Emails were pouring in on the computer screen beside owner Robert Kraft. It was two days before a flight carrying his New England Patriots would leave for Santa Clara, Calif., nine days before the franchise plays in a league-high 12th Super Bowl.
There was a hum at Gillette Stadium, the kind that used to be commonplace here. Coaches were putting together a game plan for the biggest game of the season. Players were finalizing travel plans for family and friends.
The Patriots were in the Super Bowl only seven years ago, but so much has changed since then. There are no players remaining from that team. The roster is hugely different from even a season ago. This new coaching staff, led by Mike Vrabel, has no ties — besides offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — to the previous ones. For everyone but McDaniels and defensive tackle Milton Williams, who signed with the team last spring following a Super Bowl title with the Philadelphia Eagles, this is a new experience.
“It’s cool for me to see these guys so excited,” Kraft, 84, who has six Super Bowl victories to his name, said from behind his desk.