Incompetent Patriots Blanked By Bills (9/23/60)

When you look at the final score, you'd think that Buster Ramsey's Buffalo Bills dominated the Boston Patriots by shutting them out. You'd be wrong, the Patriots outgained the Bills 284 yards to 233. So what went wrong? The Patriots turned the ball over SEVEN times including four interceptions. Patriots quarterback Butch Songin was a dreadful 5 of 14 for 37 yards and an interception. Tom Greene wasn't much better going 6 for 17 for 60 yards and 2 interceptions. Dick Christy was 1 for 2 for 39 yards and a pick. All in all that's 12 for 33 for 136 yards, four picks and no touchdowns....woof. Meanwhile Tommy O'Connell threw a 58 yard bomb to Carl Smith for a touchdown in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Wray Carlton rushed for a two yard touchdown with a Billy Atkins extra point. The score at halftime held up and the Bills had won the game 13-0 at Nickerson Field.

                                                             Program from Week 3

The first quarter the Patriots did their best to hang in with the Bills but kept turning the ball over. The Bills went up for good when quarterback Tommy O'Connell found fullback Carl Smith who rumbled 58 yards for the touchdown. Bills kicker Billy Atkins missed the extra point but the Bills led after the first quarter 6-0.

                                                               Smith scores a TD

Neither Patriots quarterback could muster anything in the second quarter. Butch Songin and Tom Greene combined to throw three interceptions. The sad part was halfback Dick Christy rushed for 93 yards on just 9 carries. The Patriots just couldn't punch it into the end-zone. The Bills did however, driving to the Patriots goal-line. There, Bills halfback Wray Carlton pounded in a 2 yard touchdown to increase the lead. Billy Atkins hit the extra point this time and the Bills went into the half with a 13-0 lead.

                                                        Carlton rushes for a touchdown

The Patriots did get some action on the ground in the third quarter with Alan Miller rushing 9 times for 35 yards. Walter Beach caught two passes for fifty yards and Jim Colclough caught another two passes for 26 yards. The problem was the Bills defense kept making the Patriots cough the ball up. Billy Kinard, Jack Johnson, Atkins and Bernard Buzyniski all made picks in this one. The score remained 13-0 going into the fourth quarter.

                                                       Kinard leads the charge for Buffalo

The Patriots did get to pick O'Connell when defensive back Ross O'Hanley picked him off. Problem was Gino Cappelletti missed his only field goal try of the game. When Tom Greene punts three times the entire game and you scored no points, that's how you know your offense is inept. After seven turnovers, the Bills had won the game 13-0.

Reaction:

How in the hell did the Patriots lose that game? A totally incompetent offense, that's how. Defensively the Patriots shut the Bills out in the second half and the Bills only had one sustained drive all afternoon. The Patriots rushed for 169 as a unit compared to 112 for Buffalo. Hell the Patriots passed for 136 yards compared to Buffalo's 131. When you turn the ball over seven times, usually you don't win the game. Its a shame the offense was this bad because the defense was that good. Hopefully there will be other games this year the offense can pick up the pace. At 1-2, the Patriots are in the middle of the pack in the AFL so far. No team has started out 3-0 so that's a silver lining.  The Patriots play again Saturday October 8th against Sid Gillman's Los Angeles Chargers. The game begins at 4:00 PM Eastern time at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Patriots Rally To Beat Titans For First Win (9/17/60)

The Boston Patriots have won their first game in franchise history and it came at the expense of Sammy Baugh's New York Titans. Thinks looked bleak for Patriots Head Coach Lou Saban's crew when they trailed 24-7 in the third quarter. Titans quarterback Al Dorow had tossed three touchdown passes and Bill Shockley kicked a 23 yard field goal to give the Titans what appeared to be an insurmountable lead. However, the Patriots scored first on a Walt Livingston 1 yard plunge followed by a Gino Cappelletti extra point. Then backup quarterback Tom Greene tossed a 15 yard touchdown to Oscar Lofton to end the third quarter down 24-14. Butch Songin fired a 6 yard touchdown pass to Jim Colclough to bring the Patriots to within three and then the Titans literally fumbled the game away. The Titans were punting with seconds remaining but Rick Sapienza fumbled the snap. Chuck Shonta of the Patriots scooped up the fumble and rumbled 52 yards for the go-ahead score. The Patriots defense held and Boston had come away the victors 28-24 at the Polo Grounds.

                                                             Patriots win Game 2

Boston struck first in the first quarter when the Patriots drove all the way to the goal-line. Walt Livingston's one yard rumble was enough for the touchdown. Gino Cappelletti banged home the extra point and the Patriots had their first lead in franchise history. The Titans answered with a Bill Shockley 23 yard field goal, but the Patriots led 7-3 going into the second quarter.

                                                       Livingston scores

The Titans dominated in the second quarter as Titans quarterback Al Dorow found Dewey Bohling for an 8 yard touchdown. Shockley kicked the extra point and the Titans had the lead. The Titans scored before the half ended as Dorow hit Ted Wegert with a 16 yard pass to give the Titans a 17-7 lead at the half.

                                                               Dorow puts the Titans up

The third quarter started the same way the second quarter ended, with a Titans touchdown. Dorow found Thurlow Cooper for a 38 yard score, and with Shockley's extra point....the Titans led 24-7. Time to pack it in, right? WRONG! Patriots head coach Lou Saban refused to quit and backup quarterback Tom Greene passed to Oscar Lofton for a fifteen yard touchdown pass. Cappelletti's extra point pulled the Patriots down 24-14 at the end of the third quarter.

                                                              Lofton scores

Patriots quarterback Butch Songin was back for the fourth quarter and he started it with a six yard strike to Jim Colclough to pull the Patriots within three. Things looked bleak when the Titans had the ball with seconds remaining but were forced to punt. Somehow Titans punter Rick Sapienza fumbled the snap and Chuck Shonta ran the fumble back 52 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Just like that it was 28-24 Patriots. Linebacker Bill Brown managed to pick off Dorow in the game and fullback Alan Miller was the Patriots leading rusher with 44 yards on the ground for this one. Run Burton also had 23 yards rushing as well. Dick Christy had a 17 yard reception as well and it added up to a 28-24 Patriots win, their first in franchise history.

                                                                 Patriots win

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In a 14 game season, every win counts and this was very important. Saban's crew pulled off a 17 point comeback against the Titans who won last week. The Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos are the only teams that are 2-0 so the Patriots are only a game behind them. Butch Songin sitting for Tom Greene is a bad sign but they both got important touchdowns in this one. That fumble return sealed the deal and hats off to the defense for not breaking. They allowed 24 points but zero once the Patriots mounted their comeback. Winning in the final seconds is always thrilling and its a shame the game was at the Polo Grounds. Nickerson Field would have been rocking if that happened there. The defense needs some work because they can't be allowing 24 points by the third quarter every game. Not even Mike Holovak's offense can overcome that kind of deficit every single game. The Patriots come home to play a very important Week 3 game against Buster Ramsey's Buffalo Bills. The game is this coming Friday night (because the New York Giants play on Sunday) at Nickerson Field.

Patriots Lose Inaugural Season Opener to Denver (9/6/60)

Not the way to start your first season if you're the Boston Patriots. In their first game in franchise history in the American Football League, the Boston Patriots lost to Frank Filchok's Denver Broncos. Patriots Head Coach Lou Saban dropped his first game to Denver primarily by not getting much offense in. Gino Cappelletti scored the first points in franchise history on a field goal but the Broncos scored 13 straight points to take a 13-3 lead in the third quarter. Patriots quarterback Butch Songin found Jim Corclough in the end-zone for a touchdown to cut the lead 13-10, but that's how the score remained. The Patriots had lost their first game in franchise history 13-10 to the Denver Broncos at Nickerson Field.

                                                              Program from the first game

The first quarter belonged to the Patriots. Lou Saban's defense led by linebacker Harry Jacobs mauled Broncos quarterback Frank Tripucka. At one point in the game, cornerback Chuck Shonta picked off Tripucka for a 52 yard interception return. The first points in franchise history were scored when receiver/safety/kicker Gino Cappelletti kicked a 35 yard field goal to put the Patriots up 3-0 going into the second quarter.

                                                            3-0 Patriots after one

The Broncos took the game over in the second quarter. The killing blow came when Tripucka tossed a pass to halfback Al Carmichael who scampered 52 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. The Denver defense kept Patriots quarterback Butch Songin off the board for most of the game. In fact, it was Denver defensive back Goose Gonsoulin's two interceptions that were vital for the Denver attack. At half-time, it was 7-3 Broncos.

                                                      Broncos take the lead

The Patriots tried to fight back in the third quarter with halfbacks Larry Garon and and Jim Crawford trying their best to run behind tackle George McGee, guard Charley Leo, center Walt Cudzik, guard Jack Davis and tackle Jerry DeLucca. Unfortunately Garon could only muster 26 total yards on the ground with Crawford gaining 29. Meanwhile Patriots punter Tom Greene boomed one to halfback Gene Mingo.....who took it back 76 yards for the backbreaking score. The Broncos missed the extra point but went into the fourth quarter up 13-3.

                                                  Broncos ice the game

By the fourth quarter Frank Filchok's defense punished Songin and the Patriots. The Patriots did manage to hang on with Patriots defensive tackle Bob Dee desperately trying to get to Tripucka. The Patriots did manage to score their first AFL touchdown when Songin found receiver Jim Colclough for a ten yard score. Cappelletti kicked the extra point and the Patriots trailed by just three points. That was as close as Boston got as the Denver defense held the rest of the way. The Broncos had won the game 13-10.

                                                                   Broncos win

Reaction:

That loss was a kick in the pants for sure. The Patriots kept the game close and even rallied when they were down 13-3 to make it 13-10. Unfortunately they couldn't make the plays they needed to when it mattered. Still, both scores they gave up could have been avoided. Carmichael had no business going 52 yards and who the hell let Mingo loose for a 76 yard romp. Patriots head coach Lou Saban has some work to do for sure because that was a very winnable game. 36 year old Butch Songin was just 12 for 24 with two interceptions, he could have done better. The offensive line didn't accomplish much either when their top two runners only gained 55 yards combined on the ground. The air attack didn't net much until the very end but this is what they got. Patriots owner Billy Sullivan put this team together, he's stuck with it for now. The loss drops the Patriots to 0-1 and next Saturday night the Patriots play their first road game in franchise history. The Patriots travel to the Polo Grounds to face the 1-0 New York Titans next Saturday at 1 PM.