Getty Former Raiders Safety Charles Woodson.
The stage was set on Sunday for the Raiders to have an epic moment in front of their Oakland fans for one last time. Many team legends were in attendance and it was a packed house. Plus, they were playing a Jacksonville Jaguars team that was in the midst of a terrible slump. While it seemed like everything was working in the team’s favor, they found a way to squander it.
There is plenty of blame to go around for the loss, but it wouldn’t be a Raiders game if the referees didn’t hold some blame. When the game was nearing the two-minute warning, Derek Carr scrambled for a first down and went down in the field of play. The clock should’ve kept rolling and the game should’ve stopped for the two-minute warning. However, the referees stopped the clock with 2:05 left in the game. The Raiders didn’t realize this and got a delay of game penalty. Moreover, Jon Gruden tried to challenge the play, which he couldn’t do, and it cost the team a timeout. It’s highly probable the Raiders win the game if that whole fiasco didn’t happen.
Charles Woodson was in attendance for the game and he was not happy about the call. He demanded an apology from the NFL on behalf of the Raiders.
The NFL owe the Raiders and Derek Carr an apology for the call on his most likely game winning scramble late in the fourth quarter. That’s absolutely unbelievable. And people always wondered why we thought the league was biased against the raiders.
The @Nfl owe the @Raiders and @derekcarrqb an apology for the call on his most likely game winning scramble late in the fourth quarter. That’s absolutely unbelievable. And people always wondered why we thought the league was biased against the raiders 😔
He even invoked the “tuck-rule” debacle in a later tweet.
@VMiloscio @NFL @Raiders @derekcarrqb You lost me at clock should have kept rolling. It’s like people saying ‘they didn’t rule it a fumble just keep playing’ f[ck that. Make the right call!!
Yes, the Raiders could’ve still gotten another first down or made a stop on defense, but there’s no doubt the referees played a big role in the team losing the game.
Wonder how @NFLOfficiating is going to respond to yet another terrible call. This picture says it all…guy was right there. Wow.
Like I said
Jon Gruden ‘Couldn’t Believe’ Call
It seems like Jon Gruden has called out the referees after every single loss. While nobody likes excuses, it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t been justified in his frustration in the past. This latest controversy may be the worst yet and Gruden couldn’t resist commenting on it after the game.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve got people up in the press box that clearly tell me he gave himself up in the field of play. I’m waiting for the clock to wind to two minutes. I’m still waiting. And it never happened. Unbelievable. I thought somebody would overturn it… Obviously, it was a big play in that situation. We’ll see what the league says about it.”
The Raiders definitely deserves an apology for the call. That said, they probably won’t be getting one anytime soon.
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Erik Harris Calls Loss ‘Heartbreaking’
After the loss, boos rained down from the crowd, which couldn’t be an easy thing for players to stomach. A number of guys still went up to the fans and gave them thanks for being so loyal. Erik Harris was among those players and he was devastated after the game.
“It’s heartbreaking. Walking around the stadium you see people in tears and stuff like that. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come out and get the win for them and send them out in the right way. This isn’t just – this affects people’s jobs. People will lose jobs. Warriors left, we left, and it’s just different. I take that into consideration and I feel for those people.”
He was definitely upset about the loss, but he still takes pride in the fact that he was part of the last team to play in Oakland.
“Knowing this was the last game in the history of this stadium and there’ll never be another Oakland Raider after us – plenty of greats before us, but no young guys will be an Oakland Raider after us – that means a lot to me and I take a lot of pride in that.”
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