When an official tries to get cute by taking out a piece of paper and folding to measure a first down (then said he had already decided even without the paper), it can take the bulk of the attention. And in this case, it acts as a distraction from what may be a far more shady incident.
The Raiders were without their top receiver on the final, game-deciding play. Why? The officials excuse for removing Michael Crabtree was he needed to be checked for a concussion. A concussion. On the final play of the game. Hmm...
Three plays before that, Crabtree was interfered with on a long pass from Carr. When diving for the ball, his helmet hit the turf. Not especially hard and he only stayed down for a moment. He left the game for one play to catch his breath and returned. He even saw the next pass with no indications there was anything wrong with him. Then the Raiders took a timeout. After all that, suddenly, with :39 seconds left and the Raiders in third and 3 at the 8-yard-line, the officials decided Crabtree needed to get checked out.
After the game, Michael Crabtree wanted to make his feelings very clear on what he thought was a serious injustice and misuse of the concussion protocol.
“I just don't understand why they took me out of the last play of the game,” said Crabtree after the game. “They put me in concussion protocol like two plays after the pass-interference call. I don't know. I'm lost. I don't understand.”
“I guess it was the officials. They just took me out of the game and the last play. They took me out and made me go into the tent.”
“Yeah, I'm good. Of course I was pissed off because it is the last play of the game and I am trying to help the team win.”
Crabtree’s absence from that play may have had a major impact on the game. What ended up happening was Derek Carr searched for an open receiver, and not finding one, decided to run for the end zone. He dove for the pylon and lost the ball before crossing the plane. The ball bounced through the end zone for a touchback.
According to Carr, having his top end zone target naturally would have changed things.
“We actually had a play called, a certain play called on the other side, and then the refs made us take him out,” said Carr. “And then we had to change our call.”
Just about anything other than that fumble for a touchback would have meant the Raiders put points on the board. They could either tie it with a field goal or win it with a touchdown. Instead it was a turnover and the game would end.
At best, removing Crabtree was bumbling by the officials. At worst, it’s nefarious. To think the officials can just decide to pull one of the team’s top players on the most crucial play of the game it allows them to decide the outcome of a game even more than they do already. Even more than a highly questionable offensive pass interference that calls back a touchdown catch — as happened with Jared Cook — or judging a first down by a folded up piece of paper.
“There were several things that to me I had a hard time explaining,” said Jack Del Rio. “I’ll have a hard time looking at the tape. Jared Cook runs down there and turns around in the endzone. Really? He has a right to that space. He didn’t do anything egregious.”
Even more so than the other questionable calls, the Raiders have every right to their grievances and the right to let the league know about it.
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