Raiders in 2008: On one hand, on the other hand

By Os Davis  |   Sunday, October 05, 2008  |  Comments( 19 )

Oakland Raiders
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Caught your collective breath yet, Raider Nation? Still lamenting the passing (not the passing game, the passing) of Lane Kiffin’s tenure? Still wondering whether this team’s heading for a 2-14 finish or closer to 8-8? Still trying to decide what extraterrestrial force has occupied and continues to forcibly animate Al Davis’ body? Us too. Except that last bit.

The following are a few back-and-forth inner monologue some Raiders fan may have toyed with on the long bye weekend as the Tom Cable era is about to become unleashed.

• On one hand, the Raiders have blown some crazy opportunities already. A win against the Buffalo Bills was in the freaking bag until the defense mysteriously stopped blitzing and someone on the sidelines developed a Marshawn Lynch-sized blind spot, while Oakland played top-notch ball for 30 minutes against the seemingly mighty (but more importantly now-infinitely catchable division rival) San Diego Chargers before the offense forgot to exit the locker room for the second half. A playoff contender wins these games.

On the other hand, no one (yours truly included) expected the Raiders to even bring a game in either of those two matches, much less threaten to win. The Raiders taking the lead has been a rarity for two seasons now and the 2008 tendency may indicate a rebound into respectability.

• On one hand, there’s no cohesion. Disgruntled former employees from Warren Sapp to Lane Kiffin have complained about the chaos among the coaching corps. Nearly every position on the depth chart outside of kicker has been a virtual revolving door for five seasons. High-priced free agent prima-donas play alongside untested rookies and unwanted castoffs. Consistency in these matters is usually figured to be a positive in top-level sports and would seem to be an area needing addressing. If, of course, the team owner/general manager weren’t so prone to fantasy football owner-like whims whenever a name player hits the market.

On the other hand, it’s tempting to rhetorically ask, “Who needs cohesion?” Over in Detroit, the Lions are outwardly exuding a Brady Bunch level of happiness (OK, probably not Roy Williams anymore) while perpetually getting smoked by teams full of head cases. Maybe what the Raiders need is a camera-loving wide receiver to talk big, draw lots of derision and go for 150 yards after the catch every Sunday. Is Randy Moss available?

• On one hand, the running game is this close to being publicly reckoned as an elite corps in the NFL. Darren McFadden has (mostly) been as good as advertised, Michael Bush has contributed some key carries, and who else can’t wait for Justin Fargas to return? Thus far, it all adds up to the league’s fifth-best rushing attack.

On the other hand, JaMarcus Russell has yet to produce a passing game. Unless the Raiders employ a unique strategy of using the run to set up the run – heck, if the offensive line weren’t quite so feeble, this might be recommended – even this Cerberus isn’t going to be enough.

• On one hand, the coaching change had to come sooner or later. In spite of your personal opinion on poor Kiffin and the difficulties in understanding a situation obfuscated by shrill media reportage on quotes from “sources,” the man just wasn’t working out with Uncle Al.

On the other hand, the timing was pretty poor on this one. If the potential exhibited by the Raiders in Weeks 3 and 4 was in fact positive evidence of improvement, this is perhaps the very worst possible moment at which to fire the head coach.

• On one hand, Cable’s hiring may be a clever maneuver, despite a shaky resume (offensive line coach for two seasons in the NFL, bringing winning seasons to neither team; four seasons as head coach at University of Idaho for a cumulative 11-35 record). Cable knows the current Raider system as well as just about anyone and, unlike a certain defensive coordinator, seems to have no axes to grind.

On the other hand, um ... no, I’m sorry, Raider Nation. I just can’t put a positive spin on this one; nothing good has ever come from the expression “interim head coach.” Is anyone really convinced Cable is the Guy?
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
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