Raider Nation Makes the O.co the Tenth Toughest Venue in the NFL

Well, this is the 24 hours of the O.co! First we catch the news that the new holders of the naming rights to the venue formerly known as the Oakland Coliseum had thankfully changed their name from Overstock.com to O.co. Now, we have the esteemed panel of NFL bloggers ranking the O.co the tenth toughest venue in the NFL for oppositions to enter. 

So give yourself a pat on the back if you are part of the Nation that attends games—this is all about you. I wish I was included in these back patters, but I live to far away to get to enough games to be a regular. And, let's face it, everyone who is attending the games is pulling double duty. The Raiders have fallen into a pattern of hosting the smallest crowds in the NFL. That makes the placement on this list all the more impressive. Here is the reasoning behind Paul Kuharsky's vote for the 'O':

Kuharsky ranked the Oakland Coliseum second even though the Raiders regularly endure local television blackouts. He covered the team for the Oakland Tribune in 1995, the Raiders' first year back in the Bay Area from Los Angeles.

"Empty seats and local blackouts aren't what opponents are thinking of when sauced-up fans with spikes through their heads are hovering close behind the visitors' bench," he explained.

Hopefully, those empty seats are about to come to an end. The Raiders appear committed to making this happen. So, let me lift the same quote from Action Jackson twice in the past 24 hours:

We are going to call that bad boy the 'O' and we are going to make it rock.

As we saw with the Chiefs game last year that is a glorious thing.