Patriots: Robert Kraft clashes with Roger Goodell on preseason changes

Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn’t on board with Roger Goodell’s preseason modifications.

The coronavirus pandemic really drove a nail into the NFL’s offseason, as everything was made virtually exclusive until the start of training camp, which was understandably delayed until the league could ensure the safety of players with a proper testing blueprint.

Another ripple effect saw preseason games scrapped. After all, why risk the health and safety of players, coaching staff members and all league personnel for games that are essentially more of a tryout for fringe roster players?

Prior to the cancelation, however, the NFL already proposed the idea of playing two preseason games to help teams shake off the rust from the extended offseason and (of course) to salvage revenue that was expunged as a result of the cancelation.

Well, in a virtual meeting between league owners this week, that idea was thrown around again by commissioner Roger Goodell as a more permanent change, and New England Patriots boss Robert Kraft was reportedly one of a handful of executives that were resoundingly against such a shift.

"“We had a lengthy discussion on this. Obviously, it’s an important decision for us,” Goodell told reporters. “We did not take any votes with respect to committing to do it. In the collective bargaining agreement, we have that right to do it.”“This has been a period of learning. I think it’s forced us to think differently and innovate, and we’ll look at that and see how we implement it going forward.”"

Much like their decision to delay the vote on whether to implement a 17-game regular season for 2021, league owners opted against drawing a conclusion about the preseason schedule. According to ESPN, there were three other owners — Jerry Jones (Cowboys), Art Rooney II (Steelers) and John Mara (Giants) — who dismissed the idea to shorten the preseason.

Most football fans would agree that the preseason (once starters are benched) is largely unwatchable. Even with starters involved, it’s not the greatest product. While it does provide some value in terms of getting rookies and second-year players more acclimated with their new playbook, the risk of injury cannot be ignored.

How many players do we see suffer season-ending or multi-week injuries each year during the preseason? The bottom line is that it shouldn’t take teams a full slate of OTAs, training camp AND four games to get back in football shape.

For owners, however, their opposition towards shortening the preseason almost certainly boils down to wanting to recoup the revenue that was lost from a canceled preseason and having a limited number (if any) of fans in stadiums, and that’s never going to change.

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