It's been a rough year for the Patriots. The NFLPA's player survey did nothing to change that. One year after being rated 24th out of the 32 teams, the Pats fell to 29th.
For those unaware of what the survey is all about, the players association commissioned it as a sort of "Free Agency Guide" that would give its members a sense of what life was like for franchises across the league. It's also being done to spur change in areas that are lacking. In 2023, they got 60% participation from players, but this year, it jumped to 77%.
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)
From the survey results:
"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club management that has not been keeping up with changing times; as in most categories, the player responses highlight outdated facilities and stale services.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 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."
The team is upgrading the weight room, which is necessary because, according to the report, "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 only one of four teams that don't offer a family room or daycare. They are also one of seven teams that "do not provide daycare support for players' children on gameday."
The Pats got a "C" for their training room, but one consensus did jump out to me: "A number of players report outdated treatment options and that the training room lacks the equipment that players feel should be standard across the league." That's a bad look when the players put their bodies on the line weekly.
Bill Belichick is still taking a beating, even though he is no longer here. Only 55% of players feel he was "efficient with their time" and was "rarely willing to listen to the locker room." Both of those categories ranked Belichick 31 out of 32.
As for the owner, he received a 6.9 out of 10 because of his "willingness to invest in the facilities." (It feels like that should have read unwillingness, but you get the point). That was 27th league-wide.
Want some good news from the survey? The cafeteria provides fresh food...