FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots will kick off their 50th anniversary season in 11 days when they host the Buffalo Bills in ESPN's season premiere of Monday Night Football on Sept. 14. It will be the first of four American Football League (AFL) Legacy Games that the Patriots will appear in this year, featuring matchups between AFL teams who will honor their heritage by suiting up in classic throwback uniforms from the early 1960s.
On opening night, the Patriots will honor their 50th Anniversary Team during a halftime ceremony to recognize the greatest players in the franchise's history. The team was unveiled early last month with 12 offensive players, 12 defensive players and four special teams players. Bill Belichick was named the head coach of the team and Gino Cappelletti was selected as an honorary captain. Recognizing the omission of a defensive captain on the team, Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft filled the void by appointing the recently retired 13-year veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi. Earlier this week, Belichick described Bruschi as the "perfect player" and Kraft called him a "Patriots icon."
The Patriots' 50th anniversary team is listed below.
OFFENSE:
HONORARY OFFENSIVE CAPTAIN:WR/K Gino Cappelletti HONORARY DEFENSIVE CAPTAIN: HEAD COACH: |
