The quickest way to the heart of Broncos Country is through a mutual hatred of the Oakland Raiders.

Long-criticized second-year Denver left tackle Garett Bolles took a detour Wednesday by outright insulting the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, site of Christmas Eve's "showdown" between the 6-8 Broncos and 3-11 Raiders — two wayward teams eliminated from playoff contention.

“It’s a dump," Bolles said, via Ryan Koenigsberg of BSN Denver. "Nobody wants to play there.”

The Raiders' home field, which they've shared with the MLB's Oakland Athletics for what seems like ions, consequently always has been a point of contention for opponents, media and fans. Players' footwork typically is impacted during baseball season by the sandy diamond inexplicably bucking modern stadium standards. Out of season, the grass surface remains choppy and uneven, withering under the California sun.

The 53-year-old venue is a breeding ground for devastating non-contact injuries, a fact casually acknowledged these days.

“It’s been an issue since I’ve been playing here,” Raiders running back Jalen Richard said in September. “To hear from older guys, it’s been an issue, especially more so around the pitcher’s mound because that area doesn’t get used as much as the outfield. Playing baseball, those guys are steadily running in the outfield, so that grass out there is a little bit sturdier. Inside the mound, by the diamond, that’s where it is real slippery.

“Those two times that I slipped (on Sept. 10) were inside that area. It’s just something that we’ve got to be mindful of and make sure we just break down that much more and be conscious of it to be under control in those areas because you’re not getting the same traction.”

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Broncos coach Vance Joseph was specifically asked Monday if he held any concerns about the safety and conditions surrounding the game.

“That’s not my job," he said. "We’re going to show up and play football next Monday. If there are any issues, I’m sure they’ll handle it.”

Off the field, but never lurking far, the Raiders' eccentric, costume-rocking fans do a good job making the enemy truly feel unwelcome, even if this means resorting to violent means. Collective harmony is a concept lost on this bunch from the Bay. So you could understand why Bolles detests visiting.

Fortunately for him, and apparently the masses he implied, this could be the final NFL game at the locale, as the tanking franchise prepares to leave for Las Vegas in 2020. The city of Oakland recently filed a lawsuit against the Raiders over their move, and the club responded by withdrawing an offer to stay in Oakland for the 2019 campaign.

In the words of former Broncos safety and admitted Raider hater T.J. Ward, "it's kind of sad for the area."