Raiders’ view of the Tuck Rule, informed by former All-Professional sort out Lincoln Kennedy

HENDERSON, Nev. — With Sunday’s airing of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary on the Tuck Rule Sport, referred to as “Tuck Rule,” here is a behind-the-scenes take a look at what went down on that snowy New England evening that not solely launched the legend of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots‘ dynasty, however hastened the decline of the Raiders … from a sure perspective.

Lincoln Kennedy, an All-Professional proper sort out with the Raiders, went in-depth on the play and its ramifications in his current e-book, “If These Partitions Might Discuss: Raiders” with ESPN Las Vegas Raiders reporter Paul Gutierrez:

‘By no means ought to have even occurred’

Kennedy: If you happen to’re a longtime Raiders fan, the Tuck Rule Sport is up there with the “Immaculate Deception” within the 1972 AFC divisional playoffs at Pittsburgh, the Rob Lytle Fumble within the 1977 AFC title sport at Denver, and Otis Taylor getting just one foot inbounds within the 1969 AFL title sport towards the Chiefs. All unhealthy playoff recollections that went towards the Raiders. For me, it is greater than a nasty reminiscence — as I stated earlier, it is among the few instances in my skilled life I want I had a do-over. And I will get into that in a bit.

This is the factor — the Tuck Rule Sport by no means ought to have even occurred. Not if we had dealt with our enterprise on the finish of the common season. Look, after an 8-2 begin that included a heartbreaking, last-second loss at Miami in our second sport, we misplaced 4 of our final six video games, together with the final three straight, to complete 10-6. We misplaced out on a bye within the first week of the playoffs.

To interrupt it down additional, our final sport of the season, at dwelling towards the New York Jets, was a sport that had been postponed from Week 2 of the season, when the NFL moved all of these video games again after the 9/11 terrorist assaults. Nonetheless, we had been at dwelling. However Sebastian Janikowski, our first-round draft decide kicker the yr earlier than, was out that day with cellulitis in his foot. So we signed Brad Daluiso off the road for one sport. His solely sport of the 2001 season. The final sport of his 11-year NFL profession.

He missed an additional level within the second quarter. Then he missed a 28-yard discipline objective within the third quarter. Yeah, he did make three different discipline targets, from 23, 44 and 37 yards, so perhaps if we had been in a position to end some drives it could not have come right down to him. Or if Wealthy Gannon’s go to a wide-open Roland Williams down the correct facet had been only a hair shorter to transform on third-and-2 with simply over two minutes to play, we might have been in a position to milk the clock and finish it.

As an alternative, the Jets bought the ball again, and John Corridor’s season-long 53-yard discipline objective with 59 seconds to go gave us a 24-22 loss and dropped us to the No. 3 seed within the AFC. Win that sport and we are the No. 2 seed, behind the No. 1-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers, whereas the New England Patriots would have been No. 3, the Miami Dolphins No. 4, and the Baltimore Ravens, the defending champs, No. 5. The Seattle Seahawks, of their final yr within the AFC West earlier than realignment despatched them to the NFC West in 2002, would have been the No. 6.

In different phrases, whereas we and the Steelers would have been dwelling resting on wild-card weekend, the Seahawks would have gone to New England and, prefer it occurred in actual life, the Ravens would have performed on the Dolphins. And if each the Ravens and Patriots had gained their video games, we nonetheless would have performed the Patriots … simply in Oakland. Not within the New England snow.

Because it was, Corridor’s kick bought the Jets into the playoffs because the No. 6 seed, and we bought a wild-card weekend rematch in Oakland, the place, till the earlier week, they’d not gained since 1962. After the Jets beat us in that remaining sport, Frank Middleton bought into it with a bunch of Jets gamers as a result of they had been chanting, “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!” In Oakland. In order that week, I informed the fellows, “I wish to beat the ‘Jets’ out of them.”

We stomped a mudhole of their butts. We beat them fairly convincingly, 38-24. So after that sport, Frank was yelling, “J-E-T-S, Simply, Go, Residence!” Perhaps he did not use that language, however, . And it set us and, actually, the remainder of the NFL, up for a date with future in New England on Jan. 19, 2002.

‘Dude, it is a hit. It is a fumble’

We landed in New England on a Thursday evening and bought off the airplane — clear skies, moon was out, brisk, completely stunning evening. There was no snow on the bottom, nothing. I used to be considering, Rattling, that is very nice. I had by no means performed in New England previous to that time. It was stunning. The climate was stunning. It felt good. The crisp air. It felt good. Subsequent day at apply, the solar was out. Lovely. Good winter day. OK.

The morning of the sport, I bought up, opened my window shades: snow was coming down. Oh s—. Now, I didn’t have any success in snow video games. I misplaced the Apple Cup in school towards Drew Bledsoe and Wazzou [Washington State] my senior yr in school, 42–23 within the Palouse. I had no success in snow video games. So I used to be considering, OK, these are thick snowflakes which might be coming down. It snowed all day. Alllllll day. We had been the late sport that evening, and it was similar to, ‘Oh, my gosh, right here we go once more.’ However we nonetheless felt we had been the higher crew. We had been going to deal with enterprise. And we performed a horrible sport. We should always have gained. We should always have gained that sport.

Now, the Patriots had gone 11-5, however they’d misplaced their $103 million quarterback, Drew Bledsoe — the man taken No. 1 general in the identical draft I went No. 9 — within the second sport of the 2001 season. Bledsoe was blasted by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis on a sideline hit and bought a sheared blood vessel in his chest. He nearly died. In stepped Tom Brady, who led the Patriots to an 11-3 end.

Jon Gruden got here into the crew assembly the evening earlier than the sport and stated, “Bledsoe’s going to swimsuit up, however what I am listening to is they are going to begin this man named Tom Brady. Sixth-round draft alternative out of Michigan. I do not know a lot about this man, however we will be prepared. We will go on the market and deal with enterprise.” Then comes the sport. In a blizzard. 5 inches of snow fell, and it was 25 levels at kickoff.

However we had been dealing with our enterprise and had been up by 10 factors, 13-3, getting into the fourth quarter. Brady then got here to life and led the Patriots on a landing drive, going 67 yards in 10 performs earlier than working it in himself from 6 yards out to get inside 13-10 with lower than eight minutes to play. Irrespective of.

We traded punts and had the ball at our personal 44-yard line, third-and-1 with 2:24 to go, and the Patriots solely had one timeout left. If we bought the primary down, we might run out the clock and both go to Pittsburgh the following week for the AFC title sport, or play the Ravens in Oakland for the correct to go to the Tremendous Bowl. The Steelers and Ravens had been taking part in the following day.

We had this. Time for our bread-and-butter play. We ran 14-Blast, and Frank Middleton, who was taking part in guard proper subsequent to me, missed the block. Zack Crockett bought stuffed by Tedy Bruschi and Ty Legislation for no acquire. Now it was fourth-and-1, and the Patriots took their final timeout with 2:19 to play.

We bought again to the road of scrimmage and had been considering, “We have got the play. It is midfield, let’s go for it.” We knew what had occurred the play earlier than as a result of Frank got here again to the huddle and was like, “Dude, my unhealthy, my unhealthy. I assumed he stated 15-Blast.”

“Oh, f—, effectively, okay, we have got this. Let’s simply do that.”

Frank had gone the fallacious manner, and Bruschi and Legislation got here by way of to cease Zack for no acquire. Frank stated, “I went the fallacious manner.”

“S— occurs. Let’s do that. We have got this.”

As an alternative, Gruden despatched in Shane Lechler, the punter, and I used to be like, ‘Grrrrr.’ We by no means bought the ball again. Keep in mind how I used to be speaking about wanting a do-over? That was it. I want we might have gone for it on fourth down there. That was a kind of, I simply want Gruden wasn’t so conservative. That was all the time my greatest gripe, particularly Gruden’s early years — very conservative. We labored our butts off, I labored my tail off, to be that go-to offensive lineman. Run it proper up the crack of my ass. I’ll get this primary down for you.

As soon as he punted the ball away, we by no means bought the ball again. Enter the Tuck Rule. With 1:50 to play and the Patriots at our 42-yard line, Brady dropped again to go and was completely blasted by Charles Woodson, approaching a nook blitz from Brady’s entrance. He by no means noticed C-Wooden coming. The ball popped out, Greg Biekert recovered the soccer, and the offense ran onto the sector.

We bought the ball, we bought the ball. Besides … This play’s underneath overview. I used to be standing subsequent to Biekert and C-Wooden, and we had been all trying up on the replay on the large display. How are they going to overview it? C-Wooden stated, “It is our ball. That is a clear hit. That is a fumble. That is our ball.”

However Greg stated, “It is taking too lengthy.”

I stated, “Greg, what are you speaking about?”

“It is taking too lengthy. If it was that definitive, it could have already come again.”

A part of our protection and most of our offense was on the sector. That Phil Collins tune “Within the Air Tonight” was blaring over the stadium’s loudspeakers. Nonstop. Yeah, one thing was within the air, all proper. We had been strolling onto the sector, and now the play was underneath overview, proper? Greg stated to me, “We are the Raiders. They are going to discover a approach to take it from us.”

“Dude, it is a hit. It is a fumble.”

After which they got here again with this rule. And I used to delight myself on understanding all the principles of the sport. However what the f— is a Tuck Rule? What? He wasn’t throwing the ball. And C-Wooden stated, “He wasn’t throwing the ball, he had each arms on it.”

This is what referee Walt Coleman, who by no means labored one other Raiders sport in his profession, by the way in which, leaned on — Rule 3, Part 22, Article 2, Word 2 from the NFL’s rule e-book: “It’s a Ahead Cross if: When a Crew A participant is holding the ball to go it ahead, any intentional ahead motion of his hand begins a ahead go, even when the participant loses possession of the ball as he’s trying to tuck it again towards his physique.”

No matter. There’s this, too: “Additionally, if the participant has tucked the ball into his physique after which loses possession, it’s a fumble.”

play

Stephen A. Smith particulars why New England owes its dynasty to the “tuck rule,” mentioning that “each nice story has a place to begin.”

Completely different angles confirmed various things, together with one angle that confirmed Brady with each arms on the ball on the time of affect. The remainder is historical past. Sidenote: the one cause the play was reviewed was as a result of it occurred with lower than two minutes to play. Brady was strolling off the sector. The Patriots weren’t going to problem that.

Anyway, that drive continued, and Adam Vinatieri tied the sport at 13-13 with a 45-yard discipline objective by way of the snow with 27 seconds to go. Yeah, I assume we did get the ball again, technically, however despite the fact that we had two timeouts remaining, and we had been on our personal 35-yard line, Gruden had Wealthy Gannon down the ball. We would play for extra time and, I assume, hope we might win the coin toss. Keep in mind, extra time was sudden-death again then.

We misplaced the coin toss and by no means touched the ball once more. The Patriots drove proper down, utilizing 15 performs to go from their very own 34-yard line to our 5-yard line and even transformed on fourth-and-4 from our 28-yard line. Gruden used a timeout to try to ice Vinatieri however, as Vinatieri later stated, that simply gave him time to clear a spot within the snow for higher footing. The chip-shot game-winner from 23 yards out was good. Ballgame. And that was the final sport ever performed at Foxboro Stadium. Good riddance.

Gruden got here within the locker room after that and stated, “They’re by no means going to let the Raiders win.” That struck me that he stated “the Raiders” as an alternative of “us.” Everyone was deflated. After the ruling got here again, it simply took the entire air out of our sails. Charles informed a TV interviewer within the locker room, “It is bulls—. That is precisely how I really feel. It is a bulls— name. By no means ought to have been overturned.”

We had been simply shells. I used to be mad and stated, “I can not consider they f—ed us out of this sport. They took this sport from us.” I used to be indignant on the refs. “You guys screwed us out of this f—ing sport.” I did not even watch the Tremendous Bowl after that season, I used to be so upset.

Pulling the Tuck Rule out of your ass is one factor. However that complete factor simply set every part off to a spot the place you could not predict. After the very fact, what all the time stood out to me was the story of two franchises from that sport. Yeah, we went to the Tremendous Bowl the following yr, however since then, as I’ve talked about elsewhere, the Raiders have had just one successful season since [two now after the Raiders went 10-7 in 2021]. Al Davis stated it himself, he stated the Tuck Rule Sport was the “undoing” of a whole lot of issues. Boy, was he ever proper.

‘It was a flash level’

New England followers framed it as candy revenge for what they noticed as a bogus roughing-the-passer penalty towards Ray “Sugar Bear” Hamilton in a 1976 playoff sport that stored alive Ken Stabler’s game-winning drive for the Raiders. Once more, no matter.

Raiders followers are nonetheless upset. And for good cause. Gruden had been rumored to be transferring on all season, whether or not it was to varsity with Notre Dame or Ohio State or throughout the Bay to the San Francisco 49ers (if Steve Mariucci left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had been additionally rumored to be pursuing Invoice Parcells). Three weeks after the Tuck Rule Sport, the rumors grew to become actuality, and I had a message to name Mr. Davis. His phrases had been, “I by no means preferred it when groups would intrude with coaches underneath contract.”

Gruden nonetheless had one yr remaining on his cope with the Raiders. Mr. D informed me, “Tampa Bay got here to me and so they stated they needed Gruden.” And he stated, “I felt that I put the worth tag so excessive that they would not conform to it. And so they did. Gruden is not our coach.” Yeah, two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million.

So I hung up after I talked to him, bought maintain of Wealthy Gannon and Tim Brown, and I used to be like, ‘Dude, what are we going to do?’ Everybody had heard the information. “What the f— are we going to do? We have got to rent from inside.”

Chuck Bresnahan was the defensive coordinator. No, no, not him, not him. We finally determined it ought to have been Invoice Callahan. After the commerce went down, all of us met with Mr. D. I put in my two cents and stated I assumed it must be Callahan. “He is aware of the system, we are able to preserve every part the identical.” Marc Trestman? He was the quarterbacks coach, however Callahan had the run sport. Trestman was growing the go sport, however I believe Wealthy had stated he needed Callahan and never Trestman. I believe. And Callahan was the offensive coordinator anyway.

Folks generally ask me how that one play modified historical past within the NFL. The NFL Community referred to as it the No. 2 most controversial play of all time. It was a flash level, little question as a result of so many marvel if Gruden would have been traded with out that play and are available again in 2018. However you may’t say as a result of you may’t get into the thoughts of Jon Gruden. What if we had gone on to win the Tremendous Bowl, would which have made him stick with all the issues that had been on the market? It began with he needed management. Then Callahan got here in and tried to do issues his manner after we went to the Tremendous Bowl, and the crew revolted.

Different individuals ask in regards to the Patriots. Yeah, this will likely be thought-about a scorching take, however with out the Tuck Rule, I do not assume Brady makes the Corridor of Fame. I do not assume Invoice Belichick turns into a Corridor of Fame coach. As an alternative, right here we’re, twenty years later, and Brady, who’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (bizarre how issues come full circle, proper?) has now performed in half of the Tremendous Bowls performed within the 20 seasons since he grew to become a starter — half! — and his report within the Tremendous Bowl is now 7-3 after beating the defending champion Chiefs in February [2021]. Superb.

I do know Paul requested Brady in regards to the Tuck Rule and whether or not or not it was really a fumble on a convention name earlier than the Patriots performed on the Raiders in 2011. “You are by no means going to get the reply out of me you need,” Brady joked. No one in Silver and Black is laughing, although. Particularly for the reason that Tuck Rule was abolished in 2013. We should always have gained that sport.

This excerpt from If These Partitions Might Discuss: Raiders by Lincoln Kennedy with Paul Gutierrez is reprinted with the permission of Triumph Books. For extra data and to order a duplicate, please go to www.TriumphBooks.com/WallsRaiders.