Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick met with reporters Monday at the NFL owners’ meetings in Arizona. A number of topics were covered, including the quarterback situation, Kraft’s belief in Belichick, and even an intriguing rumor from Lamar Jackson about the Patriots.
While Kraft stressed the need for improvement, Belichick boasted about the past 25 years when asked why fans should be optimistic about the team heading into 2023. For our Tom E. Curran, Belichick’s joke represented the disconnect between owner and head coach.
Curran talks about that and much more on his latest episode of the Patriots Talk podcast, where he breaks down the biggest takeaways from homeowners’ meetings.
Patriots Talk: Assessing the Patriots’ future after NFL owners’ comments by Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Kraft said he “felt bad” for Matt Patricia and admitted the Patriots put him in a “difficult position” by making him the de facto offensive coordinator. Curran believes the decision to blame Patricia and Joe Judge for the crime angered Kraft.
“When I say there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that involves making inferences and reading between the lines, to me so much of it goes back to the decision Bill made in 2022 to have Matt Patricia and lead Joe Judge the offence,” Curran said.
“Not only did it compromise Mac, not only did Robert Kraft hint at those owners meetings last year that he didn’t think it was a great idea – but Bill had the leeway to make that decision – but it also got Matt Patricia in a bad situation, which I think Robert Kraft is still arguing about. Because I think it sold him down the river.
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Curran notes the timing of Belichick’s decision, which came shortly after Kraft expressed his desire for the first playoff win of the post-Tom Brady era.
“Think of the landscape in which that decision was made,” Curran said. “Robert Kraft criticized the Patriots’ draft last year and said it had to get better. Then he goes into 2022 after a playoff appearance in 2021 and says, ‘I want a playoff win.’ Still, the team made a decision in Mac Jones’ sophomore year as quarterback, after a promising rookie year in which Bill Belichick said he’d improved drastically in the offseason, and decided to tie him to an offense he was good at probably better suited to be a professor than the boys who taught him.
“That argues. And that, to me, relates to the split between Bill Belichick who says, ‘You should have optimism about the last 25 years’ and Robert Kraft who says, ‘This is a deal. What have you done for me lately?’ That’s what matters. Success. And Robert Kraft is pushing Bill Belichick on the matter.”
Listen to the full episode to hear what Curran took away from the NFL owners’ meetings.
Also discussed below: How much pressure is on Belichick? Does everyone believe in Mac Jones? What is the plan for Jerod Mayo? Kraft says spending on Patriots “will never be the problem.” Is Lamar Jackson worth the roll of the dice?
Check out the latest episode of Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network or watch on youtube.