Actually, I give a lot of credit to Parcells and Bledsoe. They preceded Kraft, but between the two the rejuvenated the franchise and fan base and made it worth keeping the Pats around.
I'm sorry, but Parcells is nothing more than a short-term adrenaline shot, corporate takeover artist. He GETS an organization out of a hole, but he never stays around to sustain it. NE, NYJ, Dal, Mia. The only time he actually hung in and sustained true growth was in the 80's with the Giants. Ever since then, he's been the Runaway Bride.
Parcells left the Patriot franchise in shreds in January 1997. He blew up the team like a diva in the week before the SB against the Packers.
Great coach. GREAT COACH. Lousy long-term franchise builder.
Kraft over 16+ years has built something for the ages - - something that has metastasized into a far more reaching benefit.
In the corporate world, Parcells would be a Carl Icahn (takeover, raise up, then dump for personal gain) whereas Kraft would be a Warren Buffet.
This is not to denigrate what Parcells did which was HUGE for the organization. But he has always been a great "shot of adrenaline". Nothing more. He gives a franchise a short-term high. The only franchise he stayed in for more than three years has been the NY Giants.
Parcells deserves great credit for being a shot of adrenaline into the corpse of the Patriot franchise in 1993. But remember, they didn't sell-out automatically until the day Kraft bought the team the next year. Google what happened to season-ticket sales the day after Kraft bought the team. if he didn't buy the team, Parcells would have been coaching the Pats in St Louis the next season.