David Patten passes away

Ralphwiggum

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Jun 27, 2012
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Oh man. He’s one of those guys who in my mind is forever young because I have watched Three Games to Glory (the original) and Super Bowl XXXVI highlights about a million times. Tragic.
 

IdiotKicker

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Nov 21, 2005
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Horrible. In addition to the fantastic SB game he had, the 2001 Colts game where he caught two TDs, threw one to Troy Brown, and also took in a reverse jet sweep for a TD is one of my lasting memories of him. Just really sad.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Old Fart Tree

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Horrible. In addition to the fantastic SB game he had, the 2001 Colts game where he caught two TDs, threw one to Troy Brown, and also took in a reverse jet sweep for a TD is one of my lasting memories of him. Just really sad.
That is my memory of him as well. Goddammit this sucks I loved that dude.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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That Rams SB TD was such perfection from a throw and catch standpoint.
And IIRC it was a repeat of Drew's TD pass in the AFCCG, which IIRC was the only real offensive moment in that game to speak of.

Along with guys like Troy, David Givens, Vrabel, etc, he was emblematic of the "where do they find these guys" nature of the early dynasty. Will remember his big plays for the rest of my life. It's easy to forget now but if you are my age or a little older, that was the first championship run you ever experienced. RIP.
 

tims4wins

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Jul 15, 2005
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In addition to all the memories above, two more:

2001 at Buffalo. OT in a 9-9 game. Makes the catch on the sideline. Gets knocked out. Fumbles. But his head is out of bounds while he is in contact with the ball. Ref overturns it, Pats keep possession, Antowain Smith goes about 40 yards on the next play, then AV wins it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAFC1-YfCZM


2002 at Chicago. Playing at the University of Illinois due to Soldier Field renovations. Pats fall behind bigly. I forget how much but 3+ scores. They come roaring back and Patten catches the winner in the corner of the end zone on a ~30 yard TD.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37bIQ6QfQk
 

Harry Hooper

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Awful, awful news. What a key contributor who deserved a bit more notice nationally than he got.
 

Preacher

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2002 at Chicago. Playing at the University of Illinois due to Soldier Field renovations. Pats fall behind bigly. I forget how much but 3+ scores. They come roaring back and Patten catches the winner in the corner of the end zone on a ~30 yard TD.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37bIQ6QfQk
The stadium mostly emptied after that Brady interception at the end. The Bears fans assumed it was over and there was no announcement that the play was under review. My roommate was out partying in the parking lot and didn’t realize the Bears lost until about midnight. When I was walking back to my apartment in my Pats gear, I was catching shit from Bears fans who were fairly incredulous when I told them the Patriots fucking won. Certainly one of the more exciting games I’ve seen in person.
 

tims4wins

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The stadium mostly emptied after that Brady interception at the end. The Bears fans assumed it was over and there was no announcement that the play was under review. My roommate was out partying in the parking lot and didn’t realize the Bears lost until about midnight. When I was walking back to my apartment in my Pats gear, I was catching shit from Bears fans who were fairly incredulous when I told them the Patriots fucking won. Certainly one of the more exciting games I’ve seen in person.
That’s freaking awesome.
 

RedOctober3829

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Jul 19, 2005
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Man this sucks. I got to meet David as we are both alums of Western Carolina University. He came back to campus after winning the SB in '01 and I was a freshman. He was the nicest guy you ever want to meet. Kind, courteous, and willing to answer any questions.
 

jaytftwofive

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Jan 20, 2013
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In my state Pa. there is no helmet law. Just wrong. They should have it in every state. I don't know if he was wearing one, or that would have saved him. RIP Dave.
 
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DJnVa

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As an aside, watching all these highlights---non-HD football. My God.
 

8slim

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Tragic news. I have a bottomless reservoir of love for those 2001-2004 Pats teams, and Patten was such a critical part of them. Plus he seemed like a really good guy. I'm the same age, this really hits hard.
 

sezwho

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Jul 20, 2005
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Yeah, what a loss…in spite of the great plays (thanks for posting above) I remember him first as a great person and teammate. It’s funny considering I never set foot in Foxboro during his tenure: he just projected such great and positive energy that lives on in his legacy.
 

jaytftwofive

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Jan 20, 2013
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The stadium mostly emptied after that Brady interception at the end. The Bears fans assumed it was over and there was no announcement that the play was under review. My roommate was out partying in the parking lot and didn’t realize the Bears lost until about midnight. When I was walking back to my apartment in my Pats gear, I was catching shit from Bears fans who were fairly incredulous when I told them the Patriots fucking won. Certainly one of the more exciting games I’ve seen in person.
I was working that day unfortunately. Just watched the scores and highlights on the computer at work. Never realized they were down that much. Thought it was a back and forth game.
 

Bergs

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Jul 22, 2005
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RIP, Mr. Patten. Thanks for the memories.

As an aside, watching all these highlights---non-HD football. My God.
It is absolutely insane how long the TB12 Patriots run lasted. The entire world changed.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Apr 12, 2005
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Terrible, awful news. I didn't miss a single home game that he played in for New England. One of my favorites, great player for that team, and apparently, an even better person off the field. Fucking motorcycles.
 

RG33

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Nov 28, 2005
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Wow. Horrible news. I don’t know why, but it was gut-punch worthy when I saw the headline. Such a great player on those teams and seemingly a universally liked guy and well thought of human being. RIP.
 

Shaky Walton

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Brady missed Patton a few plays before that gorgeous TD catch. I was at the game at the game and next to me (on the random) was a former Michigan lineman who played with Brady. As the first play developed, he called out Patton being wide open and was pissed at Brady for not cashing in. Then a few plays later, bang. What a thing of beauty that play was.

And yes, Patton was right there with Brady and Vinatieiri as the heroes of the Snow Bowl. And so was Jermaine Wiggins. That play where both touched the ball before a sideline grab was way under regarded after. It got limited attention but was pretty astounding given the conditions and situation.

47...damn that's so sad.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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2002 at Chicago. Playing at the University of Illinois due to Soldier Field renovations. Pats fall behind bigly. I forget how much but 3+ scores. They come roaring back and Patten catches the winner in the corner of the end zone on a ~30 yard TD.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37bIQ6QfQk
I remember watching this game as kid at my grandparents house; you didn't need to review the Patten catch because he clearly dragged his toes in the torn-up turf in the end zone.

I forgot it culminated in an incredible comeback from the Patriots. The play where the D-Linemen doesn't complete the interception because Brady knocks it out of his hands like a DB is like Brady's 200th best career play and yet it's absolutely incredible. Urlacher also makes an insane play on the failed two point conversion, he sees the direct snap to Faulk all the way and goes through like, five people to tackle Faulk.
 

Willie Clay's Big Play

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This is just awful. What a great player, teammate and story. Dude earned everything he got. Pretty obvious that he was loved by his teammates then and now. Way too young. Thanks for the memories, DP.
 

Garshaparra

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Feb 27, 2008
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No kidding. We used to watch that shit?
And we liked it.

Patten, along with Troy Brown, was of the original Pats dirtdog receiver reclamation projects - undersized for the position, originally undrafted, hung around the league until landing in New England, absolutely blossoming under Belichick. All the talent in 2001 was on the D side of the ball, with the offense just figuring out hacks to get points. He was one of those hacks, and goddamn did I love his game. He was by far their most effective receiver in that Cinderella 2001 run, did everything asked of him, earning the 3 sweetest rings of the dynasty. Rest in Power.
 

mauidano

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Motorcycles are a part of life and transportation. It's not a matter of IF you drop your bike but a matter of when. The odds are never in your favor especially if you're not wearing a helmet. In a collision with a car, you won't win. My dad was a doctor who spent a fair amount of time in the ER. Never let my brother or I even ride on a motorcycle growing up.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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Man this sucks. Patten was one of my favorite Pats of that era. He wasn't a high profile guy like Terry Glenn but the guy just balled. That pass from Bledsoe in 2001 in the AFC Championship, the 2001 Super Bowl catch are Patriots iconic catches. Catching the ball, getting knocked unconscious and being rule out of bounds we still talk about.

That video does make me miss Primetime back when it was good. It was appointment TV growing up on a Sunday. The music alone.

Also as said here, it's amazing that TV was that low-def and awful in 2003. We had an HD-TV at the time (CRT) and even HD was bad as there wasn't enough bandwidth on cable providers to provide the clean signal.
 

bigq

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Jul 15, 2005
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The stadium mostly emptied after that Brady interception at the end. The Bears fans assumed it was over and there was no announcement that the play was under review. My roommate was out partying in the parking lot and didn’t realize the Bears lost until about midnight. When I was walking back to my apartment in my Pats gear, I was catching shit from Bears fans who were fairly incredulous when I told them the Patriots fucking won. Certainly one of the more exciting games I’ve seen in person.
Holy crap I forgot about that game and had it confused with the game where Brady deked Urlacher. Huge heads up play in this one by Brady to knock the ball out of Robinson's hands as he was bobbling it on the near interception. Brady's sneak for a 1st down conversion on 4th and 3 with less than a minute left was an amazing push by the offensive line. Patten's catch barely getting both feet in at the back of the end zone to seal the win was amazing. What a game. Hard to believe that it was 19 years ago.
 

TomTerrific

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Jul 15, 2005
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I absolutely recall all those great things Patten did. I’m also ashamed to admit I mostly didn’t think about them because somehow, over time, I had transferred the sins of Dave Meggett onto Patten. So stupid.

Really sad to hear about Patten, and I’ll be hitting YouTube now to relive some of those great moments.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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Man this sucks. Patten was one of my favorite Pats of that era. He wasn't a high profile guy like Terry Glenn but the guy just balled. That pass from Bledsoe in 2001 in the AFC Championship, the 2001 Super Bowl catch are Patriots iconic catches. Catching the ball, getting knocked unconscious and being rule out of bounds we still talk about.

That video does make me miss Primetime back when it was good. It was appointment TV growing up on a Sunday. The music alone.

Also as said here, it's amazing that TV was that low-def and awful in 2003. We had an HD-TV at the time (CRT) and even HD was bad as there wasn't enough bandwidth on cable providers to provide the clean signal.
I hope people understand that the video quality of the Bears game on YT is not the actual video quality we had back then. My guess is it was ripped from some VHS tape using ancient technology. If you look at licensed stuff from the same era, it's not that bad. Here is licensed content from the excellent NFL Throwback channel:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De8gmp-pFT0&t=610s