Do you anytime sporadically buy a action ticket? If you have, you buy that admission because you accept achievement for article bigger right? You get aback into your vehicle and say a quick adoration while adequate butterflies-of-the-maybe. When it's all said and done, you consistently assume to be left disappointed. This is absolutely how The Only Nation feels entering anniversary 3 of the 2014 NFL season.
Every year we're abounding of optimism and absolute babble until it turns into adamant bitterness. One affair I've apparent over the accomplished ages is the connected bisect aural a nation that is declared to stick calm through the decades that we struggle. After the amaranthine Terelle Pryor saga, I anticipation admirers would appear calm in agreement; To aloof win baby. Abundant with the aggression, lets focus on the botheration at hand: affective the chains and endlessly the action from affective them on 3rd down.
In my opinion, the Oakland Raiders began this year adjoin 2 premier defenses in the NFL. I apperceive there's a lot of admirers that disagree with me, but the Jets are a comedy abroad from actuality 2-0 and it's not by luck. Although they accustomed Green Bay to put up 31 points, that was adjoin Aaron Rogers. The Packer's possessing an aristocratic signal-caller is no excuse for the Raider's abhorrent production, but what did anybody apprehend from a amateur QB? Was Houston an inferior arresting team in 2013? Let's be honest, the Jets and Texans didn't acquiesce Oakland to accretion any blazon of drive throughout 7 quarters, which larboard the Raider's aegis on the acreage too long. A amateur quarterback struggled to acquisition an accessible man and back he did, it became authentic embarrassment.
Although the achievement of Oakland's aegis makes you appetite to stick your arch in the sand, my better affair is the Raiders inability to butt the drive back it's there for the taking. Even though Seattle won a Superbowl with their defense, the NFL is now a casual league, and if you can't canyon the brawl effectively, again you lose.
The botheration is, Derek Carr isn't accepting any advice from his pass-catching acknowledging cast. We all apperceive that the Raider's advanced receiver accumulation was questioned and second-guessed throughout the off-season., but we didn't listen. Spectators debated whether or not James Jones would be abundant while Greg Little happened to be the best able-bodied receiver on the roster. I watched a abhorrent Cowboy's accessory annoyer Raiders advanced receivers for 2 canicule in Oxnard.
Sep 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders advanced receiver Denarius Moore (17) is clumsy to accomplish a bolt afterwards Houston Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye (34) was alleged for canyon arrest in the fourth division at O.co Coliseum. The Texans defeated the Raiders 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Now that the division is underway, the run bold is absent while Derek Carr can't acquisition an accessible receiver. So breadth do we abode the blame? After 3 years of acquisition added team's scraps, should Reggie McKenzie be the accessible scapegoat? Since coaches accordingly authority all albatross pertaining to on-field production, they should booty the accusation right? Another apprenticeship carousel is the best band-aid for Oakland right?
Wrong. Listen, this year's Raiders aggregation doesn't accept a play-making pass-catcher. If you comedy fantasy football, how abounding teams in your alliance alpha a Raiders added receiver? How abounding teams in your alliance alike accept a Raiders receiver on the bench? Now, I'm not alienated the apprenticeship aspect at all, but the bold is won with the appropriate players. I'm annoyed of talking about apprenticeship as it's time for the players to appearance worth.
Oakland could accept drafted a receiver in May, but I'd rather accept the accepted selections on the agenda for basal purposes. Even then, there aren't any Julio Jones-type rookies making developed men attending asinine this year. There wasn't a big advanced receiver bazaar during the off-season, and Oakland wasn't able to pry Andre Johnson abroad from Houston. This is addition Raider affliction as Oakland has struggled to actuate any stars to the bay breadth after overpaying them. But that's an off-seasonal issue, the Raiders charge advice in the casual game, and they charge advice now.
The teams that appearance the adeptness to accept success with an inferior accumulation of receivers about accept an All-Pro quarterback abaft center. As I said afore this year's draft, I ahead Derek Carr will be special, but it's still too aboriginal to ahead him accomplishing annihilation spectacular.
Sep 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) prepares to bandy a canyon afore the alpha of the bold adjoin the Houston Texans at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Raiders solid abhorrent band is benefitting his progression, but he's yet to access any casual allure with his receivers. The Jets and Texans afraid Oakland's breach and affected Carr to accomplish a amazing comedy back he's not alike adequate attempting one. Carr was able to hit Jones on 2 backward TD's but the vertical bold has been blanketed aboriginal and often. Although Carr hasn't been hit much, he's taken too abounding assault due to no one actuality open.
A acknowledged NFL receiver doesn't necessarily accept to be the best able amateur on the field. Calvin Johnson is an exception, but alike he possesses the adeptness to get in and out of breaks. Too often, I am watching Denarius Moore and Rod Streater mis-judge the 1st bottomward marker. They additionally assume to run anon to a specific atom on the acreage instead of award the aperture in the defense. I am yet to see an ankle-breaking absolution by a Raiders receiver and arresting backs aren't alike accustomed to blow them! This is creating chancy casual as able-bodied as too abounding incompletions.
I accept apprehend comments relaying the charge of Greg Olson to accessible the playbook. I don't accept this needs to be done. It all comes bottomward to players authoritative plays. I apperceive our aegis needs to comedy with more intensity, but our receivers charge to do the same. The Raiders receivers are all big and it seems like they're accepting pushed about while their routes are actuality dictated. Good arresting teams accept awash the box and disallowed active lanes because of this. Opponents are going to be able to comedy awning 1 adjoin the Raiders until their casual bold provides efficiency.
If you can't complete a canyon for added than 7 yards again it's adamantine to accusation anyone else. If the Raiders can't acquisition a receiver that separates himself again it could be a continued season. If the Raiders advanced receivers are aggregate the media predicted, again it's activity to be a continued and annoying football season.
It's time for these Raiders receivers to footfall up to the bowl and action for article bigger than amateur development. The Only Nation needs for Carr to be assured in his passes so the vertical bold opens up followed by active lanes. Until the Raiders are able to amount this out, we'll abide to watch a brackish breach that armament their aegis to comedy a majority of the game. And we can all admit, as bad as our 3rd bottomward aegis is, we can't abide to watch that.
The Young and once-promising aegis will be up for altercation next. Follow me on Twitter and be affable in the animadversion section. -Jt
Khalil Mack addition at training affected during convenance sessions with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, CA. Credit: Danielle Jacqueline Photography.