“Another” Fresh Start For The Raiders

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Dennis Allen

In a shock to some people, but not to all the Oakland Raiders have fired another head coach. Dennis Allen was the latest Raiders head coach to bite the dust as he was fired earlier this week. Allen was replaced by former Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sporano . Sporano is the eighth different head coach that the Raiders have employed since their last AFC Championship in 2002. This is a clear cut example that a once proud National Football League franchise in the Raiders has drifted into the abyss. Since 2003, the Raiders have had nine seasons in which they have lost 10 or more games. The Raiders have also consistently picked early in the NFL Draft only to consistently miss on their selections.

The Raiders have wasted early first round picks on the likes of offensive tackle Robert Gallery and quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Since 2004 only three Raider first round picks are still with the club while most of them are out of football altogether. At first the excuse was that former Raiders owner Al Davis was the man that was holding the team back as it was believed to be that his theories on football were out of date. Davis passed away three years ago and his son Mark is running the show. In 2012, Mark Davis appointed Reggie McKenzie to be the Raiders general manager and he has only made the franchise worse.

Reggie McKenzie

McKenzie inherited a Raiders team that was 8-8 in the previous year. McKenzie parted ways with many free agents due to the fact that the Raiders were going to be over the salary cap in 2012, but he has failed to replace them through the draft. In 2013, McKenzie used the Raiders first round selection on cornerback D.J. Hayden. Entering the NFL Draft, Hayden was looked upon by many as player that would be picked in the third round or later, but McKenzie opted to use the 12th overall pick on him. In his last year in college, Hayden developed a rare heart condition, but in typical Raiders fashion they went ahead and selected him. Hayden only appeared in eight games as a rookie and he has yet to see the field in 2014. The Raiders used their 2014 first round pick on outside linebacker Khalil Mack who has tremendous potential and their second round selection on quarterback Derek Carr. Both Mack and Carr have been thrown into the fire this season as they started from day one in Oakland, but with the right pieces around them each player can be special.

From 1967-1983, the Raiders made five appearances in the Super Bowl and hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy on three occasions. In those days the Raiders organization was looked at as a place where veteran players that were deemed out of place with other teams could come and find a home as they were welcomed by the silver and black with open arms. The term coined by Davis was “commitment to excellence” as they were the epitome of success in the NFL. But for the modern day Raiders they have become a place where underachieving youngsters team with aging veterans who came to Oakland due to the fact that it was their last alternative as far as playing the NFL and they are simply complacent there. Because of this only the Buffalo Bills have a current longer active streak of not making the postseason than the Raiders do in the NFL and the silver and black appear poised to add to that woeful streak in 2014.

In their first four games this year the Raiders have been outscored 103-51. The Raiders have not scored more than 14 points in a game this season while they are 29th in the National Football League in total offense, 22nd in total defense, and they are minus-3 in the turnover category which is 26th. This is all on the heels of the Raiders losing their final six games in 2013.

Tony Sporano

After losing last Sunday to the Dolphins 38-14 in London, the Raiders are off this Sunday and they will look to get on the right track during their bye week. Sporano will look to instill some discipline into the Raiders, but how long before his flame in Oakland fizzles out? In 2008, Sporano took over a Dolphins team that was 1-15 in the previous season and he led them to a record of 11-5 in his first season and the AFC Eastern Division Title. Sporano never had another winning campaign in Miami and after beginning the 2011 season with a record of 4-9 he was fired. Sporano should be able to motivate the Raiders going into their Week 6 contest with the San Diego Chargers, but after that it is up in the air as far as what this team will be able to do.

With two consecutive 4-12 campaigns under their belt, the Raiders need to pep it up if they are going to avoid that fate once again in 2014. But in reality what the Raiders have become is scrimmage fodder for the Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. Since 2002, every team in the AFC West aside from the Raiders has won the division at least twice and in the process they have turned Oakland into a punching bag and that trend appears to be continuing in 2014. Thus we can only speculate as far as when the Raiders will become respectable again.

Source: Pro-football-reference.com

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By | 2014-10-02T17:40:10+00:00 October 2nd, 2014|Categories: National Football League|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

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