Sports: New England Patriots Tickets

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The New England Patriots frequently referred as "Pats" by sports writers and fans are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Currently members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL) they are originally called the Boston Patriots. The Patriots joined the NFL in the league merger of 1970 and since then the team advanced to the playoffs four times before their first Super Bowl appearance, a loss in Super Bowl XX in 1986. The team also lost Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. The Patriots became the second team in NFL history between 2001 and 2004 to win three Super Bowls in four years. The Patriots are also the seventh team in NFL history to win consecutive Super Bowls.

The Patriots' franchise joined the NFL pursuant in 1970 to the merger of the AFL and NFL that had been agreed to three years earlier. After shifting between four different Boston-area stadiums in their first 11 seasons, the Patriots moved into a new stadium in 1971 in Foxborough. The team was renamed the "New England Patriots" in march 1971 to reflect that the team was located outside the Boston city limits. Their worst season in franchise history came under Rust in 1990, when the team finished 1-15. St. Louis businessman James Orthwein became sole owner of the Patriots franchise in 1992. Robert Kraft opened the new Gillette Stadium in 2002.

In 2002 Robert Kraft opened the new Gillette Stadium. Kraft privately funded the construction of the stadium. The Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24-21, thus becoming the first team in six years to repeat as NFL Super Bowl champions, and only the second team ever to win three Super Bowls in four years. The Patriots even won all three Super Bowls by 3 points, two of them with a last second field goal by Vinatieri. In 2000, the team developed additional changes to their logo and uniform. Tthe "Flying Elvis" logo though remained, a darker shade of blue wa introduced. Alao the uniforms went through a slight makeover to reflect the new color scheme.

The Patriots broke the all-time winning streak record of 18 wins in 2004 following a victory against the Miami Dolphins. Belichick's top two coordinators after the 2004 season-Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel-left the team to pursue head coaching jobs. Significant players moved on as well, including longtime Patriot cornerback Ty Law. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi missed half of the 2005 season while recovering from a mild stroke. The team lost several starters to injuries during the 2005 season. The New England Patriots became the seventh team in NFL history to fail on a chance to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons, the last team to do so being the Broncos. Defensive coordinator Eric Mangini was hired by the New York Jets to be their head coach during the 2006 off-season.