Robert Kraft's Press Conference

[JohnJH]

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.

Yep. I did not get any impression from his press conference that Wolf was still going to be "The Man" when it comes to Personnel/Draft matters for the off-season/next season.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I'm not Eliot Wolf dude...

Or are you!?!

 

[condon84]

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

This is really telling --

“Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Robyn Glaser—they’re the decision-makers there, who exactly does what and so forth,” said Belichick. “Mayo was hand-picked by Robert, but in the end, the decision-making is something that they have to comment on and identify.

None of these people are football people. How the hell did Glaser end up with such an important role?

 

[RobertWeathers]

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

It could work as long as there is complete alignment.

 

[Thelonious]

I'm not Eliot Wolf dude...

I am crediting you with crafting an excellent compendium of what Eliot is certainly saying. Well done: a finely done a summary of what a punk like Wolf would say.

 

[Steve102]

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 an 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.

Sure, but he has the scouting notes and all that. See what he's got and how that compares to Johnson/Vrabel's people and then go from there. There's no reason to launch Wolf/Groh now, anymore than there's reason to launch the coaching staff. There's a possibility (albeit low) that Johnson/Vrabel or as yet unnamed candidate will want to keep some of the current staff. Say Bob Bicknell for argument's sake, or Dexter Taylor. So there's a possibility that the future HC will want Groh or Wolf in some roll of some type.

 

[Ross12]

Or are you!?!

I am as much Eliot Wolf as @RobertWeathers is Jonathan Kraft.

 

[raduray]

How would it work if/when it comes out in the interview that the coaching candidate wants to bring in his own personnel guy when the interviewers include the current personnel guy? Awkward at best.

 

[raduray]

Kraft expects Mayo will be more successful with more experience. So why was he hired again...?

He didn't know that a year ago.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This is really telling --

“Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Robyn Glaser—they’re the decision-makers there, who exactly does what and so forth,” said Belichick. “Mayo was hand-picked by Robert, but in the end, the decision-making is something that they have to comment on and identify.

None of these people are football people. How the hell did Glaser end up with such an important role?

Yea I don't know what to make of the elevation of Robyn Glaser to prominence. Bob trusts her so here she is.

 

[RobertWeathers]

How would it work if/when it comes out in the interview that the coaching candidate wants to bring in his own personnel guy when the interviewers include the current personnel guy? Awkward at best.

Very.

 

[Ross12]

How would it work if/when it comes out in the interview that the coaching candidate wants to bring in his own personnel guy when the interviewers include the current personnel guy? Awkward at best.

If that's awkward for the candidate then they don't deserve the job. They will come in and say this is what I need for the job. I won't be successful without my own guy running the draft board.

It will be up to the Krafts to determine if they are willing to accept that.

Maybe they already know that they are, but they are leaning on Wolf and Highsmith as their "football guys" to make sure that everything is sound. Maybe Wolf and Highsmith already know that they will inevitably have someone above them making the final pick and they are simply helping to advise.

 

[mike_usagisan]

It could work as long as there is complete alignment.

It can, but we’ve seen it fail and turn into finger pointing at a lot of franchises.

The question to ask is who does that kind of system serve? It makes Kraft be the voice in charge—the guy who knows the least about football in the leadership chain.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

no legit coach will want to come here under this scouting regime knowing they have 1 year to show improvement.

They have $130M and their QB, and presumably a better coach with more cachet than Mayo. If they can't show improvement over this . . .

 

[upstater1]

None of this matters at all.

1. It doesn't matter if you have a long extensive search
2. It doesn't matter if your search is run by the owners
3. It doesn't matter if the search is run by the front office guys trying to save their jobs
4. It doesn't matter if you flip a coin.

The only thing that matters is that, at the end of the day, you end up with a coach who can actually coach and a GM who can pick players.

Because all the principals in this process either don't know what they're doing (the Krafts) or else are compromised by the need to save their jobs (the front office), you can't have faith that the right decisions will be made.

You can't have faith in this team UNTIL they hire a GM that knows what he's doing, a GM that will run everything from the front office, and will allow the coach to coach.

If people are trying to sell me on some thorough process, I'm not going to believe them. Evidence shows that those making the decisions are incapable.

I hope Vrabel and Johnson show up with their own GM/personnel guy and are given sufficient autonomy.

 

[Ross12]

It can, but we’ve seen it fail and turn into finger pointing at a lot of franchises.

The question to ask is who does that kind of system serve? It makes Kraft be the voice in charge—the guy who knows the least about football in the leadership chain.

There need to be checks and balances in my opinion. For instance, Wolf runs the draft and builds the "90 man roster" but the HC gets to trim it down to the "53 man roster" and have final say on managing that roster during the season, with help from the front office. In free agency, it is collaborative with Wolf driving but the HC can also independently identify and initiate a push to sign specific players he wants to acquire.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It can, but we’ve seen it fail and turn into finger pointing at a lot of franchises.

The question to ask is who does that kind of system serve? It makes Kraft be the voice in charge—the guy who knows the least about football in the leadership chain.

I'd be interested to see the W/L of teams which the HC is the boss. The GM is the boss and the HC and GM both report to the owner/overlord.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I am as much Eliot Wolf as @RobertWeathers is Jonathan Kraft.

But have any of us seen you and Wolf in the same room at the same time?

 

[TommyD4207]

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

Jonathan
Highsmith, transitioning to New Head Coach and his guy
then
Highsmith
Wolf (if he stays), and Groh (who will likely stay)

RKK is a figurehead at this point.

 

[TommyD4207]

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.

This is intentional.
Notice the media never talks to Jonathan. On the record anyway (I can't speak to what Phil Perry does off the record).