There is going to be a meeting between Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady after the season to "clear the air and get through a lot of this tension they've had to deal with this season," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. There is "tension from the Jimmy Garappolo trade and who wanted what, to Tom Brady's trainer and all of these issues they've battled through this year." Many of the issues were brought up in an ESPN.com story posted earlier this month. Kraft, Belichick and Brady are expected to continue working together "past this season," and it is "really on these guys to come together after the season, figure it out, and move forward" ("NFL GameDay Morning," NFL Network, 1/13). Kraft appeared on Boston's WBZ-CBS prior to Saturday's AFC divisional round game against the Titans and said, "When you have something good going, there’s always tension. If you have good people, there’s a lot of dynamic things going on. There is nothing that much out of the ordinary." In Boston, Steve Buckley wrote the "good times Saturday night don’t destroy the narrative that Kraft, Belichick and Brady have ... issues," as the 35-14 win "merely puts the narrative on hold." However, one thing that has been learned after 18 years of the Kraft-Belichick-Brady triumvirate working together is there has "yet to be an off-the-field distraction that can afford a ticket to get inside Gillette Stadium on Game Day" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/15). CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask said, "You don't have the sustained success ... unless you know how to run a business, and they do it spectacularly" ("That Other Pregame Show," CBSSN, 1/14).
