Open Thread: Meditation On Raider Nation

the team we see on the weekend. Without getting into the particulars, I will say this: I always advise my friends, tempting as it may be, to never bet on or against the Raiders. I don’t care how many points you’re getting on a teaser card, or if we’re playing the Lions, Rams, or even the Browns—especially if they’re fans! Don’t do it to yourself! That jersey expense is a painful one.

The only duality of self I experience is when I know the team we field is capable of winning and must watch us lose to silly repeated mistakes over and over again, and through these times during talent evaluation and who we need to take us to the next level how I can become quite delusional about the state of these Raiders I love.

Don’t know how you pull of the multi-tasking, Mr. Raymond St. James, but am grateful you do, and for the great evaluation I can count on here from our regular posters. You have helped put together something special here, at least for me anyway, and I’m grateful for that, and all the great input I can count on.

I look forward to seeing “Saint” the rock star in action one day, as well as at tailgate functions next year. Keep up the good work, Saint, and here’s looking to getting your hands on a jersey from that guy back for the next four years. My guess is you’ll come out on top. since jerseys are going up!

Has changed quite a bit as I’ve grown tired of the losing and the general direction the organization takes. If you truly follow the team, how can it not? Every year there is some drama involving the head coach, there’s rumors being spun around the media, and every year the team fails to recognize their failures. It’s quite maddening that if you were to go back through the archives of news reports or blogs over the past 5 seasons, the same issues come up, the same needs aren’t being met, and the fan is asked to trust everything will be o.k. Well it hasn’t been, there needs to be some new direction taken from the top down.

I used to be a season ticket holder until last season. I kept holding out hope that the team would turn it around…I mean it had to be a matter of time right? The last straw were the laugh out loud aweful picks of Dead-Hands Bay & Mike Mitchell as our first two picks last year. There was no way I was going to send my hard earned money to a team that doesn’t listen or cater to it’s fans and continues to make horrible football decisions. Another 5-11 season and here we are again with another offseason and a top 10 pick. Sure I believe some of the moves have been positive so far and the direction seems to be right this offseason, but there’s still a long way to go.

I still missed going to the games this past season (especially since all but 1 were blacked out), but it’s not the escape it has been in the past. I have a hard time getting pumped up for games anymore when continually there has been disappointment. I know I’m not alone here, not just the attendance numbers, but going to the games the place just doesn’t have the same energy anymore.

This team needs to go back to being the Raiders, and redevelope the swagger on the field and we’ll start believing in it again off of it.

I can’t help but feel like we all have this duality, and I think you captured it well.

I always think we’ll be a lot better next year. And so far, it looks like we’re going in the right direction judging on last season.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1053376

to be honest with you which i will as always,im a dick on this and many many other sites i am also a big dick in-person.i dont wake up in the morning and say hey “i’m going to be a big dick today” let me tell you there are some real assholes in this world,so i counter their assholish with my being a dick.im pretty quiet guy that respects others im courteous to almost everybody i meet,that raidernation is (what was beaten into me) how i was raised.lol. i wouldnt lie about something like that.when it comes right down to it im a great guy do on to others as they do on to you that is what my mamma would say.know that my non-dualality has been establish i would like to agree whole heartly with SAINT AND S J BRUIN.they have not just hit it right on the head but drove that nail throw the frame.7,7seasons of lies,crap more lies and more crap piled on top of our once proud and feared team.how much longer do i,all of us have to go to work monday morning to listen to co-worker ridicule the raiders.i for one have had enough i’ve lost two long time friends (fist fights) on both accounts.i’ve made enemy at work.i wont take it any more,lol.like i said earlier i’m a quiet guy who is a nice guy,but enough IS ENOUGH.i cannt just start over and become a fan of another team what does that say about me?!?!?so i stay loyal to the one and only nation.what can we do raidernation?…..i got it, an all out boycot no one not one of you go to a raider game this coming up season.let see how mr.davis likes them apples…..

i feel cheated as a raider fan, i always hear about the raiders glory days but i wasnt even alive to enjoy them. i really started loving this team around the time gruden became the head coach and i was teased with the great run that team had even making it to the super bowl. the past seven years though its been rough. this team has become a laughing stock and even though i would never denounce my love for this team it gets harder and harder each year to see them consistently be a loser. its funny because i make that same bet with my freinds who are niner fans and every year i feel like the raiders can break through, they never cease to crush my dreams all in all i will forever be a raider fan and hope for the day that will make all this pain worth it.

      I am as you are, fed up. I have lost money every year since we lost the Superbowl. I cant bring myself to bet against them, but i always lose out on the final pool money because we’ve been losing for SEVEN years. I had to buy a Authentic Vintage JOHN ELWAY for my brother, and almost shat myself. I am the screaming maniac in the silver and black on Sunday, and proudly absorb the abuse at work on Monday. Yes I am hated and reviled and ridiculed by others for my love of the Raiders, tough shit, to hell with them and their teams. ONCE A RAIDERNATIONAL, ALWAYS A RAIDERNATIONAL. Yes i said national. Deal with it. I have been a fan of the Silver and Black since ’81, when i was four and first watched a game. Yes, Fist fights do occur when u mouth off about the RAIDERS. Fighting for our team is who we are. Footballs Original Hoodlums.

   Normally i am a decent, hard-working taxpayer. I do my job as a professional, live a quiet life, help others, mind my business, take care of my kiddos, I recently lost my sister to cancer, and she was a fan… Not having her sit with me and watch the game on Sunday sucks… and watching something i love spiral into a losing franchise and a joke is very hard. I know that until Al dies, we will forever be at the whim of an 80 year old dictator. Its hard watching for so many years, and being so feared and proud, to seeing it being reduced to weasel media takin pot shots, and other teams not even being serious about playing us… I shall not attend a game or buy anything until Al passes ze torch, or from this world… Its my way of saying it is not okay to show up FAT, UNPREPARED, or UNCARING. When Ja-Bucket is in the game, you can visually see the deflation that happens. Henderson wont block, Hardhands-Bey cant catch, Mcstumbles cant run….. All this points at a lack of faith in and leadership from the QB position. So, SILVER AND BLACK TIL I DIE…

Until Al Davis kicks the bucket, expect more of the same. Lies and losses.

and it’s a big reason why to most people the Raiders are kind of a joke. The way John Herrera lies almost everytime he opens his mouth is a good example.

Instead of trying to work with the media to foster a positive image the Raiders treat the media like they’re the enemy and then they wonder why there aren’t many positive stories written about the team.

Add in the fact that players who might be able to help like Javon Walker never get to play while players who aren’t very good like Justin Fargas get on the field while Michael Bush wastes away on the sidelines and the whole “Just win baby” stuff is crap.

The thing I loved about the Raiders wasn’t the over the top tough guy stuff but it was the fact that they seemed sharper than the other teams. They would find players no other team wanted and make them into stars.

They would hire the first Latino coach and the first African-American coach because at the time those were the best guys for the job.

I’ve said this before but to me it all comes back to the “Mr. Davis” stuff. If you go back and look at old footage from the 70’s and 80’s everyone called him Al. Now it’s like he’s the Dear Leader and he must be called Mr. Davis.

At some point it stopped being about winning and the players and became about Davis and lawsuits and kissing the ring.

I’ll always love the Raiders but I look forward to the day when they have a GM and a bigger scouting department and draft players people have heard of.

Right now I don’t have much hope for the near future but as always I hope I’m wrong and they surprise me and get back to winning games.

are we just going to complain about our team instead of discussing about them? That’s kinda why were here right?

But it’s probably good to get it out of the system first.

I just lost $100 for the forth straight year to a niner fan friend of mine for the same damn bet.

Bad decisions in drafting and free agency, the coaches won’t come here, and the fans are starting to stay away. I want to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but at this point I cannot.

Also, I have seen a few of these today. Please stop with the “Al Davis needs to die”, or “nothing will change until Al kicks the bucket.” This is pointsless crap we are all tired of reading. We all know he has done a piss poor job of managing the team, but wishing harm on another individual is weak and uncalled for.

to have two 1st round picks this year.

I am who I am. There is no alter ego I call it exactly how I see it and usually dont candy coat it. Deep down inside I am a nice guy and all of my patients/clients love me because I am an empathetic person that shows concern. I have been hard edged for years and I beleive that I have a true old school Raider mentality/personality. I have been ridiculed and laughed at by friends and aquantances alike for being a Raider fan. The past 7 seasons have been so painfull with empty promises, head shaking decisions, laughable FA signings and draft choices that most league executives wouldnt make after having a razor put to their manhood.
The amount of $ thrown away on specualtive draft choice and FA signings is mind boggling. There are atleast 5 players that are paid way above the top 25% of the league players at the same positon that perform at less than probably 50% of the players in the same position. The entire league all shook their head in amazement when the Tom Kelly, D’Angelo Hall and Javon Walker signings happened. Last year the pass over of Crabtree for that sack of balls DHB had the entire TV staff on draft day trying to figure out what was it that made that choice……… and now we all sit here still wondering and waiting.
I never bet on the Raider games because you never know which team will show up and when I do get the odd chance to watch them here on the east coast (not often because they no longer National broadcasts unless playing a very popular/good team) I usually get disappointment.
I hope there are some rational choices, decisions, draft picks and FA signings. Some of the recent off season choices leave me a little hopeful but I am leary and timid to think that at any moment the roller coaster ride from hell will continue with disappointment.

as u know for about 20 years give or take as a kid i hated KC OAK SD because i throught u had to to be a ture fan of that team but all my friends on these blogs have chanage me for the better i dont hate any team anymore and yes the last 4 years have been hard on me but that the way life is and u know what denver might be worse to come but i still will be a fan even if OAK beats DEN 50-0 10 years in a row oh and can i post my post on kc not being good for 5-6 years to come i did on AP and got roasted i firted u guys might enjoy it

I have the same problem, all my friends are in order, Chargers, Cowboys, Broncos and Niners fans so i get the same grief whenever Al makes another bonehead move. I’m glad he kept Cable, but thinking bringing in an O.C. is going to help make Jamarcus better is sadly mistaken. The only person that will make Jamarcus better is Jamarcus and I honestly think he’s fine earning his 30 million and being terrible. Our draft needs need to be focused on o line and linebacker. We can probably address our our o-line in free agency, but i would love to draft one of the stud d linemen or linebackers in the draft, this class is full of them. We’ll see, i see signs of improvement but i’m also realistic, make the right moves and see where we’ll go.