DENVER – Long snapper Jon Condo was in the Raiders locker room when head coach Jack Del Rio chose to go for a two-point conversion up just three points in Sunday’s game against Denver, getting his shoulder popped back into place.
Doctors tried to do it on the sideline, but the joint wouldn’t realign without some heavy work. Without his long snapper available, Del Rio controversially chose to go for two points when an extra point would’ve eliminated the possibility Denver could tie it with a field goal.
“You’ve got to do what you think is best for your football team,” Del Rio said. “In that situation, the advice I was given from our special teams coaches was it would really be best; we have a higher percentage of making it if we go for two. When that’s the case, you have to use the information that occurs to you right there for the team.”
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The Raiders didn’t convert on that play but it didn’t cost the team in a 15-12 upset victory at Sports Authority Field.
Del Rio’s choice was widely panned by national pundits, even without Condo available to him. Tight end Lee Smith is the team’s backup long snapper, but he had wrist surgery a few weeks back and wears a brace during games. Using him wasn’t ideal, so he chose to go for two.
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“It shows how much faith they have in me snapping with a cast,” Smith said in a joking manner. “We went for two when Condo wasn’t around. It would’ve been tricky, but I would’ve done it if I had to.”
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Smith wasn’t called to action.
“We thought about it,” Del Rio said. “We elected to go for two at that time, but things like that come up during the game, and you make a snap judgment. That was our choice to do.”
Condo popped his shoulder back into place in time to snap for a punt and a field goal missed in large part due to his snap pushing wide.
Condo got hurt recovering a muffed punt in the third quarter, which set up the go-ahead score.
“I heard that we scored while they were working on it, and thought they’d go for two,” Condo said. “We didn’t get it, but we came away with a good team win.”