Until like two hours ago, let's call it 7:30 PM EST, my head felt Phineas Gage's, and my anxiety was higher than my blood pressure (which I'm sure isn't doing too swell), but when Robert Kraft is indirectly paying homage to Trans Day of Visibility by being (trans)parent* AF about the state of the Patriots I had to put a few thoughts out there to be read by 165 sets of unique eyeballs.
During a Q & A (question and answer for people who aren't fake in the biz like yours truly) with reporters at the League Meetings today, Mr. Kraft was as candid as I've ever seen/heard/read him before. He touched on everything:
Great minds think alike!!! Let's not forget that people were seriously talking about Cam in the MVP discussion during the first one to three weeks of the season. I couldn't agree more with RKK on Cam, but it's his honesty about the Patriots recent draft struggles and how that tied into the Patriots record-setting free-agent spending that has me jazzed up like I'm John Stockton.
via: ESPN
"What happened here last year was not something to our liking. We had to make the corrections," Kraft said. "In all the businesses we're involved in, we try to take advantage of inefficiencies in the market. We were in a unique cap situation this year and it allowed us to try to [fix] things we missed, to a certain extent, in the draft. So this was our best opportunity."
This quote is much shorter and sweeter!
This is why Boston sports fans love Robert Kraft and hate John Henry, even if they haven't stopped rooting for the team like the man writing this blog. See how low the bar is? Just be fucking honest! Robert Kraft is admitting the Patriots haven't drafted so hot the last few years. See how easy that was? If the team owner can admit that, I think the fans who can't take off their Belichick Blinders can too. It doesn't mean Belichick isn't an all-time great coach and had his fair share of nice finds. Most intelligent people agree that Bill Belichick is one of, if not the greatest head coach of all time, and yes, he's had plenty of success in the draft, but the last decade could've gone a lot better from a talent development standpoint. It certainly played a factor in Brady leaving. There have been way more Ras-I Dowlings than Devin McCourtys.
THIS is why Robert Kraft is beloved.
via: Boston Sports Journal "After my family, the Patriots are the most important thing in my life. ... It’s like I said when I bought the team – our family is the custodian of a public asset. The bottom line here is winning. That’s what this business is and when we don’t, it’s not a good feeling. ... The bottom line is we want to win and when we don’t, we’re not happy."
John Henry will preach to you about Stan Musial like Red Sox fans give half a fuck about that when he chose not to lock up the best position player the Red Sox have developed since Yaz to save money after giving out horrible overpay deals for years.
Of course, Kraft is a businessman too and wants to make billions of dollars like his contemporaries, he hasn't really overspent in the past and has admitted this might not work, but he at least seems to care enough to try, and admit when his team has made mistakes. Mr. Kraft is a stand-up guy. Sure he's caught a few handies and banged some models, but he was a married man that stood by his wife until her final breath. Like you wouldn't take advantage of your spoils later in life when the opportunity presents itself? RKK is a class act and still has skin in the game. He's a New Englander. He saved the Patriots from moving to St. Louis. He actually cares about the fans and community. "Our family is a custodian of a public asset" makes me want to both run through a brick wall and cry tears of joy. That's how all owners should look at their franchises. This is what my man Howard Cosell was saying in I Never Played The Game! John Henry doesn't even consider custodians people. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Shaughnessy has a point!
*P.S.
A substantial part of my anxiety comes from having to walk through hoops online. There are no gray areas. In my head I'm like "is someone going to cancel me for a little word play?" Do they not know I'm an ally to the trans community and just trying to make a timely reference?
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