Loyalty is limited in the Patriots franchise
| 17
|
by user DRE-LO
There is no question that the Patriots have been the most successful franchise of this decade. Three Super Bowls in a five year period is a dynasty in the salary-cap era of the NFL. Patriots home games are sold out game in and game out as their fans continue to demonstrate their loyalty and connection to the players their attendance.
It's a shame that that same loyalty is not equivocated within the franchise.
The Patriots front office has walked a thin line between doing great business and exhibiting pettiness. I believe they're doing the latter now.
Instead of blaming the New York Jets for wanting in on negotiations with a former Super Bowl MVP that should have been locked from Jump Street, Robert Kraft needs to take a look in the mirror. Now Deion Branch is with the Seahawks in a move that suggests that the Super Bowl runner-up curse might be in jeopardy this year.
While he is staring at that mirror, he should also ask why Adam Vinatieri is in a Colts uniform. If I had a kicker that kicked 2 game winning field goals in the Super Bowl and a game winning field goal in damn near blizzard conditions, I'd hold on to him like grim death. Kraft refused to pay the rent and now the Colts are that much more dangerous.
It seemed like yesterday that Lawyer Milloy had that nasty contract dispute with the Patriots front office that had him becoming a Buffalo Bill a couple of weeks later. Lawyer Milloy was a staple on the Pats D in their first Super Bowl and I originally gave the Patriots front office the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Lawyer was on to something.
Willie McGinest was a vital part of the 3-4 defense having to alternate between DE and LB. He always came to play in every game and I will never forget the incredible goalline stop he made a couple of years ago against the Colts in a key regular season game. He spent his first dozen years as a Patriot and gave tham more than enough. One would think that the front office would be eager to have him finish his career off as a Patriot.
Not this front office.
Now Willie McGinest is with Cleveland. Cleveland!!!!!! He's fortunate that his head coach is his former def. coordinator Romeo Crennel. But it's still unacceptable in my judgment.
How about Troy Brown? Troy Brown literally played iron man football for the Pats the past two or three years. He played wide receiver and filled in at cornerback when the Pats were decimated with injuries in the secondary the season that they won their third SB. Troy Brown was a free agent after that season and what did the Pats do?
They released him.
Yet Troy Brown was so loyal to the Pats that he resigned with them with the minimum $500,000 contract just so he could achieve success again.
I don't think I need to say what happened with David Givens.
They are more than fortunate that Bill Belichick's staff have such a knack for effectively developing their draft picks into productive players.
It is sad that the background to such a great dynasty by the Pats has to have a dark shadow like this hanging around. Troy Brown, Deion Branch, Willie McGinest and certainly Adam Vinatieri were just as much a part of the dynasty as anyone else. They deserved better.
With Brady and Belichek, you can never count the Pats out until the end. But Tom Brady is handcuffed in terms of establishing a passing game. His leading receiver in the 2-point win over Buffalo was a TE.
There was a special bond between the great Cowboys teams of the 90's and the great 49er teams of the 80's that went beyond business transactions. Imagine how things may have turned out differently if the trio of Aikman, Irvin and Emmitt would have been compromised due to "business". Thank goodness they didn't have a salary cap back then or who knows what would have happened.
It's just sad that Robert Kraft and the front office of the Pats can't reciprocate anywhere near the same loyalty that the players and fans have given to them.
Date
Wed 09/13/06, 7:21 pm EST
