FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots will honor former kicker Adam Vinatieri at halftime of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, a ceremony that doubles as a reunion of the most important team in franchise history. More than 30 of Vinatieri’s former teammates and coaches are back in Foxborough for the 25-year anniversary of the 2001 championship squad, and the group was introduced as a team during a pregame ceremony at Gillette Stadium, taking the field to the familiar chords of U2’s “Beautiful Day.”
Thirty-two players and coaches attended. Richard Seymour, Ty Law and Vinatieri wore the gold jackets that come with Pro Football Hall of Fame induction, Seymour adding a cowboy hat and boots for the occasion. Willie McGinest, Kevin Faulk and Dante Scarnecchia wore the red versions given to Patriots Hall of Famers. The roll call stretched from franchise icons — Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown, Lawyer Milloy, Antowain Smith — to more obscure alumni such as Kole Ayi, a UMass linebacker who appeared in one game for the ’01 Patriots, and Drew Inzer, a Rhode Island-raised guard who spent time on the practice squad. Antwan Harris, who returned Troy Brown’s blocked field goal for a touchdown in the 2001 AFC Championship Game, was there. So was safety Tebucky Jones, whose would-be Super Bowl scoop-and-score was wiped out by a penalty. Ten of the 11 starting defenders from Super Bowl XXXVI made the trip.
The full list of ex-Patriots present: Joe Andruzzi, Kole Ayi, Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Matt Chatham, Marc Edwards, Kevin Faulk, Ivan Fears, Bobby Hamilton, Antwan Harris, Drew Inzer, Ted Johnson, Tebucky Jones, Andy Katzenmoyer, Ty Law, Matt Light, Willie McGinest, Lawyer Milloy, Brandon Mitchell, Marty Moore, Stephen Neal, David Nugent, Patrick Pass, Lonie Paxton, Anthony Pleasant, Dante Scarnecchia, Richard Seymour, Antowain Smith, Otis Smith, Adam Vinatieri, Ken Walter and Charlie Weis.
Owner Robert Kraft was nostalgic during the week, drawing a line between what he hopes the current team can take from a squad that came out of nowhere. “What the ’01 team had was that everyone put team first, which was represented by how they came out of the locker room at the Super Bowl,” Kraft said of the group led by coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and a battle-tested defense that upset the Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI. “When that happens, great things happen.”
The most obvious link is current head coach Mike Vrabel, a linebacker on that ’01 team. He met his former teammates at a Saturday dinner hosted by Kraft. Kraft said last week’s 29-26 win over the Bills in Orchard Park, New York, carried ’01 vibes. “There was no way anyone thought we were going to win that game, and our guys put team first,” he said. “Drake [Maye] did some things that were spontaneous, like his runs, and we had some of our top players injured, in a tough place to play — and we win.”
Against the Rams, New England was the largest underdog in the history of the game. Before that came the moment that made Vinatieri’s legend: a 45-yard field goal in the snow with 27 seconds remaining to tie the Raiders in the AFC divisional round, followed by a 23-yard game-winner in overtime. Kraft called it the greatest game ever hosted in the old Foxboro Stadium. It was also the last one. The Patriots went on to beat the Steelers on the road in the AFC Championship Game, then conquered the Rams in New Orleans and opened Gillette Stadium the following year.
“He made those kicks and we couldn’t even get the snow cleared out,” Kraft said. Vinatieri received his Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence in a separate halftime ceremony, referencing Brady and taking a few jabs at the smattering of Raiders fans in attendance — fans he said “have had a front-row seat to a lot of pretty cool moments in my career.” “At the time, I thought we owned the Raiders,” the Snow Bowl kicker cracked. “And you know what? Thanks to Tom, now we do.”
The two central figures of the dynasty were the most notable absences. Belichick was not in attendance after leading his North Carolina Tar Heels to an upset win over Pitt on Saturday. Brady, now FOX‘s lead NFL analyst and a minority owner of the Raiders, was 3,000 miles away in Seattle calling 49ers–Seahawks for the network.
Kraft looked at a young roster and found reason for encouragement. “We have a very young team now,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing for the future, but there is a big learning curve. People are putting team first, winning first. It’s like the [Efton] Chism catch [last week] — nobody would have dreamt that. Here’s an undrafted free agent from last year who comes in early every morning and is working hard. A lot of our players are doing that. There’s a camaraderie in the locker room that’s unique with both of these teams. That’s really encouraging.”
Notes from the locker room: veteran receiver A.J. Brown was more visible last week than he had been in prior weeks, wearing cleats as he works back from a right high ankle sprain and chatting with locker mate Drake Maye. He is eligible to return from injured reserve after Sunday’s game. Top cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury, made a brief appearance Friday and respectfully declined to detail the injury, which occurred during a Sept. 27 loss in Jacksonville that he played through that day.
Maye knows something about waiting. Like Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza — the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, backing up Kirk Cousins — Maye spent the early part of his first NFL season behind veteran Jacoby Brissett. He said this week that watching Brissett handle adversity, the media and locker-room relations was critical to his career, and that the two remain in regular contact and count each other among their best friends. Maye also saluted Cousins unprompted. “First off, I want to speak on Kirk,” he said. “I got to know Kirk a little bit and it’s fun to see a guy who has been through the battles on different teams playing great football.”
At receiver, the Patriots are thin. With A.J. Brown out and his replacement Mack Hollins sidelined by a calf injury, the healthy options are Romeo Doubs, DeMario “Pop” Douglas, Efton Chism III and 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams. Williams has played 64 snaps, 24.2% of the offensive total, and has two receptions for 44 yards this season after totaling 10 for 209 yards and three touchdowns last year. Vrabel said Williams continues to improve, acknowledging “sometimes it’s hard to hear that or believe that when you have to be able to see the football and get it.”
Defensively, safety and captain Kevin Byard was buoyed by a forced and recovered fumble last week — linebacker Robert Spillane and outside linebacker Elijah Ponder combined on it — plus a late-game interception by safety Craig Woodson. Still, he said the unit has not met its standard. The Patriots have forced five turnovers this season. “The goal every week is to get at least three,” Byard said. “Haven’t got there yet.”
Running back TreVeyon Henderson explained his jersey number. He wears No. 32 in honor of his grandfather on his mother’s side, Albert Harris, who had that number in high school and went by the nickname “Airplane.” “He passed away when my mom [Lakeesha] was really young,” Henderson said. “I do it to honor my mom as well.”
The offensive line held its weekly dinner Thursday at Mooo., a steakhouse in Boston, and Maye joined the group as he often does. Past locations this season have included Karma Sushi, Luciano’s Italian Restaurant and Capital Grille. Among the items that landed on the table this week were an American Wagyu Cap served with lobster and a Tomahawk steak that Maye and veteran Greg Van Roten shared.
One more number worth noting: the Patriots have lost the past three games against the Raiders. A loss Sunday would tie the longest losing streak against them in franchise history — four straight, from 1967 to 1969.
