Ranking those Raiders’ April Fools’ Day joke scenarios

On Wednesday, we ran an April Fools’ Day poll, asking you to vote for the moment in Raiders’ history that you most wish was just a bad prank.

As usual, we got a great response. Thank you for that. Now, I’m going to rank those terrible moments in order of how bad they were for the franchise in my opinion:

Tuck Rule, 64% of current vote:
This has to be the choice. It was an awful moment for Raiders’ fans. Not only was it a terrible call, it took away a real chance for a Super Bowl run. That play, that game, in New England, will always be remembered as one of the most controversial plays in NFL history.

Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Trading Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay, 6%:
This was a ripple effect from the Tuck Rule, of course. Al Davis sent one of the game’s best coaches to the Buccaneers and then saw Gruden beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl. That’s as embarrassing as it gets. The trade was the beginning of the end of a short run by the Raiders that was engineered by Gruden. (Ironically, now the quarterback who benefitted from the Tuck Rule is now with the Bucs).

Drafting JaMarcus Russell No. 1, 15%: This was really bad, too. Russell never developed and never seemed to care. Russell being one of the biggest busts in NFL history is the nut graph of a long period of bad decisions.

Antonio Brown fiasco, 5%:
This disaster is a lot less of a big deal than the above nightmares. But it will keep fans mad for a long time. Brown, in short, was the most disrespectful I’ve ever a player act toward an organization and a fan base. He forever deserves your scorn. If you ever stop being mad at Brown, just remember this video — or rewatch the Raiders’ season of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

Immaculate Reception, 8%:
It sucked and if there were instant replay available back in 1972, it very likely would have been reversed. But that play didn’t affect the franchise in the long run like the Tuck Rule did. The Raiders were great for several years after it.

Marcus Allen playing for the Chiefs, 2%:
It was certainly a bummer for Raiders’ fans to see Allen play, and play pretty well, for the hated Chiefs. But that stuff happens. There were far worse things to happen to the Raiders. Allen has a good relationship with the Raiders again and he is forever known as a Raider.