Tale of the Tape

PACKERS OFFENSE

Rush: 11th in NFL

Pass: fifth

Overall: fifth

* The team’s 12 touchdowns on plays of 50 yards or more are most by any team since 1970.

* Quarterback Brett Favre, the NFL’s MVP in 1995 and 1996, led league with club-record and career-high 39 touchdown passes this season. He completed 325 of 543 passes for 3,899 yards. Favre is 50-27 as a starting quarterback.

* Running back Edgar Bennett led the team with 899 yards rushing the second year in a row he led in the category. The team averaged 345.9 yards in offense, second best in the NFC.

* Desmond Howard set the NFL record with 875 return yards in 1996.

* Kicker Chris Jacke scored 114 points this season, making 51 of 53 extra-point attempts and 21 of 27 field-goal tries.

* Packer fullback Dorsey Levens has emerged as a double-threat, rushing for five touchdowns this season and catching five touchdown passes.

*

Wide Receiver: Freeman

Left Tackle: Wilkerson

Left Guard: Taylor

Center: Winters

Right Guard: Timmerman

Right Tackle: Dotson

Tight End: Chmura

Wide Receiver: Rison

Fullback: Henderson

Quarterback: Favre

Halfback: Bennett

PACKERS DEFENSE

Rush: fourth in NFL

Pass: first

Overall: first

* The Packers gave up an NFL-low 19 touchdowns this season, the fewest in the league since schedules were expanded to 16 games in 1978.

* Defnsive end Reggie White makes his first appearance in the Super Bowl. He led the team with 8 1/2 sacks and is the NFL career leader with 165 1/2.

* With 48 interceptions, safety Eugene Robinson is the NFL’s active leader. The team yielded an NFL-low 259.8 yards per game.

* Buccaneer transplant Santana Dotson has been a terrific run stopper at tackle and added 5 1/2 sacks on the season.

* With White receiving plenty of double-teams at left end, Sean Jones collected five sacks from the other side and Eugene Robinson blitzed for 6 1/2 sacks from his free safety spot.

* The starting secondary of Robinson, LeRoy Butler, Doug Evans and Craig Newsome combined for 22 interceptions.

*

Wide Receiver: Jefferson

Left Tackle: Armstrong

Left Guard: Roberts

Center: Wohlabaugh

Right Guard: Rucci

Right Tackle: Lane

Tight End: Coates

Wide Receiver: Glenn

Fullback: Byars

Quarterback: Bledsoe

Halfback: Martin

PACKERS SEASON

Regular Season

WON 13, LOST 3

*--*

G.B. OPP. 34 at Tampa Bay 3 39 Philadelphia 13 42 San Diego 10 21 at Minnesota 30 31 at Seattle 10 37 at Chicago 6 23 San Francisco 20 13 Tampa Bay 7 28 Detroit 18 20 at Kansas City 27 6 at Dallas 21 24 at St. Louis 9 28 Chicago 17 41 Denver 6 31 at Detroit 3 38 Minnesota 10

*--*

Divisional Playoff

*--*

G.B. OPP. 35 San Francisco 14

*--*

NFC Championship

*--*

G.B. OPP. 30 Carolina 13

*--*

BUILDING THE PACKERS

1989

Draft: K Chris Jacke

*

1990

Draft: S LeRoy Butler

*

1992

Free Agent: C Frank Winters

Free Agent: LB George Koonce

Draft: TE Mark Chmura

Trade: QB Brett Favre

*

1993

Free Agent: DE Reggie White

Free Agent: S Mike Prior

Free Agent: P Craig Hentrich

Draft: T Earl Dotson

Draft: CB Doug Evans

Draft: DT Darius Holland

Draft: NT Bob Kuberski

Draft: LB Wayne Simmons

Waivers: NT Gilbert Brown

*

1994

Free Agent: DE Sean Jones

Draft: RB Dorsey Levens

Draft: WR Terry Mickens

Draft: G Aaron Taylor

Draft: DE Gabe Wilkins

Waivers: T Gary Brown

*

1995

Free Agent: DE Shannon Clavelle

Free Agent: LB Bernardo Harris

Free Agent: CB Roderick Mullen

Free Agent: QB Dough Pederson

Free Agent: TE Jeff Thomason

Draft: WR Antonio Freeman

Draft: RB William Henderson

Draft: RB Travis Jervey

Draft: CB Craig Newsome

Draft: G Adam Timmerman

Draft: LB Brian Williams

Trade: TE Keith Jackson

Trade: G Lindsay Knapp

Waivers: QB Jim McMahon

*

1996

Free Agent: WR Don Beebe

Free Agent: WR Desmond Howard

Free Agent: RT Bruce Wilkerson

Free Agent: C Jeff Dellenbach

Free Agent: LB Ron Cox

Free Agent: DT Santana Dotson

Free Agent: LB Lamont Hollingquest

Free Agent: S Chris Hayes

Free Agent: CB Michael Robinson

Draft: LB Keith McKenzie

Draft: LT John Michels

Draft: G Marco Rivera

Draft: CB Tyrone Williams

Trade: TE Mike Bartrum

Trade: S Eugene Robinson

Waivers: WR Andre Rison

Waivers: RB Calvin Jones

PACKER OFFENSE vs. PATRIOT DEFENSE

Average regular-season statistics per game.

Passing Yards

G.B. Gained: 231.1

N.E. Allowed: 237.7

*

Rushing Yards

G.B. Gained: 114.9

N.E. Allowed: 93.9

*

Points

G.B. Gained: 28.5

N.E. Allowed: 19.6

PATRIOTS DEFENSE

Rush: sixth in NFL

Pass: 28th

Overall: 19th

* Willie McGinest led the team with 9 1/2 sacks.

* Safety Willie Clay had a team-high four interceptions. In the AFC championship game, he intercepted a pass in the end zone with 3:43 remaining to prevent Jacksonville from tying the score.

* Cornerback Otis Smith clinched the victory over the Jaguars by returning a fumble 47 yards for a touchdown.

* Weakside linebacker Chris Slade lined up behind McGinest, giving opponents’ pass protection fits. He blitzed for nine sacks.

* Former Giant and Brown Pepper Johnson gives the Patriots stability and Super Bowl experience at middle linebacker, having made the trip with Coach Bill Parcells before.

* Tackle Pio Sagapolutele has been a monster clogging the middle against the run in the playoffs, forcing teams to run outside where the quick Patriot front seven has been cleaning up.

*

Right End: McGinest

Right Tackle: Sagapolutele

Left Tackle: Wheeler

Left End: Collons

Right Cornerback: Smith

Weak Side Linebacker: Slade

Middle Linebacker: Johnson

Strong Side Linebacker: Collins

Left Cornerback: Law

Free Safety: Clay

Strong Safety: Milloy

PATRIOTS OFFENSE

Rush: 26th in NFL

Pass: third

Overall: seventh

* Quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed 373 of 623 passes for 4,086 yards with 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions this season.

* Running back Curtis Martin rushed for 1,152 yards, fourth best in the AFC, and scored 14 touchdowns in 316 carries in 1996.

* Wide receiver Terry Glenn set the NFL rookie reception record with 90 catches. The team set a club season record by having eight players with at least 20 catches.

* David Meggett is in second place on NFL’s career punt return list with 3,201 yards.

* Rookie placekicker Adam Vinatieri made 39 of 42 extra-point tries and 27 of 35 field-goal attempts for 120 points.

*

Right End: Jones

Nose Tackle: Brown

Tackle: Dotson

Left End: White

Right Cornerback: Evans

Right Outside Linebacker: B. Williams

Middle Linebacker: Cox

Left Outside Linebacker: Simmons

Left Cornerback: Newsome

Free Safety: Robinson

Strong Safety: Butler

PATRIOT SEASON

Regular Season

WON 11, LOST 5

*--*

G.B. OPP. 10 at Miami 24 10 at Buffalo 17 31 Arizona 0 28 Jacksonville 25 46 at Baltimore 38 22 Washington 27 27 at Indianapolis 9 28 Buffalo 25 42 Miami 23 31 at New York Jets 27 8 Denver 34 27 Indianapolis 13 45 at San Diego 7 34 New York Jets 10 6 at Dallas 12 23 at New York Giants 22

*--*

Divisional Playoff

*--*

G.B. OPP. 28 Pittsburgh 3

*--*

AFC Championship

*--*

G.B. OPP. 28 Jacksonville 6

*--*

BUILDING THE PATRIOTS

1987

Draft: OT Bruce Armstrong

*

1991

Draft: QB Scott Zolak

Draft: TE Ben Coates

*

1992

Draft: LB Dwayne Sabb

Draft: LB Todd Collins

*

1993

Free Agent: C Mike Gisler

Draft: QB Drew Bledsoe

Draft: WR Vincent Brisby

Draft: WR Troy Brown

Draft: G Todd Rucci

Draft: LB Chris Slade

Draft: FS Corwin Brown

Waivers: SS Terry Ray

*

1994

Free Agent: G Bob Kratch

Free Agent: DE Mike Jones

Free Agent: SS Larry Whigham

Free Agent: CB Ricky Reynolds

Draft: TE John Burke

Draft: OT Max Lane

Draft: DE Willie McGinest

Draft: LB Marty Moore

*

1995

Free Agent: RB David Meggett

Free Agent: WR Hason Graham

Free Agent: G William Roberts

Draft: RB Curtis Martin

Draft: C Dave Wohlabaugh

Draft: LB Ted Johnson

Draft: CB Jimmy Hitchcock

Draft: CB Ty Law

Trade: DE Ferric Collons

*

1996

Free Agent: FB/TE Keith Byars

Free Agent: WR Shawn Jefferson

Free Agent: WR Ray Lucas

Free Agent: DT Pio Sagapolutele

Free Agent: DT Mark Wheeler

Free Agent: DT Chad Eaton

Free Agent: FS Willie Clay

Free Agent: CB Jerome Henderson

Free Agent: CB Michael McGruder

Free Agent: CB Otis Smith

Free Agent: K Adam Vinatieri

Free Agent: P/QB Tom Tupa

Draft: RB Mario Grier

Draft: WR Terry Glenn

Draft: TE Lovett Purnell

Draft: G Heath Irwin

Draft: DE Chris Sullivan

Draft: DT Devin Wyman

Draft: LB Tedy Bruschi

Draft: SS Lawyer Milloy

Trade: TE Mike Bartrum

Waivers: WR Dietrich Jells

Waivers: OT Dave Richards

PATRIOT OFFENSE vs. PACKER DEFENSE

Average regular-season statistics per game.

Passing Yards

N.E. Gained: 243.8

G.B. Allowed: 171.3

*

Rushing Yards

N.E. Gained: 91.8

G.B. Allowed: 88.5

*

Points

N.E. Gained: 26.1

G.B. Allowed: 13.1