A HOPEFUL CITY AND A CANADIAN CONNECTION.
Owner has strong family, business ties
HOUSTON • Hate the New England Patriots? Blame Canada.
Owner Robert Kraft told Postmedia at Super Bowl LI media night that not only was his mother Canadian, he started his US$3.5-billion business empire in Canada.
Twenty-two years later, in 1994, he had the money to buy the Patriots.
While t alking up t he merits of Toronto as a potential future NFL market, Kraft reflected on his personal ties to Canada.
“I have Canadian ( in me). I would love us to have a team in Canada one day,” said the 75- year- old, who was raised in Boston’s Chinatown district by his Orthodox Jewish parents.
Kraft’s father was a dress manufacturer.
“My mom is from Nova Scotia — Halifax,” he said. “And I started my business up in Newfoundland.”
That business, International Forest Products, trades paper and packaging products. The small town in Newfoundland he referenced is Stephenville, on the west coast of Newfoundland — once a thriving hub in Eastern Canada’s forestry industry.
“I started going up there and developed an i nternational business that allowed me to buy the Patriots,” Kraft said.
Indeed, International Forest Products now is just one element of The Kraft Group, a holding company that does business on four continents. Forbes ranks it as the 119th largest private American company, which boasts the resources of a large global corporation in these areas: forest products distribution; paper and packaging manufacturing; sports and entertainment; real- estate development, and private equity investing.
As for Toronto’s NFL prospects, Kraft said:
“You’re definitely a ripe market, and you’d have the whole country.”
He added, without elaboration: “I think there probably will be five to seven teams changing hands over the next five to seven years.”
• Maybe in an alternate universe, Julian Edelman is still quarterbacking the CFL’s British Columbia Lions.
In the real world, the native of Redwood City, Ca., is making out OK as the leading wide receiver with the New England Patriots.
Coming out of college in 2009, Edelman declined the Lions’ offer to make him a pro QB. He had started for three years at Kent State University in Ohio. In his senior year he led the Golden Flashes both in passing ( 1,820 yards and 13 touchdowns) and rushing (1,370 yards and 13 more touchdowns).
At Monday’s Super Bowl LI media night, Edelman con- firmed that the Lions sought him as a passer, and offered him a contract.
“Yeah. Three years,” Edelman told Postmedia. How much scratch? “I don’t know. At the time I thought it was some decent stuff, but nothing worth saying. But it was a very incentive-based contract. So if you start, you got a little more money. If you led in certain categories, you got more money. One of those type things.”
Edelman, now 30, said he was “intrigued” and considered accepting the offer to go north.
“( That was) until I hired my agent,” he said.
“I just didn’t know whether I could play in the (NFL). I needed someone to say, ‘ Hey, y’know …’ ”
Although he wasn’t invited to the NFL’s scouting combine in February 2009, Edelman shone as a receiver in a private workout for the Patriots, who wound up drafting him in the seventh and final round, 232nd overall. Reports said Edelman’s signing bonus was $48,700.
Eight seasons later, Edelman is an established starting wideout who two years ago caught the winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIX. He has one more season to go on a four- year, $17-million contract.
Would he have succeeded as a CFL passer? Edelman: “I don’t know.” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Edelman would have brought plenty of attributes to the B.C. Lions’ table.
“Julian is athletic, he’s tough, he’s a hard guy to tackle,” Belichick said. “His athleticism — we’ve seen it returning punts, we’ve seen it after the catch. He does a good job of getting away from people. He’s a playmaker, he’s got a lot of poise.
“He knows how to play the game, has a good presence out there. And he’s tough, so he’s got a lot of things going for him. I’m sure he probably could have done a good job in that.”
But would his arm have been strong enough?
“Well, you know he threw that ball on that double-pass ( two years ago in the AFC playoffs) against the Ravens,” Belichick said. “I wouldn’t say he’s a pure passer, but he can throw.”
Safety Devin McCourty joined the Patriots in 2010, one year after Edelman. He has seen him throw footballs in practice all decade, thus should know as well as anyone whether the 5- foot-10, 200- pound Edelman could have made it as a pro passer. So could he have? “No, definitely,” McCourty said. “But he’d tell you he could.
“He made the right decision. He’s not good enough. He’s a better receiver. Way better receiver.”
Edelman does possess a decent arm. But decent enough? And strong enough? What’s his range?
“He probably could get it out there a little bit,” McCourty said. “But I’ ll say — ummmm — maybe 55 yards. Maybe.
“But he’s so l i tt l e he wouldn’t have been able to see over the line. He’s no Drew Brees.”