My brother Kelvin recently said that going to see a preseason NFL football game is like going to see your favorite band audition new members. <\/p>\n
That was definitely what the Raiders- Rams game on Saturday night felt likeespecially the second half. <\/p>\n
It was heartening to see quarterback Derek Carr slinging it to Michael Crabtree or Cooooooooop or better yet handing it off to Beast Mode for the first time. <\/p>\n
Defense though? Oi. <\/p>\n
Khalil Mack had a monster sack on Rams quarterback Jared Goff, which was just about the sole Raiders defensive highlight of the entire game. <\/p>\n
The Rams were hardly a powerhouse in 2016 and their anemic 4-12 record resulted in their head coach Jeff Fisher getting a cleated boot to the backside. So thats why it was startling how many times Saturday night Raider defenders were so far out of position that their only hope of stopping wide open Rams receivers from catching passes would be to fling their helmets at them. <\/p>\n
Look, the Raiders offense is potent, I get that. What matters in the NFL is having at least one more point than the other team when the clock reads all zeroes at the end of the game (and Im still hoping to see one won by a 2-0 score some day by the way). Having the reigning Comeback Kid as QB is a wonderful asset, but defense winsyou know the rest. <\/p>\n
Last year at this time, my hope\/expectation for the team was that they finally have a winning season. They won 12 games and got a playoff berth. This year, I want them to win the AFC West. <\/p>\n
That means beating a certain Midwest divisional foe with a politically incorrect name who wear garish ketchup and mustard colored costumes. Not looking past Denver or San Dieger, Los Angeles, but it has been a while since Ive enjoyed Chiefs fans forced silence. <\/p>\n
I loved the grit displayed last season when Carr led so many thrilling late-game comebacks, but this season, at home games, I want to weed out any bandwagon fans. Some come for the excitement of game-on-the-line heroicsI want them to be bored. <\/p>\n
I want the Raiders to be consistently dominant so that that by the third quarter of each game the lead is so insurmountable that only diehards like yours truly will want to stay and savor every single last second. <\/p>\n
In short, I want to regularly see visiting teams get a smackdown\/beatdown when they come to downtown Oaktown. <\/p>\n
Fairfield Raider fanalistpart fan, part journalistTony Wade knows it is only preseason. Reach him at toekneeweighed@gmail.com<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n View post: My brother Kelvin recently said that going to see a preseason NFL football game is like going to see your favorite band audition new members. That was definitely what the Raiders- Rams game on Saturday night felt likeespecially the second half Continue reading
\nI want the Raiders to be boring in 2017 - Fairfield Daily Republic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"