From the day that The Oakland Raiders lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Bucs and my buddy Martin passed out on Dave's front lawn this team has been in as large a tailspin as any team has seen.
After Callahan tanked the team that Gruden constructed and Norv Turner came in and treaded that 4-12 water, the Raiders have turned from Super Bowl team into the worst team in the League.
Sure, you could say that the Niners are worse than the Raiders now, or maybe even Miami.
But, nothing can erase the fact that the Raiders have been an abomination for the past 32 games.
Dating back to a loss on November 27th against Miami, the combined record of the Raider teams coached by Turner, Shell and Kiffin are 4-28.
Shell pitched in two wins, in what was the worst year of our history, and Kiffin has chipped in two of his own since Turner finished 2005 with 6 straight losses.
4-28 is comparable to two 2-14 seasons.
As a fan, and someone who writes about this team passionately, I have run out of excuses and superlatives to explain how this team, which I have hopes for every year, continues to sweep the basement of the football cellar.
I can look at the team and say that we have no play makers on offense. I can also look at our safeties and see why we get beat over the middle and in the run game. I can also look at the fact that we haven't scored a special teams touchdown since Moses parted the Red Sea, But, I cannot continue to defend Lane Kiffin or Al Davis.
As a fan, which I am, and even part time fanatic of the Oakland Raiders I have to put down the silver and black colored glasses and look at this team as a whole. In reality I should probably be looking at it as a "Hole".
The one playmaker that we had on offense, Randy Moss, is catching TD's at a record pace for the 10-0 Patriots and we are stuck with two possession receivers, one of which, Jerry Porter has about as much football sense as a 2nd grader. No, I take that back, even 2nd graders can learn to fight for the ball and lay down on a fumble!!!
We do have a potential game breaker on our roster in the backfield, but, he has spent most of his first year as a Raider on a practice field by himself.
Now is the time to activate Michael Bush to see if he will be a playmaker for us next year. Otherwise we need to draft/acquire five instead of four.
We need a playmaking Wide Receiver (DeSean Jackson), a play making RB (Bush), a dominant LT (Free Agency), a playmaking safety and finally a run stuffing DT before this team will be able to compete AND win on a weekly basis.
And speaking of winning on a weekly basis, why is it that the O-Line turns into a Chinese Fire Drill every time Daunte is in there? Can it be that the inconsistency at the QB position all the way from the first pre-season game until this weeks underwear change has them a bit discombobulated? I sure do think so.
Lines take years to gel, and ours is no exception. There is no consistency on this line and there hasn't been any for years. I do like the talent of our guys between the tackles, but we need a new RT and LT otherwise JaMarcus will spend his first season under center trying to be Randall Cunningham instead of the pocket passer that he is.
The only saving grace is that we do have some play making DE's and LB's. I called Chris Clemons a real sleeper that I expected big things from this year and he sure did have one helluva game against Minnesota yesterday.
I know it is an old saying, but I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED!!!
At least, with JaMarcus in the wings there is something for us to look forward to. It just isn't this year. I mean, how many teams don't have ONE offensive player that they can get the ball to in space who can take it to pay dirt? I can't name any except for, The Raiders. I'm still, and always will be, "In". It is a fact that once you start bleeding silver and black you can never go back. It is just that now, the fog has been lifted and for my own sanity's sake, I need to call a bum a bum, and right now, we have more bums than studs. This may take a bit longer than we thought, Raider Nation, but I do have faith that we will turn the corner eventually.