Robert Kraft: We're Going to Get a Deal

[Proudiddy]

If this needs to be moved mods, feel free... I thought it was relevant to us concerning all of our questions about player contracts, re-signing guys, the position we're in now b/c of preparing for a possible lockout, etc.

http://www.businessinsider.com/patriots-owner-on-nfl-lockout-were-going-to-get-a-deal-2010-11

Fortune has a profile of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, which emphasizes the belief that few other people will have a bigger say in the outcome of the NFL's current labor negotiations.

So it's good news for football fans that Kraft seems insistent on the idea of a workable compromise.

"We're going to get a deal. I think a number of us will want to do whatever we've got to do to do it."

I understand JR's strategy to a degree, but ultimately we do come out looking ridiculous when he took the stance he did while you have Kraft giving huge extensions to Brady and then being insistent on getting the deal done. Who would you rather play for? JR is so caught up in letting the NFL know he's thankful for the opportunity, he sold us out to bend over, grab his ankles and scream NFL, meanwhile insulting his current players and our possible success with players in the future. JR is supposedly a leader among the owners, but no one else seemed to follow. Kraft is one of his boys too... Disappointing.

[CRA]

send JR to the old folks home

[mav1234]

I don't think JR looks ridiculous really compared to Kraft just for not paying people this season. We don't have a player that we feel about like they do with Brady. Literally everyone on the Patriots is expendable but Tom Brady.

[scpanther22]

If this needs to be moved mods, feel free... I thought it was relevant to us concerning all of our questions about player contracts, re-signing guys, the position we're in now b/c of preparing for a possible lockout, etc.

http://www.businessinsider.com/patriots-owner-on-nfl-lockout-were-going-to-get-a-deal-2010-11

I understand JR's strategy to a degree, but ultimately we do come out looking ridiculous when he took the stance he did while you have Kraft giving huge extensions to Brady and then being insistent on getting the deal done. Who would you rather play for? JR is so caught up in letting the NFL know he's thankful for the opportunity, he sold us out to bend over, grab his ankles and scream NFL, meanwhile insulting his current players and our possible success with players in the future. JR is supposedly a leader among the owners, but no one else seemed to follow. Kraft is one of his boys too... Disappointing.

if the current players were insulted I think we would have heard something from them or at least there agents but we have not and I think thats because JR and Hurney have told them that as soon as this CBA is done they will get paid..

[countryboi]

while i know it may look like a slap in the face right now but JR has set the panthers up in a great salary cap situation after the CBA gets done....while other teams didnt take advantage of the situation i think some of the will regret not doing so in the future

[CRA]

I don't think JR looks ridiculous really compared to Kraft just for not paying people this season. We don't have a player that we feel about like they do with Brady. Literally everyone on the Patriots is expendable but Tom Brady.

JR will look like a clown as the only owner he prepped his team for a lockout and was content w/ not try to contend for a year......in addition to not try to content going through this entire Fox lame duck situation which delays rebuilding the team.

What JR did will be pointless....and he will be the only one in the league who did it.

[Proudiddy]

if the current players were insulted I think we would have heard something from them or at least there agents but we have not and I think thats because JR and Hurney have told them that as soon as this CBA is done they will get paid..

You could be right there, and I'm definitely hoping this is the case. TD seems to be confident that he's coming back from what he's said to the media. But, my point is that JR made this stance, and then it's almost like he crawled in a bunker with the FO and told the players he was ready for war. We made no moves outside of the draft and adding a couple cheap players for ST in FA.

So, I'm hoping he has made some promises to guys like DWill, Kalil, TD, Anderson, etc. If not, it could have a very negative effect on potential players down the line, and could have something to do with the overall morale and attitude of our guys now.

[mav1234]

I don't think he was prepping for a lockout, but for a new CBA. If he signs some of our FAs but not all(and signing them all before a CBA is done seems silly), then the others might get angry they weren't signed. By taking a "We'll sign all of you after the CBA" stand, he can cover himself easily. This is different than the Brady situation because frankly Brady is more important than anyone else on that team and they all know it.

I honestly believe he didn't intend for us to be this bad at all. I think he didn't bring anyone in because he thought we'd be more competitive with what they had. They THOUGHT they'd see success similar to last season, because we were replacing very old parts with relatively fresh & new parts... This season was meant to be one of talent growing with each other in a run-first offense, where Moose's replacement would be found and we'd keep chugging. None of that really happened.

Then Otah got hurt, the O-Line was exposed for what it was, and poo went bad.

[Proudiddy]

I don't think he was prepping for a lockout, but for a new CBA. If he signs some of our FAs but not all(and signing them all before a CBA is done seems silly), then the others might get angry they weren't signed. By taking a "We'll sign all of you after the CBA" stand, he can cover himself easily. This is different than the Brady situation because frankly Brady is more important than anyone else on that team and they all know it.

I honestly believe he didn't intend for us to be this bad at all. I think he didn't bring anyone in because he thought we'd be more competitive with what they had. They THOUGHT they'd see success similar to last season, because we were replacing very old parts with relatively fresh & new parts... This season was meant to be one of talent growing with each other in a run-first offense, where Moose's replacement would be found and we'd keep chugging. None of that really happened.

Then Otah got hurt, the O-Line was exposed for what it was, and poo went bad.

Yeah, I've really started to wonder recently how good we COULD have been if Otah would've been playing from Week 1 on and we had the running game going...

[Zaximus]

Not signing guys like Moose, Hoover, Keydrick, were all money moves. If he wanted us to be competitive he could have at least signed those guys for cheap (at least Moose/Hoover). The fact they weren't signed to vet min. or something just shows he didn't really care. I hope it all works out, but he may be standing there with egg on his old face by the end of it.

[Catdaddy]

We will have no football next season

[Dpantherman]

thank you Mr. Cleo

[CharlotteBeer.com]

We will have no football next season

We have no football this season.

[Mr. Scot]

I understand JR's strategy to a degree, but ultimately we do come out looking ridiculous when he took the stance he did while you have Kraft giving huge extensions to Brady and then being insistent on getting the deal done. Who would you rather play for? JR is so caught up in letting the NFL know he's thankful for the opportunity, he sold us out to bend over, grab his ankles and scream NFL, meanwhile insulting his current players and our possible success with players in the future. JR is supposedly a leader among the owners, but no one else seemed to follow. Kraft is one of his boys too... Disappointing.

Think about what you said here for a second, and answer me this.

Among the people we let go, who would you have given "huge extensions" to?

(don't bother saying Peppers; he was offered and didn't want to stay)

The team had a bunch of older guys that were decent, but overpaid. They got rid of that bad money and went young. It's a strategy a lot of teams have used in the past to set up for long term success. We had a unique opportunity to do it because of the uncapped year.