No singular person, owner, coach, or general manager has seemed to be able to solve the Raiders’ conundrum of futility when it comes to winning consistently. At least, not since the turn of the millennium. Fanatics and members of Raider Nation have all endlessly speculated as to what the issue is. But the solution continues to elude all parties involved.
The history books of the NFL showcase the Raiders as one of the most iconic franchises in the league. The Silver and Black is one of the winningest organizations of all time, even though it has been horrendous for the last 20-plus years. Despite all the penalties, or Al Davis suing the league and moving his franchise without the permission of anyone, success was once a fixture for the Raiders.
They have had iconic coaches, broken color barriers, and shattered gender roles in the sport of football. They have been about equal opportunity and pioneers of social justice while building equity and a legacy that has been respected for decades. But when it comes to the field, they haven’t gotten anywhere close to the success of the early days in the league. Why is that?
Nice And Professional Is Not The Raider Way
Al Davis was about taking what he wanted, no matter the cost. John Madden’s Soul Patrol was said to have a criminal element. Intimidation was the Raiders’ greatest weapon, and there were rules to being a Raider:
Rule No. 1 — Cheating is encouraged
Rule No. 2 — See rule No. 1.
Let’s be honest; in life, nice guys finish last. Everyone wants to claim that professionalism and being a high-character individual is what it’s all about. That is all well and good until push comes to shove. Football is a dangerous and physical game, not for the faint at heart or someone without the stones to do what is necessary. In this game, only the strong survive; a relentless mean streak is the best edge you can have.
The greatest quarterbacks in Raider history were not clean-cut guys who said and did all the right things. Kenny ‘Snake’ Stabler was known for studying his playbook in bars by the light of the jukebox. Additionally, he showed up to games and played either still drunk or hungover from the night before. Rich ‘Loose Cannon’ Gannon was a red a** who wasn’t afraid to curse out his coach, his receivers, or anyone else who wasn’t producing.
Only One Winner Was Drafted In 63 Years
In the entirety of its existence, the Raiders organization has only been able to draft a franchise quarterback who won it all one time. He was known as ‘Snake Stabler’, a second-round draft pick from the University of Alabama in 1968.
The 1967 AFL championship, the two Super Bowl wins of 1981 and 1983, and the last Super Bowl appearance of 2002 were all quarterbacked by free agent additions. So much for this year’s Super Bowl odds at Allegiant Stadium for the Raiders.
The list of quarterbacks drafted in the first round is Roman Gabriel (1962), Marc Wilson (1980), Todd Marinovich (1991), and Jamarcus Russell (2007). Russell was so bad as the first-overall pick in 2007 that the franchise has not drafted another quarterback in the first-round since.
Derek Carr, a second-round pick, has been the longest-tenured starting quarterback on the roster in team history. Carr is two-of-two in terms of franchise quarterbacks selected by the Raiders, roughly 46 years after Stabler. Hence, the 2014 draft pick owns all of the team’s passing records with the largest fan following since Snake. However, for a plethora of reasons, he was not able to get it done with the Silver and Black.
Four Pro Bowl selections cannot mask the fact that — at no point — has Carr been the best of the best. The 2016 season was the closest he came, but rarely was he ever actually good enough. The win-loss record reflects that. It’s not all on Carr; some of the reasoning is the archaic style of coaching in a modernized NFL.
Raiders Can’t Continue Using Retread Coaching With Nothing New To Offer
At the height of the Raiders’ success was a new approach to playing the game of football. Speed kills, and slinging that rock deep put teams on their heels early and forced them to cover 228,960 square inches (literally every inch of the field). But after Madden and Flores, the ingenuity and creativity left. All of the coaches coming in approached the game with conventional X’s and O’s knowledge until the first coming of Jon Gruden. Armed with his own variation of the West Coast offense, Gruden was able to defeat defenses with quick passes and timing routes.
But there comes a time when elite coaches are past their time, and the game passes them by. Doing what used to work no longer works because it’s been studied, analyzed, and overcome on chalk/whiteboards and film rooms. That issue has plagued the Raiders as much as not having a franchise quarterback.
In today’s NFL, successful offenses exploit the fundamentals of the defense. One of the things that made Joe Montana so great was playing against disciplined defenses. Why? Because a disciplined defense is always in the position it is supposed to be in.
A New, Winning Formula
Defenders are unable to touch receivers past five yards from the line of scrimmage, and sub-packages are the norm when it comes to formations. No longer can they take headshots on defenseless receivers without penalty. However, coverages have not changed for the most part. A few have been added to successfully bracket and double-star players.
New offensive-minded coaches are coaching to recognize which coverage is being played and designing plays to beat every type of coverage. They teach players where the linebackers will be and how to use the assignments and eye discipline of every position against them. Think playground football, if you will. Take Hunter Renfrow, for instance: Under Gruden, Renfrow ran routes no defender had ever seen. The ‘China’ route got him to the Pro Bowl by cooking every player who lined up across from him.
For years, the Kansas City Chiefs have been playing ring around the rosy in the huddle, running shovel passes up the middle to the tight end and all kinds of offense which previously would have gotten coaches fired. Andy Reid, Shane Steichen, Nick Sirianni, Doug Pederson, and Mike McDaniel have all created dynamic play designs defying “normal offense”, forcing defenses to try and keep up.
Flattery Is Getting The Raiders Nowhere
Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and the NFL is a copycat league. Frustratingly enough, the Raiders seem to have forgotten who they are. Frankly, the memory of who they were seems a little hazy. Whether it be due to the passing of Mr. Davis, or the schlubs brought in to coach who lack a fiery personality of their own.
The Patriot Way is not Raiders football, and attempting to mimic the success of other franchises doesn’t breed success. The Raiders can’t recreate the 2000 Ravens defense or the Greatest Show on Turf. If it were that easy, they wouldn’t be losing at the rate they are.
The Chiefs and Andy Reid have been incredibly successful in out-Raidering the new Raiders and the rest of the league. They continue finding new and creative ways to throw the ball deep and keep running up the score. No matter what teams do while trying to stop it.
The Answer For Raider Nation
The solution is rather simple on the surface.
The Raiders must find a coach who has a new way of doing things to maximize the abilities of the talent on the roster. A coach that doesn’t need to ship out quality players because they can’t tailor the scheme to the talent at their disposal. A coaching staff that can develop the players drafted to be the best versions of themselves and not square pegs to bash against the round hole.
Most importantly, the quarterback of the future should be selected by a coach with a modern approach to the position. Statuesque players incapable of extending plays or stretching the field with superior arm talent will not win. Guys who don’t recognize a blitz pre-snap — whether they be telegraphed or disguised — will not last. Passers worried about getting hurt and too busy watching the rush will not go through progressions quickly enough. They also tend to hold the ball too long, not allowing intermediate routes to develop.
Sadly, the Raiders don’t have this coach or this quarterback on the roster in 2023. When searching for a tandem, the new-age Raiders must do something they’ve never done before. Something Mr. Davis did in the 60’s when success and Raiders football went hand-and-hand. They must become the bad guys with swag. Own it, love it, and practice it. Not fake tough guys; the real bad boys committed to winning and nothing else.
*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images