The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats," are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971, although Foxborough is a suburb of Boston, 22 miles (35 km) away.

An original member of the American Football League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of those leagues. The team advanced to the playoffs four times before appearing in Super Bowl XX in January 1986, losing to the Chicago Bears. The team also appeared in Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997, losing to the Green Bay Packers.

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. New England is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada (the Canadian Maritimes and Quebec) and the state of New York.

In one of the earliest English settlements in North America, Pilgrims from England first settled in New England in 1620, to form Plymouth Colony. Ten years later, the Puritans settled north of Plymouth Colony in Boston, thus forming Massachusetts Bay Colony. Over the next 130 years, New England fought in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their native allies in North America. In the late 18th century, the New England Colonies initiated the resistance to the British Parliament's efforts to impose new taxes without the consent of the colonists. The Boston Tea Party was a protest that angered Great Britain, which responded with the "Intolerable Acts", stripping the colonies of self-government. The confrontation led to open warfare in 1775, the expulsion of the British from New England in spring 1776, and the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.

England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.

Julian Francis Edelman (born May 22, 1986) is a wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Kent State as a quarterback.

Edelman was born in Redwood City, California, the son of Angie and Francis Edelman. He has Jewish ancestry on his father's side, and was raised a Christian. He was the quarterback for Woodside High School in Woodside, California. As a senior in 2004, he led the Wildcats to a 13–0 record. During his high school career, he had 2,237 yards and 29 touchdowns passing, in addition to 964 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing.

After high school, Edelman spent a year at the College of San Mateo before transferring to Kent State University, where he majored in business management. At Kent State, Edelman was a three-year starter at quarterback. His senior year, he was the Golden Flashes' leading passer, completing 56% of his passes (153 of 275 passes for 1,820 yards) throwing 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was also their leading rusher, gaining 1,370 yards on 215 attempts (an average of 6.4 yards per carry) and scoring 13 touchdowns. His total offense broke Joshua Cribbs' single-season school record, set in 2003. He also punted four times, and played safety on the punt coverage team.

Brandon Browner (born August 2, 1984) is a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football league.

Browner was a Prep Star West All-Region and All-Valley Mission League selection at Sylmar (Calif.) High School as a senior. He also earned Mission League MVP honors. As a junior, Browner played at James Monroe High School (North Hills, Calif.) High. During his prep career, he competed as a receiver where he accounted for 1,726 career yards and 24 touchdowns, and on defense as a cornerback where he recorded 16 career interceptions. As a senior, he also returned three punts for touchdowns. At Monroe, Browner lettered in track, competing in the high jump and 200 meters and currently holds the Frosph/Soph Record for the High Jump at 6 foot 2 inches.

Browner played in college for Oregon State University. Browner redshirted in 2002 at Oregon State. He then went on to start in every game he played in for the Beavers. Browner was named to the Freshman All-America teams by the Football Writers Association and The Sporting News in 2003. He was chosen Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year and was a member of the All-Pac 10 second team. He ranked ninth in the nation with six interceptions and recorded 43 tackles (37 solo) with six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three stops for losses as a redshirt freshman. He helped the program weather the 2002 departures of Dennis Weathersby, Calvin Carlyle and Terrell Roberts.