Kraft endorses acquisitions

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft addressed the team's drafting of safety Brandon Meriweather and the acquisition of receiver Randy Moss yesterday at Gillette Stadium. Both players have run into trouble off the field.

"I don't think we've changed our philosophy," Kraft said. "We have a group of businesses that we run and we try to find the best people we can. We empower those people to make decisions. I think we have people here who over the last seven or eight years have shown they have done a great job. Our mission statement is to win football games and win with a certain type of team and players.

"I think both Bill [ Belichick] and Scott [ Pioli] have established a mantra that players know what is expected of them when they get here. I think they do their homework. I put my confidence and trust in their judgment. If it doesn't work out the way we want, we know how we're going to handle it."

Kraft, who met with Moss yesterday morning, said the Patriots conducted thorough research before making the moves.

"Our managers know what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. They've done their homework. This isn't like they haven't spent time talking with them. They've done that with all our guys," he said. "Sometimes nothing is perfect, but I believe that every player who comes into this building and into this locker room knows what is expected of them, what behavior is tolerated, and what won't be. We're paying people very well to do that and I think they've done a pretty good job. I have confidence and trust in them."

Kraft also noted the Patriots were proud to be in position to acquire a player like Moss based on the circumstances.

"The fact that a player would restructure his contract to come here really makes me proud of the brand that we've created here with the Patriots," he said.

Safety Rodney Harrison, one of the leaders in the locker room, compared Moss to two past Patriots acquisitions.

"When Corey Dillon came in, everyone thought he was an outlaw. He proved otherwise. When I came in, everyone thought I was an outlaw, ruthless. I think I proved that otherwise," Harrison said. "Let's get a chance to know the guy before we make any judgments. If he comes in and is selfish, there are going to be problems. But if he has the right attitude, it will be huge for us.

"I've always said, if he comes in, doesn't work hard, and acts like a prima donna, it's not going to work," he added. "But if he puts the team first and works hard, he has the talent to do special things for us. It comes down to the small things, and buying into what we're all about here."

From a defensive perspective, Harrison knows well about the type of problems Moss can create.

"As I've said before, there aren't many cornerbacks who can stick [with] him man-to-man," he said. "That is going to help us out, because teams usually have to roll the safety to stop him and that can open things for the other guy. And then you consider we have the best quarterback in the league."

In Oakland, first-year Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said the Moss deal was "something we felt it was time to do and a direction we needed to go. We're building a place and building a team with people who really want to be here. There were a lot of signs that maybe that's not where Randy wanted to be was here."

Belichick said the acquisition of Moss will not affect the team's plans to bring back free agent Troy Brown, assuming Brown's injured knee returns to health. "I spoke on that a couple of weeks ago and it hasn't changed for me," he said . . . Harrison, who injured his MCL in the season finale at Tennessee and didn't play again, has spent the offseason rehabilitating in Atlanta. "I'm doing well, working hard, staying to the routine that I've done the last 13 years," he said. "I feel a lot better. It's not bothering me at all. I'm pushing my body, doing different things, and it's gone as good as it could go so far."

A few draft nuggets: Running back Justise Hairston (sixth round) was the first player drafted by the Patriots from Central Connecticut State, Pioli's alma mater . . . For the eighth straight draft under Belichick and Pioli, the Patriots did not pick a linebacker before the fifth round . . . The Patriots selected two players from the same school with their top two picks for the first time in franchise history . . . The team never was in the mix to trade up in the first round . . . Fifth-round pick Clint Oldenburg is only the second Colorado State player to be drafted by the Patriots, with defensive end Jim White (1972) the first . . . The Patriots now begin the process of signing rookie free agents, players the team will announce once contracts are signed.

Christopher L. Gasper of the Globe staff contributed to this report.