The #1 Problem with The Raiders

Friends, I'm going to let it rip. I can't hold back any longer. 

I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've been running Raider Take for 21 years, and I've come to a conclusion. 

My conclusion is simple: the Raiders organization suffers from a willful and institutional lack of smarts that starts at the top. I don't mean that as an offhand remark or a wisecrack. I mean it as something that is deeply embedded in the fabric of the Raiders.

In short, this isn't just an organization that continually makes the wrong decision. It's an organization that is optimized to make the wrong decision. In other words, the team's results are by design. I'm not saying the results are intentional, but rather that they're inevitable given how the organization is constructed and run. It is designed to fail. 

What we have seen lately is far beyond a spell of bad luck, or a case of on-the-job ownership training (those excuses have long run their course). It runs deeper than mere folly or error. 

Quite the opposite, in fact. What we are seeing comes from the actual design of the organization. What we see over and over again is an effort to merely correct mistakes, when, in fact, the organization should be un-designing why the same mistakes keep being made again and again. 

This is why nothing has been fixed after all of these years, coaches, GMs, coordinators, high draft picks, free agents, etc. This is why, in fact, after all of these "efforts" we are now witnessing the saddest Raiders season in 20 years, and perhaps the saddest in the organization's history when you take everything into context. 

In the NFL, you are either rebuilding or building. You are either aiming to re-frame the house for a brighter future or adding rooms, appliances and amenities to improve upon an already solid frame. 

But if the architect is stubbornly hapless (a dangerous combination), then you end up adding rooms to a poor frame; ordering appliances that don't fit into the cabinetry; ignoring leaky pipes; and chasing fixes that don't last for the long term. And then when you do finally decide to rebuild, it's done poorly and the whole shebang begins again. 

This is the Raiders under Mark Davis.

Also, when is the last time you saw Mark Davis express any sort of regret, blame, shame or extreme ownership of the organization's chronic state of failure? 

And so yet again, after everything we've been through over the past five or so years, we end up overpaying for another mediocre QB, hiring another coach who's already a dead man walking, firing new coordinators midseason, drafting an RB in the first round only to play him behind a historically awful offensive line, and fielding yet another defense that is the definition of meh.  

I know that all of this sounds harsh. But I share it in the spirit of tough love. I want what's best for this team. They are part of my history, my family, my nostalgia, and the friends I've made right here at Raider Take over the years. I wish I could be ever sanguine like Sandy--wait 'til next year!--but this season has become a bridge too far. 

Please share this post with other fans. We need to all get around the proverbial campfire and figure out what we can do, starting with being honest with one another, and with the organization and the Raider Nation. We need to stop blaming Pete Carroll, the offensive line, the coordinators, Geno Smith, etc. They are mere symptoms of a chronic ailment, the fault firmly lies elsewhere. 

We need to air this topic out thoroughly before any talk begins about our next head coach, the 2026 draft, what to do at quarterback, who to sign, etc. 

And so my conclusion leads to a question: What should be done? Or perhaps more specifically: What can be done? 

As fans, we can't make a material difference, at least not quickly. We're not going make an immediate impact. But we can be heard. And if we're noisy about it, who knows. Off the top of my head:

-Stop blaming coaches, players, GMs, etc. We're well past that until there is a much bigger fundamental shift at the top.

-Demand better from the organization, and speak with your wallet until that happens. Get the f*** off the crazy train until the conductor shows you some respect. 

Chime in and rip me if you like, either way get it off your chest. It's catharsis time.   

RT out.  

 

Broncos Gameday Thread

The Raiders played the Broncos fairly closely last time in a stinker for the ages, but they're already down by seven in the first. We shall see, but don't be shocked if they lose and stay on track for their worst record in 20 seasons. With my last breath: GO RAIDERS!

Well, here we are - the Clown Car is retroactive to last week, and let's hope for something better today. Honestly, I'm kinda at a loss for words. How do I even process or talk about what's going on with this organization. It's a fail of astonishing proportions that has become an embarrassment for a relatively storied coach, and yet another blow to the sinking reputation of Mark Davis. It's sad to see this team with systemic issues that seem to only get worse. At this point just looking for the slightest hint of progress. GO RAIDERS! 

Browns Gameday Thread

Friends, belated thanks for your well wishes during my travels, I was on the run but it didn't go unnoticed.

I'm back in the saddle but nothing seems to have changed, as this Browns game is off to a nightmare Clown Car start in the first quarter. 

Still plenty of time, but it's not looking good. We shall see. GO RAIDERS!  

Cowboys Gamenight Thread

Friends I’m traveling in foreign time zone so gonna keep it short, thanks for keeping the lights on and Go Raiders!

Broncos Gamenight Thread

Just three years ago, the Broncos and Raiders were in very similar straits. One team has completely turned itself around, while the other seems to now be in even worse shape. Why have their paths been so divergent, when their opportunities were fairly equal--and in fact the Broncos had to overcome the biggest dead salary cap hit in NFL history. 

Something to ponder tonight. GO RAIDERS!  

Jaguars Gameday Thread

Well, here we are at midseason and I gotta lower the bar once again on another lost campaign.

Simply put: don't make me run out the Clown Car again, Raiders.

GO RAIDERS! 

Chiefs Postmortem Thread

Sorry I glitched out over the weekend. 

How's everyone coping after we ran just 30 offensive plays and got absolutely worked by the Chiefs to hit rock bottom on the way to another lost season?

What is going on? How do we find ourselves here AGAIN? 

All of these years, all of these high draft picks and trades, all of these new GM and coach regimes, and THIS is where we are at. There's one common thread and I wonder what he thinks when he wakes up on Monday mornings.  

 

Titans Gameday Thread

Y'all know what time it is...

 

GO RAIDERS. 

 

Colts Gameday Thread

Well, here we are AGAIN. Waiting for something good to happen, for hope, for signs of progress. Trying not to watch a season get away from us yet again before it's really even started. What else can I say? GO RAIDERS. 

The Raiders Bug?

I ask this in all seriousness: Is there a Raiders "contagion" or "infection" that maybe explains the past 20 years? 

How can we allegedly significantly upgrade at GM, head coach, QB and RB (and special advisor in Brady) this year plus Bowers and still look the same as the McDummy regime, Pierce regime, and on and on. 

Like, it's not only the same RESULTS, but also the same WAY of losing. I mean, how many TIMES have you seen a dumb close loss just like this one against the Bears, or a no-show just like we saw against the Commanders and their backup QB.  

It's uncanny and mind boggling. These are like clones of clones of clones of Raiders games past. Do new GM, coach and player regimes come in and catch a sort of Raiders bug?  

Bears Gameday Thread

Getting this one going early for two reasons: I'm gonna be on the run this weekend, and we need to wash the taste of last weekend out of our mouths.

Now THIS match, this one feels sort of a like a must win, right?

GO RAIDERS! 

Commanders Gameday Thread

This feels like a good 'measuring stick' game for week three. 

The Commanders have the same record at 1-1. They seemed to have lost a bit off last year's fastball, while the Raiders are presumably on the ascent from last season.  

The offense needs to step up after Monday's debacle. Geno isn't the type of QB who can transcend poor protection. All the Bowers and Jeantys and Genos aren't going to help much if you can't generate time and lanes on the line.  

The difference between 1-2 and 2-1 feels like a gulf for some reason.  So let's see them put it together and steal one on the road and get some momentum going. 

GO RAIDERS! 

Chargers Gamenight Thread

I'm not gonna say that this is a must-win game, not even close.

But I do think it will be a bit of a litmus test. 

The Chiefs are vulnerable right now, creating a bit of a vacuum in the AFC West, which we haven't had for quite a while. Meanwhile, the Chargers and Broncos appear to be on the upswing compared to recent years.  

So the question is: are the Raiders now an upwardly mobile franchise in the AFC West that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the class of the division?

Or are we simply an improving team but stuck in the midlands for a while?

Tonight could help us start to answer those questions.

GO RAIDERS! 

Patriots Gameday Thread

For opening day, I feel oddly unmoved. 

How many years have we been right here, with all of the preseason hype and another new regime and cries of "this time it's different" followed by all of us saying "prove it" followed by more of the same. 

I'm not sure how much the Raiders are going to prove this year, but please, please, the only thing I ask for is DIFFERENT. This is my 21st season at Raider Take. Please let this one be an actual beginning to something different and promising rather than just another beginning to a predictable end. 

GO RAIDERS! 

Bye, Bye Amari

Just as Jakobi Myers was cheerfully discussing his discontent with reporters, this news dropped: Amari Cooper is retiring after signing with the Raiders last week. 

You can't make this stuff up. Discuss.  

2025 Season Kickoff Take

Welcome to the 2025 season my friends. If you're still here, you have my gratitude for helping me keep the lights on. I may be losing steam, but I'm still in the ring. 

Now on to business. If I told you that one week before the start of the regular season that the Raiders were dealing with a disgruntled #1 wide receiver; just lost their backup quarterback for two months; and today added two castoffs from the Cleveland Browns, you might have thought it was 2023, or 2020, or 2015, or 2012, or 2008. 

But no, it's 2025, and time is officially a flat circle.

However...that's not the whole story. There's hope in the air. An electrifying top draft pick. The league's best young TE back for a sophomore campaign. The best QB since Carr (and hopefully better). And the most grownup coach in a long time.  

Help me out here. Where do we stand, what's your take, and how will this play out? Let's get the conversation started. GO RAIDERS!!!

Draft Night Thread

I don't really like Tom Brady, and I regret that a Patriot / TV Announcer has become a part owner of the Raiders. It feels corporate and establishmentarian--two things that the Raiders were born to resist under Al Davis. 

Brady also comes across to me as a bit of an attention whore and try-hard. Why would someone in his position otherwise acquiesce to that disgraceful Tom Brady Roast last year?

All that said, I think Tom Brady is a champion, a winner and a competitor, and he is very smart. These things sort of offset my misgivings about him, because if it's one thing that the Raiders have been lacking under Mark Davis, it's smarts.

We can't ignore the Tom Brady effect now, because Mark Davis won't let us: "Bringing in Tom Brady was bringing in somebody on the football side that I had been lacking having here in the organization."

So that brings us to tonight's draft. Of course, Spytek and Carroll will be running the show and they are no slouches--but Brady is no doubt lurking in the background, serving perhaps as a 'kill switch' if Davis starts running with scissors and ordering people to draft Shadeur if he falls to the sixth slot. 

Anyhow, those are my thoughts today. Once again I apologize for going dark for a period, this team hasn't done enough to counter the apathy that has crept up on me as we've flailed around under McDaniels and Pierce for the past three years. Thanks, Mark. 

But I'm now excited about what comes next. We finally have a head coach who's a grownup, the best QB since Carr and, yes, a smart and proven winner whispering in the owner's ear.

Who would you draft? What do we need to focus on? Bang it here.