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Google Hates the Raiders, but a Turnaround Looms

By Lonnie Thompson Jr

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So, I queried the “Oakland Raiders” in Google a few days ago, and the top-ten results were “why do the Raiders suck?” (try it out), and it made me think – why are they so bad? There’s a plethora of reasons why the Raiders have been so bad for so long, but I thought I’d address the root of their problems and offer my opinions on why this beloved franchise has been unbelievably horrible for 10-plus years.

Playing In O.Co Is Bad For Careers: Since the Superbowl blowout vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, the Raiders have went straight downhill into the dumpster fire we call O.co. No talented free agent will spend his prime playing in that stadium, one riddled with outdated locker rooms and facilities. Its a graveyard for impending free agent talent. The joke of the NFL is “go to Oakland if you want your career to die;” and its true. The mysticism of playing in Oakland and being branded a bully (no Hue pun attended) is gone; It’s has been since we took that butt whooping in 2002. 

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Where’s Rich Gannon When You Need Him?: Until recently, with the drafting of quarterback Derek Carr, the Raiders have had one of the league’s worst quarterbacks at the helm. Lets run down the list of quarterbacks the Raiders have had starting with Rich Gannon up until Derek Carr. Prepare yourself Raider Nation, its graphic material:

Rick Mirer, Marques Tuiasosopo, Kerry Collins, Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter, Josh McCown, Duante Culpepper, Jamarcus Russell, JAMARCUS RUSSELL, JAMARCUS RUSSELL, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller, Carson Palmer, Terrelle Pryor, Matt Flynn, Matt McGloin and Matt Schaub.

If your eyes don’t hurt (you had to have shed at least a tear or two) then you’re a Cleveland Browns or New York Jets fan.

Head Coaching and the Al Davis Effect: I won’t go through the list of head coaches, seeing how the list of quarterbacks scarred you for life. Instead, I’ll discuss why it’s been so long since the Raiders have had a suitable head coach. Having bad head coaches reflects in the won-lost column, but enduring a string of sub-par head coaches with no talent on the football field screams disaster. Until the passing of Al Davis, the Raiders didn’t have a General Manager who could lure coaching talent. Instead, Davis was the GM and had pure autonomy over his team. So even if there was a quality head coach willing to come to Oakland, he would’ve been handcuffed and stripped of his freedom upon arrival because of Davis’ authoritative style.

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Ownership Was Outdated: If you’re a Raiders fan, then you know Al Davis was a great owner who was loved by all of the Nation. The problem was that he aged, became outdated, and sunk the team. There was a time when having the fastest 40 time, or being the strongest man on the field worked for your football team, but not in this new football world we have grown accustomed to. Teams like the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens showed that you don’t have to draft the fastest wide receiver (Darrius Hayward-Bey, Louis Murphy, Jacoby Ford) to have a talented football player that could fit into a good coaching scheme and help win games. The Raiders missed the mark on a lot of great players due to a lack of speed or athleticism.

Bad Drafts: Every Raiders fan has seen the ESPN list of players drafted directly after the Silver and Blacks. If not, here it is.

This article likely elicited a range of emotions – sadness; anger; humor (I mainly laughed) – but there is some hope coming after the 2014 NFL season. Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Sio Moore, a high NFL draft pick and a possible Jim Harbaugh reunion gives you something to look forward to.

Brighter days loom for the Raiders, so it’s best to purge your emotions today, Nation, because things are about to change.

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