I was starting to write the second piece of the Aw-fence-ive First Half Break Down, when my mind began to be amused by the duality of the word that is spelled "O-F-F-E-N-S-I-V-E", so I turned to Dictionary.com for a closer look as the break down of the word.

Here is what I found:

The root of the word, "Offensive", begins with the Latin Word for "Us", Offens, then goes into the Latin word for "To Strike Against or  Displease" and then wraps up with the common "ive", or showing characteristics of being.

As it relates to our football team, I would have to say that, the word, aw-fensive, would be either, a team striking against another with the ball in our hands as a unit and showing those characteristics by consistently executing a game plan with success.

I don't think that the 2009 Raiders, on the surface, with zero regard to actual stats, are anywhere near resembling that definition.

Mentally, the leader of the unit, JaMarcus Russell has said that it is not his fault. He has failed to take his lumps with his squad and also failed to realize that without the "us" in the word, there is no "offens", only an "ive". Therefor they have no chance of being Aw-fensive.

No, the form of the word that this squad has resembled is the Us-Displease-Ive.

Consistently, this team has been booed by the displeased patrons at the Coliseum. From the play calling to the execution the entire way through the play, the uh-fensive side of the ball has been unpleasant and disagreeable to the senses (Another definition of the word).

Taking the O-Line out of it, let's see which of our Aw-fensive skill positions players stack up:

Aw-Fensive

Zach Miller, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, Louis Murphy (Maybe, because he drops too many balls)

Uh-Fensive

Darren McFadden (Always being hurt is unpleasant to my senses), Darrius Heyward-Bey, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Todd Wadtkins, JaMarcus Russell

As a unit, this crew is so Uh-fensive that, they rank at or near the bottom in every Aw-fensive Category. So, Raider fans there is nowhere to go but UP and I really feel that by just trying to STRIKE AGAINST others, as a team, would be a HUGE step in the right direction, because, even if the numbers still lag, we couls at least call them Aw-fensive and be grammatically correct, which is one heckuva step in the right direction.