NE vs Miami "Connections"

[lytic]

CONNECTIONS
- While serving as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick hired Jim Bates as the defensive line coach. Bates is now the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins.

- Patriots quarterback Damon Huard played for the Miami Dolphins for four seasons, appearing in 34 games with six starts and recording 170 completions for 1,691 yards. He was 5-1 as a starter for Miami.

- Patriots linebacker Larry Izzo was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins as a rookie free agent. In his five seasons with the team he appeared in 61 games and recorded 95 special teams tackles, five defensive tackles (all solos) and one blocked punt.

- Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri converted all four of his field goal attempts against Miami, including game-tying and game-winning kicks to spark the Patriots to a 27-24 overtime win against the Dolphins in the season finale. (12/29/02)

- Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel is originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and attended Central Florida. He played quarterback, defensive back, kicker and punter on Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lake, Fla.) High School's football team.

- Miami defensive line coach Clarence Brooks was an offensive guard at the University of Massachusetts from 1970-72, and was the team captain his final season. Brooks also was the defensive ends coach at UMass from 1976-80.

- Miami running backs coach Joel Collier was the Patriots assistant running backs and receivers coach for two seasons (1991-92) and worked in the Patriots personnel department for one season (1993).

- Miami cornerback Terrell Buckley played for the Patriots for the 2001 and 2002 seasons, appearing in 31 games with two starts and recording 47 tackles (45 solos) and seven interceptions.

- Miami tackle Greg Jerman was born on Jan. 24, 1979 in Hyannis, Mass.

- Miami wide receiver Derrius Thompson's cousin, Reyna Thompson, was a cornerback for the Patriots in 1993.

- Miami fullback Rob Konrad attended St. John's Prep School in Danvers.

- Miami quarterback Jay Fiedler matriculated to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

- Patriots fullback Patrick Pass was drafted in 1996 by the current MLB world champion Florida Marlins and that year played for the organization's rookie league team in Melbourne, Florida.

- Miami defensive coordinator Jim Bates was Patriots safety Chris Akins' defensive coordinator in Dallas in 1999. Miami wide receiver James McKnight also played with Akins and the Cowboys that year.

- Miami assistant special teams/offensive assistant coach Bernie Parmalee played for New England head coach Bill Belichick, then an assistant head coach, with the New York Jets from 1999-2000. Parmalee's teammates included New England tight end Fred Baxter, defensive lineman Rick Lyle, defensive ends Bobby Hamilton and Anthony Pleasant, and linebacker Roman Phifer.

- Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest was a teammate of Dolphins safety Sammy Knight at USC in 1993.

- From 1990-96 the coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys included Patriots strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik and Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt, defensive coordinator Jim Bates and wide receivers coach Robert Ford. Dolphins safety Brock Marion played under the staff from 1993-96.

- Patriots running back Patrick Pass and defensive lineman Richard Seymour were teammates with Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael at the University of Georgia.

- Patriots assistant head coach/offensive line Dante Scarnecchia and Dolphins tight ends coach Pat Jones coached together at Southern Methodist University.

- Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and Dolphins linebacker Junior Seau both became Pro Bowlers while playing together on the San Diego Chargers.

- Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi attended and played his college ball at the University of Arizona while Dolphins defensive line coach Clarence Brooks was an assistant there.

- Dolphins Defensive Line Coach Clarence Brooks played offensive guard at the University of Massachusetts before becoming defensive ends coach there.

- Dolphins National Scout Chris Grier interned with the Patriots in 1994 and then joined the staff full-time until 1999. He matriculated at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Grier's father, Bobby Grier, is the former Vice President-Player Personnel for the Patriots.

- Dolphins College Scout John Crea was an assistant coach at Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.) in the early 1980s.

- Dolphins College Scout Roger Pollard was linebackers coach and Junior Varsity defensive coordinator at Brown University (Providence, RI) from 1991-93. Pollard held the Head Coach position at Dean Junior College (Franklin, Mass.) from 1996-98.

[Leonidas]

Don't forget the Pats just signed former Fin's receiver Dedrick Ward and there's also the whole Bryan Cox thing. Seems like NE has always had a thing for former Dolphin players.

[lytic]

It's an AFC East thing... they are always swappin' players.

[azjoe_02]

GO DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!!!!
My prediction: Miami 27, NE: 23!!!!!!!! That might be a tad biased.

[FrogMan]

Let's see, weather forecast for Foxboro, MA, for Saturday...

High: 29
Low: 26.... WITH SOME SNOW!!!!!!

Time for some frozen fish, me think

FM

[Leonidas]

This is the prototypical game the Dolphins lose in Dec. Bigtime game with the division race on the line, against a rival up north in December. They lose and it's deja vu all over again and nothing has ever changed. If they win, then you can say they would have a bonafide wave of momentum to close out the season with and will have thrown that late season monkey off their back.

If they do lose I think the team will just resign itself to another late season swoon. If they win, all that late season choking crap can be forgotten. This game definitely tells one way or the other if this Dolphin team is different and really in it for a playoff run or just another carbon copy of the last 20 years.

[lytic]

Can you say 12+" of snow?

[QuikSand]

Is this "connections" stuff supposed to make me think of all the Lincoln/Kennedy crap?

You know, the Vice Presidents were both named Johnson, and their secretaries were both named Barbara, and their assassins both had 15 letters in their names.... and so on.

[rkmsuf]

I see little connection but anyway...

the snow could actually hurt the Pats in that may be more difficult to operate the quick passing game should the field be bad and the wind up. Faced with slugging it out on the ground you'd figure Miami to have the advantage. Should be a tightly contested affair...

[FrogMan]

Originally posted by rkmsuf
I see little connection but anyway...

the snow could actually hurt the Pats in that may be more difficult to operate the quick passing game should the field be bad and the wind up. Faced with slugging it out on the ground you'd figure Miami to have the advantage. Should be a tightly contested affair...

Remember the Oakland game two years ago, the field was baaaad. Now at Gilette stadium, if I remember correctly, they have heaters under the field, the snow should't accumulate all that much. Cold air is another thing though

FM

[rkmsuf]

Originally posted by FrogMan
Remember the Oakland game two years ago, the field was baaaad. Now at Gilette stadium, if I remember correctly, they have heaters under the field, the snow should't accumulate all that much. Cold air is another thing though

FM

The field may have been bad but there was absolutely no wind and Oakland was a team that could not run or control the ball...

Actually I'd rather have the snow accumulate at bit than try and melt it on the fly thus creating something resembling pudding as the field...

[BishopMVP]

Miami......who collapses every year at the end......@ 10-2 New England......in December.....with snow forecast......Ricky Williams and the running game has sucked this year......Pats have improved immensely against the run since Ted Washington got back in the middle.....Pats are the hottest team in football, having won 8 straight.

So what's the line on picking Miami to win? 30-1?