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* NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VS. NEW YORK GIANTSThursday, September 3, 2009 - Gillette Stadium (68,756) - 7:30 p.m. EDT*
The New England Patriots (2-1) will close out the preseason against the New York Giants for the fifth consecutive year on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are 2-1 in the 2009 preseason. After opening at Philadelphia (8/13) with a 27-25 victory, the Patriots dropped a 7-6 decision at home to the Cincinnati Bengals (8/20). The Patriots rebounded last Friday night with a 27-24 victory at Washington. The Giants (1-2) opened the preseason with a 24-17 win vs. Carolina (8/17) before dropping a 17-3 decision at Chicago (8/22) and a 27-25 decision vs. the New York Jets last Saturday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION:This week's game will be broadcast by the Patriots Preseason Television Network and can be seen in every New England state as well as Eastern Canada, Alaska and Hawaii. The network's flagship station is WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston. Veteran CBS broadcaster Don Criqui provides play-by-play and is joined by three-time NFL Pro Bowler and CBS analyst Randy Cross. WBZ-TV principal sports anchor Steve Burton offers on-field reports from the sideline.
RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 36 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 33rd season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Santos and Cappelletti are celebrating their 26th season as a tandem.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Giants will meet for the 19th time in the preseason and for the fifth straight year in the preseason finale. Overall, the Giants hold a 11-7 advantage in the preseason series. The Patriots claim a 5-3 edge in the regular season play and have won four straight regularseason games against the Giants since 1996. The clubs have been frequent preseason opponents recently, squaring off in the preseason openers for three straight years from 2001-03 and resuming the series in 2005 when they started to meet in the preseason-finale.
MEMORABLE PATRIOTS-GIANTS MATCHUPS
Aug. 15, 1971- The Patriots defeated the Giants 20-14 in the opening preseason game at the old Foxboro Stadium.
Dec. 21, 1996- The Patriots rallied from a 22-3 fourth-quarter deficit to clinch a first-round playoff bye with a 23-22 win at Giants Stadium.
Aug. 10, 2001- New England began its first Super Bowl championship season with a 14-0 preseason shutout of the defending NFC champion Giants.
Dec. 29, 2007- The Patriots defeat the Giants by a thrilling 38- 35 score to cap off the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history.
February 3, 2008- The Patriots faced the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz. The Giants 17-14 win snapped the Patriots perfect season.
MUST-SEE TV
The last two times the Patriots and Giants faced off in games that were not played in the preseason, the clashes made national and local TV history.
Super Bowl XLII (02/03/08): Super Bowl XLII was the second most-watched show of any kind in the history of recording television audiences. Its 97.5 million total viewers trailed only the 1983 series finale of MAS*H (105 million viewers).
2007 Regular Season Finale (12/29/07):The Patriots-Giants game on Dec. 29, 2007 was seen by 34.5 million people nationwide, making it the most-watched regular season game since 35.7 million people watched the Dallas-Kansas City game on Thanksgiving Day, 1995. Additionally, it earned a 50.1 rating (75 share) in the Boston Market, making it the highest-rated regular season Patriots game in the history of the Boston market.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
In the decades leading up to the founding of the American Football League in 1960, many football fans in New England followed the Giants, a franchise founded in 1925. New Englandbased NFL outfits such as the Providence Steam Roller (1925-31), the Boston Redskins (1932-36) and the Boston Yanks (1944-48) folded or moved away, leaving the Giants as the closest NFL team to New England until the Patriots franchise inaugurated play in the 1960 season.
CONNECTIONS
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent 12 seasons on the Giants' coaching staff, and was the team's defensive coordinator for their victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. Belichick joined the Giants as the special teams coach on Ray Perkins' staff in 1979, and during his tenure coached special teams (1979-82), linebackers (1980-84) and the secondary (1989-90), while also holding defensive coordinator responsibilities (1985-90). Belicheck was on the same coaching staff as Giants head coach Tom Coughlin when they both worked for the Giants from 1988 – 1990. Belichick was the Defensive Coordinator and secondary coach and Coughlin was the wide receivers coach.
- Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was the quarterbacks' coach at Boston College from 1981-1983. and was the head coach at Boston College from 1991- 1993.
- Patriots RB Fred Taylor played under Giants head coach Tom Coughlin when Coughlin was the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach from 1998-2002.
- Patriots G Logan Mankins and Giants QB David Carr were teammates at Fresno State from 2000-2001.
- Patriots T Wesley Britt and Giants DT Jeremy Clarkwere teammates at the University of Alabama from 2003-2004.
- Giants LB Zak DeOssie is a native of North Andover, Mass., and attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. before continuing on to Brown University. Zak is the son of Steve DeOssie, who finished his NFL playing career as a linebacker and long snapper with the Patriots in 1994 and 1995.
- Giants assistant strength and conditioning coach Markus Paulheld the same position at New England from 2000-2004, where he worked with Mike Woicik and earned three Super Bowl rings.
- The Patriots originally signed Giants P Jeff Feagles, a 22-year NFL veteran, as a rookie free agent on May 1, 1988. He played for New England in 1988 and 1989.
- Patriots QB Andrew Walter and Giants WR Derek Hagan were teammates at Arizona State.
- Patriots rookie DL Ron Brace and Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka were teammates at Boston College from 2004-2005.
- Patriots C Dan Koppen, LB Vinny Ciurciu and Giants G Chris Snee played at Boston College together in 2001.
- Patriots LB Shawn Crable and Giants WR Mario Manningham were teammates at the University of Michigan for four years.
- Patriots LB Gary Guyton and Giants TE Michael Matthewswere teammates at Georgia Tech from 2004-2006.
- Patriots S Brandon Meriweather and Giants wide receiver Sinorice Moss and S Kenny Phillips were teammates at the University of Miami.
- Patriots TE Chris Baker and Giants T Kareem McKenzie both played for the New York Jets from 2002-2004.
- Patriots CB Leigh Boddenand Giants C Shaun O'Haraboth played for the Cleveland Browns in 2003.
- Patriots WR Randy Moss and Giants DT Fred Robbins were teammates on the Minnesota Vikings from 2000-2003.
- Patriots TE David Thomasand Giants CB Aaron Ross were teammates at the University of Texas from 2004-2005.
- Patriots LB Adalius Thomas and Giants DE Justin Tuckare cousins. Tuck and Patriots..
- Giants tight end coach Michael Pope was the running backs and tight ends coach for the Patriots from 1994- 1996.
