Ladies and gentlemen, meet the 21st century Oakland Raiders. On Sunday, this team will walk into M&T Bank Stadium to face the Ravens, and it is one dysfunctional group.
The franchise, once known for its toughness and phrases like “Just win, baby” and “A commitment to excellence,” is now one of the laughingstocks of the NFL.
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According to one media outlet, disgruntled receiver Jerry Porter, who was de-activated for Monday night?s game against the San Diego Chargers, stood on the sideline in street clothes during the game (a 27-0 Oakland loss) and at one point pumped his fist as his quarterback, Aaron Brooks, was sacked. Porter denied it, saying he wasn?t paying attention.
Meanwhile, fellow receiver Randy Moss has leveled criticisms at the organization, calling it “fishy.”
Is this just a random rash of misunderstood incidents, or worrisome additions to the negative melodrama surrounding the team?
“We need to bring that [tough image] back,” said Raiders running back LaMont Jordan, a native of Prince George?s County and a former University of Maryland standout, in a conference call earlier this week. “What we showed out there last week was nothing ?Silver and Black.? There was nothing Raiders out of it. We can talk about how we want to get back to the Raider tradition ? this, that and the third ? but really, talk means absolutely nothing. We as players have to go out there, and if the Ravens have this mindset, this tradition of being physical, we need to put our uniforms on and got out there and do that.”
For Raiders head coach Art Shell, who was re-hired in February after previously coaching the team from 1989 to ?94, it?s about restoring pride in an organization where he had a Hall of Fame career as an offensive lineman and also won a Super Bowl.
“I have been trying to do that since I got here, to get them to understand what it means to be a Raider, what it means to be competing each year for a championship,” Shell said. “I have been trying to get them to understand what the phrases mean: ?Pride and poise? and ?The will to win? ? all those things that have meaning behind them, to get [the team] to understand that you have to work; you just don?t put the uniform on and say that I am a Raider.”
How did an organization that boasted an NFL-best .602 record between 1964 and 2005 and three Super Bowl victories (XI, XV and XVIII) also have just three winning seasons since 1994? Between 2000 and 2002, the team won the AFC West each year and made the Super Bowl the final year. Throughout that stretch, though, the Raiders were called undisciplined ? often cited as one of the NFL?s most-penalized teams, a reputation that still lingers.
Adding ? or possibly causing ? to the incongruity, the Raiders have gone through five coaches since Shell?s first tenure.
“You have to work to become a great football player, and our team has to understand that,” Shell said. “They have been working. I have no problem with the work ethic, but I have to get them to understand that every game is not just a game, it?s a big event. It is more than just a game.”
