Can we now start to think the whole “Kraft is cheap” was more of a Belichick philosophy?

[Actual Pats Fan]

Yes on the others, but the Colts went 6-10. That was shocking.

Had Bledsoe not got hurt, it's probably 8-8, like the others.

 

[Clonamery]

Kraft squandered fan goodwill when he was looking for sympathy for having to spend so much money on fired coaches. The cost of another year where players, especially Maye's, development was stunted by ineffective coaching would have cost the franchise much more than having to pay off Mayo and his staff. Thankfully Kraft made the right call.

His decision to sign Mayo to a contract (as Next HC) was based on an emotional/spiritual feeling. It was either mental or physical fatigue and not the calculated and thoughtful decision on hiring of his prior HC (meeting at the Ground Round). Yeah, it was ****ing nuts. Bothered me waaaaaay more than Billionaire trips to the local strip mall for the Handsy Day Spa special. But it could happen to anyone.

 

[Rob0729]

Wait. You are telling me that “some teams keep bad coaches” is a good argument to keep him? Do you honestly think that’s what the poster meant?

Aaron Glenn was far more qualified to be hired as a HC than Jerod Mayo.

I am not saying it is a good argument to keep him. But it is the facts.

Glenn coached the first team in NFL to not have a single interception the entire season as a defensive minded head coach. And I will argue that last year's Jets were considerably worse than the 2024 Patriots. He should have been fired and wasn't. I don't care if he has more qualifications. He was just as awful.

 

[Rob0729]

He's not perfect, but I don't think Kraft deserves quite as much heat as he gets from guys like Parcells and Belichick. Parcells obviously can't be expected to get over being overruled with no notice on the draft; Belichick acts (probably correctly) like Bob should have just given Brady the guaranteed years ("I know you can't bring yourself to treat Tom like the exception that he is so I'll do it for you").

I never heard Parcells call Kraft cheap. He was upset about not being able to shop for the groceries. And to Kraft's credit, he admitted he was wrong after the fact and should have given Parcells more control over personnel and then allowed Belichick to shop for the groceries.

Belichick did take a veiled shot at Kraft, but he didn't seem to complain for the first 23 years he was here.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Yes on the others, but the Colts went 6-10. That was shocking.

The original poster used .500 or better as the measure of a quality win as opposed to losing teams. Those five Pats wins can't be dismissed as over 'tomato cans' because they were only apparent 'tomato cans' because the Pats beat them.

With Brady, the '01 team was entirely competitive and their playoff success is not as amazing as people, including Belichick himself, believe. Just as the '88 team, with Flutie, was likewise playoff headed with wins already over that season's eventual NFCCG host and AFC champion. Until Flutie got benched.

Both '01 & '88 teams had lots of veterans with playoff and Super Bowl experience.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

His decision to sign Mayo to a contract (as Next HC) was based on an emotional/spiritual feeling. It was either mental or physical fatigue and not the calculated and thoughtful decision on hiring of his prior HC (meeting at the Ground Round). Yeah, it was ****ing nuts. Bothered me waaaaaay more than Billionaire trips to the local strip mall for the Handsy Day Spa special. But it could happen to anyone.

Bob is an emotional person who often goes on instinct. Belichick crashed and burned, and after over 20 years he didn't have a fresh escape plan.

Neither Bob or Bill (or we) were prepared for all that winning over all that time.

 

[Ring 6]

I am not saying it is a good argument to keep him. But it is the facts.

Glenn coached the first team in NFL to not have a single interception the entire season as a defensive minded head coach. And I will argue that last year's Jets were considerably worse than the 2024 Patriots. He should have been fired and wasn't. I don't care if he has more qualifications. He was just as awful.

You responded to me questioning what “good reasons to keep him” could be with a reason you know say isn’t a good one.
Why respond?

He was deserving hire, while Mayo wasn’t. That’s pertinent to firing after 1 year.
The Jets win 3 games in 2025. The Patriots won 3 games in 2024 until they allowed the bills to throw a game so they didn’t get the #1 pick.
The 2024 Patriots had loads more talent than the jets and didnt tank.

But it now appears you arguing that the Jets are the gold standard and because of them Mayo shouldn’t have been fired. Or you are just talking to hear yourself talk.

 

[Ring 6]

Bob is an emotional person who often goes on instinct. Belichick crashed and burned, and after over 20 years he didn't have a fresh escape plan.

Neither Bob or Bill (or we) were prepared for all that winning over all that time.

He coaxed Mayo into coaching and promised him
the job in advance.

 

[Ring 6]

I never heard Parcells call Kraft cheap. He was upset about not being able to shop for the groceries. And to Kraft's credit, he admitted he was wrong after the fact and should have given Parcells more control over personnel and then allowed Belichick to shop for the groceries.

Belichick did take a veiled shot at Kraft, but he didn't seem to complain for the first 23 years he was here.

Why would he complain? He accepted the job under those conditions to work through them and have the greatest tenure in the history of the sport.
Winning despite having a smaller budget doesn’t mean you didn’t have a smaller budget.

 

[Clonamery]

Bob is an emotional person who often goes on instinct. Belichick crashed and burned, and after over 20 years he didn't have a fresh escape plan.

Neither Bob or Bill (or we) were prepared for all that winning over all that time.

It happened before the crash & burn. It was a demented thing to do that added to the crash & burn. But hey, it could happen to anyone.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

His decision to sign Mayo to a contract (as Next HC) was based on an emotional/spiritual feeling. It was either mental or physical fatigue and not the calculated and thoughtful decision on hiring of his prior HC (meeting at the Ground Round). Yeah, it was ****ing nuts. Bothered me waaaaaay more than Billionaire trips to the local strip mall for the Handsy Day Spa special. But it could happen to anyone.

I agree. I take billionaire trips for spa specials every week. Could happen to anyone. What is there not to like about the local mall?

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Belichick did take a veiled shot at Kraft, but he didn't seem to complain for the first 23 years he was here.

I am a BB supporter that thinks his time ran out. Having said that, BB took veiled shots at Kraft all the time.

Kraft had lapel pins to wear to support his cause(s), Vrabel wears the pins, BB refused to wear the pins. BB said Kraft was cheap at one point, and had to retract or clarify his comment. BB complained about everyone, the reporters, the Krafts, the league, etc. BB didnt complain about the players or the fans.

 

[Huckleberry1]

In fairness, I don’t think the Pats spent during the Mayo year because he was directionless. He couldn’t tell Wolf what the type of players he wanted. I think they were probably hesitant to pay for free agents when they found out a year later that they acquired the wrong players for the system Mayo was building.

In hindsight, it was the smartest move. They saved money to build for Vrabel.

This is right on the money. Mayo has absolutely no conception of what kind of team he wanted, it was more " let's get some good players and let them play goll darn it."

 

[TheRainMaker]

The original poster used .500 or better as the measure of a quality win as opposed to losing teams.

That was me.

Had Bledsoe not got hurt, it's probably 8-8, like the others.

Those were two games the defense beat up on a very good offense in the Colts. As long as Bledsoe didn't mess up, they would've won as well. But overall, that team was a 6-10 or 7-9 team with Bledsoe. Although he was my favorite QB in the late 90's, he was becoming very high maintenance post Carroll.

 

[Wozzy]

I am a BB supporter that thinks his time ran out. Having said that, BB took veiled shots at Kraft all the time.

Kraft had lapel pins to wear to support his cause(s), Vrabel wears the pins, BB refused to wear the pins. BB said Kraft was cheap at one point, and had to retract or clarify his comment. BB complained about everyone, the reporters, the Krafts, the league, etc. BB didnt complain about the players or the fans.

It was a slow but steep descent, and I don't think Bob was the driving force. Jonathan clearly was taking control as Bob started losing his fastball.... and he wanted a younger more modern team.

Wolf was hired at the end of 2020, Bob announced "collaboration" and stripped BB of some control entering 2021 at the owner's meeting. This overlaps with BB saying almost a year ago that there was disconnect going back the last four years. There were also reports that Jonathan was making Bill's life difficult, and somebody other than Bill certainly pushed for a conversion to a West Coast offensive system in 2020... Bill derided the system as "easy to defend," he wasn't changing it willingly.

I agree, time ran out on the Bill and the franchise. They were going in opposite directions. And just as I said when Tom left to go to Tampa, all things end... nothing lasts forever. I'm just glad the Krafts recognized the disaster that was Mayo and hired one of the two guys I was lobbying for in the 2024 offseason.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

That was me.

Those were two games the defense beat up on a very good offense in the Colts. As long as Bledsoe didn't mess up, they would've won as well. But overall, that team was a 6-10 or 7-9 team with Bledsoe. Although he was my favorite QB in the late 90's, he was becoming very high maintenance post Carroll.

I think Drew passed for almost as many yards as anyone in history. He sure won a lot of games for us. He's rightfully recognized and appreciated for what he did, and he really cared too.

I get pissed at overrating him, and the myth that we sucked forever before him(it was 3 Flutieless seasons). As good as Drew was, I would never start him over Grogan, Plunkett or Parilli(or of course Flutie).

 

[Rob0729]

You responded to me questioning what “good reasons to keep him” could be with a reason you know say isn’t a good one.
Why respond?

He was deserving hire, while Mayo wasn’t. That’s pertinent to firing after 1 year.
The Jets win 3 games in 2025. The Patriots won 3 games in 2024 until they allowed the bills to throw a game so they didn’t get the #1 pick.
The 2024 Patriots had loads more talent than the jets and didnt tank.

But it now appears you arguing that the Jets are the gold standard and because of them Mayo shouldn’t have been fired. Or you are just talking to hear yourself talk.

Why respond, because a cheap owner wouldn’t need a good reason to keep a crappy head coach who had multiple years left of a deal that paid him millions of dollars a year. They have one crappy reason which overrides any good reason - it costs too much to fire him.

I am not saying the Jets are the gold standard. I just gave you an example of a team that refused to fire a head coach after a disastrous first year probably because he cost too much to fire.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I think Drew passed for almost as many yards as anyone in history. He sure won a lot of games for us. He's rightfully recognized and appreciated for what he did, and he really cared too.

I get pissed at overrating him, and the myth that we sucked forever before him(it was 3 Flutieless seasons). As good as Drew was, I would never start him over Grogan, Plunkett or Parilli(or of course Flutie).

I started watching during the Drew years, so that's all I knew. I was not a fan of Brady early on and wanted the team to win with Bledsoe. After the Super Bowl win, I knew it was time to move on even though I was meh on Brady.

 

[Rob0729]

Why would he complain? He accepted the job under those conditions to work through them and have the greatest tenure in the history of the sport.
Winning despite having a smaller budget doesn’t mean you didn’t have a smaller budget.

He didn’t complain until people started to point the finger at him for a bad roster and he tried to deflect blame to the owners.

 

[Rob0729]

I am a BB supporter that thinks his time ran out. Having said that, BB took veiled shots at Kraft all the time.

Kraft had lapel pins to wear to support his cause(s), Vrabel wears the pins, BB refused to wear the pins. BB said Kraft was cheap at one point, and had to retract or clarify his comment. BB complained about everyone, the reporters, the Krafts, the league, etc. BB didnt complain about the players or the fans.

I was only talking specifically about when he blamed Kraft for being cheap.