This article is the first of a series that I will be working on this offseason: I’ll be taking a look back at some of the moments that altered the course of the Patriots franchise, and wondering what might have happened if they didn’t. I’m going to start with, arguably, the most important.
The date was September 23, 2001. The country was still reeling from 9/11, and fans were just happy to get back to some normalcy after the NFL took the previous weekend off. The Patriots’ game against the Jets started with Joe Andruzzi running out of the tunnel with two American flags, and his brothers, all NY firefighters, being the honorary team captains.