On Wednesday, Patriots owner Bob Kraft said that he’s close to a new deal with defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. Kraft also was asked for the first time about recent comments from receiver Randy Moss, who said that the Patriots “don’t really pay.”
“OK, let’s look at [Moss’] situation,” Kraft said at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis, according to Tom Curran of Comcast Sports Net New England. “In the first two years he made over $20 million. But I think the context . . . look in any of the family businesses we don’t just go out and spend money and always try to be the highest spender. We want to win in everything we do. Looking collectively on an aggregate basis, we spend to be competitive. But any of your readership that has run a business knows that just spending wildly doesn’t mean you’re doing the right thing. You want to spend wisely, you want to spend with the right people.”
Kraft then became blunt -- and in his candor he indirectly corrected anyone who thinks that the Colts won the most total games of the last decade, unless playoff games suddenly don’t count.
“This is immodest to say but over the last 10 years no football team won more football games than the New England Patriots so I guess we’re doing OK,” Kraft said. “I know we’ve committed enough capital to make us competitive and we want to spend it wisely. We went what, 10 years, four Super Bowls. We won more games than anyone so we must be doing something a little right. Just because you spend a lot of money on players doesn’t mean you’re going to win. Since the turn of the century we’ve won more games and more championships than 31 other teams. People on the outside can say what they want.”
He’s got the right attitude, but it’s someone on the inside who has recently criticized the team’s approach. Though Kraft said he didn’t interpret Moss’ comments as “anti-Patriot,” we still think that Randy’s overriding point is simple: “Provide me with a contract that extends beyond 2010, or let me play for someone who will.”