Raiders & Gruden and Carr fight in front of the Cardinals

Jon Gruden and Derek Carr acted on Sunday against a group of guys who were supposed to be "wrapping up" a season to secure first place in the NFL draft, which suggested they win 23-21 over the Cardinals of Arizona. It was a bit serious.

They did this during the game, when at least two disagreements became viral on Twitter. They did so after the match, when they were clearly happy and relieved to have lost a series of five consecutive defeats.

For those who believe in the myth of the tank game, your day was wasted when Daniel Carlson threw a 35-yard throw at the end of the allotted time.

What if the Raiders beat the only NFL team capable of winning such a victory?

In order for the coaches and the quarterback to be sufficiently cared for quarrels, the Bickers were something that both men needed to go forward and that was proof that the Raiders wanted to win the worst of times. ways.

And yes, it was the worst way, considering the level of play presented by both teams.

Jon Gruden and Derek Carr get to the heart of the matter: https://t.co/TmckBPzrpZ pic.twitter.com/W8gRPt59Uj

– Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 18, 2018

Gruden vs. Carr has attracted a lot of attention. In reality, it was not worse than Gruden vs. Jeff George, Gruden vs. Donald Hollas, Gruden vs. Rich Gannon, Gruden vs. Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia, or any other quarter you want to name.

The first came after Carr missed a deep shot against Jalen Richard, isolated on a linebacker, rather than taking a safe throw for the first try.

"It's the first time you see it, but it's not the first time it's happening," said Gruden. "We had a man-to-man situation and he played the big game. We had a slight disagreement. But what do you know? This is part of this business. We are going to have moments when we are facing each other a little bit. "

That's what Gruden does or does. Given the way the Raiders played this season, you could argue that Gruden was too easy with Carr. He spent the night looking for ways to apply the needle on Gannon, and it was time to drop the act of child gloves.

Carr may not swear and is painfully polite from Monday to Saturday, but he has his own spirited side. He took a serious look at the receivers on the wrong road, including one headed towards Seth Roberts in the fourth quarter before the veteran offered the game that led to the winning goal.

In this case, facing the head coach is a good thing. If Gruden and Carr are to succeed as head coach and shift manager, it should not be easy and smooth. Especially after a series of five consecutive defeats.

"We're both screaming the same sort of thing, one" that's enough to fix the problem, "Carr said," It's not the first time, I doubt it'll be the last time. I'm fine, I promise. "

Carr was successful when needed, with a 32-yard pass to rookie Marcell Ateman, then a quick 20-yard display to Roberts to allow Carlson to get the winning points. For this to happen, it took a bit of Arizona clock management seriously.

This occurred after the Raiders did only step-by-step procedures on an off-site indoor facility that did not have hash marks and was not large enough for a football team, a minor inconvenience causing devastation of Paradise Camp Fire.

During the match, wide receiver Brandon LaFell was lost with an injury to Achilles that will likely end his season. Doug Martin, the best striker in the first half, missed the second half due to an ankle injury.

Then Frostee Rucker, a former cardinal who, with Ateman and Carlson, got match balls, made it clear later that he was not going to minimize the effort or pretend it was just another match. He was proud to be part of it and said so.

In the current state, the 49ers have risen to first place with six games to play, followed by Cardinals, then Raiders, with the three teams at 2-8.

This does not mean that the Raiders have still not been able to choose the best choice, but that is not their goal, and never has been. Not the match days, anyway.

The notion that Gruden would lead to losing and that the Raiders would play to lose Sunday is laughable. Many fans and media hoping for a win at the end of the season would never consider doing their own job midway.

Go ahead and attach the term "tanking" to the trades that sent Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper out of town to add to their draft cache in the first round as it was a decision made for 2019 that weakened a list in 2018. to lose Sunday is an absurd notion that goes beyond all limits of logic and common sense. It does not take into account the competitive nature of those who have reached the pinnacle of their professions.