The Oakland Raiders are one of the most popular franchises in the National Football League. Its motto is “Commitment to Excellence”.
But in the last ten years, the Raiders have lost their National Football League mystique as one of the league’s respected franchises.
The Raiders haven’t made the postseason since 2003 when they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Raiders are one of my favorite teams to cheer on. I’ve always liked his style of play and his win-at-all-costs attitude.
I don’t know what happened within the Raiders organization that they are producing mediocre seasons year after year.
Many will say that the salary cap structure is the reason the Raiders are no longer a dominant franchise in the league.
I don’t agree with those kinds of excuses. The salary cap may have affected the Raiders a bit, but the team still could have built a Super Bowl contender around the draft.
I don’t know if you follow the Raiders religiously, but most of the Raiders’ success is due to signing veteran players that other teams thought were done for.
Quarterbacks like Jim Plunkett and Rich Gannon were considered throwaways by other franchises, but the Raiders gave them a second chance to revive their careers. Maybe the Raiders shouldn’t hang on to veteran players who are past their prime.
You can’t build a team around a core of veteran players like you could in the ’80s and expect them to be Super Bowl contenders for the next ten years. This has been a problem for many teams that were perennial contenders in the ’80s, like the San Francisco 49ers.
The Oakland Raiders have lost their arrogance in the last ten years. They have taken the title as the newest lovable loser in the league.
The Raiders fan base is one of the most passionate fan bases in the league right now. They supported their team through thick and thin.
But unfortunately the Raiders have not lived up to their fans’ expectations. The Raiders were on their way back to prominence in the National Football League during the 2011 season, but missed the playoffs by one game, ultimately handing the division crown to the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos.
For some strange reason, the Raiders front office was unimpressed with then-head coach Hue Jackson’s performance as a coach. The Raiders fired Jackson after going 8-8 in his first season as head coach. In my honest opinion, I thought it was one of the worst offseason moves during the 2011 season.
Hue Jackson did a much better job than previous head coaches Lane Kiffin and Norv Turner had done. I think for the Raiders to dominate again they have to be patient with the players they’ve acquired through the draft.
They’ve already given up on wide receiver Darius Heyward Bay by allowing him to sign with the Indianapolis Colts, potential playoff contenders. He won’t be surprised if they pull the trigger on running back Darren McFadden.
Although he can’t stay healthy, Darren McFadden still has a lot of potential and can be a dominant force in this league for a long time.
He’s been in the league for about four years. The problem with the Raiders and some other teams is that they just want the quick fix to win a Super Bowl right now.
They don’t think about developing talent to be able to compete for the next 8 to 10 years. They prefer to build a team around a group of core veterans for about four years and then exploit it and not be able to recover because of the salary cap that hit the team.
I expect the Raiders to become Super Bowl contenders once again in this league. The NFL is better when both teams in the bay have winning seasons at the same time. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see the first “Battle of the Bay” Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California.
