Month: December 2019

Playoffs, 2010s and Winning in Denver

The Raiders gave Los Angeles the homecoming and goodbye it deserved with a big win over the Chargers this past Sunday. That plus some help kept them alive in the playoff hunt.

Sometimes when you win, you really lose.

All week I’ve been taking shit for saying the Raiders don’t deserve the playoffs but it is true. Our team isn’t very good on either side of the ball. We haven’t made a ton of adjustments. Injuries do not help either. All the stats prove that.

Nonetheless, I understand why people are in love with the idea of the playoffs. It is an all new season and a chance to keep playing for a Championship.

Still, if the Raiders do not stand a realistic chance, why show up? Just to say we did. It’s Just Win Baby! Not participation trophies.

Sure, if Tennessee and Pittsburgh lose maybe they don’t deserve the playoffs. However, there are already enough wins from the Raiders season that they don’t need one more blowout loss to the Chiefs or Texans to hinder the confidence of their young players. They don’t need that to be the lasting memory pending free agents have.

Instead, I’d rather have the Raiders finish where they are. An 8-8 team with promising prospects over their division with a 4-2 AFC West record assuming they beat the Broncos. That’s enough for me.

You want to sell stumbling into the playoffs off win over the Chargers and Broncos as added value? Nah, I’m good. Raiders got hella picks and a new stadium coming. A Playoff loss ain’t gonna do anything. I’m good on the false hope and failing up.

Let’s take a higher draft pick and go into the offseason with something to prove after missing the playoffs by a game.

The end of a decade

Playoffs or not, the Raiders will play their last game of the 2010s. This decade will go down with the 90s as the only two decades the Raiders never made a Super Bowl.

How will we remember this decade? What will we remember?

It’s fitting the Raiders are ending the decade as a 7-9 or 8-8 team. This decade was really a mixed bag of high expectations, underachieving an chaos. We saw the team figurehead and owner die. We saw four head coaches and two GMs.

We had a plethora of QBs before landing on one. Every other position was pretty much a revolving door of draft picks and bargain free agents. Many of the ones we developed left and few of the ones we signed really developed into anything more than what they were.

The team made the playoffs once, maybe twice if they make it this year. Otherwise, they were basically had no chance every other year.

We are closing out a stadium too. Ending the flooded toilets and baseball field but also saying goodbye to the most unique NFL market and tailgate experience.

Thus, the 2010s was really just a blur. IT was a mixed bag of false hope and just getting by,.

Luckily, the Raiders prospects for the next decade appear to be much higher. We know who the GM, Head coach and home market will be for the foreseeable future. We got plenty of draft picks and cap space. The players are young and the culture is brewing. Peace out 2010s.

Beating the Broncos

The formula for beating the Broncos is going to be the same as any week. The Raiders won last week because their secondary stepped up, they created pressure and their receivers made some plays. Oakland will need all that this week too.

The Raiders secondary will get challenged by Courtland Sutton. He’s big and fast. The Broncos tight ends are also solid.

Upfront, the Raiders got to pressure rookie quarterback Drew Lock. The tougher issue is doing that while also not creating too many cutback seems or running lanes for Phillip Linday or Royce Freeman. We know that Broncos offensive zone scheme too well.

Offensively, the Raiders also got to see if Hunter Renfrow can make good on last week’s performance by doing it again. Denver’s defense is far from the greatness earlier this decade but it is still really good in spots.

The o-line will face Von Miller. Our offensive line is going to need to step up like they did last week, especially since four of the five starters were on the injury report last week. Moreover, the Raiders are going to be without Josh Jacobs. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard are playing for contracts and roster spots next year. They did well last week but they need to do it again too.

Ultimately, the Raiders should win this game. Yes, it’s on the road and they are banged up but they have a sizeable advantage at QB. That is if Carr can actually get his life together and win a cold weather game.

Either way, the Raiders need to win this game. Not for the playoffs but for themselves. For their jobs and pride. F the Broncos!

Sticking to the Script versus the Chargers + One Last Goodbye/Homecoming

The Oakland Raiders have to beat the Chargers this week. There is not much to play for this week for either team as both AFC West teams are virtually eliminated from the playoffs. You might even argue that a win here would hurt the team’s draft pick.

However, the Raiders are still a young team. They got to teach their young players that you beat those Bolts and the AFC West no matter what. That is what Raiders fans want, because we hate those long-time rivals. It is also a message that makes business sense if the Raiders want to build a contending culture.

Think about the Pats. They make the playoffs every year partly because their division has been so bad.

Speaking of scripts, we know how this game goes. Chargers special teams or Philip Rivers makes an error that costs the Chargers the game. The Raiders just need to keep themselves in the game so they can capitalize on that error, whatever it is.

That will be challenging with Jacobs and a couple of starting offensive linemen missing the game. That’s why we will once again turn to Derek Carr. The past couple of weeks showed us Carr is not our only hope. However, it is not all his fault.

We also got to see the coaching step up. The Raiders have been so bad in the second half and part of that is coaching. You must adapt and make adjustments or you will get your chain snatched.

One More Awkward Goodbye

Not to mention, this homecoming and a goodbye. The Raiders played an era in Los Angeles. They almost built a stadium where the Rams are building a stadium. They almost linked up with the Chargers to build a stadium. They won a Super Bowl in the Rose Bowl. They reportedly sold 10 percent of their tickets in Vegas too.

“We were born in Oakland, and Oakland will always be part of our DNA,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said by phone this week per the L.A. Times. “But there were some great years in Los Angeles that will also be part of our DNA, and we’ll never forget that.”

Davis also talked about what he learned from the L.A. Raiders and their efforts to relocate:

“I learned a big lesson in L.A. when we were there the last time,” said Mark Davis, in a column this week about the Raiders return. “I was ready to return because I understood the difference of how we approached it when ‘Just win, baby’ was good enough.

I get that Davis is saying it isn’t enough to just show up in a new market and say we’re the NFL team, we’re winning and please support us.

However, Davis is omitting what his fan base wants most. That is winning.

It is not called a commitment to mediocrity or just stan baby. Raiders fans have always been about winning, whether you’re a Panther or Hell’s Angel. Black or White, Raiders Nation always been about winning.

We are all desperate for success, especially in our modern era of draft busts, stadium rumors and coaching mediocrity. It’s been almost twenty years. This decade is going down with the 90s as the only two eras the Raiders did not make a Super Bowl. Damn.

So the Raiders got to do right by L.A. by closing it out with a win even if they couldn’t do that in Oakland. Here is a few exerts from my FullPressCoverage.com op-ed which tied Southern California Raiders fans to their neighbors in the Bay.

We all are sad and feel for Oakland because we know what it is like to watch them leave, we know what it is like for the NFL to ignore us even though we did nothing right and we know what it is like to be in a market without the NFL. Here it is modified to just the blog and opinion part:

Oakland is Home Even For L.A. Raiders Fans

Raiders fans in Oakland aren’t the only ones sad about the Silver and Black leaving their home in the East Bay. Fans from neighboring Southern California know what it is like to lose the Raiders too.

Since the Vegas rumors emerged I’ve taken the stance that the Raiders belong in Oakland here and on various blogs. Yet, I’ve always tried to understand the greatness of the L.A. Raiders. 

Why do so many people across my region follow a team that hasn’t given them a real reason to in almost two decades?

More importantly, would this community follow a team that broke their heart to another new frontier when they have other NFL options, the Chargers and Rams, in closer proximity? 

Oakland is Home

The Oakland Raiders played their final home game in the East Bay on Sunday. It was the day we were dreading since the Silver and Black announced their future plans for Las Vegas a few years ago. 

An already sad occasion got worse when the team lost in the final seconds to a playoff irrelevant Jaguars team. Fans booed, threw trash and showed their disdain for a garbage product that has the audacity to leave them for greener pastures. 

There is no doubt the East Bay will miss the Raiders the most. I’ve always said Oakland is Mecca for Raider Nation. That won’t change. 

Oakland paid for that team to return from L.A. in the 90s and they are still paying for it. The city inspired the team’s names, color and attitude. That community supported the Raiders through their worst decade ever, the 2010s, despite all the constant relocation rumors. 

However, the team leaving their home will be felt throughout Raiders fans, including those fans in the team’s former place of residence, Los Angeles. Oakland is the foundation. 

Since the Vegas rumors emerged I’ve taken the stance that the Raiders belong in Oakland here and on various blogs. Still, I’ve always tried to understand the greatness of the L.A. Raiders and how the presence of two NFL teams, not the Raiders, changes their lives. 

Most of the marketing about the Vegas Raiders surrounds its proximity to both the Bay Area and Southern California. In fact, the stadium’s name rights owner Allegiant Airlines plans for major promotions in those markets to get fans too Raiders games. Vegas is even closer to for Los Angeles drivers L.A. because it is only a 3-4 hour push depending on traffic.  

That doesn’t mean Los Angeles is jumping for joy that their neighbors in the Bay are losing their team to another state. Many forget the Badasses won a Super Bowl XI in the Rose Bowl as the Oakland Raiders. Others forget they are L.A.’s only Super Bowl Champs as the winners of Super Bowl XVIII. You might also remember the current site of the Rams and Chargers SoFi stadium was almost home to the Raiders first. 

Still, Raiders fans in L.A. and Southern Calif., know what it is like to lose their favorite team too. Many people like me didn’t even know what it was like to have an NFL team until a few years ago. 

Southern California’s Connection to the Raiders

A column from the New York Times in 2016 went into the disappointment Raiders fans felt when their team would not return to L.A. because the Rams and Chargers got selected:

“But while Rams fans seemed to go into hibernation during the team’s absence, Raiders fans continued to wear their colors. They remained drawn to their team’s brash play and menacing image even though its performance on the field was often uninspiring. Many Raiders fans in Los Angeles remain attracted to the team’s mystique — its silver and black colors, the pirate logo, the team’s longtime owner, Al Davis, who died in 2011 but who in his prime strutted the sidelines in leather and snubbed his nose at the football establishment.”

An L.A. Times article by Dylan Hernandez described the Raiders return to L.A. in the 2018 preseason. Hernandez said Raiders fans outnumbered Rams fans at least three to one.  

The 19-15 loss was the Raiders first game the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in almost 24 years. 

“Even when the Rams ran out, they were booing them. It definitely made us feel right at home. Truly appreciate them. Wish we could’ve won a game for them.” Former quarterback EJ Manuel said after that preseason game.

Former Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie was at that game too. McKenzie spent his first four years in the NFL as a Los Angeles Raiders linebacker. 

Gilbert Manzano Review Journal said you could hear Raiders fans answer when the P.A. chanted, “Whose house?”

“It just tells you how strong Raider Nation really is,” McKenzie said after that game. “Once a Raider fan, you’re always a Raiders fan. They bleed silver and black.”

“I think the combination of Oakland and L.A. will migrate to those games (in Las Vegas),” McKenzie said when he was still G.M. “I think we’re going to get a true Raiders fan base.”

Head Coach Jon Gruden said it was awesome being back in Los Angeles too. 

“(The Raiders) have history here, a championship history here. There’s still a lot of fans that remember those teams, and rightfully so.” Gruden said after the 2018 exhibition versus the Rams.

Even more recently, a L.A. Times article recently described the L.A. Coliseum or Dignity Healthy Sports park as places where you will see all kinds of team jerseys including Raiders jerseys.

Columnist Arash Markazi wrote that the city has plenty of NFL fans, but many might not call the Rams or Chargers their favorite.

Arash adds: 

“It’s not an indictment on Los Angeles as an NFL city but rather an indictment on the NFL’s failure to understand Los Angeles.”

L.A. will always be a part of the Raiders story whether the NFL recognizes it or not. That’s why it is so sad to witness them ripped from our neighbors in the Bay. 

A NFL.com article from Marc Sessler said it well: 

“And while all this history unfurled successfully for a time in Los Angeles, nothing we imagine and feel about the Raiders would have been possible without Oakland — oft-drowned out by the lights and call of San Francisco, but cut from a cloth utterly unknown to any other gridiron home-front.”

I will always take the stance that the Raiders belong in Oakland. However, I will also always try to understand the greatness of the L.A. Raiders and how two present NFL teams, not the Raiders, changes their lives. 

Nothing Like Oakland

For over 20 years. Los Angeles had no football team. That is not something I wish on my future generations in the Bay. Those circumstances make you vulnerable to Cowboys and Patriots fans because anything is better than rooting for the 49ers. I felt a similar disdain for the Chargers despite their proximity. It was in my blood. 

I chose the Raiders and never regretted it despite the constant Sunday headaches from bad play. Every Raiders tailgate I’ve ever been to in Oakland is among the best days in my life. The people are one of a kind. Having a place where you’re not the only weirdo Raiders fan is an epic experience. 

That will always be in Oakland. There’s nothing like it. You can find it in L.A. if you seek it out. Something similar might grow in Vegas but it won’t be the same.  

Don’t feel too bad for L.A. We have two teams for just about every sport along with Hollywood and tons of entertainment options, including close proximity the Strip and Las Vegas. 

Yet, all of that is not enough for Raiders fans in L.A. to forget about our Raiders whether they’re in Oakland, Vegas or L.A.

You can find just the original reporting portion updated here.

A Goodbye to Oakland and Beating the Jags

Oakland is an Experience

Everyday for the past four years I’ve woken up and looked at the Oakland Coliseum, Alameda Coliseum. O.co or whatever it is called. A few years back someone bought me a picture of the stadium printed on canvas.

It’s a reminder of the place I feel most at home.

Gruden hit it perfect when talking about the Black Hole via an ESPN article earlier this week:

“There’s something about these people. They’re nuts. They’re the closest thing to me that I’ve ever seen. We have that in common.”

You get that feeling throughout the entire Raiders gameday experience. Some of the best days of my life are the Raiders games I’ve gone to.

Last month, My friend and his wife along with me and my pops traveled to the Bay for Oakland’s final Thursday Night Football game versus the Los Angeles Chargers. It was my first night game in the Coliseum and a very tight turnaround from early Thursday A.M. until Friday the next morning.

The tailgate was as great as ever but we had to prioritize trunk space in my sedan over bringing the full BBQ and meat experience. Luckily, one neighbor from Sacramento, Ron, was a butcher. He hooked us up with a cowboy-cut steak large enough for our part of four. The tender meat possessed all sorts of flavor from the charred bone attached and the carmelized fat. It literally made our day.

I’d be lying if I said this is the only time I got help from generous tailgaters at a Raiders game. I can’t recall all the paper towels, lysol wipes, utensils and helpful hands setting up I’ve acquired from literal strangers. There is no tailgate like a Raiders game. UCLA, USC, Rams and more are cool but they are no Oakland.

Tailgating is an uncertainty headed to the new stadium. However, the Oakland tailgating experience was one of a kind. It is something you had to experience whether you were a Raiders fan or not. Sometimes, just being there feels like a win.

The Legend of Oakland 2.0

All week, there’s been great reporting from across the Bay Area. Scott Bair, Vic Tafur, Jerry Richardson, and Paul Gutierrez all taking their own angles on The East Bay’s final home game for the Raiders. Those

Various fans and legends have all talked about their favorite moments and pieces of Raiders history in the Coliseum. Of course most of them revolve around Oakland and Raiders Nation.

Kirk Morrison, hit it on the head with this quote via Gutierrez:

“The positive I took from those years was the fans, always showing up. Being a Raider and being a Raider fan is not about sports; it’s a lifestyle. One that says, ‘We don’t take nobody’s s—.”

For me, that’s what I’ll always remember. The great fans. I did not grow up to see the Badasses. I missed Madden, Tom Flores, Marcus Allen and most of the Raiders greats. Heck, I barely recall the first Gruden and Gannon days.

I will remember Raiders twitter. That time we got #DJAXtoOakland trending. Or the many free agents we tried to tamper with. All the second guessing of Reggie McKenzie.

I’ll remember the one playoff season. The taste of greatness I never really got to experience got delivered by a QB from Fresno St. and former NFL Linebacker turned head coach from Heyward.

I will remember the draft headaches from Jamarcus Russell all the way to D.J. Hayden.

I will remember the bit of home gamebreakers like Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Darren McFadden and others gave us. Did we win? Nah, but the only glimpse of hope we had each week came from those guys.

How about standout defensive players like Thomas Howard, Derrick Burgess, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt or Michael Huff. These alumni might not ever make a Hall of Fame but they’re legends and icons for those of us that never had any.

What about all the veterans that passed through. Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Tuck, Lamar Woodley, Doug Martin, and the list goes on. Sure, we were a blimp in their career but I won’t forget the excitement we sold ourselves.

Remember Charles Woodson’s return? Or the Goat’s final game versus the Chargers on Christmas Eve. Marshawn Lynch’s addition was crazy too in its own way.

Plus, the hoggies like Jared Veldheer, Stefan Wiśniewski or Jon Feliciano. Lamar Houston, Stacy McGee, Desmond Bryant and others we developed through the years. You have to look fondly at those considering all the times we missed.

All the coaches that passed by. Some too early like Hue Jackson and Lane Kiffin. Others too late like Art Shell and Norv Turner.

The man, the myth and legend that was Al Davis patrolling the sideline in his all white and Raiders gear. The bowl cut infamy from Mark Davis that watches from the box these days. They are the foundation of the story too.

Goodbye to Raiders Nation’s Mecca

Good and bad, we leave an era behind today. No matter what the Raiders become it won’t be the same as Oakland.

A NFL.com article described it pretty well.

A pro football team born in the ebb-and-flow fires of the AFL — tinged initially with threats of bankruptcy — only to morph into a rough-and-tumble underdog puncher predestined to permanently rock the 100-year-long storyline of the NFL.

Whatever it means to be a Vegas Raiders fan it won’t be the same as an Oakland or L.A. Raiders fan. Either way, there is not much we can do but say Goodbye to Oakland.

Goodbye to the place that inspired the colors and names of the Raiders. Goodbye to the City that supported the team through nearly two decades of trash play.

Goodbye to the community this renegade team supports and represents. A place significant to culture. A place important to history whether it is the Black Panthers or Hells Angels.

Goodbye to the place that welcomed the Raiders back when they left. Goodbye to the place that welcomed me and Raiders fans from outside of the area every single week.

That’s why this hurts so much. Oakland has been nothing but great to the Raiders. It is not their fault ownership can not front a stadium like Kroenke and the Rams. This is California in 2020 and no team is getting a stadium built with tax paying dollars with homelessness and everything else on our agenda.

So this blow to Oakland is felt throughout Raiders nation because the team is not relevant. The Raiders need a lot of stuff to happen for them to have a craps chance at the Playoffs. It would have been nice to bid the city farewell with one last playoff role.

Instead, Oakland gets gifted one last mediocre season. They got to watch young talent like Maxx Williams and Josh Jacobs flash only to see them blossom in another city and time down the line. It hurts but might only hurt less if the team leaves on a high note. They got to beat the Jaguars for this to be a true Goodbye.

Either way, it will probably feel far less kumbaya and more like Cleveland, Baltimore, Seattle or any of the times a pro team just up and left the community that berthed them.

Ending On a High Note

Back to the game today. Josh Jacobs is expected to play today. You saw what the team is like without him in the second half last week. They needed a playmaker. Jacobs would’ve worn on the Titans by that point in the game.

Oakland needs better QB play. They need to create more pressure upfront. They need better receiver and DB play. These are all things I’ve been screaming for literally every week. Some weeks it has been enough and others it hasn’t come close.

My bet is that it will come closer to enough this week. The Jaguars are in about the same boat as the Raiders. They have some talent, youth and experience. They lack the QB play to get them anywhere near consistent but they are good for a surprise.

The Raiders can not afford to come out slow. They can not afford to mess around because the Jaguars will surprise them. They matchup well especially with their strong defensive line.

Still, the Silver and Black got to bring it together for a win. They got to come out hot and hyped. They better since it is Oakland’s final week as host. For now, all I’m screaming about. Goodbye to Oakland. But I’d like to toast to one more win in the Easy Bay.

 

Carr Stannery and Beating the Titans

Stop the Stanning

It is hard for me to remember an issue more divisive than the future of Derek Carr with the Raiders. For the past year or so I’ve been writing the end is near for Carr and there is not much he can do about it. Carr is a fine enough quarterback, unfortunately, games like the last two weeks show us that he is not elite nor enough to put this young team on his back. That’s OK. It’s a reality.

D.C. will always be my guy. He’s statistically one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history. For the better part of six years, Carr has been our only hope.

However, those days are numbered. It’s not all on Carr but this team doesn’t have the time to wait for Carr to take a leap he should have already taken. This team is already in the middle of a soft rebuild and relocating. Carr might be the captain that steadies this ship but he has taken it as far as he can go. Somebody else is needed to take this team to the promise land.

Nonethless, Carr stannery is weird and unnecessary. I’ve always kind of swam against the mass of Raider Nation, for better or worse. However, Carr is more divisive than Rolando McClain, Kahlil Mack’s trade, Amari Cooper, Aldon Smith, Darren McFadden and the laundry list of issues we argue about.

I get it Carr shows flashes. He has the intangibles. But if it isn’t enough to win on the East Coast, in the cold or over the Chiefs than it does not matter.

The awkward part is the number of fans who would rather enable their favorite quarterback than face the facts.

No where in the Raiders Nation code of ethics does it say commitment to solid or good. It does not say just be mediocre baby.

The Raiders need to win and that starts with their signal-caller. Fans don’t need to PR or defend Carr. He is a grown-ass man, paid a ton of money. He knows how this game works. Carr saw his older brother go through it. He knows he is accountable and his win, loss record is not where it needs to be.

Granted Carr could turn everything around with a good game and by winning out. If Carr makes the playoffs he will certainly buy himself more time as the Silver and Black franchise player.

Either way, it might not be enough to erase the fact he is closer to game manager than an elite QB.

Win or Go Home versus Titans

Speaking of making it happen, Carr and the entire Raiders need a show out. Oakland still has a long shot at the playoffs if they win out. That is all void if they do not beat Tennessee first. The Titans are ahead of them in the standings.

It won’t be an easy feat. The Titans are running the ball well with Derrick Henry. Their offensive line is physical. Ryan Tannehill is playing well. The defense is sleeper good, especially if Harold Landry is drawing Brandon Parker as a consistent matchup at right tackle.

Still, Tennessee is beatable. They also draw the Saints and Texans twice so they are far from a lock for the playoffs.

This is a prime opportunity for the Raiders to redeem themselves. Their playoff hopes were looking good before that huge loss the the Jets. Now they are back at home and playing one of the hottest team’s in the league.

A win on Sunday could give the Raiders the confidence they need headed into a final playoff push.

It is going to take their defensive line having a huge game. Oakland’s defense has been my key for basically the entire season. Break out games for the unit like versus the Chargers result in wins.

Even average games aren’t enough when the offense struggles like they have the past two weeks. The defense has actually been solid enough to win the past two weeks. Too bad the offense put them in many bad spots and did no favors.

Still, the defensive line needs to force Tannehill into bad throws. They got to stay discipline too because one bad move and Henry is cutting it back to the house.

On offense, it is clear Josh Jacobs can’t do everything. He had a major game versus the Chiefs but it was not good enough largely due to bad play by Derek Carr and all the Raiders receivers.

Carr needs help from someone not named Jacobs or Waller. He needs one of his receivers to make a big play down the field.

Ultimately, the Raiders are built to pound the football and throw it deep to their receivers. That requires Carr to not turn the ball over as well as receivers getting separation and making a catch.

In the end, the Raiders will need Derek Carr to make a play. He should be able to outplay Ryan Tannehill at home with the season on the line. But if he doesn’t we might be having a different conversation next week.

It would be great if the Raiders could get both sides of the ball playing up to par at the same time. That’s what we need to do to beat the Titans and have any shot at the playoffs.