Kraft's the man

Sports Illustrated has ranked New England Patriots owner #1 of all the 32 NFL owners.

It is hard to argue against that point now (3 rings in the last 5 years), but it would have been even tougher to find anyone who thought that in 1997. After his Patriots lost Super Bowl XXXI to Green Bay many blamed Kraft's refusal to give total control of the team to coaching legend Bill Parcells. Parcells (who was portrayed as a distracted coach, making dozens of calls to the New York Jets during Super Bowl week, in the book Patriot Reign) ended up leaving for the Jets after the Super Bowl. Kraft then faked a move to Hartford in an effort to strong arm Massachusetts politicians into helping finance a stadium. When the politicians called his bluff he pulled out of Hartford, alienating the state and leaving them for the Giants and Jets, Kraft finally announced he was building a new stadium in Foxboro.

Before long the stadium was under construction and Kraft organized a move to bring in Bill Belichick, who drafted Tom Brady in the 6th round and has helped to produce winners of Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX.