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Robert Kraft

Patriots Rumors: Brady, Edelman, O-Line

July 18th, 2015 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Roger Goodell‘s grade of Tom Brady‘s appeal expected soon, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin examines who the future Hall of Fame quarterback can trust, considering the many agendas those around him have.

Brady’s intentions to exonerate himself play in the favor of an NFLPA motivated on diminishing Goodell’s power and establishing a new avenue through the appeals process. While it also is the recommended course of action of the association’s lawyers, who wouldn’t lose much if the quarterback’s suspension stands after a lengthy effort, per Volin. Should Deflategate progress at it looks like it will, the NFLPA’s attorneys will continue to clean up in legal fees to continue what’s been a banner stretch for such endeavors.

Volin also notes Bill Belichick would probably prefer Brady give up his fight should Goodell slash his suspension in half in an effort to avoid having key Jimmy Garoppolo cameos down the stretch. Robert Kraft‘s itinerary in this case, in Volin’s view, is one that Brady should greet with skepticism, with the owner preferring to do whatever he can to avoid the Patriots, more so than Brady, being tarnished in Deflategate’s aftermath.

The Globe’s top Patriots scribe notes that Kraft and Goodell were probably haggling on this suspension during an informal summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, recently, and that Kraft could still have the league’s best interests at heart should he advise Brady to accept a reduced suspension rather than make this battle more contentious.

Here are some other Patriots items as the days dwindle until training camps open.

  • As Brady opts for a reclusive summer, his most frequent target helped explain the 16-year veteran’s mindset for those not privy to his dialogue post-Deflategate. “He’s fired up — we’ll say that. You don’t want a mad Tom Brady, and he’s a little ticked off,” Julian Edelman told Joe McDonald of ESPN.com. The 29-year-old wideout’s been Brady’s teammate for six seasons and has 197 catches the past two years.
  • After Dan Connolly‘s retirement, Volin looks at who the Patriots will plug in at left guard this season, with a projection of rookie Tre Jackson out of Florida State becoming New England’s newest line cog. Volin views the college teammate of center Bryan Stork as a more refined prospect than rookie comrade Shaq Mason. A fourth-rounder, Jackson may even be an upgrade over Connolly, whose work Pro Football Focus detested, critically speaking, last season in rating the veteran as the Patriots’ worst offensive lineman (subscription required) for his efforts at left guard and center, respectively.

Kraft Hopes He Helped Brady’s Appeal

May 23rd, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Larry King appears to have loosened Adam Schefter’s grip on NFL breaking news, if only for a sequence on Saturday night.

The longtime broadcaster spoke with Robert Kraft, and the Patriots’ owner evidently revealed (Twitter link) he hoped by relenting on a potential battle with the NFL over the Pats’ Deflategate penalties that he helped Tom Brady in his own fight in a potential goodwill gesture.

If Kraft’s line of thinking is correct, perhaps lessening some of the animosity between the Patriots and commissioner Roger Goodell will influence the commissioner to consider some of the arguments put forth by Brady’s legal team in the embattled quarterback’s upcoming appeal. Or, in a more backroom-politics-style bargain, Kraft has some kind of assurance this action will induce a lessening of Brady’s ban.

Brady still faces a four-game ban. While that’s up in the air, the Patriots’ loss of a 2016 first-round pick and 2017 fourth-rounder is certain.

Pats Undecided On Fighting Penalties

May 15th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Tom Brady and the NFL Players Association officially appealed the quarterback’s four-game suspension on Thursday, publishing earlier today the letter that was sent to Troy Vincent at NFL headquarters. However, so far, the Patriots remain undecided on whether or not to challenge the discipline handed down on the franchise, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who notes that the team has until next Thursday, May 21, to file an appeal.

Prior to the announcement of the penalties levied against the Patriots in the wake of the Ted Wells Report, owner Robert Kraft indicated in a statement that he expected to accept the league’s ruling, even if he wasn’t happy with it — “fighting the league and extending this debate would prove to be futile,” Kraft wrote.

However, that statement was published well before the NFL announced that New England would lose two draft picks – its 2016 first-rounder as well as its 2017 fourth-rounder – and be fined $1MM. By all accounts, the Patriots organization was caught off guard and angered by the extent of the penalties handed down by the league, which were “unlike anything they expected.” That could prompt the team to challenge the NFL’s decision.

As Florio writes, the Patriots figure to take the full allotment of available time before making a decision, so we shouldn’t expect an appeal until next week, if one comes at all. As former Browns and Eagles executive Joe Banner observed (via Twitter), the Patriots’ Thursday response to the Wells Report may indicate that the club is unlikely to pursue legal action, since the Pats’ legal team wouldn’t have laid out its argument in advance.

Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) noted this morning that the Patriots fighting the NFL on sanctions would be unusual, but not unprecedented, since Dallas and Washington fought cap-related penalties handed to them by the league in 2012. Following up on that thought, former Packers executive Andrew Brandt rightly pointed out (via Twitter) that this would be a different kind of appeal, since it would mean challenging conduct directly rather than appealing a “system” issue.

Latest On Brady, Kraft, Patriots

May 13th, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Tom Brady and his camp have until 11:00pm CT on Thursday to officially file an appeal in response to his four-game suspension, and we have a handful of updates on that appeal process in the space below. Here’s the latest on Brady and DeflateGate:

  • As one Tuesday report outlined, there was some uncertainty about whether Brady and agent Don Yee would involve the NFLPA in their appeal of the quarterback’s four-game ban, but Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that Brady’s camp has finally involved the union in the process. The Players Association is expected to take the lead in Brady’s appeal, says Werder.
  • As Barry Wilner of The Associated Press outlines, labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who recently represented Adrian Peterson in his suspension appeal, will aid the NFLPA in Brady’s appeal.
  • The NFLPA has already drafted Brady’s appeal letter, but it’s still going through the union’s process and will likely be formally filed tomorrow, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
  • At least one source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he thinks Brady’s “talented, big-name lawyers,” including Kessler, will get the penalty overturned and that the quarterback won’t miss a game. Schefter conveyed that source’s message on The Herd With Colin Cowherd” today, and also suggested that the Patriots are “angry” about the penalties handed down by the NFL (including lost draft picks and a $1MM fine), since the organization doesn’t feel as if it did anything wrong. Doug Kyed of NESN.com has the details, along with quotes from Schefter.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com agrees with Schefter’s assessment of the Pats’ reaction to the NFL’s decision, writing that the team is “fuming.” Although owner Robert Kraft and the franchise hadn’t initially been planning to fight the discipline handed down by the league, the overall scope of that discipline “was unlike anything they expected,” a source tells La Canfora. Per La Canfora, Kraft and his team may challenge the NFL’s ruling, but that’s probably still a long shot at this point.
  • Multiple sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that Kraft is “strongly considering” filing a lawsuit against the NFL over the ruling. However, according to Cole, many of those same sources are trying to discourage the Pats owner from doing so, since they believe it will be a “fruitless endeavor.”

AFC Notes: Kraft, Broncos, Ravens, Bills

May 12th, 2015 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

As Ben Volin of The Boston Globe notes (on Twitter), Patriots owner Robert Kraft is one of three owners on the NFL Compensation Committee, which determines commissioner Roger Goodell’s pay. The other two owners on that committee are Arthur Blank and Jerry Richardson. One unidentified NFL owner told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (TwitLonger link) that he thinks the relationship between Kraft and Goodell is “pretty much dead” in the wake of DeflateGate, so that will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on going forward.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Broncos are looking at tight ends in the wake of Jeff Heuerman‘s knee injury, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets. Legwold could envision Denver signing a tight end this week, even as soon as today or Wednesday.
  • The Ravens aren’t expected to be too active on the free agent market now that veteran signings no longer affect the compensatory draft pick formula, but sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking predict Baltimore will try to add a cornerback through free agency or a trade, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. One possible option for the Ravens could be former Patriot Kyle Arrington, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun outlines.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com examines the Bills‘ backfield, where the running back depth chart is getting crowded. While LeSean McCoy is locked in for a roster spot, the team figures to have to cut at least one player – and maybe two – from a group that features Fred Jackson, Boobie Dixon, Bryce Brown, and rookie Karlos Williams.
  • Free agent wide receiver James Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) that he was really surprised the Raiders released him. Oakland let Jones go earlier this month.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Patriots, Tom Brady

May 11th, 2015 at 9:46pm CST by Zachary Links

On Monday night, Patriots owner Robert Kraft (via Twitter) issued a statement regarding the penalties levied against his team.

“Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence. We are humbled by the support the New England Patriots have received from our fans throughout the world. We recognize our fans’ concerns regarding the NFL’s penalties and share in their disappointment in how this one-sided investigation was handled, as well as the dismissal of the scientific evidence supported by the Ideal Gas Law in the final report. Tom Brady has our unconditional support. Our belief in him has not wavered.”

Kraft’s statement made it clear that he is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Brady, who is also prepared to fight the league. Here’s another round of reactions to the Pats’ scandal..

  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) wouldn’t expect the Patriots to be in the market right away for a veteran quarterback in the wake of the Brady ruling. He believes that the Pats will wait to see how the appeal goes and evaluate their own situation before making any moves. As it stands, rising sophomore Jimmy Garoppolo would likely be New England’s starter for the first four games of the 2015 season.
  • An NFL owner told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that the relationship between commissioner Roger Goodell and Kraft seems “pretty much dead.” “I can’t say for certain but it sure seems that way to me,” the owner, who knows both men well, said. “Some of us (owners) are waiting a little nervously to see what Robert does next.”
  • Mike Chappell of CBS4 (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if Brady appeals and has his four-game suspension cut in half.
  • The $1MM fine levied against the Patriots is the largest team fine in NFL history, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (via SportsCenter on Twitter).
  • Brady’s agent, Don Yee, is going to the mat for his client as they prepare to appeal his suspension. Yee also represents Saints coach Sean Payton, and Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune wonders why Yee didn’t fight harder for him when he was suspended for a season as a result of BountyGate.
  • Brady left Roger Goodell no choice but to make an example of him, Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News opines.
  • Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News explained why the punishment for the Patriots and Brady was so severe.

Ted Wells Releases DeflateGate Report

May 6th, 2015 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

After a 103-day investigation, Ted Wells has submitted his report on the “DeflateGate” controversy to commissioner Roger Goodell and the Patriots. The report, which spans 243 pages, is available in full right here. Wells and his team conclude that it’s “more probable than not” that Patriots personnel knowingly altered the inflation level of the game balls.

“In particular, we conclude that it is more probable than not that [locker room attendant] Jim McNally and [equipment assistant] John Jastremski participated in a deliberate plan to circumvent the rules by releasing air from Patriots game balls after the examination of the footballs by NFL game officials at the AFC Championship Game,” the report reads. “We believe that McNally and Jastremski were aware that the inflation level of the Patriots game balls following pre-game inspection by the game officials would be approximately 12.5 psi and planned for McNally to deflate the balls below that level following the pre-game inspection using a needle provided by Jastremski.

“Based on the evidence, we also have concluded that it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls.”

While the report implicates Brady, it adds that there’s no indication that Patriots ownership or the front office, including head coach Bill Belichick, was involved or had any knowledge of the affected balls. Team owner Robert Kraft has already released a statement in which he and his club will accept the findings of the report. However, he continues to stick behind members of his organization, and expressed disappointment with the investigation.

“To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement,” Kraft said.

Although there is not hard evidence proving that Brady was aware of the game balls being altered, text messages exchanged by McNally and Jastremski strongly suggest that the quarterback knew what was going on, making him a candidate for discipline from the NFL. Goodell released a statement today saying that a determination on “what steps to take” would be made by the league’s executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent and his team (Facebook link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

Owner/GM Quotes: Lions, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks

March 23rd, 2015 at 7:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL’s owner meetings were held earlier today, giving the league’s various reporters an opportunity to talk to owners and general managers. We’ve compiled notable quotes regarding some of the offseason’s biggest moves, which you can find below…

Lions GM Martin Mayhew on his team’s outlook following Ndamukong Suh‘s departure (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press):

“I think anytime you lose a quality player like that, especially in the short term, that is to your detriment. I think in the long term, I think we’re going to be glad we don’t have that contract on our books. But in the short term, that’s an issue.”

“There’s a lot of different ways to give somebody $100 million, so a lot of times the structure comes into play, too, and all those things matter. But I know we have some quality players on our team that we probably couldn’t keep if we had that deal on our books.”

“I couldn’t say we misjudged anything about (the situation). I think every step throughout the process I think we made a rational, thoughtful decision to move forward and then I think it got to a point where economically in terms of building a sustainable quality football team it didn’t make sense. And at that point, we decided that we weren’t going to continue to offer more.”

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East Notes: Kraft, Revis, Cowboys

February 1st, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Rory Parks

As the Patriots prepare to represent the AFC East in the Super Bowl tonight, let’s take a look at some notes regarding the Pats, their division rivals, and a few items from the NFC East:

  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that the league’s handling of “Deflategate” has thawed the relationship between Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has been one of the commissioner’s biggest supporters and who publicly backed Goodell during the Ray Rice fiasco. Reiss notes that, if Goodell were to lose Kraft’s support, his hold on the commissioner’s job could become a bit more tenuous.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Patriots star corner Darrelle Revis will be courted not only by his current team this offseason–after New England inevitably declines his 2015 option–but he expects the Bills and Jets to be in on Revis as well. Joel Corry tweets that Revis will have a great deal of leverage, as the Patriots cannot put the franchise tag on him if they decline the 2015 option.
  • Jets owner Woody Johnson received the Steinberg DeNicola Humanitarian Award on Saturday, and before receiving the award, he provided a few clues to his team’s offseason plans. In response to criticism he received earlier this week, when he announced that the Jets would be aggressive in free agency, Johnson stated that although he was not afraid to spend money on free agents, he would not waste money. He specifically mentioned cornerback and strong safety as positions that could be addressed in the free agent market, and he also touched on a possible extension for Muhammad Wilkerson and the team’s quarterback situation (article via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
  • If Washington is to become competitive again in the NFC East, Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com says new GM Scot McCloughan must move away from the team’s historic reliance on big-ticket free agents.
  • After hearing that the Seahawks have offered Marshawn Lynch a lucrative extension, Joel Corry tweets that the Cowboys will have to substantially increase their offer to DeMarco Murray if they are serious about keeping him.
  • Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News looked at the Cowboys linebacker situation in 2015, both with and without impending free agent Rolando McClain. Fortunately for Dallas, Anthony Hitchens showed that he can play any of the linebacker spots in his rookie season. If McClain comes back, he’ll play in the middle and Sean Lee will be on the weakside. If McClain doesn’t come back, Machota thinks it will be Lee in the middle with Justin Durant/Hitchens on the weakside.
  • More from Machota, who writes that he’d be surprised if Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley, a restricted free agent, gets plucked away by another team. Linebacker Bruce Carter, however, is a different story. Carter has freakish athleticism and he was a projected first round choice in 2011. There could be teams out there that believe they can better utilize his abilities than Dallas has, perhaps by making him an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

Zach Links contributed to this post

 

Extra Points: Clowney, Glenn, Shembo

July 19th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Matt Feminis
  • Texans No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney’s status for the beginning of training camp is still up the air, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. Clowney, who is recovering from June sports hernia surgery, remains day-to-day with no timetable established for his return.
  • The Ravens placed backup nose tackle Terrence Cody on the physically unable to perform list for the beginning of training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Cody, who is recovering from hip surgery, can be be activated whenever he’s healthy enough to resume practicing.
  • In minor transaction news, the Bills signed receiver Tori Gurley and cornerback Kamaal McIlwain to fill empty roster spots, according to BuffaloBills.com insider Chris Brown.
  • Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn is on the Active/Non-Football Illness list, but GM Doug Whaley doesn’t think Glenn will be lost long-term, according to WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia. Said Whaley: “We don’t think so at this time. It’s just gonna have to see on how he progresses. We hope not. We’re still waiting on some reports on him, but it looks like it’s gonna be one of those day-to-day things and we’ll see how it progresses.”
  • In the meantime, highly publicized rookie Seantrel Henderson will man left tackle in Glenn’s stead.
  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union takes an in-depth look at the Jaguars’ new-look offensive line, including quotes from offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch praising the athleticism of Luke Joeckel and the leadership of Zane Beadles. “He’s certainly as advertised and then some,” Fisch says of Beadles.
  • Falcons fourth-round outside linebacker Prince Shembo has a realistic chance of earning starts, writes Orlando Ledbetter in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ledbetter says the team will “force-feed” information to Shembo, whom head coach Mike Smith is “very excited” about. “He’s picked up the system very well,” said Smith. “He doesn’t have any experience, but we will get him a lot, I can assure you that in the preseason.”
  • James Harrison, Jermichael Finley and Santonio Holmes headline AP writer Dennis Waszak Jr.’s list of 13 notable, veteran free agents still looking for work with training camps getting underway.
  • The Patriots issued a press release saying Bill Belichick and Aaron Hernandez exchanged 34 total text messages, not 33 pages worth. According to Boston Globe correspondent Dan Adams, filings released Monday did not reveal the contents of the text messages or what Patriots employees shared with authorities, but did reveal that Belichick, Robert Kraft were interviewed by investigators, who also searched the locker of a player.
  • The NFL is moving swiftly to address the issue of underqualified underclassmen flooding the draft, reports NFL.com’s Albert Breer. In an effort to deter potentially undraftable players from declaring, the league’s advisory committee will streamline (simplify) its evaluation grades to include first round, second round or neither. Additionally, colleges will be restricted to five evaluation requests unless an abundance of talent dictates the need for more (e.g. Alabama, LSU, Florida State, etc.). Writes Beer: “At the heart of the changes are staggering statistics stemming from the 2014 draft class — of the record 107 who declared, 45 went undrafted. A majority of those 45 remain unsigned by NFL teams as undrafted free agents.”
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