When Randy Moss took a job at FOX, I thought he could become the NFL’s version of Charles Barkley.
As usual, I was wrong. (So far.)
But who needs the NFL’s version of Charles Barkley when the NFL has periodic access to the real thing? He attended Saturday night’s Colts-Patriots game as a guest of Bill Belichick, and Barkley held court in the locker room after the game.
“I want my team to have a chance to win,” Barkley told reporters, via Nick O’Malley of MassLive.com. “That’s all I want. In 99 percent of the cities in every other sport, not just football, your team sucks. You got no chance of winning. The Patriots have a legitimate shot of winning every year. That’s pretty cool. It bothers me, that y’all don’t appreciate them having a chance to win every year. . . . Y’all don’t, and unfortunately, because of the Internet and [expletive] like that, you either win a championship or you don’t.”
Even before “the Internet and [expletive] like that,” the standard was the same. No one remembers who finished second, in any sport. The existence of “the Internet and [expletive] like that” merely amplifies it.
As to the NFL, Barkley knows it’s not easy to consistently contend, even with a Hall of Fame coach and quarterback. And Barkley has a dire -- and potentially accurate -- prediction for the fate of the future Patriots.
“I was impressed with the Patriots organization,” Barkley said. “Because, like, they’ve lost so many people and y’all take the winning for granted. Y’all do. And let me tell y’all something when Bill Belichick leaves and Tom Brady leaves, y’all team’s gonna [expletive] suck.”
Of course, it’s possible that the Pats will get lucky and find another great coach or another great quarterback. But the chances of finding both immediately after Belichick and Brady leave are slim.
Who knows how much longer the team has with both guys on the roster? For that reason, Patriots fans need to savor the remaining years -- and appreciate them. Especially if Barkley is right about his vision of a bleak and profane future.