Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Robert Kraft Unloads On Patriots’ Recent Failures And Makes A Promise

Starting point is 00:00:00 Robert Kraft speaks out and has a lot to say that's what we start on this episode of locked on Patriots You are locked on Patriots your daily New England Patriots podcast Part of the locked on podcast network your team every day. What's up Patriots fans? I'm your host Nick Cattles born and raised in New England, your New England Patriots expert, host of the Everything Pats podcast, co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattles, and also a Sports Talk Show host veteran. On today's episode, the Patriots might have another opportunity to make a run at a

Starting point is 00:00:41 number one wide receiver and we'll discuss the coach that will make a huge impact on this season that nobody is talking about. But first, Robert Kraft lets it rip. We appreciate you joining the course, we're doing three pods a week up until Monday, July 14th. So we go Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Then as of Monday, July 14th, we're back Monday through Friday for all of you. And today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account and use code LOCKDOWNNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Robert Kraft is talking big and making promises to Pats fans. He was at Fanatics Fest last weekend and this audio has slowly crept out. Kraft was speaking with Adam Schefter of ESPN and here's what he had to say. The last two years were the worst years of my 31 years of ownership.

Starting point is 00:01:46 We have to change that. We have a new coach in Mike Vrabel who is really connected with the players, who is doing great work. We have a young quarterback and a lot of great veterans, free agent veterans who came in a great draft class. We're going to have fun this year. I promise. My first question is for all of you. Do you care what Robert Kraft says anymore? Do you care? Do you care if Kraft's out there telling you that it's going

Starting point is 00:02:15 to be a fun season? Do you care if Kraft is out there telling you that the last two years running this organization were the most miserable of his ownership tenure. Do you even care anymore? Or have you heard enough? Have you heard Robert talk to the last couple of years and said, you know what, enough is enough, Robert. I'm not worried about what you say. I'm worried about the actions on the field. I'm worried about winning football games. You can do what you want to do. You can say what you want to say. But until you win football games, it just doesn't matter to me.

Starting point is 00:02:50 So do you care when the owner comes out? Does he still carry the big stick? Does he walk into the room and say things and you listen closely to those things? Or after the last couple of years, through the Bill Belichick ending, which wasn't necessarily good, to the Gerard Mayo debacle, to the current day situation, do you find yourself feeling like Kraft's words have less gravity to them? Less significance to

Starting point is 00:03:21 them for you as a fan? I'll tell you, my own personal opinion is that Robert Kraft, what he says. Really doesn't bother me. It doesn't impact me. I don't think he's putting anybody's feet to the fire. When he speaks, we heard through the last couple of years of Bill Belichick being here in New England, we heard about, we got to make the playoffs. We want to make the playoffs, these stated goals from ownership, and the team would fall short and it was as if Robert Kraft did not even say anything.

Starting point is 00:03:54 So I do think that Kraft's words have less gravity to them now than they have ever had. And I also think if you look at Mike Vrabel realistically in 2025, this is for all intents and purposes a free season Now I don't think Vrabel is going to coach it like it's a free season. I Think Vrabel is gonna go out there because he has pride in what he does He wants to run a program that wins football games So I think you will get the very best of Vrabel this year But what I mean by free season is there's no way on God's green earth that Kraft is going to fire another head coach.

Starting point is 00:04:30 He had to pay Belichick last year for not being here. He's got to pay Gerard Mayo his contract. I don't know how many years we're on Mayo's contract. Whether there's two years left, three years left, four years left, I don't know. But I do know that Kraft is left paying the bill. So he's paying Mayo right now. And we also know reportedly that Mike Vrabel is making some pretty good money. He has paid as a top coach. I don't think

Starting point is 00:04:56 Kraft is going to fire Vrabel. Even if this team won two games in 2025. Kraft is not firing Vrabel because he's not going to end up paying three coaches at the same time. It's just not going to happen. So craft can get out can go out there and tell me that you know, this team is going to be fun. And that the last two years have been you know, the worst years of his ownership. He can say whatever he wants to say. But what matters is the job that Mike Vrabel does. And I don't think anything that

Starting point is 00:05:25 Kraft says impacts what Vrabel does. Now, what is a fun season? If we are going to look into the words of Kraft, because I'm sure there are some of you that that put some gravity, put some weight to the words of Robert Kraft. What does a fun season mean after you've gone to you know back to back four win seasons to the world of misery? What does it what does it mean? Well, Kraft also said to Schefter, we've owned the team 31 years we've had 27 home playoff games, and we've been privileged to win 23. I want that record to keep going. So I take that as Robert Kraft telling us that a fun season is going to be a season that ends up in the playoffs. Now, maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe

Starting point is 00:06:10 I'm reading too much into the words of Kraft and he's not necessarily telling us that, you know, we're coming to the playoffs, baby, we're going to be there, get ready, we're going to have a home playoff game. But I think what Kraft is saying is that he wants the playoffs back at Gillette. I don't think he's necessarily guaranteeing the playoffs. And that's why he uses the word fun. If he wanted to guarantee the playoffs or if that was the stated goal, he would come out and say, we're going to make the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:06:38 We have to make the playoffs. The goal is to play. He didn't say that. He just said we're going to have a fun season. We're gonna this it's gonna be fun this year. I promise And then talked about how he wants to get back to hosting playoff games So maybe fun is the step towards the playoffs, but not necessarily in the playoffs And I think it would be a bad move frankly if Kraft went out there and guaranteed a playoff appearance this year.

Starting point is 00:07:08 I think that would be a borderline disaster to do. But I do think Kraft when he talks about having a fun season, I believe that he thinks a fun season is getting to the playoffs and hosting a playoff game even though he will not tell us directly because it would be a bad idea to do that. But if you read between the lines, it feels like that's what he's saying. And honestly, Kraft, he needs results. Because right now, the last three, four years, his ownership, it's taken a shot. You've had three head coaches in three years. You went from Belichick to Mayo to Vrabel, three different head coaches over the past three years. And when you talk about having three head coaches in three years,

Starting point is 00:07:57 you're talking about an organization that is not stable. And we also have to remember, I mean, you went through 20 plus years, 2324 years of stability with Belichick, not every year was great. And there were moments Aaron Hernandez Hello, there were moments during Belichick's, you know, tenure here in New England, that felt a little rocky from time to time. But I mean, six Super Bowls constantly going to AFC Championship games, Belichick, Brady, you went from that kind of stability for more than two decades to running into an organization that is as unstable as any the past three years.

Starting point is 00:08:41 And Kraft wants to change that he has to change that. He doesn't want his final years as an owner of an NFL team to be, I don't want to say embarrassing, but to be filled with mediocrity and questions. He wants to go out on top like all of us do. And he's an owner that knows they've spent money, they spent money in 2021. They spent money in 2021. They spent money in 2024. They spent money this off season. He has spent money. And he's been willing to sit back and let whatever has to be spent be spent in hopes of turning this thing around. And maybe this year is the year it starts to turn around. The last playoff win for Robert Kraft was the Super Bowl against the Rams. That's a long time ago.

Starting point is 00:09:33 And I know that Kraft feels it's a long time ago. So Kraft needs results. And hopefully the promise of a fun year is actually fulfilled in 2025 Hopefully a Number one wide receiver keeps beefing with this team Should the Pats try to take advantage my answer next as we continue with today's episode of lockdown Patriots part of the lockdown Podcast network your team every day part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Guys you have probably heard of Viagra or Cialis, maybe you even tried them, but if

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Starting point is 00:11:52 Jose Luis Sanchez wrote this about Ayuk on Tuesday at SI. Here we go again. It seems Ayuk still isn't in a good place with the 49ers. On Monday, Ayuk took to his YouTube channel to lash out good place with the 49ers. On Monday, Ayuk took to his YouTube channel to lash out cryptically at the 49ers. Quote, they was talking about trading me while I was off Percocets muscle relaxers and peeing in a cup by my bed. Couldn't walk for 10 weeks. Ain't nobody trading for me. And then in parentheses, it says rolling on the floor laughing and the skull emoji and all that stuff.

Starting point is 00:12:32 This is what Sanchez writes at SI. That was just one of several posts Ayuk made on his YouTube channel. He's back to being a menace on social media yet again. It seems a two sides have, at the very least, a somewhat fractured relationship. At this point, a divorce between them might be best. relationship. At this point, a divorce between them might be best. Would you make another run at Brennan Iyuk? I know that the Patriots, we know that the Patriots absolutely made a run last offseason. They were willing to pay Iyuk more money than anyone was willing to pay him. They were willing to trade draft pick or picks, along Kendrick Bourne reportedly, would you make another run? My answer? No way. I am not touching Brennan Ayuk with a 10-foot pole.

Starting point is 00:13:13 And I'm somebody who was more than willing to go after Ayuk last offseason. And I was willing to go after him earlier this offseason. But now, no thanks. I'm done. I'm washing my hands. I am not going to go anywhere near Ayuk. I'm not making a phone call. If the 49ers call me, I'm hanging up.

Starting point is 00:13:37 And I don't even think I care if I'm Elliott Wolf and Mike Vrabel and Ryan Cowden. I don't even care what the price would be. I don't care what the 49ers would ask if it was a third round pick, fourth round pick. I am not touching Ayuk with the 10-foot pole. I would be done. You can't preach culture over and over and over again

Starting point is 00:13:58 and then willingly give up an asset, pay Ayuk the money that he has owed and bring him into New England. I just don't think you can do it. He is a walking, talking, breathing, living distraction on social media. He can't help himself. Every once in a while, he's going to pop off. He's been paid.

Starting point is 00:14:20 He's won a lot of football games for the 49ers. He's going to be this team's number one wide receiver when he comes back from the ACL. But yet, he's still unhappy. And I get it. You know, his name surfaced and some rumors and everything, but that's part of the job, man. They paid you. They paid you.

Starting point is 00:14:42 But he still runs the social media. He has had issues with Kyle Shanahan, that that weird mano a mano type thing that happened. I think it was a couple of years ago, whenever it was, time runs into itself. But there was that time when, you know, I you wasn't wearing what he was supposed to be wearing. And he and Shanahan kind of got into it a little bit at the practice and then Ayuk. Just drama, unnecessary drama. And could you imagine trading for Ayuk and having both Stefan Diggs and Ayuk in the same camp? Now, some people might say, oh man, that'd be great. Ayuk's the number one, Diggs is the number two. But think about their personalities. You just went through the distraction with Stefan Diggs.

Starting point is 00:15:28 And Vrabel had to answer questions about that. Diggs was asked questions, didn't really answer any of them, but you had to go through that distraction with Diggs already. Now you bring in Ayu. you imagine? IU can digs. Dealing with those two personalities, guys that have had absolutely no problem complaining. About their situation, complaining to coaches, complaining to the media, complaining to the fans, calling out the fans. Going back and forth with their quarterbacks as talented as they are.

Starting point is 00:16:08 I've got to imagine that if you brought Iuk in here and you said to Drake May you got to handle both of those guys. That's an ice cream headache. That might be a migraine headache. Just no way. Oh, and as I just mentioned a couple of minutes ago, Ayuk's coming back from an ACL injury. He's likely going to start the season on the pup list according to Matt Mayoko out there at NBC Sports Bay Area.

Starting point is 00:16:33 And so now you're going to have not one but two receivers coming back from ACL surgeries. You want to have the top two guys at that position in that room, you want them to be, you know, dealing with a post injury world and trying to get back and striving to prove that they're better than ever and having that chip on the shoulder. It sounds good in theory, but do you want two Diva receivers with those personalities trying to prove to the world that they still got it? Do you want to deal with that? Do you think there could be an issue if Ayuk has more targets than Diggs? Diggs has more targets than Ayuk. Do you think there could be a little bit of a

Starting point is 00:17:13 clash? I don't know. I mean, Diggs dealt with Nico Collins in Houston last year, so maybe Diggs wouldn't have as much of an issue. Maybe. But do you trust in the idea of having not one but two receivers coming back from a surgery as impactful and significant as ACL surgery? Do you trust that IU has any urgency to come back? I don't know. I don't know personally, but would you trust that? Would you give up an asset or assets for that? I wouldn't be comfortable. And the bigger reason that I would stay away from Ayuk

Starting point is 00:17:49 is because I think you're going to have an opportunity next off season to do something. And I wouldn't bring in Ayuk as the answer to that position because there's so many questions. If you swing and miss on him in any way, then he's going to get in the way. And I just don't want that.

Starting point is 00:18:09 Just wait until next off season. Who becomes available? Does AJ Brown become available? Does some receiver that we're not even thinking about right now, do they become available? What happens here with Terry McLaurin in Washington? Can they figure things out? So maybe a veteran pops up that gives you more than Iuke would. In the Patriots now you can look back at the last two off seasons they were in a tough

Starting point is 00:18:38 predicament to give up valuable assets for a wide receiver because they weren't there as a team. You had so many different holes to fill, but now you've filled a lot of those holes. And if I'm Wolf and Cowden and Vrabel and a wide receiver without some of the questions that IUC has, if a wide receiver becomes available, I'm going to pounce. I'm going to be more aggressive. I'm going to be much more aggressive than I was for IU classed off season. I'm going to be much more aggressive than I might've been two years ago, because I feel if I'm Bray Bull, wolf and cowd and I feel like I am closer.

Starting point is 00:19:19 To contending. I feel like I'm closer to the playoffs. If I don't get to the playoffs this year, I feel like 2026 is the year that I can get to that postseason dance. And I would be willing to give up more for an alpha wide receiver when I know it's one of my top needs. I'd be willing to give up more now than I would have been willing to give up

Starting point is 00:19:40 the last couple seasons. Give this year, give this year time to breathe, give it room to breathe. Allow Mike Vrabel to establish the foundation of the culture that he wants in that locker room. Let him continue to build this infrastructure. And then next off season, you go out, you get aggressive, and you bring that alpha in. you go out, you get aggressive, and you bring that alpha in. That would be my plan. Let's talk about the coach that has a chance to make a humongous impact on the 2025 season. That's coming up next as we continue with today's episode of Locked On Patriots, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:20:23 Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Have you ever decided at the last minute to head to a ball game with friends or family? Maybe it's game day and you suddenly realize you want to be in the stands. That's exactly where game time comes in. It's the easiest way to grab last minute tickets without the stress. With the money you save on tickets, you can splurge on food, drinks, merchandise, or even you know invite a bigger group to come with you. Game Time makes it all possible. Game Time makes buying tickets fast and simple.

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Starting point is 00:21:17 Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time, download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code LOCKDOWN on NFL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code L O C K E D O N NFL for $20 off download the game time app today last minute tickets lowest price guarantee Mike Smith is pivotal for the Patriots defense for this defense to reach its ceiling in 2025. Mike Smith is absolutely pivotal. And I feel like there are not enough people talking about Mike Smith because he's the outside linebackers coach. She's a pass rush specialist who wants to get into that kind of minutiae. We'll get into the minutiae because I feel like it's important.

Starting point is 00:22:06 Mike Smith, his background, let's just look at it for a second. He's a former player, played for the Ravens from 05 through 08 at linebacker. But then look at his coaching career and look at the head coaches that Mike Smith learned from. And look at the head coaches that Mike Smith learned from. I mean, he's been around some of the best coaches in the current day NFL.

Starting point is 00:22:32 2012, Rex Ryan with the Jets. Now, we all feel a certain way about Rex Ryan, don't we? There's no denying how good Rex Ryan is when it comes to Xs and Os, what he did with that Jets defense, what he did with the Bills defense. He is terrific teaching the X's and O's. And then Mike Smith went to Kansas City from 2016 through 2018. You have Andy Reid, who is unbelievable, managing personalities, working with the current day athlete,

Starting point is 00:23:05 somebody who has been in the game for a long time. You pick some things from him. Then from 2019 through 2021, Smith was with the Packers. Not bad. You're learning from Matt LaFleur. LaFleur is known as one of the better young coaches in the league. And then he left Green Bay to go to Minnesota in 2022 and 2023 where he worked with Kevin O'Connell. Kevin O'Connell is known as one of the best young coaches in football. I mean, that is a roll call

Starting point is 00:23:40 of really good coaches. Rex Ryan, Andy Reid, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O'Connell. That is hit after hit after hit after hit. Now, why is Mike Smith pivotal to this defense? I'll give you a number of reasons why. Let's start with Harold Landry. Harold Landry, the question with him is, is he going to be able to bounce back as a pass rusher? He was actually terrific against the run, which might surprise some of you. A lot of people think about Harold Landry. They think about the pass rush and they question whether or not he can stop the run. He was literally one of the best edge players stopping the run in 2024. It's the pass rush part of his job that fell back.

Starting point is 00:24:22 If you look at pro football focus, Landry's pass rush win rate was 95th in the NFL. Not nearly good enough. And we know that Landry, he's going to play a bunch of snaps for the Patriots. If he stays healthy, his snap percentage, his snap rate is going to be really high. You can't have Landry out there playing the amount of snaps he's going to play and end up giving you the 95th best pass rush win rate in football. Just it's not going to work. So Mike Smith needs to tap into the old school Harold Landry. He needs to go back to the earlier years in Tennessee, Harold Landry who was with variable and Terrell Williams. He needs to reach in and pull thatry. He needs to go back to the earlier years in Tennessee, Harold Landry,

Starting point is 00:25:05 who was with Rable and Terrell Williams. He needs to reach in and pull that out of Landry. If he can pull that out of Landry and Landry ends up being a top 40, top 50 guy even, that's going to help your pass rush. But Landry is not the only guy that Mike Smith has to work with. Keeon White. I've got high expectations for Keon White. I believe Keon White could be one of the better defenders on this football team. But he hasn't been flawless, far from it. And the question is, will Mike Smith get that boost? Because I think all of us expect a boost from White this year. Can Mike Smith get that boost? Can Mike Smith get Keon White to be consistent week in and week out? Chad Graff wrote about this recently at the Athletic. Whites drop off in 2024. Here's what Graff

Starting point is 00:25:53 wrote. In the first eight weeks of last season, White ranked 26th in the league in pressure rate among players with more than 100 pass rush snaps just behind Chris Jones and Khalil Mack in the final nine weeks of the season white ranked 93rd, so we went from 26 to 93rd his Playing time fell off to he began to criticize the franchise's direction He went from playing more than 80% of the snaps in each of the first three games to less than 65% in the final three games. Can Mike Smith get the best out of Keon White? Can Mike Smith get consistency, that consistent impact from him? We've heard White talk about Smith. He's wax poetic about the coach. Said,

Starting point is 00:26:37 you know, I'm finally, I finally have a coach. I'm paraphrasing, but that's for all intents and purposes, what Keon White told the media going back a few weeks ago. So it feels like white and Smith already have a connection. It feels like white is very comfortable with Smith. And maybe Smith is already on the way towards getting the most out of white. White has all the talent, it's got all the talent in the world, all the skill in the world. He's got that body. Remember when he got drafted, everybody was talking about this guy is like chiseled out

Starting point is 00:27:08 of granite, reminded some of Willie McGinnis and just how he was put together. So he's got the talent, he's got the body, and by all accounts, he's got the work ethic. It feels like White gave up on the coaching staff last year, or maybe the coaching staff gave up on White. I don't know. Maybe it was a combination of both. Who knows? But White being so public about not feeling like he was being coached, I think it's rather obvious that White was not thrilled. He was not thrilled with how last year went. And if you look at the numbers, it's obvious that he fell off. He was not the same guy the last month of the season as he was the first month of the season. Can Mike Smith get a powerful, impactful Keon White from week one through week 18? And then Mike Smith has to figure out

Starting point is 00:28:05 who's going to be that third guy, who's going to be that third pass rusher. And he's got options. You've got Chason. And you have to question, can Caleb Ahn Chason build off of his 2024? Because Chason, he was actually really good for Vegas, especially towards the end of the year. 2024 because chase on he was actually really good for Vegas,

Starting point is 00:28:25 especially towards the end of the year. Pro football focus had him ranked 26th. He had the 26th best pass rush grade out of 211 edge players. So was that just the beginning for chase on I read a lot of reports during OTAs and mandatory minicamp telling me that Chason popped. Chason made some plays. Chason looked good. Former first round pick.

Starting point is 00:28:50 Has that raw potential. Can Mike Smith get Chason to have his best season in the NFL? And then you look at some of the younger guys that you get to deal with. Look at Braden Swinson. Can Mike Smith develop Swinson into that powerful pass rusher? So when Harold Landry ages out, you're able to plug Swinson right in for those snaps. Anthony Jennings, can he get more pop from Jennings? Can he save Jennings job by getting more pass rush from Anthony Jennings than any of us would anticipate getting. So Mike Smith is huge. This defense has top 10 defense potential, but Mike Smith is huge

Starting point is 00:29:33 within this operation. You need a Landry bounce back. You need a boost from White, and you got to make sure that White stays consistent. You've got to find that third guy, Chase On, Swinson, whoever it is. You got to get the most out of out of that third guy. Because if this pass rush is better with this secondary, watch out. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter, will you at Nick C radio. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe if you watch us on YouTube and thank you for making locked on Patriots your first Listen today for your second listen check out locked on NFL scouting crabs and merino will make you the most informed NFL fan this off-season Find locked on NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts

Starting point is 00:30:21 Have a fantastic weekend and we will catch up with you on Monday.

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Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Robert Kraft Unloads On Patriots’ Recent Failures And Makes A Promise

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