Blame Pie Slices:
Brady (1%) - Not at the same level of play...clearly not comfortable and very frustrated.
Belichick (1%) - Not securing an adequate TE this offseason is a gaffe, though with a game changing WR this issue would be largely mitigated.
Kraft (98%) - Setting historic league precedent in bending over and throwing away an incredibly high valued asset who was willing to take less to play in NE, while being a spineless, foolish idiot (just like in 2015) is inexcusable. Rather than release Brown he should have let this play out, as Brown would have the NFLPA pushing for a reasonable resolution time just as CBA negotiations make the league willing to be reasonable (and exempt list is free parking on the roster). This is not hindsight and many posters have had this stance from day 1. Definitely could have foreseen a month long investigation and month long suspension (with warning additional suspension time could result from more evidence discovered later), with Brown returning to play in November/ December. Ezekiel Elliott returned to play the same season and Tyreek Hill avoided it altogether. Many, many alternatives could have happened and there was zero reason to cut him other than public image and misguided moral code. We have no idea if Brown even did anything wrong to this day.
Kraft chose the priorities of the league (who didn’t want Brown to play) over the priorities of his own team, and his “second son” in Brady. Also a complete hypocrite who lies through his teeth and takes all means necessary to beat the rap himself but doesn’t care much for due process when it comes to his players. Pretty much hated him - and can’t even listen him - ever since the 2015 spinelessness and despise him even more today. His decision puts in major jeopardy the team’s chance to win a 7th ring and also likely makes it more likely Brady leaves the Patriots in a nightmare exit after this BS season, the second time he’s directly been involved in butchering Brady’s legacy and chosen the 31 over Patriots fans. A 42 year old QB should not be leading the league in passing attempts, mostly to guys who just can’t cut it, and Brady is clearly and obviously not happy about AB being released. He’s embarrassed, furious, and losing his cool for the first time.
No one gives a sht about recovering Brown’s signing bonus money for the 2020 cap, which is far from a guarantee and does not help at all with a ready-to-win-now team filled with aging veteran players and a historically great defense looking to complete the greatest decade ever in what could be their last year of championship contention considering the age of numerous major contributors (Brady being the most notable). Only Kraft would be gullible enough to cut a top 10 player who most certainly can be the difference between a championship and a failure, one of a few players in the league who could have replaced Gronk with his overall compounding effect on the offense. It’s unbelievable the team had a chance to steal a player like this - a pure lottery ticket win in football personnel, to win a seventh championship - and Kraft crapped his pants when the the going got too rough for his fragile ego, even though the hoopla would have died down quickly and AB was fitting in great with the team and players.
