Tim Brown, Bill Callahan and the Raiders last SB loss

[Mothman]

Has anybody else been paying any attention to this story? I know Dan likes the Raiders...

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/i ... xxvii-loss

Wild!

Here's another link:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/20 ... n/1855127/

Personally, I don't buy it. This is the second time in a week Brown has made comments that just sound bitter to me (the first was in response to the news that Marc Trestman was hired as the Bears new head coach) and former Raiders seem to have varying opinions on what happened.

It's really interesting though...

[Eli]

Did you listen to the Jerry Rice interview? He was on the team and believes there could be something to it.

[PurpleMustReign]

Has anybody else been paying any attention to this story? I know Dan likes the Raiders...

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/i ... xxvii-loss

Wild!

Here's another link:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/20 ... n/1855127/

Personally, I don't buy it. This is the second time in a week Brown has made comments that just sound bitter to me (the first was in response to the news that Marc Trestman was hired as the Bears new head coach) and former Raiders seem to have varying opinions on what happened.

It's really interesting though...

Where do you get varying opinions frmo? The only ones who were interviewed who didnt agree with him were Gannon and Romanowski. If Callahan truly hated the Raiders like is reported, I wouldn't put it past him, but doing that in a Super Bowl is pretty ballsy.
I had forgotten about Barrett Robbins. That was an odd story.

[Mothman]

Where do you get varying opinions frmo? The only ones who were interviewed who didnt agree with him were Gannon and Romanowski.

Zack Crockett had a different take too, as did "another former Raiders offensive player who didn't want to be name" but who is quoted in the ESPN article I linked to above. Lincoln Kennedy, another player who was on that team, said Brown was incorrectly remembering the facts.

If Callahan truly hated the Raiders like is reported, I wouldn't put it past him, but doing that in a Super Bowl is pretty ballsy.

Which is why I don't buy it. I don't believe Callahan would intentionally throw a game of that magnitude. As NFL writer Gregg Rosenthal put it, "Callahan could have changed his life with a Super Bowl win. Are we really supposed to believe that Callahan would intentionally pass up millions of dollars in future earnings?"

To me, it's not just the future earnings that make it unlikely. A Super Bowl-winning coach joins a pretty exclusive club and that win not only opens doors to other opportunities, it's the highest achievement in the profession.

I had forgotten about Barrett Robbins. That was an odd story.

It was and the players don't even seem to be in agreement about the timing of Robbins' going AWOL and the timing of the change in game plan.

[CalVike]

"To leave no doubt, I categorically and unequivocally deny the sum and substance of their allegations. Like every game I ever coached on the professional or collegiate level, I endeavor to the best of my professional ability to position my team to win. ... "

More at link:
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2013 ... -sabotage/

[Mothman]

Did you listen to the Jerry Rice interview? He was on the team and believes there could be something to it.

I listened to it but iI didn't find it very convincing.

I actually find Rich Gannon's take on it far more convincing:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... ed-to-win/

[Mothman]

More at link:
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2013 ... -sabotage/

Thanks, Dave!

[BGM]

Brown is just... weird. Didn't he also criticize Madden just before his induction into the HoF?

The thought of a coach short-circuiting his career in order to thumb his nose at the organization that is paying him seems absurd.

And as for Brown's comments on Trestman not being head coaching material, I guess he didn't know that Trestman has been... you know... a head coach. I think maybe Trestman learned some of those people skills in the last 12 years. Sheesh.

[glg]

They tossed out another potential angle on PTI that seemed plausible. Al Davis saw the practices with the run-heavy plan and ordered Callahan to change to his preferred bombs-away plan.

[Mothman]

They tossed out another potential angle on PTI that seemed plausible. Al Davis saw the practices with the run-heavy plan and ordered Callahan to change to his preferred bombs-away plan.

Considering Davis' history, that's definitely plausible.

[hibbingviking]

warren sapp said al davis would change the game plan at the last minute.
raiders probably out thought themselves. they wanted to run the ball much more but figured they would do what got them there.