Charles Barkley pulls no punches with the boldest of Eagles predictions

It's tough to qualify for a Super Bowl appearance. We've never had the pleasure of playing for an NFL team and enjoying that feeling ourselves. We have, however, covered the Philadelphia Eagles three times while they have done so. We have also watched as youths when they played in their first (even though we were too young to understand how tough the grind was).

Here's the point. There are two conferences, the AFC and NFC. There are four divisions with four teams apiece, 32 franchises in total.

All have the same goal every offseason. They want to place their team in a position to have its best chance at winning it all. Still, only 14 of the 32 teams will qualify for postseason play, and 13 of those 14 teams will end their season with a loss.

Former NBA and 76ers star Charles Barkley is unphased by all of that. He was drafted fifth overall by Philly in 1984 and spent his first nine seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. Guess where he's placing his money.

Charles Barkley makes an emphatic statement. The Philadelphia Eagles will win Super Bowl LIX.

'Chuck' spent 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association. An 11-time NBA All-Star (1987–1997), he earned five All-NBA First Team nods (1988–1991, 1993) and another handful of All-NBA Second Team mentions (1986, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1995). Most of you young bucks probably know him for his work on CBS Sports and TNT as an analyst. He is opinionated, but when he talks, people listen... about most things.

Recently, he hung out on NFL Network's The Insiders. Let's just say some loyalties never die.

There you have it. The Birds will hoist Super Bowl LIX's Vince Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans. So says the man formerly known as 'The Round Mound of Rebound'. How is that for an old-school reference?

Had he made this claim after Philly's most recent Super Bowl appearance (LVII), most would understand why. Most of us thought the task of 'finishing the story' was easy. We thought Philly was good enough to get back to football's biggest game and win it, but their recent collapse has shaken our confidence.

All hope isn't lost though. That's a good thing. Nick Sirianni returns for his fourth season at the helm. The Birds reached the playoffs in each of his first three.

The offensive and defensive coordinators are arguably the best they have ever been. No disrespect to Shane Steichen, but with Kellen Moore manning the offensive controls and with Vic Fangio leading Philly's defense, the sky will again be the limit in 2024. We'll see how that Charles Barkley prediction pans out.

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