There were three notable constants in each Patriots Super Bowl win.
Tom Brady. Bill Belichick. Robert Kraft.
Yet all six Lombardi Trophies were presented first to Kraft.
Success and catastrophe emanate from the top of any organization.
Kraft’s version of the Patriots became a model across pro sports.
Kraft has been a unicorn in terms of his ability to craft a never-before-seen in the NFL combination of football success, financial success, and stability.
Especially when it came to keeping Bill and Tom together for 18 years.
Nothing can smudge his record of success.
But this is 2023.
Jeff Howe of “The Athletic” reported Wednesday that Kraft has grown ever more frustrated with the current state of his NFL franchise and would have no hesitation when it comes to firing Belichick.
Kraft needs to first look in the mirror.
The boss’s share of the blame pie is always the largest.
No one gets a lifetime pass.
Not even Robert Kraft.
Kraft’s Original Sin was not that infamous visit to the Orchids Of Asia Day Spa the day of the 2018 AFC Championship Game.
It was – as we’ve consistently written in this space for more than 3 years – choosing Belichick over Brady when it was time for their divorce.
It did not stop there. Kraft continues to under-spend when it comes to both the cash cap and hard cap. Belichick has happily gone along.
“Insiders” tell us Kraft, not Belichick, wanted Mac Jones. Kraft brought in Bill O’Brien, who flopped quicker than “The Flash.”
As the Patriots visit Sin City this week, the Belichick-Kraft Post-Brady Dynasty has shown itself to be House of Cards.
Of all the NFL franchises Brady left in ruins, none has fallen deeper than the Patriots.
The Patriots without Brady are Las Vegas without gambling, The Sphere and David Copperfield.
No winning. No allure. No magic.
The Patriots are 26-29 in the regular season since Brady (and Gronk) joined the Buccaneers. Belichick overall is 81-94 in games he’s coached without Brady as his starting QB.
Today is Day 1,711 on the Patriots Postseason Victory Drought Calendar.
This remains the longest span without such a win since the gap from the AFC Championship Game at Miami’s Orange Bowl on Jan. 12, 1986, to a Divisional Round triumph over Pittsburgh on Jan. 5, 1997.
Amid the 18K radiance of Kraft’s new $250 million scoreboard, the Patriots Sunday booked their worst home shutout since 1969. The new lighthouse has become a tower of irony masking the franchise’s impotence.
Before Sunday, the Patriots had not lost back-to-back games by more than 30 points in 53 years. Those 1970 Boston Patriots played their home games at Harvard Stadium.
Belichick delivered a “(Bleep) Everybody” performance Sunday during and after the game.
He does “what’s best for the team.” Yet he’s pocketed $60+ million in salary since 2020. He produced a mediocre, unwatchable product on the field, all while padding the coaching staff with his sons and cronies.
His mumbling, one-line answers have long lost their charm. The public deserves more.
None other than Ty Law and Julian Edelman this week questioned Belichick’s ability to buy the groceries. No wonder so many have swamped the “blow it up and start over” bandwagon.
Brady reaffirmed his status as the GOAT of Passive Aggressive Speak Monday. He delivered another long-winded, cliched response to Jim Gray when asked about the Patriots’ plight. But snuck in this inner nugget:
“It was very different when I was in there because I could control a lot of the outcome.”
Translation: “I cleaned up all the mistakes.”
“Brady or Belichick?” was the all-embracing question across the Boston sports scene for two decades. It produced thousands of hours or airtime; millions of words across print, digital and social media; and Terabytes of video on your favorite screens.
More than two years after “Brady or Belichick?” was answered by a drunken QB tossing the Super Bowl trophy across the Tampa River, the last of the “Belichick” insurgents emerged from the football jungle to surrender this week.
Kraft failed to force the 2-year guaranteed offer Brady sought before the 2019 season. Both he and Belichick duped themselves into believing it was their Patriot Way, and not the greatest football player ever, that was essential in producing those 6 Super Bowl rings.
Or certainly the last three.
The Patriots Dynasty has joined the Ottoman Empire, Napoleonic France, and Soviet Union among history’s epic also-rans. Its emperors have no clothes.
Belichick recently mocked the Buccaneers and Rams for “going all in” to win their recent Super Bowls.
The first-place Buccaneers are 3-1. The no-longer-terrible NFC South is the only division in football with three winning teams. The Bucs and Rams boast deeper rosters than New England at each skill position (save for tight end). Both have better records than New England. And both carry better odds than the Patriots to reach the playoffs or win the Super Bowl.
It’s time for the Patriots to go “all-in,” but only after this season is done. There’s no need to tank. Just keep swimming.
Moving on from Belichick is the first step. Kraft must be willing to spend to the projected $243.3 million cap (via Spotrac) in 2024, including $80.1 million in newly available space.
Don’t fret the future of Belichick & Sons. The Hoodie will see unlimited checkbook offers from the Bears, Giants and Commanders if he becomes available. His rights are worth at least a first-round pick, especially a juicy one that can be leveraged to get a top-tier QB or wideout who can catch a football.
If Robert Kraft doesn’t want to be known as the guy who let go of Bill Parcells, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick, he can pass the baton to Jonathan.
After all, Don Corleone did not break the peace.
That was Michael’s job.
Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BIllSperos on ‘X’) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.
