FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots visit the New York Giants in the preseason finale on Thursday night for the 14th straight year, an arrangement that has worked well for both as they look toward the regular season.

And, of course, everyone knows about the epic Patriots-Giants postseason matchups -- in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. Those are painful memories for Patriots fans.

Now there is a new link between the two franchises, born last year in Bend, Oregon.

Rising second-year Patriots tight end Jacob Hollister had returned home, and was looking for a place to train with his twin brother, Cody, a second-year receiver on New England’s roster. What he found was something more than that: a mentor in former Giants tight end and fellow Oregon native Kevin Boss, with whom he’s grown so close he describes him as a family member.

Boss, then a rookie, played a critical role in one of the most painful defeats in Patriots history. His 45-yard reception early in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII was a momentum-swinging play, leading to a Giants go-ahead touchdown in a back-and-forth final quarter that was one of the most tense and compelling in Super Bowl history.

“Last summer, the Giants’ video department came out and did a ‘Where are they now?’ type of piece in preparation for our 10-year anniversary -- they were doing it with a number of players -- and I happened to be having a training session with Cody and Jacob at the time,” Boss said.

“It was kind of funny, because you have the Giants videotaping a session of me working with two Patriots players, so I jokingly looked at the camera one time, laughed, and said, ‘Giants fans, I know what this looks like, but you have to understand, they need all the help they can get against us!’”

Boss, now 34 and running his own training facility, was playing to the crowd because the truth is that he’s opened his heart to the Hollisters. They stayed in his guesthouse in the backyard this past summer, and they basically became adopted uncles to Boss’ children -- Zeke (6 years old), Houck (4) and Nora (2).

“We’re really close with his family and kids and my little sister lives in the guest house now. I consider them family,” said Jacob, who made the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming in 2017 and is primed for a larger role this year.

“It’s been awesome going to work with him -- a year and a half now. First of all, he’s an amazing guy off the field, a mentor to me and Cody. And the things we do in the weight room, my body has never felt better -- the flexibility and movement -- and he’s a big part of that.”

Before they could truly dive into their work, however, they did address the Giant elephant in the room. Jacob was 14 years old when Boss earned a Super Bowl ring by dashing the Patriots’ hopes for a 19-0 season.

Jacob said they joked about it before quickly putting it behind them, and Boss -- who after playing for the Giants (2007-2010) finished his career with the Raiders (2011) and Chiefs (2012) -- chuckled in saying that he couldn’t believe he was thinking “Go Pats!” before a recent game.

“We just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of that last season, and it’s amazing how fast 10 years goes by. Now that far removed from it, it’s fun to think about having played a little role in that game,” Boss said.

“The thing that always sticks out to me is being a rookie and looking across the line at the number of incredible players we were going against. In my office, I have a big picture of that game, it’s our huddle, and you see a defensive huddle filled with legends: Junior Seau. Mike Vrabel. Tedy Bruschi. It goes on and on. You look at that and realize, not only did we play against those guys, but we pulled off the upset and beat them.”

Now Boss pulls for the Patriots, and specifically Jacob Hollister, whom Patriots coach Bill Belichick recently said has a “great future.” Their Oregon roots have brought them together, as Boss is a native of Philomath and attended college at Western Oregon.

“It’s a smaller fraternity of guys that come from our state and make it into the league, so I was already rooting for those guys,” Boss said. “On the strength and conditioning side, we work hard at it, but I want to be more than a strength coach for them. The first couple years in the league, there’s a lot of stress and life stuff that goes with that, and I’d like to be a positive mentor for them as well. That’s something me and my wife [Breanna] love.”

Boss said that playing in the NFL was one of his dreams, and he’s now living the other: Using football as a platform to reach others.

Meanwhile, Jacob said that in addition to work in the weight room, and going through defensive coverages with him, Boss has also helped him spiritually.

“Put everything in God’s hands, and that’s led me to where I am today, and Kevin is a mentor in that area too,” he said.

“There are a lot of great people in Oregon. Every time I go home, I feel that, and he’s a great example of it.”