Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden Apologizes For Fumble

Oct 26, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns strong safety Donte Whitner (31) causes Oakland Raiders running back Kory Sheets (30) to fumble during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns beat the Raiders 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Darren McFadden’s fumble in the second half served as the turning point in the Oakland Raiders 23-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns and a missed opportunity to finally find the win column, it also put a sour note on a day where the Raiders offensive gameplan should have used more of McFadden as his near 5.0 YPC was one of his best performances of the season with 59 yards on just 12 carries compared to 50+ passing attempts for rookie passer Derek Carr.

McFadden’s fumble came with the Raiders driving down the field looking to go up on the scoreboard over the Browns before the veteran had his first fumble in over a year, in fact McFadden hasn’t had a season with more than one fumble in a season since 2010. That being said, McFadden is taking full responsibility for the fumble that came after Donte Whitner put his helmet on the football to dislodge it.

With Whitner getting so low and putting his helmet directly onto the football, McFadden had very little chance of holding onto the ball and the rest was history, but to McFadden that is no excuse.

From CSN Bay Area’s Scott Bair:

"The Cleveland Browns scored a decisive touchdown four plays later and went on to claim a 23-13 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium. It was the biggest play of a game the Raiders desperately needed, a fact not lost on McFadden.“It was a big mistake on my part,” McFadden said. “It’s something that I can not do. I can’t put the ball on the ground. I take full responsibility. That was a big turning point in the game … I caused it, and things went downhill from there.”McFadden was running hard and braced for contact appropriately. Browns safety Donte Whitner made an excellent play. He got low and put a helmet right on the football. It shot out quickly, right into Joe Haden’s hands.“(I wasn’t aiming for the ball but, sometimes, when a running back tries to get lower than you, the ball has lower exposure,” Whitner said. “Being a shorter guy, I just made a play and put my head on the ball. We needed that one.”"

McFadden has stayed healthy and productive for the Raiders this season on the cheap, but after not living up to expectations as a first round draft pick fans seem to get a little more angry when it is McFadden making a rare mistake. Not one to give away the football easily, McFadden’s fumble coming at the worst possible time was a heartbreaker not only for fans and the team, but also for the veteran as DMC has had a good season even with the biggest sour note of his season coming at an inopportune moment.