Jerod Mayo appeared on WEEI yesterday and delivered a message of encouragement to a weary Patriot nation. He and Robert Kraft are willing to spend the money. With the fourth-highest payroll in the NFL, the Patriots have money to pay pending free agents and buy the best groceries.
It’s all good to hear.
Plus, the bottom line is that old “Scrooge” Belichick is gone so he can “burn some cash.”Conor Ryan explained, “Last season, Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal quoted Kraft as saying, ‘[Bill Belichick] didn’t come to me and I didn’t get everything I wanted in terms of cash flow.’
I never set boundaries. Spending money was never a problem. I promise. Otherwise, I will sell the team.It is unfair to think that Belichick is the only one who attacked Gillette and stopped the Kraft family from spending money. Consider when and why Bill Belichick was hired in the first place. A 2016 Forbes column on leadership explains why the Kraft/Belichick duo worked so well. Worth reading.Kraft praised Belichick for understanding how the salary cap works and spending money with the future in mind.
“[Belichick] adapts to the competition to beat them. This is why they win the Super Bowl with a very mediocre roster. His players are flexible. They do their best because they play for each other and for him. It shows what leadership and the right motivation can do.”Unlike Bill Parcells, who insisted on building a team that “could win now,” he handed out huge bonuses to attract stars, but at the cost of mortgaging the future.
Mr. Kraft can say he spent whatever Belichick asked, but he also knew Belichick wouldn’t ask for money that could hurt the team in the future. If you omit this part, the story will be distorted.
