There is something oddly satisfying about having the Raiders in the N.F.L., setting aside for the moment their fans’ part in the violence at Candlestick Park last weekend, because staying satisfied involves not attending any actual Raiders games. But they play such a great role in poking a hole in the N.F.L.’s carefully cultivated image of order and precision, the facade of being run by civic-minded, forthright businessmen. The Raiders are like the crazy aunt the otherwise mostly respectable N.F.L. can’t uninvite to Thanksgiving dinner.
The best part is, the Raiders love being the crazy aunt. They live up to their stereotype every chance they are offered. Put danger-written-all-over-him quarterback Terrelle Pryor in a supplemental draft, suspend him for five games and of course the Raiders pick him using their third-round pick in 2012. The only slight surprise is they didn’t use a second-round pick. Never mind that no one thought he was third-round pick worthy, he won’t help the Raiders at all this season and many doubt he’ll ever cut it as an N.F.L. quarterback. He’s fast! He’s undisciplined! Sign him up! Just keep thinking we’re winning, baby!
So, while in a way Pryor and the Raiders are a perfect match, writes Alex Marvez on Foxsports.com, because the Raiders’ consistently boneheaded decisions on quarterbacks have left them with opportunities at that position, the matching part may not be a good thing. As Jason Cole writes on Yahoo.com, Pryor’s biggest criticism is his lack of discipline, which he desperately needs to succeed, and he just landed with the franchise run by Captain Queeg. And as Don Banks of SI.com reminds us, the Raiders’ track record with such player gambles is pitiful.
The Raiders and the 49ers still have some work to do to inspire any confidence in their franchises’ ability to deal with the violence that broke out at their preseason game Sunday. The 49ers went a little too heavy on the Chamber of Commerce sheen in their response that it was a one-off occurrence, writes Gwen Knapp in The San Francisco Chronicle, and the Raiders went a bit overboard insisting their fans are not as menacing as they tend to look. But the only real answer, writes Ann Killion on SI.com, is to cough up some of that $9 billion in N.F.L. revenue and protect the fans with better security.
Elsewhere in the slightly less chaotic corners of the N.F.L., the Giants are dealing with the latest injury blow — to cornerback Terrell Thomas — in what is likely to be the year of the injury (thanks for that lockout, N.F.L.!). The Titans’ mayhem machine, Kenny Britt, is getting his day in front of the N.F.L. sheriff, Roger Goodell, to explain why his off-field exploits keep involving the police. And we offer you a link to this handy –and hilarious — flow chart in case you need help deciding which team to root for this season.
Whichever team you root for, in any sport, it’s interesting to read Malcolm Gladwell’s essay on Grantland.com about why teams aren’t run like the businesses they claim to be.
In the big business of the N.C.A.A., we have the steady drumbeat of doom at the University of Miami, whose president, Donna Shalala, announced in a video message that the university is investigating the eligibility of 15 athletes in the wake of the sleazy booster scandal dumped on its doorstep last week. Dennis Dodd explains on CBSSports.com how the N.C.A.A. might use limited immunity in its investigation, keeping some players on the field. But the oddest development of the day has to be The Miami Herald profiling the Yahoo.com reporter who beat it to the biggest story in its backyard. If you could see the paper in 3-D, it might be waving a little white flag at you. Wow.
That is only a slightly less uncomfortable thought than what happened to Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday on Monday night when he lost a battle with a moth that lodged in his ear.
But Holliday might know exactly how the N.F.L. feels. In that case, the Raiders are playing the role of the moth.
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