What’s it like playing for the New England Patriots? Not great Bob!
The NFLPA released it’s annual survey ranking what it’s like to play for each NFL team and the results were not kind to the Patriots. The Patriots came in 29th out of 32 teams, one yer after ranking 24th.
Here are the individual categories, grades, and where they rated as compared to the rest of the league.
Food/Cafeteria: B- (15th)
Nutritionist/Dietician: B- (20th)
Locker Room: C- (20th)
Training Room: C (22nd)
Team Travel: D (24th)
Training Staff: B- (25th)
Head Coach: B- (27th)
Ownership: D+ (27th)
Treatment of Families: F- (30th)
Strength Coaches: C- (31st)
Weight Room: F (32nd)
The survey concluded the following..
The results point to club management that has not been keeping up with changing times; as in most categories, the player responses highlight outdated facilities and stale services.
The number one issue for the players is the weight room. It ranks last both in quality of equipment as well as size. The Patriots are the only team in the NFL with a majority of players feeling that their team’s facility is worse than places they could train offsite. In the training room, respondents feel the treatment options are not cutting edge and they lack both equipment and staffing that are offered elsewhere as standard.
The players feel the facility has needed significant renovations for a while now, which explains the low grade for club owner Robert Kraft on the question about players having confidence he will invest in their facilities.
Perhaps most notable among the grades were the D+ for owner Robert Kraft ranking 27th overall. The grade as due to Kraft’s perceived lack of willingness to invest in team facilities.
The F grade for the weight room ranked dead last in the league. According to the survey…
- The players feel the quality of their weight room equipment is below average (32nd overall)
- The players feel like they do not have enough space in the weight room (32nd overall)
- The Patriots are the only team in the NFL with a majority of players feeling that their team’s facility is worse than places they could train offsite
The organization also got an “F-” for its treatment of families. According to the survey…
- They are one of 12 teams that do not provide a family room during games
- They are one of seven teams that do not provide daycare support for players’ children on gameday
- They are one of only four teams that do not offer either a family room or daycare
Bill Belichick received a B- grade which isn’t as good as it looks considering it still ranked only 24th overall, pretty low for the greatest coach of all time. Only 55% of players feel he was “efficient with their time” and was “rarely willing to listen to the locker room.” Both rankings placed Belichick 31st overall in that category.
The best thing about working in Foxborough….the food where Patriots ranked middle of the pack in food taste (16th) and freshness (16th.)
The survey is published each year not only as a means to show teams how they can improve their current working conditions but also as a guide to prospective free agents as they go shopping for a new home. That does not bode well for the Patriots as they try to lure fresh talent to a team that finished tied for the second worst record in the league last season.
