ALAMEDA, Calif. -- For a franchise known for its propensity to commit penalties, the Oakland Raiders are reaching new highs -- or maybe it's lows? -- this season.
And that has coach Hue Jackson fuming -- not just at the guilty players but also at the referees.
Jackson talked to league officials Monday, one day after he said calls against his team during a 27-21 win at Minnesota were unfair, complained that he couldn't get explanations of calls from referee Jerome Boger's crew and said he didn't "even know what football is right now" with the way some personal fouls were called.
"Obviously after yesterday, I've probably reached my boiling point," Jackson said Monday.
After spending most of his first season as Raiders coach refusing to publicly criticize officials, Jackson snapped after Oakland's latest game, which included four personal fouls, including three on one Minnesota touchdown drive in the first quarter.
"All I ask is that when people deal with our football team, that it's done fairly," Jackson said. "Now across the league everyone says everything is fair, and I'm not saying that it's not. But yesterday it was one game that I felt very uncomfortable with what had happened. I was able to address it today. I said what I said yesterday and felt very strongly about and still feel strongly about it today. But I'm going to move on from that because that does me no good, our football team no good."
Jackson said he didn't expect to be fined for his comments and the league would publicly address the complaints. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said coaches can call head of officiating Carl Johnson for explanations of any calls and that the league looked forward to answering Jackson's questions.
The Raiders already have committed 17 defensive personal fouls this season -- more than double the total of 29 teams and the most in the league since the Kansas City Chiefs had 19 in 1998.
Oakland finished Sunday's game with 12 penalties for 117 yards. That keeps the Raiders on a record-setting pace. At this rate, Oakland would finish the season with 164 penalties for 1,427 yards -- surpassing the totals of 158 for 1,304 yards by Kansas City in 1998.
"At the end of the day, we still need to get better at doing what we do, but on top of that, I just want to make sure that just because we do need to get better in some areas people aren't saying, 'OK, let's have a great day throwing this flag today because there's the Raiders out here,'Â " Jackson said. "I think it's been addressed, and we'll go forward."
Notes:Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski is still hampered by an injured left hamstring and had a 49-yard field-goal attempt blocked Sunday. ... WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was feeling better Monday, one day after being carted off the field with his neck stabilized after a scary collision with Vikings LB E.J. Henderson. ... Jackson said he wouldn't know the status of RB Darren McFadden and WR Jacoby Ford until later in the week. Both players have been sidelined by a sprained foot.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
