The first day of the NFL Annual Meeting down in Phoenix, Ariz. was full of Wes Welker talk for Patriots owner Robert Kraft, but that wasn’t the only subject he covered.
Once the Welker inquisition was over, the questions turned to some of the NFL’s proposed rule changes and Kraft got to reflect on what may be his favorite NFL rule: the tuck rule.
“To be honest, prior to the snow game, I never knew what the tuck rule was,” Kraft said, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston. “I love the tuck rule and forever will.”
The rule helped the Patriots defeat the Oakland Raiders in their 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff Game and is a high point in Kraft’s tenure as owner of the team, but it could soon be abolished.
The 32 NFL owners will take a vote on new league initiatives and rule changes during the meetings this week, and the tuck rule is among those on the docket. One owner who Kraft said would be in favor of the change is late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.
“I know Al Davis, may he rest in peace, is probably smiling,” Kraft added. “But, you know, we followed the rules.”
When asked if he might vote on changing the rule himself, though, Kraft said he might sit this one out.
“I might have to abstain on that emotionally. That’s a hard one. I have a great bond with the tuck rule.”
A Super Bowl makes for a pretty strong bond and, as they say, some bonds are just too strong to be broken.
