SOME HEAT OFF BRADY
shall Faulk, Aeneas Williams and Joe Greene were among the former players on the trip.
Having watched an advance clip of the show, one of the interesting elements from a New England perspective is seeing how longtime Patriots haters such as Faulk, Eric Dickerson and Jerome Bettis raise a glass to Kraft and express their gratitude.
“This is my first time meeting you. I cannot lie, I’m not a Patriots fan, never have been a Patriots fan, even before you bought the team,” Dickerson, who played for the Rams, Colts, Raiders and Falcons, said at the farewell dinner. “A lot of us walked around, and we said, ‘We’re not Patriots fans, but we’re Robert Kraft fans.”’
Kraft said Friday it was the 27th trip he’s taken to Israel, and in many ways it was the most special.
“I don’t think that country has ever had as many distinguished people visit the country together at one time, unless it was for a funeral for a prime minister or something,” Kraft said. “And to see how they were impacted and how everyone came together, whether it was Christian or Jew, that’s what the country does. It was a great treat for me to bring them and their spouses there on this trip. I came away after eight days just feeling great.”
Kraft, who sponsored the trip, said the gold jacket contingent wouldn’t soon forget the experiences of praying at the Western Wall, being baptized in the Jordan River, touring the Yad Vashem world Holocaust remembrance center, and a private meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They also signed autographs for at least 1,000 fans at the Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem.
Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippett also was on the trip, his fourth time in Israel. He said it’s hard not to become a fan of Kraft after the experience.
“Robert brings people in and opens their eyes to what’s happening in Israel, what’s happening around the world,” Tippett said. “They really get a better understanding of who he is and what he’s all about, not just the Patriots football team . . . . I think they all became fans.”
The highlight for Kraft during the trip?
“For me, it was the closing dinner and seeing players break down. It was so emotional,” he said. “We build bridges, we brought people there, and in the end, that’s what I and my family are about, and the Patriots organization. We have too much divisiveness in this country. Whatever we can do to build bridges. that’s why we brought them over. It was one of the best investments I’ve made. It makes me feel good seeing the impact it’s had on them.”
Landry backs Cutler
Dolphins fans voiced their displeasure with Jay Cutler by chanting for coach Adam Gase to insert backup Matt Moore during last week’s 16-10 win against Tennessee.
The “We want Moore!” chants were loud and clear, and some Dolphins players took exception. Receiver Jarvis Landry told reporters he was embarrassed by the behavior of the fans.
“We don’t buy into the fans of who they want to play quarterback,” he said. “If they want to change the players, we can’t buy into all that. I believe it’s disrespectful (to) a man (Cutler) who comes out and works his (butt) off.
“For people to not understand what’s really going on, or to not have even touched the field before, to say we want somebody else to be playing and don’t understand the situation or know what’s going on. They just want to be on Twitter or just want to start a damn chant. And it’s embarrassing as a player to have fans like that. It’s embarrassing. . . . He’s our quarterback. We stand by him regardless.”
Miller Odell’s agent
Odell Beckham Jr. should bring Von Miller with him to the negotiating table when he’s working out his next contract. The Broncos linebacker threw down the gauntlet in support of his close friend Beckham, who wants to be the highestpaid player in the NFL.
Miller agreed during an interview Wednesday.
“Odell should be the highest-paid player ever in the National Football League,” Miller said. “He should be the highest-paid player ever, regardless of position. That’s just the type of player he is. It doesn’t matter if it’s quarterback, offensive line, receiver. It doesn’t matter. The type of impact that he has on the globe, the type of viewers that he brings — just him as a player — that makes up for him not playing quarterback. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime player.”
Beckham won’t be playing in Sunday night’s game between the Giants and Broncos after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair the fractured ankle he suffered in last week’s loss to the Chargers. Miller, however, still believes Beckham will come back strong next season and be worth top money.
“There’s no reason that he won’t come back and be the same type of player,” Miller said. “That’s just one of the guys that you invest in. When you get a guy like that, that’s the guy that you invest in, that you want to keep around for his whole career.”