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1993 New England Patriots season

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1993 New England Patriots season
OwnerJames Orthwein
Head coachBill Parcells
Home fieldFoxboro Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place4th AFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone
AP All-ProsNone
Uniform

The 1993 New England Patriots season was the franchise’s 34th season overall and 24th in the National Football League (NFL). The Patriots finished fourth in the AFC East Division with a record of five wins and eleven losses.

Offseason

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Sweeping off-field changes

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The Patriots closed their previous season with a 2–14 record amidst off-field turmoil. An unfavorable stadium deal without parking and luxury box revenues meant that the Patriots could not be competitive financially without a new facility.[1] Owner James Orthwein demanded that Boston build a domed stadium downtown,[1] and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said that time to build a new stadium was running out.[2] Suspicion that the Patriots would move to St. Louis began during the 1992 season,[3] and intensified as bidding for the league’s two 1995 expansion franchises heated up,[note 1] with the general belief that the Patriots would be moved to St. Louis as the Stallions[note 2] if that city lost its expansion bid.[4] There was also a proposal from businessman Fran Murray to move the team to Hartford, Connecticut where the state legislature backed a plan to build a 65,000-seat stadium downtown.[5]

The 1993 season was the first with the current Patriots logo and font, although the team changed its colors in 2000.

Sweeping changes were made in the organization before the season. All coaches from the 1992 season with the exception of Dante Scarnecchia and Bobby Grier were fired. Scarnecchia would become a special assistant while Grier would move to the front office. The new head coach was Bill Parcells, who had been a linebackers coach in Foxboro in 1980 under Ron Erhardt.

The roster underwent substantial changes; among the holdovers from the 1992 season were Marv Cook, Ben Coates, Kevin Turner, Michael Timpson, Sam Gash, Greg McMurtry, Vincent Brown, Maurice Hurst, Leonard Russell, Bruce Armstrong, Mike Arthur, and Pat Harlow. The Patriots drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe as the #1 pick and he was named starter.

Additions Subtractions
QB Scott Secules (Dolphins) QB Hugh Millen (Cowboys)
DE Aaron Jones (Steelers) RB John Stephens (Packers)
G Rich Baldinger (Chiefs) WR Irving Fryar (Dolphins)
DE Mike Pitts (Eagles)
P Mike Saxon (Cowboys)

1993 NFL Draft

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Main article: 1993 NFL Draft
1993 New England Patriots draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 1 Drew Bledsoe *  Quarterback Washington State
2 31 Chris Slade *  Defensive end Virginia
2 51 Todd Rucci  Tackle Penn State
2 56 Vincent Brisby  Wide receiver Northeast Louisiana
4 86 Kevin Johnson  Defensive tackle Texas Southern
4 110 Corwin Brown  Safety Michigan
5 113 Scott Sisson  Kicker Georgia Tech
5 138 Rich Griffith  Tight end Arizona
6 142 Lawrence Hatch  Cornerback Florida
8 198 Troy Brown *  Wide receiver Marshall
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

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1993 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Arnold Ale Linebacker UCLA
Keith Ballard Offensive Line Minnesota
Matt Bomba Defensive Line Indiana
Tunji Bolden Linebacker TCU
Ray Crittenden Wide receiver Virginia Tech
Corey Croom Running back Ball State
Eric Gallon Running back Kansas State
Bo Gilliard Wide receiver Prairie View A&M
Frank Godfrey Offensive Line LSU
Ronnie Harris Wide receiver Oregon
Vernon Lewis Cornerback Pittsburgh
Tom Vincent Offensive Line Vanderbilt

Season summary

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The Patriots lost their first four games, even after forcing overtime against the Lions and seeing a last-minute field goal attempt against Seattle bounce off the crossbar. In Week 5 Bledsoe was injured, Scott Secules was named the starting quarterback, and won the game with two passing touchdowns passing and one rushing score in the team's 23–21 win over the Cardinals. Scott Secules was then benched after a 28–14 loss to the Oilers. Bledsoe started for the Patriots, who however lost seven straight before eking out a 7–2 win against the Bengals that was the last occurrence until the 2011 Falcons of a team scoring only a safety in an NFL game.[6] This win was followed by a 20–17 win over the Cleveland Browns – coached by Parcells’ longtime assistant Bill Belichick – and a 38–0 massacre of the Indianapolis Colts in brutal windchill.

The season ended on January 2, 1994, with many in the sellout crowd at Foxboro Stadium[7] believing it would be the final ever game for the New England Patriots before moving to St. Louis.[8] The finale itself became one of the most dramatic games in the team’s history. The Patriots were hosting the Dolphins, who with champion quarterback Dan Marino out for the season after Week Five, had not won since Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys and required a win to make the playoffs. The Patriots led 10–7 at halftime and twice stopped the Dolphins on downs, but early in the third a Bledsoe fumble led to a Dolphins field goal. A blocked punt by the Dolphins’ Darrell Malone led to a touchdown by Scott Mitchell to Mark Ingram. The game lead tied or changed five times in the fourth quarter. In the fourth the Dolphins completed a drive ending in a Terry Kirby touchdown run, this despite Andre Tippett's sack of Mitchell for a ten-yard loss – it was the 100th career sack for the future Hall Of Fame linebacker.

In the final 3:40 Bledsoe drove the Patriots down to a Ben Coates touchdown catch, but the Dolphins forced overtime on a Pete Stoyanovich field goal. In the overtime the Dolphins punted after Chris Slade forced a fumble, then Bledsoe was picked off by J.B. Brown before the Dolphins had to punt again. Vincent Brisby caught a ten-yard pass but fumbled; teammate Leonard Russell recovered the ball and ran 22 yards; Bledsoe then absorbed a Dolphins blitz and launched a 36-yard touchdown to Michael Timpson, ending a wild 33–27 Patriots win. This finished their season at 5–11, but with four straight wins and eliminating the Dolphins from the playoffs as a finale.

This win over Miami marked only the sixth time that the Pats had defeated a team with a winning record since the start of 1989.

Staying in Foxborough

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As it turned out, the Patriots would not be leaving for the Midwest after all. Despite owner James Orthwein’s best efforts, Foxboro Stadium owner Robert Kraft was unwilling to let the team out of its lease, which ran through the end of the 2001 season.[9] An effort by Orthwein to buy his way out of the terms of the lease was rejected outright by Kraft; since Orthwein had intended to relocate the Patriots when he purchased the team from Victor Kiam before the previous season, and Kraft said he would challenge any relocation bid in court,[10] he was left with little choice but to put the team up for sale since he no longer desired to do business in New England. Kraft would make a bid for the franchise that would eventually be accepted, and the Patriots remained in Foxborough.[11]

Staff

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1993 New England Patriots staff

Front office

  • Chairman of the Board – James Orthwein
  • Vice Chairman of the Board – Michael O'Hallaron
  • Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Patrick Forte
  • Vice President – Bucko Kilroy
  • Director of College Scouting – Charley Armey
  • Director of Pro Scouting – Bobby Grier

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – Mike Sweatman

Strength and conditioning


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Roster

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1993 New England Patriots roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

None

53 active, 3 inactive, 0 practice squad Reserve


Rookies in italics

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Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 5 at Buffalo Bills L 14–38 0–1 79,751
2 September 12 Detroit Lions L 16–19(OT) 0–2 54,151
3 September 19 Seattle Seahawks L 14–17 0–3 50,392
4 September 26 at New York Jets L 7–45 0–4 64,836
5 Bye
6 October 10 at Phoenix Cardinals W 23–21 1–4 36,115
7 October 17 Houston Oilers L 14–28 1–5 51,037
8 October 24 at Seattle Seahawks L 9–10 1–6 56,526
9 October 31 at Indianapolis Colts L 6–9 1–7 46,522
10 November 7 Buffalo Bills L 10–13(OT) 1–8 54,326
11 Bye
12 November 21 at Miami Dolphins L 13-17 1–9 59,982
13 November 28 New York Jets L 0–6 1–10 42,810
14 December 5 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 14–17 1–11 51,358
15 December 12 Cincinnati Bengals W 7–2 2–11 29,794
16 December 19 at Cleveland Browns W 20–17 3–11 48,618
17 December 26 Indianapolis Colts W 38–0 4–11 26,571
18 January 2 Miami Dolphins W 33–27(OT) 5–11 53,883
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

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AFC East
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) Buffalo Bills 12 4 0 .750 329 242 W4
Miami Dolphins 9 7 0 .563 349 351 L5
New York Jets 8 8 0 .500 270 247 L3
New England Patriots 5 11 0 .313 238 286 W4
Indianapolis Colts 4 12 0 .250 189 378 L4

Notes

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  1. ^ Expansion franchises were awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina as the Carolina Panthers in October 1993 and to Jacksonville, Florida as the Jacksonville Jaguars on the last day of November. Memphis, St. Louis and Baltimore would lose their expansion bids; however, St. Louis would acquire the Rams in 1995 and Art Modell would move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore as the Ravens in 1996
  2. ^ In November 1993, a “St. Louis Stallions” team logo was unveiled and hats printed, only to be withdrawn after the city’s expansion bid was lost.

References

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  1. ^ a b Miklasz, Bernie (May 26, 1993). "Next Move Is Orthwein's (and Patriots')". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. pp. 1D, 7D.
  2. ^ Morgan, Jon (August 6, 1993). "Patriots' Owner Preserves Right to Move to St. Louis". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. p. 10A.
  3. ^ Thomas, Jim (November 8, 1992). "Foxboro Follies: These Patriots Need a Revolution to Save Them". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 1F.
  4. ^ Pierson, Don (October 26, 1993). "Payton's Position Unclear in NFL Bid". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 4–3.
  5. ^ "The Patriots Chase — A Look at Connecticut's Attempts to Lure the Patriots to Hartford". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. January 22, 1994. p. D4.
  6. ^ All Game Scores in Pro Football History Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Thomas, Jim (January 2, 1994). "Moving Experience for Pats May Be Near – Sunday's Game Could Be Team's New England Finale". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. F1.
  8. ^ Borges, Ron (January 2, 1994). "23 Years...And Counting?". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 73.
  9. ^ Howe, Peter J. "Town Says Patriots' Move to Boston Will Be Costly". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 16.
  10. ^ Thomas, Jim (January 5, 1994). "Patriots' Move Could Trigger Avalanche of Lawsuits". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 7D.
  11. ^ "Another Letdown for St. Louis". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. January 22, 1994. p. D4.
  12. ^ "1993 Club Directory, Administration, and Coaching Staff". 1993 New England Patriots Media Guide. pp. 2, 4–20.
  13. ^ "1993 New England Patriots starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
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