Darrius Heyward-Bey, that was some hellacious handiwork with 30
seconds remaining in the Raiders’ 16-10 defeat to the Chiefs at the
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, trying to pull a nice pass from Bruce
Gradkowski into your chest at the 10-yard line and instead
lifting it over your head and into the waiting arms of Kansas City
Chiefs safety Mike Brown for the game-clinching interception.
Call it the signature moment of a horrific afternoon and regrettable
rookie season that has done nothing but validate the opinions of all
the NFL draft-weekend skeptics who thought you were a ridiculous reach
when Oakland made you the seventh overall pick. Though you’ve been a
starter all year long, you’ve managed just six catches for 96 yards
for an offense in desperate search of a playmaker. Remember all the
people who scoffed at offensive coordinator Tom Walsh during Art
Shell’s second stint as the Raiders’ coach in 2006? Well, Mr. Bed and
Breakfast looks downright progressive compared to the current brain
trust. Sunday was Tom Cable’s 21st game as head coach, and the 16th in
which Oakland has scored one offensive touchdown or fewer (in half of
those 16 games, the Raiders haven’t scored any offensive TDs). Nine
games into the ’09 campaign, the Silver and Black has managed seven
offensive scores. Seven! Coming off a bye week, the Raiders (2-7) put
up just 10 points against Kansas City (2-7), which has the third-
lowest-ranked defense in the AFC. Be it Cable or Heyward-Bey, all I
can say is this: Al Davis, you sure know how to pick ‘em.
