Kennedy explains why he supported Kubiak’s decision to be aggressive on Sunday
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has taken some criticism for his decision to take a field goal off the scoreboard and go for fourth down against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Kubiak said after the game he didn’t regret the decision to go for it on fourth down but regretted not picking up the first down.
Opinions among fans and analysts have been divided, and even advanced analytics don’t offer a definitive decision in that situation. Kubiak went with his gut and that’s probably something Raider fans should get used to going forward.
Former Raider Great weighed in on Kubiak’s fourth down decision
Lincoln Kennedy said he loved Kubiak’s decision to go for fourth down on Sunday, adding that one of the biggest regrets of his career was former Raiders’ head coach Jon Gruden deciding to punt late in the game on January 19, 2002 – the infamous ‘Tuck Rule’ game.
It has been nearly a quarter of a century and lost in the events that led to the Tom Brady fumble that was reversed by referee Walt Coleman was the way Brady and the Patriots’ offense got the ball back in the first place.
With 2:24 remaining in the game and a 13-10 lead, the Raiders failed to pick up a first down on a third-and-one run from their own 44-yard line.
Rather than go for it, Gruden punted and Troy Brown returned the Shane Lechler punt 37 yards to the Raiders’ 46-yard line.
No Raider fans need a refresher on how the game played out following Brown’s punt return, but Kennedy said he wishes Gruden would have trusted the offense to pick up the first down and essentially end the game.
“I don’t mind the aggressive nature because I appreciate when a coach shows faith and confidence in his team. That goes back all these years, when you’re at midfield and you’re going for it on fourth and one. I appreciate it,” Kennedy said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show.
“One of my biggest regrets through my career was the Tuck Rule game. I wish Jon Gruden had given us that opportunity on fourth and goal back in New England rather than giving a ball back because we never touched it again. And that was the Tuck Rule game. But we messed up the play. We didn’t execute the play before. Frank Middleton happened to go the wrong way, ended up getting tackled. We knew what we did wrong. Let’s run 14 blasts again. Never saw the ball again. The rest is history.”
Raiders still trying to recover from the Tuck Rule game…
In the 24 seasons since the Tuck Rule game, only the Cleveland Browns have accumulated more losses than the Raiders.
The Raiders have had 13 head coaches, not counting intern coaches, during that time period and the hope is that Kubiak will be able to put an end to more than two decades of a mostly losing culture.
Sunday’s game against the Chiefs didn’t end with a win, but there’s no question the Raiders have turned the corner as an organization.
Kubiak said this week that there are no “moral victories”, but Sunday’s loss brought as much hope to the Raiders as any losing effort the team has experienced in a long time.
Looking ahead…
It’s an exciting new era for the Raiders in Las Vegas, but Kubiak and company have a difficult stretch coming for the remainder of October.
On Sunday, the Raiders travel to New England to face the defending AFC Champion Patriots and then have home games against the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.
A couple of wins during that three-game stretch would all but eliminate the doubters.
x: @raidersbeat