Raider Fan 365

Another Losing Season   After losing 23-20 to the Colts, the Raiders have been eliminated from the playoffs.  The loss to the Colts means it's our 16th losing season in the last 21 years. A pitiful state of affairs Irrelevant Week 18 Game Jarret Stidham and the Denver Broncos will likely do a number on us next week. They're long overdue a victory over us, but it doesn't matter.  There is absolutely no incentive to win against the Broncos Zero. Zilch. Nada Draft position is far more important than a meaningless end of season game A loss could see us moving from 11 to 9 and inside the top 10. That could make all the difference if we want to trade up for a QB/wait for a QB or draft a stud DT like Jer'Zhan Newton. Also if we win, we'll have a 2nd placed schedule for 2024 and road trips to the Rams and Bills/Dolphins.  .  The only way we will ever break this cycle of ineptitude is with an elite head coach, QB and GM. Copy the Los Angeles Rams in recent years

It was an historic night in Allegiant Stadium with the Raiders scoring their highest ever points total. Every Raiders player and coach deserves credit and praise but it was a big night for the following:  1. Malcolm Koonce Malcolm Koonce's stats were off the chart. He's had an exceptional season even before last night's game. Coming out of college he was likened to fellow University of Buffalo DE Khalil Mack and now we know why. - 2 sacks - 2 FF - 5 pressures - 3 QB Hits - 2 TFL - 4 Stops - 12.8% Win Rate - 91.6 PFF Grade 2. Patrick Graham Patrick Graham is one of the top defensive coaches in the league. He'll likely get head coach interviews (possibly including the Raiders) 3. The Offensive Line The Raiders turned to some backups due to the absence of Kolton Miller and Andre James. And the offensive line produced a sensational effort. Thayer Munford at right tackle was solid all game long. And Dylan Parham may now be our first choice centre.

Mark Davis and Bo Hardegree 1. 20 years and counting of mediocre football and resulted. When will it end? 2. We could yet end up in the Drake Maye sweepstakes 3. Davante Adams left the locker room before it opened to media after the game Don't blame him Davante deserves better Patrick Graham    4. Our defense is a credit to the defensive players, coaches and great Raider defences of yesteryear. Our offense is atrocious and is suffering from a limited QB and a paired down Josh McDaniels playbook 5. The Raiders players may really like Antonio Pierce  But do you know who they'd like even more? A head coach that wins 6  Winning games now hurts our chances of drafting a 'potential elite' QB.  We all know the two 'potential elite' QBs in the 2024 draft. Jayden Daniels might be a 3rd. We need to move up the draft board to be in a position to draft the Heisman Trophy winner.  7. For the remainder of the season perhaps our motto should now be '

New Direction Needed If a week is a long time in politics then it's longer in football. A week ago I wrote a piece supporting Antonio Pierce as the next permanent Raiders head coach. Even yesterday morning I reposted an article by Ross Tucker in the same vein https://www.the33rdteam.com/antonio-pierce-is-earning-raiders-head-coach-job/ Following the Raiders loss to the Mizouri team (yawn....yet again), I can see no way how Antonio Pierce is appointed as the permanent head coach. Roderic Teamer Arrest No coaching staff is entirely responsible for the behaviour of its players off the field but the DUI arrest of Roderic Teamer in the early hours of the Chiefs game, won't help Pierce in any way. The perception is that Pierce manages a lax operation where player autonomy is to the fore. The recent arrest of Teamer does not bode well for this approach long term. The coach should call the shots, not the players.  The Raiders blew a 14-0 lead against the Mizzouri team. Pier

Energy Antonio Pierce has brought renewed energy and vibrancy to the Raiders' locker room and fan base. I think it's fair to say most of Raider Nation want AP to succeed and be the permanent head coach. I became a Los Angeles Raiders fan in 1984 when I was just 10 years old. The resonance of a head coach hailing from Compton, and a fellow Raiders enthusiast as a youngster , adds to the mystique of the potential hiring of Antonio Pierce. Media Support Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin on FS1's "Undisputed" have seen enough and would appoint Pierce as head coach....right now (as would Skipp Bayliss incidentally). And so would I. But you don't win many games in the NFL with a 4th round QB and first time offensive coordinator - and that was very evident in Miami on Sunday afternoon. Sadly, I fear if AP doesn't win 5 games as interim head coach he will go the same way as Rich Bisaccia (he's won two to date). And my fear is th

Failure of the Patriot Way   It is somewhat pathetic that Josh McDaniels (and other failed ex-Patriot coaches) feel they have to copy the irascible Bill Belichick - who won Super Bowls principally because he was lucky enough to stumble across the best QB of all time.  " Mark Davis made a clear-headed decision." Rich Eisen on the firing of Josh McDaniels Unmitigated Disaster   McDaniels/Ziegler were an unmitigated, unqualified, unequivocal disaster for the #Raiders with a litany of bad decisions compounded by even worse decisions. There’s a growing trend of NFL head coaches that simply are “CEO types” or motivators and we’ve seen successful ones. The Motivational Qualities of Antonio Pierce    If Antonio Pierce can remain competitive throughout the season, win 4-5 games and have the locker room I can see him keeping the job and getting to build his staff. There's important context before Sunday's game though.  We have a rookie head coach, a rookie QB and ro