Nov 2, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders hit rock bottom after their big win over the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 52-0 to the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome in a game where the team as a whole came out flat against a fellow losing team. While the Rams have been a team to reckon with despite their record, there was no excuse for a game where all facets of the team didn’t show up in St. Louis in what could be defined as the worst game in the history of the franchise.
Sunday’s loss was so bad that media members were calling for general manager Reggie McKenzie to take the podium and address the state of the team, something that is rare from a general manager unless a major move is made in the organization. Losing 52-0, Steve Corkran of Bay Area News Group asked why McKenzie was not amongst the members of the Raiders who faced the media Sunday afternoon.
One person #Raiders fans should be hearing from today or, heck, any day, for that matter, is GM Reggie McKenzie. Why the silence? All season
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) November 30, 2014
Reggie McKenzie assembled this #Raiders team that fans pay to watch. He owes them a state-of-the-Raiders address, at a minimum.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) November 30, 2014
Former #Raiders coach Tom Flores talked today. So did coach Sparano, RB McFadden, S Woodson. GM McKenzie? Silence. Inexcusable.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) November 30, 2014
#49ers GM Trent Baalke talks on radio often, occasionally to writers. #Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie feels as if he owes fans no explanation.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) November 30, 2014
Corkran has a point that McKenzie needs to hold himself accountable for the Raiders failures as much as anybody, but answering questions on the players/coaches effort only can do so much. A 1-11 record is a 1-11 record at the end of the day and although McKenzie brought in the players, it is hard to blame him for today when it seemed like nobody on the field cared enough to try to win. McKenzie should be blamed as much as anybody, but on a day like today it maybe was best that he didn’t face the media even if he eventually should answer questions regarding the collapse that has taken over this 2014 season in Oakland.