The New England Patriots enter every season with lofty expectations, but it’s been a while since they’ve entered a season this hopeful.
The high hopes are for good reason, too. The Patriots have one of their deepest, most talented rosters in quite some time, and just as importantly, they’re much healthier than they were when last season ended.
The Patriots are embracing those high expectations, a mindset that starts at the top of the organization with Robert Kraft. The longtime owner appeared Friday on ESPN and reiterated how much the Patriots want to win this season, especially considering it has been 10 years since New England last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
“Especially as the years start creeping up and you realize how delicate everything is,” Kraft said at training camp in Foxboro, Mass. “Look at last year. We thought we had a great team and then Vince (Wilfork) goes down in Week 4 and Tommy Kelly in Week 5 and Jerod Mayo in Week 6. So that solid defense. … That’s the beauty of this game. No one knows what’s going to happen.
“We want it real bad. In the end, like everything in life, it is about execution. You have to make it happen, and you also need good fortune not to have injuries and then have the ball bounce right.”
