Pats from the Past: Episode 26, David Patten

It's time out for another edition of our Pats from the Past podcast Matt Smith without Brian Morey. Sorry that Brian couldn't be here, but we're thrilled to be in Columbia, South Carolina and the hospitable David Patton as our guest. David, thank you so much for joining us today and thank you for letting us be here.

Hey man, the pleasure is all mine.

I'm just excited to be given this opportunity just to reminisce a little bit and just share where I am today.

Well, so let's start with that, because I think Patriot's fans want to know. We're here in Columbia, South Carolina and we are in the A Wall Ministry. So tell Patriot fans what are you doing today?

Well, A wall is an acronym for a way of life, and it's a spiritual ministry.

But I focus on.

The art of living or uh not, not so much as stressing and emphasizing religion because I was I was always raised to be a strong man of faith, and just over the years I saw that, you know, it seems like religion has done more harm than good. So the premise has kind of been, you know, to focus on, you know, the expectation that God just wants us all to have a better way of life. So that's kind

And that's kind of that's kind of what what the ministry stands for.

We're gonna get into that in a lot more detail later on. But why was that something that interested you? Why was that a path that you decided to choose.

Well, like I said, I was raised in the church.

As from a from a baby, I mean, growing up growing up in Columbia, South Carolina.

You know it was it was work football in church.

And you know along the way, we all we all have our wayward days.

Uh.

Throughout my college days, I I turned my back on God and I believed that early on God shut the doors to my dream of planning the NFL. And once I got my act together and got back in right relationship with Christ. Uh, I know for a fact that God opened the door. And that's how I made it to the NFL. Because Uh, I actually made it to the NFL A year out of college, and I had worked for a coffee being factory and I was working on that job, which was a streamous job, so I

Giants from that workout.

A year off working in a coffee being factory and not even training. But what took place over that over the course of that year, uh I, I had a come.

To Jesus moment. Uh I, I I got back on track.

I rededicated my life to Christ and and and I believe that God fulfilled my my lifelong dream. And you know, once I, once I made it to the NFL, there were there are so many distractions, and there's so many things that you can get caught up in. I made up a commitment to God that if he, if he kept me an and and blessed me with a ten year career, that I would dedicate him when I retired, not knowing that I would be called to the ministry

We we're we're establishing the foundation of it. Uh.

It's a it's a long, hard journey. It's it's tough work, but it's very rewarding because Y I I I think we find the truth in the places, uh, the secret places, the places where there's not a lot of notoriety, there's not a a lot of attention.

So y you tend to find out just to you are.

And although it's been a tough couple last couple of years, everyone dealing with COVID, just having strong faith in God and trusting that no matter how how difficult it is, no matter how difficult it may be, it's it's been a blessing and it's been rewarding and God has kept us through that.

So that's what I feel.

Kind of it was the commitment that I made to Christ to commit to him. But I was called to the ministry and I just felt like, you know, starting up, starting a new work, and that's how that's how we got here.

So I want to go back to what you said, how you got into the NFL, because I think there's this urban myth out there, and maybe it's me, maybe it's others. You know, they hear the story about Kurt Warner. Oh, Kurt was working at a grocery store packing, uh, you know, bagging groceries and things like that, and somehow he got his way into into playing football. Let's you were working on a coffee being truck? Were you hauling beans on a coffee bean truck? Was it? What was the job it?

It was a f It was a f a factory, and and I I think the factory was responsible for, you know, several different types of foods. But I worked in the coffee bean section, and the the responsibility of our job was to load for eighteen wheeler trucks truck trailers of three hundred and seventy five seventy five pound coffee bean bags. And it was a lot of basically like uh uh. I used to equate it to uh hang cleans, because you you're snatching from the ground and

Fast for for for for that point in my life.

You know, when I was in college, I ran like a four four or five, uh mid four or five range. But after working in the coffee being factory for that year and going to the Universe South came out as pro timing day.

I ran a four to two seven that day, not even training.

So I think that was a little bit of the blessing of the law and the work I was doing.

So when you get to New England, do you ever say to Mike Woysik, who was your strength and conditioning coach when you start in New England, Hey, I've got an exercise program that maybe we should get these guys on. We're gonna take seventy five pound coffee bags throw them to each other. It's a pretty good workout. To just suggest that to him.

Well, I didn't think about that at the time, But I will tell you this, I'll never forget this story.

I tell my kids all the time.

One day I felt so good going into work, and I was one of those players. I never really boasted about having the greatest skill set or being the most dominant player. But what I would put up against anybody was my work ethic. I really loved to train, I loved to practice. And one day it was all season program and I went and I said, Mike, I feel so good today. I'm gonna make you quit blowing the whistle.

And the thing about it, I was an eight year bet at that.

Time, so the problem was and the reason I believe he stopped blowing the whistle was because all the young guys had to keep runn because they weren't gonna let me outdo them. So you know, it was a little culmination of how many sprints I ran that day.

And then, you know, looking out for the younger guys.

How do you think you got on the Patriots and maybe specifically Coach Belichick's radar, because in two thousand and one he was in the second year of his program where you were free agent at that time, David, Is that how you got on their radar? Were you unsigned at the time?

Well, when I started out, I started out on four one year free agent contracts and the Patriots were actually gonna sign me my third my fourth year. But what happened was, at the time, because I had played on three one year minimum minimum based contracts, the only team that offered me some signing, some signing bonus money was

Just gonna bring me in as a free ager.

So uh, throughout the c Over the course of that next year, the the Browns wanted to sign me to a three year extension, but I ended up hurting my toe and my production kind of fell off, so they took the contract their extension off the table. So the following year came around, Cleveland was gonna bring me back as a free ager, but then the Patriots offered me a fifty thousand signing bonus. Long story short, once I get into training camp, Bill told me.

He told me up front, he said, David, you come here, Oh, we're gonna.

Give you fifty thousand dollars to sign and you're gonna have a legit chance to play and be a starter. So when I get there, they signed Charles Johnson, Torrence Small Birdie Mammy, So you got you got three ten year plus high production receivers, and here I am the fourth year guy and I don't have them any stats. So I'm like number six or seven on the depth chart. And when I get there, you know, I'm feeling some type of way. I'm kind of in the tank. And

Three year extension and the rest is history.

So you're looking around at that scene you're brought in, you think you're gonna be a starter. You're right. I mean, I think Patriot fans looked at that two thousand and one team and they're going, Okay, Charles Johnson, burn E Manuel, who's David Patton? Towards Small? They knew who Troy was, but they really didn't know there was all these other guys.

Well, that's kind of always been the mentality. You know, only where about what you could control. But I knew what I was told that I would have the opportunity to be a starter. And by the time we get the training camp, you've got three you know, pros who've put in at least ten years, so needless to say, you're just gonna think that you know, well, maybe they're gonna get the nod over me.

But it goes back, it calling back.

It all comes down to what you do when you get your opportunity, and every opportunity that I got to make a play, I did that, and you know I beat all those guys out, and I believe Troy and I we ended up being the starterst that year.

I think Charles Johnson ran number three.

Do you remember Freddy Coleman?

Uh, And Freddy Coleman was like the special team's big catch against the Jets.

Jets, I think it was the only propetitor. It was a huge player that set up I think the game when he kield.

Goals exactly couldn't and they couldn't happen to a better guy because he was He was like one of those high personality guys.

So so here you come, new team, new situation. Okay, they got this entrenched guy quarterback. He's been around for a long time, big gun, I'm your go root guy. He's gonna be able to throw it to me when he goes down. David, what were you thinking? What were you thinking when Drew went down.

I had played that entire preseason with Tom Brady on the third team offense.

So who are we Who.

Are we going up against in training camp? The number one defense? And I can tell you we gave number one, the number one defense problems Tom and I. And I'm telling you, Tom, if you didn't know Drew Brees, I mean Drew Blet, so what was the one hundred million dollar quarterback at that time?

You would have thought Tom was the starter.

Just his leadership style, I mean, his composure to plays, the throws that he made in practices. So when Drew gets knocked out of the game against the Jets and I see Tom running into the game, It's like, in my.

Mind it was in slow motion.

I was like, Oh, we getting ready to go because we had already had so much chemistry. And when he comes in, you know everyone knows the story. Well, I'll say it like this. He wasn't what he is today. He wasn't the three hundred and fifty yard four four hundred yards a game quarterback. But at that time, he was the big play quarterback when we need a big play,

At the very least, I knew he wasn't going to fall off in.

And I think you described his first game. So here come the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning. They're going up and down the field, scoring on everybody. I think Brady threw for one hundred and eighty yards and Twine Smith at a big game, both otis and tie return touchdowns for returning interception for touch On that game, you scored forty something points and beat the Colts, beat him pretty badly. That's what your team was, right Like, you're not based.

I think that you know, when it's all sat and done and and Tom. Tom is sitting in his chair and and and he's ruh, reminiscing about his his beginning days.

I think that Tom has a u A great respect for.

That Patriots team that won the first three championships because he wasn't the the the goat, he wasn't the perinial three hundred and fifty quarterback. It was total team effort. It was total team's win. And and a defensively heavy u uh, a defensive heavily team.

So uh.

I think Tom w when we had the the reunion for the first three championships. He really showed a lot of respect for us because it was his younger days and and we kind of took up the slack.

For him, you know, while he waited to develop.

So so I mentioned quickly about the Indie game at home three weeks later. It was pretty close back to back. I can't remember exactly you played Indie there and when we were talking before, this happened that day and just to remind fans, you did something that has only happened three times in the history of the National Football League. You ran for a touchdown, threw for a touchdown, and

Well, initially, I'm very home because I wasn't aware of that. But when I think about it, and you know, when I'm teaching my kids and when I'm talking to other young people, it that's just it. Everyone can't be the the All American every every player can't get the ACU accolades, every player can't make it to the Hall of Fame. But to say that I did something that two Hall of famers did you know that?

That r that's really humbling.

And that makes me feel pretty good because that's just it.

When I when I was giving.

My opportunities, I always felt like I could be an a eighty catch ninety catch receiver any given season.

But that just wasn't my role, I was a down the field receiver.

I think, uh, when you look at my status, I averaged like fourteen point nine nine yards per catch, So I was the receiver that they counted on to go down the field. So Bill didn't wanna put me in a lot of situations where I was where I was catching uh, underneath routes, across the middle getting banged up. Cause you know, I'm I'm not a big, a big guy. But but to to to be mentioned in in in in that company makes me feel really good because I've got great respect.

Walter Payton is one of my childhood idols, and.

I played I think I played maybe my last uh the first three four years with bay Le dame Ley and thomasin and he was a phenomenal player. So you know that's something I can I can kind of rest my laurels on knowing that now.

We're gonna talk more about that game later on. But I wanted to advance a little bit in the old one year, I remember talking to Teddy Bruski and Willie McGinnis and they disagreed. Willie feels pretty strongly. I think Lawyer said the same thing you lost to the Rams, like almost at about the three quarter mark of that season. Ironically, that'd be the last wash you guys had as a team that year. Lawyer says, he goes, look at nothing good ever comes from a loss. There's no good that

No question about it, Because in that game, we like to say in the NFL, every game can can be lost, and every game can go either.

Way because you have that that that type of parity.

But in that game, I forget, I forget what the famous score was, but what I do remember is that we went score for score. We couldn't stop them and they couldn't stop us. So by the time we get to the super Bowl that year, I mean, our confidence was really high because we remember that week and we felt like we had just a little bit more time

So, you know, kid who grew up in South Carolina played it where you went to Western Carolina? Is there where you went to school? Yes, I can't imagine that there was much snow in a football season when you were playing. So here we come to the division around of the playoffs. The first time you've been in a playoff game, I would assume you know this is going to in all likelihood be the final game at Foxborough

Well, as a receiver, you hate inclement weather because nine out of ten times, you know it's probably gonna be a uh a, a run heavy type of attack. But something, just something was just in the air that night. You know, when when the stadium's covered in you know it's a old stadium and and the Raiders are coming in out of out of Oakland, California. We felt like we had the advantage, we had the edge, cause worst case scenario, this is what we're accustomed to, this is what we used.

It went our way.

But uh, it was one of the one of the the greatest games.

I And you know, you talk about offense having the edge that in those conditions, and I agree with you, But there wasn't a lot of offense, especially for the Patriots through three quarters of the game. Tom scored to get it close. The tuck rule happens. Adam has what everybody agrees is the greatest kick in the history of the NFL. Forty eight yards. Nobody can see it goes through get you to overtime. But at that point in time, it looked like the offense was clicking. You had a

No doubt about it. Tom came in. I think it was pretty tight.

We struggled a little bit in the first half, but after halftime, Tom Brady, I think it's on the Greatest Games to Glory.

It's a clip where Tom comes.

He goes down the bench and he talks to all of us receivers and he's like, hey, guys, I need the best routes you guys have chief, I need your best comeback routes. And that's just that's the impact Tom had because of the way that he trained. He really he literally tried to get faster. He tried to compete with us speed guys. He did all the speed drill works because he just wanted to get better in all areas.

So when when.

Your leader comes to you and tells you I need the best comeback routes, you've got.

It just goes to another level.

And that's what I was That's what I was alluding to when I said that, you know, in that type of game where inclement weather, we on the offense, we have the advantage because we know where we're going.

So if you remember that game, I believe I had.

Like one hundred and ten yards and I think I was the leading receiver for that game, and I had like eight catches.

Popped up out of the snow, and fatter you, you weren't a very demonstrative guy, but the vision in my head is coming out of the snow, big first down point, right, You remember.

That exactly Because the half of those routes and half of those completions, I was slipping down, falling down.

But I had the advantage because I knew where I was going.

So the defender he was slipping as well. So so it just was a part.

Of it, man.

And you know, Tom May the big throws and I was able to come down with them. How when the snow is beating you in the face and you hate, really you hate snow because snow kind of sticks to your gloves and it makes your glove gloves kind of slick, but the ball was just sticking, you know it.

It was meant to be.

I'm a long time I neightve New England are basically David. And when I hear somebody say Chief, I'm a big Celtics fan, and I think of Robert Perry. A lot of people in the Boston think Robert Parrish. Robert Parrish was the Chief Great Hall of Fame Center for the Boston Celtics. How did David Patten get the nickname?

Well? I was the Chief everywhere everywhere I played.

I guess no one really likes the name David, or they say, when you're pretty cool, you get nicknames. Every team I played for, every level I played on, no one ever called me mama named David. They always came up with some type of nickname ll run. I think it started out with the New York Giants. Then it then it moved to Creating Bob cause I was I was uh really ripped cause I was taking creating as a sub ste a uh a supplement, so they called

Let's get it.

It's a good day, let's go Chief.

So Tom just it kind of I guess it fit because I I I I was one of the the work ethic guys, you know.

Uh.

I used to always run ten go routes at the end of every practice with Tom. So I guess that kind of stood out to him. So he just started calling me Chief, and it kind of just stuck from there, and everyone started calling me calling me that, and it it kind of just I it.

It followed me throughout the league.

So you talked earlier about you know that you and Tom had developed some really nice chemistry and camaraderie and training camp AC Championship game in Pittsburgh, and Tom goes out and I think and at the end of the first quarter of the second quarter, here comes Drew off the bench, hasn't played a lick, gets whacked on the sideline on that touchdown drive. But talk about the play

Throughout the throughout the course of the year, you know, everyone is going through practice and it's always the next man up mentality and talk. I mean, Drew, he was he was already used to being a man, so he just had to come back in and do what he did.

And I'll never forget running that route. I think it was a.

Corner route and I was the inside I was the inside slot guy to the right side and coming out of the break and I I remember coming around and I saw him. I saw the ball actually leave his hand. I was like, oh, I'm getting ready to score this touchdown. And Drew, Drew just had he he had he had a touch on the ball.

I I think I think between the two two.

Of those guys, I would say Tom had the stronger arm, but Drew just had a He had a knack for patting the ball and and like just flicking it out there. So you know, it's the old adage, it doesn't matter who's in the game, it doesn't matter what the situation is.

You have a uh uh.

You have one responsibility that's to do your job, get open and catch the ball, and that's what we did.

There's a lot of similarities. And you're gonna correct me and tell me I'm wrong, and that's fine, But it seems to me there's a lot of similarities between that play. Maybe it's just cause it's that side of the end zone. Maybe it's the fact that you're up in the air like that, because you were very similar. The Pittsburgh catch for touchdown and the Saint Louis catching the Super Bowl seems very similar. But they're not similar plays, are.

They not at all?

And I think everyone kind of gets those two plays mixed up thinking that they are the same, right, because they weren't the same area. But that the touchdown versus the Stealers was was a deep corner inside deep corner route. And then the touchdown in the Super Bowl wasn't.

Out and up.

And I'll tell you a quick story about that. That was supposed to be a quick out and the inside receiver was supposed to be running the corner route the touchdown catch against the Stealers, but we were playing against I believe it was Dexter McLean and he was an overly aggressive corner because he wasn't really fast wasn't really physical, but he was just really smart and he got a lot of jumps.

He could he could read keys really well. And Charlie and Bill on the walkthrough in.

The in the Saturday practice where we only out there thirty minutes, Charlie just at the last moment he said, Bill, I.

Think we need to Oh maybe it was Bill, Yeah it was Bill.

Bill said Charlie, I think we need to make that an out and up because we know Dasion McClean likes to sit on the routes, and we're inside the ten yards so we're inside the ten yard line. So if we get inside the ten yard line, let's change that out into a quick out and up to take advantage of him jumping on the quick out. And so it was in the same vicinity of the end zone, but one route was out, out and up and the touchdown against the Steelers was a deep corner.

So do you put this play in the rope the walk through on the Saturday for the Super Bowl? You don't practice it. You've never practiced to play.

We walked through it.

You walked through it, but you didn't practice it. And so it comes into the huddle and Tom calls it. What's going through your mind?

Oh, I'm getting ready to score the I didn't know it was gonna be the only offense touch up, but I just knew I was gonna score because Dester McClean was a really aggressive corner back and I d I just knew the play was gonna work. But when when the ball actually came, Tom put it on the He put it high in the outside to.

The back corner.

And I think when I came out of the the up portion of the the the route, I was more to the inside as opposed to the back pile line.

I was. I was.

I remember thinking in my mind cause I it was all slow motion. It's like you're watching television, Uh remember the Titans or something, and then it's the it's a a a key moment in the game, but it's.

All in slow motion. I'm like, oh, he missed me. I said, I.

Still gotta, you know, make it look like i'm'a try to get to it. And I just kept going up and and w When the ball hit my hands, if you if you look at the picture, it was a it was a a the uh the panorama view and the sports uh Sports Illustrated, so the picture that takes up the whole magazine.

I'm catching the ball. The ball is like actually.

On on the inside of my fingers, so it's kind of it's a funky catch.

Nine other times I probably.

Dropped the ball and I was able to hold on to it and drag my toes.

On the back power or so.

I think. When Ty intercepted the ball, it's like you stunned the Rims with like a pretty good right cross and wobble their knees a little bit. When you score with under thirty seconds to play or less to go into halftime, and you go in fourteen to three, what was the feeling because I don't think other than the fifty three of you guys, nobody thought you were going

I definitely believe that that's when we let everyone else know that we were the real deal. But as far as ourselves, I know, me personally, I had so much confidence going up against them because of how we played them in the regular season game.

I never forget man.

Throughout the course of the uh that we preparing for the Super Bowl, Bill had us line up five yards past the line of scrimmage to simulate their speed, and he told those guys listen, I don't care.

I want you rough housing. I want you holding those guys. When Marshall Fault comes out.

Of the the I believe they put Willie on him. They put Willie on whatever side he was lined up on, and Bill in the middle of one prot.

He said, well, I don't care what you gotta do. You know, use a couple of extraplo lives.

But you better knock this this guy out. So every play we played those guys so physical. I think if you were at the at the beginning of that game, Tory Holt caught a.

Uh A d A A A A.

Deep goal route on the left side and Tebucky Jones came and hit him like five yards out of bounds. I don't know if we got the pennanty, but thats that was the way we prepared to play 'em.

Bill. Bill.

He established in us the mentality that no matter what the outcome of that game, we were gonna be more physical than those guys. We were gonna let those guys know, Ay, you're you're in a war, You're in a fight. So we we we took away their strength. Bill was phenomenal for that manner. I'm not just saying he's perhaps one of the greatest coaches just because that's what everyone says now because of all.

The success that he's had.

You know, I don't know if Bill had that much success prior to him getting with the with the UH with the Patriots. But you know, naturally, you know, you you get the you get the positive comments when you when you have the productivity to go with it. But I can honestly say this, this man, I've never been around a better football mind. I I he he wasn't. He wasn't much for UH personality. And how d it's not that he doesn't have personality, because Bill has great personality.

He had us believing in ourselves.

So I I, I mean, I know it probably sounds cliche to say that we knew we were gonna win win that game.

I mean, what else? What else you gonna say? If you don't think you're gonna win, you probably not on that level anyway.

But according to the the stats and what was going on at that time, that defeasts that they were accomplishing on the field. Yes, it was a long shot, but the way we were prepared, the way we were coached, we felt we had just as equal an opportunity to to to be the win of that game.

And yet after kind of dominating for three quarters, something happens and uh and the Rams kind of f the switch and you guys are taking body blow after body blow after body blow. It's tied. The infamous should Madden saying they shouldn't play for overtime? You get down the field, Tom masterfully brings a team down, huge catch by Troy. What was your routine or what was your mentality? You saw the snowball kick when Adam kicked it, and you get to overtime and eventually he kicked you guys into

For the kick. I can honestly say I never I never even thought that he ever even had a chance to miss the field goal. No, naturally, he had just as much an opportunity to miss as he did to make it. But Adam had made so many big kicks after great kicks after great kicks.

It kind of got to the point how we feel with Tom. We feel like we.

In any given moment putting, when Thomas putting at the right position, he's gonna make the play, He's gonna he's gonna make the team better. And I think that's the way that Adam has established himself as the kicker. He was so good, he was so consistent, He had made so many great kicks. He made that he made it difficult look easy, and I can honestly say I never thought he was gonna.

Miss Did you watch it? Did you is you? Are you a head down guy? Let's hear what the crowd has to say? Or do you watch it?

I'm watching it because he he had removed the pressure. Now, the pressure probably was on it for the fans, but we seemless every day, day in and day out. We see how he goes about his craft. You know, kickers don't do much in practice, you know, but when it comes time for him to kick his field goals, man, he is down in. I'm telling you he's he's kneeling those things so he I know with them myself. He had built my confidence in him that I I just expected it to be.

So.

You were fortunate to be a part of three. You were on the team the last team that ever went back to back three Super Bowl championships. Your role was different certainly in three and o four, some because of injury, some because you know, the roster was changing over a different guys in there like Dion Branch and everything like that. So maybe this is a loaded question, But was O one by far and away your favorite memory of those three championships.

Yes, and I will say that because I actually scored in O one, But in actuality, I I didn't have an opportunity to play in Old in in the OLD three Super Bowl against the Panthers because I I I suffered an injury. I tore myma niscus. But I I I trained really hard that all season. I came back and I won my my position back as the starting ex receiver. So that that year, if I'm not mistaken,

We we we we we.

We put the pressure on them in that they they they were a Cover two, they were a cover too heavy uh d uh defensive team, or they would play m uh man coverage. So but we put the pressure on them if they if they would come out in man coverage.

We ha.

We actually had a lot of shots built into that game plan, but they actually came out in a cover too heavy game plan, which is gonna always put the advantage to the offense, uh with the slot receivers.

And that's why Dion gets.

The MVP for that game, because they made a decision to run cover too heavy uh uh uh a cover two heavy defensive scheme. And now Dion is matched up against uh the nickel uh corner back and sometimes linebackers.

And good luck with that.

And so I I lead Dion had what one hundred and forty something yours on, like sixteen catches or something like that. It wasn't in a Super Bowl record time close to it, I think, yeah, you know the O one season, David, It's it's hard to nail it down, but I'm gonna ask you and kind of put you on the spot.

Well, in a year with so many different memories, you know, and Drewsying his brother's running out nine to eleven with the Flags, and your game against the Colts and the AFC Championship, the Snow Bowl, the Super Bowl, was there one thing in your mind during that year? What was the one thing that sticks out if you can limit it to one that gives you the most joy or gives you the most satisfaction. When you look back at that year, you said it. You said you scored in

Yeah, but I don't was it?

You know, Adams kicked to get you into over Like you guys were dead in the water. Man, you guys are dead in the water. The tuck roll happens, you get a new life. The odds of him making that forty eight yard field going are very good. You know, there's a lot of people in New England that believe that the tuck roll slash, that kick, that's what kicked things off. There are people who prefer the Snowball game to the Super Bowl game because that was the game that really started the whole thing.

But it was a game.

It was an instrumental game where we got beat really bad. And I don't know if I don't know if it was that year prior to the Super Bowl or the following year, didn't we get beat by I want to say we got blown We got blown out by someone.

And three you got blown up by Buffalo in the first game of the year.

No, there was a game we got blown out and Bill came.

In, Oh, Miami at Miami, you got smoked.

And wasn't that prior to the Super Bowl?

No regular ball, Miami regular season?

Wasn't that in two thousand and one, Yes, sir, that's that was the instrumental moment for me because I remember it. To me, I felt like that's when it turned around for us, because not only had that never been done by coach to me, but the meaning of it. I mean you we come into practice, were feeling demoralized. Because you as a professional player, you live, you get measured every day. I'll never forget I had a coach tell

You can literally know that every day.

And so to come to come in to a Monday practice, a winn stay practice after a demoralizing loss, and you see a big hole at the end of the practice field.

He like, what's going on? And he comes that he buries us in the meeting.

But then when he goes to bury the ball, he's like, now, everything I've said to you guys, everything we messed up in this game, we're burying it right here, and we have a chance to start over from this point for and do something special.

I will never forget that.

So when away, David, do you think that that helped? Because I think one of the things that people find so successful about Bill in the program, and it's a program now after twenty somebody years, is you never get too high after the win, and you never get too low. And the players buy into that. You know, yeah, we won thirty one enough of this week, but it doesn't matter anymore what we did last week. It matters what we do this week. And maybe did that watching him say, yeah,

No doubt about it.

And think about that, because it's one thing to tell up, to tell your players to forget.

Something, But that's that's that's not even possible. We can't even forget anything but not human nature exactly. But when you.

Tell someone to bury it, now, I have a picture.

Listen, I'll never lose this memory.

And I'm gonna feel like doodo until I give a chance to get back on that field and and and get back to a win. But I've got to consciously make up in my mind that even though I sucked it up this past week, I gotta put that behind me and I gotta keep going.

I've gotta move forward. Man.

That's that's that's that's that's life.

I will I will never forget that.

And it's interesting that you say that Bill has established a program.

You don't establish programs in the National Football League.

You've you've got millionaires running routes and catching touchdowns and throwing passes and protecting the quarterback. How do you how do you start a program in the National Football League?

But that is what he has done.

And when people when people bring up the comparison between he and uh uh coach saving down at Alabama, to me, that's the difference between Bill and coach Shaven.

Bill has done this with grown men.

It don't matter where you've been Antonio Brown, Randy Monks. But when you come to the New England Patriots, you don't even you don't have to.

Be told that you gotta change. You just fall in line.

It's it's it's it's an underlying understanding.

We're great here. We do things.

We get it done.

It matters how you do it. But at the end of the day, just just get it done. That's that's the program. Can you say what other coach will be able to say that they will be able.

To do that. I'm not saying it won't ever be done again, but that's that's that's that's a tough beat.

So why I look at you when you say that, and I hear the passion in your voice when you talk about that you won three the only the last team that went back to back. Oh Bill hasn't won a Super Bowl in ten years, and then the Patriots win three more in five years. When you look back to one and know that you were a part, that was the start of it, David, that was the start of it. What does that mean to you to be on the front end of what is? You know, you

No matter what what happens in my life, and now where I find myself in ministry or trying to compel people to be better when we live in such a such an information society, such a technic technological society, it's it's it's really tough trying to stress and emphasize faith and and and you know what we've just gone through

You when you walked in, I said you could, You look like you could give him at least five snaps. You thought fifteen. Just make sure you spread it out because you have a lot of go routes. There's a guy who's maybe around your age, a little bit older or something. He's still doing it. He's gonna be forty four in August. Are you surprised that Tom's still doing it and doing it as well as he's doing it.

No, I'm not surprised. And this is the reason why.

You know, when you've played the game, you definitely have a better, much better perspective than those who haven't played the game. Not only does Tom play the most protected position in the National Football League, he is probably his type of play, being a pocket passer, being a sixty attempt quarterback. You know, it doesn't require a lot of

I mean, Tom really hasn't been hit that much, So it doesn't shock.

Me that he's still playing this long, particularly the way in which he takes care of himself, the fact that Tom wasn't a high draft pick, the fact that Tom wasn't always the goat from the beginning. He's developed I believe, such a humble mentality that no matter what what degree of success he experiences, Tom will never forget where he comes from. And I I say that because when we had the reunion, I hadn't seen Tom in what ten fifteen years.

And he was still the same guy.

What I remember about that reunion and I was there with you cause we produced a TV show around it is there's David Patton, and there's Otis Smith, and there's Lawyer Malloy, and there's Ty law there's Teddy Bruski, Willie McGinnis in the back of the room with the Scalley cap on, almost afraid to be there. He didn't wanna take away from you guys because I w I think Tom remembers that Tom was riding shotgun on.

That teams.

And that was one of the That's what amazes me so much about him. You're you're talking about one of the the most recognizable people.

In the world. You're talking about one of the most likable people in the world.

The only people who hate Tom are his opponents and and the fans of his opponents teams.

Right, But Tom's pretty well loved.

I mean he he's married to a a a very pretty lady. Uh the second one. I mean, he's he's got it going on and to remain humble. I I tell you, Ma'm the the media will always try to manipulate what what the true character of a person is because the reality is human nature is jealous. We don't mind, we don't mind people having success, but we kind of hate it when someone has extreme success. We don't like for for someone to be great for an extended period

Or he's not humble. I I've never witnessed a time.

When I've been with him, when I've when I've had the opportunity to be around him and we sh I I we stayed in contact with each other, I would say, up until about five six years after retiring, and then you know, life just takes you in different you know, to a different level, you know. So I haven't talked to him much since since that point, but we we kept in contact. He would return my text message, aymen, I'm praying for you to have a successful season.

Chee.

I appreciate that man, that that means, That means the world, because you know, a lot of people forget where they come from, and I I don't think that Tom is one of those people. I think he'll he'll always be respectful and honor that that first wave of guys that came in and established the Patriot wate.

Last one here for me on this is you know, I I don't know how easy it is for you. You're down here in South Carolina, you're trying to establish this new career for yourself, and you talked about getting at the ground floor and hum beginnings and who knows where that's gonna take you. But you mentioned what it's like that you you're a champion and nobody can ever

That means a lot, especially when you think about the type of people that are in that area. You know, tough people, oh, you know, work ethic people doing doing the tough years. I remember when they used to show the the the footage of you know, the years when the the Pats struggle and they the fans would come to the games with the with the bags on their heads. And then when we got there in the old one season and we actually turned it around.

You never ran.

Across a fan that that wasn't genuinely appreciative of it.

And so to to to to know that.

My name resonates with them, cause I I think that they they appreciate they they appreciate players that come and give their all to the team and to the organization. And I think that that's what means means the most to me, because you know, you you you gonna always appreciate the the great players or the players that have a lot of uh stats. But so many times I've had fans come to me and say, I really appreciate your career. I appreciate the way that you laid it

That's our path for the past podcast. David Patton was our guest. David, thank you so much for your time, great stories, great information.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate you guys having Thank you for downloading this podcast. Subscribe on Apple, Google Play, and everywhere else you listen. Like the show, Please rate and review us. Listener comments and ratings help keep us high on the podcast rankings so new listeners.

Can find us.

Be sure to check Patriots dot com for more news and more podcasts.