Hue Jackson has issues with NFL officials

MINNEAPOLIS -- For what seems since the halcyon days of JFK's Camelot, the Raiders have been seen as the dirtiest, most foul team in professional football. As such, it's the most heavily-penalized, too.But after another rain of yellow flags, Oakland coach Hue Jackson wants a sit-down at the NFL's roundtable to discuss his team being penalized so much.Unprovoked, Jackson broached the unbroachable following the Raiders' 27-21 victory over Minnesota, a game in which the comedic became the absurd with Oakland being flagged 12 times for 117 yards.

"I am going to reach out to the league myself personally," Jackson said. "I normally don't complain about officiating. I don't make any bones that way because I said I wouldn't. But today, I just truly felt like it was a little unfair. I really do."As a head coach of this football team, I have to look out for my players also and there was a string of calls there where I will go back and see them and review them. But at the end of the day, the description on what was said to me, I just didn't feel that (was satisfactory)."Jackson was referring to a sequence in a single fourth-quarter series in which the Raiders were flagged for defensive pass interference on Lito Sheppard on 4th-and-2, illegal contact on Rolando McClain two snaps later, unnecessary roughness on Desmond Bryant two plays after that and defensive holding on Mike Mitchell on the next snap."I understand that I am a rookie head coach, and maybe I don't get all those calls," Jackson said. "And that is fine. But at the end of the day, I am going to protect my football team, too."I know everyone says we are the most penalized football team in football, and that's a fact and I am not running from that. But there is no way that some things that happened today in that football game (happened)."Jackson said he was also dismayed at what he felt were lack of explanations afforded him."Sometimes I would get brushed aside," Jackson said. "Sometimes I would get talked to as if they didn't know what I was asking, and I just don't think that is fair. I asked several times for explanations and I wouldn't get them."I don't like (talking about ) this because it is not, obviously, about the officiating. And I have always said that when we get good enough, it won't be. Obviously, we might be getting good enough because we are winning games."The Raiders now have a league-leading 103 penalties for 892 yards and are on pace for 165 penalties for 1,427 yards. The single-season record is 158 penalties and 1,304 yards, both dubious marks held by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs.The Raiders' single-season mark for penalties is the 156 they committed in both 1994 and 1996, while the 1,276 yards in penalties they had last season set the franchise mark."I want us to have the same opportunity that everyone else has in this league," Jackson added. "All of the other 31 teams, we go to the game and it is officiated correctly and people give you explanations as to why things are done and if I can get that, then I am fine. If somebody can tell me exactly why it is like it is, I respect that."But when people just brush you aside and we can't get the ref over here then all of a sudden there is a break in the action but yet he is over there on the other bench having conversations with them but can't come over to me, and I have to remind everybody to come over and see me, I have a hard time with that."Jackson was also dismayed when asked his view of the play that knocked receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey out of the game. Was it clean? Was it dirty? Was it a forearm?"You know, I don't even know what football is anymore," Jackson said. "I don't know what hitting is. I don't know what tackling is. I have been in this game a long time and I can't tell you what hitting, or tackling, is, or what a personal foul or even what anything is anymore."At the end of the day, this team is 6-4 and that is what I am proud of."