David Patten, 47.

David Patten speaks to the media upon his retirement from the NFL in 2010.

This was one of those breaking news items that I just didn't want to hear.

Former Patriots' wide receiver David Patten died Thursday night in a motorcycle accident just outside of Columbia, S.C. He was just 47, still a very young man, and the outpouring of sentiment that hit the Internet early this morning underscored how warmly regarded he was by fellow teammates and others in the football world.

I was there for the entirety of his career with the Patriots, in which he provided a young team that would shock the world in February of 2002 with the veteran presence it needed both on the field and in the locker room. Patten, who had gone from loading 75-pound bags of coffee beans onto trucks from the loading docks to the Arena League to the biggest stage the NFL had to offer, was a gentleman and a quietly devout soul that radiated an inner strength to everyone around him. He was the ultimate "team player," and absolutely clutch when a big play was needed -- and he certainly turned in many of those during his time with the team.

One specific example came in Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans against the Rams. He caught an 8-yard touchdown pass in the back right corner of the end zone with 31 seconds left in the first half -- Tom Brady's first touchdown pass in the playoffs -- to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead at intermission. That shocking turn of events was enough to lead several veteran observers to believe the unheralded Patriots might actually have a chance to throw off their losing ways of the past and actually defeat "The Greatest Show on Turf." 

In fact, at the end of this post you will find a link to a clip from an audio blog I used to do for The Sun Chronicle from the Patriots' training camp. I did an interview with the late Gil Santos, the play-by-play announcer and Patriots Hall of Fame inductee, in which we talked about his famous call of Adam Vinatieri's winning field goal and also a brief moment of eye contact between us as we passed each other in the Superdome press box hallway at halftime, and realization that Patten's TD catch might have a huge impact upon the outcome.

Patten also caught Drew Bledsoe's last touchdown pass as a Patriot, an 11-yarder near the end of the first half of the 2001 AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, after Brady exited with an ankle sprain earlier in the second quarter.

But he did so much else in just four seasons here, and I hope the following story I wrote in 2010 (when he tried to coax one more season in the league from himself after leaving the New Orleans Saints) will illustrate how Patten was regarded as he prepared to leave the NFL after a career that blossomed magnificently from its very humble beginnings to become exactly the sort of veteran leader the Patriots needed at the beginning of their dynasty.

FOXBORO - David Patten left football knowing he was regarded by his teammates as a pro's pro.

 "I've only had about 2 1/2 months with this team, and a majority of these guys I never played with," the veteran wide receiver said Saturday morning. "They didn't know me, I didn't know them … but they kind of embraced me as the old veteran guy, from all the stories they heard and the highlights they've seen of me.

David Patten made clutch catches.

"But until you get a chance to spend time with a person, you really don't know who they are," he continued. "And I do believe over the last 21/2 months, which was expressed today, that I left an impression on them and I taught them what it means to be a professional, what it means to be selfless, and what it means to go out there day in and day out and work hard."

Patten, who will turn 36 on Aug. 19, announced his retirement from the Patriots and pro football Saturday morning in a hastily-arranged press conference in the Gillette Stadium press box - hastily, because until late Friday, he said, he was fully intending to continue his comeback for a 13th season after a year spent out of football.

 
"Trust me, this is in no way, shape or form what I anticipated coming back here this year," he said. "I honestly felt like I could still play this game and play at a high level, and I felt like the competitive spirit and nature was still there.
 
"But over the course of the last two days, there was a lot of reflection and a lot of contemplation," he said. "I just felt like it was time … it just hit me yesterday. Camp was going really well, I was still able to go out there and be competitive and operate at a high level, but … once you begin to start thinking about it mentally and you're not 100 percent in it mentally, it's tough to play this game.
 
"I always felt when I got to this point, it would be in my best interests to just walk away," he said.
 
Patten spent only four of his 12 NFL seasons with the Patriots, but they were incredibly productive for him and the team. He caught 165 passes for 2,513 yards as a Patriot (24th on the team's all-time list) from 2001 through 2004, coinciding with the team's three Super Bowl victories in the decade.
 
"He has been an outstanding player for this organization," Patriots' coach Bill Belichick said. "I think David sets the pace in terms of a work ethic. In the offseason program, he's always the one out in front, he's the one who the other players are trying to keep up with. He's got a great attitude and work ethic … and those are the things that kept him in the league and made him the outstanding player that he was."
 
Over his four Patriot seasons, Patten - who at one time lugged 75-pound bags of coffee beans around a factory to make a living before joining the Albany Firebirds of the Arena League - provided fans with plenty of exciting moments.
 
The most memorable was on Oct. 21, 2001, at the RCA Dome, when he had a game for the ages.
 
In a 38-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Patten ran a 29-yard end-around for a score the first time the Patriots touched the football, then he caught a 91-yard scoring pass from Tom Brady on the first play of a second-quarter possession. After a three-and-out by the Colts, Patten took a first-play lateral from Brady and fired a 60-yard TD pass to Troy Brown for a 21-3 lead, and for good measure, Patten added a 6-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter.
 
He became the sixth player in NFL history to account for touchdowns in a game by receiving (two), running and passing, and the first since Chicago's Walter Payton did it in 1979.
 
Other memorable Patten moments included his knocked-unconscious catch on the sidelines in Buffalo to preserve an overtime scoring march late in the 2001 season, a leaping touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone (thrown by Drew Bledsoe, who replaced an injured Brady) near the end of the first half of the 2001 AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, and the game-winning catch in a 2002 victory over the Chicago Bears at the University of Illinois in which the Patriots fought back from a 24-point deficit.
 
"Those are the memories that will drive me into the twilight years," a teary-eyed Patten said. "As long as you play the game, you try not to reflect on the past too often because it's all about the here and now and the present. Now you can reflect back on them and say, 'hey, the career wasn't that bad!'
 
"For a kid that was undersized out of Columbia, S.C., a small I-AA school (Western Carolina), undrafted, working in the coffee bean factory, electrician's work, landscaper … who'd have thought that 15 years later, I'd have 12 years in the National Football League, three championships and so many memories," he said. "Now I can sit back and reflect on it. Now I can pass this on to my kids … amazing."
 
Patten had yet to tell his family of his decision Saturday morning before meeting the media. He informed teammates just before his press conference, and said he deliberately waited before telling Brady.
 
"Naturally, he tried to talk me out of it," Patten said. "He's a major reason why I decided to come back and give it a shot here because he felt I could still play and he still had the confidence in me.
 
"You know he can be pretty persuasive when he wants to," he added. "But although this is a sad moment and a sad day, at the same time it's extremely joyful because of those types of reactions … the expression that I received from him today, it really lets me know that I made an impression on my teammates. And that makes me feel good."
 
Patten finishes his NFL career (with the Giants, Patriots, Browns, Redskins and Saints) with 324 catches for 4,715 yards (14.6 average), 24 receiving touchdowns including the career-best 91-yarder against the Colts, 13 rushes for 106 yards and 111 kick returns for 2,273 yards. In the postseason, he added 20 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns, all with the Patriots.

Many Patriots expressed sincere regrets and condolences to Patten's family on Friday. Perhaps some of the most poignant comments came from Patriots' coach Bill Belichick.

“It breaks my heart to hear of David’s tragic passing at such a young age,” Belichick said. “I am grateful to have coached David. He is an essential person and player in Patriots history, without whom we would not have been Super Bowl champions. I especially appreciate David for his professional journey. As much as anyone, David epitomized the unheralded, self-made player who defied enormous odds to not only earn a job in the NFL but to become a key player on multiple championship teams. I can speak for anyone who had the pleasure to be around David that his work ethic, positive energy and character were elite. My deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones.”

Rest in peace, David Patten.