Bob Kraft, the beloved octogenarian billionaire who started his formal connection to the New England Patriots as a season ticket holder in 1971, lastly repossessed his crew final week.
It was solely 4 years too late.
Moving with the effectivity of Emperor Palpatine, Kraft vanquished Belichick and 24 hours later put in a rookie coach who had been promised the job in writing a yr in the past.
The final Patriots recreation not coached by Belichick was a 20-3 win over the Ravens on Jan. 3, 2000. That was 5 presidents in the past. Current Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was 13.
The House of Kraft had a succession plan in place for The Hoodie after committing the catastrophic mistake in not having one for Tom Brady in 2020.
And for a mere $25 million, Kraft acquired to say the Patriots and Bill Belichick “mutually agreed to part ways.” That hug was on the home.
Throughout the twenty first Century, the topic of “Who Runs The Patriots?” was the topic of continuous deliberation.
Moving ahead, the reply is crystal clear: “Robert Kenneth Kraft.”
Meet the brand new boss, similar because the 82-year-old boss.
And Kraft isn’t simply “buying the groceries.” He’s opened his personal Market Basket at One Patriot Place.
Since the Patriots mutually parted methods with/fired Belichick, we’ve been flooded with stories providing perception into the “The Dynasty’s” collapse.
My favourite nugget was Kraft’s response after Tampa Tom received his seventh Super Bowl ring and ceaselessly ended the “Was It Brady or Belichick?” debate.
“Bill had told me he couldn’t play anymore and then he goes out and wins the f—ing Super Bowl,” Kraft stated privately afterward, in keeping with ESPN.
Millions of Patriots followers stated the identical factor, very publicly.
As we’ve written beforehand: each Kraft and Belichick share in The Original Sin that was dropping Tom Brady.
Every Greek Orthodox priest on the planet working concurrently can’t exorcise that demon.
Now, Kraft, by his most popular media retailers, received’t have Belichick to kick round anymore.
Belichick State Run Media desires you to imagine, for instance, that Bill made each single draft decide since being employed 24 years in the past. Except for Mac Jones in 2021.
Kraft’s toadies need you to imagine that it was Belichick who (metaphorically) drove Brady to the airport and by no means needed to pay any expert participant market worth.
Belichick is the best soccer coach of all time. Why would you dump somebody who owns 8 Super Bowl rings and 333 NFL wins, and substitute him with somebody who’s by no means been a head coach?
The easy reply: “It was time.”
Belichick’s soccer brilliance and training mastery had grown lengthy within the tooth.
Remember this gem about “lesser teams” from 2023:
“Rams are going through it, Tampa is going through it now. So, I’m not saying there’s anything right or wrong with it. It’s just a different way of doing things and there’s the results for doing that.”
The Rams and Bucs have received Super Bowls because the Patriots and reached the playoffs this season with profitable information.
Kraft likened his relationship with Belichick to a wedding.
Every marriage begins with excessive expectations and a life-long dedication.
Every marriage ends in both loss of life or divorce.
(Annulments don’t depend as a result of they imply the wedding by no means occurred.)
Bill and Bob opted for an amicable divorce in public, letting their media acolytes of option to sling the mud.
It positive beats loss of life.
We suppose.
Belichick State Run Media counter-attacked in the course of the weekend.
The mythology that Kraft pushed to draft Jones has metastasized into reality. The Athletic reported that Belichick needed to take QB Davis Mills in Round 1 of the 2021 draft. Not Jones.
Mills was chosen by Houston with the 67th decide, in Round 3. This means the Patriots would have needed to take Mills in Round 2, had Belichick purportedly gotten his means.
So who would the Patriots have taken with that No. 15 decide in 2021? Three years after the very fact, little doubt it will have been one of the best participant taken after Jones.
Meanwhile, Jones has a better NFL profession QB Rating than Mills. With Mills beginning 15 video games at QB in 2022, the Texans completed 3-13-1, fired their coach, and drafted QB C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 total decide in 2023.
Funny how we by no means heard that Kraft twisted Belichick’s arm into taking Jones when Mac went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
“Let’s face it, with all due respect, the Don, rest in peace, was slipping.”
Belichick the GM handed on MVP-In-Waiting Lamar Jackson to take Sony Michel in 2018. He selected N’Keal Harry in Round 1 a yr later, snubbing WRs A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel.
Harry was final seen on the Vikings’ observe squad.
Belichick’s “genius” might not compensate for a roster bereft of playmakers on offense that had not received a postseason recreation since Super Bowl 53. If Kraft had a hidden hand in that, then he can share the blame. In the identical means each mixed to botch Brady’s state of affairs 5 years in the past.
That’s all prior to now.
Belichick will probably be again for his Patriots Hall of Fame jacket. But not earlier than he goes to (insert 31 NFL franchise names right here) to win the 15 video games he must move Don Shula’s file.
“Whatever’s Best For The Team” and all that.
Bill Parcells was the coach of the Patriots when Kraft took possession on Jan. 21, 1994.
From Tuna to Mayo in 30 years.
Parcells, Brady, and Belichick all exited in less-than-glorious trend on Kraft’s watch.
But his crew additionally received 6 Super Bowls.
Call it a push.
As we discovered watching “The Crown,” Elizabeth Regina by no means stepped down from the throne as a result of she promised her topics a lifetime of service.
Robert Rex isn’t going anyplace, both.
We now comprehend it was the gamers who made the Patriot Way succeed, not the opposite means round.
It’s now totally on Mr. Kraft to ensure that the Patriot Way can succeed once more.
Bill Speros (@RealOBF & @BillSperos) might be reached at [email protected].
Source: www.bostonherald.com