No one was more responsible for the Patriots dynasty than the beaming septuagenarian, who had actually blocked the former owners from moving to Jacksonville 27 years ago before buying the team some six years later. In 21 years of Kraft's ownership, the Pats have been in the play-offs 16 times while making seven trips to the Super Bowl.

On the sidelines was the architect of the four championships - coach Bill Belichick. A tactical and managerial genius, Belichick has no current peer and is arguably the greatest coach in the NFL's history. Leading the players on to the field was dashing star quarterback Tom Brady, 38 going on 28. Touchdown Tom, Tom Terrific, Tommy Franchise, he is all that and more and as the only member of all four championship teams Brady is also arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. Watching all this through Beantown bifocals, it was borderline orgasmic.

But as they flipped the coin to start the game, what the rest of the world saw was something entirely different. To them T-Pain should actually have been singing "All I do is cheat, cheat, cheat". Under the auspices of Kraft and Belichick, the Patriots have been tagged for a number of violations including most recently "Deflategate" and most notably "Spygate".

The Pats initially managed to avoid serious repercussions when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell inexplicably ordered all evidence against the team illegally videotaping other teams practices destroyed in 2007 after only four days of investigation.

According to a detailed report from ESPN last week, the other owners were furious and clearly felt Goodell was once again showing favouritism to Kraft, a man who was vital in installing him as a commissioner and remained his number one ally.

In response to those charges, and to placate the other owners, Goodell came down harshly on the Pats this year by suspending Brady for four games for his role in intentionally and illegally having his footballs underinflated. The players' union appealed on behalf of Brady and won convincingly when a court found Goodell and the league had overstepped their authority. Kraft publicly disavowed the league and his ally, Goodell, and Brady suited up for the first game making for one of the most surreal opening nights in the NFL.

As their championship team methodically beat the Steelers 28-21, the fans could hardly contain their hubris. Screw you all, they bellowed, because haters are going to hate. Very true that, just as lovers are going to blindly love.

If there was a bigger loser than the Steelers on opening night it had to be Goodell. Of course, he continues to lose to the tune of US$45 million a year in salary and if all you care about is money then Goodell is a champion of epic proportions.

But after getting his head handed to him by Brady's legal team, Goodell now says he just wants to get back to football and this is more hilarious than Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor or Robin Williams could ever be. The soulless Goodell has never, ever been about football. Every decision he has ever made and everything he has done since being installed has been done with the sole purpose of making more money for the owners.

His edicts have been imperious, his manner aloof, condescending and detached. He is the reason the NFL is what it is today - a multibillion-dollar industry, disastrously dysfunctional and wildly successful.

But if there is one simple truth after watching the opening night spectacle it is this: Goodell and the Patriots most definitely and without reservation deserve each other.

It's oh, so perfect.