NFL PRESEASON: Patriots Travel to Bayou to Face Saints

The 2015 season marks the fourth straight year the Patriots will hold joint practice sessions when they travel to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., to conduct joint practice sessions with the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, prior to traveling to New Orleans to play the Saints in a Week 2 preseason game on Sat., Aug. 22.

For the last three seasons, the Patriots held joint sessions with two different teams. In 2014, the Patriots conducted joint sessions at Washington and at home against Philadelphia.

In 2013, the Patriots traveled to Philadelphia for joint practice sessions and then hosted Tampa Bay in joint sessions. In 2012, the Patriots held joint practice sessions with New Orleans prior to the first preseason game of the year and then traveled to the Buccaneers' headquarters for two joint practices prior to their preseason game that year.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by the Patriots Preseason Television Network and can be seen in every New England state, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. The preseason network's flagship station is WBZ-TV CBS in Boston. WBZ-TV's Dan Roche provides play-by-play and is joined by former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria in the broadcast booth. Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham will provide sideline analysis along with WBZ-TV'sSteve Burton. Patriots Football Weekly's beatwriters Paul Perillo and Andy Hart will also provide insight and analysis.

PATRIOTS PRESEASON TELEVISION NETWORK

Massachusetts
Boston, Mass. WBZ-TV Ch. 4
Springfield, Mass. WWLP-TV Ch. 22

Connecticut
Hartford, Conn. WTNH-TV Ch. 8

Maine
Portland, Maine WMTW-TV Ch. 8
Bangor, Maine WVII-TV Ch. 7

New Hampshire
Manchester, N.H. WMUR-TV Ch. 9

Rhode Island
Providence, R.I. WPRI-TV Ch. 12

Vermont
Burlington, Vt. WCAX-TV Ch. 3

Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska KYUR-TV Ch. 13
Fairbanks, Alaska KATN-TV Ch. 2
Juneau, Alaska KJUD-TV Ch. 8

Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii KFVE-TV Ch. 5

RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 39 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis.

SERIES HISTORY

Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft's first game as owner of the team was a 1994 preseason game at Foxboro Stadium against the Saints. The Patriots won that game, 24-6.

The two teams will meet this week in New Orleans in the 11th preseason meeting and for the first time since Aug. 9, 2012 when the Patriots beat the Saints, 7-6, in a preseason game at Gillette Stadium.

The last four times the two teams met in the preseason the games have been played on the Patriots' home field. The last time the Patriots traveled to New Orleans for a preseason game was on Aug. 16, 1986 when the Patriots prevailed in a 38-34 decision.

The Patriots and Saints have played 13 times in the regular season with the Patriots leading the all-time series, 9-4. The two teams last played in the regular season in 2013 with the Patriots taking a 30-27 win on Oct. 13 at Gillette Stadium.

HIGH SCORING MATCHUP

The New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints are among the highest scoring NFL teams since the 2010 season.

MOST POINTS SCORED SINCE 2010

• New England Patriots: 2,500
  
• Green Bay Packers: 2,284
  
• Denver Broncos: 2,222
  
• New Orleans Saints: 2,207
  
• Dallas Cowboys: 2,045
  
  

PATRIOTS IN NEW ORLEANS

The Patriots have played in three Super Bowls in New Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome, the home of the Saints. The 1985 Patriots qualified for the first Super Bowl in team history, but lost to the Chicago Bears, 46-10. In 1996, the Patriots reached their second Super Bowl in the Crescent City and fell to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI. New England returned to the Big Easy for Super Bowl XXXVI and defeated the St. Louis Rams, 20-17, to claim the first NFL title in team history.

CONNECTIONSNEW ENGLAND TIES

• Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was born in Framingham, Mass., and attended Medway (Mass.) HS. He went on to a collegiate playing career in baseball and was a four-year letterman at Boston College. As a senior, Carmichael was a team captain and Most Valuable Player. He began his coaching career as the assistant offensive line coach at the University of New Hampshire in 1994, with the Wildcats winning the Yankee Conference championship.
  
• Saints OLB Kasim Edebali hails from Meriden, N.H. and attended Boston College, where he played in 49 games recording, 166 tackles, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
  
• Saints WR R.J. Harris played for four years at New Hampshire, where he compiled 310 catches for 4,328 yards and 36 touchdowns as the school's and Colonial Athletic Association's all-time leader in receptions and second on both lists in receiving yardage. His 36 TDs rank second in program history and fourth in the CAA.
  
• Saints NT John Jenkins is a native of Meriden, Conn.
  
• Saints G Mike Golic Jr. attended Northwest Catholic (Conn.) HS. He was named to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class S all-state team in both his junior and senior season.
  
• Saints tight ends coach Dan Roushar served as the offensive line coach at Rhode Island in 1993.
  
• Saints defensive assistant/linebackers coach James Willis tutored linebackers at Rhode Island for two seasons (2004-05).
  
  

NEW ORLEANS TIES

• Patriots head strength and conditioning coach Harold Nash hails from New Orleans and attended Louisiana-Lafayette, where he joined the football team as a walk-on and played defensive back for four seasons.
  
• Patriots RB Brandon Bolden attended Scotlandville Magnet HS in Baton Rouge, La. During his senior year, Bolden rushed for 886 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to being named First Team All-District 5-5A.
  
• Patriots P Ryan Allen transferred from Oregon State to Louisiana Tech in 2010. During his three years there, Allen became the first punter to ever win backto- back Ray Guy Awards.
  
• Patriots WR Brandon LaFell spent three years (2006-08) at LSU, where he helped the team win a BCS National Championship in 2007.
  
  

FORMER PATRIOTS

• Saints CB Brandon Browner was part of the Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Championship team. During his one season in New England, Browner started all nine games he played in and finished with 26 tackles one 32-yard interception and six passes defensed. He also recorded three tackles in Super Bowl XLIX and swatted away a fourth-quarter pass in the end-zone to help preserve the Patriots victory.
  
• Saints TE Benjamin Watson was selected by the Patriots in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. A member of the Patriots Super Bowl XXXIX Championship team, Watson battled through injuries during his time in New England, starting 47 games in his six seasons (2004-09).
  
• Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan spent four seasons (2000-03) as the linebackers coach for the Patriots under Bill Belichick. In his time with the Patriots, Ryan was a part of two Super Bowl championship teams – XXXVI and XXXVIII – and worked with Patriots Hall of Fame linebackers Teddy Bruschi and Willie McGinest.
  
  

FORMER SAINTS

• Patriots DL Rob Ninkovich was drafted by the Saints in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was waived twice by New Orleans and tried to make the team in 2009 as a long snapper before landing in New England prior to the start of the regular season.
  
• Patriots area scout Tim Heffelfinger spent seven years as an area scout for the Saints from 1998-2004.
  
• Patriots RB Travaris Cadet entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Saints in 2012. From 2012-14, Cadet appeared in 41 games with one start for the Saints and tallied 11 rushing attempts for 37 yards, 45 receptions for 345 yards with two touchdowns, 50 kickoff returns for 1,293 yards and two punt returns for two yards.
  
  

FORMER NFL TEAMMATES

• Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll and Saints defensive coordinator Rex Ryan served as offensive and defensive coordinator respectively for the Cleveland Browns (09-10) under head coach Eric Mangini.
  
• Patriots DL Antonio Johnson and Saints LB Ramon Humber were defensive teammates with the Indianapolis Colts for two seasons (2009-10).
  
• Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount played his first NFL snaps as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer where he shared a backfield with Saints FB Erik Lorig from 2010-12.
  
• Patriots WR Danny Amendola and Saints G Mike McGlynn spent one season as offensive teammates for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.
  
• Saints G Mike Glynn also spent one season blocking for Patriots FB James Develin when they were teammates on the Cincinnati Bengals.
  
• Patriots WR Dion Lewis and Saints offensive assistant Kyle DeVan were offensive teammates in 2011 when DeVan played guard for the Philadelphia Eagles.
  
• Patriots S Patrick Chung and DL Anthony Spencer were defensive teammates when they played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010.
  
• Patriots TE Scott Chandler and Saints RB CJ Spiller were offensive teammates for five seasons (2010, 2011-2014) when they played for the Buffalo Bills.
  
  

FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES

• Saints offensive coaching assistant Brendan Nugent first joined the collegiate ranks as an offensive assistant at Iowa where he tutored Patriots TE Scott Chandler from 2005-06.
  
• Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower spent three seasons (2008-2010) playing with Saints RB Mark Ingram at Alabama. The pair won a national championship in 2009, the same season that Ingram won the Heisman Trophy.
  
• Patriots T Nate Solder and Saints LS Justin Drescher were teammates for three seasons from 2007-2009 at the University of Colorado.
  
• Patriots DL Xzavier Dickson played with Saints S Vinnie Sunseri at Alabama from 2011-13.
  
• Saints C Max Unger blocked for Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount at Oregon in 2008.
  
• Patriots TE Jimmay Mundine and Saints FB Toben Opurum were offensive teammates at Kansas in 2011-12.
  
• In 2011, Patriots C David Andrews and TE Orson Charles were offensive teammates at Georgia.
  
• Saints T Andrus Peat blocked for Patriots RB Tyler Gaffney at Stanford from 2011-12.
  
• Patriots RB James White and Saints WR Nick Toon were offensive teammates at Wisconsin from 2010-12.