New England Patriots
Jonathan Kraft: “We’re Not Good Enough”
President of the New England Patriots Jonathan Kraft watched Sunday’s game with his father Robert in the owner’s box, as usual. But during the broadcast of the 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders, Jonathan Kraft was shown talking to his father. What he appeared so say was, “we’re not good enough.”
The comments from Jonathan Kraft did not go unnoticed during the FOX broadcast. A video clip was posted on X by WEEI’s Andy Gresh of The Gresh & Fauria Show. The clip was from the third quarter of Sunday’s game. However, it is not clear what specifically Jonathan Kraft was referencing when he made his comment. He and Robert Kraft are looking at something on a monitor. At that point Robert Kraft is seen saying something to his son, which is when Jonathan Kraft responds.
Sorry. Now with video.
After the FG, you can CLEARLY read the lips of Jonathan Kraft when he looks down at his phone and says something that isn’t good for certain folks in the Pats organization….. WATCH THE VID. @GreshFauriaWEEI @christianfauria pic.twitter.com/0fgCpRjwzL
— Andy Gresh (@TheRealGresh) November 5, 2023
Assuming that Gresh’s lip reading is correct, it is hard to dispute the feelings of the team president. The loss on Sunday dropped the New England Patriots to 2-7 on the season. This is not a familiar feeling for the Kraft family as owners of the franchise. Since taking over the Patriots in 1994, the only other season to begin as poorly came in 2000 (also 2-7). That means in their 30 years of ownership, the Kraft family has had as many 9-0 starts as 2-7 starts. The idea that the 2023 Patriots are “not good enough” seems like a fairly obvious observation.
Is There More to Kraft’s Comments?
Andy Gresh thought there might have been more to it though. “This is not good for somebody,” Gresh can be heard saying over the video clip. “I don’t know if it’s Belichick. I don’t know if it’s,” at which point he goes into discussing what Jonathan Kraft is doing and saying, without finishing his speculation.
Whether the clip of Jonathan Kraft commenting on the state of the Patriots is bad for Bill Belichick is hard to say. Nobody can argue that a team with only two wins after nine weeks is good enough. New England was facing an uphill climb before the season began. Injuries to difference makers, on a team sorely lacking enough of them, has not helped either. Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, and most recently Kendrick Bourne are all lost for the year. But Belichick is also the man in charge of putting together the roster.
Or just maybe Jonathan Kraft, not known for having the even-keeled persona of his father, was simply calming himself down from getting too frustrated. It is easier for many people to accept defeat if their team simply isn’t good enough to win. And, for the first time in 23 years, it is obvious that the New England Patriots fall into that category. Now the questions will turn to, who will be in charge of making sure that is not the case again in 2024?