Should fans panic after a lackluster preseason for the Raiders?
Going into the fourth week of preseason, the Raiders has a preseason record of 1-2. Aside a dominating performance against Arizona in the first week of the preseason, the Raiders have had a rather ho hum preseason. Marked by inconsistent play by starters and underwhelming performances by the backups, is it time to panic Raider Nation?
No, as long as you don’t lose every game, preseason never really matters
2-2, 2-2, 4-0, 2-2, 2-2, 2-2, 3-1, 1-3, 1-3. Those are all the preseason records of that year’s Super Bowl winners for the past 9 years. Notice how most teams just split the preseason? That’s because preseason games really don’t matter aside from the few extra dollars that Roger Goodell will use to order mai tais on his vacation. The fact is, most teams are running a very vanilla offense and defense and more focused on position battles. This may mean plays are called for specific players that may not necessarily make sense for the situation. It also means that teams aren’t exactly operating at their full capacity. The preseason is designed to allow rookies and backups to get valuable game time experience and coaches to determine their depth chart which really leads us to the next point.
Kinda, the Raiders haven’t had any standout backup players on defense
Remember how Victor Cruz was making noise in preseason before becoming the face of the Giants for a few seasons? For that matter, remember Ben Heeney was a presence in preseason last year and is now the starter at LB? On offense, we have that in RBs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard doing a pretty good job, as we witnessed in the game against the Tennessee Titans. The problem is that defensive personnel hasn’t had really anything that you would brag about to your friends. If there are no standout players, it could mean that it is a sign of having poor depth in the upcoming year on defense.
Yes, because of things happening off the field
Yeah, I know it doesn’t fit in with the introduction, but 3 is a better number than 2 points. Anyways, because the Colin Kaepernick ordeal that is going on right now, most all of Raider Nation has missed/forgotten something important that happened last week. The Oakland Raiders filed three patents for the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s right, let that settle in your mind. The Raiders seem very intent on moving away from Oakland, and as pointed out by other articles on this site, it makes a lot of sense for the Raiders. Unfortunately, for many Oakland fans, the Raiders may likely be the Oakland Raiders for one more year. So enjoy what might be the last preseason game in Oakland.
How do you think the Raiders will do in the regular season? Email me at twachansports@gmail.com or tweet me @twachancover32. Until next time, turrah! -T.W.A. Chan
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