From 1970, when the AFL and NFL merged, to 2002, the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders had only suffered six losing seasons. They made the playoffs 18 times, won the AFC West 12 times, won the AFC Championship four times, and won the Super Bowl three times. 24 players and coaches donned the Silver and Black over that span and did enough during their careers to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many people claim that the humiliating 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII was the turning point for the Raiders, but the reality is that the writing was on the wall immediately after a cold playoff loss in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Before 2001, the New England Patriots were the ugly stepchild of what would become the AFC East. The Miami Dolphins had won two Super Bowls, one after an undefeated regular season. The Buffalo Bills were only a few years removed from winning four straight AFC Championships and revolutionizing how teams moved the ball. And the New York Jets were proudly the first AFL team to defeat an NFL team in the Super Bowl. The Patriots hadn’t accomplished much in the first 41 years of their existence, only enjoying a winning season 16 times, and being destroyed in the Super Bowl by the famous ’85 Bears and Brett Favre’s Packers.
A Turning Point: Where It All Went Wrong For The Raiders
Everything changed on that cold night in Foxborough. Stepping in at quarterback for an injured Drew Bledsoe was sixth-round pick, Tom Brady. With 1:43 left in regulation, the Patriots trailed the Raiders 13-10 and were out of timeouts. Brady snapped the ball in the shotgun, hopped back, and pump-faked downfield. As the ball was returning to Brady’s side, cornerback Charles Woodson tackled him from behind, knocking the ball out and forcing a fumble. Or so it seemed.
NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2-
When an offensive player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.
Any member of the Raider Nation is familiar with what has infamously become known as the “Tuck rule”. The rest, of course, is history. The unknown Brady would go on to win four Super Bowls (so far) and become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks of all-time. The Patriots wouldn’t suffer anything less than a nine-win season over the next 14 years as they became one of the NFL’s elite teams. In 2007, the Patriots would become the first team in history to win all 16 regular season games, and the team had at least 12 wins in 10 of 14 seasons.
While the Patriots ascended to unknown heights, the Raiders trended in a completely different direction. In 2002, the Oakland Raiders would win 11 games and reach the Super Bowl, but they wouldn’t return for at least fourteen seasons. Not only would the Raiders miss out on Super Bowl appearances, they wouldn’t even make the playoffs. In fact, the Raiders haven’t had a winning season since being blown out in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Realistically, did the Tuck Rule magically reverse the fortunes of both franchises? Unlikely. But there’s no question that it made a huge impact. Had the Raiders won that game and the Patriots lost, it’s likely that neither franchise would look the same today. The Raiders may have gone on to defeat the St. Louis Rams, winning their fourth Super Bowl. Al Davis wouldn’t have traded Jon Gruden away, and the Raiders may have even won consecutive championships. Gruden may have kept the team afloat, and names like Darrius Heyward-Bey and JaMarcus Russell may have never donned the Silver and Black.
Meanwhile, Bill Belichick and the Patriots may have decided that Tom Brady was nothing more than a reliable back-up, and stuck with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback. Bledsoe was competent, but there’s little doubt that he would’ve enjoyed the success that Brady has. Without Brady to play spoiler, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts may have won a half dozen Super Bowls. Without the Raiders to beat up on or the Patriots to get crushed by, who knows which teams would’ve been successful during the 2000’s. One thing is for sure though, Raider fans everywhere wish that Charles Woodson had hit Brady just a second later.
Main Photo:
