Re: Welker 1 on 1
Fixed it for ya' - unless you are under the curious impression that the owner of this team has no input anymore about the way it is run. I have a feeling that is very far from the case, but that part of what the Kraft's have done very well since Belichick came on-board is to manage the impression that they are meddling dunderheads that "don't know anything about football" (in spite of their 19 or 20 years in the business), something which was quite apparently a source of great irritation to them under the previous regime they entrusted with their >$700 million dollar personal asset. Funny how some people seem to have that point of view (that the Krafts have essentially nothing to do with the success of the team, including their success in managing contracts and trying to optimize value), except when situations like Welker's contract come up, when they are suddenly not portrayed as simply sitting idly by having no input to the operation while BB makes all the decisions. Let me be clear here, I'm not projecting this opinion on you, RayClay, I admire you a lot as a longtime member of this board (and in particular am one of your key supporters in regard to Houston Antwine and the Pats HOF), but there are times when I get the feeling (and I admit, I may be very mistaken about this feeling) that there are some people who think the only role the Krafts choose to play is to make sure BB doesn't spend too much of their money. I have a different view, which is that the relationship is a lot more than that, and that BB's almost unparalleled success as the "HC of the NEP" has quite a bit to do with working for the Krafts, no matter what the Shaughnessy's and Barnacles of the world would have you believe.
Are you aware of what the history of Patriots large long term contracts was before Kraft gave Belichick control over football matters, or are you a new fan?
Since you had no problem putting words in my mouth, I brought that up. Kraft is a football fan and a paper company magnate. He doesn't walk into paper factories to decide which factory workers do and don't get raises, he relies on good managers.
Your problem is you think I am criticizing Kraft for being a bad owner. Nothing could be further from the truth. He used his money for the team and the Stadium and more. Did he do it because it made good business sense? Hell no. He's a fan, this is what he enjoys. Had he used risk/reward he never would have used his own money on a stadium, who does that?
He's the best owner in the game because he enjoys the team and leaves the difficult business decisions to his manager, just like he does in his paper business.
Joel Buschbaum, the highly respected virtual inventor of draft analysis wrote an article in 2001 where he said the Patriots had the least chance of winning due to huge long term contracts. Bledsoe, Law, Max Lane, Rucci, Milloy among others.
Besides Law, none of them even made it into the championship era, much less demanded big contracts.
You may disagree, but I'm glad Kraft isn't involved in all but special circumstances in contract negotiations. He's a freaking billionaire fer crissakes, I'm sure he could do it. Agonize over cutting McGinest, trading Vrabel, standing up to Branches agent, trading Seymour, losing Welker. He absolutely could do it, though. I doubt he'd enjoy the game much anymore and i imagine his much more important businesses, financial dealings and real estate deals would suffer tremendously.
I know he's glad he has Belichick to take that heat and so am I.
