Kraft's Comments on Patriots Playoff Loss

[RobertWeathers]

Robert should be seen and not heard on football matters. He's not taken out of context, he's just better served limiting his interaction with the media to nodding and smiling. There is a good reason for one voice to represent this franchise on the field, and it isn't Bob's. If he wanted to be helpful as many here suggested he should be more vocal privately league related business and football matters.

What Kraft said reminded me when Felger and a fired-up Jonathan went at it on air a few years ago about the salary cap. As it pertained to Asante, JK said (paraphrasing), "We would have won if he caught the ball and we are going to give him the deal he wanted?".

It's just like politicians who comment on sports- they shouldn't as it portrays them as the fan Mazzarotti bashes on a daily basis.

 

[The Gr8est]

Robert should be seen and not heard on football matters. He's not taken out of context, he's just better served limiting his interaction with the media to nodding and smiling. There is a good reason for one voice to represent this franchise on the field, and it isn't Bob's. If he wanted to be helpful as many here suggested he should be more vocal privately league related business and football matters.

Well however Kraft has been handling it up to now hasn't worked out so well for the Pats.

 

[Ron Sellers]

Where the team is cheap, is payroll. Look it up, they are generally in the bottom 1/4th of the league in total player payroll. I'd like to see that practice end and get a few FA studs in here.

Please help me out with that statement. I consider "the Pats are cheap" line to be one of those internet myths that has been repeated so often that people assume it to be true - but has no basis in fact.

Hopefully you're not basing that statement on Shaughnessy's recent column; if so you may want to check this out:
Fun With NFL Payrolls and Draft "Value" | Boston Sports Media Watch
Shaughnessy Column Corrected | Boston Sports Media Watch

Pats spend to the cap limit minus a small amount in case they need to replace an injured player pretty much every year. This past year their payroll was reportedly the NFL's highest according to National Football Post. Take what people with an agenda or an axe to grind (reporters like Shaughnessy, fans of opposing teams) have to say with a very large grain of salt.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

It's great. The owner is basically saying what his fans are saying without doublespeak or cover-up.

Saying that what was missing was "a game plan" is as brutal as any comment that's been made on this Board about the loss.

Kraft rocks.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I agree Pfs74. I appreciate his honesty. I love it when they keep it real as they say.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

It's great. The owner is basically saying what his fans are saying without doublespeak or cover-up.

Saying that what was missing was "a game plan" is as brutal as any comment that's been made on this Board about the loss.

Kraft rocks.

When owners start thinking or talking like message board fans it's generally detrimental to their franchise. Kraft has gotten exactly what he bargained for - a consistently competitive team for a decade and counting - and three little bonuses he and the rest of this fanbase hardly dared to dream of when he bought Shaeffer Stadium back in the day... His 1/32nd of the NFL under the direction of Belichick and Brady has gone to 4 of the last 10 superbowls.

 

[dhamz]

Please explain to me how Krafts public jousting with Goodell will make Spygate go away.

It won't. It would do the opposite.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

It won't. It would do the opposite.

Exactly. Public venting or posturing is just inflamatory rhetoric that feeds beasts. Same as Krafts bizarro banging of the anti lawyer drum incessantly yesterday. Way to alienate the guy you have to negotiate with, Lawyer DeMaurice Smith... Businessmen hammered out the last deal and it lasted all of two years, Robert...and led to where we sit today... Business men on both sides to a great extent are screwing up the whole product by viewing it as little more than that. A perfect example is the bs line about fans wanting an 18 game schedule and/or not wanting a preseason. Fact is fans don't want more games, season ticket holders just don't want to pay regular season prices to watch what are largely scrimmages and they won't be any happier paying full price to watch teams tanking at the end of an expanded season because they've locked in their playoff spot and need to rest starters wholesale for the playoffs or opponents will have fallen so far off the pace guys will already be getting a jump on off season surgeries...

The businessmen in suits gave the businessmen in pads too much to avoid a work stoppage that scared the **** out of them in 2006 because they had been so absorbed with fighting each other they weren't prepared to deal from a historic position of strength. Lawyers had nothing to do with that debaucle. Face that and do what you have to to get back to a sustainable revenue model without having to bs everyone about how just growing the pie ever larger will fix everything...lest you totally ruin the game in the growth process.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Exactly. Public venting or posturing is just inflamatory rhetoric that feeds beasts. Same as Krafts bizarro banging of the anti lawyer drum incessantly yesterday. Way to alienate the guy you have to negotiate with, Lawyer DeMaurice Smith... Businessmen hammered out the last deal and it lasted all of two years, Robert...and led to where we sit today... Business men on both sides to a great extent are screwing up the whole product by viewing it as little more than that. A perfect example is the bs line about fans wanting an 18 game schedule and/or not wanting a preseason. Fact is fans don't want more games, season ticket holders just don't want to pay regular season prices to watch what are largely scrimmages and they won't be any happier paying full price to watch teams tanking at the end of an expanded season because they've locked in their playoff spot and need to rest starters wholesale for the playoffs or opponents will have fallen so far off the pace guys will already be getting a jump on off season surgeries...

The businessmen in suits gave the businessmen in pads too much to avoid a work stoppage that scared the **** out of them in 2006 because they had been so absorbed with fighting each other they weren't prepared to deal from a historic position of strength. Lawyers had nothing to do with that debaucle. Face that and do what you have to to get back to a sustainable revenue model without having to bs everyone about how just growing the pie ever larger will fix everything...lest you totally ruin the game in the growth process.

Yep. Reading between the lines he has no use for DeMaurice. Seems he would have preferred that Troy Vincent or Trace Armstrong had landed the gig.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Robert should be seen and not heard on football matters. He's not taken out of context, he's just better served limiting his interaction with the media to nodding and smiling. There is a good reason for one voice to represent this franchise on the field, and it isn't Bob's. If he wanted to be helpful as many here suggested he should be more vocal privately league related business and football matters.

As a general point I agree that Kraft should reserve most of his opinions, public or private, for things like the CBA negotiation, where he can play a big role...otherwise we end up with Dan Snyder. But at a once a year event like Kraft's own Presser after Goodell's "State of the NFL" press conference? I'm OK with his speaking like a fan there.

 

[RobertWeathers]

As a general point I agree that Kraft should reserve most of his opinions, public or private, for things like the CBA negotiation, where he can play a big role...otherwise we end up with Dan Snyder. But at a once a year event like Kraft's own Presser after Goodell's "State of the NFL" press conference? I'm OK with his speaking like a fan there.

It took a bit of time but Kraft found that happy medium between the "publicly supportive owner", "enthusiastic, jock-sniffing owner", and "silent owner". However, when and since Spygate broke, I think he has gone in a different mode and it taught him a valuable lesson.

His first order of business is to protect the brand. Period. We can deny it, but the brand took a direct hit with Spygate. That hit may not have translated into a loss in revenue, but it took as the nation's misinformed developed a different perception of the team. Since Kraft sees his target market as not only the die-hards like us, he needs to cater to the causal fan (pink-hats if you will) and ensure that the team is represented in a positive light. Since Spygate, I have noticed Kraft being more visible and when appropriate, publicly critical of the team but IMO he is doing it in a way that the fans can relate to.

As part of his PR strategy of being more visible, he has subtlety kept a measured, public distance from BB. There is no question he supports BB because he wins and winning means $$$. However I view the dynamic as similar to a CEO loving the revenue and the profits that are flowing it, but he knows his VP of Sales, while a top-producer is a bit of a loose cannon.

 

[the Patriot]

Kraft is a great owner. A lot of owners would probably be kissing Belichick's feet by now, but Kraft always has high expectations.

 

[vyrago]

My one consolation is that everyone seems to be having a lousy time in Dallas because the city was unprepared for the weather (see how I can rationalize things?). So maybe it's good (HA-sarcasm) that the Pats aren't there.

Yes, because you know that the lousy weather would have been the Pats' fault.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

It took a bit of time but Kraft found that happy medium between the "publicly supportive owner", "enthusiastic, jock-sniffing owner", and "silent owner". However, with Spygate I think he has gone in a different mode and it taught him a valuable lesson.

His first order of business is to protect the brand. Period. We can deny it, but the brand took a direct hit with Spygate. That hit may not have translated into a loss in revenue, but it took a toll on the nation's perception of the team. Since Kraft sees his target market as not only the die-hards like us, he needs to cater to the causal fan (pink-hats if you will) and ensure that the team is represented in a positive light. Since Spygate, I have noticed Kraft being more visible and when appropriate, publicly critical of the team but IMO he is doing it in a way that the fans can relate to.

As part of his PR strategy of being more visible, he has subtlety kept a measured, public distance from BB. There is no question he supports BB because he wins and winning means $$$. However I view the dynamic as similar to a CEO loving the revenue and the profits that are flowing it, but he knows his VP of Sales, while a top-producer is a bit of a loose cannon.

That's one of the best, most thought-provoking posts I've read out here in a long time. You hit the nail right on the head in your comments on the brand and the damage done during spygate.

As a Pats fan(atic) living outside of New England, with a contingent of contacts and friends from across the country, it's maybe a lot clearer to me than others how badly the brand was damaged at that time.

For two guys who went to Harvard Business School and studied (at least Jonathan did) many cases on crisis management, the Krafts engineered a crisis management strategy (or lack thereof) during the weeks after the original event and after the Tomass article that was FUBAR. Rule Number One, Rule Number Two and Rule Number Three of modern crisis management ("Never let a false or misleading attack in the media go unanswered for less than a single newscycle") was completely ignored to the extent that distortion and lie built on distortion and lie at ESPN and elsewhere for weeks and months, simply because the mediots knew that they didn't have to give a hoot about the truth and that noone was going to call them on the falsehoods they were reporting.

Kraft was clearly changed by the aftermath of the event, as you so well state and describe. In many ways, he's still trying to fix the mess.

 

[RobertWeathers]

That's one of the best, most thought-provoking posts I've read out here in a long time. You hit the nail right on the head in your comments on the brand and the damage done during spygate.

As a Pats fan(atic) living outside of New England, with a contingent of contacts and friends from across the country, it's maybe a lot clearer to me than others how badly the brand was damaged at that time.

For two guys who went to Harvard Business School and studied (at least Jonathan did) many cases on crisis management, the Krafts engineered a crisis management strategy (or lack thereof) during the weeks after the original event and after the Tomass article that was FUBAR. Rule Number One, Rule Number Two and Rule Number Three of modern crisis management ("Never let a false or misleading attack in the media go unanswered for less than a single newscycle") was completely ignored to the extent that distortion and lie built on distortion and lie at ESPN and elsewhere for weeks and months, simply because the mediots knew that they didn't have to give a hoot about the truth and that noone was going to call them on the falsehoods they were reporting.

Kraft was clearly changed by the aftermath of the event, as you so well state and describe. In many ways, he's still trying to fix the mess.

Thanks, PatsFanSince74. I may be wrong but thats kinda what I've been seeing. I do think Kraft has defended BB somewhat but IMO his hands have been tied.

Unfortunately, the NYJ taping issue was legit. We can agree it was complete BS in it's harshness but the fact is that BB did not comply with the memo and Goody was a complete a-hole. The problem is that essentially, Kraft is Goody's boss. With that said, Bob went on TV before the Chargers game and apologized.

IMO the whole Matt Walsh issue is a bit of a different animal. At the league meetings in 08, Kraft and BB apologized for the distraction, but since he was not under any non-disclosure agreements, openly asked why Walsh has not come forward with the tapes. Thats a fairly public stance but certainly not worth a Lebron James/South Beach-type news conference.

So at the end of the day, I just think Bob doesn't want to be perceived as being a blind defender of BB but simply his boss and the custodian of the New England Patriots brand- winning, teamwork, tough play, bla, bla.

Every day he hopes the whole thing just goes away but it won't. The haters won't let it go.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Kraft may hope but it won't go away.
What is outrageous is that Goodell brought it up again in 2011 pre Super Bowl.

Kraft as stated previously egregiously blew the initial crisis management. His primary style of conciliation and avoiding confrontation served him poorly then and continues to thwart his futile attempts at preserving the Patriots brand. We do not know but it seems highly likely he has not had a personal eyeball to eyeball on this with 'his employee' Goodell, He really needs to do this in no uncertain terms. Who for a minute thinks that the Colts, Giants, Stealer, Cowboys orgs would let this go on and on with the Commissioner actively involved in brand trashing. Unacceptable.

Before Kraft criticizes BB again, however warranted, he needs to take a long look in the mirror first.

 

[RobertWeathers]

We do not know but it seems highly likely he has not had a personal eyeball to eyeball on this with 'his employee' Goodell,

Based on what he said and his tone with Ordway yesterday, I'm pretty confident that Kraft made it clear to Goody that enough is enough.

You don't get to Kraft's status by being a pushover. You need to have some muscle and a backbone.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Based on what he said and his tone with Ordway yesterday, I'm pretty confident that Kraft made it clear to Goody that enough is enough.

You don't get to Kraft's status by being a pushover. You need to have some muscle and a backbone.

Didn't hear the interview, but I hope your interpretation is on target. Thanks for the info.

BTW I'm sure on a msg board my hyperbole laden over the top rants come across as me calling his 'beta male' behavior wimpy. I only wish I were as successful in business as Bob Kraft.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Bob Kraft is saying what many of us have been saying all along. The loss was a bitter disappointment to all of us. But the Patriots lost the game, and the Jets were fortunate on that day.

I think he was too kind to the Jets. That's why he's the owner and we post on a message board.

What??

What part of their game plan got so lucky that they managed to confuse Brady into playing badly? What breaks consistently went their way for their O to put up more points than us? What charm did they use in fooling our O during the fourth q with no urgency?

We were the #1 seed, @ home, with a friggin extra week to prepare. We were the ones whose QB got mocked by the opponent's coach and spit upon in the press by a sh*tty member of the opponent.

We had everything going for us to blast them from the universe that evening and had no business laying an egg on the first playoff game when the team was in full strength (unlike last year when Welker's absence hit us significantly).

So, yes, the Patriots lost the game but to dismiss the Jets W as a fluke sounds similar to LadyT and Steelers dismissing our wins against them in the prior years as the 'better team' didn't win or that we were lucky back then.

 

[DarrylStingley]

What??

What part of their game plan got so lucky that they managed to confuse Brady into playing badly? What breaks consistently went their way for their O to put up more points than us? What charm did they use in fooling our O during the fourth q with no urgency?

We were the #1 seed, @ home, with a friggin extra week to prepare. We were the ones whose QB got mocked by the opponent's coach and spit upon in the press by a sh*tty member of the opponent.

We had everything going for us to blast them from the universe that evening and had no business laying a egg on the first playoff game when the team was in full strength (unlike last year when Welker's absence hit us significantly).

So, yes, the Patriots lost the game but to dismiss the Jets W as a fluke sounds similar to LadyT and Steelers dismissing our wins against them in the prior years as the 'better team' didn't win or that we were lucky back then.

Sorry, but the Jets were fortunate. How often does Tom make an unforced INT like that? How often does a TE drop a TD pass like that? The Jets didn't force Chung to drop that snap. The downed punt screw up wasn't forced by the Jets.

Yes, the Jets outplayed the Pats. Yes, BB coached like ****e. Yes, the Pats deserved to lose.

But the Jets were fortunate, all the same.