clay ran back a 53-yard touchdown.
- September 14 v New York Jets:
The first game against former Patriots coach
- Monday Night Football October 6 v Denver Broncos:
The first game between the last two unbeaten NFL teams since 1973[5] after the Buccaneers lost on Sunday, the Broncos won for the tenth straight time over the Patriots, 34–13. Despite throwing two interceptions and being limited to just 192 passing yards, John Elway ran in a touchdown and Terrell Davis rushed for 171 yards and two scores.
- October 19 @ New York Jets:
The 5–1 Patriots fell to Parcells' Jets 24–19 as the Jets outscored the Patriots 21–14 in the second half. Neil O'Donnell was flagged for intentional grounding in the endzone for a Patriots safety, then was pulled for Glenn Foley; Foley threw for 200 yards and a touchdown.
Final roster
Notes
- ^ a b The Patriots received third- and fourth-round picks in 1997, a second-round pick in 1998, and a first-round pick in 1999 from the New York Jets as compensation for the Jets' 1997 signing of Bill Parcells as head coach.[4]
References
- ^ Allen, Bruce (August 14, 2013). "The Exaggerated Myth of Bill Parcells in New England". Boston Sports Media Watch. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Vecsey, George (February 1, 1997). "Parcells Seeking New Kitchen". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
- ^ a b c Wilner, Barry (December 2000). "Take That!". Football Digest. Retrieved December 16, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Patriots.com summary Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Last Undefeated NFL Teams in Each Season". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2012.