Kraft on Game Day

[Guts]

That was ****ing weird. McAfee is getting getting too comfortable. One of these days he will do something that will cost him dearly. That was stupid and wrong setting to try and get some clicks. Not sure Kraft even knew what he was saying.

Nah he's always been that way he speaks his mind
ESPN knew what they were getting into when they hired him

 

[Real fan 02]

He had 5 years to clean up this mess of a roster. A 72 year old isn't going to reverse his trajectory over the last 5 years. And even if he magically did, he sure as hell will not be here if this team is competitive again.

Sadly, I think this team is paralyzed because Kraft is too tepid now to just accept that his dynasty has run it's course and straggling by holding onto the last remaining remanants of it is not the answer.

Bill had his chance to fix this roster. He made it worse and he won't be here to see any sort of rebuild through to the point where he can capitalize on it even if he could. Give him his flowers for the past and move on. Sentementality will always be a losing hand in sports.

2021 gave us hope that the team was back in contention post brady after we l know a transition year without brady. Since then it's progressively worse since the playoff blowout against the bills. You could be right it's hard to envision him here for another rebuild. It's telling that Kraft didn't give an answer when Pat made the comment. Alot of times.. it's more if what people don't say as opposed to what they do say.

 

[PATS16N0]

You can't have it both ways. You can't pretend dismiss criticism of the offense the last two weeks because "Zappe hasn't had many starts" and then try to frame it like Bill is absolved because he finally fixed everything by moving on from Mac when literally all the evidence isn't suggesting that.

A quarterback just beginning to get NFL starts is a pretty valid reason for understanding everything won’t be perfect. It was already a huge leap up from what we’ve been watching.

1. Bill went into the season with Mac as his starter

And for that I’ve assigned him more blame than probably anyone else on this forum.

2. Bill went into the season with Zappe/Grier/Cunningham behind Mac and didn't believe in them enough to start them until the season was lost.

See above.

3. Bill hired BOB and could have had an open coaching search. Instead he did what everyone predicted and got a retread he was comfortable with.

Agree. This doesn’t rise to the level of criminality for me that I want his head, necessarily. I think most offensive coordinators are mega overrated and largely a product of their quarterbacks.

4. Mac wasn't throwing off his back foot neatly as much year one. When the QB regresses, that's coaching.

No, when a QB ****ing sucks it doesn’t necessarily lay at the feet of the coaches. Sometimes he just sucks. You guys put way too much emphasis on his rookie season which wasn’t nearly as impressive as you remember it.

5. Special teams is his baby, it sucks this year.

It happens.

6. The defense has been the same story the last few years. Beat up on some crappy offenses and the implode against the skilled ones. That didn't change. They were healthy to start the year. Couldn't stop the Eagles and Cowboys and Saints from piling on.

Start of the year isn’t always a metric

Yeah Bill wants to be the guy who builds the team, brings his guys in to coach, and oversee every aspect of the team, he gets 100% of the credit and blame. If things were going good, people would be jerking it to how much of a genius he was.

Like I said, I’m indifferent to whether he stays. Most of the posters here whose posts and football takes I like most want him gone.
I was hating on him hard during the entire Belichick/Brady drama, probably more than most, and sometimes wonder if Brady would have actually won more championships with someone else.

That said, it’s hard to tell with some people now whether or not I’m listening to authentic Belichick criticism or Mac Jones copium.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

No he won't. I can't really stand McAfee, but his worst case is making something awkward and best case is starting a confrontation that gets him in the news and makes people think he draws viewers.

Pat understands modern media better than most. He plays it perfectly for 2023.

Folks are tired of BS, softball conversations. And, if Kraft, as someone above mentioned didn’t understand what Pat was eluding to…he’s senile. It was obvious

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Nah he's always been that way he speaks his mind
ESPN knew what they were getting into when they hired him

He is literally saving ESPN’s toilet ratings by himself

 

[lancerman]

A quarterback just beginning to get NFL starts is a pretty valid reason for understanding everything won’t be perfect. It was already a huge leap up from what we’ve been watching.

And for that I’ve assigned him more blame than probably anyone else on this forum.

See above.

Agree. This doesn’t rise to the level of criminality for me that I want his head, necessarily. I think most offensive coordinators are mega overrated and largely a product of their quarterbacks.

No, when a QB ****ing sucks it doesn’t necessarily lay at the feet of the coaches. Sometimes he just sucks. You guys put way too much emphasis on his rookie season which wasn’t nearly as impressive as you remember it.

It happens.

Start of the year isn’t always a metric

Like I said, I’m indifferent to whether he stays. Most of the posters here whose posts and football takes I like most want him gone.
I was hating on him hard during the entire Belichick/Brady drama, probably more than most, and sometimes wonder if Brady would have actually won more championships with someone else.

That said, it’s hard to tell with some people now whether or not I’m listening to authentic Belichick criticism or Mac Jones copium.

I get that. Imo independent of Mac, most of the wounds on this team were self inflicted by Bill. Mac should be gone, but there's a reason why the QB's behind him had no confidence from the coaching staff and only got their shot when the season was over and Mac had regressed beyond repair. And that's completely on Bill for going into another season with his pants down at the top position. If Mac was that shaky, we needed a Flacco like vet to come in and be a competent safety valve.

And that's just QB. To me that doesn't even begin to absolve him to me of the failure to build the offensive line and how many of those picks busted and how unmotivated guys like Brown are playing. How bad the WR corp has been for years. How the defense always craps the bed against any half decent opponent. And how we sneakily have one of the leagues worst special teams. Or how the team is uncharacteristically getting dumb penalties and playing undiciplined football.

It is so hard for me to look at the totality of this team and say "Bill owns this"

 

[PATS16N0]

I get that. Imo independent of Mac, most of the wounds on this team were self inflicted by Bill. Mac should be gone, but there's a reason why the QB's behind him had no confidence from the coaching staff and only got their shot when the season was over and Mac had regressed beyond repair. And that's completely on Bill for going into another season with his pants down at the top position. If Mac was that shaky, we needed a Flacco like vet to come in and be a competent safety valve.

And that's just QB. To me that doesn't even begin to absolve him to me of the failure to build the offensive line and how many of those picks busted and how unmotivated guys like Brown are playing. How bad the WR corp has been for years. How the defense always craps the bed against any half decent opponent. And how we sneakily have one of the leagues worst special teams. Or how the team is uncharacteristically getting dumb penalties and playing undiciplined football.

It is so hard for me to look at the totality of this team and say "Bill owns this"

The quarterback situation was an obvious **** show. I wanted to trade Mac after his rookie season while his stock was fools-gold high. This year I wanted to start Zappe and trade Mac for whatever delusions may have been left with the Patricia OC. I didn’t really see the need to bring in a Flacco as a serviceable back up, but I can see that point being made.

I’m not saying I believe this, have no evidence, and am not trying to bring conspiracies into the equation, but it is possible Kraft wanted to ride with Mac. I really have no idea what to think of that because he was so ****ing bad and just kept starting. Part of me wants to believe there was some reason for it beyond Belichick incompetence. I find it hard to believe there was less faith in Zappe considering he’s had some decent games with brighter flashes.

His drafting has been terrible. If we keep him, I would like to see a General Manager brought in, even if he’s an unnamed shadow-GM to spare Bill the embarrassment of being fired for one of his jobs, which I can see Kraft wanting to do.

Again, my only real hardline opinion on the matter is, when Bill’s gone, I want every trace of him gone. I even want new uniforms. I want a 100% complete page turn. If that’s 2025 instead of 2024, I’ll live.

I also think the real heat should have been on him during the Gronk-to-Detroit ******** and his drama with Brady. He survived that and it’s so far in the rear view mirror, this other stuff almost seems trivial.

Definitely need to pivot to weapons and protection now, though, which I’m fully expecting to happen.

 

[Grogan14]

Agree Bill should go. Will he is the question. Based on hearing Kraft on game fay, I am not sure. He values loyalty and longevity.
Bill will have to WANT to go

 

[archstanton543]

You can't have it both ways. You can't pretend dismiss criticism of the offense the last two weeks because "Zappe hasn't had many starts" and then try to frame it like Bill is absolved because he finally fixed everything by moving on from Mac when literally all the evidence isn't suggesting that.

1. Bill went into the season with Mac as his starter
2. Bill went into the season with Zappe/Grier/Cunningham behind Mac and didn't believe in them enough to start them until the season was lost.
3. Bill hired BOB and could have had an open coaching search. Instead he did what everyone predicted and got a retread he was comfortable with.
4. Mac wasn't throwing off his back foot neatly as much year one. When the QB regresses, that's coaching.
5. Special teams is his baby, it sucks this year.
6. The defense has been the same story the last few years. Beat up on some crappy offenses and the implode against the skilled ones. That didn't change. They were healthy to start the year. Couldn't stop the Eagles and Cowboys and Saints from piling on.

Yeah Bill wants to be the guy who builds the team, brings his guys in to coach, and oversee every aspect of the team, he gets 100% of the credit and blame. If things were going good, people would be jerking it to how much of a genius he was.

I just want a coach that doesn't see the first month of the season as "the extended preseason". Plenty of other teams are ready to go Week 1 or 2. Why not the Pats?

 

[Ring 6]

They already did what they had to do— bench Jones. There’s plenty to criticize or second guess about Belichick but he is not the reason we sucked this unbelievably bad outside of the fact he didn’t move on to Zappe centuries sooner.

There is plenty to criticize and second guess any coach or GM on. The best of all are “right” barely more often than “wrong” (most decisions are not binary)

 

[Ring 6]

I just want a coach that doesn't see the first month of the season as "the extended preseason". Plenty of other teams are ready to go Week 1 or 2. Why not the Pats?

Once again misconstruing a concept you don’t understand.

 

[PATS16N0]

I just want a coach that doesn't see the first month of the season as "the extended preseason". Plenty of other teams are ready to go Week 1 or 2. Why not the Pats?

You want a coach that doesn’t make adjustments during the season?

Or you just don’t understand every team is an evolving process through out the year, and it simply looked different because we dubbed it “an extended preseason” when others haven’t? It’s just a term. It’s not literal. We brought it up most loudly after Revis Island was over utilized in zone with poor success.

It doesn’t mean Belichick _actually_ considers September an extended pre-season. The only thing different about us and most other teams, is we would drop games early then win the Superbowl.

 

[Ring 6]

You want a coach that doesn’t make adjustments during the season?

Or you just don’t understand every team is an evolving process through out the year, and it simply looked different because we dubbed it “an extended preseason” when others haven’t? It’s just a term. It’s not literal. We brought it up most loudly after Revis Island was over utilized in zone with poor success.

It doesn’t mean Belichick _actually_ considers September an extended pre-season. The only thing different about us and most other teams, is we would drop games early then win the Superbowl.

He wants to criticize.
Belichick made the comment once that because camp is shorter and there is so little, and staters don’t play much, that the first quarter of the season is almost like extended camp because you are still figuring out how you team fits together.

The bozo crew turns this into they aren’t ready to play.
People who don’t understand what they are talking about should listen to people who do.

 

[bormio]

Pat understands modern media better than most. He plays it perfectly for 2023.

Folks are tired of BS, softball conversations. And, if Kraft, as someone above mentioned didn’t understand what Pat was eluding to…he’s senile. It was obvious

I like BB a lot and think he can still coach in this league, but that was great TV by McAfee. And if RK didn’t think the subject wouldn’t be raised, he’s nuts. He just ignored it, which was the correct response.

 

[slash83]

What a dumbass thing for Mcfee to say we all know. Bill isn’t going anywhere, Krafts talk of loyalty makes it very clear what his intentions are.

 

[PWRxWLF]

That was ****ing weird. McAfee is getting getting too comfortable. One of these days he will do something that will cost him dearly. That was stupid and wrong setting to try and get some clicks. Not sure Kraft even knew what he was saying.

It very much seemed like he had no idea what Pat was talking about.

 

[PATS16N0]

He wants to criticize.
Belichick made the comment once that because camp is shorter and there is so little, and staters don’t play much, that the first quarter of the season is almost like extended camp because you are still figuring out how you team fits together.

The bozo crew turns this into they aren’t ready to play.
People who don’t understand what they are talking about should listen to people who do.

This is the part where they don’t follow up and just “dislike” all your posts and slink away.

 

[Love The Drake]

It very much seemed like he had no idea what Pat was talking about.

Right hard to gather anything from this one way or the other.
However that lockeroom interaction with Bailey and Bill was cringe.
That’s my biggest beef with Bill the coach, he seems to have great relationship with special team and defensive players but Alienate the offensive players.

See Wes Welker.

 

[TheRainMaker]

After the way Michaels and Herbstreet were talking about Bill's situation on TNF, it seems as though Bill returns or gets traded if a another team approaches Bob/Bill.

 

[Kdo5]

They already did what they had to do— bench Jones. There’s plenty to criticize or second guess about Belichick but he is not the reason we sucked this unbelievably bad outside of the fact he didn’t move on to Zappe centuries sooner.

Tackle, receivers, no third down back. Belichick is responsible for the putrid talent on offense. Zappe had a good game (nothing in second half) but let’s see if the offense becomes competent the rest of the season before we say it was all on Mac.