It’s been a long year for the Raiders and the frustrations from a season that was essentially over in November (at least in terms of playoffs) have carried over into one of the more dramatic debates that we’ve seen around the Raiders in a while.
It’s something that many Raider fans have been doing on some level over the last few weeks, but is it morally acceptable to root against your team in hopes of getting a better draft pick?
Considering teams can’t win consistently in the NFL without a good quarterback, it’s easy to understand why fans have been willing to sacrifice a few games in December to secure one of the top quarterbacks in the draft.
There is plenty of data that suggests a high draft pick doesn’t guarantee a successful quarterback, but if the right decision-makers are in the building, there’s aren’t many good reasons for missing on a quarterback at the top of the draft – and if there isn’t a great quarterback among the field, it should still be advantageous to have a higher pick.
From the players’ standpoint, they should never roll over and quit, and no team is going to ask its players to quit. The players work too hard to willingly put bad plays on film. The ones that do, won’t last long in the NFL, and it can cost players millions of dollars to turn in bad games at the end of the season.
Those are all facts.
Everyone has a different perspective on the concept of “tanking” and for the last month, that’s been a point of discussion, particularly as a talking point on one of the most popular shows on the Raiders’ flagship radio station.
If you are familiar with JT the Brick, you know how long he has been publicly sparring with fans rooting for the Raiders to lose. On Monday, after two consecutive Raider wins, JT clapped back by announcing that the “year of the tank” is officially over.
“I’m able to say the year of the tank is officially over… so for your Tankathon friends and your Tankathon buddies who all wanted to lose on purpose and would never say it to Maxx Crosby or Tre’von Moehrig and definitely not to Antonio Pierce’s face. They have all been silenced,” JT said on his weekday Raider Nation Radio show. “It’s over. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I don’t do a show celebrating tanking and losing, encouraging fans to be losers. I don’t do that. I do the opposite. The year of the tank is done.”
Factually, JT is correct.
The Raiders won’t be drafting in the top 5 and they will most likely be limited to finding a quarterback in free agency or by means of a trade.
“I think there’s a good chance that those three guys won’t happen for the Raiders,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur said of Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward and Darnold on the Just Win podcast this week. “So what happens next? I think you look at trade options. I think it’s going to be through trade or through free agency to get their starter for next season.”
There will be debate as to whether Sanders or Ward are worth a top 5 pick, but the decision has essentially been made for the Raiders on those two quarterbacks unless they are willing to throw premium picks at a team and trade up.
There was value to beating the Jaguars and Saints, but it’s hard make an argument that wins over two of the NFL’s worst teams is going to translate to wins in the future. Last year, the Raiders won three of their final four games and it led to a 2-12 start to the 2024 season.
There is uncertainty to the draft, but from an organizational standpoint there isn’t any tangible reward for winning a couple of meaningless games at the end of the season.
Years ago, Raiders play-by-play announcer Brent Musburger fielded questions on his ties to the gambling industry while being an employee of the Raiders.
He argued that he had no advantage in picking games because his association with the Raiders only served to cloud his perception of the team.
“Let’s say I’m gonna pick the Raiders game every week,” Musburger recently in 2018 on the ProFootballTalk podcast. “Oh, I’ll know for sure what’s going on… uh, not so fast my friends. I have found that the closer you get, the less apt you are to see the truth when it comes to picking football games. The best handicappers I have ever been around have nothing to do with the sport – no such thing as inside information. They look at numbers, they certainly watch the game, they know the personnel. But they’re not biased.”
It’s not a perfect analogy, but from a distance it’s a little easier to digest a few late-season losses for the betterment of the team.
No one expects players and team employees to root against the Raiders, but rooting for a better pick isn’t the same as wearing a Travis Kelce jersey to work.
As JT pointed out, tank season is now in the tank, and the months-long debate can mercifully come to an end.
Next order of business… who’s going to be throwing passes next year for the Raiders?
x: @raidersbeat
Finally, and it has been awhile, I line up with The Brick 100% and Whole Heartedly… in ALL of my Years in ans Around Football there has NEVER been once that I’ve seen Players Tank!!! These are the Top of the FoodChain Competitors…That is it Enough Said!!
You obviously are NOT referring to the last years Al was alive. AND going back through the 90’s . The only exception was the first time Gruden came in, and the time the stars aligned and the bills absolutely annihilated us in the playoffs.
I don’t care about missing out on Sanders, and I definitely don’t care about missing out on Milroe, cam Ward might be something but again I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.
👍
Especially for a first round pick.
Well I’m glad that the Raiders are still playing to win and showing improvement… O’Connell and the Offense has improved but need to work on short yardage when going in for a touchdown… i hope they show the game… I’m one of the poor Rabbits that can’t afford Netflix or Prime… how good the old days use to be… i guess that’s what they call progress… there were plenty of free agent Quarterbacks that are in the playoffs the Raiders didn’t want… need a new GM… RAIDERS!!! Finish Strong and Positive and take it to the Chargers… good to evaluate O’Connell against a playoff team… not his fault for getting caughtup in all the changes of coaches and coordinators… he doesn’t give up…HAPPY NEW YEARS TO ALL MY FELLOW RAIDER FANS AND A SILVER AND BLACK NEW YEAR….
Encouraging fans to be losers? JT, the Raiders organizing has spent the past 20 years and plenty of the past 30, being losers. Mark Davis? Lovser. Antonio Pierce? Loser. JT the Brick (since he may as well be state owned media)? Loser. What team does he think he’s covering?
This isn’t some one off bad season surrounded by success. This is an entire franchise that has consistently failed, made bad decisions, hired bad people, etc. Does he think he works for the Ravens or Steelers?
Dude is such a hack. But as long as Mark keeps this caliber of person around because he doesn’t have the knowledge or relationships to do better, we Raider fans are stuck with this nightmare
You’re right. But Mark learned from the supreme dictator. His father. The guy so reverently loved who burned down all the greatness he built. Then buried it in sewage after he strong armed majority ownership.
Nobody talks about the facts. Too many are ignorant. The rest enamored by the brand.
I’ve bled the colors since 70. And been in and around all levels of the game my entire life.
Bill King kept it real. And called a game without bias and precision accuracy and detail. Not many of his kind left.
I only vaguely remember Bill King calling games for the Raiders, but I always loved him doing A’s games, and if course the radio highlights are iconic. Awesome broadcaster.