No one in the NFL had a tougher day that Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, although newly-fired coordinator Chip Kelly might beg to differ. Smith spent the afternoon getting the snot beat out of him by defensive end Myles Garrett and the other Cleveland Browns pass rushers, and after the game the aftermath of the beating clearly got to him.
Smith was spotted flipping off fans as he was leaving the field after the Raiders 24-10 loss at Allegiant Stadium, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and the video is making the rounds. It’s unclear which fan base is intended as the recipient, although you could make the case that the Raiders have been metaphorically been flipping off their own fans with much of their play this season.
Does it really matter, though? He also did this to Seattle Seahawks fans when he was heckled during the team’s return to Seattle, but Smith is way old enough to know better. He sort of tried to hide the gesture as he ran off the field, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there are cameras everywhere these days, especially in the stadium.
Given Smith’s age and history, it was a childish, arrogant thing to do, but it does indicate just how bad things are in Las Vegas. Coach Pete Carroll defended his quarterback last week, and it will be interesting to see how he handles this latest example of a bad team going worse than sideways. He’d be facing a possible team suspension rather than just an obligatory league fine with an organization that does things the right way, but that’s not the Raiders right now.
Not to defend the quarterback, but it isn't hard to understand his frustration. The Raiders are barely putting an NFL offensive line on the field, and it’s impossible for non-players to understand the level of punishment Smith took yesterday. He was sacked ten times for a total of 77 yards, and he spent much of the day running for his life.
Las Vegas is currently 2-9, and it’s hard to see them winning another game, although you can sort of see them beating the New York Giants in late December if you squint really hard. It’s difficult to go from 4-13 to 2-15 given the degree to which the NFL system is designed for parity, and it’s painfully obvious that this roster needs a far bigger overhaul than anyone thought going into the season.