The Raiders at 7-8 after a roller-coaster season of pessimism and optimism.
Early this season, I claimed that the Raiders could get hot down the stretch after they started 1-3.
I even compared the Raiders to the Cincinnati Bengals of 2003, who started slow and then caught fire down the stretch. That season would all but end the decade long of mediocrity in Cincinnati.
Some thought I was nuts.
Lately, all the talk amongst Raider fans has been whether the Raiders should fire head-coach Tom Cable, now that the Raiders have been eliminated from postseason contention.
My simple answer is: no, but ...
Raider Nation could sit around and pout because the Chiefs made the playoffs instead, but consider a few things. Dark-horse teams like Kansas City rarely duplicate their success the following year, because of a tougher schedule and more attention from opponents.
I would rather not collate all the examples.
Whereas, "slow and steady" teams usually contend in the long-run, because those teams build a foundation rather than become impatient after a let down.
Right now, the Raiders have won seven games. In 2009, the Raiders won five.
Seemingly, the difference is only two games. Yet consider this: In 2009, all of the Raider wins were by only a hair or at the last minute, while the Raiders have won convincingly in 2010 and simply fell short in all but two games, at Tennessee and at Pittsburgh.
They did this with one of the youngest teams in the NFL, including three rookies as starters. In several of the losses, the difference was merely two or three plays that could be attributed to rookie mistakes. And the Raiders did this with injuries to key players, such as corner back Nnamdi Asomugha.
From the 2010 Draft, the Raiders selected thre...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
