Raiders Out to Disprove Sapp

By MikeBullock  |   Wednesday, December 09, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

Oakland Raiders
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!
One of the marks of a true champion is not resting on your laurels, but easily forgetting the last victory and redoubling your efforts in order to claim the next one. Looking at the Oakland Raiders recent track record, it’s glaringly obvious why they haven’t been referred to as champions in a very long time.

Since the Raiders’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 Superbowl, Oakland has managed to string together six back to back wins and zero three game winning streaks. For those of you keeping score at home that’s one hundred and nine games between this weekend and Oakland’s last three straight victories.

Ex-Raider Warren Sapp recently said they are at their worst after a win. This claim was backed up by longtime punter and one of the few remaining players from the last three game streak, Shane Lechler. Recently released quarterback Jeff Garcia claimed the team had too many players who were “just in it for a paycheck”. Well, when you lose double digit games for six straight seasons, a paycheck is likely your only highlight.

However, this season seems to be a little different. The Raiders have stunned winning teams such as Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and shown signs that they can win games. But what happens when the ‘W’s are so few and far between that when one comes along the players act like it’s Christmas? They fail to redouble their efforts to claim the next one.

With no solid veteran leadership in the locker room, no proven winners on the coaching staff, and Al Davis focusing solely on how to give away the future for a single player that will turn things around, what can Raider Nation really expect from this bunch?

Sure men like Louis Murphy, Bruce Gradkowski, Richard Seymour and Nnamdi Asomugha don’t seem to get caught up in the post-win hangovers, but what about the rest of the players? And, should they win their second in a row against the reeling Washington Redskins this weekend, will that celebration double, drawing even more focus away from greater effort to beat Denver on December 20th?

Looking ahead at the schedule, Oakland faces four very beatable teams to close out this season. Doing so would create the first five game win streak since 2002, end their streak of double digit loses for six straight seasons and give notice this team is embracing the legacy they inherited when they signed on the Silver and Black dotted line.

And, they might just shut up Warren Sapp, which has proven to be even harder to achieve than a three game win streak by the Raiders.

Only time will tell, but that time is now.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report