![\"Patriots'](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/896\/500\/GettyImages-1422874710-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/p>\nSome Patriots and NFL-related news on this Wednesday:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1) When it comes to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick, it feels like there\u2019s been no shortage of drama between the two over the last year.<\/p>\n
And it continues.<\/p>\n
The latest incident started thanks to a recent appearance by Kraft on the \u201cDudes on Dudes\u201d Podcast<\/em>, co-hosted by Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski during the Fanatics Fest<\/em> event last month.<\/p>\n Kraft was asked to name his best decision in three decades as the owner of the Patriots, and to no surprise, he mentioned the hiring of Bill Belichick.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, the one that got questioned the most was in \u201999,\u201d explained Kraft.\u00a0 \u201cI gave up a number one draft pick for a coach who had only won a little over 40% of his games to get him out. I don\u2019t know if there are any Jet fans here, but I think getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999. It was a big risk, and I got hammered in the Boston media, but I think he was with us for 24 years, and we did okay.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cbig risk\u201d comment apparently set off a firestorm and upset Belichick.\u00a0 Considering Belichick typically doesn\u2019t speak to the media more than he needs to, the former coach recently addressed that comment with ESPN, firing back at Kraft.<\/p>\n Belichick explained that he essentially took a big risk by accepting the job, having apparently been warned himself about coming here.<\/p>\n \u201cI had been warned by multiple previous Patriots\u2019 coaches, as well as other members of other NFL organizations and the media, that the New England job was going to come with many internal obstacles,\u201d Belichick told ESPN via Don Van Natta Jr.<\/strong>. \u201cI made it clear that we would have to change the way the team was managed to regain the previously attained success.\u201d<\/p>\n He also added that he was grateful to Kraft for allowing him to make the changes necessary to revamp the roster and build a program that turned out to be franchise-altering for the organization, resulting in nearly two decades of winning.<\/p>\n But in terms of who took the bigger \u201crisk,\u201d Belichick added that staying in New York with the Jets certainly seemed like the safer option, and that coming to New England was a decision that \u2013 at the time \u2013 didn\u2019t feel like the better move.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Jets were a solid team after three years of rebuilding under Bill Parcells, which included an AFC Championship Game appearance in [January] 1999,\u201d Belichick told ESPN. \u201cMeanwhile, the Patriots Organization had dismantled their 1996 AFC Championship team and became one of the worst in the AFC. It didn\u2019t help that they were $10 million over the cap heading into my first season as Head Coach in 2000.\u201d<\/p>\n Kraft didn\u2019t seem worried at the time, and even went so far as to institute a 20% ticket price increase the following month after Belichick\u2019s hiring.\u00a0 That in and of itself was a significant risk, especially for a fan base that had watched the Patriots fall from a Super Bowl contender to a .500 team the previous season.<\/p>\n (PHOTO: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 2) Meanwhile, Belichick might be upset, but anyone who remembers that period likely recalls the fact that there was a lot of negative talk about his hiring.\u00a0 The former coach was just 36-44 in Cleveland, including a 5-11 finish in 1995 that led to him being fired by the Browns despite beating Bill Parcells and the Patriots a year earlier in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Following his resignation in New York, the Patriots immediately asked to interview Belichick.\u00a0 However, Parcells, who was in charge of football operations with the Jets during that span, declined, and it led to an ugly situation. Belichick\u2019s lawyer threatened to file a grievance, while New York complained about potential tampering.<\/p>\n Despite playing up the Jets in that comment, it definitely didn\u2019t feel like Belichick wanted to remain in New York.\u00a0 He cited uncertainty with ownership and Parcells\u2019 role among things he wasn\u2019t happy about.<\/p>\n \u201dMaybe you can answer this for me,\u201d he said in a telephone interview at the time with the New York Times. \u201dWho\u2019s going to own the Jets? What\u2019s Steve Gutman\u2019s role in this? What\u2019s Bill Parcells\u2019s role in this? Maybe someone else has the answers. I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, New England did explore other options.\u00a0 They interviewed then-Raiders defensive coordinator Willie Shaw, as well as then Ravens offensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Gary Crowton was another name that was mentioned a fair amount, and was said to be a candidate.<\/p>\n Former Panthers coach Don Capers. (PHOTO: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n But one name that got a lot of play here was former Carolina Panthers head coach Dom Capers.\u00a0 Based on the reports at the time, it sounded like Capers could have very well been Pete Carroll\u2019s replacement had Belichick not been allowed out of his deal with the Jets.\u00a0 \u00a0The rumor at the time was also that Tom Donahoe would have been hired to take over the front office with Capers, but none of that ultimately came to fruition.<\/p>\n Instead, an eventual phone call between Kraft and Parcells saw the Patriots give up a first-round pick to allow Belichick to become the head coach here, and the rest is obviously history.\u00a0 Although some might forget that there was also a stipulation that had Parcells returned to coach the Jets before at least 2002, that pick would have reverted back to New England.<\/p>\n Locally, there was a fair amount of backlash to Belichick\u2019s hiring.\u00a0 After things hadn\u2019t gone well during Carroll\u2019s tenure here, there was plenty of talk at the time that Belichick \u201cwasn\u2019t the right guy.\u201d\u00a0 Instead, many within the media had preferred someone like Capers, who had success in Carolina and had taken the Panthers to the NFC Championship game to cap off the 1996 season.<\/p>\n New England\u2019s rough start in Belichick\u2019s first season was ugly.\u00a0 The Patriots went 0-4 to start the season, which included a Week 2 loss to the Jets at the Meadowlands.\u00a0 Despite two-straight wins in October to end that skid, they then lost four-straight again, which began with another loss when the Jets visited Foxboro despite the emphasis Belichick put on that game coming off their win against Indianapolis the week before.<\/p>\n They closed out the season 3-4, and there was plenty of frustration when the season came to an end.\u00a0 The 0-2 start to begin 2001 didn\u2019t help things, with Drew Bledsoe\u2019s injury against the Jets being the big story.\u00a0 That came after Bledsoe had just been signed to a huge deal that offseason, and most people had written off the rest of that 2001 campaign, with several wondering if Belichick would even be around after it eventually ended.<\/p>\n We all know how that story played out, but having lived through it, there were plenty of people itching to say \u201cI told you so\u201d to Kraft when it came to Belichick.\u00a0 Fortunately for all of us, things worked out the way they did, and that chance never came.<\/p>\n (PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 3) The Patriots currently have the ceremony set for Tom Brady\u2019s statue unveiling on August 8th, and his statue has apparently been ready since late last summer.<\/p>\n Kraft said on that same podcast that it\u2019s currently in storage, and Brady\u2019s decision to begin his broadcast career last fall is the only reason it hasn\u2019t happened sooner.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made the statue last year, and Tommy started broadcasting, and we couldn\u2019t get him up [here],\u201d said Kraft. \u201cSo we have him coming August 8th.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I would love, since I saw your artistic work with the trophy,\u201d he joked with Gronkowski.\u00a0 \u201cIf you did it, but we had the privilege of spending seven figures to get\u2026 We have the statue in storage in Foxborough. We wanted to present it last year. We\u2019re going to unveil it. I believe it\u2019s August eighth. August 8th. Our first preseason game against Washington. You\u2019ll see it. It\u2019s unbelievable. He\u2019s not a bad-looking guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Kraft added that having a statue of Brady is fitting, primarily because he embodies everything you\u2019d want from a player both on and off the field.<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys know, and the general public doesn\u2019t know, besides being a vicious competitor and an awesome player, he\u2019s got a heart of gold, and one of the finest human beings I\u2019ve ever met in my life,\u201d said Kraft.\u00a0 \u201cSo for us to have a permanent statue of him there for our fans \u2026 Think about it. The greatest player in the history of the game, over 100 years, was the 199th pick, a comp pick in the sixth round. So all these great analysts for draft day missed it, and we lucked out and got him.\u201d<\/p>\n 4) Later this week, the Patriots are set to release their second episode of \u201cForged in Foxboro,\u201d with the club essentially putting a documentary together as Mike Vrabel begins rebuilding the football team.<\/p>\n The episode is slated to drop on Friday, with the team releasing a trailer for it yesterday\u00a0ahead of the release.<\/p>\n Safety Jabrill Peppers set the tone in the beginning of the trailer, urging his teammates not to beat themselves with mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cIn order to take advantage of s*** in football, we\u2019ve got to eliminate that s*** ourselves,\u201d said Jabril Peppers.\u00a0 \u201cCenter to quarterback exchange, missed assignments, mental errors, all that s***.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be no repeat offender.\u00a0 Be professional.\u00a0 Do what you\u2019re supposed to do when you\u2019re supposed to do it.\u00a0 Perfect practice make perfect, bro.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got to keep chasing that.\u201d<\/p>\n The theme throughout the trailer centered around competition, which is something Vrabel has been preaching all offseason.\u00a0 It also focused on the importance of having veterans to help out what\u2019s definitely a young roster.<\/p>\n With the team just one week away before they hit the field in front of fans, this episode should definitely get everyone excited for what\u2019s to come next week.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick, it feels like there’s been no shortage of drama between the two over the last year. And it continues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n\n![\"Patriots](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/USATSI_21711919_168390408_lowres.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n![\"Patriots](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_21273575_168390408_lowres.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n![\"Patriots](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/USATSI_21391915_168390408_lowres.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n