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Bob Kraft needs to start running Patriots like a business again, and clean house

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Bob Kraft needs to start running Patriots like a business again, and clean house

John Rooke
 |  Special to The Providence Journal

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Thinking out loud … while wondering if being productive today means switching from Tik Tok to email for 10 minutes…

∎ Here is to a happy and prosperous 2025 … realizing, of course, that this cannot possibly occur for every sports fan paying attention. When someone wins, someone else loses, amiright?

∎ Got a New Year’s resolution? Mine is to stop making them. A 2023 poll from Forbes reports that most people give them up after four months. Four months? One person in four, says Columbia University, keeps up with an original New Year’s resolution only 30 days.

One percent of respondents said they kept up with resolutions for an entire year. Sure they did.

Four months seems like a nice goal, but that barely gets us to baseball season. Sorry, Sox.

∎ My pick for the most popular male baby name in New England for 2025 — Drake. Did you really have to think about it?

∎ They won’t be taking my advice. Nor should they. But in full disclosure, since I’ve been employed by the Patriots for the past 33 years — more than half of the team’s existence — and followed them for nearly 40 seasons, I’ve seen one or two things.

And if the Krafts really hope to turn things around ASAP, they should clean out the football house. Not every business owner makes the right move all the time, nor does every coach call the right play in every game.

Mistakes get made. It’s what you do in response to mistakes that helps define and create success. When enough (repeated) mistakes are made, without correction or positive progress toward a solution, businesses lose credibility with the consuming public. And lose money.

Either we are all completely ignorant, or Jerod Mayo is supremely challenged with his current position. Heck of a time to learn on the job. Heck of a place, too. In New England? He wasn’t ready for this.

Mayo needs a lot of help — personnel, coaching, staff. And the Patriots didn’t suit him up very well for this job, to start with. He’s a good guy. Personable. Was a good player. Was thought to be “Belichickian” on the field in his playing days, according to former teammates.

Maybe he could be a good head coach, but a good CEO/coach is only as good as his lieutenants/assistants. Mr. Kraft, deep down, knows this.

He’s worked against that business philosophy — one that has made him a billionaire. So, how do you fix the problem? By returning to your roots, starting at the top. Clean up on Aisle 1 at Patriot Place. After all, it is a business.

And a business that now needs to LOSE this weekend to Buffalo to WIN the first pick in April’s NFL Draft. Yeah. Wacko.

∎ What else is wacko? Rodney Harrison was left off the Pro Football Hall of Fame list for this year, after being named a semifinalist three straight years. Did he get worse in the eyes of voters over the past 12 months? His career numbers are as good, if not better, than HOF safeties John Lynch and Darren Woodson.

∎ Before you let the Basketball Friars’ difficulties consume you, check in with the Hockey Friars. Nate Leaman’s guys have won seven straight to end 2024 and are ranked seventh nationally. PC next plays at Brown for the Mayor’s Cup on Jan. 7.

∎ The Big East is beginning to look more and more like a Big Two. UConn, Marquette … and who else? Xavier perhaps, but they’ve probably lost Zach Freemantle; St. John’s maybe, but their shooting is inconsistent. Villanova? They might have the best big man in America in Eric Dixon.

Are the Friars hamstrung by Bryce Hopkins’ injury predicament? Of course they are. But it isn’t his fault. Severe knee injuries take time to recover, even within today’s advanced medical procedures. Blew my own knee out decades ago and it still isn’t quite right.

This isn’t a comparison, however. This is simply to reinforce the idea that expectations are not reality. Individuals recover, physically and mentally, on their own time — not yours or mine.

In the meantime, his teammates are simply having a harder time than first thought, as they figure out how to move forward without his on-court presence. The coaches are still coaching, hard. And a few of the players are learning hard lessons. Just sayin’.

∎ The Rams are learning the road is still a tough place to play, after dropping their A-10 opener to Duquesne on New Year’s Eve. Wanna win away from home? Shoot straighter.

∎Brown’s Bears and Bryant’s Bulldogs also tried to win on the road to end 2024 and got thumped at Kentucky and Grand Canyon, respectively. Sure, they played “up.” Won a few individual battles, too. They both know it’s all about league and tournament play from here.

∎ Not for nothin’ but the last two college hoop recruits ranked No. 1 in the country have hailed from New England — Cooper Flagg (Maine) and A.J. Dybantsa (Massachusetts). Flagg is at Duke, Dybantsa is headed for BYU next year. It ain’t all about loyalty to just your homies these days.

Which is why former Friar great and ex-Miami/George Mason coach Jim Larranaga has retired from the game, rather suddenly just over a week ago, at age 75. It isn’t your father or mother’s game any longer. The transfer portal, NIL — he said he’s disappointed he’s not keeping up.

Former Friar assistant Bill Courtney has taken over for Larranaga. Since 2020, six ACC coaches have stepped away from their jobs. Were they all aged out of the game by today’s rules, or lack thereof? You can make that case.

∎ Several former Florida State players are suing coach Leonard Hamilton for alleged false promises on NIL deals. Dartmouth players have requested a withdrawal of their petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board. Who, exactly, is winning here?

∎ So sad to learn of the passing of former North Attleboro star and ex-UMass great Mike Babul. Mike was a former Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year, made Parade’s All-America team and was a three-time all-defensive player in Amherst. He was head coach at Thayer Academy. His twin brother, Jon, works for the Atlanta Hawks.

∎ Be more like Greg Gumbel. Don’t know many in the TV sports biz who haven’t thought that at some point. Gumbel was the “voice” of NCAA Selection Sunday for a generation (or more) of college hoop fans, and is notable around here for being on the CBS mic during Adam Vinatieri’s famous “Snow Bowl” kick in Foxboro. He passed away after a battle with cancer this past week at age 78.

∎ Here’s a prediction for 2025 — and beyond. Netflix will remain a major player in live, televised sports. Nary a glitch on Christmas Day with the NFL, unlike their debut with the Tyson-Paul boxing match. Their production folks knew what was on the line — a financial future.

Netflix ended up setting NFL streaming records. With 282 million global subscribers, the league will definitely find more rea$on$ to keep $treaming.

∎ ICYMI: 75 of the Top 100 most-watched TV shows of 2024 were live sports events, up from 56 a year ago. Forty-five of those events were NFL broadcasts.

∎ X post of the Week, from UConn @CoachJimMora: “A simple note to the schools and coaches that have blatantly broken @NCAAFootball rules by tampering with our players in the last 24 hours. We do know who you are, we will pursue all avenues to hold you accountable… think hard before you tamper with our players.” That comment came just after UConn’s first bowl win in 15 years, beating Bill Belichick’s future North Carolina team in the Fenway Bowl. You don’t think BB placed any of those calls, do you?

∎Miami QB Cam Ward’s decision to sit out a half of the Pop Tarts Bowl — after he had broken a TD passing record and his team ended up losing the game — smacked of selfishness, entitlement and everything wrong with how college athletics have “progressed” since players began getting paid over the table, and not under it.

Should they be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness? Should they be able to transfer with no strings attached? It’s a business and they’ve finally been cut a piece of the pie. Who said the pie had to taste good?

∎ My buddy, “Big E,” says his New Year’s resolution is to jog more. Does running late count?

∎ Sure, the Red Sox have picked up some pitching, but don’t they remember chicks dig the long ball? And fans dig teams that score runs in bunches.

∎ Of all the big sports stories in our region from the past year, these two were the biggest: 1) The Patriots part ways with arguably the greatest coach of all time; (2) The Celtics won Banner 18. Which one still has a shelf life today?

∎ Rookestradamus says: If there is a downfall for these Celtics in 2025 — and they lost four of seven to end 2024 — it will be their defense. Unless they play Toronto all the time.

∎ David sent an email: “A Rhode Island athlete [Dante Aviles-Santos] just completed an amazing career at UMass-Dartmouth.  Dante was named this year’s outstanding football player in all of New England (Divisions I, II and III).”

Aviles-Santos is from Cumberland and became just the second Division III athlete in the 58-year history of the Harry Agganis/Harold Zimman Award (from the New England Football Writers Association) to be named New England’s best football player. He threw at least two TD passes in all 11 games played by the Corsairs this season. Great note, David.

Interested in having your questions on Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Think out loud and send your questions, comments and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We’ll share mailbag comments right here! Join me on Twitter/X, @JRbroadcaster and on Instagram and Threads @JRbroadcaster.

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