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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

West Coast squads struggle out east

Teams are a combined 43-83 over last decade

Oakland seeks to end a 14-game East Coast losing streak today. (Associated Press)
Arnie Stapleton Associated Press

The Oakland Raiders have to deal with more than just Tom Brady and Darrelle Revis at New England today. They’ll also be fighting mental fogginess and the physical effects of jetlag.

Their internal clocks will make it feel like it’s 6 a.m. when they drag themselves onto the early bus heading to the stadium four hours before the 1 p.m. EDT kickoff.

“When you go from east to west it’s almost like you gain some time and get some extra rest. But going from west to east that game hits you real quick,” Raiders safety Usama Young said. “It almost reminds you of when you were younger playing football in the morning. It’s a different feel. … It feels a little odd.”

The four West Coast teams, which annually log 25,000 air miles, are a combined 43-83 in the Eastern time zone over the last decade, according to STATS LLC. Oakland has lost its last 14.

Only the San Diego Chargers, who visit Buffalo this weekend, have a respectable record at 17-18. The rest are abysmal: Raiders (5-28), San Francisco 49ers (10-18) and Seattle Seahawks (11-19). That’s a .341 winning percentage. Those teams have a collective .522 winning percentage in all other games since 2004.

“It’s tough,” said 49ers running back Frank Gore. “The 1 o’clock games are the toughest, just the time difference. You start slower. When you wake up, you’re not really up until like the second half of the game. You don’t even feel like yourself. ”

Teams based in the Eastern time zone don’t have nearly as hard a time winning out west. Those 17 teams are a combined 61-71 (.462) going cross country over the last decade.

To combat the difficulties associated with heading east across three time zones, teams have adjusted their travel schedules, typically flying out on a Friday, making it a three-day trip.

San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh has even employed extended stays.

The 49ers roomed in eastern Ohio and practiced at Youngstown State in late September of 2012 between a loss at Minnesota and a 34-0 road rout of the New York Jets the next week. In 2011, San Francisco rallied from a 20-0 deficit to stun the Eagles 24-23 in Philadelphia a week after a win in Cincinnati and practice in Youngstown.

Players also keep their watches on Pacific time, turn back their hotel clocks, guzzle more fluids on the plane and consume copious amounts of energy drinks and sleeping aids.

The Raiders haven’t won a game in the Eastern time zone since Dec. 6, 2009, at Pittsburgh.

Then again, with 11 straight non-winning seasons, they haven’t had much success any time anywhere.