The headlines:
“Football Outsider predicts Raiders have worse record in 2017”
“Six ways the Raiders’ offseason could go off the rails in 2017”
“Six reasons why Raiders might not meet high expectations”
“Raiders hope grand expectations for season don’t instead deliver heartache”
Talking heads and columnists from coast to coast have been talking about the fact that last year 7 close games went in the Raiders favor and Lady Luck is now on vacation. The Raiders were not as good as advertised last year how they could have easily been 10-6 or 9-7. Well, those calling for the Raiders demise are going to be found wanting.
The columnists predictions act as if they are revealing that Bruce Willis’s character is actually dead in the Sixth Sense. The research that shows us that teams with a bunch of close wins the year before sees a correction the following year have been well talked about. We are aware this happens. We don’t need you telling us to expect an 8-8 season and to temper our expectations. After a playoff drought over a decade we aren’t tempering anything besides are cutlasses.
Secondly, we don’t expect to have 7 close games this year. Our offense has been upgraded and we will be lethal, not to mention that last year we learned how to win close games. This year we will learn how to keep games from being close. Carr, Cooper, and Crabtree have more time with each other, which breeds chemistry. The addition of Marshawn Lynch will help balance their offense and help convert short 3rd down and goal line plays. This will help us put away games that were too close for comfort last year. Besides, Whether the Raiders win more games or not than last year isn’t the important thing. Whether they are better than last year is important and I predict improvement. So the rest of analysts and columnists save us from your Raider’s demise takes and let us enjoy the Raider’s revival.