| 2000 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Home stadium | Foxboro Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 5thAFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | None |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The2000 season was theNew England Patriots' 31st in theNational Football League (NFL) and their 41st overall. They finished with a 5–11 record and in last place in the division. It would be the first season the franchise would have involving quarterbackTom Brady (although he would not start any games until the following season). He would play 20 seasons as a Patriot, a franchise record. However, he wasn't given the starting job until next season. This was Tom Brady's only season on a team with a losing record until2022, and the only time that his team lost twice to the same AFC East team during the regular season.
Following the firing of three-year head coachPete Carroll in January, Patriots ownerBob Kraft pursued Jets assistant head coachBill Belichick for the Patriots' head coaching vacancy. Belichick, who had been an assistant coach underBill Parcells with the Patriots in1996, followed Parcells to the Jets after that season and was contractually named Parcells' successor. A day after the1999 season, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Jets and made his second retirement from NFL coaching.[1] Belichick, who had been assistant head coach of the Jets, became the Jets' next head coach. The following day, at a press conference for his hiring, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a sheet of loose-leaf paper ("I resign as HC of the NYJ."[2]), and proceeded to give a half-hour resignation speech to the press.[3] Despite rumors that he had been offered the Patriots' vacant head coaching position, Belichick cited the Jets' uncertain ownership situation following the death of ownerLeon Hess earlier that year as the reason for his resignation.[4] The Jets denied Belichick permission to speak with other teams, and as had happened in 1997 with Parcells, the NFL upheld Belichick's contractual obligations to the Jets. Belichick then filed anantitrust lawsuit against the NFL in federal court.[4] After, Parcells and Kraft, talking for the first time since Parcells' resignation from the Patriots, agreed to settle their differences, the Patriots and Jets agreed to a compensation package to allow Belichick to become the Patriots' head coach.[4] With the deal, the Patriots sent their first-round pick in the2000 NFL draft and fourth and seventh-round picks in the2001 NFL draft to the Jets, while also receiving the Jets' fifth-round selection in 2001 and seventh-round pick in the2002 NFL draft.[4]
Belichick restructured the team's personnel department in the offseason,[5] and later proclaimed that the team "could not win with 40 good players while the other team has 53,"[6] after a number of players showed up out of shape for the start of training camp.[6] The Patriots went on to finish theseason 5–11, finishing last in theAFC East and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
The 2000Pro Football Hall of Fame Game vs theSan Francisco 49ers, a 20–0 victory for the Patriots, would be the first game of third-string rookieTom Brady's exalted 20-year career with the Patriots, playing his final three seasons with theTampa Bay Buccaneers afterward. Their first year in New England would be the only season from1996 to2019 where the Patriots finished with a losing record. Brady would retire in 2023, which would also mark Belichick'slast season with the Patriots after leading New England to a cumulative 266–121–0 regular season record, 30–12 playoffs record, 17division titles, 9AFC conference championships and a record 6 Super Bowl victories as head coach (and record 8 total Super Bowl victories, including assistant coaching experience with theGiants.) After the season,Bruce Armstrong retired.
On January 27, 2000, the Patriots hiredBill Belichick as their next head coach of team.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| TEEric Bjornson (Cowboys) | WRShawn Jefferson (Falcons) |
| LBChad Cascadden (Jets) | RBTerry Allen (Saints) |
| CLance Scott (Giants) | DTChris Sullivan (Steelers) |
| TGrant Williams (Seahawks) | TEBen Coates (Ravens) |
| CBAntonio Langham (Browns) | TEMike Bartrum (Eagles) |
| DEBobby Hamilton (Jets) | LBMarty Moore (Browns) |
| CBOtis Smith (Jets) | GHeath Irwin (Dolphins) |
| WRChris Calloway (Falcons) | TEd Ellis (Redskins) |
| WRAaron Bailey (Raiders) | CBSteve Israel (Saints) |
| 2000 New England Patriots draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | Adrian Klemm | Offensive tackle | Hawaii | |
| 3 | 76 | J. R. Redmond | Running back | Arizona State | |
| 4 | 127 | Greg Robinson-Randall | Offensive tackle | Michigan State | |
| 5 | 141 | Dave Stachelski | Tight end | Boise State | |
| 5 | 161 | Jeff Marriott | Defensive tackle | Missouri | [a] |
| 6 | 187 | Antwan Harris | Safety | Virginia | |
| 6 | 199 | Tom Brady * | Quarterback | Michigan | |
| 6 | 201 | David Nugent | Defensive end | Purdue | |
| 7 | 226 | Casey Tisdale | Linebacker | New Mexico | |
| 7 | 239 | Patrick Pass | Fullback | Georgia | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Maurice Anderson | Defensive tackle | Virginia |
| Terrance Beadles | Guard | Arkansas–Pine Bluff |
| Matt Bumgardner | Wide receiver | Texas A&M |
| Adam Davis | Guard | Oklahoma State |
| Shockmain Davis | Wide receiver | Angelo State |
| Chris Eitzmann | Tight end | Harvard |
| John Eskridge | Linebacker | Southwest Missouri State |
| Rob Gatrell | Guard | Fresno State |
| Reggie Grimes | Defensive end | Alabama |
| Chad Holleman | Kicker | Georgia |
| Jimmy Kibble | Punter | Virginia Tech |
| Lonie Paxton | Long snapper | Sacramento State |
| Scott Pospisil | Defensive end | Iowa |
| Rodney Rideau | Safety | Oklahoma |
| Thad Sheldon | Long snapper | Iowa |
| Jamel Smith | Linebacker | Virginia Tech |
| Maugaula Tuitele | Linebacker | Colorado State |
| Ryan Tujague | Tackle | Washington State |
| Martinez Williams | Wide receiver | New Mexico |
| Mike Woods | Cornerback | Oklahoma |
| 2000 New England Patriots staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
As of the Patriots' first training camp practice atFoxboro Stadium on July 17 (practices atBryant College started on July 23), they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. The Patriots received four roster exemptions for theNFL Europe allocations ofGarrett Johnson,Marc Megna,Sean Morey, and Noel Scarlett. Additionally, the Patriots allocated tackleEd Ellis to NFL Europe and received a roster exemption for him, but he was released before the start of training camp.
| New England Patriots 2000 opening training camp roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| |||||
| New England Patriots 2000 Week 1 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers Tight ends | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| |||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOF | July 31 | vs.San Francisco 49ers | W 20–0 | 1–0 | Fawcett Stadium(Canton, Ohio) | Recap |
| 1 | August 4 | atDetroit Lions | W 13–10 | 2–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
| 2 | August 11 | atWashington Redskins | L 20–30 | 2–1 | FedExField | Recap |
| 3 | August 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 21–31 | 2–2 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 24 | Carolina Panthers | W 29–21 | 3–2 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 16–21 | 0–1 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 11 | atNew York Jets | L 19–20 | 0–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 17 | Minnesota Vikings | L 13–21 | 0–3 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 24 | atMiami Dolphins | L 3–10 | 0–4 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 1 | atDenver Broncos | W 28–19 | 1–4 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 8 | Indianapolis Colts | W 24–16 | 2–4 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 15 | New York Jets | L 17–34 | 2–5 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 22 | atIndianapolis Colts | L 23–30 | 2–6 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 9 | Bye | |||||
| 10 | November 5 | Buffalo Bills | L 13–16(OT) | 2–7 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 12 | atCleveland Browns | L 11–19 | 2–8 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 19 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 16–13 | 3–8 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 23 | atDetroit Lions | L 9–34 | 3–9 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 30–24 | 4–9 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 10 | atChicago Bears | L 17–24 | 4–10 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 17 | atBuffalo Bills | W 13–10(OT) | 5–10 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 24 | Miami Dolphins | L 24–27 | 5–11 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| AFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3)Miami Dolphins | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 323 | 226 | W1 |
| (6)Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 429 | 326 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 321 | 321 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 315 | 350 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 276 | 338 | L1 |
