Griff
March-9th-2005, 12:09 PM
David Patten - Answering The Call
While he is disappointed to be leaving the Patriots, receiver David Patten is excited about playing for Joe Gibbs and the Redskins.
Luke Sacks
NFLPLAYERS.COM
03/09/2005
There are only two active NFL head coaches with three Super Bowl rings and when wide receiver David Patten signed with the Redskins this week he went from playing for one – New England's Bill Belichick – to playing for the other – Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs and his staff zeroed in on Patten, an eight-year NFL veteran, when the free agency period kicked off at midnight, March 1. "It was 12:01 when I called David," Gibbs confessed. "The bottom line was we didn't have any one else in free agency that we had lined up to go after at receiver. We were going after one person."
When a Hall of Fame coach like Gibbs gets his mind set that someone would be a good addition to the his team, he's going to do plenty of recruiting when he's got that player on the phone. "I started bugging him," Gibbs offered. "I don't think he went to bed that night until about 2 o'clock. I called two or three times. We were talking on the phone but I felt some pressure there because we had made up our mind this was the guy we were going to try and get from a receiver stand point and it is a big deal for us."
"At 12:02 I was watching the clock. I had my cell phone beside me and I was trying to be cool like I am supposed to be in this situation."
Patten, who was thrilled to have caught the attention of the legendary Gibbs, admits he was waiting by his phone after being tipped off by his agent. "He told me that there was some interest from the Redskins and a few other teams," Patten recalled. "He told me they were going to call me at midnight. He asked me for my cell number and that Coach Gibbs was going to call me. I was like 'Coach Gibbs?' I feel like I have been fairly successful but I didn't think I had done that much to receive that kind of attention. It was almost too good to be true. At 12:02 I was watching the clock. I had my cell phone beside me and I was trying to be cool like I am supposed to be in this situation."
Leaving New England, where he earned three Super Bowl rings the last four years, was not an easy decision for Patten. But the chance to play for Gibbs combined with the Redskins place in NFL history lessoned the blow. "If it wasn't for coming to such a great organization with great history, it would be harder. Gibbs is a great coach, and from what he has told me I feel like I can take his word to the bank and I won't be let down," Patten offered. "It is almost bittersweet. I know nothing last forever but I feel like the best is yet to come for me. I am excited about being here and in time I will get over that."
Although the Patriots failed to offer him a contract, Patten, 30, leaves New England with nothing but the utmost respect for the organization and his former teammates. "My hat goes off to the Patriots organization," he declared. "Mr. [Robert] Kraft is a great owner and leader. Coach Belichick, he will go down in history and I appreciate everything those guys have done. That's the first home for me because that is the first organization the believed in me and committed to me. Leaving those guys, Tom Brady another guy that will go down in history, my receiving core, Deion Branch, Troy Brown, David Givens and Bethel Johnson, it was just a really good time for me. The whole team we really got along really well."
The Redskins expect Patten to pick up where he left off in 2004 with New England when he posted 800 receiving yards and set career-highs with seven touchdowns and 15 receptions of 20 yards or more. "We think that he can stretch the field with what he did in New England," said Redskins Wide Receivers Coach Stan Hixon. "He can stretch the defense deep and catch a short ball or two and make the defense miss in underneath coverage."
Gibbs was just as impressed with Patten's fortitude as he was with his statistics. After playing his college football at tiny Western Carolina, Patten found himself playing for the Arena Football League's Albany Firebirds in 1996 before getting a shot with the Giants the next season. After three seasons in New York and one in Cleveland, Patten became part of a receiving corps in New England that, while never boasting a star, was always productive and reliable. "As we talked about his history, the guy came from a school and winds up fighting his guts out to get a chance," Gibbs said. "A little bit of everything, the Arena League, and fought his way into the NFL. The last four years he has been in New England and has three Super Bowl rings. I think what he brings to the table for us is somebody that understands."
While Gibbs certainly knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl title having captured three NFL Championships in his first stint with the Skins, he hopes Patten can bring a little of that Patriots magic to his locker room. "To be quite truthful I talked to David a lot about the team feeling up there," Gibbs stated. "What kind of relationship did everyone have in the locker room in New England? That is a big deal for us because New England has been super successful. We look at them and we say they have been setting the standard and certainly you need to learn from somebody like that. I think David can bring that to the table too."
http://www.nflplayers.com/news/news_release.aspx?id=3467
While he is disappointed to be leaving the Patriots, receiver David Patten is excited about playing for Joe Gibbs and the Redskins.
Luke Sacks
NFLPLAYERS.COM
03/09/2005
There are only two active NFL head coaches with three Super Bowl rings and when wide receiver David Patten signed with the Redskins this week he went from playing for one – New England's Bill Belichick – to playing for the other – Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs and his staff zeroed in on Patten, an eight-year NFL veteran, when the free agency period kicked off at midnight, March 1. "It was 12:01 when I called David," Gibbs confessed. "The bottom line was we didn't have any one else in free agency that we had lined up to go after at receiver. We were going after one person."
When a Hall of Fame coach like Gibbs gets his mind set that someone would be a good addition to the his team, he's going to do plenty of recruiting when he's got that player on the phone. "I started bugging him," Gibbs offered. "I don't think he went to bed that night until about 2 o'clock. I called two or three times. We were talking on the phone but I felt some pressure there because we had made up our mind this was the guy we were going to try and get from a receiver stand point and it is a big deal for us."
"At 12:02 I was watching the clock. I had my cell phone beside me and I was trying to be cool like I am supposed to be in this situation."
Patten, who was thrilled to have caught the attention of the legendary Gibbs, admits he was waiting by his phone after being tipped off by his agent. "He told me that there was some interest from the Redskins and a few other teams," Patten recalled. "He told me they were going to call me at midnight. He asked me for my cell number and that Coach Gibbs was going to call me. I was like 'Coach Gibbs?' I feel like I have been fairly successful but I didn't think I had done that much to receive that kind of attention. It was almost too good to be true. At 12:02 I was watching the clock. I had my cell phone beside me and I was trying to be cool like I am supposed to be in this situation."
Leaving New England, where he earned three Super Bowl rings the last four years, was not an easy decision for Patten. But the chance to play for Gibbs combined with the Redskins place in NFL history lessoned the blow. "If it wasn't for coming to such a great organization with great history, it would be harder. Gibbs is a great coach, and from what he has told me I feel like I can take his word to the bank and I won't be let down," Patten offered. "It is almost bittersweet. I know nothing last forever but I feel like the best is yet to come for me. I am excited about being here and in time I will get over that."
Although the Patriots failed to offer him a contract, Patten, 30, leaves New England with nothing but the utmost respect for the organization and his former teammates. "My hat goes off to the Patriots organization," he declared. "Mr. [Robert] Kraft is a great owner and leader. Coach Belichick, he will go down in history and I appreciate everything those guys have done. That's the first home for me because that is the first organization the believed in me and committed to me. Leaving those guys, Tom Brady another guy that will go down in history, my receiving core, Deion Branch, Troy Brown, David Givens and Bethel Johnson, it was just a really good time for me. The whole team we really got along really well."
The Redskins expect Patten to pick up where he left off in 2004 with New England when he posted 800 receiving yards and set career-highs with seven touchdowns and 15 receptions of 20 yards or more. "We think that he can stretch the field with what he did in New England," said Redskins Wide Receivers Coach Stan Hixon. "He can stretch the defense deep and catch a short ball or two and make the defense miss in underneath coverage."
Gibbs was just as impressed with Patten's fortitude as he was with his statistics. After playing his college football at tiny Western Carolina, Patten found himself playing for the Arena Football League's Albany Firebirds in 1996 before getting a shot with the Giants the next season. After three seasons in New York and one in Cleveland, Patten became part of a receiving corps in New England that, while never boasting a star, was always productive and reliable. "As we talked about his history, the guy came from a school and winds up fighting his guts out to get a chance," Gibbs said. "A little bit of everything, the Arena League, and fought his way into the NFL. The last four years he has been in New England and has three Super Bowl rings. I think what he brings to the table for us is somebody that understands."
While Gibbs certainly knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl title having captured three NFL Championships in his first stint with the Skins, he hopes Patten can bring a little of that Patriots magic to his locker room. "To be quite truthful I talked to David a lot about the team feeling up there," Gibbs stated. "What kind of relationship did everyone have in the locker room in New England? That is a big deal for us because New England has been super successful. We look at them and we say they have been setting the standard and certainly you need to learn from somebody like that. I think David can bring that to the table too."
http://www.nflplayers.com/news/news_release.aspx?id=3467