People who get paid to give their opinion on television are going to say things that turn out wrong all of the time. It’s part of the job. Even the best hitters only have a successful at-bat 33% of the time and the weather forecast is never completely accurate.
However, there is a step beyond “hey, I got this wrong” that involves someone stepping out on a limb, having it break, and having that person crash down to earth in a fiery explosion. That is the story of Trent Dilfer and the New England Patriots.
With the Patriots in their sixth Super Bowl since the Brady-Belichick after blowing out the Colts in the AFC title game, we bring you Trent Dilfer’s take on the Pats after they lost to the Chiefs on Monday Night Football to fall to 2-2 on the season.
"We saw a weak team. The New England Patriots, let's face it…they're NOT good anymore. They're weak."
– Trent Dilfer— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 30, 2014
Emphasis with the all caps NOT to really drive that point home.
At least Dilfer realized that his statement was pretty crazy in hindsight. He said back in November that he made the one mistake he most regrets in his television work in giving such a knee-jerk reaction. No kidding. Still though, this is a great example of a talking head not just needing to have an opinion, but an extreme opinion, to stand out from the crowd. That’s the trend in sports media these days. And while that trend may get you noticed, one should also beware of what actually happens when those very forceful, opinionated, authoritative statements are remembered.
While the Seahawks may be playing the card that everyone doubted them (which is absurd) it might actually be true with the Patriots. At least with one notable analyst.
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