Kraft comments on Patriots are cheap storyline.

[venecol]

The Patriots are cheap until proven otherwise Bill is gone so now lets see the spending over the next 5 years starting from now, lets see them in the top 5 or 10 and then revisit this.

One off season of spending doesn't mean anything because you eventually have to spend, it's about the average over a 5-10 year period.

This is not a destination anymore, nobody wants to play in the cold on a team that's going to be projected to win 6 games if you want elite talent and star players you're going to have to pay at the top of the market to get this thing back to being a competitive watchable product, you can't just draft your way out of it, there's nothing good or impressive about sucking for 5 years until you can get 5 picks in the top 10 to build your team.

The diff. between the top spender (Eagles) and the Pats over a 10 year period was $30M/yr. So, about $15M/yr from the average. I don't think Kraft will have a problem beating that considering he won't have to pay Bill $25M/yr.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

The diff. between the top spender (Eagles) and the Pats over a 10 year period was $30M/yr. So, about $15M/yr from the average. I don't think Kraft will have a problem beating that considering he won't have to pay Bill $25M/yr.

30m a year is quite an insane figure though, now that's like a #1 pro bowl WR.

5 years ago that's 2 elite players a year.

 

[JohnJH]

Im in agreement except idc how much they spend. I want good, quality players. Re-establish a productive middle class.

A productive and deep middle class with studs in the right positions.

 

[ahmed]

And RK probably had no idea that would be one of the questions. Do you think RK sat down for an interview and was blindsided by a question about being a cheap bastard? Amazing how insightful reporters are these days.

The Patriots have the most cap space in the NFL over the next three years. That means the Pats do not spread their cap hits over time by using void years or the equivalent. Why do the Pats avoid spreading the cap hit? Because it decreases the cash up front. Since we have the most cap space in the NFL over the next three years, is it fair to say our owner saved more cash than the other 31 owners? It is not only a fair statement, it is a fact. RK is cheap. No way to dispute that.

Historically we were always spending to the cap. This giant amount of space rarely happened.

Over the years I remember many glowing stories about how Bill avoided high priced free agents and always was cut throat when it came to resigning our own players. How that's part of the magic formula.

Now all of a sudden it's all Kraft's fault? After we agreed for 20 years Bill had total control?

Mind blowing the pretzels some fans will twist themselves into.

 

[ahmed]

Kraft is showing himself to be so thin-skinned and worried about the brand.

This is nothing new lol. Every word Kraft has ever uttered in public has been for PR

 

[ahmed]

And you know the conversations between BB and RK? How is that?

Because that was reported for 20 years. Or are you saying last 20 years success was down to Kraft telling Bill how and what to spend? LOL

 

[ahmed]

RK helped push Brady out the door too. RK is on record he met with Brady at his house like always and Brady walked out without signing the contract. RK could have changed the contract. But the BB hate is much stronger than the RK hate - listen to talk radio. Your explanation does not hold water.

Man this amount of denial is very unhealthy

 

[signbabybrady]

Because that was reported for 20 years. Or are you saying last 20 years success was down to Kraft telling Bill how and what to spend? LOL

Don't be silly everyone knows the success was %99 all Brady

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The diff. between the top spender (Eagles) and the Pats over a 10 year period was $30M/yr. So, about $15M/yr from the average. I don't think Kraft will have a problem beating that considering he won't have to pay Bill $25M/yr.

I wonder if this is somehow relevant to the fact that the Pats have about $500M in cap space the next three years while the Iggles have about $100M. . . .

 

[venecol]

30m a year is quite an insane figure though, now that's like a #1 pro bowl WR.

5 years ago that's 2 elite players a year.

Bill never wanted to pay for elite WR divas. He did sign AB for a whopping $5M for one game, so there's that.

 

[Gumby]

Why now? Because Lombardi in his fight with Felger let that slip as an excuse for Bill. He said point blank that Belichick was constrained by one of the lowest payrolls in the league. And EVERYONE knows Lombardi speaks for Bill.

I don’t believe that was what Lombardi meant.

Admittedly, I read and did not listen. so may have missed a nuance.

I understood it as Lombardi explaining the model they used. That they didn’t mortgage the future and tried to hold to a player intrinsic value in their negotiations.

you can take that model as a failure when you look to the last four years when they had to deal with the capastrophy of going all-in on the final Brady years and missing badly with guys like Sanu.

Or you can look at it as a success when you look to the 2003-2018 or so period of consistently top half of the league units in ALL 3 PHASES of the game.

so I didn’t hear Lombardi “apologizing “ so much as explaining this is the choice he made that (insert subjective opinion here) partially or totally caused the breakdown.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Historically we were always spending to the cap. This giant amount of space rarely happened.

Over the years I remember many glowing stories about how Bill avoided high priced free agents and always was cut throat when it came to resigning our own players. How that's part of the magic formula.

Now all of a sudden it's all Kraft's fault? After we agreed for 20 years Bill had total control?

Mind blowing the pretzels some fans will twist themselves into.

You agreed for 20 years that BB had total control. RK stated otherwise in his press conferences when Brady left saying that he promised Brady to spend on players - notice the RK personally promised to Brady because RK owns the budget. BB can't spend money without a budget approved by the boss just like any other business. Mayo is now saying the Pats will "burn cash" which is damage control by the owner. Why is Mayo going on local radio shows talking about burning cash?

BB may have had control over how the budget was spent, but BB does not own the team and can not set the budget. It is amazing that fans want to blame BB for everything. Now BB owns the Patriots and sets the Pats financial budgets? The pretzels the BB haters will twist into are amazing.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Because that was reported for 20 years. Or are you saying last 20 years success was down to Kraft telling Bill how and what to spend? LOL

No.

You are confused and can't see the forest for the trees. The "trees" is how and what to spend the budget on. The "forest" is the total budget amount to be spent. RK owns the Patriots and sets the budget. LOL you don't know that a business owner sets a business's budget. No idea how else to respond because this is very simple. BB controls and spends the budget that RK sets.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Man this amount of denial is very unhealthy

Dude you are totally lost in your mind. Seek help. It is Friday night. Maybe you are hammered?

 

[signbabybrady]

The diff. between the top spender (Eagles) and the Pats over a 10 year period was $30M/yr. So, about $15M/yr from the average. I don't think Kraft will have a problem beating that considering he won't have to pay Bill $25M/yr.

The only problem he'll have is himself there is no way he spends the percentage required to make him the top spender over the next decade. Probably not enough to even pull him to the average.

 

[Ivan]

Curious what they talked about off-the-record.

Sorry, but i dont divulge what my sources tell me off the record. The only thing i can say is that it’s all Bill’s fault.

 

[1960Pats]

BB hate is strong. I think it is a political thing after he wrote that letter to Trump.

Your numbers are off and the word hate is laughable.
In the poll I saw Pats fans were about 70% in favor of dumping Bill.
But 50% of the country (maybe more actually) supports Trump.

 

[1960Pats]

RK helped push Brady out the door too. RK is on record he met with Brady at his house like always and Brady walked out without signing the contract. RK could have changed the contract. But the BB hate is much stronger than the RK hate - listen to talk radio. Your explanation does not hold water.

You think we need to listen to talk radio to get the truth? That's pretty damn funny.

BB and RK share responsibility for letting Brady walk and everyone knows it was a huge mistake.

 

[1960Pats]

another felger & mazz talking point thats been around for awhile, that has gained traction ever since BB has been gone...

no longer have the coach the kick, might as well go after the owner

assholes

I watched them the other day and they were mocking the use of exclamation marks by Bill in his thank you letter. And the Murray kid was laughing while they talked so you knew they were just trying to get a rise out of the fans. It worked.

 

[1960Pats]

Does this answer the question if the Kraft family was cheap?

6 hours ago Robert Kraft said:

"They say we've been low spenders in the last 10 years, and that might be true," Kraft continued. "But we had a pretty good record and we won three Super Bowls. "(Our decisionmakers) have been able to get whatever they want. Winning football games, after my family, is the most important thing in my life.

I am sure glad that I am not a fan of the "NE Revolution"

I'm a big fan of the Revolution, but if we had one today Taxachusetts would be in the role of the British. No taxation without representation I say.

My impression of the Bill and Bob financial setup keeps drifting to the idea that Bob would give Bill a certain amount to spend and it included the players' cap and the coaching salaries. Maybe that's why Bill kept bringing in coaches who were being paid by other teams.