Lou Saban, First Patriots Coach, Dies At 87

The NFL lost one of its greatest contributors this week, and so did the legacy of the New England Patriots. Lou Saban, the Patriots’ first head coach when the team was still known as the Boston Patriots, passed away Sunday at his home near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving his memory entangled in the Patriots’ 50th anniversary season.

Saban grew up in Illinois and was a star quarterback for Indiana University in the ‘40s, playing pro for the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1949 and thereafter jumpstarting his magnificent coaching career. When the American Football League started in 1960, Lou Saban joined on as the head coach for the Boston Patriots, starting the structure for the New England dynasty to follow. Saban left the Patriots for the AFL’s Buffalo Bills in 1962 and thereafter got the nickname “Much Traveled Lou” for how many different teams he coached in his five decade career. Lou Saban held 18 different jobs in his fruitful career, coaching several college teams and even taking on the task of the president of the New York Yankees in the 1980s, and he will forever be remembered in Patriots history, especially this season as the Pats celebrate their 50th anniversary.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on April 2, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats to Bring in QB McGee

As mentioned in a post last week, the Patriots could very well look to the draft for another quarterback after trading Matt Cassel to Kansas City earlier this offseason.  The team is set to bring in Texas A&M signal caller Stephen McGee for a visit and the former Aggie looks like he could be a good fit for the Pats.  McGee spent much of his senior season injured, but definitely has NFL-caliber talent.  The team currently has second-year man Kevin O’Connell slated behind Tom Brady on the depth chart, with Matt Gutierrez also on the roster.

McGee seems like a good fit for the Patriots.  He’s a definite second-day pick, most likely obtainable in the fifth round or later.  This blogger has heard some praise being thrown McGee’s way by draft experts like Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay.  His value is deflated thanks to an injury-plagued senior season and could be a steal in the late rounds.  We’ve seen how well the Patriots evaluate quarterbacks in the late rounds, ala Brady and Cassel, and McGee could be their next steal.  I’m not saying that he’s the next Tom Brady, or even the next Matt Cassel, but McGee must have something going for him if the Patriots are ready to use an official visit on him, of which they only have 30.

To get New England Patriots tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on April 1, 2009 - Post a comment


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