Raiders Get Robbed

Even though there were so many positive things to be taken out of last nights game against the Chargers, the Oakland Raiders still face an all too familiar result: defeat. Newly appointed head coach of the silver & black, Tom Cable seems to be turning this perpetual NFL punch line around.
The one-two punch of the Raiders’ Darren McFadden and Michael Bush proved to be almost too much for the Chargers’ defense. For several key plays, McFadden or Bush were the go-to guys because the Bolts just couldn’t contain them. They completely outshined the headlining LaDainian Tomlinson & Darren Sproles who totaled only 78 yards between the two. McFadden alone held 68 total rushing yards for the evening. The Raiders actually outdid the San Diego on just about every stat that matters, the exception: points.

It is never an excuse to blame anything on the refereeing, and by and large, the evening was officiated very well. The Raiders also had every chance in the world to win that game. No one play decides the outcome of a game. Ever. That’s why the game is four quarters long. There was, however, one situation that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Late in the first half, surprisingly effective Raider Quarterback, JaMarcus Russell hits Rookie WR Louis Murphy (pictured top right) in the dead center of the end zone for a touchdown! But wait, was it? Apparently not. Even though he caught the ball in the air, landed on two feet, then fell to the ground no where near a sideline with his arm under the ball, it wasn’t a touchdown. Even Mike/Mike/Steve Young in the booth were confused as to why it was even being reviewed. It seemed a clear touchdown from everyone’s standpoint except the officials. No touchdown. Instead of going in at halftime up 4 points, it’s a tie ball game at 10-10.

The officials were right to question the call on the field because the ball did move. Nancy Gay of Fanhouse quotes the NFL Rule Book:

"A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure
possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain
control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or
the end zone.”

Let me state once again for the record, I’m an outspoken Kansas City Chiefs fan. The Raiders are the Chiefs’ arch rival (and no, not arch rival for the worst in the NFL… although it could be argued). Both of these teams are in the AFC West with KC. There is no benefit for me to defend either team. So here’s my problem, he DID have possession all the way to the ground. We saw the replay eight times and each time he landed with his arm under the ball. This play should never have been reviewed, let alone REVERSED. Where’s that “conclusive” evidence we hear every single time something’s reviewed. The football moved yes, but it moved with his hand on it, and it moved after he had already originally secured it. If you even take a look at the picture above, the only way Murphy could secure the ball any more would be to put it in a fanny pack. Sorry refs, you messed this one up. Losing those four extra points proved to be incredibly costly; Raiders lose by 4 on the Monday night opener, but like I said, it's never just one play. Sorry Al Davis.

The Axe: Bail Out Johnny

This is something that I needed to get in before the football season starts. I knew a kid in high school who’s favorite team changed every year, we called him Beetle, I don’t know why, but we did. The Ravens win the Super Bowl and Beetle dawns a Baltimore jersey and touts that “the Raven’s are my team, man.” Next year the Patriots take the Lombardi Trophy and the next day he’s wearing a Brady Jersey exclaiming that “I’ve always been with the Pats. I knew it from the beginning of the season.” Not only was this Beetle a bail out Johnny football fan, but he’d do the same for the Yankees, Red Wings, Spurs, and practically every major sport. This is a prime example why so many people hate the major franchises, because guys like Beetle hop from team to team in order to claim false bragging rights.

There’s no problem with liking a team because they’re good, but that’s the way allegiances START. Once you’ve found your team, you need to stick with your team. There are exceptions to every love, but most of us have ties to teams from our childhood. I’ve been a Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was 5 years old. Very few fans have seen more mediocrity and disappointment in the last 15 years of the NFL than KC Chiefs fans, but they are still my team and I will always be their fan. Even after their worst season in franchise history, I am still their fan. Even after they traded my all-time favorite player, Tony Gonzalez, they’re still my favorite team and I hope they go to the Super Bowl. I know they won’t because I’m not “Irrational Fan,” but that’s a topic for another Axe.

A fan CANNOT dump a team because he knows that they’re going to be bad. That is against the unwritten fan-code that puts your forever in Beetle status. My respect for team hoppers is so low, that I seriously wish they would just stop watching sports all together and leave the real participation to people who understand the definitions of honor and loyalty. Do you have to hate everyone else in order to love your team? Of course not, I root for the Saints because I once hung out with Reggie Bush and I like Drew Brees. But if the Saints face the Chiefs, I’d better be rooting for the Chiefs to win by 42 points. Never leave your team. Never abandon ship. If your team’s going down, you go down with the ship. Whether you go down gracefully or kicking and screaming is up to you, but never trade in your team’s jersey for a Beetle costume.