Krafty Bob sets up Brady tribute

[RobertWeathers]

JG's got a pretty good team supporting him, and therefore I think he'll be okay.

...I just hope he's not reading this thread.

Thats the thing. As long as players are healthy and the D is playing well, all JG needs to do is be a slightly better than average caretaker QB.

I think thats a big reason why the defensive starters played as many snaps as the did this preseason. He wants them SHARP b/c they most likely will need to carry the team through the first few games. JG is a 1st year starter and Tom will need a couple of games to get his sea legs back.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Pure PR and BS by Quisling BOB.

Yea maybe....

 

[Jackson 2]

How clever. Bugger off, Dink.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

How clever. Bugger off, Dink.

Clarifications:

The first one above is a reference to Kraft expecting Goodell or the league to act reasonably.

The second was just my playful confusion at the complexity of your statement, which was perfectly fine.

...I'm buggering off anyway, cheers!

 

[Jackson 2]

Clarifications:

The first one above is a reference to Kraft expecting Goodell or the league to act reasonably.

The second was just my playful confusion at the complexity of your statement, which was perfectly fine.

...I'm buggering off anyway, cheers!

My apologies. I was wrong. I didn't even open them. Thought they were from your 1960s cousin. Sometimes ya just gotta eat s###. This is my time to do so.

 

[patfanken]

So what exactly make those 20 years exemplary ? Not trying to be snarky or anything but I honestly don't see it.

You can be thankful that he didn't move the team towards the beginning of his reign but that is a long time ago. I am not sure why I should still give him a break over something that happened 2 decades ago.

Since then he looked over a couple of meh years in the 90s followed by the genius decision to hire BB. Since BB took over the franchise essentially is running on autopilot because the unprecedented success he brought into this stadium (together with Brady) made the team one of the most valuable and recognizable sports brands in the world without Kraft lifting a single finger. Again, the only situation I can give him credit for - since BB arrived - is when he supposedly didn't interfere during Bledsoe/Brady 2001. Apart from that there was never any reason for him to "Jerry Jones" himself into decisions because every season was a (relative) success.

I am not saying he is a bad owner but simply dont understand why people give him so much credit for the teams success. He is an average owner that puts a lot of resources into community outreach (good for him) but generally makes money-first decisions while sometimes hypocritically talking about the "Patriots family".

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

5. Do you really think this franchise has been on "autopilot' since 2000 then you really are uniformed. We built that stadium. There is a reason why other teams come here to see how to build around their stadiums. He made friggin Foxboro a go to destination for people in this part of the state and in RI. He built that beautiful practice facility the team gets to play in, as well as all the infrastructure around that....or was that just BB too?

Still Kraft paid top dollar (IIRC the most expensive franchise purchase ever at that time) Does THAT sound like someone who is "all about the money", luke

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields. Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

But regardless it could be that no one lied to him and he just made one jackass horrible decision, that cost Brady dearly. Now it doesn't seem that Brady hates him, in fact quite the opposite. So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

Now I don't want to make it seem like Kraft has never made mistakes. He has. For example e stayed with Bobby Grier far too long and it cost Pete Carroll his job. But I've always admired how he's learned from his mistakes. It's an attribute I wish more posters would ascribe to.

 

[Jackson 2]

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

5. Do you really think this franchise has been on "autopilot' since 2000 then you really are uniformed. We built that stadium. There is a reason why other teams come here to see how to build around their stadiums. He made friggin Foxboro a go to destination for people in this part of the state and in RI. He built that beautiful practice facility the team gets to play in, as well as all the infrastructure around that....or was that just BB too?

Still Kraft paid top dollar (IIRC the most expensive franchise purchase ever at that time) Does THAT sound like someone who is "all about the money", luke

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields. Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

But regardless it could be that no one lied to him and he just made one jackass horrible decision, that cost Brady dearly. Now it doesn't seem that Brady hates him, in fact quite the opposite. So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

Now I don't want to make it seem like Kraft has never made mistakes. He has. For example e stayed with Bobby Grier far too long and it cost Pete Carroll his job. But I've always admired how he's learned from his mistakes. It's an attribute I wish more posters would ascribe to.

Jesus H. Christ. EPIC ass-kicking, and a well-deserved one. Bravissimo!

 

[Jackson 2]

So what exactly make those 20 years exemplary ? Not trying to be snarky or anything but I honestly don't see it.

You can be thankful that he didn't move the team towards the beginning of his reign but that is a long time ago. I am not sure why I should still give him a break over something that happened 2 decades ago.

Since then he looked over a couple of meh years in the 90s followed by the genius decision to hire BB. Since BB took over the franchise essentially is running on autopilot because the unprecedented success he brought into this stadium (together with Brady) made the team one of the most valuable and recognizable sports brands in the world without Kraft lifting a single finger. Again, the only situation I can give him credit for - since BB arrived - is when he supposedly didn't interfere during Bledsoe/Brady 2001. Apart from that there was never any reason for him to "Jerry Jones" himself into decisions because every season was a (relative) success.

I am not saying he is a bad owner but simply dont understand why people give him so much credit for the teams success. He is an average owner that puts a lot of resources into community outreach (good for him) but generally makes money-first decisions while sometimes hypocritically talking about the "Patriots family".

You just got your ass handed to you by patfanken. Spanked and sent to your room without supper. Breakfast will taste particularly good in the morning...

 

[RobertWeathers]

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

5. Do you really think this franchise has been on "autopilot' since 2000 then you really are uniformed. We built that stadium. There is a reason why other teams come here to see how to build around their stadiums. He made friggin Foxboro a go to destination for people in this part of the state and in RI. He built that beautiful practice facility the team gets to play in, as well as all the infrastructure around that....or was that just BB too?

Still Kraft paid top dollar (IIRC the most expensive franchise purchase ever at that time) Does THAT sound like someone who is "all about the money", luke

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields. Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

But regardless it could be that no one lied to him and he just made one jackass horrible decision, that cost Brady dearly. Now it doesn't seem that Brady hates him, in fact quite the opposite. So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

Now I don't want to make it seem like Kraft has never made mistakes. He has. For example e stayed with Bobby Grier far too long and it cost Pete Carroll his job. But I've always admired how he's learned from his mistakes. It's an attribute I wish more posters would ascribe to.

My goodness.

Someone call a medic.

Sticky worthy.

 

[fgssand]

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

5. Do you really think this franchise has been on "autopilot' since 2000 then you really are uniformed. We built that stadium. There is a reason why other teams come here to see how to build around their stadiums. He made friggin Foxboro a go to destination for people in this part of the state and in RI. He built that beautiful practice facility the team gets to play in, as well as all the infrastructure around that....or was that just BB too?

Still Kraft paid top dollar (IIRC the most expensive franchise purchase ever at that time) Does THAT sound like someone who is "all about the money", luke

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields. Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

But regardless it could be that no one lied to him and he just made one jackass horrible decision, that cost Brady dearly. Now it doesn't seem that Brady hates him, in fact quite the opposite. So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

Now I don't want to make it seem like Kraft has never made mistakes. He has. For example e stayed with Bobby Grier far too long and it cost Pete Carroll his job. But I've always admired how he's learned from his mistakes. It's an attribute I wish more posters would ascribe to.

Thank you PFK..........standing "O" as usual!!

And now....I'm ready for football, screw this BS, four weeks will fly by, our record will be whatever it will be and then the season begins for real.

What a year this is going to be......we ready!!!!!

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

5. Do you really think this franchise has been on "autopilot' since 2000 then you really are uniformed. We built that stadium. There is a reason why other teams come here to see how to build around their stadiums. He made friggin Foxboro a go to destination for people in this part of the state and in RI. He built that beautiful practice facility the team gets to play in, as well as all the infrastructure around that....or was that just BB too?

Still Kraft paid top dollar (IIRC the most expensive franchise purchase ever at that time) Does THAT sound like someone who is "all about the money", luke

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields. Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

But regardless it could be that no one lied to him and he just made one jackass horrible decision, that cost Brady dearly. Now it doesn't seem that Brady hates him, in fact quite the opposite. So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

Now I don't want to make it seem like Kraft has never made mistakes. He has. For example e stayed with Bobby Grier far too long and it cost Pete Carroll his job. But I've always admired how he's learned from his mistakes. It's an attribute I wish more posters would ascribe to.

He didn't do these things you list out of the kindness of his heart, they were business decisions.

1. He didn't take the money from Orthwein because he knew he could likely leverage his position into being able to purchase the team - which he did.

2. I would have to imagine that he along with the NFL deduced that owning a team centrally located between Boston and Providence (and their TV markets) as well as relatively easy access for the rest of NE, would be preferable than owning a team in Hartford.

3. No PSL's but the highest average ticket prices in sports.

4. Again, he saw a business opportunity, namely the incredible growth potential of the NFL, to think otherwise is naive. Now he may have been a fan, but it was all about business.

5. I don't live too far from Foxboro (Providence area) and can only speak for myself, but other than Patriot games, I really don't know about calling it a destination. But if you're talking about the shops around the stadium, it's really irrelevant as to how good of an owner he is. That's money going into his pocket.

None of these the things are bad things, they were smart business decisions, just not gifts to the public from some altruistic superfan.

He didn't get the team until 94 so that would be a six year span before BB. 1974-80 (53-37) and 1983-88 (56-39) had better records than 1994-99 (54-42), so no, not at the very top. Regardless, the unprecedented success from 2000 on is almost solely because of BB (and Brady at QB) running the team. Kraft hired him and gets the credit for that.

Gone are the days of players driving to practice because of the financial resources of the league, not because of Bob Kraft.

Regarding Spygate, he did nothing - absolutely nothing except tell the team to accept punishment and not speak - adding to the misperception of the seriousness of the infraction. Then bragged about calling BB a schmuck. Then completely aligned himself with Goodell in every way imaginable. Accepting punishment and letting Belichick twist in the wind becomes a precedent for how he handled deflategate and how the league knew they could get away with it again. It short his inaction in spygate, made them an easy mark for deflategate.

I just can't buy the argument of "Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. "
First off, these are the people conspiring against you and without a shred of evidence painting Brady, Belichick and 4 World Championship teams as cheaters for the second time in less than a decade. Why would you take them at their word? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

A more likely scenario is Kraft is willing to sacrifice the good names of BB and Brady, willing to have his team called cheaters, willing to let the fanbase eat **** as long as he keeps on making his money, keeps hang out with his rich and famous friends, and gets to keep a seat (with a booster) at the big boy table in the billionaires club. The NFL office and majority of NFL owners are pretty despicable people and nothing seems to matter more to Kraft than being accepted as one of them. That's what turns people off, the groveling to be accepted by these scum while they conspire and fabricate cheating allegations against Brady and Belichick.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

My apologies. I was wrong. I didn't even open them. Thought they were from your 1960s cousin. Sometimes ya just gotta eat s###. This is my time to do so.

lol Quoting my old college roommate's favorite routine, he'd do this:

...and say, "East sh*t and Die"

 

[luuked]

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

You are putting words into my mouth. I never said he is "all about the money" but "generally makes money-first decisions". That is a substantial difference.

Similarly, like I clearly stated in my post I will not give him any significant praise anymore over something that happened over 10-20 years ago. So thanks for the history lesson Ken I am sure it took a while to write it up and I really appreciate the effort but it doesn't change my opinion about the owner he has been for the last couple of years. From my point of view in the last 10 years he regressed from being a great/good owner into being just *another one of the 32*.

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

They were "meh" in the context of the unprecedented run under BB. Pointing out how much of a self-running business the team has become under BB is my entire point.

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields.

So you are saying that none of that would have happened without Kraft ? You are just confounding general progress that would have been made regardless with Kraft being the genius responsible for it. Guess what, if Wilhelm Roentgen died young we'd not live in a world without x-ray technology. Someone else would have discovered it the same way that *most* NFL franchises have moved on from where they were in the 90s.

Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

No, thats because of BB and Brady.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

I am sure he told Bill to stop it after every warning, right ? Because otherwise I really don't see how this makes Kraft look anything but an owner who has no clue whats going on in his organization.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Fight the entire situation openly enough to make sure that the public ****ing knows what "spygate" was really about. Use his "influence" to make the league clearly state what happened. Maybe make sure someone in the organization makes a damn copy of the tapes before handing them over to the league to have the "evidence" yourself as well.

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

So he is an incompetent idiot instead of a cold business man. It's not like he could have known that the league could mishandle a situation like that, right ? Guess nothing happened recently to New Orleans or Miami.

So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

I don't have an issue with Kraft at all but I have an issue with people calling him a *great* owner because most equate the success that BB / Brady brought with Kraft being involved somehow. He is a good business man, cares about the region and knows not to interfere with the operation that BB has build. Good for him.

 

[PatsWSB47]

Hey everyone, Bring a roll of duct tape, tear off a piece and cover the NFL* logo on your jersey. Pass it to over to the next tailgater and have them do the same. Hopefully your entire lot participates. Thousands of fans walking with the logo into Gillette will be noticed by the media, no? Anyway I'm bringing a roll or two. Join in fans.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

You are putting words into my mouth. I never said he is "all about the money" but "generally makes money-first decisions". That is a substantial difference.

Similarly, like I clearly stated in my post I will not give him any significant praise anymore over something that happened over 10-20 years ago. So thanks for the history lesson Ken I am sure it took a while to write it up and I really appreciate the effort but it doesn't change my opinion about the owner he has been for the last couple of years. From my point of view in the last 10 years he regressed from being a great/good owner into being just *another one of the 32*.



They were "meh" in the context of the unprecedented run under BB. Pointing out how much of a self-running business the team has become under BB is my entire point.



So you are saying that none of that would have happened without Kraft ? You are just confounding general progress that would have been made regardless with Kraft being the genius responsible for it. Guess what, if Wilhelm Roentgen died young we'd not live in a world without x-ray technology. Someone else would have discovered it the same way that *most* NFL franchises have moved on from where they were in the 90s.



No, thats because of BB and Brady.



I am sure he told Bill to stop it after every warning, right ? Because otherwise I really don't see how this makes Kraft look anything but an owner who has no clue whats going on in his organization.



Fight the entire situation openly enough to make sure that the public ****ing knows what "spygate" was really about. Use his "influence" to make the league clearly state what happened. Maybe make sure someone in the organization makes a damn copy of the tapes before handing them over to the league to have the "evidence" yourself as well.



So he is an incompetent idiot instead of a cold business man. It's not like he could have known that the league could mishandle a situation like that, right ? Guess nothing happened recently to New Orleans or Miami.



I don't have an issue with Kraft at all but I have an issue with people calling him a *great* owner because most equate the success that BB / Brady brought with Kraft being involved somehow. He is a good business man, cares about the region and knows not to interfere with the operation that BB has build. Good for him.

Both you guys make some important, crucial and correct points. What Bob accomplished is amazing and impressive and, as I've said, contributes hugely to his peers' jealousy of us. Bob's an undeniable success.

But, along with that...well, putting Drew Bledsoe in the same class as the GOAT here-and paying him like it? The pre-Mo Lewis hit team did exactly nothing that their predecessors didn't do better on the field, and I'll probably have to elaborate on that for everyone...sorry to the F.E.-likers but our logo and uniforms? Come on...

He's not Al Davis, but you can argue that it's better to try to exercise discretion and thought before mouthing off, panicking or publicly blowing up...it's how he's been successful and it's really hard to criticize. I, for one, am not giving up on him.

 

[mosey threetupu]

Oh look... Another ***********.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Hey everyone, Bring a roll of duct tape, tear off a piece and cover the NFL* logo on your jersey. Pass it to over to the next tailgater and have them do the same. Hopefully your entire lot participates. Thousands of fans walking with the logo into Gillette will be noticed by the media, no? Anyway I'm bringing a roll or two. Join in fans.

A good, doable, practical idea. Everyone can do this. It's simple, it's silent, it's classy, and it's effective (everyone will notice).

 

[bbobbo]

A good, doable, practical idea. Everyone can do this. It's simple, it's silent, it's classy, and it's effective (everyone will notice).

i think that's the first time i've ever heard duct tape described as "classy"

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Are freakin' out of your mind, or do you just have a long term memory of about 4 minutes. You are in desperate need of a history lesson, my friend, and I guess it's up to me to give it to you.

1. If Bob Kraft were "all about the money" like you would like to portray, then why didn't he simply take the $70MM that was offered by Ortwein for just a piece of paper (an option on the lease) and then you wouldn't have had to worry about rooting for a pro football team at all.

2, If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have PRIVATELY funded $325MM to build Gillette Stadium when he could have moved to Harford and gotten a new stadium for FREE from the state of CT. Not only would the stadium have been for free, their ridiculous Governor at the time also guaranteed the Pats sold out revenues even if no one showed up. No risk or out of pocket costs to Kraft, except maybe the extra 2 hours in gas to go to games in Hartford.

3. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he certainly wouldn't have been the ONLY owner who didn't make his season ticket holders buy PSL's at that time. (one of the great examples of legalized extortion known to man). It certainly would have cut his out of pocket risk in half.

4. If Bob Kraft was "all about the money" then he wouldn't have bought the damned team in the first place. $187MM for the laughing stock of the league. A bad season ticket base. A bad team. A worse stadium, by far the worst in the league......and its in freakin Foxborough, MA. (though conveniently located to me, if anyone cares. A fan base that was so out of control that we weren't allowed night games, and you brought children to games at your own risk.

5. Do you really think this franchise has been on "autopilot' since 2000 then you really are uniformed. We built that stadium. There is a reason why other teams come here to see how to build around their stadiums. He made friggin Foxboro a go to destination for people in this part of the state and in RI. He built that beautiful practice facility the team gets to play in, as well as all the infrastructure around that....or was that just BB too?

Still Kraft paid top dollar (IIRC the most expensive franchise purchase ever at that time) Does THAT sound like someone who is "all about the money", luke

And I loved the way you dismissed his importance to the accomplishments the Pats have enjoyed over his ownership period. Meh for those Parcells and Carroll years? Really????? If you give him a mulligan for that 5-11 first year with a new HC and rookie QB. The Pats had exactly ONE losing season before BB came (and only ONE since then). You want to compare that 7 season period of success and match it to any other time in Patriot history, it would be right at the top.....so while it doesn't compare with the unprecedented run of success we are in now, it certainly wasn't "Meh". In fact if Kraft had sold the team in 2000, he would have arguably have been the most successful owner we've ever had. (that's how low the bar had been set)

Because of Bob Kraft, GONE are the days when players had to put their uniforms on and drive in their personal cars to the practise fields. Because of Bob Kraft the Pats have gone from being a joke to being the model of what everyone wants to be....and not just because of the winning ON the field.

You allude to spygate, and I ask you what the F was Kraft supposed to do after the league put out a memo telling teams to stop filming from certain parts of the stadium....and Bill did it anyway. They got a warning.....and Bill did it anyway. And they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND they got another warning and Bill did it anyway. AND ONLY THEN did the hammer come down.

Now was the memo stupid.....yes. Were the penalties draconian....absolutely. Did Goodell and the NYJFL seem to do everything in their power to cement the percept that the Pats cheated even if they never said it out loud.....yes, again. But was Bill an arrogant **** for ignoring the memo and then 3 specific warnings to cease.....YES ( a somewhat justified ****, IMHO, but a **** nonetheless) Now exactly what would have had Kraft do back in 2007?

Which brings us back to 2014 and deflategate. Now you may not believe it and you have every right not to, but I can easily see Kraft being told by people "inside" the NFL office, that if he just accepts the league's penalties, Brady would be "taken care of" and the whole thing would be laid to rest.. So he does, and Brady is eventually screwed over royally. Why would we be surprised when we see the NYJFL offices screw teams over. We certainly haven't been the only ones.....it just seems like we are the only ones lately.

But regardless it could be that no one lied to him and he just made one jackass horrible decision, that cost Brady dearly. Now it doesn't seem that Brady hates him, in fact quite the opposite. So what has Bob Kraft done to you that you have such a wide hair across your ass against him.

Now I don't want to make it seem like Kraft has never made mistakes. He has. For example e stayed with Bobby Grier far too long and it cost Pete Carroll his job. But I've always admired how he's learned from his mistakes. It's an attribute I wish more posters would ascribe to.

Thank you. Even after the (mostly) positive steps taken by JBO (in preparation for the move to St. Louis), the public consensus was that he was nuts to spend so much (most ever) for this team. He cares about this team. He's the one reason we're here. And he's been pretty good at picking head coaches.

He's also human, and not perfect. It would be hard for anyone in his position, to comprehend, understand and know what appropriate actions to take under these circumstances. As I've said before, he's not the first person to treat his peers with respect and deference only to be shat upon in return.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

i think that's the first time i've ever heard duct tape described as "classy"

Well, don't know if you have daughters, but it comes now in about a million different colors and stylings...but I think plain old silver would do.

Equally classy, were it used to to gag RG and bind his hands behind his back...