Al Davis, owner of the Oakland (and L.A.) Raiders, used to say: “Just win, baby.”
His son’s Raiders aren’t exactly the winning type. The Raiders, now located in Las Vegas, are currently 2-11 and floundering at the bottom of the AFC West. Al’s old rival, the Denver Broncos, are the exact opposite – 11-2 and atop the division. Denver handed the Raiders their most recent loss yesterday afternoon in the desert.
It was a snoozer of a game, really not even worth analyzing the way we do each and every Monday. The Broncos are really good. The Raiders are really bad. The Broncos were going to win all along, it was just a matter of how big.
And that’s where this game got interesting.
In case you missed it, the Raiders kicked a meaningless field goal as time expired, making the final score 24-17. Big deal.
Actually, big deal… if you had a bet on the game that involved a spread of 7.5-8.5, depending on when you made the bet.
It’s not just that Daniel Carlson’s 46-yard, backdoor-cover, bad, bad beat field goal instantly swung which group of ticket holders got paid (and which didn’t), it was how the final sequence unfolded.
Why were the Raiders spiking the ball with 16 seconds left and down 10? Does Pete Carroll have the NFL’s first-ever 10-point play on his playsheet?
Why was a questionable delay of game penalty called on Broncos safety Brandon Jones with 4 seconds on the clock? These plays happen all the time, far worse in fact, with no flags. Worse yet, the crew added a second on the clock just for good measure.
Why, knowing that two scores in 5 seconds is mathematically impossible, would Carroll send out his field goal unit? Worst case scenario? Someone gets hurt.
Best case?
Just cover, baby.
If you want to see how it unfolded, with a honest and entertaining commentary along the way, check out Dave Portnoy’s rendition. It’s worth the watch and entirely on the mark.
Full disclosure: Yours truly had no action on the game. Over the years, I’ve learned that I’m fully capable of becoming irritated during a Broncos game without a bad beat. I stopped betting Denver games long ago. Point being, Coach Carroll’s mysterious decision didn’t affect me in the least.
But, social media sure felt it was worth nothing. Portnoy might have the loudest voice, but the masses weren’t exactly quiet.
Do I believe there was a conspiracy at hand? I don’t know. Surely Pete Carroll has plenty of dough these days. Maybe he was helping out a relative trying to pay for tuition or something. Portnoy called for prison.
What’s real or not, however, doesn’t necessarily matter. The problem, Commissioner Goodell and betting apps near and far, is that sports bettors perceive that this one wasn’t on the up and up.
That’s a problem. A major problem.
Look, the idea that foul play is a part of sports betting is nothing new. Those holding losing tickets smell a lot of rats. But even I’ve got to admit, that bad beat was particularly stinky.
The NBA has been the beacon of suspicion ever since referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to prison in 2008; you’ll never convince me he acted alone. Just this year, the NBA found itself in yet another major scandal.
Major League Baseball had Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose, but was fast and furious in its efforts to turn the spotlight toward Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter rather than the player himself. The sport’s larger than life, international superstar doesn’t seem like the type of fella on the take. Say it ain’t so, Sho.
The last league that needs this kind of mess is the NFL. The NFL is too big to hide from any sort of scandal that could spiral out of control. Then again, it’s so powerful, there may not be any Davids willing to tackle such a Goliath.
Analyzing how the Broncos beat the Raiders isn’t worth anyone’s time on this particular Monday. But if I’m Roger Goodell, I’ve got a busy day. There are memos to send, closed-door meetings to have, scoldings to administer.
Corrupt or not, it sure looked fishy. That’s not a look the NFL wants.
Al Davis was a slimy S.O.B., but if he were still alive, I’m betting he would have pulled Carroll aside and let him know that some bets aren’t worth winning.
