Heading into the final week of the NFL season, the Patriots were in prime position to claim the #1 draft pick, which held the promise of trading that pick to a team that needs a quarterback in return for a number of other picks that the Pats could have used to restock their team.
All that the Pats had to do on Sunday was lose to the Buffalo Bills — something the Patriots had done on 13 previous occasions this season.
But they blew it — they won! — and thereby dropped to the #4 pick, which is of little consequence in this year’s draft.
Despite the victory, the Patriots fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Admittedly, Mayo may have been in over his head as a first-time head coach, but the reality is that he never had a chance given New England’s pathetic roster.
The Patriots had been among the elite organizations in pro sports. But today they’re a joke, with no light at the end of the tunnel, no matter who their next head coach may be.
The futility of the Patriots this season makes us all the more appreciative of the genius of Bill Belickick and the greatness of Tom Brady. Even though the Pats may not make it back to the Super Bowl for quite a while, we can be grateful for the joy they brought us for almost two decades.
