Robert Kraft sounds like he is starting to get impatient.
The Patriots owner spoke to reporters at NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday, and expressed disappointment that the franchise has not had postseason success in the last few years.
“I’m a Patriot fan, big time, first, and more than anything it bothers me that we haven’t been able to win a playoff game in the last three years,” he said.
New England’s last playoff win came in February 2019, when the Patriots defeated the Rams in Super Bowl 53. The following year — in what would be quarterback Tom Brady’s final season with the team — the Patriots went 12-4 before losing to the Titans in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Kraft said he was happy with the team’s draft last year, but threw barbs at the previous four years.
“I’m happy that we had a great draft last year and it made up for what happened the previous four years or so, and I look forward to hopefully having a great draft this year. It’s the only way you can build your team for long term and consistently that you have a chance of winning, is having a good draft,” he said.
Robert Kraft said it ‘bothers’ him that the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game in three years. Getty Images
Mac Jones gets sacked by Harrison Phillips in the Patriots’ playoff loss to the Bills in January 2022 Getty ImagesThe Patriots finished the regular season at 10-7 last year before getting shellacked by the AFC East rival Bills, 47-17, in the wild-card playoff game.
Kraft said he hopes to see positive results as soon as the 2022 season.
“I’d expect it to happen as soon as this year,” he said. “I think we’ve made commitments as an organization. I think we have a lot of talent. Some wonderful young men from last year and a couple in the weeds from before. It’s a chance for them to grow and hopefully come together, and the team comes together.”
Robert Kraft said he is a “big fan” of Mac Jones. Getty ImagesKraft stated that he’s not only a big believer in quarterback Mac Jones, the Patriots’ first-round pick last year, but he also reaffirmed his faith in coach Bill Belichick.
“I’m a big fan of Mac Jones,” he said. “You see how hard he works. He wants everything to go right. He puts the time and energy, and his personality as a team guy.
“So we have a chance. Without a good coach and a good quarterback, no matter how good the other players are, I don’t think you can win consistently. Hopefully, I believe we have both — an outstanding coach and a good young prospect at quarterback.”
