Conference rdvax::new_england_patriots

    
    We can't berate the media for wanton speculation and then engage
    in our own.  How does one know Kraft is "letting him go?"  Or
    that Bill really wants to stay here rather than go home?  
    
    Nobody's said much of anything, yet I already see Kraft being
    painted as the bad guy in all of this...
    
    - Sean

    
    >    Nobody's said much of anything, yet I already see Kraft being
    >    painted as the bad guy in all of this...
    
    I would'nt say Kraft is a bad guy at all. Just the fact he is trying
    to keep the team in New England and put out a quality product to the
    best of his ability means he is a good guy. He has also stated he 
    wants to keep Parcells but probably not giving him total control.
    Now on the other hand Parcells joined this team under a certain 
    condition, that being he would have total control. Now when ownership
    changed hands I did'nt hear anything about Parcells contract changing 
    status. So Kraft kind of changed the rules on him. Now he is the owner
    and thats his perrogative but at the same time Parcells does'nt have to
    work under those conditions if he does'nt want to. In fact if it had
    been in the contract Parcells could probably have walked out legeally
    before the year even started.
    
    So its a sticky situation that developed upon the team changing hands.
    
    So I don't think either guy is the bad guy but Parcells did come here
    on the premise he'd have total control and Kraft took it away, so Kraft
    will have to live with the decision for better or worse. 
    
    So the question is whats whats better or worse:
    
    Parcells with total control or no Parcells and partial management control.
    
    We've debated this to no end and only time will tell what was better.
    But one thing for sure, someone (Parcells or Kraft) is going to have to 
    bend if Parcells is going to stay.
    
    And as far as the media goes, the circus just continues. Now the media
    is saying that Pete Carroll, the 49er offensive coordinator, has a 
    meeting with Kraft after the Super Bowl. Kraft was on the news last
    night and said he has'nt even talked to Carroll never mind set up a
    meeting, and has not talked to anybody else. 
    
    Kraft has stated his position, and that is he wants to keep Parcells
    as his coach, but under what conditions may depend on whether he stays
    or goes.  
    
    				Sean
    
     

    
    >  Parcells with total control or no Parcells and partial management control.
    
    Sometimes this gets twisted, though.  A lot of people think owners
    shouldn't control the running of the team.  But remember Kraft isn't
    taking away powers from Bill and giving them to himself, he's giving
    them to others whove proven they are good at that job.
    
    - Sean

RE: *.39

>> And as far as the media goes, the circus just continues. Now the media
>> is saying that Pete Carroll, the 49er offensive coordinator, has a 
>> meeting with Kraft after the Super Bowl. Kraft was on the news last
>> night and said he has'nt even talked to Carroll never mind set up a
>> meeting, and has not talked to anybody else.

Last night, I actually heard someone from one of the media groups on WEII
claim that Carroll had already agreed to a contract with NE, and that Kraft
would announce that fact on Monday.  Yesterday, the Globe was giving the job
to Sherman Lewis (?? or something like that) who is Green Bay's offensive
coordinator.  

IMHO, I don't think there will be any anouncement from either Parcells or
Kraft until a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl.   Neither would want to
give the impression that they have been bargaining in good faith.  

    
    > But remember Kraft isn' taking away powers from Bill and giving them 
    > to himself, he's giving them to others whove proven they are good at 
    > that job.
    
    Although the scouting team does most of the groundwork I'll bet
    Parcells has had the last say on 95% of the players picked. He's the
    coach with the team philosphy and is more in touch with what the team
    needs to be successful than the scouts.
    
    The scouts job is out there evaluating players, many times they don't 
    even have time to watch the games. It's a year round job.
    
    Now If your talking about Grier himself making the decision, then I'd 
    still disagree. Granted it was easy for him to pitch for Terry Glenn
    because he was rated much higher on the value scale, but I think we 
    needed much more help on defense than offense after last year. Simeon
    Rice isn't doing too bad this year himself, is either Tony Brackens.
    I'd like to see Grier's pick this year, considering we are at the
    bottom of the barrel. Or even in the lower rounds for that matter. Why
    was'nt Grier arguing about any of the players in the lower rounds?
    
    				Sean
    
    

    I believe Grier is the guy that scooped Otis Smith (one of the great
    mid season picks) and Parcells made the other one on Byars (after
    checking with his OSU guys about his character and team karma).
    Smith can play man with the best of them and with Ty on the other side
    watch for great safety play in the SB.
    Kraft has an very good personnel team and Grier seems to be an
    excellent judge of horseflesh. Just gives us QUALITY coach who is
    willing to saddle up for the long ride.
    

    Did anyone have a problem with the fact that Parcells did not fly back
    to New England with the team? I would think that a coach (albeit a lame
    duck coach) would want to fly back with his team win or lose.
    
    I wonder how the players felt about this.
    
    Maj

        I wouldn't read too much into this. He had family memebers at the
        SB and went home with them. In fact alot of players went home with 
        their family memebers and NOT the team. They'll all be back in Foxboro 
        for team meetings this week and Parcells still has to talk with Bob
        Kraft. Which will probably be to tell him he wants out. I say if he 
        really wants to go and leave these kids like this after they busted 
        their hump for him, then good riddens. He's going to have to look
        into these kid's eyes and tell them so.   
                                                
        /BD
     

    
    	Parcells hasn't flown anywhere yet, he is staying in New Orleans
    with his family. Plans on checking out bourbon street himself, now that
    he can relax and enjoy a little.
    
    Ron

    
    I think this is nothing new that Parcells doesn't fly home with the
    players after the SB. I hear someplace that Bill didn't fly home with
    the team after his other 2 SB. He probably wants time to relax with his
    family before facing the owner and media.
    
    Jim

    DId anyone catch the (long) article in Sunday's Boston Globe (2/16/97)
    written by Will McDonough?  It's quite interesting...goes into
    the long tale of the 'story behind the story' and what happened
    over the course of the last year between Kraft and Parcells.
    
    I found it interesting that he depicted Kraft as being less than honest
    in his dealings...or at least, in what he says from day to day...
    Also, Kraft was given a chance to comment on the article before
    publication, and his comments were quite fascinating as well.
    He basically depicted Will as 'misunderstanding' his comments over
    the past year (specifically about draft decisions, etc). And I guess
    their 'friendship' is essentially over....
    
    From all the notes here on the topic, I'll bet a few of you would
    find it interesting reading...I know I did. 
    
                                              

    re . 48
    
    Yeah, I read "Will the Schill's" article in the Sunday Globe.  Just a 
    continuation of the "he said/she said soap opera" (IMHO) that his 
    whole thing is.  After I read it and thought about it for awhile my 
    bottom line observations are:
    
    - This whole episode centers around egos.  Kraft and Parcells were in
      a game of who could outdo who (publicly and privately).  
    
    - Kraft was the consummate micro-manager who felt employee Parcells 
      had an attitude problem and was a "management challenge."
    
    - Parcells was the prototypical disgruntled employee because he didn't
      think the boss trusted his decisions and didn't give him enough say
      in the decision making.   
    
    - Will McDonough may have a bigger ego than both Parcells and Kraft for
      breaking with yet another story that prolongs this sillyness.  I like
      McDonough's stand on some things, but when it comes to football, I 
      think you have to take what he says with a LARGE grain of salt.  He's
      friends with Parcells (and they both have the same agent) and he's
      a mouthpiece for the NFL.  He claims he's friendly with Kraft too but
      I wouldn't bet on it after their already strained relationship can't
      be helped by this latest story.
    
    Why can't we just put this all behind us and go forward with the new
    regime ???
    
    Jeez, get over it !!
    
    DF
              

    I read the whole article about 3 times and nothing that Wil wrote
    surprised me. Being "best friends" to both he should have stayed away
    from the whole thing but he decided to become part of the story. I
    think that at the end of the 1995 season when Parcells wanted to
    shorten his contract both sides probably should have parted ways.
    But when they decided to do one more year all hell was going to break
    loose. Kraft didn't trust Parcells with the draft. If I'm an owner and
    my coach just shortened his contract I'd think in the long-term
    interest of my team I'd let the personell people handle my draft. But I
    think I would have sat down with the coach and explain it to him.
    Let;s face it there is no black and white on this matter. Just alot of
    gray. These two were not going to get along. Parcells ended up with
    what he wanted. And for letting Parcells coach a year early Kraft ended
    up with 4 draft choices. But McDonough has been the one person who has
    had his reputation damaged and that may not be that bad.
    
    Mike

    
    I'm sick of Will McDonough, the guy has lost a ton of
    credibility this year, in my eyes.
    
    	CF

    I can't stand Will Mcdonough and never could but why do these people
    ever have that jerk as a friend? I would be afraid that any time I said
    anything to Will that eventually he would use it to sell papers. I did
    get a kick out of Kraft not telling him he was drafting Glen and ol
    Will gets egg on his face when he claimed that he had the scoop and
    that the Pats would take a defensive player. I wouldn't ever tell Will
    squat. The article was Will's way of getting back at Kraft.
    
    Leo

    One of the real interesting things about the article is if Kraft had
    taken the so-called "High Road" suggested by McDonough on the morning
    of the Jacksonville playoof game the Pats would have ended up getting
    nothing for Parcells.
    
    Instead the Patriots are getting four good draft picks for one year of
    Parcells service. Thank goodness Kraft took the "low road"

    I agree that McDonough should have stayed away from the whole thing.
    His relationship with Kraft and Parcells made for some real difficult
    and uncomfortable times and in recognizing this he should have said,
    "Not me."
    
    He didn't...and his credibility is shot.
    
    Maj

    
    The fact that McDonough and Parcells has the same agent taints his
    reports even more. His agent is'nt going to let him rip into one of his
    clients.
    
                                 Sean