11/05/24
August 26, 2006
Patriots' About-Face Crafted By Owner : So is Robert Kraft the best team owner in sports today? Excellent (though short) article about the team's move from the bottom to the top. Sure wish he owned the Lions instead.
posted by commander cody to football at 06:20 PM - 27 comments
Kraft is a great owner, if not the best owner of a pro franshise ever. He continually signs the right people, and drafts great talent. Of course others contribute (coaches, scouts, etc.) but Kraft does a stupendous job. My only complaint against him is not relocating the team to Connecticut, but besides that, Kraft seems like a very, very knowledgeable business man.
posted by Kendall at 08:57 PM on August 26, 2006
Stop jinxing my Pats!
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:28 PM on August 26, 2006
Stop jinxing my Pats! I thought that only happened when they make the cover of Sports Illustrated? Or does it happen whenever says something like "They're a lock for the Superbowl"? ;-)
posted by commander cody at 09:31 PM on August 26, 2006
I may be partial, but I think the Rooney family is the best owner(s) in pro sports. The linked article waits a bit to state that as well. 73 years and counting of running a family business based on respect. I'm sure Kraft is a GREAT owner, but the article doesn't explain it very well. He sounds like he would have made a great sheriff in the old west though. I wish Robert Kraft would have been at the bar I was in last year when the Patriots were playing the Steelers and this a-hole was whistling as loud as he could--and at a pitch that pierced people's ears--just to annoy every person in the bar.
posted by scully at 09:34 PM on August 26, 2006
Yeah, he's great and all, but for God's sake, he wears blue shirts with white collars. I find it hard to admire a guy that dresses like Bill Lumbergh: 
posted by dusted at 11:21 PM on August 26, 2006
Yeah, I thought that look went out in the 80's?
posted by commander cody at 11:37 PM on August 26, 2006
Kraft is a great owner. I'm just now beginning to forget the Irving Fryar days. The only thing that I ask is that someone keep him away from the microphone after Superbowl games. A great orator he ain't.
posted by jerjones1954 at 09:39 AM on August 27, 2006
You can't argue with success, and Kraft absolutely made a "great business decision" in handing the reins over to Bill Bellichick. I fully expect the Pats to be serious contenders again this year as well. the Irving Fyar days. Thats funny, I remember them as the Steve Grogan days...
posted by mjkredliner at 10:43 AM on August 27, 2006
I think the Pats need to give Branch his money! He has done everything the team has asked oh him and then some (playing nickel on D). Branch is one of the top WR in the league right now, he should get the top dollar. To say ownership does not pay for talent is way off both the B brothers got their money Ted and Tom so when it is time to give to the other leaders on the team we want to claim that management is holding up a standard. Well I think that New England had better step up or they will watch the slow exodus of their players to teams who will.
posted by Robgtg at 11:56 AM on August 27, 2006
Branch didn't play nickel on D. You're thinking of Troy Brown.
posted by blarp at 02:38 PM on August 27, 2006
I think the Pats need to give Branch his money! Robgtg, please read carefully. I wrote that the Patriots deal strictly on a value basis. That means that if your value is less than your salary, and you are willing to negotiate, you will be paid accordingly. Deion Branch is demanding a salary that is out of proportion to his perceived value to the team. I don't know whether it is Branch himself that has the wrong idea, or whether his agent has been blowing sunshine up his backside, but Branch has dug in his heels. Once Branch went public with his demands (resentments?) and refused to negotiate any further, the team had no choice but to let him try to seek out a deal. From the Patriots' point of view, if another team is willing to pay him a higher offer, and is willing to give New England adequate compensation, then they will gladly let him go. Second tier wide receivers, even the top of the second tier, as Branch is, are not that hard to come by. The real reason that Branch had so much success in previous seasons is that David Givens and the rest of the receiving corps drew all the coverage, leaving him with single coverage most of the time. As for how much the offense needs him, refer to last night's rout of Washington.
posted by Howard_T at 02:41 PM on August 27, 2006
What has made the Pats great over the last six or eight years is that they don't give guys like Branch the money. The consistently avoid overpriced self-absorbed talent like Terrell "the black plague" Owens instead going after younger hungrier athletes. The guys that want to be on the field.
posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 03:36 PM on August 27, 2006
sorry second link was an image of Bruschi playing in the snow immediately following a game against the Dolphins
posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 03:37 PM on August 27, 2006
Here's that photo, kyrilmitch_76: 
posted by dusted at 06:16 PM on August 27, 2006
Branch was the Super Bowl MVP. He isn't some practice squad player and he certainly isn't a lockerroom cancer like TO. Since no one knows the specifics of the Patriots offer, they could be lowballing him. Further, the Pats do break the bank for players (see Tom Brady's contract). And, they do give into demands for contract extensions (see Richard Seymour). They are still operating in the same league as everyone else; they are just much better at it.
posted by bperk at 06:29 PM on August 27, 2006
bperk knows her football...
posted by mjkredliner at 07:19 PM on August 27, 2006
Branch has a contract, play it out, then go where you want to go, shut up, report, and play. Why do we never see players offering to give money back when they underperform, I don't remember anyone reporting that the Patriots held a gun to his head, or his agents head, and forcing them to sign. The Pats may renegotiate contracts, but that is their perogative, they can also NOT renegotiate. Perhaps Mr. Branch should talk to his union about strengthening players rights, not attempt to break a contract negotiated in good faith. Geez, they are paying the guy over a MILLION dollars this year, poor guy, how will he ever get by?
posted by tommybiden at 09:57 PM on August 27, 2006
Since no one knows the specifics of the Patriots offer, they could be lowballing him According to the Providence Journal, they're letting Branch seek a deal because they think his agent has convinced him he's worth far more than the market can bear. If he can't find a team willing to sign him to "Reggie Wayne money", maybe he comes back to Earth. There's no risk for the Pats and a very slight chance someone is willing to sign Branch and has talent worth taking in trade.
posted by yerfatma at 06:24 AM on August 28, 2006
bperk, I agree with you that the Patriots are "much better at it", but I disagree on one detail. I seem to remember that Tom Brady's contract, as good as it is, was criticized by some as being below that of a franchise quarterback. Brady was willing to forego some money in order to keep a team around him. The fact that football is played by 11 men working together seems to escape far too many players. Richard Seymour did indeed hold out, and he was rewarded for it. The difference between him and Branch is that Seymour is one of the top 3 in the league at his position. Furthermore, he negotiated quietly and in good faith. There was none of the "I'm holding out until you pay me more than you think I'm worth" posturing seen in l'affaire Branch.
posted by Howard_T at 08:21 AM on August 28, 2006
The Patriots should have got this deal done last year. Maybe they thought they were getting a good deal paying Branch the second round minimum, but that kind of thing ends up costing you more on the back end. Just because they say they are offering him a fair deal doesn't mean it is so. I have no idea what Branch and his agent think he should make, but I think the "Reggie Wayne money" argument and they "right to seek a trade" nonsense are just ploys by the Patriots. I've heard talk that they want a first round pick in return, so I doubt a trade is workable. Do Belichick & co. really want to play this season with some TEs, Reche Caldwell, and Chad Jackson? I doubt it. And, Tom Brady signed a cap friendly contract, but it is still a lot of money. He makes in the top three at his position. I've heard talk that he could have squeezed more out of the Patriots, but I don't know. Richard Seymour's holdout had less drama because the Patriots caved much sooner.
posted by bperk at 08:31 AM on August 28, 2006
I have no idea what Branch and his agent think he should make, but I think the "Reggie Wayne money" argument and they "right to seek a trade" nonsense are just ploys by the Patriots. Not sure what you mean. The seek a trade thing is most certainly a ploy. The Reggie Wayne money part comes from Branch and his agent. Again, the Projo (and the soon-to-depart/will-be-missed Tom Curran) has been a good source of info on this.
posted by yerfatma at 10:08 AM on August 28, 2006
I keep hearing this Reggie Wayne money thing thrown around, but I haven't heard Branch or his agent say that is what they are expecting. They have made few public comments, and I doubt they would draw a line in the sand like that. Very few teams would think that Reggie Wayne was even worth the money that he got.
posted by bperk at 02:10 PM on August 28, 2006
In the link above, that phrase is provided by a Pats beat writer in quotation marks. I don't know what more to tell you.
posted by yerfatma at 02:28 PM on August 28, 2006
That's not a real quote, yerfatma. It's just slang. That's a phrase that people are using these days to describe the type of money that Reggie Wayne received. They used the same phrase during the Randle El contract discussions.
posted by bperk at 03:09 PM on August 28, 2006
Doesn't seem like that's accurate. There's a question here: "[Deion] talked about getting Reggie Wayne money" That suggests it's a direct quotation. I realize you can't prove a negative, but from what I've seen it's a direct reference to something the player said.
posted by yerfatma at 05:26 PM on August 28, 2006
There are some articles that says he was asking for Reggie Wayne money, but none of the statements seem to be coming from Branch or his agent and none of them have anything in quotes except the "Reggie Wayne money" part. If those are supposed to be a quote of what one of them said, they are pretty poor without any context whatsoever. I read this question and answer (bugmenot) with a Reiss from the Boston Globe and he says it is his impression that Branch is asking for this money. Maybe he asked for it, but I still think it is quite possible that the Patriots said he is asking for Reggie Wayne money. Branch's only public statements have been of the "I think we can work things out" variety.
posted by bperk at 08:07 PM on August 28, 2006
Amazing!!! CBS finally figured it out after just about every other network, media outlet, and jungle telegraph told the story. I guess that even the Sports Department at CBS must live under a rock. Having ranted against CBS, I must say that it is a real turnaround for what once was a woeful franchise. My son did a research paper for English in his high school sophomore year on the Patriots' history. (He got an A on it...brag, brag) Even though I am a long-time fan (went to games at Nickerson Field in their first year), there were things I didn't know. The books by Michael Holley and Michael Felger are very good sources about the team's history. What is quite different about the Patriots is their attitude toward salaries and players. They deal strictly on a value basis, just like any good businessman would. Despite the pressure from their fans and the media, they stay with their plan and refuse to overpay for talent. Many think they hurt themselves by doing this, but it seems to work.