Meddling Owners: How does Kraft Rank?

[lancerman]

Great post! Your a spot on. The organization was taken to heights unthinkable than when the Sullivan's owned them Kraft brokered TV deals and all kinds of media contracts for the NFL.

There were 7 other job opportunities, and Bill didn't get any. It in no diminished how great Bill is as coach, but more of a sign of the times as you make a great point about the duel role of HC/GM

Thank you. We are in a league where even guys like Andy Reid who have the pedigree don't get and don't want the leeway Kraft gave Belichick even in the later years and we are seeing that the moving on was mostly because Kraft stopped thinking that model was working. Partially because it stopped having results over the last 4 years, but also partially because nobody else was doing it and in a league where it looks like the old big dog is getting passed by, it's hard not to see which way the wind is blowing. Modern NFL teams just aren't designed anymore to have one guy who oversees all of football operations.

I think Bill 100% would have gotten a job if he was content to just coach and give everything else up. But owners are going to be skittish just giving the keys to the kingdom to one guy

 

[Wozzy]

I don't think we really know how much Kraft meddled during Bills tenure but we know it happened so I'm not sure why you're putting 2021 as some sort of line.

Kraft held a press conference in 2021 before the draft saying it was becoming a collaboration. Wolf was hired. Mayo was extended and the team put out a press release… all these were unprecedented to what we’d seen for the last two decades.

 

[borg]

Consistently being "one of the lowest cash spenders" in the NFL has to get factored in when ranking "meddling owners".

 

[Real fan 02]

Thank you. We are in a league where even guys like Andy Reid who have the pedigree don't get and don't want the leeway Kraft gave Belichick even in the later years and we are seeing that the moving on was mostly because Kraft stopped thinking that model was working. Partially because it stopped having results over the last 4 years, but also partially because nobody else was doing it and in a league where it looks like the old big dog is getting passed by, it's hard not to see which way the wind is blowing. Modern NFL teams just aren't designed anymore to have one guy who oversees all of football operations.

I think Bill 100% would have gotten a job if he was content to just coach and give everything else up. But owners are going to be skittish just giving the keys to the kingdom to one guy

Your Absolutely welcome! Ownership isn't willing to empower one person with so much power. The set up bill had was what Lombardi had. I can't remember another HC that has held that dual role in the modern era NFL.

I firmly believe the drafting and coaching decisions mixed in with 4-13 is ultimately what led the the parting. Personally I don't see Bill back coaching..

He looks recharged he looks full of life and energy.

 

[Real fan 02]

W

Kraft held a press conference in 2021 before the draft saying it was becoming a collaboration. Wolf was hired. Mayo was extended and the team put out a press release… all these were unprecedented to what we’d seen for the last two decades.

Wasn't mayo extended in the 2022 off season?

 

[signbabybrady]

Kraft held a press conference in 2021 before the draft saying it was becoming a collaboration. Wolf was hired. Mayo was extended and the team put out a press release… all these were unprecedented to what we’d seen for the last two decades.

I don't think it was as unprecedented as you think. Nor do I think it was as bad as your painting it to be the last few years. Bill was definitely in control I'm just saying that Kraft always made his opinions known and Bill had to work around it knowing in some cases like Drew it could have meant his job.

How could we possibly know how much Kraft's opinions could have played into Jimmy for example. Probably just as much if not more so than the Mac decision.

Basically it's pretty obvious Kraft was always meddling in some way or another. He's never been hands off. For the better part of 20 years it didn't really matter Bill either did his own thing or just coached around it. Not to mention Brady would cover a lot up too.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

...

… Bob gave a press conference to announce it all and how the draft was becoming a collaboration.
...

Collaboration could mean do as Bob says, or it could mean that BB no longer has as much say (i.e. no more idiotic overruling of the scouts and taking N'Keal Harry by BB). But this could be bad if Kraft overrules his GM team and forces the taking of a QB at 3; it certainly seems that is what he wants to do, for the publicity and to heck with what is best for the team.....

After Tim Mara sold his portion of the Giants to Steve Tisch, IIRC things went downhill. It appeared that Tisch and Mara made the first round picks, but the professional GMs type (Ernie Accorsi) made the rest of the picks. The first round picks were disasters, but Accorsi's picks were excellent and saved the team. I suspect that a lot of meddling owners made the first round pick and let the GM pick up the pieces.

 

[Wozzy]

W
Wasn't mayo extended in the 2022 off season?

Yeah, started in 2021 and continued.

 

[Wozzy]

I don't think it was as unprecedented as you think. Nor do I think it was as bad as your painting it to be the last few years. Bill was definitely in control I'm just saying that Kraft always made his opinions known and Bill had to work around it knowing in some cases like Drew it could have meant his job.

How could we possibly know how much Kraft's opinions could have played into Jimmy for example. Probably just as much if not more so than the Mac decision.

Basically it's pretty obvious Kraft was always meddling in some way or another. He's never been hands off. For the better part of 20 years it didn't really matter Bill either did his own thing or just coached around it. Not to mention Brady would cover a lot up too.

Bill chose Brady over the 100 Million dollar man in Bledsoe, despite the media saying he was wrong. He won three rings in four years. I don't think Kraft said peep in twenty years, though he may have smoothed over some contract negotiations... but Bill would be a fool to ignore all of a billionaire's advice when it came to money.

Bill chose Brady over JimmyG because Tom showed no sign of slowing down and Jimmy wouldn't play hurt... which is why he got traded at the deadline instead of earlier. Kraft didn't have to intervene.

Kraft had the most well run and most efficient operation in pro football for two decades. The soap opera nonsense is mostly that... fake drama, media fluff. Things changed around 2021 and Bob began planning the succession plan... maybe sooner.

 

[signbabybrady]

Bill chose Brady over the 100 Million dollar man in Bledsoe, despite the media saying he was wrong. He won three rings in four years. I don't think Kraft said peep in twenty years, though he may have smoothed over some contract negotiations... but Bill would be a fool to ignore all of a billionaire's advice when it came to money.

Bill chose Brady over JimmyG because Tom showed no sign of slowing down and Jimmy wouldn't play hurt... which is why he got traded at the deadline instead of earlier. Kraft didn't have to intervene.

Kraft had the most well run and most efficient operation in pro football for two decades. The soap opera nonsense is mostly that... fake drama, media fluff. Things changed around 2021 and Bob began planning the succession plan... maybe sooner.

I certainly didn't mean anything in a soap opera way. I just mean that Kraft has been very much involved and hands on. Just because Bill and Brady got so much right or made things so easy doesn't mean Bob wasn't there. We know there was things with Parcells, Pete, and Greer. He's already been involved with Mayo. I gave examples during Bill's time too. It is what it is.

 

[mgteich]

Things changed around 2021 and Bob began planning the succession plan... maybe sooner.

This

 

[Big Bucks]

Meddling!! I'd suggest with O'Connell saying he sent Kraft flowers maybe shows that Kraft is possibly blocking a trade down.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I would have to guess the Tepper is worst in this regard and Dan Synder used to be right up there. Who are the others and how do they rank? John Mara? Irsay? Jerry Jones?

I suspect that Kraft is in the middle of the pack, but I have to wonder about the Patriots pathetic off season and worry about the upcoming draft.

Every owner meddles at some level.

I think Kraft is low on the ranking but we're gonna find out if he goes up or not

 

[sb1]

Can we stop with the BS either outright or by implication that Kraft forced Mac Jones on Belichick?

The Jones pick was 100% Bill, he was the GM, he makes the final decisions, he is 100% responsible for those decisions, he built the roster, he had full control over the team, Jones was his pick - full stop. Fact, not opinion. Whether he liked Jones or not is irrelevant. He picked him. Period.

And it wasn't even a bad pick when it was made, he was the consensus across the league for the Pats and the Pats didn't need a trade up to get him. It just didn't work out. Sht happens. So Team Bill is being defensive for nothing.

 

[signbabybrady]

Can we stop with the BS either outright or by implication that Kraft forced Mac Jones on Belichick?

The Jones pick was 100% Bill, he was the GM, he makes the final decisions, he is 100% responsible for those decisions, he built the roster, he had full control over the team, Jones was his pick - full stop. Fact, not opinion. Whether he liked Jones or not is irrelevant. He picked him. Period.

And it wasn't even a bad pick when it was made, he was the consensus across the league for the Pats and the Pats didn't need a trade up to get him. It just didn't work out. Sht happens. So Team Bill is being defensive for nothing.

I'm a Bill defender but I pretty much agree with most of this. I don't know if we need to go as far as %100 we can give some credit to Rhebein for Brady but it was still Bill's choice but not necessarily %100 (I'll arbitrarily call it %90 instead). And I'd say the same about Mac definitely Bill's choice but I'm sure there were guys part of that percentage pie like Rhebein was.

 

[Real fan 02]

Can we stop with the BS either outright or by implication that Kraft forced Mac Jones on Belichick?

The Jones pick was 100% Bill, he was the GM, he makes the final decisions, he is 100% responsible for those decisions, he built the roster, he had full control over the team, Jones was his pick - full stop. Fact, not opinion. Whether he liked Jones or not is irrelevant. He picked him. Period.

And it wasn't even a bad pick when it was made, he was the consensus across the league for the Pats and the Pats didn't need a trade up to get him. It just didn't work out. Sht happens. So Team Bill is being defensive for nothing.

100% correct! I mean.. it's pretty much all revisionist history now.. I'll never get how the defensive posts just won't understand. As you perfectly said sh*t happens.. Bill wasn't forced or pressured to do anything.. just like he wasn't forced to take a 25 million salary, and an extension last season either. Just wish they would quit! The QB position was bungled, the QB play suffered from it.. so it let to terrible offensive football..4-13 and a parting of ways..

 

[Wozzy]

I'm a Bill defender but I pretty much agree with most of this. I don't know if we need to go as far as %100 we can give some credit to Rhebein for Brady but it was still Bill's choice but not necessarily %100 (I'll arbitrarily call it %90 instead). And I'd say the same about Mac definitely Bill's choice but I'm sure there were guys part of that percentage pie like Rhebein was.

**** Rhebein was hired by BB to be his QB coach, suggesting an assistant coach told the head coach/GM who they were drafting is silly. He scouted two QB’s and liked Brady better, Bill drafted Brady.

In 2021 Wolf was hired and Kraft held a press conference to say the draft was going to be a collaboration instead of a one man decision. Kraft is the owner, not an assistant coach.

I don’t think BB was vehemently opposed to the Mac pick, I don’t know that Mac was his first pick. But the pick was made. Suggesting the draft process hadn’t changed in 2021 when the owner came out and said it had prior to the draft is selective hearing by the BB haters who simply want to lump the Mac failure onto BB.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I would have to guess the Tepper is worst in this regard and Dan Synder used to be right up there. Who are the others and how do they rank? John Mara? Irsay? Jerry Jones?

I suspect that Kraft is in the middle of the pack, but I have to wonder about the Patriots pathetic off season and worry about the upcoming draft.

Honestly he should have meddled more and kept TB12 in the building. All the Patriots needed to do was offer him an extension into his age 45 season but BB convinced Kraft that Brady was 'washed'.

TB12 goes on and wins the Superbowl in his first year away from BB. BB meanwhile failed to win a single playoff game in his last 5 years with the Patriots and caps his tenure with a 4-13 losing season. But that's all in the past now.

From the sounds of it Wolf and Mayo are in charge and Kraft is content to sit back and let the football people handle things for now.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Honestly he should have meddled more and kept TB12 in the building. All the Patriots needed to do was offer him an extension into his age 45 season but BB convinced Kraft that Brady was 'washed'.

Nope, Brady wanted to go to a team with some serious offensive weapons, not the Patriots with their bumbling attempts to stock their WR corps. That is why N'Keal Harry was the worst draft pick in Patriots history. Worse than Sims and all the other boobs put together. H was why they lost Brady and, ultimately, BB. If they drafted Deebo, Brady would probably have stuck.

 

[The Gr8est]

Kraft left Brady out to dry with deflatgate. I doubt Brady will never forgive him for that. Especially since science proved that Brady was innocent. But instead of fighting the league, he rolled over like a dog to get his belly rubbed.

I would have put a football on the field at the beginning of a cold game, measured the PSI, then have them televise the halftime measurements of the PSI to prove that the idea gas law is not a myth!

So much he could have done to protect Brady and he threw him under the bus!

He didn’t back BB either during Spygate.

If he had, maybe the Pats would have won the SB and had the undefeated season.

Spygate wasn’t as clear cut as Deflategate since something did happen, but BB had a reasonable interpretation of a rule, but Goodell said he didn’t believe him and handed down an unprecedented and draconian punishment.