Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie isn’t buying the conspiracy theories out there, but he acknowledged at least one element of the Raiders mysterious week three meltdown in Washington – the effect it had on the team.
“It shook all of us,” McKenzie said Thursday of the team’s 27-10 loss to the Redskins. “It shook us enough that that everybody had to look in the mirror and say lets get this thing going. This is not who we are.”
It’s interesting that McKenzie acknowledges the significance of the Redskins game – not because of underlying team drama (which he said was ridiculous), but because he’s yet another figure close to the team that seems to recognize the Raiders lost more than just a football game against the Redskins.
For the first time since his rookie season, the Raiders offense with Derek Carr looked rattled. There was a different feel to the way the quarterback and team responded that night and it’s reasonable to wonder if the shockwaves didn’t affect the entire first half of the season.
McKenzie stopped short of saying it, but there are those within the organization who still believe the Washington game impacted the Raiders far beyond the third week.
As Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
Could it have been the Redskins game that literally knocked the “mojo” out of the Raiders season?
twitter: @raidersbeat
Yeah, what happened was our idiot, racist President demanded that NFL owners ‘fire the sons of bitches’ that were protesting. That was unnerving for practically all the black players, and particularly unnerving to the Raiders all-black offensive line tasked with protecting a conservative, evangelical Christian quarterback opposed to the protests. Add it all up and it sucked the the passion, the veritable life, out of the team, and it’s taken weeks to get it back. Unfortunately, the team is regaining its mojo much too late to make the playoffs, given their brutal schedule for the remainder of the season.
I have thought that since the Broncos game. I’m an old fan, bear with me. Back in. The 79s, Kenny’s Raiders had a no-show game like that every year. In 1975, I believe, the Chiefs (who finished like 4-10 that year) beat the Raiders 42-3, it it was a fluke-‘Raiders finished 11-3, won division, etc. But this team is not THAT team. That team was by then a confident, battle-tested bunch who could shrug it off. This is a young team with 1 good year under its belt. Big difference. Carr and the other young players have to become confident, not cocky, and develop resiliency. The confounding thing is, they kinda did it last year. The first KC game was pretty bad, but they bounced back nicely. I think there was something disconcerting about the whole anthem thing-no, not the conspiracy junk, the whole situation just introduced uncertainty, then you go out and get hammered. And it just gets in your head and…
Anyway, it has probably cost them a reasonable shot at the playoffs this year. To everyone except NE, those are precious and should not be squandered.
Nahhh, they’re just poorly coached.
Bring in Jon Gruden he is ready Already knows the Raiders Give him the offence and give del rio the defence think about it two Head Coaches Hell Yeah!!! COME ON!!! Less distractions for either coach Gruden be fresh full of ideas . This will only propell the team into Las Vegas!!!