What a rough year. What a mess. Considering hindsight is 20/20 and I am not on record saying what the Raiders should do, I will save blame over what has been done. That is not what this article is about. Rather, we here at sportsmania intend to recap what has happened on the way to this 1-4 record.
Basic Economics
We know that because of the union and the rules and the way contracts are structured, it is hard for a team to protect itself from underperforming mega contract players. What do you think happens when athletes land a huge contract after working 20 or so years to land it? Usually accountability becomes an issue. In an ideal world there would be a base salary far lower than what the players are used to, but with huge performance-based incentives and insurance against injuries. Of course this is not an ideal world because lawyers are involved. Look at the contract coach Gruden got with the Raiders before he even won a single game with the team. There are plenty of college coaches to choose from people! As a side note, the main stream media has done a great disservice misleading people about Gruden’s pay influencing the player budget. The player cap and management pay are totally separate, so…
Ex Raiders
I heard it said that had we signed Khalil Mack his and Carr’s salary would make up 20% of the team’s salary. Is that ever advisable? It is ok to spend a lot but is it ever advisable to spend the most? The loss of Mack was a crucial blow to the team. Marquette King was an amazing punter and Janikowski had a rough start but seems to be in his old reliable form. What would the Raiders record be if they were still on the team? Hard to say.
Carr and Cooper
What can you say when certain players have all the tools but the performance is sub potential? Why does that happen? If you just look at Cooper play you can see a Hall of Fame receiver if he would catch more and drop less. Carr was instrumental in our 12 win season but can we have a game with zero interceptions for once? This is sad.
Good News?
We do have a couple first round picks and are sitting on some cash in the player budget. But is it enough to get everything we need? I mean, we need a premier high impact linebacker, a premier receiver, a premiere running back. And yes people, don’t hate me for saying we have to do something with Carr. The gap between what we need and how much we can offer is too big. This does not look good for the Raiders' future.
Beast Mode
Marshawn’s performance against the Browns was epic. It was truly inspiring to see him lead that team as a veteran example by crushing skulls and breaking tackles all the way through overtime. What a show, what a lead by example clinic.
So sorry for all the negativity here but what is the answer? What does this team have to do for next season to be a playoff season? Upvote, follow, comment. Peace Out.