Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams—including why you should or shouldn’t be rooting for them this season—leading up to NFL kickoff. Today, the Oakland Raiders.
Last year’s record: 3-13 (that’s worse than the previous two seasons)
Head coach: Jack Del Rio
Core players: Derek Carr (QB), Sio Moore and Khalil Mack (LB), Amari Cooper (WR), Latavius Murray (RB), DJ Hayden (CB)
2015 is about… Finally, at long last, taking one halting, tentative baby step forward, instead of finding an even lower level to which they can sink. That sounds harsh, and it might be a tad unfair—look beyond the abysmal record in 2014 and you’ll see a few hopeful signs—but for everyone but the hardiest Raider watchers, this franchise has been a punchline since 2003, even with a couple of 8-8 seasons sprinkled in. With rumours of an L.A. relocation swirling, now would definitely be a great time for the silver and black to prove they can punch with at least a few NFL middleweights.
They lost… Some fairly big names exited Raiderland following the 2014 disaster, and looking at a list of them, Oakland was likely happily giving them luxury rides to the airport. Among the exodus were Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, two utterly washed-up running backs; quarterback Matt Schaub, also washed up; and defenders Carlos Rogers (DB), Terrell Brown, Lamaar Woodley (DE/LB) and Antonio Smith (DL)… all of whom were graded solid negatives by Pro Football Focus last season.
Oakland also said goodbye to receivers James Jones—a free-agent signing who, it turned out, was indeed mostly a product of Aaron Rodgers’s brilliance (who would’ve thought?!)—and Denarius Moore, who demonstrated great athleticism but very little ability to either stay healthy or learn the nuances of his position. Neither will be a great loss.
Yeah, but they got… It’s nice that the Raiders signed Roy Helu (RB), who should help take pressure off Murray in the backfield, and Trent Richardson (RB) who will likely be cut if he continues to play like Trent Richardson has always played. It’s also helpful that Nate Allen (a replacement-level safety), Curtis Lofton (who was a below-replacement-level linebacker last season) and receiver Michael Crabtree, who has solid ball skills but looked slow and unable to separate in San Francisco in 2014.
But the real prize came with the No. 4 overall pick, which landed Derek Carr his first true weapon in Amari Cooper. Scouts put Cooper, an Alabama prospect, in the rarefied air of studs such as Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson. He’s capable of winning jump balls, stretching the field and making tough, contested catches. Carr was inconsistent last year but absolutely showed flashes, and it’s tough to truly judge a young quarterback until he has a legitimate number one target—and that’s Cooper.
Growing from within: With an experienced coach running the show, Carr (No. 36 overall in 2013) and Cooper in the fold on offence, and fellow top prospects Mack (No. 5 overall in 2013) anchoring the defence with 2013 third-rounder Sio Moore, there’s finally some solid roots here. Moore and Mack in particular created some havoc for opposing quarterbacks when they were in the lineup and healthy together, and that tandem should make the rest of the defence more fearsome just by association.
While the rest of the roster looks a little thin, it is also very young and there are spots where improvement is likely—namely at running back, where every carry given to Murray or Helu instead of McFadden or Jones-Drew is an automatic upgrade.
Why this team? Because the Raiders are the Raiders. They have one of the league’s best colour schemes, the game’s most insane fans and a legacy of weirdness guaranteed to keep you transfixed. Plus, say want you want about their game plans or football smarts or roster construction (and we’ve said many things, mostly negative), the Raiders are always impressively athletic, capable of show-stopping plays from any snap. That’s Al Davis’s true legacy.
Why not? Because the Raiders are, yup, the Raiders. If it can go wrong it probably will, in a fashion that’s hilarious to outsiders but heartbreaking when it’s your team. The Raiders took JaMarcus Russell first overall in 2007, a move that, to put it politely, surprised the league. The Detroit Lions stopped laughing just long enough to grab Calvin Johnson with the No. 2 pick. Oops. Mack and Moore were both hurt at times last season. Every wide receiver they sign or draft ends up being a mess in their scheme. They can’t keep a coach to save their lives, but they inexplicably keep their GM even though he’s awful. Can we stop now?
Wanna know what the last two paragraphs look like in an nutshell? Here you go. Do you laugh or do you cry? I don’t even know anymore.
(Kidding! The answer is laugh. Always laugh at the Raiders.)
Perfect for fans of… Strange voodoo, dark magic, weird draft picks and trades, baffling conspiracy theories, schemes and plots, and the sort of diabolic football game plans better left to the 1970s. Fact: The Raiders were Hunter S. Thompson’s favourite team. That tells you something.
How much hope? 4/10. Hey—this is a big step up. To have any sort of hope at all is a glimmer of light that hasn’t been seen in the black hole for, like, half a decade at least.
Will you be mocked for front-running? Ummm… we’re gonna go ahead and say no. Of the many, many things Raiders fans worry about, this is not one of them.
A Meme To Remember: It’s not a meme, but it’s worth remembering. We mentioned Thompson’s lifelong Raiders fandom, and he wrote about them frequently throughout his life. His epic “Fear and Loathing at the Super Bowl” essay painted perhaps the most memorable picture of Al Davis ever set down in prose.
