Patriots Gridiron News: Robert Kraft Looking to Make Statement with Win
With a victory in Super Bowl LI, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is looking to make a great moral statement.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has experienced great success since buying the once lowly franchise. Now, he has the opportunity to hoist a fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy. With all the criticism his team has taken along with that success, Kraft feels a victory in Super Bowl LI can relay a moral message.
That message has nothing to do directly with Roger Goodell or Deflategate. Instead, it is about overcoming odds and achieving goals despite having the odds set against you.
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"“I hope we can win this,” Kraft said on Thursday via WEEI. “I think it will also be a great statement to people who are pursuing their dreams that sometimes you get treated unfairly or things don’t go your way. You just hang in there. You keep persevering, and sometimes good things happen. But it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win Sunday.”"
The team was without star quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season due to the Deflategate suspension. Behind backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, the team still went 3-1 despite many predicting a .500 record at most.
With Brady’s return, the team has gone 13-1 (16-2 overall) and has the opportunity to win their second Super Bowl in three years. The Patriots owner has been adamant about bringing “One More” home to Foxboro.
Injury report: Rookie defensive tackle Vincent Valentine has landed on the injury report due to a back injury. He joins the list with fellow defensive lineman Alan Branch and five other players listed as limited in practice.
Valentine and Branch will be crucial to the Patriots run defense against the talented Falcons backfield of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.
Players limited Thursday
ST Nate Ebner (concussion)
DT Alan Branch (toe)
WR Chris Hogan (thigh)
WR Malcolm Mitchell (knee)
LB Dont’a Hightower (shoulder)
TE Martellus Bennett (knee)
DT Vincent Valentine (back)
Next: Examining Julian Edelman’s Value in Super Bowl LI
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