The Oakland Raiders haven’t been to the playoffs since 2002. The last time the Raiders ended the season with a winning record, Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” was the number one musical single in the country; George W. Bush was President of the United States; and Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers was number one at the box office. Since then, the Raider Nation has had to endure the likes of Lane Kiffin, JaMarcus Russell, and the pilgrimage of Peyton Manning.
It hasn’t been an easy road for fans of the silver and black, but things are changing. Despite going only 7-9 last season, the Raiders have been the sweethearts of the summer. The combination of a productive off-season and the young trio of Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, and Amari Cooper are giving the Raider Nation a lot to be excited about. However, the reason that the Raiders will be successful in 2016, and beyond, has nothing to do with the talent on the field.
Trust and Belief in Oakland Raiders Coaching Staff Will Lead Team to Success
The Cincinnati Bengals have been a peculiar team over the last decade. They’ve been all over the place. Between 2006 and 2008, they only won nineteen games. Over the last three seasons, they’ve won thirty-three. Despite making the playoffs six times, they’ve only won the division three times. They’ve started two different Pro-Bowl quarterbacks in Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton, and despite overhauling the defense multiple times, they’ve remained among the league’s elite. The reason? Despite some struggles, particularly in the postseason, the Bengals have chosen to stay with Marvin Lewis as their head coach.
And the biggest reason that the Bengals have managed to remain successful is that they’ve kept their coaching staff intact. The one thing that all of the punchline franchises, such as the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders have had in common is that those teams change their coaching staffs frequently. In the same span that the Bengals have held onto Lewis, the Browns and Raiders have had a combined fourteen coaches. Ironically, current Browns head coach, Hue Jackson, coached the Raiders back in 2011.
Keeping a coaching staff together can do wonders for a team. It takes three years to adjust to a new regime. If a team has a new coach every year, they’re doomed to fall into ugly patterns. Once upon a time, the Cincinnati Bengals were an offensive juggernaut. The leaned heavily on Carson Palmer with wide receivers Chad Ochocinco/Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Today, the offense runs through Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. Despite massive roster overhaul, Lewis has kept the team intact.
The New Era
For the first time since Jon Gruden coached Rich Gannon and Tim Brown, the Raiders have the combination of talent and a consistent coaching staff. For the second year in a row, the Raiders will be coached by the trio of Jack Del Rio, Bill Musgrave, and Ken Norton Jr. Del Rio and Norton, former Pro-Bowl linebackers, set a physical tone for a young, hungry Raiders team.
The Raiders have an exceptionally talented roster on paper. Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Gabe Jackson, Khalil Mack, Latavius Murray, and others are young and hungry. While the likes of Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey were stifled by injuries and frequent coaching changes, the new era of Raiders football will be allowed to thrive under a consistent coaching staff.
Nobody knows just how great these young Oakland Raiders can be. They’ve got talent on both sides of the ball. If they live up to their potential, they can be contenders as soon as this upcoming season. As long as the Raiders continue to trust in Jack Del Rio and company, the sky is the limit.
