New England Patriots

In a move that bolsters their special teams and adds depth in the defensive backfield, the Patriots agreed to terms with free agent safety Mel Mitchell, according to a league source.
The 27-year-old Mitchell (6 feet 1 inch, 222 pounds) is entering his fifth NFL season and spent his first four years with the New Orleans Saints. Mitchell has played in 44 games (no starts) and is primarily known for his special teams prowess.
In 2004, Mitchell had a career-high 29 special teams tackles, two partially blocked punts, a special teams forced fumble, and a blocked punt recovery in the end zone. In 2002, he had 25 special teams tackles.
Mitchell entered the league in 2002 as a fifth-round draft choice out of Western Kentucky. He was vying for a starting role prior to the 2003 season but suffered a season-ending left knee injury in the exhibition finale against the Dolphins.
With linebacker Matt Chatham signing with the Jets and safety Michael Stone still a free agent, the Patriots are without two core special teams players from last season. Mitchell could fill a similar role, while also providing another option at safety, where the team has Rodney Harrison rehabbing from a serious knee injury.

After losing three key players from its championship teams in recent days, the New England Patriots re-signed receiver and fan favorite Troy Brown on Friday.
Brown, 34, has spent his entire career with the Patriots, who drafted him in 1993. His 514 career receptions rank second for the Patriots, 21 behind Stanley Morgan. Brown had 39 catches for 466 yards and two touchdowns last season.

The signing comes after a wave of high-profile departures this month, starting with wide receiver David Givens, who signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 14. Longtime linebacker Willie McGinest signed with the Cleveland Browns the next day. On Tuesday, the Patriots lost Adam Vinatieri, who kicked two Super Bowl winning field goals, when he signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Brown played a significant role in New England's three title teams on offense, special teams and even defense. During the 2004 Super Bowl season, injuries in the secondary forced Brown to play nickel back for the final 12 games of the season, including three postseason wins.

Brown is the Patriots leading punt returner with 244 returns for 2,554 yards.

For the first few years they were the Boston Patriots, a vagabond team in a upstart league, in search of a permanent home. They played in every possible venue, from BU to BC to Harvard and Fenway Park. They even played a home game in Alabama. Somehow they persevered and survived, and today the New England Patriots have a beautiful new stadium of their own, and three Super Bowl Championships since 2001.

They were the last of eight teams that formed the new American Football League which began play in 1960. Though the AFL was ridiculed by the media and the NFL, it succeeded with a wide open shoot-out style of football. The Patriots were solid contenders with several standout players, in the early years. They won the Eastern Division in 1963 but lost to San Diego in the championship game. By the time of the merger of the AFL and NFL in 1970, the Patriots were in decline and still without a home.

In the summer of 1970, the Patriots opened Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro. They also had a new name, the New England Patriots, and were now new members of the National Football League. In 1982, the stadium was renamed Sullivan Stadium after the team's founder and owner Billy Sullivan, and renamed again as Foxboro Stadium in 1990 by new owner Victor Kiam. Though a spartan facility, the venerable stadium had excellent sight lines, seats close to the action, and provided the Patriots a home for 31 years.

Patriots fans were treated to many fine teams with three trips to the Super Bowl during the Foxboro Stadium years. In 1986, the Pats were the first team to win three road playoff games en route to their first ever Super Bowl. Playing the powerful and heavily favored Chicago Bears the Patriots were no match.

The arrival of Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells in 1993 and new owner Robert Kraft a year later launched the franchise into a new era of success and popularity. In 1997 the Patriots made it to a second Super Bowl, losing an entertaining game to Green Bay.

In 2000 despite the doubts of some, Kraft hired Bill Belichick as head coach of the Patriots. Belichick had a five year stint as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns but it was his work as assistant coach and defensive coordinator that had earned him acclaim. Given a second chance as a head coach, he built his team on a foundation of discipline, teamwork, preparation, and character, with the result of the Patriots developing into an elite team.

Perhaps the most memorable game ever played in the old stadium was its last, in January of 2002. On a Saturday night in a raging snow storm, Adam Vinatieri booted a field goal in overtime to give the Patriots a playoff victory over Oakland. Two games later, with quarterback Tom Brady completing the first chapter of the onset of a legendary career, and Vinatieri booting yet another game winning field goal, the Patriots won their first Super Bowl.

In the Fall of 2002 after decades of frustration, deals gone bad, and threats of relocation, the Patriots opened state of the art Gillette Stadium, next to site of the old one. In addition to athletic events, the stadium clubhouse was also constructed to be used as a year round convention center and function hall.

The first year in the new stadium was an off year for the team but 2003 and 2004 were historic. The Patriots steamrolled to consecutive 14-2 records and two more Super Bowl titles. They became the second team to ever win three out of four Super Bowls, and their 34 victories is record for two seasons.

It has been a long journey for the Patriots. From a rag- tag team in an ridiculed league; forever in search of a home, often in search for fans, victories, and respect, the Patriots have reached the apex of their sport. When referring to the New England Patriots of the 2000's, they are on the short, illustrious list of the greatest dynasties of the NFL.