2013 NFL Calendar
Here is a preliminary look at the 2013 NFL calendar; all start and deadline times are for the eastern time zone. Biggest dates: teams can negotiate with free agents March 9 and must be under the salary cap when the league year officially begins on March 12; the draft will be April 25-27.
January 5-6 Wild Card Playoffs
January 6 Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that have byes in the Wild Card weekend may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of the Wild Card games.
January 11 15 finalists for NFL Hall of Fame announced.
January 12-13 Divisional Playoffs
January 13 Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that won their Wild Card games may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of Divisional Playoff games.
January 15 Deadline for underclassmen to petition for special eligibility for the 2013 NFL Draft
January 19 East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
January 20 AFC and NFC Championship Games
January 24-25 Regional Combine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
January 26 Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
January 27 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
January 27 An assistant coach, whose team is participating in the Super Bowl, who has previously interviewed for another club’s head coaching job may have a second interview with such club no later than the Sunday preceding the Super Bowl.
February 2 NFL 2013 Hall of Fame inductees announced
February 2 Texas vs. Nation College All-Star Game, Eagle Stadium, Allen, Texas
February 3 Super Bowl XLVII, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
February 9-10 Regional Combine, Orange Coast College-Lebard Stadium, Los Angeles, California
February 16 Regional Combine, Methodist Training Center (Texans), Houston, Texas
February 17 Regional Combine, Cleveland Browns Training Facility, Cleveland, Ohio
February 20-26 Combine Timing and Testing, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
March 2-3 Regional Combine, Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility, New Jersey
March 9 Regional Combine, One Buccaneer Place, Tampa, Florida
March 10 Regional Combine, Halas Hall (Bears), Chicago, Illinois
March 9-11 Clubs are permitted to enter into contract negotiations with certified agents of players who will be Unrestricted Free Agents at the end of the current League Year.
March 12 Prior to 4:00 p.m., clubs must exercise options for 2013 on all players who have option clauses in their 2012 contracts.
March 12 Prior to 4:00 p.m., clubs must submit Qualifying Offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts and to whom they desire to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation.
March 12 Prior to 4:00 p.m., clubs must submit a minimum salary offer to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2012 contracts and who have fewer than three seasons of free agency credit.
March 12 All 2012 player contracts will expire at 4:00 p.m.
March 12 Top-51 Begins. All clubs must be under the Salary Cap prior to 4:00 p.m.
March 12 The 2013 League Year and Free Agency period begin at 4:00 p.m.
March 12 Trading period begins at 4:00 p.m., for 2013 after expiration of all 2012 contracts.
March 16-17 Regional Combine, Atlanta Falcons Training Facility, Atlanta, Georgia
March 17-20 Annual League Meeting, The Biltmore, Phoenix, Arizona
March 23-24 Regional Combine, Virginia Mason Athletic Center (Seahawks), Seattle, Washington
March 23-24 Regional Combine, Baltimore Ravens Training Facility, Baltimore, Maryland
April 7-8 Super Regional Combine, Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, Texas
April 25-27 NFL Draft, New York City, New York
May 20-22 NFL Spring League Meeting, Hyatt-Harborside, Boston, Massachusetts
September 5, 8-9 NFL Kickoff 2013
There are also several other dates that have not yet formally been announced yet; these dates are approximate:
April 30-May 20 - OTAs
May 11-12 - Rookie mini-camp
June 12-14 - Full-squad mini-camp
July 25 - Training camp opens (teams can begin training camp 15 days prior to their first preseason game)
August 5-10 - First preseason game
August 28 - Roster cutdown to 80 players
September 2 - Roster cutdown to 53 players
This Day In Patriots History
January 2, 1947:
Bob Gladieux was born in Louisville, Ohio.
The running back from Notre Dame was selected by the Pats in the 8th round (188th overall) of the 1969 draft and excelled on special teams. 'Harpo' is most well known for having his name called over the PA while in the stands drinking beer after he had been cut, to get down to the locker room and get dressed to play. His buddy, who had gone to the beer stand to get a couple more brewskis, was shocked when he returned and Gladieux made the tackle on the opening kickoff. Gladieux played with the Pats from 1969-72, appearing in 45 games and starting six games.
January 2, 1955:
Raymond Clayborn was born in Fort Worth.
The Pats drafted the University of Texas star in the 1st round (16th overall) in the 1977 draft. The cornerback played 197 games for the Pats from 1977 to 1989, starting 179 of them. As a rookie he was strictly a kick returner, and led the league with three touchdowns and a 31.0 yard average. For his career he was named to the pro Bowl three times and had 36 interceptions, which at the time was a franchise career record. In 1985 when the Pats went to the Super Bowl Clayborn had six interceptions and a touchdown. Clayborn is also remembered for an infamous incident when Globe writer Will McDonough got into a fight with him in the locker room, knocking him flat on his back.
January 2, 1959:
Fred Marion was born in Gainesville.
The Pats drafted the All-American safety from the University of Miami in the 5th round (112th overall) of the 1982 draft. Marion spent all ten years of his NFL career with the Pats, appearing in 144 games; he was the starting free safety in each of his last eight years with the team. In the Patriots 1985 Super Bowl season Marion had 7 interceptions, earning him a trip to the Pro Bowl; for his career he had 29 interceptions and one touchdown. In 2012 Fred was a finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame; he says that he still wears the team's colors proudly.
January 2, 1961:
Craig James was born in Jacksonville, Texas.
The star running back from SMU's final glory days first played pro ball in the USFL; the Pats drafted him in the 7th round of the 1983 draft, and he joined the Patriots in 1984. James was the starting RB on the '85 Super Bowl team and made the Pro Bowl that year, rushing for 1,227 yards. For a bit of trivia, he was the last white NFL running back to rush for 1,000 yards until Peyton Hillis topped that mark 25 years later.
In the USFL James suffered a knee injury, and that became an issue again in 1986. He finished his career with the Patriots after a couple of brief appearances in '87 and '88 with 2,469 yards rushing, 819 yards receiving, and a total of 16 touchdowns - which includes three TD passes.
January 2, 1983:
New England Patriots 30, Buffalo Bills 19 at Schaefer Stadium
Steve Grogan threw three touchdown passes and Stanley Morgan had seven receptions for 141 yards as the pats beat Buffalo in the final regular season game of the strike-shortened 1983 season. With the victory the Patriots qualified as a wildcard playoff team, while the loss eliminated the Bills from post-season play.
The Pats were down 13-3 when Grogan hit Morris Bradshaw with an 11-yard touchdown eleven seconds before the end of the first half. Bradshaw had just six receptions for 111 yards for the season, and was open due to Buffalo focusing so much attention to Morgan. For the ex-Raider Bradshaw it was his only touchdown ever as a Patriot, and the final touchdown of his nine-year NFL career.
In the third quarter the Pats scored on a touchdown by another seldom used wide receiver when Grogan hooked up with Ken Toler for a 33-yard score. For Toler it was one of just two receptions on the season and was one of only two touchdowns in his NFL career, as well as being the longest reception of his NFL career.
A Buffalo field goal tied the score at 16 heading into the 4th quarter. Tony Collins scored on a 1-yard run and the Pats defense forced the Bills to settle for a field goal to retain the lead. Grogan then threw his third touchdown of the game, to Don Hasselbeck, to put the game out of reach.
Mike Haynes had his 4th interception of the season in the game; he would be the Pats lone representative in the Pro Bowl that year. It was Haynes’ sixth Pro Bowl appearance in seven years in the league.
January 2, 1994:
New England Patriots 33, Miami Dolphins 27 in OT at Foxboro
Drew Bledsoe’s fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 36-yard toss to Michael Timpson, gave the Pats a victory and eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs. It was Miami’s fifth consecutive loss and a bitter ending to their season; after starting the year with the NFL’s best record at 9-2 they did not win another game, and missed the post-season entirely.
The victory ended a streak of nine consecutive wins by the Dolphins over the Patriots, and it was the final game for both team’s owners. During the off-season Wayne Huizenga would become the majority shareholder of the Dolphins, purchasing shares from the family estate of the late Joe Robbie. In Foxboro this was the final game with James Orthwein as the team’s owner; Robert Kraft would become the new owner in just a few weeks. At the game many fans had signs begging the team to stay; Orthwein had openly wanted to move the team to his hometown of St. Louis.
The Dolphins were unable to stop Bledsoe, who was 27-for-43 for 329 yards, and finished his rookie season with 2,494 yards and 15 touchdowns, despite missing three games. The Pats finished on an upswing, winning their final four games; this win was just their third win in the ‘90’s against a team with a winning record.
The score was 17-10 after three quarters, but the two teams combined to score 27 points in a wild 4th quarter. The game-winning score was set up when Vincent Brisby fumbled after catching a 13-yard pass, but Leonard Russell picked up the loose ball and ran it 22 yards down to the Miami 36.
Ben Coates had six receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns, Brisby had six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, and Timpson had four catches for 75 yards and a TD.
On the season Russell finished with 1,088 yards rushing on 300 carries and seven touchdowns. Coates had a breakout year and led the team with 53 receptions, 659 yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns; Timpson (654) and Brisby (626) were right behind him in receiving yards.
Andre Tippett recorded his 100th career regular season sack in the game, becoming the first Patriot to reach that mark; it turned out to be the final sack of the Hall of Famer's illustrious NFL career.
January 2, 2000:
New England Patriots 20, Baltimore Ravens 3 at Foxboro
Although Troy Brown had a big day on special teams, the Pats defense kept their opponent out of the end zone for second straight game, the topic of conversation on this day was if Pete Carroll had coached his final game for the Patriots; Carroll would indeed be fired the next day.
Brown returned the opening kickoff 54 yards but the Pats offense, which had averaged just 12.6 points in the previous seven games, could not do anything. After a Ravens field goal Brown returned that kick 49 yards, setting up a 25 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal with ten minutes to play in the first half.
The Pats defense forced a punt on the next possession, and Brown returned that boot 53 yards to the Baltimore 23; five plays later Drew Bledsoe threw a 1-yard touchdown to Mike Bartum to make the score 10-3. For LS/TE Bartum it was just the second reception in his sixth NFL season; both were touchdowns. On the last play of the half Vinatieri nailed a 51-yarder to give the Pats a 10-point lead.
In the third quarter Chad Eaton returned a strip sack fumble 23 yards for the final score of the game; later Kato Serwanga intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart Baltimore’s best drive of the game. For the game the Pats forced four turnovers and had seven sacks. Ted Johnson and Henry Thomas had two sacks each, and Lawyer Milloy had a sack and an interception.
Milloy was named to the 1999 first team All Pro squad and Terry Glenn – despite being suspended for the final game by Carroll – joined Milloy as Patriots on the Pro Bowl roster. Terry Allen was the team’s leading rusher (896 yards, 8 TD) and Glenn (69 catches for 1,147 yards) the leading receiver; Shawn Jefferson led the team with six touchdown receptions.
January 2, 2005:
New England Patriots 21, San Francisco 49ers 7 at Gillette Stadium
The Pats went through the motions, playing down to their opponent in a lackadaisical victory. The win gave the Patriots a 14-2 record but did not mean much, as the Pats were already locked into the number two seed and a first round bye. The loss by the 49ers gave them the number one pick in April’s draft.
Despite the Pats turning the ball over three times in the first half the score was tied at halftime on a one-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Mike Vrabel. The 49ers scored earlier, ending a regular season streak of twenty games in which the Pats scored first. TE Jed Weaver led the receivers with 62 yards as a lot of backups saw plenty of playing time.
In the second half Corey Dillon took over, running for 37 yards in a drive that finished with an 8-yard TD pass from Brady to Deion Branch; he then scored on a 1-yard run for the final score. For the game Dillon ran for 116 yards, plus had another 18 yards receiving. With that effort Dillon finished the season with 1,635 rushing yards; that is still a single-season team record, as is the 109.0 yards per game average.
January 2, 2011:
New England Patriots 38, Miami Dolphins 7 at Gillette Stadium
Tom Brady threw two touchdowns in abbreviated playing time, extending his streak of games without an interception to 11. With the loss the Dolphins finished below .500, causing head coach Tony Sparano to be fired.
Highlight of the game was a 94 yard punt return for a touchdown by Julian Edelman with 18 seconds remaining in the first half, which gave the Patriots a 24-0 lead. On the opening possession Devin McCourty got his 7th interception of the year, setting up a Brady touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski. BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, which was enough to give him 1,008 yards rushing on the season. In the third quarter even Brian Hoyer got in on the act, throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Tate.
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January 2, 1936:
Guitar player and television star Roger Miller was born in Fort Worth.
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