The Las Vegas Raider are generating plenty of buzz right now, and there are some historical issues involved here.
The Las Vegas Raiders are generating plenty of positive buzz right now, but one story in particular is currently swinging things back in a negative direction.
The article in question was written by Zak Kiefer of The Athletic, and it explored the Raiders’ tempestuous years under coach Jon Gruden, who’s since moved on and is now suing the NFL over the release of some inflammatory emails that Gruden thinks cost him his job.
The article is an entertaining read, which is par for the course for anything written about the mercurial Gruden. It goes back in time to the Raiders 2002 season, when the then-Oakland Raiders lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and late owner Al Davis wound up trading Gruden to the Bucs.
The story hones in on some older examples of organizational dysfunction that the Raiders seem to specialize in, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk had a different take on all this, saying that the Raiders’ struggles “come down to a chronic lack of talent.”
Florio’s conclusion is correct, and he backs it up by pointing out that the Raiders once drafted quarterback Jamarcus Russell over receiver Calvin Johnson or tackle Joe Thomas, which is an all-timer as draft gaffes go.
He also pointed out that the Raiders only have two elite players right now, defensive end Maxx Crosby on defense and Brock Bowers at tight end. Crosby has been mired in controversy since the end of the season when he was shut down for medical reasons, and Bowers was hurt for most of last year after his brilliant rookie season.
It’s easy to take potshots at the Raiders, to the point where it’s become a cottage industry within the media. But there’s no single reason why the Raiders have been bad, and they are trying a somewhat new approach this year.
That approach involves adding the hot new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, as their head coach, then spending a boatload of money on free agents. There are still plenty of signs of the same organizational snafus that have sunk Raiders’ seasons in the past, so no one knows if this will work.
There is a plan of sorts in place, though, which is also somewhat new. The Raiders signed journeyman quarterback Kirk Cousins to be their bridge/backup guy, and they’ll almost certainly draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the draft on April 23. There’s also more talent than usual in place, but given that this is the Raiders, these moves still fall into the “so you’re saying there’s a chance?” category until we see it work on the field this fall.