Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

All good things must come to an end. So must all great things, which Patriots fans will someday learn the hard way.

In the case of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the dynamic duo responsible for three Super Bowl wins and five Super Bowl appearances, no one knows exactly when the thrilling ride will pull into the station for everyone to hop off. Perhaps the duo itself doesn’t even know when the incredible journey will cease to exist — and if either does, he’s doing very little to tip his hand.

This unavoidable ignorance on our part, however, does nothing to stop the fact that Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization will someday be looking for the next Belichick and Brady, no matter how unsavory or impossible that situation sounds.

Belichick and Brady both kicked off their Patriots careers back in 2000. Their arrivals are well-documented, with Belichick arriving via a shocking trade with the Jets, and Brady amazingly falling into the Patriots’ laps in Round 6 of the NFL draft. Two years later, the pair had already accomplished something that no other coach-quarterback duo in Patriots history had: win a Super Bowl.

Neither was satisfied, though, and knowing what we know now, we shouldn’t expect either one to ever be satisfied. Neither Belichick nor Brady has anything left to prove, yet here we are in Year 13, with the Patriots once again vying for a spot in the big game — a common destination throughout the tandem’s tenure. Not only that, but the Pats are approaching the situation as if they’re still in search of ring No. 1, and that mindset starts at the top.

Even though Patriots fans must appreciate the Belichick-Brady era while it lasts, speculation about the duo’s expiration date will only grow each season going forward. It could be one year from now, three years, five years or even longer, but the simple fact is that we’re closer to the end than we are to the beginning. It’s hard to imagine given the results still being achieved, but age can creep up in a heartbeat.

There’s no telling if both Brady and Belichick will ride off into the sunset together, although it only seems fitting, but finding suitable replacements could prove problematic. Transitioning from coach to coach or quarterback to quarterback is always difficult, and doing both at the same time is extra painstaking. Simultaneously replacing two first-ballot Hall of Famers, meanwhile, is a once-in-a-generation predicament, and it’s even harder when you have absolutely no idea when that situation is coming.

Now, given the professionalism of both Belichick and Brady, it wouldn’t be surprising to see each give Kraft and Co. an indication of when retirement could be knocking. But no such indication has been given yet, at least to everyone’s knowledge, and Brady has stressed that he’d like to play until he’s 40. That would mean five more seasons of Tom Terrific, and judging by Brady’s high quality of play, perhaps five more years are in the cards. It’ll be interesting to see if he follows through, and if Belichick comes along for the ride each season.

The idea of five more seasons with Belichick and Brady leading the charge in New England is enticing, as it essentially means five more cracks at the Super Bowl before a hiccup or two is to be expected. However, it also leaves some question as to when the Patriots should begin grooming the duo’s successors, as doing so is pivotal to avoiding a total setback.

Looking at the Patriots right now, it’d be easy to tab offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as Belichick’s successor and Ryan Mallett as New England’s quarterback of the future. But if both Belichick and Brady are going to stick around a few more years — perhaps five — it’d be surprising to see McDaniels and Mallett sliding into those roles.

McDaniels is thought to be drawing interest from teams looking to hire a new head coach, and he has stated that he’s staying in New England. The writing on the wall suggests that there could be some organizational understanding that he’ll be the guy in charge once Belichick is ready to hang up the clipboard, but if Belichick sticks around for another three, four, five years, is McDaniels really going to want to sit by idly as head coaching opportunities come and go?

A similar problem exists for Mallett, who many people assumed would learn a great deal under the tutelage of Brady. Sure, the potential is there, and you could do worse than handing the offensive keys over to Mallett, but the Arkansas product will turn 25 before next season. It’s hard to envision him continuing to stick around in New England in a backup role, especially as teams seek a quarterback and his trade value rises.

What does this all mean? Well, the Patriots are obviously in a good spot with Belichick and Brady still in the mix for the foreseeable future. And if Belichick and/or Brady were to suddenly decide they’re tired of being great, the Patriots could probably survive rather than completely sink. The problem is that each season Belichick and Brady stay in New England, the more difficult it’ll become to retain the two guys who, at least temporarily, seemed like logical successors.

This in no way means the Patriots would be better off with Belichick and/or Brady retiring — anyone stating such should be fit for a straightjacket. What it does mean, though, is that the eventual replacements might not be in the organization as of right now.

So Pats fans, enjoy every last second of the current ride. It’ll be easy in the coming years to start thinking about where the team should turn once Belichick and Brady retire, but doing so will only make you regret not drinking in the greatness while it lasted.

As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Robert Kraft is not only well respected within his own organization. He’s considered by many to be one of the most influential owners in all of football.

At no point in NFL history was Kraft’s impact on the league more apparent than during and immediately following the 2011 NFL lockout. Despite spending his days alongside his ailing wife, Myra, Kraft still found time to be a key player in the painstaking labor negotiations.

Kraft’s involvement in getting a deal done and helping to ensure the NFL didn’t miss any games as a result of the labor dispute didn’t go unnoticed, either. Many of those associated with the negotiations or who followed the negotiations were quick to point out Kraft’s major rule, in some cases labeling him the man most responsible for saving the season.

When Jeff Saturday, a Pro Bowl center and member of the NFLPA Executive Committee, embraced Kraft at a news conference to announce that a deal had been struck, it was clear that Kraft was more than just a driving force at the bargaining table.

He was football’s savior.

To steal a phrase from the 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused, behind every great man, there is a woman. And when it comes to the success of Robert Kraft, his wife, Myra Kraft, was there contributing to the greater good of society.

That’s what made Myra’s death in July of 2011 so upsetting. Myra, who died of cancer at age 68, was the backbone of the Kraft family, making a name for herself in charitable circles, not just because of the amount of money given, but also because of the amount of time she put toward helping out worthwhile causes.

Myra would spent countless hours trying to help out charities in any way she could, because as she put it, that was what she viewed her occupation to be. In other words, rather than sit around as the wife of a rich businessman who happened to be the owner of the New England Patriots, Myra used the family’s stature to carry out good deeds and to touch the lives of many — all the way up until her death.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would say a bad thing about Myra Kraft. She may not have been involved in football decisions, and her charitable endeavors may have seemed like a footnote in the Kraft’s operation of the Patriots, but looking back, it’s obvious the world lost a special person in July of 2011.

Now and forever, though, Myra Kraft will forever be held in high regard. A Patriot. A good Samaritan. An angel.

Click here to learn more about Myra Kraft and the Patriots’ remembrance of her >>

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Cold. Wet. Snowy. The night just screamed, “football.”

The evening in question is Jan. 19, 2002. Location: Foxboro Stadium.

The Patriots, led by a young whippersnapper by the name of Tom Brady, hosted Pro Bowl quarterback Rich Gannon and the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional round showdown. The Pats entered the contest on the heels of a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season, but there was still a great deal of curiosity about how Brady would fare in his first postseason as a starting quarterback.

The one thing that appeared to be working in New England’s favor was the weather, although Oakland’s experience had the potential to outweigh the unsavory conditions. In fact, it looked like the Raiders’ veteran poise would ultimately reign supreme, until one call helped change everything.

NESN.com caught up with some of those who closely followed the famous “Tuck Rule Game.” Check out the slideshow above to hear all about how one game changed the course of NFL history.

Trust.

It’s a word that’s been muttered in Foxboro countless times over the years. Trust in Robert Kraft. Trust in Bill Belichick. Trust in teammates. Trust in yourself.

Perhaps no sequence of events in Patriots history heightened the trust that is at the foundation of the franchise more than what happened in the fourth quarter of Week 2 of the 2001 season. That’s when Drew Bledsoe was knocked from the game following a brutal hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, and that’s when Belichick was forced to make what ultimately proved to be the best decision in franchise history.

Belichick tabbed Tom Brady to take over for Bledsoe, who had suffered a vicious injury as a result of Lewis’ blow. Brady, now a future Hall of Famer with three Super Bowl rings, was an unproven, second-year signal caller at the time. A year prior, the former sixth-round pick out of Michigan found himself jockeying for position on the depth chart alongside the likes of Michael Bishop and John Friesz. But at that moment in ’01, he was thrust into action ahead of fellow backup Damon Huard in what proved to be a franchise-altering move.

At the time, Brady’s teammates, like second-year linebacker Matt Chatham, were unsure of what to expect. Chatham, who still has a great deal of respect for both Bledsoe and Brady, said that Brady had performed well in practice. Ultimately, however, it was the team’s trust in Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff to make the right decision that kept everyone focused on the task at hand.

NESN.com’s Ricky Doyle recently caught up with Chatham to discuss that now-famous play involving Bledsoe and the subsequent decision to go with Brady. The two also discussed New England’s improbable Super Bowl run that season, which Chatham said was the product of an amazing group of guys pulling together.

Check out the podcast below to relive the first of three Patriots Super Bowl wins.

Let’s be clear, no one is going to mistake Bill Parcells‘ tenure in New England for Bill Belichick‘s. Four seasons — two losing — without a Super Bowl ring doesn’t quite have the same allure as 13 seasons — 12 winning — with three Super Bowl rings.

Yet, in looking back on Parcells’ days with the Patriots, it’s hard to be overly critical. In fact, Parcells’ reign went a long way toward kick-starting the winning culture that soon became New England’s trademark.

When Parcells took over in New England prior to the 1993 season, the Patriots were a sputtering franchise, to say the least. They had gone 14-50 over the previous four seasons, which included a 1-15 1990 campaign and a 2-14 finish in 1992. Winning wasn’t as much on Patriots fans’ minds as it was a laughable concept reserved for fools and ultimate optimists.

But with Parcells’ arrival — and the first overall pick in the 1993 draft — came a great deal of hope. The Big Tuna hadn’t roamed the sidelines since winning Super Bowl XXV with the Giants, but he was a proven coach with a far better professional track record than Rod Rust or Dick MacPherson. Surely, if there was anyone who could make winning an option, or even a reality, it was Parcells.

It took Parcells a year, but after a 5-11 finish in his first season, he guided the Pats to a 10-6 finish and their first playoff berth in eight years in 1994, showing that winning could be more than just a pipe dream in New England. The Patriots took a step backward in 1995, finishing 6-10, but Parcells got them back on the right path in 1996, leading them to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

But aside from just bringing a winning attitude to Foxboro, it was the parts that Parcells helped put in place that truly reflected a change. (After all, all of the rah-rah stuff can only work for so long, especially at the professional level.)

Parcells essentially served as the team’s general manager during his four years, and he had a great deal of power over the team’s personnel decisions. And while it was actually a power struggle over personnel decisions that ultimately led to Parcells’ resignation following the 1996 season, he proved before his departure that his football acumen extended beyond X’s and O’s and being a motivator. Many of his acquisitions would go on to play a role not only on his teams, but also on Belichick’s championship squads.

Parcells’ most famous draft pick was also his first in New England. The longtime coach scooped up Drew Bledsoe with the first overall pick in 1993, and watched as he evolved into a Pro Bowl quarterback. But in addition to Bledsoe, Parcells’ tenure also saw the Patriots draft Chris Slade (1993, second round), Troy Brown (1993, eighth round), Willie McGinest (1994, first round), Ty Law (1995, first round), Ted Johnson (1995, second round), Curtis Martin (1995, third round), Terry Glenn (1996, first round), Lawyer Milloy (1996, second round) and Tedy Bruschi (1996, third round). The team also signed future Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri as an undrafted free agent in 1996.

Clearly, there are some worthwhile names on that list, and ones that are held in high regard around Patriot Place these days. Parcells’ most important product, however, donned a headset rather an a helmet.

Belichick began working under Parcells in the Giants organization in 1979, when Parcells was New York’s defensive coordinator and Belichick was a defensive assistant. They would work together until Parcells’ first retirement 1990, at which point Belichick became head coach of the Cleveland Browns. The separation was only temporary, though, as Belichick joined Parcells’ staff in New England in 1996, and then went with him to the Jets as an assistant following Parcells’ 1996 resignation — even playing a role in helping to get Parcells to the Meadowlands.

Belichick had agreed to take the Jets’ head coaching position before the 1997 season, with Parcells accepting an advisory role in an effort to beat the system — since Parcells technically had contractual commitments to the Patriots. The move didn’t go exactly according to plan, but it would have been easy for Robert Kraft and the Patriots to completely write off Belichick all together. Instead, they saw something during his brief 1996 stint in New England that made them look toward him upon firing Pete Carroll after the 1999 season.

“[Kraft] remembered how as Belichick was leaving the Patriots, he not only spoke to him about the personnel on the team but how thorough he was in his presentation. That was his guy, and it was the right time,” Gary Myers wrote in his 2012 book, Coaching Confidential: Inside the Fraternity of NFL Coaches.

Would this have happened without Parcells? Perhaps. Belichick’s talent is undeniable, and he in many ways differs from Parcells. But Parcells was the guy who helped give Kraft his first real glimpse of Belichick, which obviously culminated in a pure infatuation.

There’s also some change that might have been instilled in Kraft through dealing with Parcells. Parcells had plenty of power in New England, but he wanted complete control over the team’s personnel decisions, something he reportedly didn’t have when the Pats selected Glenn in the first round in 1996. From the power struggle came Parcells’ famous quote.

“They want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries,” Parcells said.

Nowadays, there’s little doubt that Belichick does most — if not all — of the Patriots’ shopping. And sure, Belichick has made a few lackluster personnel decisions along the way, but three Super Bowl rings and five Super Bowl appearances say that he’s doing something right.

There’s surely a little bit of Parcells inside Belichick. We might not realize it on a day-to-day basis, as Belichick has since established his own persona — the Belichickean Way, if you will — but the duo’s longstanding relationship, to at least some extent, helped Belichick develop into one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.

That’s reason enough to throw The Big Tuna a little praise every now and then.

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Bill Belichick brought a 36-44 career head coaching record, a hefty price tag and a whole lot of unpredictability when he was hired as the Patriots’ head coach in 2000. Let’s just say things have worked out OK.

Amid the Patriots’ success over the past 12 years, which includes three Super Bowl wins and five Super Bowl appearances, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the man sailing New England’s ship almost joined the division rival Jets before owner Robert Kraft made a bold, yet wise decision. Belichick was slated to become the Jets’ head coach in 2000 after Bill Parcells stepped down in the Meadowlands, but he shocked everyone by resigning on the spot during a news conference to introduce him as New York’s new head man.

The rest is history, as the Patriots obviously turned around and hired their former assistant coach, which paved the way for New England’s subsequent dominance. But it wasn’t without controversy.

The Jets, obviously upset with being snubbed, insisted that Belichick was still under contract with the team, and thus demanded compensation. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed, and the Patriots and Jets were forced to enter into negotiations. The Pats ultimately paid a big price (at the time), but the Jets paid a bigger price in the long run by not being able to secure Belichick as Parcells’ successor.

It took more than three weeks of negotiations, but the Patriots and Jets finally agreed on compensation, with a first-round draft pick from New England being the centerpiece of the deal. The other pieces headed to the Jets included a 2001 fourth-round pick and a 2001 seventh-round pick. The Pats, meanwhile, received a 2001 fifth-round pick and a 2002 seventh-round pick addition to their new head coach.

So how did this play out? We all know what happened when it came to each team’s success, but while it’s tough to track draft picks, given the rapid pace at which they’re dealt in the NFL, we wanted to take a look at what exactly the exchanged draft picks turned into.

First, the big one. The 2001 first rounder that the Patriots sent to the Jets was seen as crazy by some at the time, especially since Belichick was hardly a proven head coach. Kraft may have said it best at the time, though, and his words are even truer in hindsight.

“For a No. 1 draft choice, we can bring in a man that I feel certain can do something, rather than the uncertainty of a draft choice,” Kraft said after hiring Belichick. “And it wasn’t even close when I thought about it that way.”

The first-round pick the Jets received ended up evolving into a nice pick, although it hardly compares to the impact Belichick has had in New England. The pick turned out to be the 16th-overall selection in the 2000 draft. The Jets shipped that pick and a second-round pick (48th overall) to the 49ers in exchange for their 12th overall pick. As a result, the Jets ended up with defensive tackle Shaun Ellis, while the Niners ended up with linebacker Julian Peterson and cornerback Jason Webster.

Ellis and Peterson would both go on to be Pro Bowlers, while Webster bounced around a little bit — even logging three games with the Pats in 2008. Ellis was a two-time Pro Bowler who recorded double-digit sack totals in 2003 and 2004. He last played in the league — ironically, with the Patriots — in 2011 but hasn’t caught on with a team since. Peterson became a five-time Pro Bowler — two with San Francisco and three with Seattle.

As for the other picks the Jets received from the Patriots as part of that now-famous Belichick trade, New York selected cornerback Jamie Henderson in the fourth round of 2001 with the 101st overall pick, and then selected defensive tackle James Reed in the seventh round of 2001 with the 206th overall pick. Henderson spent three seasons with the Jets before a motorcycle accident in April of 2004 derailed his career. Reed stuck around in New York for five seasons and then spent two seasons in Kansas City, playing his last game in 2007.

How about the Patriots? We all know the prize they netted, but they also received those draft picks, which is something Belichick likes to have at his disposal. The history of those picks is a little bit more difficult to track, as you’d expect, but it’s still fun to take a look.

The 2001 fifth-round pick the Patriots received turned out to be No. 149 overall. The Pats actually traded the pick, which was used to select quarterback Mike Mahon, to the Lions in exchange for a 2001 sixth-round pick and a 2001 seventh-round pick. The Patriots used the sixth-round pick (No. 180 overall) to select tight end Arthur Love, and then used the seventh-round pick (No. 216 overall) to select kicker Owen Pochman.

Don’t remember Love or Pochman? That’s because neither player ever suited up in a game for the Pats.

The 2002 seventh-round pick is even more tough to track, although the story features a name a little bit more meaningful to Patriots fans. The Patriots traded the pick, which turned out to be No. 234 overall and was used to select defensive end Greg Scott, along with a 2002 first-round pick (No. 32, Patrick Ramsey) and a 2002 third-round pick ( No. 96, Dorsett Davis) to the Redskins in exchange for a 2002 first-round pick. The Patriots used that first-round pick, which was the 21st overall selection, to nab tight end Daniel Graham.

Now, obviously, when looking back, one can’t say that Graham was part of the Belichick trade, as the Patriots parted ways with other parts — including their own first-round pick in that 2002 draft — to land the Colorado product. But it’s interesting to see what picks — or more appropriately, the trading of picks — can eventually turn into. Graham went on to spend five seasons in New England, although he never quite lived up to expectations.

So as we look back on the trade that brought Belichick to New England, it’s easy to come to one simple conclusion. The Patriots did all right for themselves — just as Kraft envisioned.

Have a look at the infographic below for an easier glimpse at the trade’s parts. Then, check out the video above to see what Patriots fans think of the Belichick deal these days.

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Maybe Prince should have specified who exactly should party like it’s 1999.

While the platinum recording artist — who released his hit song “1999″ in 1982 — had no idea what exactly would transpire 17 years later, during the 365 days of Y2K bedlam, 1999 still marks a time period that evokes plenty of emotions in New Englanders. And those emotions fall all over the spectrum, ranging from pure elation to unforgivable displeasure.

That was the year in which Patriots owner Robert Kraft reached an agreement with then-Connecticut governor John Rowland on a deal that would have moved the Pats to Hartford. However, Kraft backed out of the deal at the last minute after it became clear that the $380 million proposed stadium would not be built on the Hartford waterfront by 2002. The Patriots instead opted to stay in Foxboro after Massachusetts legislators finally offered Kraft a $70 million subsidy to build a new stadium next to the old Foxboro Stadium.

It was a time of shock, happiness, relief, anger, disappointment; the list goes on. It all pretty much depended upon where exactly in New England you were carrying out a conversation. Many Hartford natives felt betrayed, as Kraft seemingly pulled out of a very enticing deal at the last minute to take a deal that would require him to heavily finance his own stadium. Many in Massachusetts, meanwhile, felt as though they had dodged a bullet by not losing the NFL franchise that had called the state home since it was established in 1959.

“It’s now official. I am a New York Jets fan, now and probably forever,” Gov. Rowland famously said at a news conference in Hartford after Kraft’s Patriots pulled out of the deal.

It’s a declaration that Rowland probably wasn’t alone in, either — although he later stated he was never really angry.

Rowland’s plan to bring the Patriots to Hartford was about more than just football, though. It was about boosting the city’s struggling economy by way of a $1 billion waterfront revitalization project that just so happened to have the Patriots as its centerpiece.

Kraft’s initial agreement to move the Patriots to Hartford couldn’t have come at a better time, either. The city’s previous professional franchise, the NHL’s Hartford Whalers, had just bolted for Carolina following the 1996-97 season, leaving many local sports fans disgruntled. The Pats not only would have lessened the blow of losing the Whalers, and likely contributed toward stabilizing the economy. They may have even made the market more desirable for other professional sports franchises going forward.

Instead, we’re left not only wondering if Hartford will ever see a professional sports franchise again, but also whether Rowland may have jumped the gun in looking ahead toward a potential Patriots deal. Sure, the Whalers struggled to garner the necessary support throughout their final years in Connecticut, which led to speculation that they would soon leave, but there was a point at which Whalers owner Peter Karmanos and the team’s fans seemed to be optimistic that something could get done that would allow the franchise to stay put.

As an article published by the Hartford Courant in December of 1998 points out, Kraft had told Gov. Rowland in a Boston restaurant in March of 1997 that the Whalers “would be crazy” not to accept Connecticut’s offer to stay. It might’ve been easy to chalk up Kraft’s apparent support as a throwaway comment at the time, but as the article suggests, it may have also planted the seed for the proposal to build a spendy stadium for the Patriots.

Now, whether or not that’s the case, one can’t help but wonder whether Rowland’s obsession with the Patriots lessened his desire to secure the Whalers. Karmanos, who still owns the now-Hurricanes franchise, certainly had questions, and he reportedly scrutinized Rowland for liking football more than hockey.

As we look back more than a decade later, it’s tough to figure out who to believe. Did Kraft and the Patriots ever really have intentions of moving to Hartford? Did Karmanos and the Whalers ever consider staying beyond 1997? If the answer to the latter question is, “yes,” then perhaps Rowland’s aggressive pursuit of the Patriots was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Hartford Whalers.

Either way, it’s clear Hartford never gained the sports landscape it was hoping for in the late-90s. And while three Super Bowl rings for the team from New England might still hold some weight in those parts, a party is always better when it’s hosted in your own backyard.

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Fan first. Owner second.

That’s how one could reasonably describe Robert Kraft, who owned Patriots season tickets since 1971 before eventually becoming much more involved with the team financially. Kraft’s fandom dates back to the Pats’ days playing in the AFL, in fact, so it’s obvious why he would want to further immerse himself in the organization upon obtaining his fortunes.

Still, Kraft’s purchase of the (at-the-time struggling) franchise required a huge leap of faith by the Brookline, Mass., native.

The key to being a good business owner often is the ability to separate business and pleasure. While one must be passionate about his endeavors, he must also possess the ability to make key decisions — decisions usually based on one’s head and not his heart. Consider Spike TV’s hit show Bar Rescue.

Bar Rescue involves Jon Taffer, a longtime food and beverage industry consultant, arriving at struggling bars and restaurants, analyzing their flaws and then whipping them into shape. Many times on the show, the reason for the establishments’ unsavory situation is the owner’s inability to adapt to change or make difficult decisions, and the reluctance often stems from the owner thinking with his heart rather than with his head. Kraft has shown an ability to think with both throughout his tenure as owner of the Patriots, though, and they’ve become a better organization because of it.

Kraft’s business acumen is the biggest reason the Pats are the second most valuable NFL franchise, behind only the Dallas Cowboys, according to Forbes, but his purchase showed that he was willing to roll up the sleeves rather than sit idly by as his favorite team lingered in mediocrity amid an uncertain future.

Kraft, an intelligent fellow who earned degrees from both Columbia University and Harvard, began his professional career with a Worcester-based packaging company called the Rand-Whitney Group. The group was owned by his father-in-law, and Kraft still serves as the company’s chairman and CEO. Kraft later founded International Forest Products, a physical paper commodity trader, in 1972, and he made his first splash in the entertainment industry by helping a minority business group purchase what is now the NBC-affiliated Boston station WHDH-TV. Kraft would go on to buy several Boston radio stations, and The Kraft Group, which was founded in 1998 and includes privately held companies across various industries, would go on to make him an annual fixture on Forbes’ list of 400 richest Americans.

That is all fine and good. Kraft’s business undertakings stretch wide and far, and he’s certainly well-off because of it. But in a society in which sports so often dominate the headlines, it’s the purchase of the Patriots that identifies Kraft as a businessman. And at the time of the purchase, some might even say he acted a bit crazily.

Kraft first dipped his toes in the Patriots’ ownership waters in 1985 by purchasing an option on the parcel adjacent to Foxboro Stadium, which at the time was still called Sullivan Stadium. He then stepped his game up a few years later, purchasing the stadium out of bankruptcy for $25 million from former Patriots owner Billy Sullivan. Sullivan went on to sell the Patriots to Victor Kiam in 1998, but perhaps we should have seen Kraft’s eventual ownership coming.

In 1992, the Patriots changed hands again, with Kiam selling the franchise to James Orthwein, leading to speculation that the St. Louis businessman may opt to relocate. Kraft refused to accept a $75 million buyout of the club’s lease at Foxboro Stadium, though, and he instead opted to turn around and offer a then-record $175 million for the outright purchase of the New England franchise.

In today’s NFL, such a proposal might not be seen as anything groundbreaking. However, the Patriots, who were still without a Super Bowl title at the time, were one of the league’s least valuable franchises. Home games were hardly the sold-out affairs that they’ve since become on Kraft’s watch, and there were questions about the team’s long-term future.

Yet, there was Kraft, clearly willing to not only roll the dice on a business transaction, but also willing to roll the dice on his team.

Many Patriots fans had begun to realize that the team likely wouldn’t be staying put in New England, which made the 1993 season finale seem like a send-off of sorts. But following a dramatic victory over the Dolphins, Pats fans stuck around, which may have been what ultimately put Kraft, a prospective owner, over the top when it came to trying to reel in the team.

“He turned to his son Jonathan and said, ‘There’s no way we’re not winning this,’ ” Peter King wrote in a 2012 Sports Illustrated article.

Did Kraft’s decision to spend a record amount on one of the least valuable franchises in the league make sense? Nope. Was it a good business move? Well, it certainly didn’t seem like such at the time.

However, Kraft thought with his heart instead of his head, and while that’s so often not the best way to do business, there are other instances when such a move pay off. (Case in point.)

“I’ve been around Mr. Kraft a lot when he’s got all these spreadsheets and data in front of him,” quarterback Tom Brady told Sports Illustrated. “But it’s his instincts that he really trusts. He goes with his gut. And look at his track record — he’s always right.”

Sometimes, when you take a leap of faith, you fall flat on your face. In Kraft’s case, he survived the impact of purchasing the Patriots, and he’s helped morph the franchise into a juggernaut ever since.

No spreadsheet could have seen that coming.