Raiders Are Dumbstruck

A season’s worth of frustration came barreling out of Bill Callahan’s mouth after Oakland’s latest mistake-filled defeat when he called the Raiders “the dumbest team in America.”

“If we don’t learn how not to beat ourselves, we won’t win again, and we won’t win for a long time,” the Raider coach shouted to reporters after his team’s 22-8 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

“We’ve got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game. I’m highly critical because of the way we give games away -- we give ‘em away! Period. It’s embarrassing, and I represent that. And I apologize for that.

“If that’s the best we can do, it’s a sad product.”

The Broncos kept their slim playoff hopes alive, and their bitter division rivals sure made it easy.

Clinton Portis carried 34 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns, and the Broncos held Oakland without a touchdown for the first time since the AFC championship game against Baltimore in the 2000 season.

“I just got into a groove and I just kept wanting the ball,” said Portis, who received the game ball from Coach Mike Shanahan. “I didn’t want to give it up to anybody else.”

Denver (7-5) is four games behind Kansas City in the AFC West and trailing four other teams in the postseason race.

All the Broncos really had to overcome was the wet weather -- the raucous Raider Nation was subdued for a change.

A steady rain and the Raiders’ ugly performance may have been the reasons for that. What little success Oakland had moving the ball was offset by untimely penalties and other mistakes.

The Raiders weren’t thrilled to learn of Callahan’s comments.

“I’m not ever going to call my teammates dumb,” injured offensive lineman Frank Middleton said. “Since you were a kid, your mama taught you not to call anyone dumb or stupid.”

Said Charles Woodson, one of Callahan’s most vocal critics: “I can’t believe another grown man would call another man dumb.”