Image courtesy of Mark Daniels/Masslive

Patriots owner Robert Kraft met with the assembled media at the NFL Owners Meetings on Tuesday and he spoke for about 15 minutes on a variety of topics. 

ESPN’s Mike Reiss transcribed the interview. The quotes we are using are taken directly from mikereiss.net. 

Kraft talked about the draft, taking a quarterback third overall, his hopes for the future and the The Dynasty documentary. 

Here is what Kraft said and some thoughts on his interview.

The first question was about Eliot Wolf and what he has seen so far. Kraft made some interesting comments about the way the Patriots operated under Bill Belichick. He also talked about the need to allow people to do their job and develop in their roles.

“Well, the major decisions in life I’ve made, I’ve gone with my instincts. And sometimes people don’t agree. But I think Eliot has good training, good pedigree. We actually have a good group of young people. I’ll tell you, we’re starting new chapters in our development and as we evolve here. I like the young people they have doing this. We were in an environment previously where everything really funneled to the top. Maybe some of the young people that have worked real hard didn’t get a chance to have their positions heard, or maybe didn’t speak up as much. I’ve encouraged them to be collaborative. I think the combination of Jerod [Mayo] and Matt [Groh] and together with Eliot, I’m actually excited what I’ve seen.” 

Kraft added that times have changed and players have changed and so the organization must follow those trends. 

“And that also sort of ties in with how players have changed, too, really over the last 10-15 years, and how systems have changed. I think they’re in-tune and I’m excited. Some people call me an eternal optimist, so I don’t know how much you should take what I say. I’m excited about what’s going on, and the process; they’re thorough. They’re very thorough. So I’m excited with what I’ve seen so far and we’ll evaluate after the draft and see how that’s gone, and decide where we go from there.”

Kraft was then asked if he wants to see the team draft a quarterback third overall. He pulled no punches in his response.

“I put my ‘fan hat’ on and I definitely would. In the end, you can’t win in this league consistently unless you have a first-rate quarterback and a first-rate coach. On the other hand, you’re in a different position. We’ve never been in the third draft position since we’ve owned the team. What happens, a lot of people behind are really desperate to move up, and so we’re going to be open to whatever can come our way. But in the end, I’ll let the team make the decision what they think is best. One way or another, I’d like to see us get a top-rate, young quarterback.”

He can say he will let “the team” make the decision but in the end, Kraft put them on notice with this answer. He prefers a quarterback with the third overall pick. 

Kraft was also asked about Mac Jones and why the Patriots could not develop him into a franchise quarterback. 

“Definitely. I think Alex Van Pelt has great experience. I don’t think the last couple years, how we handled the offense, speaking as a fan, it wasn’t the kind of approach we wanted.”

Speaking as a fan is a cop out. He was speaking as an owner and that is ok to acknowledge now. 

When Kraft was asked about the fan reaction to free agency and not landing Calvin Ridley, he gave perhaps the most interesting answer of the session.

“There was one outstanding receiver that unfortunately we couldn’t close. It was not because of finance. He made clearly his girlfriend wanted to be in the South. And we had a situation where the taxes were like almost 10% higher. We offered, or were willing to keep going at that premium, but he didn’t want to be in the Northeast. And part of it might be the quarterback situation as well.”

So taxes and a girlfriend who prefers a warmer climate were the reasons Ridley ultimately chose to sign with the Titans? I can see that. I can also see the Patriots having an unsettled quarterback situation being an issue as well. Another possible issue could have been the fact that Jerod Mayo is also a defensive head coach. Ridley is going to play for an offensive head coach in Brian Callahan in Tennessee.

Kraft was asked about his expectations. As usual, he wants the team to make the playoffs but he also recognizes that with a new structure and a young team, that may not be a realistic goal.

“My hope, and expectations, is to make the playoffs. That’s something, realistically, we have a new leadership team, we’re going to have a lot of young players we don’t know – a lot can happen. We might struggle more than I want. But the good news, when you’re running any businesses, you try to figure out what the key variables are, and then you try to put people in place that you think can react and adapt to what has to happen. I really feel we have a good young team. I just hope we don’t struggle.”

The NFLPA survey also came up and Kraft said that he had no idea things were that bad and that he would address the issues. He said the Patriots will be making $50 million dollars worth of improvements to the facility and that they will provide family accommodations and daycare. 

Kraft was also asked about the Dynasty documentary. Like most participants, he was not exactly pleased with the final product.

“I loved the first three episodes. I felt bad that there was so much emphasis on the more controversial and let’s say ‘challenging’ situations over the last 20 years. I wish they had focused more on our Super Bowl wins, our 21-game win streak. I felt bad there were players who gave hours and hours of interviews and they felt only the negativity. People like Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison and Matthew [Slater] – although I just heard quietly they’ve all felt that way. Actually there were some really prominent people who were interviewed for hours that never were used. So a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of a real positive approach – especially for Patriot fans who have lived the experience with us.”

When asked about how the series portrayed Bill Belichick, Kraft deflected.

“Look, I’ll state this clearly: I feel so privileged that we had Bill here. We hope when he’s finished that we’re going to have a chance to honor him the way we will do with Tom Brady this year. We did this little ceremony at halftime of the Eagles game [for Brady], but it was not adequate. We look forward to being able to celebrate putting him into the Patriots Hall of Fame 6-12-24. I look forward to the privilege of putting Bill into the Patriots Hall of Fame one day in the future.”

Overall, Kraft said some good things. He was honest about what he wants the front office to do in the draft and the current state of the team. 

The Patriots are now a bottom third in the league franchise from a competitive standpoint and Kraft recognizes that. 

*Quotes courtesy of mikereiss.net