Tag: espn

Not For Long Raiders….

To most the NFL stands for National Football League, but to many others it stands for Not For Long. My oh My, what a difference a few weeks makes in the NFL.

A few weeks ago the Raiders were a young team aspiring for the Playoffs.

There hopes were centered around an explosive, Athletic Quarterback named Terrelle Pryor, a pro-bowl RB named Darren Mcfadden, and a breakout WR named Denarious Moore.

Fast forward a few weeks and the Raiders Playoff hopes are microscopic enough to rival Jamarcus Russell’s comeback hopes.

Not only has QB Terrelle Pryor gotten hurt, but he was superseded and outplayed by an undrafted rookie named Matt McGloin.

McFadden has been hurt all season, and veteran Rashaad Jennings has many people wondering if McFadden’s days in Silver and Black are numbered.  Moore has been the same inconsistent and banged up player fans have become accustomed to, but Andre Holmes has stolen much of his spotlight.

As a Raider Fan, it is hard to not see such talented players not succeeding for the Raiders. As fans, every week we tell ourselves this is the week that McFadden, Reece, or Pryor will get it.

While there have been glimpses, this is a league based on results.  They haven’t gotten it done, and the team is suffering.

In Contrast, as an organization, the team is happy with the success of McGloin, Jennings, and Holmes.

This is an example of the ‘next man up’ culture of competition that Reggie Mckenzie has wanted to established.

In context, we can apply the old cliche. If you have two than you really don’t have one, and for the Raiders that is the case at WR, RB, and QB.  Therefore, the team may be competitive, it may be on the rise, but talent is still lacking. Maybe the team isn’t the last place team ESPN analyst’s initially

thought they were, but they aren’t the Playoff team fans hoped for either.

In a recent interview, Coach Dennis Allen talked about this team being different

than last year’s. Allen said he doesn’t expect this team to quit on the season

or lose commitment.  Part of that is probably because much of the team has one year remaining on their contracts, and everyone is playing for contract somewhere.

The truth is, Allen can not afford to have this team quit on him. Allen may have all the potential in the world, but this is a league of results. Just ask McFadden.  Owner Marc Davis wants progress andfailing to win a few of the remaining games will result in Allen leading the unemployment line.

If McKenzie wants a culture of accountability it starts at the Head Coach, runs through the Quarterback, Runningback, and Wide Receivers. I just worry, the Raiders might get derailed if they have to replace all four. Regardless, no ones job on this team is safe, and these last four games will determine the faces of the franchise team going forward.

Either way, The Raiders have 70 million in cap room next season. Brighter days are finally on the horizons of this team, but these last four games will determine who is apart of it.  If this Raiders team is really different than the last 10 other losing teams, they are certainly running out of time to show it.

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The Failed Experiment

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On Monday, The Oakland Raiders said goodbye to the Matt Flynn era which only lasted about 3 preseason games. After an unimpressive outing against the Redskins, Flynn was demoted to third string quarterback. Only a few days later, the team released him, and coach Dennis Allen said he wasn’t quite sure why it failed but it failed and it was time to move on.

Initially, when the Raiders traded for Flynn he was rated pretty highly by many in the football world. Fans hoped he would be the second coming of Rich Gannon. However, even from the teams OTAS people wrote about how unimpressive the Raiders QB’s were in general. The sighted many of Flynn’s duck passes and lack of arm strength.

The Flynn experiment failed because Matt Flynn is merely a gamemanager. No one said this guy was going to come in and be Peyton Manning and sling the ball around. Rather people cited his I.Q. and knowledge from backing up Rodgers as his call to duty.

Well he may have a good I.Q the fact is that only gets you so far in this league. It is hard to ask someone to manage a game when he lacks the dominate playmakers around him. The Oakland Raiders young receivers have been inconsistent at best, and the offensive line has been banged up all season. It was unfair to ask Matt Flynn to go out and make plays when his whole career has indicated him incompetent at doing that.

This is the same guy who was beat out by Jamarcus Russell in college, Russell Wilson in Seattle, and Terrelle Pryor in Oakland. He didn’t get beat out by these guys because they were smarter than him. He lost his job, because those guys had the playmaking gene that he lacked. They had the swagger and confidence that Flynn could only dream of.

Therefore, The Matt Flynn expirrement failed in Oakland for no other reason than Matt Flynn. The Raiders new what they were getting when they paid for him, yet they failed to surround him with a situation he could succeed in. They expected Matt Flynn to show the kind of Playmaking ability he has lacked his whole career. Even at LSU the guy didn’t win a national championship because he carried them there.

In this league Knowledge gets you nowhere but in analysis seat next to Jessie Palmer and Tim Hasselback. At the end of the day, a quarterback is supposed to make the plays and the throws to help there team win. If your unable to make plays, if you lose your confidence, and you have a poor attitude well then you are on a fast track to free agency.

I understand, Matt Flynn cannot control his god given talent or the talent of the players around him. However, there’s a reason why an Undrafted rookie beat him out for the number 2 QB spot. Theres also a reason why the bills or jaguars aren’t jumping to get this guy.

Flynn failed to control the factors in his hands. He failed to maintain any confidence and failed to have a positive attitude. Any Quarterback must possess those to traits, which is why he ultimately failed as a starting NFL QB.

Flynn’s fortunate that opportunity knocked twice for him. He missed both so I’d be suprised if he ever has another chance to start. Even his old team the packers have denied any interest. His third opportunity will be as an ESPN analysis next to Jessie and Tim. Either-way, his one start has already netted him millions of dollars, which is more opportunity that a lot of Quarterbacks get at the highest level.