Robert Kraft Not Pleased With Patriots’ Playoff Skid

It's going to take more than a masseuse in a strip mall to please Robert Kraft. The owner of the Patriots spent Tuesday morning releasing his frustrations regarding his team's lackluster performance the last few years, but also sharing his hope for a climactic return to glory in the near future.

Kraft's Patriots last won a postseason game in 2019, when they won their last Super Bowl with Tom Brady. And the longtime owner is all too aware of the dry spell.

"I'm a Patriot fan, big time, first," Kraft told reporters at the NFL's owner's meetings. "More than anything, it bothers me that we haven't been able to win a playoff game in the last three years."

New England hasn't bottomed out completely. Though they haven't won a playoff game in a few years, they've managed to remain competitive. In two of three seasons, they managed to reach the playoffs. They just weren't able to finish the job. On both occasions, they lost in the Wild Card round.

"After my family, there's nothing more important to me than the New England Patriots and winning football games. That's my passion, so whatever I can do -- hopefully in a small way to make that happen -- I'm there," said Kraft.

Though he has owned the team for nearly three decades, Kraft, 80, isn't quite ready to wipe away the memories of yesterday. He remembers all the good times they had together and hopes to return to that happy place again soon.

"I think we had a period of two decades that were unbelievable with a salary cap. We have to find a way to sustain it and keep it going."

Just don't expect Kraft and the Patriots, who have been quiet during free agency, to buy their way to the sweet spot.

"Remember, we have a salary cap, so there's only so much we can do in that area," added Kraft. "I do think we have an opportunity to pick people up, right along the way, right down to the final cuts. That's, to me, when free agency is over."

Not that the free agent market is the only way to improve the team, he noted.

"I look forward to hopefully having a great draft this year," said Kraft. "That's the only way you can build your team for long term consistently, that you have a chance of winning, is having a good draft."

He's not wrong. Hitting on your draft picks often leads to a happy ending.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF