There are several axioms in football.  One is, "You can't coach speed".  Another is, "Prevent defense doesn't win games".   Yet another is, "First to fire on the line wins".

Perhaps the most accurate one is, "The raiders will lose calls and/or get penalized and blame everyone but themselves".  This is common knowledge and repeated by fans around the league, but the raiders (and many of their fans) would rather believe conspiracy theories or resort to name calling and threats than deal with the problem.

The latest example comes from ESPN:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3167117

For those of you who didn't see or hear the game, I'll break it down for you.

1. The raiders decline a penalty according to several officials.  Then the raiders change their minds.  In an incredibile display of grace, the officials allow the raiders to change their minds.  How do the raiders react to this unusual effort of the officials?
2. Warren Sapp decides to thank the officials by running his mouth.  LB Howard demonstrates why lawyers tell clients to shut up, because he admits Sapp ran his mouth and was upset, and further claims that all of the officials somehow called a "declined penalty".  This begs us to believe that the statements of all of the officials involved (who claim the raiders changed their minds) were lies.  Right.
3. But it doesn't end there!  Sapp is apparently in the wrong, as (again) several officials throw flags for Sapp's unsportsman like behaviour.  (The rule of thumb is shut your mouth and let the coaches decide if they want to complain.  Sapp is too stupid to know this sideline rule).  Based on Sapp's poor choice of behaviour, the opposing team gains yardage and a first down on a penalty.  That should end the ignorance, right?
4. Noooooo!  Now Sapp and fellow thug Burgess feel it is their solemn duty to further hurt their team's chances.  After the teams line up the two rouges start mouthing off again!  Does the coach pull Sapp?  Nope.  Do the other players shut Sapp up?  Nope.  It gets better.
5. Sapp makes contact with an official as he continues his tirade.  Again, several officials (and the commentators on the radio not from oakland) are all liars, according to fellow thug Asomugha.  He claims that no one saw it, and in a more ridiculous statement demonstrating utter ignorance states, "...even Sapp said he didn't do it."  Still not done.
6. The raiders went on to lose the game by a score of 49-11.  The penalties (at the end of the first half) didn't lead to any points.  And yet you will read comments by raider's fans who blame the officials for the loss, blame the officials for the penalties, and blame everyone for the loss except themselves.  And they wonder why the rest of the League's fans stereotype them as whiners!

Without self evaluation, without self discipline, without taking responsibility, no team can improve.  For the last couple of decades the raiders have proved this adage in spades.  Perhaps "commitment to excellence" should be replaced with "shut your mouth and try winning".  Sapp's behaviour hurts his team and, by extension, the fans.  But when his team and many of the fans of his team react in a knee jerk defensive way, they will only reap more of what they sow in future games with more penalties.

Assume for a moment that Sapp was correct that the officials "ALL" blew the call that the raiders declined/accepted the penalty.  By keeping his big mouth shut the team would have benefited from the officials allowing the raider's to change their minds.  The game would have continued and the raiders would have had their way.  So how does mouthing off at the officials help you?  It gets the other team a first down and (after continuing to act badly) to eventually get tossed.

Brilliant.  But why am I not surprised?  Meester (center, JAX) said he's never seen anything like it.  He should join us in the AFC West.  He could see this kind of stunt twice a year.