It’s safe to say that one cannot discuss the history of theNational Football League without mentioning Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots at least a dozen times.
Belichick’s tenure in charge of the organization has led them to six Super Bowl wins and even more appearances, cementing himself as one of the greatest — if not the greatest — head coaches of all time.
Nonetheless, this is a ruthless business, and team owners usually have a short memory. That’s why Robert Kraft doesn’t want to hear anything about the Tom Brady era anymore, and he wants his team to win now.
Tension Growing Between Kraft And Belichick
There have been rumors about Kraft’s discontent with Belichick for years now. Apparently, there’s been an ever-growing tension between the to, according to a report by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk:
(Transcript via Mike Florio)
“We all know how these things will go. In the ultimate game of rock, scissors, paper, Kraft owns all three. He’s in charge. What he says, goes. Who he says goes. And if Belichick fails to deliver a playoff appearance or if he runs the postseason victory drought to half of a decade, he’s the one who could be going.
It sounds crazy, I know. Belichick is one of the great coaches in NFL history. Since Brady, however, his teams have been just above ordinary. At some point, a sufficient stretch of failure wipes out a history of excellence. At some point, the past will have faded from the rear-view mirror. At some point, Kraft will decide to turn the page.
And he’ll be more likely to do it sooner than later if Belichick keeps trying to blame Kraft for failures that, in Kraft’s mind, trace only to Belichick.“
Kraft has already made it clear that he could pull the plug and put an end to the Belichick era if they don’t go back to their winning ways this season, and this power struggle could only make things harder for a team that doesn’t seem to stand a chance in one of football’s most competitive divisions.