‘G-Men’ spark Raiders-49ers rivalry
Even though they were heading in opposite directions, the 49ers and Raiders finished so dead-even at 6-10, the league couldn’t even separate them for the ninth and 10th picks in the NFL draft. Their strengths of schedule were also identical.
As such, a coin flip late next month will determine draft order.
“I’m going to practice all offseason,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week. “I’m talking to our analytics guys. I’m hearing it’s 50-50.” The coin flip won’t be the last head-to-head confrontation between the 49ers and Raiders in 2018. In fact, it will be the first of several.
While the NFL schedule isn’t set yet, the 49ers and Raiders will be meeting face-to-face at Levi’s Stadium sometime in 2018. It happens once every four years, and with the Raiders set to leave for Las Vegas in 2020, this will mark the last time the teams meet as Bay Area rivals.
It’s going to be epic. And it will be even more so now that both franchises have their vaunted “G Men” in place as designated saviors. That would be quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with the 49ers and coach Jon Gruden with the Raiders. Hopes are already soaring on both sides of the bay by the mere mention of their names.
It’s remarkable how few times the teams have played each other: Only 13 regular-season matchups and just eight while representing Oakland and San Francisco.
Their meetings have never lacked for drama. Two of the past four went into overtime. In 2014, the most recent meeting, Raiders offensive lineman Donald Penn caught a touchdown pass that provided the impetus for a rousing Oakland win at the Coliseum.
Overall, the Raiders have won seven of the 13. But as Bay Area entities? The Raiders and the 49ers have split the eight meetings. Tied 4-4. Beautiful. The next one breaks the tie for eternity … or at least until the Raiders decide to move back again in 2038 or so.
The best part of the 49ers-Raiders Tug-of-War for 2018 will be all the juicy connections back and forth. Lynch, for instance, played for Gruden when Tampa Bay beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl in 2002, so they wear the same model championship ring. Raiders G.M. Reggie McKenzie played for the Raiders from 1985-88 and with the 49ers in 1992.
Former 49ers Michael Crabtree and NaVorro Bowman could be lining up against their old team next season, if Gruden chooses to bring them back to the Silver & Black.
Gruden has his own 49ers history. He got his start with them in the early 1990s as a low-level assistant, and his dad was a longtime 49ers scout.
Speaking of dads … Gruden will be coaching against Kyle Shanahan, whose father Mike owned Gruden during his first stint in Oakland. Gruden and Mike Shanahan went head-to-head eight times. Shanahan won seven.
And of course, Mike Shanahan was once the Raiders’ head coach, for a brief time. He was fired four games into his second season for crossing Al Davis on a number of fronts, the first of which was not winning enough.
Shanahan’s first measure of revenge came in 1994 when he won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator for the 49ers. That helped land him the head coaching job in Denver, where he won two more (and went 7-1 against Gruden).
But back to that 1994 season. The opener was one of those rare 49ersRaiders meetings. It was “Monday Night Football” at Candlestick Park. With Shanahan at the play-calling controls, the 49ers throttled the Raiders (playing their final season in Los Angeles) 4414 with the entire country watching. Jerry Rice caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Steve Young and broke Jim Brown’s all-time touchdown record in the process.
The highlight from that night, however, didn’t make it to the telecast. Before the game, as he was wont to do, Davis prowled the sideline in his customary all-white garb. As detailed gloriously in Gary Myers’ 2012 book, “Coaching Confidential: Inside The Fraternity of NFL Coaches,” Davis walked out onto the 49ers’ side of the field and gave a long, intimidating glare at their offensive players as they were warming up.
Shanahan, spotting Davis, knew he was trying to distract Young and the 49ers’ offensive unit. It was working, too. Hence, as warmups were winding down, Shanahan told Young, “Throw a ‘go’ route. If you happen to hit that guy in the white outfit with the ball, you won’t make me mad.”
Young fired his most perfect pass of the night — and it sailed right at Davis’ head. Rice, the receiver, was going full bore after it. Davis, meanwhile, had turned his head briefly and didn’t see either the ball or Rice coming.
“Oh, my God,” said Shanahan, as told in Myers’ book account. “I wanted to scare him. I didn’t want to kill him. Then Al realizes that the ball and everybody is coming at him about 5 yards before there is going to be contact. I think he’s going to be run over. And he dives; he actually dives out of the way. Well, half of our players see what happens, and they are all laughing.”
As the story goes, Davis subsequently got up, brushed himself off and promptly saluted Shanahan, Young and Co. with his middle finger.
Ten years later, Davis crossed paths with Young at an NFL function and accused him of throwing at him. Young confessed he was so ashamed he wrote Al a letter of apology.
What a fabulous story. We can only hope that 2018 with the 49ers and Raiders provide memories with such lasting impact. The stage is set.