Kraft not a 2020 HOF finalist

[NE_Zealot]

That’s terrible. I’m sure he’s crying all the way to the bank in his Bugatti. This is all he cares about...

 

[TheRainMaker]

If he wants in that Hall of Fame, he should stop visiting rappers in prison and stay away from massage parlors.

 

[luuked]

I don't understand why this idiot is in the HOF, the only good thing he has done was hire jimmy Johnson as head coach 25 years ago. Other than that hes been a terrible owner who is always meddling with the team.

Good marketing. He made himself part of the conversation while Kraft just hangs around in the background and gets his minute of absolute spotlight every time they get to hoist another trophy and banner.

Now I am not saying Kraft is doing something wrong unless the goal was for him to get into the HoF above anything else.

 

[primetime]

Owners shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

 

[IllegalContact]

Owners shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

why not? it's their league

 

[everlong]

<insert bronze penis image for Bob's HOF bust here>

 

[captain stone]

Owners shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

Perhaps a team's/league's original founding owner, if that team achieved success - especially sustained success - relatively early during his stewardship, should be considered for the HoF...

For instance, Jeery Jones being in the HoF ahead of founding owner Clint Murchison Jr is a complete Disgrace.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Kraft belongs in the HOF. However, he's not the greatest owner in sports history like Shmessy seems to think.

 

[luuked]

Kraft belongs in the HOF. However, he's not the greatest owner in sports history like Shmessy seems to think.

Is there a better owner currently ? If there is why is that owner better than Kraft ?

 

[Kontradiction]

http://www.kraftsfans.com/Robert-K-Kraft/messageboard

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Which bank does Kraft use to secure loans and finance transactions? I’d like to know which financial institution also deserves to be in football’s hall of fame.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Owners shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

I think the HOF should be for the only people who really matter in this sport - the players.

 

[patfanken]

That "shortlist" is right there. It's the finalists.



Who gets kicked out for Kraft?

easily at least HALF of this list. The most egregious name of course is Modell, whose only real contribution to NFL history is the fact he fired the 2 best HC's in NFL history in Paul Brown and Bill Bellichick. How's that for a legacy.

Other names are more subjective of course but Art McNally might have been a fine official, but this is about the contributions to the league, and I don't think any one official has made such a significant contribution.

Ralph Hay? I can't see a guy who was an owner for only 3 years rates above what Kraft has done in 25 yrs....and counting. You can tout him as a founder of the league, but you also have to notice how quickly he bailed OUT on the league as well.

Siwoff? maybe a nomination to the baseball HOF would make more sense than the football HOF.

Other than being an owner of an original AFL team, what really did Bud Adams accomplish. His teams did have some periodic success while in Houston during the formative years of the NFL, but under his leadership they ultimately failed as a franchise in the most football crazy market in the US, and have done almost nothing during their tenure in Tennessee. I get the "one of the founders of the AFL" thing, but so was that blithering idiot Billy Sullivan.

Bob Kraft took over one of the worst franchises in the NFL in one of their worst football markets. When he took it over the Pats were #4 among the local professional sports franchises. They were playing in a joke of stadium, 40 miles outside of Boston in the middle of nowhere.

Under his 25 year leadership the franchise managed to win more games, more playoff games, and more championships than any team in the league. They managed to become the #1 franchise (by FAR) in the local market DESPITE the fact that this still tough market to sell football in (although a LOT less difficult now than then) Under Kraft they turned the Pats, who were one step away from bankruptcy into one of the most valuable sports franchises in the WORLD. He built a fine stadium with his own money.

And then there is his accomplishments to the league. He was the key owner on a number of important committees that oversaw the greatest growth in the history of the league a growth that was shared by BOTH owners and players. His importance to solving the labor impasse of the last CBA is well documented

It has always been a mystery how Jerry got in before Bob. While Jerry improved on the Cowboys brand, he started from a MUCH stronger position than Bob did coming into the league. That's why Clint Murchenson was a guy I left on that list, because he's a owner who not only founded the Cowboys, he built them into what is still the most prominent brand in the league, DESPITE over 20 years of failure on the field.

Spa-gate, Deflategate, Spygate might give some a weak-ass reason not to put Kraft into the HOF as he deserves, but not to have him among the 10 nominees is simply ludicrous. I mean ART f*cking Modell????????

 

[captain stone]

I think the HOF should be for the only people who really matter in this sport - the players...

...and coaches.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

He was instrumental in hiring Roger Goodell and has publicly supported Rog through every evil move he’s ever made.

I get that he's astronomically overgrateful for Goodell's role in keeping the Pats in Foxborough, but...

He even blamed the other owners for pressuring Goodell in DefameGate, to absolve him.

He's contractually and organizationally committed to Goodell, and I suppose you could make a case that he didn't realize in 2005 that the guy was in fact a total scumbag. Just as he didn't know Hernandez was a raging maniac when he signed him to that lucrative contract.


I would describe Bob Kraft as:

Brilliant.

Earnest.

Determined.

Emotional.

Flawed.


Maybe he knows that he was duped by Goodell, and that he blew it with the logo and uniforms.


Part of it is his "I'm the Boss" mentality.

Part of it may be he refuses to admit he's ever been wrong.

 

[venecol]

Which bank does Kraft use to secure loans and finance transactions? I’d like to know which financial institution also deserves to be in football’s hall of fame.

You don't want to know.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

The most egregious name of course is Modell, whose only real contribution to NFL history is the fact he fired the 2 best HC's in NFL history in Paul Brown and Bill Bellichick. How's that for a legacy.

Well, he did care, and he was invested in the Cleveland community.

Jim Brown: Art Modell broke Cleveland's heart

He was rightfully upset while he was still stuck in crumbling Municipal Stadium, the Indians had a publicly funded beautiful new field.

He stuck with Bill for years while fans and media wailed.

Heck, he gave Bill the job in the first place.

I hate the Ravens and I'm not apologizing for him.

Bob Kraft took over one of the worst franchises in the NFL in one of their worst football markets. When he took it over the Pats were #4 among the local professional sports franchises. They were playing in a joke of stadium, 40 miles outside of Boston in the middle of nowhere.

To clarify: The Boston market is and was a major one - that is why Tagliabue sent Goodell here to try to keep the team in Massachusetts. The stadium was a joke, but a joke that was filled by rabid fans who endured the terrible traffic and made the trek to Foxborough regularly in the 70's and again in the 80's when the team again was good. Also some of the worst weather games in league history took place here and three times as many people showed up then as would have in other supposed football-crazy cities.

The Patriots had a strong fan base. I'm not the only fan who tuned in on Sundays no matter how bad things were going. The Patriots were my priority, over any other game involving successful teams. Local media shat all over the team since the merger. I am not a Billy Sullivan apologist.

The Patriots appeared to be a "worst franchise" on the field due to letting Flutie go and therefore having no quarterback; and off the field due to the well publicized, inevitable financial collapse of the Sullivan/Kiam enterprise. But the NFL owners hated the Patriots for decades prior to 1993.

this still tough market to sell football in

See above.

Immediately when Parcells was hired, people rushed for tickets.

Under Kraft they turned the Pats, who were one step away from bankruptcy into one of the most valuable sports franchises in the WORLD. He built a fine stadium with his own money.

There was blowback and resentment from ownership toward the league (including Tagliabue and Goodell) when the Patriots made it back to the Super Bowl in '97. Besides the fact that Paul ("The Patriots damaged the league") and Roger (Go Jets!) disliked the Patriots anyway. Kraft himself stated how he was told that Parcells going back to New York would be "better for the league". So Kraft is hated, as the league remains totally racist and prejudiced, yes it's also because he's Jewish.

Kraft's approach was "Hi! I'm not Billy Sullivan! Look at all the good things I do! Do you appreciate me guys? Guys? Hey! Guys? I'm one of you, right? You're my heroes! I'm your buddy now, right? The Patriots are no longer a disgrace, instead we're one of the NFL's top franchises! That's great, right? Right? Guys? Hey, Guys! Guys?"


This combined with media hatred for Belichick since Cleveland, his dumping the Jets for us, amazing disrespect for Tom Brady's accomplishments since college, and Patriots hatred since 1970 fueled by local media, created a Tsunami, a perfect storm, for fake conspiracy theories.

They are all still angry and upset about our winning ONE Super Bowl, the first in 2002 [which of course should have been the second, but for Dreith and his crew].

Despite the truth about everything including the Tuck Rule; the league, opponents and the media employ George H.W. Bush's GOP mantra:

"I don't care WHAT the facts are!"

not to have him among the 10 nominees is simply ludicrous.

Kraft should be first ballot HOF. The owners are scum. Like leadership of this country.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Maybe Ernie Adams should go in before Kraft.



Julian Edelman shares insight on mystery man Ernie Adams' role with Patriots

Ernie's no mystery to the Pats, including Bill.

One of Chuck Fairbanks' many brilliant moves was to hire the intellectual kid right out of college.

Like everyone else in the franchise, Ernie earned and deserves a Super Bowl ring for 1976.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Spygate might give some a weak-ass reason not to put Kraft into the HOF

October 29, 1978:

In a bizarre harbinger of Crygate, the Patriots exploded for eight touchdowns – Steve Grogan threw to Harold Jackson twice (David Posey missed the PAT on Jackson's second score), Stanley Morgan, and Russ Francis, and two rushing scores apiece by Horace Ivory and James McAlister – in a 55–21 slaughter of the Jets. Jets coach Walt Michaels suspected the Patriots were deciphering his coaching staff's codes and that a rival team had tipped off the Patriots to these codes – "This will never happen to us again", Michaels stewed afterward. "I know what they did, but by the time we figured it out, it was too late."

1978 New England Patriots season - Wikipedia

 

[DarrylS]

Jerruh is in. That is the precedent and why this is a story.

It is a story because there are those who need to bash Mr. Kraft for either his hand(?) in the AB case or what happened at "Orchids of Asia".

There are many who do not remember the folly of the Sullivan Family, James Orthwein and Victor Kiam.. the same folks who do not remember what is was like to be a fan before the Kraft family took over..

Mr. Kraft belongs in the HOF, it is not if it is when..