Patriots Honor 1996 AFC Champions Through Honorary Captaincy
The New England Patriots will have four honorary captains for Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens. Drew Bledsoe, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown, and Ty Law were all on the 1996 AFC Championship team that defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars and went on to play in Super Bowl XXXI where they fell victim to the Green Bay Packers. It was the second AFC Championship in franchise history and the final AFC Championship before Bill Belichick took over as head coach. When the four met with media members, they described their experiences with that team.
Drew Bledsoe was the Patriots starting quarterback throughout most of the 1990s and having faced tough times there, knew how much it meant to go deep into the playoffs. “The Patriots had been through a lot of years that hadn’t been much fun,” Bledsoe said in a conference call, “and then to have not just one, but two home games in that run was really neat.” In Bledsoe’s nine-year career in New England, it was the only time he would lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl as their starting quarterback. Bledsoe, who was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame earlier this year, felt the need to be there was so great that he cancelled his plans to attend a friend’s birthday party to be there Sunday.
Tedy Bruschi was a rookie linebacker in 1996 having been a third-round draft pick. A pass rush specialist and special teams member that year, he played in every game. Bruschi says despite its downfalls, he enjoyed playing at Foxboro Stadium for those fans. “They were always there. They were close, they were on top of you and they could voice their opinions and you could hear every word,” the former linebacker said, “It felt good knowing that they cared so much and how badly they treated us sometimes when we lost, I liked that because it showed how much passion they had.” Bruschi said he was glad they could give the Foxboro faithful some signature wins such as the 1996 win over the Jaguars and their 2001 divisional playoff win over the Oakland Raiders.
Troy Brown was drafted by the Patriots in 1993 and played all 14 years of his NFL career for the Patriots. The wide receiver remembers fondly the 1996 conference champions. “I think about all the guys that I went to war with,” the Patriots all-time receptions leader said, “It was a special time for us and it will be great to see some of the guys come back.” Brown is well remembered by Patriots fans for the 2006 AFC divisional playoff game against San Diego when, with the Patriots down 21-13, the receiver stripped Marlon McCree after he had intercepted Tom Brady. The Patriots got a new set of downs, went on to tie the score on that drive, and would later win on a 31-yard field goal. Brown was the ultimate team player lining up wherever asked to help the team. Throughout his Patriots career Brown played wide receiver, defensive back, punt returner, and even emergency quarterback during a game.
Ty Law was a first-round draft pick in 1995 by the Patriots and was a star defensive back going to four pro bowls. After being cut by the Patriots following the 2004 season for salary cap reasons, Law made the controversial decision of signing with New England’s rivals, the New York Jets. Despite the treatment he got from Patriots fans for that decision, he still remembers his time at Foxboro fondly. “I couldn’t even put it into words because for a minute there I’m just happy to be winning,” the five-time pro bowler said, “so to go from a non-playoff team to representing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl was pretty big.”
Since that 1996 AFC Championship, the Patriots have gone on to appear in four more Super Bowls and win three but with the lack of success that the franchise faced going into that year, longtime fans will always remember that team. Sunday they’ll have the chance to remind Bledsoe, Bruschi, Brown, and Law how much they appreciated that amazing season when they lead the current Patriots out for the coin toss.
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