It's official. Raiders are not making this years playoffs. Lamont Jordan came out and finally admitted to that fact as well. Let's see, how do I explain what I saw at the Coliseum yesterday? One word pretty much sums up the entire first half, LETHARGIC.
At least Michael Irvin blamed the mysterious crack pipe on an unnamed friend. The Raiders had nobody to blame but themselves for their mysterious play against the Dolphins.
The Raiders came out on offense looking like they hadn't fully digested their Thanksgiving dinners. They looked slow, unfocused, uncaring and pretty much lost. A combination of our offensive line falling apart and Kerry Collins indecisiveness was part of the story in our offensvie futility. Miami's DE Jason Taylor might have been the other part of the story. The Dolphins on the other hand looked like they, coming in at 3-7, had something to prove and did. The Dolphins looked like a good team with a bad record. And even after making mistakes they were able to bounce back and not lose control of the game.
Our Defense, who've kept us in games the past few weeks, were obviously missing the push of Warren Sapp in the middle of the D-Line. Gus Ferotte stood in the pocket at times picking our out of position DB's apart. Though Derrick Burgess made his presence known with two sacks, too many times our defense looked overmatched. Gus Ferotte for God sakes.
Ricky Williams had some break away runs that made me question whether he should've been tested after the game for enhancing substances in his bloodstream. Ricky looked young and quick at times. Hats off to Ricky for coming back and being an asset to his team.
I hate hearing our fans boo our team at home, but their performance on the field was definitely deserving of booing. It hurt to watch and hear the fan mutiny in the stands but nobody was accecpting those Raiders as Our Raiders. One fan said that if Kerry or Norv were to come up into the stands they'd never leave alive, and I believed him. Many fans questioned Norv's decision to punt the ball away on 4th and 1 around midfield with approx. six minutes left in the game. I understood Norv's reluctance to go for it though I would've supported either call.
So here we find ourselves back in the nightmare that was last season with no light in sight at the end of the tunnel. I say let's get rid of what we all know is a huge part of the problem on offense, Kerry Collins, and give the backups some needed playing time in preparation for next season. Al should begin talks with either a new offensive coordinator or head coach. I believe Norv is a decent coach being given bad advice, kinda like George Bush. Remember, Bush in all appearances looks like a regular Joe, too country common to make the global mistakes that have been attributed to him. It's always the smarter advisors that surround the leadership who are responsible for the leaders bad decisions. Maybe it's time to pull the troops out of Iraq not because we're not winning, but because it's been discovered that the advice for going to war was flawed and misleading.
But if Norv has lost his nerve to Lead then it is time for a change at that spot. Al should begin searching for that Leadership soon. If Chicago can win with a 2nd year head coach (Lovie Smith) and strong defense, then the Raiders should be able to build on what they have with adding new leadership. Do I hear Herm Edwards name being thrown around in Raiderland?
Sure, I'll continue rooting for my team and going to the remaining games. I have no choice, Do or Die I'm a Raider for Life. So for those fans who are bashing the team and thinking of abandoning ship, I question your commitment to the Raider Nation. You wouldn't abandon your family during a crisis would you? It's okay to be mad with family, but you don't join with enemy forces to bring the family down. As Michael Corleone told his brother Freddy in "The Godfather": Never take sides against the family, Ever. We all know what eventually happened to Freddy. He Got Whacked!
R A I D E R L E G E N D
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