According to a source close to the team, the sore feelings began with a contentious interview of Del Rio conducted weeks ago by Damon Bruce. The Raiders were even less pleased with what they heard on the day after Jimmy Garoppolo's first start with the 49ers, a 15-14 win over Chicago — on "Raiders Monday," no less. The Raiders felt like that day that it was nothing but Jimmy G talk throughout the morning and for the rest of the day.
The list of Raiders guests provided for the station's shows that week, to put it simply, was not exactly star-studded.
It has only gotten worse since, with Garoppolo playing arguably even better in his second start (also a win) while the Raiders squandered an enormous game against the Chiefs. It's gotten to the point now that the Raiders have essentially thrown up their hands, realizing they're fighting an uphill battle with a station still struggling to grow an audience.
However, that didn't stop the Raiders from literally rolling their eyes this week when Bill Romanowski went on the air and declared that Garoppolo is a better quarterback than Derek Carr, an assertion that team play-by-play man/station host Greg Papa didn't necessarily challenge.
While it's understandable that the PR team, whose job is to get the Raiders out in front of people in a positive context as often as possible, is upset, the reasons why the Raiders and A's continue to get the short end of the radio antenna are numerous.
Jimmy G is ascending while Derek C is regressing.
With all due respect to Stephen Curry, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner or Kevin Durant, there isn't a single job with a higher profile in the Bay Area than "49ers franchise quarterback," other than perhaps the CEO of Apple during the latest phone unveiling.
They've seen the results — there's no sense, at least financially speaking, in trying to become the "KNBR, but for East Bay fans only" station.