Raiders Show Positive Signs Against Another Good Team
By Matt Furtado/KHTK Sports 1140
The Oakland Raiders are the best 0-8 team in National Football League history!
Okay, maybe that's a bit too far. I mean, who really judges how good a winless team is?
The point is, the Raiders may be winless, but they have put together some quality efforts against good teams this season. It started with a close game against the New England Patriots in week three, a very competitive division game with the San Diego Chargers in week six and a good first half against the Arizona Cardinals in week seven.
The Raiders' competitive play continued Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. While the first half of the game looked very shaky for the Silver and Black, the second half was a completely different story. They looked like a team that shouldn't be 0-8.
It's no surprise that they aren't having much success in the win column, considering the change in head coaches this season and Derek Carr starting at quarterback in his rookie year, but fans should be happy with the effort that the Raiders show against good teams.
The inconsistency of this team is the most troubling aspect. Their play is inconsistent week to week, heck, their play is inconsistent quarter to quarter. It seems as if their effort comes sporadically.
The Raiders have only put together one full game of quality football and that ended in a loss to the Chargers in week six.
So here's the question, is the inconsistent play cause for concern? Or, is the fact that they show signs of good football have Raider fans excited for what is to come in the future for the Raiders?
As awful as it sounds, the answer is both. The inconsistency is a product of not having the right head coach and having rookies at your offensive and defensive leadership positions in Carr and middle linebacker Khalil Mack, but the signs of a good football team are present and that's always positive.
This season is done. The rest of this season is for the young players to grow, and Raider management to look at pieces for next season. With that said, there are still things Raiders fans should be excited to watch for the rest of the season.
The growth of Carr will be fun to watch. Through eight games this season, he has shown that he could be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. After many years of flux at the quarterback position, Oakland has finally found their quarterback of the future.
As for Interim Head Coach Tony Sporano, don't waste your time in judging his ability as a head coach. He won't be the Raiders head coach next year. He isn't the guy. He is just filling in for the rest of the season.
The next three weeks are all division games for the Raiders. I wouldn't expect any wins against the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, or the Chargers. Look at week 13 for Oakland to get its first win of the season against another inconsistent team in the St. Louis Rams.
