WHAT WAS KRAFT THINKING? A day after New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft spurned a $380 million stadium offer in Connecticut for a deal in Massachusetts that will cost him millions, an obvious question remained.
What was Kraft thinking?The answer, according to local business leaders and experts, involves a mix of loyalty to his home state and fears the Connecticut deal could turn into a financial nightmare.
"It's both, no question," said Paul Kirk, who led a group of businessmen in a last-second push to keep the team in Massachusetts.
Once doubts surfaced about a 2002 deadline for a Hartford stadium opening, Kraft faced the possibility of long, costly delays on a project he didn't control, Kirk said.
But Massachusetts' $70 million plan allows Kraft to take out a loan he essentially doesn't have to pay back for construction on land he owns in his home state.
It was a matter of betting on a sure thing or taking a risk for a bigger jackpot, according to political consultant Michael Goldman.
"He wasn't willing to take the risk," Goldman said.
Kraft was not available for comment Saturday.
CARDS NAME FERGUSON MANAGER: Bob Ferguson, credited with a leading role in transforming the Arizona Cardinals from perennial losers to a playoff winner, was promoted to general manager by the NFL franchise on Saturday.
Cardinals owner and president Bill Bidwill said Ferguson "earned the right" to fill the newly created position.
"He has proven to be one of the game's most astute evaluators of college and professional talent, he is an excellent communicator, and his expertise on draft day has been undeniable," Bidwill said in a statement. "We hope his guidance will help take us where we want to go."
Ferguson will oversee football philosophy, players, coaches, pro and college scouting, the NFL draft and free agency.
In addition, Bidwill will consult with Ferguson on salary cap and player contract matters along with assistant to the president Rod Graves, who will continue as the team's primary contract negotiator.
"Obviously I'm very flattered and appreciative," Ferguson said in a telephone interview from the Cardinals' headquarters in Tempe. "But I've been around the block a number of years and worked my way up the hard way. I'm ready for it."
Ferguson, 48, is a 22-year veteran of various NFL positions. He joined the Cardinals as vice president for player personnel in February 1996, following three seasons as player personnel director for the Denver Broncos. Before that, he was in management positions with the Buffalo Bills for eight seasons.
Ferguson was a leading voice in the Cardinals' decision to draft quarterback Jake Plummer in the second round in 1997.
BURLSWORTH MEMORIAL: On the day he was supposed to be picking out wedding rings with his fiancee, Brandon Burlsworth was buried in Harrison, Ark.
A third-round draft choice last month, he was supposed to be getting ready to play for the Indianapolis Colts, blocking for Peyton Manning and opening holes for running backs.
Burlsworth, 22, was killed in a traffic accident last Wednesday as the 6-foot-3, 318-pound lineman drove from working out at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to his home in Harrison, a city of about 11,000.
More than 1,000 mourners gathered Saturday at the Harrison High School auditorium. Two rows of flowers ran the length of the basketball court.