Report: Kraft has had discussions about potentially moving on from Belichick

[Ring 6]

Cunningham as starting QB and the TANK is on.

Tanking is fools gold

 

[upstater1]

Nope. It actually matches up nicely. Once Brady did not get the extension he wanted after he won the SB (hilarious in hindsight), he got his 3 million increase to $23MM (laughable absurd underpay) and they reworked the contract to make him a free agent after that year. That is clearly when he decided he was done here and started looking to secure his future, hence the Ross stuff after.

I am sure that is when Kraft and Bill decided they were moving on. Otherwise you simply don't allow your QB to become a free agent. The whole "he earned the right to decide his future" was pure PR BS as everyone understood the ****storm that would follow if it was painted as the team moving on.

Boggles the mind how people think an NFL team would just allow their starting elite QB to become a FA if they still wanted him.

1. Brady wanted to be extended. That was what he wanted after the Super Bowl.

2. Allowing him to become a FA was no different than what was allowed for other top QBs like Peyton Manning. The Colts could've easily traded him if they wanted. Heck, franchising a QB in this situation would've resulted in a $35m cap number in 2020.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I thought that trading of coaches was no longer allowed...or am I wrong? I keep hearing this as a possibility, so maybe it is allowed.

IIRC it was banned because of BB's move from the Jets to the Patriots

They banned it for a while, but brought it back.

 

[StrawHatPatriot]

He's made his bed with the media, so now he's gotta lie in it. They've waited 20 years to stick it too him. IMO fans should be defending him, but too many listen to sports radio and get wrapped up in the negativity surrounding Bill.

It's an ugly way to finish, much like Tom Landry and Coughlin before him. The man is a legend, and as poorly as it's ending, the next man surely will not lead the team to 6 more super bowls. But let's run the old bastard out of here and make sure everyone knows what a douche nozzle he is.

It's sad. Everyone has turned on him, forgetting all that was accomplished here.

Fire BB? Crazy talk. This is Felger/Adam Jones talk, ugh. If Kraft does fire BB, it will be a disaster and we will all look back at the BB era as the salad days of this organization.

The team can be fixed with one offseason of good drafts and FA signings....but I guess Kraft would have to wrest control of the GM decisions from BB and give it to someone really, really good.

Blaming it all on sports radio/media is a such a lazy and tired argument.

The reality is, many people have been critical of Bill. Many feel that Bill's philosophies won't lead this team anywhere significant beyond moral victories.

 

[Salsalife]

It's OK Mr. Kraft. The end has come. It was a glorious run and you did a great job. New England fans are blessed and grateful for your choices. It's time to rebuild with new leadership. Give coach a statue also later on and call it a day. Pick a new coach and fans will still come and enjoy your facility.

 

[Twentytothree]

I do as well. However something tells me we'll be stuck with BB next season. Likely I can see him saying to RK.. we were decimated by injury, the injuries on the Offensive line is why we struggled.. allow
me more season to correct this... that would pretty much be a hamster on a wheel..

Injury explanation works for a season like 2015. But 2023 marks the 5th year of decline - if there's no marked upswing once OL health improves, I don't see why one would expect another year of the same to bring better results.

 

[jeremy2020]

these stupid arsed "news" tidbits are always so dumb. Define "Discussions". Of course he has had "discussions". That doesn't mean anything. it's just a good way to get cheap clicks. The reporters could do some work, but just easier to post this and let people run with it to mean whatever they want it to mean.

 

[venecol]

They banned it for a while, but brought it back.

They need to trade Bill to Cleveland.

 

[Run DMC]

This Kraft vs Bill narrative is 100% false. Bill does exactly what Kraft wants as part of Krafts' business named the "New england Patriots". These are two peas in a pod who have been carrying out a business plan for the past 22 years. That business plan has included dumpster diving and NEVER EVER EVER paying top of the market contracts to anyone. The chickens have come home to roost now that Brady can't cover up all the mess of years of roster mismanagement and being CHEAP. Yes, I said it. CHEAP. Always in the bottom quartile for actual spending in the NFL for the past 20 years. So, I don't expect Kraft to do anything because Bill is now the main draw of the Patriots and the highest paid member of the organization. Chasing Shula's record is the draw now. This is subject to change as apathy sets in because the team is now pretty much unwatchable. And if Bob's bottom line starts to be affected, then you will finally see some changes. Kraft is a phony, it's always about the money with this guy. Period.

 

[StrawHatPatriot]

So will Mac Jones end up being remembered as the guy who ended a legendary coach’s career or will Bill remembered as the legend who ruined a QB’s career? Going to be interesting to see which way this goes

Neither

Bill will be remembered as a defnesive mastermind who needed Brady in order to fully realize his vision for a football team as a head coach

Mac Jones will be remembered as what "any average QB with Bill" would have actually looked like.

 

[Triumph]

Cunningham isn’t an NFL QB and I’d still take him over your hero crappy zappy and his one throw at the combine. Wheeee!

And apparently so does the team. Yikes!

Send in Clowningham

 

[TheRainMaker]

These are two peas in a pod who have been carrying out a business plan for the past 22 years. and that business plan has included dumpster diving and NEVER EVER EVER paying top of the market contracts to anyone. The chickens have come home to roost now that Brady can't cover up all the mess of years of roster mismanagement and being CHEAP. Yes, I said it. CHEAP.

Bob is cheap and it started very early as an Owner of the Pats. He low balled Curtis Martin and allowed it to get out of control where most people blame Parcells for swooping in. You can't blame him for taking advantage of Bob's amateur decision making. Martin should've never been a FA.

During the Bill era, there's a reason Bill didn't pay most of his draft picks or other acquisitions bigger contracts - he believed they were replaceable. Most of them he was right. You can only name a few players of whom they should've paid 2nd contracts. I'd say Branch, Givens, Akiem Hicks, Chandler Jones, Asante Samuel and Talib were worthy of 2nd contracts.

 

[XLIX]

Bob is cheap and it started very early as an Owner of the Pats. He low balled Curtis Martin and allowed it to get out of control where most people blame Parcells for swooping in. You can't blame him for taking advantage of Bob's amateur decision making. Martin should've never been a FA.

Parcells signing Martin was the original "poison pill" contract, a maneuver no longer allowed in the NFL. The guy wanted to leave... there's only so much you can do to keep someone who wants to leave.

 

[venecol]

He ain't lying.

 

[sb1]

Send in Clowningham

Imagine thinking your boy the smurf should start for this team lolololol

 

[sb1]

So will Mac Jones end up being remembered as the guy who ended a legendary coach’s career or will Bill remembered as the legend who ruined a QB’s career? Going to be interesting to see which way this goes

Both?

 

[TheRainMaker]

Parcells signing Martin was the original "poison pill" contract, a maneuver no longer allowed in the NFL. The guy wanted to leave... there's only so much you can do to keep someone who wants to leave.

There are many different sides to the story, but Martin said he didn't want to leave and dreaded signing with the Jets. There were other rumors that Martin wanted QB money and thought he was more important to the team than Drew Bledsoe. Martin had also said Bob low balled him before becoming a FA because he thought Martin was injury prone and had too much mileage on him.

 

[TheRainMaker]

He ain't lying.

They are 100% correct and this look needs to be scrapped ASAP! The question is, where do they go with the uniform design?

 

[cmasspatsfan]

There are many different sides to the story, but Martin said he didn't want to leave and dreaded signing with the Jets. There were other rumors that Martin wanted QB money and thought he was more important to the team than Drew Bledsoe. Martin had also said Bob low balled him before becoming a FA because he thought Martin was injury prone and had too much mileage on him.

That's called negotiating but Parcells put the poison pill in and screwed us, he was smart, Kraft was not.

 

[upstater1]

Neither

Bill will be remembered as a defnesive mastermind who needed Brady in order to fully realize his vision for a football team as a head coach

Mac Jones will be remembered as what "any average QB with Bill" would have actually looked like.

So Matt Cassell was better than average? What about Vinny Testaverde?