“It bothers me" - Robert Kraft frustrated with Patriots' playoffs struggles
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been unimpressed with the team's slump over the last three seasons, especially after failing to win an NFL playoff game since 2018. The Patriots have won the Super Bowl on six occasions, thanks to former New England quarterback Tom Brady's dominance over the last two decades.
Like many Patriots fans, team owner Kraft too expects New England to stay true to their reputation as a Super Bowl favorite each season. But the Patriots haven't been able to ruffle feathers in recent seasons after struggling offensively since the departures of stars like Brady, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.
“After my family, there’s nothing more important to me than the New England Patriots."
Highlights from Robert Kraft’s media availability at NFL Owners Meetings. https://t.co/vSZ8dIhYjg
Speaking to the media ahead of Tuesday's NFL owners meeting, Kraft expressed frustration over the Patriots' playoff slump. He said:
"I'm a Patriot fan, big time, first. More than anything, it bothers me that we haven't been able to win a playoff game in the last three years. After my family there's nothing more important to me than the New England Patriots and winning football games. That's my passion, so whatever I can do, hopefully in a small way to make that happen, I'm there. I'm not happy that we haven't won a playoff game in three years. I think about that a lot."
Robert Kraft addresses Patriots' form and faith in Mac Jones
In Brady's final season in New England, the Patriots topped the AFC East but were ousted by the Tennesse Titans in the wild-card round. The Patriots replaced Brady with yet another charismatic quarterback in Cam Newton, but that move didn't pan out well. Bill Belichick's side finished 7-9 in Newton's first season in New England and were knocked out of the playoffs.
Cut to 2022, the Patriots are far from being a Super Bowl contender, something that Kraft acknowledged. He said:
"I'd expect it to happen as soon as this year. I think we've made the commitments as an organization. I think we have a lot of talent -- some wonderful young men from last year and a couple in the weeds from before. It's a chance for them to grow and hopefully come together, and the team comes together."
Highest graded first year QB’s when kept clean last season
🥇 Mac Jones: 87.4
🥈 Justin Fields: 80.4
🥉 Davis Mills: 75.8 https://t.co/MlUkL0042y
Although Kraft mentioned how he's unhappy with the trajectory the team is on, he was quite confident that rookie quarterback Mac Jones has a bright future ahead of him. Kraft praised Belichick and the entire Patriots squad:
"These young quarterbacks, the good ones, in the second year have usually grown a great deal. I'm a big fan of Mac Jones. You see how hard he works. He wants everything to go right. He puts the time and energy, and his personality as a team guy.
"So we have a chance. Without a good coach and a good quarterback, no matter how good the other players are, I don't think you can win consistently. Hopefully, I believe we have both an outstanding coach and a good young prospect at quarterback," he concluded.