The Oakland Raiders defied football logic this past Sunday when they racked up an NFL record 23 penalties (for 200 yards!) and still managed to come away with a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Thursday, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio joined Colin Cowherd on “The Herd” to share his pitch-perfect reaction to Oakland’s ignominious record — and it’s not what you might expect from an NFL coach:
“Just win, baby. Let’s not focus on the negative. We’re going to make our corrections, obviously we’re going to do that. At the end of the day, it’s about winning and losing in this league. We’re going to celebrate the wins. Enjoy it.
“We correct everything. Every Tuesday, we’re going to get together as a team, we’re going to talk about the things that went well and tell the truth about that. We’re going to take a look at the things that didn’t go well, and we’re going to tell the truth about that. And then we put it behind us, and we’re going forward with positive energy. ‘Just win, baby,’ is the motto here, and we’re going to stick with it.”
Truly, what else could a Raider say? Al Davis would be proud.
The 6-2 Raiders host the 6-2 Denver Broncos on Sunday night with midseason control of the AFC West on the line. If Oakland can’t stay disciplined against Denver, the outcome could be very different in Week 9.
