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Does it mean anything for the Jets?
I’m talking about Patriots owner Robert Kraft misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution charges after he was videotaped paying for a sex act at a massage parlor in Jupiter, FL.
He was one of 25 people alleging involved.
People are always looking for things that could change the balance of power in the AFC East, a division the Patriots have won 10 years in a row.
Well, first of all, we have to allow due process in this case. Too many people get tried in the media these days.
“When you see things come out like that you really have to just let it play out. See what it is, what it isn’t, and go from there,” Patriots CB Devin McCourty told NBC Sports Boston.
Exactly.
But let’s say Kraft is in a heap of trouble, and he gets suspended by the NFL.
Honestly, this will have no impact on the Patriots’ football operation.
Why?
Because Kraft isn’t involved in the Patriots’ football operation.
After Kraft hired Bill Belichick to be his head coach in 2000, he recused himself from the Patriots’ football side.
He was very involved before that, and the results weren’t very good.
Belichick wanted total control of the football operation, and Kraft gave it to him.
So if Kraft does get suspended and fined by the league, if he is guilty, the Patriots’ football operation will be fine.
His sons will run the Patriots business side, and Belichick will continue to run the football side.
And Tom Brady, perhaps the greatest QB of all time. will still be under center.
If Kraft is truly in a lot of trouble with the law and league, obviously people around the Patriots will be saddened by it, but that coach, and his staff, and that roster, is so good at dealing with distractions.
So people can crack jokes on twitter and social media, and make fun of Kraft and the Patriots in light of the charges against the New England owner, but I personally don’t think it will hurt their football team one iota.
It’s still going to be a big challenge for the Jets to win the division. They have a lot of work to do.
Hey, if Sam Darnold turns into franchise QB, that will help the Jets narrow the gap.
We don’t know if he’s a franchise QB yet. The Jets’ social media people are always talking this way because it’s great for marketing for fans to believe that, but it’s still too early to tell. Darnold has a lot of work to do; he needs to get better at reading defenses and cut down on picks.
But if Darnold does turn into a franchise QB, I think the Jets could start to challenge the Patriots, because I think strategically, they are in the best place they’ve been in a while.
I have said this before, I think the Jets three department heads – Adam Gase (offense), Gregg Williams (defense) and Brant Boyer (special teams) is one of the best strategic troikas the Jets have had in quite some time.
So if Darnold is a franchise QB, and these three guys game plan as well as I think they can, the Jets can be a much bigger threat to New England.
But Kraft situation will have no bearing on the balance of power in the division.
February 22, 2019
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