Robert Kraft's Press Conference

[RobertWeathers]

Easy Hurley...the Krafts are out of touch with the football ops side of the business and are clearly susceptible to being bamboozled.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

I think the angst about retaining guys (so far) is overplayed. I think the new coach will decide who to retain or hire, even the GM, and should demand that right as soon as he decides to interview.

Hope you’re right.

 

[PatsFan2]

Playing devil's advocate a little bit... How do we know he DIDN'T try to sign other tackles in free agency, but they had no interest in coming to play for Mayo? So he was stuck with rummaging in the bargain bin for Okorafor? And then how would he ever know that Okorafor would literally quit football because this staff sucks so bad?

We just weren't an attractive spot in 24... we're looking a little sexy now. Thanks to Maye and Gonzo.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I get what you are trying to do.

Okorafor was a problem in Pittsburgh. Just not a stable person and to have him be the starting LT was very risky.

Also drafting a RT to hope can play LT was also a gamble.

Not saying they cant work out but very risky moves.

maybe he did try to sign OLs and they chose not to come. Very possible.

Was it the Colts game where the announcers were talking about what great signings the Colts did pilfering a T or G from some other team’s practice squad? That was a red flag for me because our personnel team should have been scouring other teams’ practice squads every day through the whole season. I sort of felt like at some point they stopped trying to make those improvements.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Was it the Colts game where the announcers were talking about what great signings the Colts did pilfering a T or G from some other team’s practice squad? That was a red flag for me because our personnel team should have been scouring other teams’ practice squads every day through the whole season. I sort of felt like at some point they stopped trying to make those improvements.

Yep.

Wolf's contributions or lack thereof are less obvious. It remains to be seen he can run an org or personnel dept.

With that said I am certainly not completely entrusting him to spend the $130m appropriately. I absolutely want the HC to order the dinner and let Wolf provide menu, call out the specials, and pay for it.

 

[Steve102]

I don't mean to be a "Wolf defender" here or anything but I just have a really hard time fully checking out on Wolf simply because his draft picks failed to develop under one of the worst coaching staffs I've ever seen.

If they did fire him, I wouldn't have shed any tears, but I don't have any qualms about them trying to see if maybe Wolf was just screwed by this awful staff as long as their HC candidates are good with him. If they love a coach but Wolf doesn't, or that coach doesn't like Wolf, then they will need to make some hard decisions.

Am I missing something? Didn't RKK say it was him, Jonathan and Highsmith? I know I have already said it, at the risk of being a broken record, but it seems that the chain of command here is going to be:

RKK
Jonathan
New Head Coach
EVP Wolf
DPP Groh

 

[RobertWeathers]

Am I missing something? Didn't RKK say it was him, Jonathan and Highsmith? I know I have already said it, at the risk of being a broken record, but it seems that the chain of command here is going to be:

RKK
Jonathan
New Head Coach
EVP Wolf
DPP Groh

I really wonder how much clout Jonathan has. He certainly has his father's ear but he seems more like an advisor (his actual title notwithstanding).

Every opportunity Bob has had to clarify his role he talks about his contributions to the business side.

 

[Steve102]

I really wonder how much clout Jonathan has. He certainly has his father's ear but he seems more like an advisor (his actual title notwithstanding).

Every opportunity Bob has had to clarify his role he talks about his contributions to the business side.

Ok, that's fine, I agree. But.... I think it's reasonable to assume that Jonathan will be present during the interview process, with Highsmith serving as advisor for the family.

Love to be a fly on the wall for those meetings.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Get a HC. HC brings a GM. Let them know they succeed together or will be fired together. The GM reports to the HC. None of this tattling to ownership nonsense.

It can work the other way, too. But anytime you have made it so there’s not one person in charge or someone who doesn’t know football is in charge, then no one is in charge.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Ok, that's fine, I agree. But.... I think it's reasonable to assume that Jonathan will be present during the interview process, with Highsmith serving as advisor for the family.

Love to be a fly on the wall for those meetings.

I def think Jonathan will be involved and his opinion/evaluation will carry some weight. But when it comes down to it if everyone says yes to Ben Johnson and he says no, that wont stop anything.

 

[Steve102]

Get a HC. HC brings a GM. Let them know they succeed together or will be fired together. The GM reports to the HC. None of this tattling to ownership nonsense.

It can work the other way, too. But anytime you have made it so there’s not one person in charge or someone who doesn’t know football is in charge, then no one is in charge.

Right, which is why it seems the HC is the guy with the penthouse corner office.

 

[Boomer B]

There’s a lot more to do for the Patriots then just find a new coach. There’s been articles lately on just how out of date things are with the Patriots.

We had 1 person who ran every single aspect of the football operation for 24 years. Bill wanted a very small team around him and he had final say on everything. People coming into the organization would ask ‘where are all the people?’ The way Bill ran things is done and we need to modernize the whole football operations including scouting, analytics, health, etc…

With Wolf not having the GM title, there is a lot that he can do that doesn’t involve having final roster say. Modernizing the football operations will take years, let Wolf take that on. If he digs in and wants the GM duties then they can let him go. Vrabel or Johnson should have final day in who they want their player personel guy to be.

 

[JohnJH]

There's still a great deal that's going to happen between now and who is brought in. Regardless of who the new HC will be, even if Wolf or anyone else stays, that doesn't automatically mean that he/they will have the same control or influence over personnel/draft matters that he/they did this past season. Reading between the lines of what Kraft said, combined with his great displeasure regarding how this season went (and the last few seasons for that matter), if the new HC lays out a solid vision to bring the team back to its SB caliber past and part of that (besides bringing in his own coaching staff obviously), involves scouting/personnel people that he not only trusts and can work with, but who've proven that they're better than what we currently have, than the true personnel/drafting people could be the ones that the new HC brings in. I do know this: Even with so much to do to get ready for next season, at least we have (for the moment), not the known dread of what to look forward to had Mayo and Company been given another season.

 

[Steve102]

I def think Jonathan will be involved and his opinion/evaluation will carry some weight. But when it comes down to it if everyone says yes to Ben Johnson and he says no, that wont stop anything.

I'm not so sure. Further, even if that's the case, he'll be the one in RKKs ear saying "See? Told you so."

 

[Ross12]

Get a HC. HC brings a GM. Let them know they succeed together or will be fired together. The GM reports to the HC. None of this tattling to ownership nonsense.

It can work the other way, too. But anytime you have made it so there’s not one person in charge or someone who doesn’t know football is in charge, then no one is in charge.

I agree that someone (one person) in football operations needs to be in charge. Hopefully they realize that now.

I do find it sort of interesting how many people view "the HC hiring the GM" as being "good" or "the right way" these days just because a few teams have done it semi-successfully, even though the vast majority of NFL history has been the opposite way around. That said, Kraft did not explicitly say that the "GM" in Wolf would be hiring or in charge of the HC, either.

 

[Thelonious]

Sure but nothing he said was incorrect.

Uh huh. He's a nepo punk, and such people always have excellent excuse making skills, because they have to make so many excuses, because they were hired for who they are rather than for what they can actually do: practice makes perfect. Of course his excuses have a degree of superficial plausibility: practiced liars and excuse-makers are good at that sort of thing.

Wolf has demonstrated his incompetence under two head coaches. He and Mayo both scammed a declining owner with a line of ********. Wolfe is still spewing it out.

Get rid of him. If I were Vrabel, or any other candidate, I'd insist on it.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I agree that someone (one person) in football operations needs to be in charge. Hopefully they realize that now.

I do find it sort of interesting how many people view "the HC hiring the GM" as being "good" or "the right way" these days just because a few teams have done it semi-successfully, even though the vast majority of NFL history has been the opposite way around. That said, Kraft did not explicitly say that the "GM" in Wolf would be hiring or in charge of the HC, either.

There’s a report out there that Kraft still wants both sides reporting to him. I think that’s a big mistake.

 

[Real fan 02]

That was the Krafts being Cheap... they got what they paid for AJ already pointed that out.

Bill Belichick reacts to Patriots firing Jerod Mayo after one season

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick was asked to weigh in on the New England Patriots firing his successor, Jerod Mayo, after only one season as head coach when appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday. The news of Mayo's firing came down immediately after the

patriotswire.usatoday.com

 

[Ross12]

Uh huh. He's a nepo punk, and such people always have excellent excuse making skills, because they have to make so many excuses, because they were hired for who they are rather than for what they can actually do: practice makes perfect. Of course his excuses have a degree of superficial plausibility: practiced liars and excuse-makers are good at that sort of thing.

Wolf has demonstrated his incompetence under two head coaches. He and Mayo both scammed a declining owner with a line of ********. Wolfe is still spewing it out.

Get rid of him. If I were Vrabel, or any other candidate, I'd insist on it.

I'm not Eliot Wolf dude...

 

[condon84]

Keeping Wolf is just delaying the inevitable. They need to clean house.