Robert Kraft is Staring Down the Barrel of a Gun

After Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick in January, a new era begins.  

It was nearly nine years ago to this day. In Glendale, Arizona, the Patriots had clawed their way back from a ten-point fourth-quarter deficit to take the lead in Super Bowl XLIX. But with ninety seconds to play in the game, the Seahawks had 1st and goal with one of the most dangerous red-zone weapons to ever suit up, Marshawn Lynch. New England hadn’t won anything in ten years. They had an unfortunate stumble in 2007, after going undefeated, only to lose in the Super Bowl.  Then they lost again to the Giants in 2011. They’d started the season 2-2. They’d trailed their AFC Divisional playoff game by fourteen points on two separate occasions. It was a season, and really a decade, of adversity. But Bill Belichick had produced his Mona Lisa. His team answered every punch, question, and test with flying colors. But now, with 1:30 on the clock, it seemed as though they’d come up short. What happened next, well, that changed the course of the following decade. 

Dont’A Hightower stopped Marshawn Lynch on 1st & Goal, which is one of the best plays that’s rarely talked about. Conventional wisdom, at that moment, called for the Patriots to call timeout. There was about 1:00 on the clock, and they needed to conserve time for their offense should the Seahawks punch it in. Everyone, including every assistant coach on the New England sideline, was screaming for the timeout. But Bill didn’t call it. As time ticked down in the Super Bowl, and each precious second slipped away, Belichick calmly stared at the Seattle sideline. And he didn’t call timeout. He later explained that he noticed some chaos on the sideline, and he didn’t want to bail them out by calling a timeout. The next play, well, is probably the greatest, most dramatic play in modern football history. Everyone watching remembers as Malcom Butler picked off Russel Wilson at the goal line. It won a Super Bowl, and sparked a new dynasty. 

Any other football coach anywhere else in the world would call a timeout in that position. It just makes sense. But Bill Belichick has never been “any coach.” Bill sees the game differently than anyone that’s come before him. He has an uncanny ability to feel the rhythm of the game, trust his instincts, and win game, after game, after game. 

Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick last week. With that, he’s losing 333 wins, and 8 super bowls, but most importantly, he’s losing Belichick’s instincts. Instincts that are irreplaceable, and can’t be taught. It feels, to me, like an overcorrection. It feels as though Mr. Kraft is making a change just for the sake of making a change. Things certainly got bleak in New England this season. It seems as though things may have been building up towards this point for a couple years now. The roster was one of aging veterans, an injury riddled offensive line, and zero playmaking ability on offense. For Kraft, the 4-13 record was his measuring stick. He saw a linear situation: the team was losing, and had been losing for multiple years in a row. He felt a shakeup was needed, and he made the daring call to fire the greatest coach of all time. And I think it’s the wrong one. 

There’s a moral aspect of this situation that can’t be ignored. If you’ve watched any of the recent press conferences with Kraft over the last few weeks, you’ve noticed a common sentiment: Kraft believes in building a strong culture in his organizations, which as he explained, comes from trust and camaraderie in the building. It all seemed hypocritical to me. The one man responsible for that culture was Bill Belichick. There was no Patriot Way or Do Your Job when Mr. Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Belichick built the culture, and for that matter, took Mr. Kraft’s organization from laughing stock to dynasty. Robert Kraft will be inducted into the Pro football Hall of Fame soon, and that’s solely due to Bill Belichick. What Belichick has done for Kraft and his family cannot be put into words. And everyone will say it’s a business, but to me, this situation is far more complicated than that. And if one man has earned loyalty in this business, it’s six time world champion Bill Belichik.

The reason he’s earned that loyalty is because he’s a good football coach. And he still is, which is the most infuriating part of this whole thing. The personnel in New England is poor. The offensive weapons are incredibly bad, and while Belichick seems to be responsible for personnel, it's a situation that many are to blame for. The Patriots were 31st in spending this year, and while Kraft was busy cutting checks for his new lighthouse, his team was descending to the depths of football mediocrity due to a lack of talent. But even in this absence of talent, Belichick still fielded a competitive football team. After losing its two best players, the defense was still top 15 in the league. And, spare the Dallas and New Orleans games, they remained competitive in every game, even against some of the league’s best. To be clear, that’s not something to applaud at all- the team went 4-13. But what could be appreciated is that Belichick’s players continued to compete for him. For all that’s been said about Belichick being unable to connect with players anymore, it seems that no one inside of the building agrees with that. The players love playing for Belichick, as has been shown on occasion after occasion. 

Bill Belichick can and will still produce winning football teams. I respect Robert Kraft’s bravery in firing him. Kraft has grabbed a gun and stared directly at the barrel. He’s now responsible for whatever may occur in this new era of New England football. There’s no scapegoat or anything like that: if Jerod Mayo doesn’t work out, the blame lies solely with Kraft. I have a very hard time standing by his decision for the first time in my life. I don’t see the logic, and it simply feels like an overreaction. But that could be the nostalgia speaking. Who really knows. Bill Belichick gave New England the greatest twenty four years that football will ever see. In the end, no person is bigger than the logo. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, anyone. We can be upset with their departures, and I certainly am, but my loyalty is with the organization. Mr Kraft: let’s see what you got. 

George Leness