Oakland Raiders: It’s Only April, But Denver Fans Already Clutching Their Pearls

Reason #3 – Jack Del Rio’s Record

"“Jack Del Rio. In his 11-year coaching history, Jack Del Rio has only had a winning record in back-to-back seasons once.”"

Okay, of all the arguments this poster made, this one seems to carry the most weight. Because that’s a fact. In 2004, he led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 9-7 record and then in 2005, he led them to a record of 12-4. In 2006, the team faltered and dropped to a record of 8-8.

And aside from an 11-5 campaign in 2007 (also under Del Rio), the Jaguars haven’t posted another winning season since – and surely, since Del Rio was fired late in the 2011 season, the poster isn’t going to fault him for that? Right?

That little fun fact alone might make somebody question whether or not the lack of success in the Jaguars’ organization stemmed not necessarily from poor head coaching, but from a lack of talent on the roster as a whole.

Let’s not kid ourselves – the Jaguars that Del Rio coached had some nice pieces, but they also didn’t have a roster as flush with talent as these Raiders. Can anybody, with a straight face, actually say that Byron Leftwich and/or David Garrard are anywhere near on the same level as Carr?

Though Jimmy Smith was a very solid, very productive receiver over the span of his career, the Jaguars’ receiving corps was nowhere near as deep and talented as Oakland’s is.

Del Rio obviously has a few things to prove yet, but he – like the team – are trending in the right direction. The Raiders are a talented and well coached team. If they wind up 8-8 or worse, as this poster suggests, it would be one of the biggest shocks of the season.

But football is a funny game, so we’ll have to wait and see.