What can be said about the Oakland Raiders that has not already been said about spoiled milk, the good times have passed and it makes everything stink. To be fair to the Raiders, they are only 6 years removed from a Superbowl appearance and have not been the worst team in the league for the past two years (an honor bestowed to the Dolphins and Lions respectively). However the Raiders have the unique distinction as the team that nothing goes right for. It seems like the Raiders misfortune can be traced way back to 2002 in the infamous "tuck rule" game. In that game New England Patriots quaterback Tom Brady seemingly fumbled the ball late in the game giving the raiders possession. Ultimately this cost the Raiders the game and the Patriots went on to win the Superbowl. Its difficult to say that the next year was unfortunate as the Raiders made it to the Superbowl, in a losing effort. The next six years have not been, we'll say productive for the Raiders.
The Raiders woes have not been due to a lack of talent. In fact talent might be their biggest attribute. However that appears to be the problem itself. Despite all the talent present of the team, players do not play to their abilities on the Raiders. For example JaMarcus Russell. Russell showed so much promise to be an NFL quaterback, he had size, a cannon for an arm, mobility, and the ability to throw on the run. His rookie year was practically preseason as he held out for much of the year. This past season was dismal as he threw for 13 touchdowns with 8 interceptions completing just over 50% of his passes, and averaged 6.6 yards per pass. Another example of a recent draft pick that has not quite lived up to his potential is Michael Huff. After two seasons of starting at the safety position, this past season Huff was benched in favor of Hiram Eugene. Many forget but Huff was an excellent safety in college and showed a great deal of promise as well. I know what your saying now: "Those are really young players how much can you really expect from them". To which I say you have a fair point but it is not just rookies who have not performed. Undoubtedly the biggest case of Raideritis would be Randy Moss. In two seasons Moss was ineffective and a shell of his former self. Some people even felt that Moss was at the end of his career, which he proved was not the case in '07 and '08.
Don't get me wrong, the Raiders have several players who are effective and contribute positively to the team. Several of the defensive players are excellent football players. Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the premier cornerbacks in the league, arguably the best, and Kirk Morrison, the defensive leader, has had several great seasons for Oakland. The problem is the attitude in Oakland. They have just experienced a coaching change switching from Lane Kiffin to Tom Cable, their fifth different head coach in the past 7 seasons. As you would guess this constant shifting of coaches does not allow for the team to move forward. Which finally brings me to my point: Jeff Garcia. Garcia is the best quaterback that has never been locked down. He always finds his way onto the field regardless of situation. In Philadelphia Garcia lead the seemingly doomed Eagles to the playoffs following McNabb's season ending knee injury early in the season. He also took the starting role from Chris Simms in Tampa Bay and led the Bucs to the playoffs. I fear for you man. You have all the makings of a crash and burn. First you are a solid quaterback which means something about the black and silver may make your skills diminish. Second your a journeyman meaning you may have one bad year and everyone may be skeptical of your value. Look out Jeff, like the picture, that Raider curse is coming for you.
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