Colossal error: Stephen A. Smith blasts Raiders owner for Roman Empire comparison
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith thinks comparing the Raiders to the Roman Empire was a Roman Colosseum-sized error by owner Mark Davis.
“That was one of the dumbest quotes I’ve ever seen an owner make,” Smith said Tuesday on “First Take.” “In Vegas, Sin City, where people go to make their dreams come true…you’re gonna tell everybody Rome was not built in a day.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Davis told ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez when he asserted head coach Josh McDaniels’ job is secure after a 25-20 loss to the Colts.
However, Rome burned to the ground in one day, and the Raiders (2-7) look like the scattered ashes, sitting last in the AFC West with minuscule playoff hopes. Smith predicted they grazed the tip of the iceberg.
“This is about to go down,” Smith said. “You see the emotions swirling and fomenting to such a degree to know that trouble is on the horizon.”
The bubbling emotions surfaced after the embarrassing loss that had Derek Carr fighting tears during a postgame news conference.
“I wish everybody in that room felt the same way about this place. And as a leader, that pisses me off, if I’m being honest,” Carr said.
Carr’s comments about locker room apathy might trace to McDaniels. If Davis fails to solve the problem, he’s making a mistake.
Lapses in judgment are why the Raiders failed to build an empire since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2002. They haven’t won a playoff game in nearly 20 years and have only made the playoffs twice.
