Raiders Eliminate Themselves from Playoff Contention

Final Score: MIA 26 LV 25 [L] (7-8)

No matter if the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas, some things just never change. This team is a comedy. I'm trying not to laugh at my own team. I've seen this script many times as a Raider fan. But, it never ceases to amaze me that this team just finds new ways to lose in the most undisciplined fashion. This is the "Raider Way." It has been since 2002.

I'm not going dive deep too much into this game. It was a tale of two halves. The first half, it was a defensive battle. Then in the 2nd half, both teams found themselves in a shootout. The defense was able to hold Tua Tagovailoa in check, getting to him 3 times. But, in comes Ryan "Fitzmagic" in the 4th quarter to change the whole complexity for the Miami Dolphins' offense. Low key, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the Raiders' thorn on the side for some time. The fact that it took only one quarter for Fitzpatrick to rally the Dolphins says a lot on the unfortunate luck the Raiders had against him.

Some positives: we expected Carr to sit out the rest of the season with a groin injury, but he toughened it out this week to start. He did well with 21 passes of 34 attempts 336 yards and 1 TD despite being sacked 3 times. Nelson Agholor and Darren Waller balled out tonight and accumulated most of Carr's passes. Waller torched the Phins' secondary with 5 receptions on 112 yards. Inexplicably, the Dolphins were giving him one-on-one coverage and Waller just shredded his matchup. Agholor had 5 receptions for 155 yards, including the go-ahead 85 yard TD to put the Raiders up 16-22 with 3:37 left in the 4th.

Now, let's talk about to where things went south for the Raiders. The Raiders never converted a 3rd down. They went 0-10 in 3rd down conversions. Daniel Carlson missed the PAT after the Agholor TD. And then, that blown coverage and face mask penalty from Arden Key to help set up the Dolphins with the game-winning 44-yard field goal from Jason Sanders. Lets rewind before that, the Raiders didn't punch it in with Josh Jacobs. They let the clock run out with 19 seconds left and hitting the go-ahead field goal. 

24-26, the Dolphins were out of timeouts and only had 19 seconds to go the length of the field. It was a reasonable decision. Jon Gruden's playcalling was anemic this game, but I understood the rationale of running out the clock and settling for the field goal. I mean we would've never expected the defense to blow coverage down the far side of the field and on top of that, commit a stupid asinine penalty to give the Dolphins 15 more yards for a manageable field goal to steal the game and the Raiders' playoff hopes! And I'm laughing again as I reminisce on this game's final drive. You thought this "she-it" was over when they hit Las Vegas huh? Some things just never change. This loss is just another page in the Raiders' long book of losing in embarrassing fashion. 

I wish I could be angry and frustrated. But truth of the matter is as I said, I've seen the same old stuff in my tenure as a Raider fan. I've said it previously, it doesn't matter if this team moves anywhere else, the dysfunction will follow. To all who thought the Raiders would suddenly turn it around when they get to Vegas, the joke's on all...of...you. This team purposely continues to play us like a damn fiddle! I think I'll end it right there. This is just comical.

Lakers 2020-21 Season Preview: The New Dynasty?

Just for the record, I am doubling down on my departure from this blog at the conclusion of Week 17 of the NFL Season. But, I don't want to leave Laker Nation hanging to provide my overall thoughts on the upcoming season. The Lakers only had a good 1 1/2 month to celebrate banner #17. Now, they have to get back to work in what is a very short turnaround because the NBA wants their Christmas Day games. What we know is that the league has shortened the season to 72 games. Only the first half of games has been revealed for each team. The second half is yet to be determined. And after a successful implementation in the NBA Bubble, the play-in tournament between the #9 and #8 seeds has been brought back.

The Lakers are coming in as the defending NBA Champion, having conquered the Bubble in what felt like it was just 72 hours ago that they won the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat in 6 games. Typical championship teams tend to sit back and retain their championship core as long as they can. The drawbacks is that the core gets a year older and opposing teams get better. For the Lakers, the team that just won the championship were filled with veterans and former All-Stars who were on their last legs or looking for a ring before they cash out with other teams. I don't think hanging on to everyone would've been wise, especially in such a short turnaround.

Nobody had a better understanding of this than Rob Pelinka. To ensure that the Lakers stay one step ahead of everyone, he rolled the dice and there was no Kawhi Leonard decision to hold him down like last year. It was tough to see fan favorites like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, and Danny Green (not really) leave. But, they were replaced with younger players in Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell and cheaper veterans in Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol. Gasol gives the Lakers a big who can space the floor even more and be the extra facilitator. Wes Matthews provides more offensive arsenal than what Danny Green provided as a mere spot-up shooter and is a solid defender in his own right. Schroder and Harrell gives the Lakers potential pieces that could play with AD in the long-run and helps fortify the bench with two 6MOY candidates. If there was one negative that the Lakers had last season is that they typically fumble away big leads, which leads to LeBron and AD playing unnecessary minutes in the 4th quarter. Because once those two leave, the offense sputters. That's not going to happen when you have Schroder as a reliable third option and Harrell who can double-double at any time. Those acquisitions will help LeBron and AD preserve energy come playoff time because they literally carried the Lakers to a title just two months ago. 

With the departure of McGee and Dwight, they do lose some rim protection and additional lob threats outside of AD. That will be something to monitor as the season progresses, especially when the Lakers run into the premiere bigs like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Bam Adebayo. Marc Gasol is the Lakers' only true Center this season. And he might've lost some athleticism, but he's still a cerebral defender. I don't think it's a cause for concern at the moment. Keep in mind, the buyout market is still a little later this season, so that'll give the Lakers some options to add another big for extra rim protection. Dewayne Dedmon is still in the market and who knows? The Cavs might buy out McGee, which allows him to come back to the purple and gold. 

Despite some tough departures, the championship roster is mostly in tact. KCP re-signed for three years. Markieff Morris re-signed for the minimum. Jared Dudley and Quinn Cook are brought back for team chemistry purposes. The biggest ones is that the Lakers have LeBron and AD to stay for at least 3 more years. LeBron signed until 2023. AD is locked in for the foreseeable future. And on an interesting bonus, the Lakers locked up Kyle Kuzma for 3 years, $40 million just recently. No question Kuz has been a disappointment in his current role. But we have to remember, he battled nagging foot injuries last year so he couldn't fully assimilate himself into Frank Vogel's rotation. No question, he's on a short leash with Talen Horton-Tucker showing up this preseason. We're going to see some extended action from THT after some nice spurts in the Bubble. But the big story, LBJ and AD are here to stay and will extend the Lakers' championship window for another three years.

With that said, can the Lakers run it back this year? This shouldn't be a question to begin with. The Lakers have a pretty good influx of youth and veterans around their dynamic duo. Yes, there's some cracks in the front court and on the wings. But, Frank Vogel and the coaching staff have a great knack of putting players in the best positions to win. This Laker team now has a good idea on how to get to the Finals, let alone win a championship. The crosshairs are going to be looming large at them as teams will try to come at them to dethrone them. There are teams that will be a threat: Clippers, Dallas, and Denver out West. Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Philly, and Miami out East. But, the Lakers have a pretty legit chance to repeat and go back-to-back. A new dynasty is brewing.

It's been real Laker Nation. Thank you all for a great 10 years on this blog. One of the great feelings in the world is finally covering a championship season here. It was a long wait. But, it was well worth it at the end. I'm ready to move on to my next chapter in life. I'll see you guys later.

Raiders Playoff Hopes Fading in Loss to Chargers

Final: LAC 30 LV 27 (OT) [L] (7-7)

Raiders are coming in for a short week, hoping to rebound. But, Justin Herbert and the Chargers had something to say otherwise as the Raiders lose 30-27 in OT.

Yeah, this one hurts. But, kudos to Marcus Mariota for a good game. Derek Carr pulls his groin in the first half. Mariota comes in and reminded the NFL on his ability as a dual threat QB. Charger defense had no answer for him as he dominated through the air and on the ground with 226 yards passing and 88 rushing yards with 2 total TDs and that one pick. It wasn't his best throw of the night as the ball was behind Zay Jones. But, the offense felt more alive with Mariota at the helm. The Raiders were able to adjust the offense and throw in some read option plays to take advantage of Mariota's mobility.

But the night belonged to Justin Herbert this game. Despite the change with Rod Marinelli at DC, the defense still had its issues as I predicted. The run defense was okay. The pass defense? Not so much. It was a rough night for Trayvon Mullen as he accounted for 4 penalties to give Herbert and the Chargers offense some chunk yards. Despite a hobbled Keenan Allen, who was primarily used as a decoy this game, it was the Chargers 3rd, 4th, and 5th options that stepped it up. The trust that Herbert had in his receivers to make a play was something else even if he is a rookie. Like I said, last week, it was the run defense with a lot of problems. This week, it was the pass defense. 

The Raiders are not mathematically eliminated, but those playoff hopes are slowly dwindling. Most likely, we've seen Derek Carr play his last game of the season. Groin injuries are very tricky and the timetable for them to fully heal varies depending on the severity. Luckily, this was the reason the Raiders brought in Marcus Mariota. They get a backup who is serviceable as a starter. The only issue is that he can be wildly inconsistent. I'm just going to say it now, this team is not ready to make that postseason leap. They exceeded expectations in the first half of the season. But in the second half, those cracks are beginning to show. We are pretty much seeing deja vu from last season. We'll see. The Raiders are going to have to finish strong and they're going to need some significant help. I'll see you guys next week.

Colts Gash Raiders

Final Score: IND 44 LV 27 [L] (7-6)

There's something extra sour when losing to a team with Philip Rivers under center. The Colts dominate the Raiders on the ground and through the air in a 44-27 rout. This loss puts a little dent on the Raiders' playoff hopes.

This is the repercussions from last week's ugly. You struggle against the worst team in the NFL, what more with a playoff contender coming to town? Although, the Raiders play up to par against playoff contenders throughout this season. It looked that way when the Raiders took the lead 14-10 in the 2nd quarter. Then a 41-yard bomb to T.Y. Hilton from Philip Rivers pretty much sucked all the momentum away. It wasn't until the 4th quarter where this game really got away from the Raiders.

The run defense got exposed last week after giving up 104 yards to a "no-name" in Ty Johnson. With the Colts' strong running game behind the trio of Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins, it was going to be a tall task to stop them on the ground. And this game proved it. Taylor got the majority of the carries and gashed the defense with 120 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries. Hines added 58 yards on the ground with 7 carries. The Colts were able to dominate the time of possession early on. They also got a pair of TDs through the air as T.Y. Hilton got 5 receptions for 86 yards and 2 TDs. The last TD, Johnathan Abram got burned big time. That is something he's going to need to work on to be an effective Safety for the Raiders.

The passing game was the only thing that was working for the Raiders, but they had a mixed performance overall. Josh Jacobs is not clearly 100% for the running game to be effective. So, all eyes were on Derek Carr. He got off to a good start, finding Foster Moreau wide open for 47 yards for the Raiders' first score. Then he dished out another dime TD to Nelson Agholor to briefly give the Raiders their first lead and it was their only lead that game. Carr finished with 31 passes of 45 attempts with 2 TDs, 1 Rush TD to add at the end of the game. But, the 2 picks were costly. The first INT, it was an impressive play from Kenny Moore, outjumping Darren Waller with a one-handed grab. The 2nd pick pretty much sealed the game as Carr threw a pick 6. You can make the argument that the 2nd INT was not his fault as the ball ricochet off Jalen Richard's hands. But, that pretty much signaled game over. The Raiders racked up another score after, but it didn't matter anyways.

We've been here before if last year was any indication. The Raiders were in the hunt at 6-4 and they just either ran into the better teams or embarrassed by teams they were supposed to beat. Standing at 7-6, there's no room for error. Miami is still a threat. There's heavy implications there, but that's not until Week 16. The Raiders are gonna come off a short week to take on the Chargers in a divisional matchup. The last time these two teams met, the Raiders were able to get away as the would-be Chargers go-ahead TD was waived off. Regardless, they're gonna be a handful. Justin Herbert has been a standout rookie QB for them. Playoffs is not out of the question. But, these last few games after the Sunday Nighter against KC, I have not been impressed. Suspect play on defense. Inconsistency on offense. It's not looking good these last few weeks. I'll see you guys on Thursday.

Update: Raiders Fire Paul Guenther - So, they finally pulled the plug after two and a half seasons. Guenther was going to get canned eventually with the way this defense has performed during his tenure. Let's be honest, the defensive talent is leaps and bounds away from where they needed to be. And Guenther's defensive schemes didn't mask it well. It also begs the question that maybe the Raiders need to abandon the 4-3 scheme completely. You think about all the Raiders DCs, they've ran the 4-3, but it's the same stuff, different year, different coordinator. Run defense is trash. The pass rush is always one or two steps behind. Linebackers and defensive backs look lost. It's always the same stuff every year even if they think they have the talent to take the next step. But nonetheless, the writing was already on the wall for Paul Guenther. We gave him the benefit of a doubt in his first year since the Raiders traded Khalil Mack and were crying for more pass rush. But since then, no improvement whatsoever. Whether it's the talent or the scheme, something has to change. And with Rod Marinelli taking over, by all accounts, I still have zero expectations that this defense is going to get better from here on out. 

"WTF?" Game of the Year - Raiders Keep Jets Winless in Miraculous Fashion

Final Score: LV 31 NYJ 28 [W] (7-5)

HAIL HENRY (Ruggs)! Just when I was about to witness another chapter in Silver and Black infamy at the idea of losing to the 0-11 Jets. I'd like to think that the Jets remembered that they're tanking for Trevor Lawrence and just handed the game over to the Silver and Black.

This is arguably the worst best game for the Raiders. Even if it resulted in a win, this still felt like a loss. I haven't been this bipolar in a win since 2016 Tampa Bay when the Raiders set an NFL record for penalties in a game, but they still won. That's how this game went down.

Let's talk some positives. Have yourself a game Darren Waller! He carved up the suspect Jets defense with 13 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TDs. He should've had more because they did not have an answer for him. 

Defensively, it was yet another bipolar performance. But, one player that stood out was Clelin Ferrell with 2 strip sacks. I've been critical of Ferrell as a top 5 pick. But he showed out today even if it was against a bad Jets team. They were able to get to Sam Darnold. But in the 2nd half, the run defense got gashed. The Jets running game has been non-existent. But, some guy named Ty Johnson went off with 104 rushing yards and 1 TD on 22 carries. 

Let's discuss that final possession. The Raiders had a failed 4th down conversion. A Carr pass to Renfrow was called back due to offsetting penalties. Next play, they failed to convert. On a 3rd down run play, the refs signaled that the runner stayed inbounds, so that wasted precious time for the Raiders. Carr overshoots Nelson Agholor for a potential game-winning TD. Agholor had a couple of solid catches, but he didn't show up in the clutch. But, it was the rookie Henry Ruggs III with the miraculous 46-yard TD catch! Keep in mind, he made a costly fumble that allowed the Jets to take the go-ahead TD. But, he redeemed himself with the game-winning play.

That play is gonna be talked about for awhile. The Jets dialed a blitz on Carr and left the corner on an island against the speedy Ruggs. They can't lose that #1 pick, especially since Jacksonville lost to Minnesota after this game unfolded. If that is not the sign of a tanking team of throwing the game away, it's gotta be this game. 

By kickoff, I was dumbfounded that Carlson didn't kick it deep and it allowed the Jets to get one more play into the end zone. This game was all kinds of weird, but the Raiders keep their playoff hopes alive. But, at what cost? It becomes more obvious after this game that this team is a fringe playoff team at best. Struggling against a tanking team is not a good sign. But, it is what it is. Raiders keep hope alive and this win was huge with Miami and Indy winning today as well. The Raiders still have yet to play those two, which will have playoff implications at stake. Indy next week is going to be a tough one. Good defensive line and a familiar rival QB comes back to the AFC West. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

James, Davis 2020 - Keep the Lakers Great for 3 More Years

LeBron signed through 2023, AD signed through 2025

Finally, I can have some time to talk about the cream of the crop signings to tie the knot in what was an eventful free agency that the Lakers put together. They bring back Jared Dudley for one more year to retain some stability for chemistry and locker room leadership. And to bring back a guy who will stand up for his teammates. Harp on Dudley if you want. I personally have no problem brining him back. The Lakers gave him a role and he's living up to it. He can still knock down a couple 3 balls at his age.

Okay, jokes aside on "Elmer Fudd" Dudley. You all know where this headline is going. The Lakers may be restoring their greatness as the gold standard of the franchise, but one thing that has been consistent even through the recent years of mediocrity is that they know how to take care of their superstars. Rob Pelinka got it done, inking LeBron James to a two-year extension and re-signing AD to a max contract of $190 million for 5 years. Pretty much, this certifies that the Lakers will be title contenders for awhile as long as the LeBron-AD duo stays in tact. And especially as we usher in AD as the new face of the franchise until he hits free agency again in 2025. Rumors of LeBron's demise last year has been greatly exaggerated as he was able to rebound and lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship. Father time has no answer for him. Regarding the extension, it's no secret that LeBron wants to play with his son, Bronny when he's eligible to hit the league in 2023. You can pretty much connect the dots on this contract.

The Anthony Davis situation is the one that we all were holding are breath on. Prior to LeBron's extension, there were rumors that they were waiting on Giannis Antetokounmpo this season if he was going to extend with the Bucks or hit free agency. I surmised that AD was going to do the Kevin Durant deal with the Warriors and sign a 1+1 deal. One year guaranteed and the other year is a player option which he can opt in and hit free agency with LeBron once his initial 4-year contract is up. That would give the Lakers cap room to possibly sign the Greek Freek and LeBron and the 'Brow would take less money to form an almighty Big 3. I don't know if I should laugh or feel sorry for the rest of the league if that were to happen.

But with the LeBron extension and AD inking a max deal, we can all put that Big 3 talk to rest. I've said this from the very beginning when the Lakers gave up all the young assets (minus Kuzma) to the Pelicans, re-signing AD for the long run would change the fortunes of the franchise. They lose him, they end up right where they were 7 years ago when Dwight Howard bolted for free agency. At least they got a championship out of the trade. But kudos to the Lakers front office for getting this deal done. This ensures that the Lakers will be in good hands for the foreseeable future and it extends their championship window in the now. They will eventually hand over the reins to AD once LeBron hangs it up or departs to wherever team that drafts his son in 2023 (most likely back to Cleveland). The next challenge would be pairing a future star with AD to fill that void. But, that's not until later. The restored greatness of the Lakers extends for a couple more years.