As the calendar flips to 2017, we took a look back at the eventful, entertaining, heartbreaking and downright bizarre year that was for the New England Patriots. This is Part 2 of the 2016 Patriots Year in Review. For Part 1, which concluded with Tom Brady’s decision to drop his Deflategate appeal, click here.
Aug. 9: Ebner’s Olympic debut
As his Patriots teammates were sweating through training camp in Foxboro, safety Nate Ebner was in Rio de Janeiro, representing the United States in Olympic rugby sevens. Ebner impressed, but the U.S. finished a disappointing ninth in the 12-nation tournament.
Ebner returned to the Patriots shortly after the Olympic Games concluded and went on to have arguably the best season of his NFL career.
Aug. 11: Mitchell’s elbow
After turning heads in training camp, rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell suffered a gruesome elbow injury in the Patriots’ preseason opener. Fortunately for New England, the injury was not as severe as looked, and Mitchell was back in time for Week 1.
Aug. 15:Â Gronk goes down
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski pulled up lame during a joint training-camp practice with the Chicago Bears. What initially appeared to be a simple hamstring tweak ended up sidelining Gronkowski for the first two games of the regular season and limiting him for another two weeks after that. He didn’t truly look like himself until Week 5 — a game we’ll discuss in more detail in just a bit.
Aug. 18: The scissors incident
Brady was suspended for the first four regular-season games, but the Patriots quarterback was allowed to play in the preseason, and he was expected to start New England’s second exhibition contest. Brady was a last-minute scratch, however — literally. He sliced his finger on a pair of scissors shortly before the game and left Gillette Stadium before kickoff.
Aug. 21: The hits keep coming
In rapid succession, reports surfaced that tackle Sebastian Vollmer (shoulder surgery), running back Dion Lewis (knee surgery) and guard Shaq Mason (broken hand) all would miss significant time for the Patriots. Their exact recovery times varied: Mason was ready for the regular-season opener, while Lewis did not return until Week 11 and Vollmer was placed on injured reserve without playing a snap.
Aug. 24: The Bryan Stork saga
In what easily was the most bizarre series of transactions we saw this summer, the Patriots planned to release center Bryan Stork, then ended up trading him to the Washington Redskins. Stork, who reportedly mulled retirement after the trade, then proceeded to fail his Redskins physical, nullifying the deal and sending him back to the Patriots, who eventually cut him for good.
Stork, whose unexpected release helped solidify New England’s now-rock-solid offensive line, also got his name in the news for throwing punches at Bears players during joint practice, producing the Headline of the Year.
Sept. 2:Â Ninkovich popped for banned substance
Brady wasn’t the only Patriots player to serve a four-game suspension this season. Defensive end Rob Ninkovich also did after testing positive for a banned substance. But since Ninkovich was expected to miss the first few weeks of the season anyway with a torn triceps, his suspension actually ended up helping the Patriots roster-wise.
Sept. 4:Â The banner
With Brady barred from Gillette Stadium from Sept. 3 to Oct. 3, the Patriots hung a massive banner bearing his likeness from the stadium’s lighthouse. Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn’t seem to fond of the banner, and it was removed before New England’s home opener.
Sept. 11: Opening night
The Patriots edged old friend Chandler Jones and the Arizona Cardinals in their regular-season opener, with Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro missing a potential game-winning field goal in a 23-21 Pats win. Jimmy Garoppolo completed 72.7 percent of passes and wowed critics in his first career start.
Sept. 18: QB No. 3
Garoppolo lasted less than two quarters in his second start. Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso knocked the Patriots quarterback out of the game with a shoulder injury, thrusting third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett into the spotlight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6H8AYVygTE
Brissett went on to start the next two games for New England (a 27-0 win over the Houston Texans and a 16-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills), and neither he nor Garoppolo threw an interception in Brady’s absence.
Oct. 9: Brady’s back
Brady made his triumphant return to the gridiron in Week 5 and promptly eviscerated the hapless Cleveland Browns, throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-13 rout. The 39-year-old signal-caller played like a man possessed throughout the next month, tossing 12 touchdown passes with zero interceptions over his first four games back.
Oct. 16: Gronk mauls Bengals
Brady looked Gronkowski’s way often in his return to Gillette, and the big tight end did not disappoint. Gronk caught seven passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in a 35-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and still found time to mix it up with Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Oct. 25: Van Noy arrives
The Patriots swung a trade to acquire linebacker Kyle Van Noy from the Detroit Lions for a low-round draft pick. It took Van Noy a few weeks to get on the field, but he has since become a key part of New England’s defense.
Oct. 30: 69
Gronkowski caught his 69th career touchdown during a win over his hometown Bills, breaking Stanley Morgan’s franchise record. Coincidentally, that also happened to be the game in which someone tossed a sex toy onto the field.
Oct. 31: The Jamie Collins trade
The Patriots sent shockwaves through the NFL when they traded star linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns for a conditional draft pick. The trade was met with widespread skepticism, but after struggling in its first game without Collins, New England’s defense has excelled of late.
Nov. 9: “Seattle. Seattle. Seattle. Seattle.”
Nov. 13: Seattle
New England lost its Super Bowl rematch 35-31 and also lost Gronkowski for the season after the tight end absorbed a massive hit from Seahawks safety Earl Thomas.
Gronkowski suited up the following week in New York but could not finish the game. He underwent back surgery and subsequently was placed on injured reserve.
Nov. 20: Malcolm Mitchell breaks out
Mitchell wasn’t much of a factor after returning from his busted elbow. Until Week 11, that is. The rookie caught four passes for 98 yards and his first NFL touchdown in a win over the San Francisco 49ers and has been a stud ever since.
Dec. 15:Â Michael Floyd enters the fray
After losing Danny Amendola to an ankle injury in Week 14, the Patriots claimed wide receiver Michael Floyd off waivers from the Cardinals. Arizona waived Floyd, who had three consecutive 800-yard receiving seasons entering this year, after he was arrested on DUI charges. It remains to be seen what Floyd’s role will be as the Patriots head into the postseason.
Dec. 18: Pats exorcise Mile High demons
New England won in Denver for the first time since 2011, smothering the Broncos’ Trevor Siemian-led offense to clinch its eighth consecutive AFC East title and a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs. The game also featured LeGarrette Blount’s franchise-record 15th rushing touchdown of the season.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
