January 9, 2018
Raider Nation, This is a big f’ing deal!
-Mark Davis
Over eight months later, these famous words are now an afterthought to a tumultuous opening month for John Gruden and the Oakland Raiders.
Khalil Mack is gone and most realistic people know the trade was uneven. Reggie Nelson somehow stays employed, while first rounder Karl Joseph is nearly invisible. The backup quarterback situation could rear its ugly head sometime down the road. The nightmare of a train wreck campaign is looking more inevitable by the moment. So where do Gruden’s Raiders go from here?
Through the initial quarter of the 2018 season, Jon Gruden’s squad cannot put a full game performance together. On offense, Derek Carr has been Jekyll and Hyde and his weapons can’t properly show off their capabilities because of it. Raider Nation is questioning whether or not Carr is worth the hefty contract.
Defensively, it’s a tale of two halves. For 30 minutes the Silver & Black hold their own, just to get worn down due to the lack of miscues and inconsistency. Without a pass rush, the secondary will inevitably struggle. When defensive backs lead the team in tackling, negative outcomes will arise far too often. Gruden and Paul Guenther must devise a better scheme that remains effective for an entire contest.
Ten years is an eternity to build an organization, especially after trading away your best player for nothing. That’s why Gruden must preach patience steadily throughout 2018. Raiders fans will not wait as long because of the obvious past history amid other head-straining decisions. It is not a lost year yet, but Raider Nation has the right to stare into a bleak road ahead after this less then enthusiastic start.
For now, standing aside this team seems preposterous, but I confidently believe that Gruden will have the Raiders humming in 2019. That alone needs to be taken into heavy consideration, because truth be told, Jon Gruden needs every ounce of help he can get at this point to skyrocket the Raiders to the top of the NFL.
Ramble On Patiently, Raider Nation!
