The Patriots would like to forget last year. From beginning with a playoff dismantling in Buffalo to a season-long offensive malaise, it just wasn’t their year. And now comes another reminder that a franchise once seen as the gold standard of the NFL has some work to do in more ways than one.
In an annual report put together by the NFLPA, assembled through anonymous polling of 1,300 current players, the New England Patriots and their home, Gillette Stadium, received surprisingly low grades on a number of services and facilities. In their report the NFLPA states its mission is to, “...highlight positive clubs, identify areas that could use improvement, and highlight best practices and standards.” Basically a survey to help teams figure out how to improve, as well as inform free agents what to expect with certain teams and their venues. With free agency beginning in less than two weeks the Pats seem to have more than just scouting and number crunching to do to impress some potential players.
Overall the Patriots ranked 24 out of 32 teams in the NFL. “The player respondents’ indicated that facilities and operations at the Patriots can use a refresh.” cites the report, which one might imagine owner Robert Kraft would be none too pleased to read. Kraft, who purchased the Patriots 30 years ago, is exceedingly charitable and is known for wanting everything to be first class. Given his profile and the team’s decades-plus success he’s viewed as one of the premier and most influential owners in all American sports. Which is why a statement like, “...only 64% of players believe club owner Robert Kraft is willing to spend the money necessary for upgrades, ranking him 26th in this category” may come as a shock to many.
The only A grade the Patriots received was for their Training Staff, “The players feel that their trainers significantly add to their individual success.” Though the weight room received the lowest grade, a D, of any facility, service or operation. Right behind that with a D+, surprisingly, was team travel. The Patriots were the first team to have not one but two private planes to take them to and from away games. The report states just over half the team feels they have enough room to spread out…a common complaint for domestic air travelers for sure.
If this survey were composed solely on comments from visiting teams then the grades could be chalked up to Belichickian operations, the coach famously wanting to gain any competitive advantage possible. We needn’t go down the SpyGate and headset and stolen playsheet wormholes now. But in fact these are anonymous comments from within the team. In addition to the new lighthouse, end zone lounge and stadium screens it will be interesting to see if this report spurs further adjustments to the stadium and team facilities. Gillette Stadium, completed in 202, is entering its 22nd year in operation.
The overall highest scoring team was the Minnesota Vikings, receiving multiple A and A+ grades. The lowest scoring team is the much maligned Washington Commanders, owned by the controversial Daniel Snyder, receiving multiple F- grades.
