New England Patriots: Robert Kraft talks draft problems and indirectly more
Patriots owner, Robert Kraft enlightened Patriots fans on a problem evident for years to some fans of the New England Patriots. Poor drafting.
Kraft finally realized that solid drafting is not only essential to team replenishment but also vital to team economics. Writing a check for $150 million or so will bring such enlightenment evidently.
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But the obfuscating factor in all that, that has been pointed out on numerous occasions in this space is that the team’s dynastic success was due largely to the unequaled brilliance of one Tom Brady. Not to the personnel department, whoever that was at the time.
No. 12 overcame all the free agency gaffes and the terrible drafting history of this franchise for 20 years. Brady covered up all the personnel bungling by his sheer excellence and will to overcome any and all obstacles, like being down 28-3 in the Atlanta Super Bowl.
And that sad drafting history plagued the team not only during Brady’s tenure but throughout its history (with exceptions provided for some years by Chuck Fairbanks and Bill Parcells).
Now, with Brady gone, all the personnel warts were exposed for the entire football world to see. And last season was not a pretty sight for Patriots fans. Seeing Brady excel (what a shock) down south exacerbated the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Drafting under Bill Belichick has been dismal, an overall grade, were it to be assigned, of about a D+/C-*. (The asterisk is due to drafting Brady, clearly a stroke of luck rather than perspicacity.)
Now with Brady having been unceremoniously sent packing off to Tampa Bay, the moribund Bucs’ franchise can win out for who knows how many more seasons.
Trust me. This guy can play to age 50 or beyond. And don’t be shocked if he does. You’ve heard it here early and often.
And Kraft’s comment wasn’t an April Fools joke, it came out on March 31.
A painful reminder of what should have been for the New England Patriots
The Patriots should have won many more Super Bowls with Brady at the helm. It is now an indisputable fact after Brady’s recent heroics. Y
et, keep in mind, he inherited a loaded offense in Tampa just in need of a more seasoned quarterback. They got the best. He showed why last season.
Poor personnel management during Brady’s New England tenure and poor personal management of the Galactico star himself cost New England a dynasty that likely never would have or maybe could have never have been equaled. Ever. Why is that?
Because how often do you have the best player ever in a sport? Not often. Not too often indeed, especially, playing the most important position in all of team sports.
They had him and they blew it during his tenure in New England, by not supplying him every season with a top offensive complement.
Then, to add insult to injury, the Patriots football brass treated the franchise’s (and football’s) all-time greatest player shabbily and disrespectfully, foolishly jettisoning him at age 43 when he was still performing at a very high level.
The first moves were consistently dumb and the latest was even dumber (with due attribution to the title of a popular movie some years ago).
It has been said before and it merits saying again here, any kind of personnel acumen would have guaranteed the New England Patriots a minimum, get that, minimum, of 10 Super Bowl wins. And probably more.
Kraft evidently finally gets that fact, but it’s too late Mr. Kraft. You allowed the all-time gem of the franchise to be treated terribly and leave rather than playing every single game of his illustrious NFL career in Patriots blue.
dark. Next. Jarrett Stidham could get his shot
The rest, as they say, is, and may very well continue to be, very, very painful history, indeed.