I don't blame anyone in the Raiders' organization for not being able to see this coming. None of us dared think what was really a high percentage option: that veterans Rich Gannon, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, and Bill Romanowski would all hit the wall at the same time. This year, that's exactly what has happened. The half-step that Rice, Brown, and Romo lost last season was made up by instinct and experience. This year, that half step has become two full steps and no veteran wisdom can overcome that in the face of younger, stronger, faster opponents. As for Gannon, his issue appears to be not physical, but mental. As much as he'll disagree, he simply hasn't gotten over the mental and emotional drainage that the Super Bowl loss imposed on him. He's even more on edge this year, doesn't seem to have the confidence to thread the needle, holds on to the ball too long, won't scramble, and just doesn't look comfortable. Shaky pass blocking and a lack of running game certainly has something to do with this, but even when he is given time, he is missing downfield receivers far more frequently than he ever has during his Raider tenure.
If one can admit that this team isn't going to win any big games against tough opponents this season, then there's no reason to let Gannon play the year out. Once we're at out of the playoff race, I expect Callahan to let Tuiasosopo play out the rest of the year to determine whether he is 2004's starting QB or not. What I hope doesn't happen, however, is that the Raiders stay in borderline conention all year, finish 8-8, miss the playoffs, start the rebuilding, yet only have about the 16th pick in the draft. Actually, knowing that this team isn't going to win the big one, I wonder how many fans would actually rather have the Raiders let the young guys play now, endure a 6-10 season, but be in the top 5 come draft time. Yes, it's the opposite of what the Raiders stand for - winning now, but so long as you don't make it to the Super Bowl, what's the difference between 6-10 with Roy Williams on the team next year and 9-7 with some average middle to late 1st rounder instead? I know Callahan wants to win as many games as he can to try and save his job beyond this year, but it would be a little exciting if Al Davis saw the product on the field and simply said, "Begin the youth movement."
It's becoming obvious that wholesale changes will not only be restricted to players this off-season. I wouldn't be surprised to see an entirely new set of coaches next year from the head coach on down to the special teams coach, though Monday's game was the first half-decent game since the Super Bowl for Casullo's troops. Chuck Bresnahan has done very little despite all the reports showing the number of 1st round picks on the Raiders defensive side of the ball. His schemes seem to lack imagination. He doesn't attack much, he sits back and hopes for the best. I know, the Bucs do the same thing, as they rarely blitz but instead rely on a pass rush from the front four to set things up. However, we all know, and more importantly, Chuck knows that we don't have a pass rush from the front four. Yet he still seems to play too much base defense which simply allows the opposing QB as much time as needed to shred our defense. No amount of talent in the defensive backfield can stop a QB that has 4-5 seconds to throw on every pass play. But hey, on the bright side, we did trade one of our up and coming pass rushers to the Dallas Cowboys. Sigh.
Random Thoughts
You know the head coach doesn't have a firm grasp of the team's discipline when you see Philip Buchanon celebrating a good punt return by taunting the crowd despite being on the wrong end of a blowout. Combine this with the weak punishment Bill Romanowski received for his Mike Tyson impersonation and you realize that as Callahan attempts to put his foot down and salvage this season, it might not make much of an imprint.
I wonder how many times Callahan will admit after a game that "opposing defenses have caught up to us" before he actually changes anything in his game plan. If ever there was a game to come out running, it was Monday Night in hostile Denver.
I think Maurice Clarett will win his lawsuit, but I do fear that the NFL will become a little more like the NBA. Yes, only those underclassmen that are good enough to play in the NFL will be drafted, but if the rules are changed, then for every sophomore or freshman that you draft, you weaken the draft for the next year. Then when the next year comes, and those sophomores who you would be drafting as juniors are instead already in the NFL, you'll have to reach just a little bit further and take someone just slightly less talented than you would otherwise get, and so on and so on for every year's draft. Because of the sheer number of athletes on football teams as opposed to basketball teams, it won't get as bad as it is in the NBA, where late 1st round and 2nd round picks are almost worthless, but it still weakens what is now a very strong draft system.
-- Alex Chavez
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