Maxx'd Out

Update 3/10: BALTIMORE BACKED OUT!?!?!? This offseason's crazy.

We can now move on.

The Raiders have been quite the subject of discussion during this offseason. They have #1 overall pick in the NFL draft, which in all likelihood they will take Heisman/Natty-winning QB, Fernando Mendoza. After the Super Bowl, they went ahead and hired without question the hottest candidate in the coaching market, Super Bowl-winning Offensive Coordinator, Klint Kubiak (whom I was 100% onboard in bringing in). They have a lot cap room to go out and spend in free agency. Everything is aligned for the Raiders to fully rebuild and potentially change the culture for the better.

Except there was one big elephant in the room. It was not a matter of if, but a matter of when. And in the dead of this past Friday night, the Raiders did the thing. They traded away Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens two first round picks: one for this year at #14 overall and another for 2027.

We've all seen this movie before 7 years ago when the Raiders traded away Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears in the midst of a contract tussle between both parties. This is the sequel. Another example of the Raiders giving away a generational defensive superstar.

But the thing is that this sequel didn't hurt as much as the first movie. Mack getting traded away hurt my soul because it came out of nowhere a few days before the start of the 2018 NFL Season. (I still to this day haven't forgiven Jon Gruden about that). This one, you were prepared for the inevitable breakup. Because Maxx made it known that he wanted out since the Raiders shut him down for the "Tank Bowl" against the New York Giants. And he made it known he wanted to compete now rather than go through another rebuilding phase. So, the noises were loud and clear. And when it got too loud, John Spytek and the Raiders decided to turn it down with this trade.

If anything, this trade is a win-win for both teams. Maxx gets to go to a contender. The Ravens are still a talented team with an established QB in Lamar Jackson, they have Derrick Henry, some pieces on defense, and a new head coach to bring them new blood. So they still have an established core there and they see Maxx as the missing piece. 

The Raiders, as much as it sucks to say, they're hitting the reset button again. But this is by design. Maxx Crosby staying on the team won't bring much benefit as he doesn't fit the timeline. The Raiders are clearly planning to build around Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and potentially Fernando Mendoza. They are without question going to be the new faces of the franchise moving forward with Klint Kubiak at the helm to help unlock their full potential. And Kubiak in the combine mentioned that they're switching their defensive scheme to a 3-4 defense and Maxx's fit in the new scheme was highly questioned because he's not the prototypical 3-4 defensive end. 

By trading away Crosby, they get more draft capital and more cap space. With the #1 overall pick #14 pick to go with picks at the top of each round, the Raiders have a chance to accelerate their rebuild. Which is easier said than done because the Raiders have been notorious in blowing their draft picks, reaching for underwhelming talent or finding diamonds in the rough but wasting them away. This is going to be a very important year for Spytek and Kubiak to lay down the vision for the Raiders to finally get the ship right.

Losing a talent like Maxx Crosby still hurts. One of our greatest pitfalls as fans of a team is that we get emotionally connected to a player that devotes his loyalty to the team and consistently performs at a high level night in and night out. And that perfectly describes Maxx Crosby. It's mind-blowing to think he's one of the few last remaining Oakland Raiders on the roster. Of course, they still have Kolton Miller and could possibly bring back Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole and maybe they bring back Alec Ingold from free agency. But Maxx is like the last standout superstar from the Oakland era. And losing a talent like him hurts. But some of us will be rooting for him. He has a chance for a ring. And hope he has a lot of success in Baltimore, just not against the Raiders.

As for the Raiders, this is the second time they pulled this. By any means, should they ensure this does NOT happen a third time. But we all can move on now and usher in a new era. With a Super Bowl-winning coach as the Head Coach and a Heisman and National Champion franchise QB potentially on the way in the draft, the Raiders can't ask for a better head start in the rebuilding phase. At this point, we just have to trust the process and hope that this team finally gets it right.

Raiders, This is Not a Difficult Decision

 

Aside from the Week 1 win against the Patriots, there was not much to celebrate about the Raiders during the 2025 season. It was just a typical year of Raiders football. The optimism turned into disappointment real quick.

We all know the old saying that "there is always next year." But in the last few years, there was not much optimism to look forward to with Raider Nation.

But this is different. The Raiders' sunk 2025 campaign awarded them the #1 overall pick in this year's draft. But of course, the #1 pick comes with skepticism. Because the last time the Raiders were in this position, they drafted some guy who's only highlight reel was throwing 90 yards deep while kneeling down on one leg. And the rest of that guy's career outlook was history.

That was nearly 19 years ago. 19 years later, the Raiders are in position to reverse that narrative: to draft a proven future franchise QB that will renew Raider Nation's hope and optimism, to change the fortunes of years of organizational football malpractice, ineptitude, and dysfunction.

We all know his name by now. But after the performances he's putting up during the College Football Playoffs, Raider Nation is singing his name in unison: Indiana Hoosiers QB and Heisman Trophy winner: Fernando Mendoza.

Granted, I don't watch too much of college football. Probably the only other time I've been invested, was when I was watching one Amari Cooper back in 2014, hoping the Raiders take him to pair with Derek Carr. That was probably the only time. With every loss this season, I keep hearing from Raiders content creators that the Raiders need to keep losing to be in position to take this QB from Indiana that will be a game changer in for this franchise.

So admittedly, I jumped on the Fernando Mendoza bandwagon. I watched highlights of Indiana's Big 10 championship match vs. Ohio State and fully watched the Playoff Bowl Games against Alabama and against Oregon, going head-to-head against another QB prospect in Dante Moore. And Raider Nation was divided between Mendoza and Moore. But after last night's game, it should be clear as day who the Raiders need to pick.

You don't need to go through Indiana's entire season because you can already tell from a small sample size that Fernando Mendoza needs to be the #1 pick. We all know he's talented and mobile and accurate. But he exhibits the intangible traits that every winning NFL QB has: leadership, toughness, an unselfish aura that'll make the other 52 players on an NFL team run through a brick wall for him. Sure his personality is a bit quirky, geeky, whatever you want to call it. But the tangible and intangible traits that Mendoza has is exactly what every NFL team wants out of a franchise QB. And as far as Raider Nation goes, with our fanbase being majorly Hispanic/Latino, this guy will potentially re-establish a fanbase that has lost its allure since moving to Vegas and being outnumbered and outgunned by opposing fans.

Regardless of what happens in the National Championship against the Miami Hurricanes, Mendoza should be a lock for that #1 pick. The Raiders tanking to take the #1 pick and trading down does not and will never compute. Even if they have holes to fill, which they do, you need to get your franchise quarterback! Because how long will they continue to patch up their QB situation before enough is enough? How many more hot Offensive Coordinators or OC's who are aspiring to be Head Coaches will pass up on the Raiders because they don't have a long-term answer at QB? All this talk on O-line this. O-line that. The Raiders have $100+M in cap space and six more rounds after the first to shore up their O-line! And whoever comes in to coach will hire a competent O-Line coach that'll have JPJ, D.J. Glaze play in their natural positions and take time to develop the absolute gems that are Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers. Oh, and Kolton Miller is still a decent, reliable Left Tackle. I think they'll be fine as long as "nepo-baby" Brennan Carroll is far away from this team with the Raiders firing his father.

So, Raiders, John Spytek, Tom Brady, Mark Davis, we are begging you. Please do not try to be the smartest people in the room. You need to complement your bonafide studs: Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, your high-ceiling receiving corps in Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Tre Tucker, and your O-line that'll be right again with competent coaching with a game-changing franchise QB. This Heisman-winning QB from Indiana is the true heir apparent to Derek Carr and Rich Gannon before him.

So when you're on the clock in April, the choice you make with the #1 pick is not a difficult decision to make.

There was something in the air that night.

The stars were bright.

Fernando...he's that guy.

Business Decisions

And the deal has been made.

I had this in the drafts, but I figured to wait until the trade was made. So, the Raiders have shipped out Davante Adams to the Jets in exchange for a conditional 3rd round pick that could be a 2nd rounder. Adams has made it clear that he was unhappy with the situation on the Raiders and wanted out these past couple weeks. He was out with a "hamstring injury". But we all see through that facade that the Raiders were working to ship him out.

Quite frankly, I don't blame Adams for wanting out. This was a classic example of this team selling a bold face lie to a star player and unfortunately, he bought in hook, line, and sinker. Davante Adams was brought in for two reasons and two reasons only: 1) to play with his old college buddy, Derek Carr and 2) to elevate a Raiders team that went 10-7 and made the playoffs a season ago.

Both of those reasons were dismantled bit by bit thanks to the genius Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. They ran Carr out of town with no structured plan in place to replace him at QB and slowly, but surely ruined that same squad, not putting them in position to succeed. 

When you see your homeboy who gave his life to the organization he played for be treated like crap under the new regime and then playing with downgrades like Jimmy G, Gardner Minshew, and AOC, it's understandable why Adams wants out of this mess. It also doesn't help that he's playing under a proven failure of an OC in Luke Getsy and playing behind a broken offense with no O-Line or stable running game. His business decision in showing a lack of effort against the Panthers in Week 3 was a message sent and the Raiders received it loud and clear.

Adams had two preferred destinations: the Saints and the Jets. Both of those scenarios made sense when you see who's playing at QB between both teams: his old friend Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers, whom Adams developed quite a rapport with in Green Bay. The latter had more flexibility and the Jets are more under pressure to please Rodgers after they canned Robert Saleh last week. Adams joins an offensive unit with lots of potential with young pieces like Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. 

For the Raiders, this is a sign of another rebuild. Though it's clear they found their No. 1 receiver of the future in Brock Bowers. So, they have at least something to build around. We just have to bear the QB play this season. Between watching Minshew or AOC at QB, it's like choosing whether to eat bull sh*t or horse sh*t. Both are awful in their own right. It would be best the Raiders to tank for a high draft pick the rest of the season to land them a QB because they definitely missed out on decent prospects this year. Season's over anyway.

All in all, this presents two mutually exclusive conclusions: Davante Adams is what the Raiders don't need and the Raiders are what Davante Adams doesn't need. The mutual parting between the two was inevitable. 

A Post-Mortem of the 2021-22 Raiders

Well, I'll be dammed. 

This season of the Las Vegas Raiders will definitely go down as one for the books. In the midst of the longest NFL season marked by controversy, tragedy, and adversity, the Raiders found a way to "just win baby". Be it through mental fortitude or through superstition such a flip of a coin, they finished their 2021 season at 10-7 and made the playoffs only to lose in the Wild Card to the Cincinnati Bengals.

So, how did the Raiders make it this far? Honestly, there was not much expectation for this team heading to this season other than the fact that it's just a matter we see improvement with this team. But two impressive wins to start against the Baltimore Ravens in OT and Pittsburgh Steelers initially changed our perception of this team. The revamped defense under Gus Bradley looked legit. Derek Carr was playing at an MVP-level, something we haven't seen since 2016 in spite of a suspect O-line. And it seemed that coach Jon Gruden was finally righting the ship. 

With another win OT against the Dolphins and a loss against the Chargers on a Monday Night game, the Raiders were riding strong with a 3-1 start. Then after that, the drama descends. Jon Gruden was in hot water after the NFL probed an investigation over leaked emails from the Washington Football Team organization where Gruden wrote some homophobic and racial slurs in his emails. With the distractions surrounding that controversy and an uneasy loss to the Chicago Bears after, Gruden resigned as head coach. Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator, Rich Bisaccia took over.

Following the coaching change, the Raiders notched some dominant wins over the Broncos at Denver and against the Eagles at home. It seemed like Gruden was the one that was holding this team back. The offensive execution looked a lot better specifically. They were taking care of teams they expected to beat. And the Raiders head into the bye with a 5-1 record.

Then the Henry Ruggs accident happened. A dumb decision to drive under the influence changed the lives of many. Not only did Ruggs kill his short NFL career, but he killed something far more precious than that. 

He took the life of an innocent woman and her dog as their car set ablaze, burning them alive. 

As much of a void Ruggs left behind, the Raiders did the right thing in releasing him in the wake of this senseless tragedy. Not only is he facing a DUI charge, but he's also facing vehicular manslaughter charges. It's safe to say he will be facing significant time in prison in the near future. 

A short couple days after that, the Raiders faced more problems with their other 2020 first round pick. Damon Arnette took to social media to confront an Internet troll and threatened to kill him while pointing a gun at the camera. He also got released on the basis of this immature and highly-sensitive action. I mean, there was a reason why he had many red flags when he was drafted. It didn't matter much because of the fact that he put half-assed effort onto the field as the projected #1 Cornerback.

With the Raiders 2020 draft class all but gone (sans Bryan Edwards), the void was felt in the Raiders' 3-game skid after the bye. An ugly loss to the Giants and Bengals and especially an embarrassing national TV loss to the Chiefs turned over public opinion over the Raiders. They went from being contenders to pretenders in a matter of weeks. And talks of a rebuild was certainly in play.

Until an internet sensation known as "the coin" gave Raider Nation some hope. A fan predicted the Raiders' record before the season with the flip of a coin that has them finishing 10-7, making the playoffs as a 7th seed. Wins against the Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins, Broncos, and Eagles and losses against the Chargers, Bears, Giants, Chiefs, and Bengals were all correctly predicted. The coin's next predictions? Wins against the Cowboys, Football Team, Browns, Broncos, and Colts and losses against the Chiefs and the Chargers. 

With a resounding win against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, almost everybody bought in to "the coin". There was still some skepticism knowing the unfortunate luck the Raiders had in years past. With a loss to the Football Team, "the coin" became a sham. But it could still be right about the Raiders' record. The team expectedly lost to the Chiefs because Arrowhead Stadium in December is typically a sign of impending doom for the Silver and Black. But the Raiders ran the table and notched very close wins against the Browns, Broncos, Colts, and a Sunday Night thriller against the Chargers in the season finale to get into the playoffs. "The coin" still correctly predicted the Raiders' record, just not some of the games and neither their playoff seeding.

Now, we get to the Wild Card round against a young Bengals team and a franchise starving for its first playoff win in 30+ years and honestly, the Raiders couldn't have asked for a better scenario. A matchup with the Bengals gave them a chance to be competitive rather than say another shellacking against the far more talented and experienced Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Whatever the outcome was for the game, you just had to live with it. And yes, there were some moments in that game that honestly frustrated me as a Raider fan. We can list a lot from Peyton Barber's bonehead decision to field the kickoff at the Raiders' own 2 when the kick was going out of bounds. The whistle after Joe Burrow stepped out of bounds and a Bengals TD was still upheld. The pass defense's inability to stop the Joe Burrow-Ja'marr Chase LSU connection. And of course, the penalties and the red zone deficiencies that reared its ugly head yet again. You name it. Even if Cincy's playoff drought ended in spite of the Raiders, this is an outcome that we can live with. Better this than getting whooped against far better teams in cold-weather Buffalo or Kansas City.

If you'd ask me, this season reminded of the 2016 season with elements of the 2011 season. The 2016 side, the Raiders were pulling off these come from behind wins and giving us fans major heart attacks in every game. The 2011 season side if you remember, Al Davis passed away, leaving a temporary shift in power with Hue Jackson as acting GM midseason, Jason Campbell gets hurt, they give up the farm for Carson Palmer, and Rolando McClain gets arrested during the bye week. This year, roughly the same circumstances: a midseason shift in power in the wake of a controversy, a first round pick gets arrested for a stupid decision, another first round pick gets released for a stupid decision, all the injuries and COVID issues, and the death of a key figure in Raider history (John Madden). As low of expectations that we had for this team coming into this season, you have to tip their cap for all the adversity and all the BS they had to overcome throughout the year. Now granted, this team is a major benefactor of the NFL's new playoff seeding and the new 17-week regular season. But, this doesn't take away from the fact that they did well in running the table down the stretch. 

That was the positive side. With this season over, I feel that there's more questions than answers surrounding this team. Despite the grit the team possessed in pulling together against all odds, it wasn't enough to retain some key people within the organization. Particularly, Mike Mayock is not coming back as the Raiders' GM as it was reported on Monday. One of the main questions is whether or not this playoff season was enough to save Mayock's job? A lot of people questioned his draft selections. Some say he's to blame. Others say it was Gruden. At the end of the day, the GM makes the final call. The coach will have his input, but the GM makes the final decision. Given that after this season, the 2020 draft class of the Raiders will go down as one of the worst in franchise history. So, that gives some merit into Mayock's termination.

Mark Davis is going to have a long laundry list to address. Who'll be the next GM? Who'll be the next Head Coach? And do you want to extend Derek Carr's contract? The GM thing, we know that they'll be searching for one. The Head Coach, the choices are obvious: you either give Rich Bisaccia a shot or take a big leap of faith at a hot coaching candidate. With Bisaccia, the players like him and played hard for him to finish out the year. There's some leadership skills that are untapped that could be unlocked with a full season. But, if there's someone in the market that's better, the Raiders should go for that option. I would say the only thing that needs to overhauled in the current coaching staff is the Offensive personnel. I don't want to see Greg "up the middle" Olson coordinating the offense of this team ever again. With the playcalling, the offense was predictable and vanilla. We need somebody who can be innovative and design offensive schemes that provide a robust balance of the run and the pass and can actually improve this team's red zone offense. Too many times, we've seen this offense get off to good starts, but they couldn't finish off drives because of lackluster playcalling.

With that said, we get to the most polarizing topic of Raider Nation: Derek Carr. To extend or not to extend? He's better than what the Raiders have had at QB, right? His performance this season is still a mixed bag. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't good either. He drove the Raiders in position multiple times to win, that's fair. I'll give him credit. I've questioned his ability on whether he could be that franchise QB, the leader of men when the going gets tough. And in some instances, he showed those traits. With a suspect O-line and patchwork of receivers, he did what he could. But, while everybody can point to his near 5,000 yards passing this season, he's still streaky. We talked about the red zone deficiencies. He doesn't go through multiple reads and misses open receivers down field. He's still quick to the checkdowns. He barely uses his legs to extend plays. The stats may not show it, but the film does. 

If anything, the Carr supporters got one thing right: you give him a decent defense that keeps games close, he'll win you ball games. Now, if you give him an improved O-line and a number 1 receiver that can take pressure off Waller and Renfrow, can he mitigate those bad habits that have hampered him in all the years he's been in the league? And this is not to say Carr is a bad QB because he's not. He's an okay QB at best. I don't think at this juncture of his career, he is a guy who can lead the Raiders to at least one Super Bowl. Barring an Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson arrival, it would make sense for the Raiders to hang onto Carr a bit longer. And wait until next year to draft a future QB because from what I heard, this year's rookie QB class is pretty underwhelming. At this point, Carr is the biggest piece the Raiders can leverage and it's in the hands of the new regime on what to do with him.

The Raiders finished with a winning record and a playoff berth, but at what cost? Depending on their personnel moves, it's gonna make or break this team as the top destination for free agents. Let's look at what the Raiders have now. They have a good pass-rushing duo in Yannick Ngakoue and Maxx Crosby. Mad Maxx just made the Pro Bowl this year after a down year last year. Darren Waller is a Top 5 Tight End when healthy. Josh Jacobs got off to a slow start with injuries, but the last few games showed that he still has talent and it'll be exciting to see what can happen with a healthy Jacobs and a healthy Kenyan Drake. Hunter Renfrow is a bone-a-fide Slot Receiver and much more. And they have some solid pieces on the defensive side from the 2021 draft in Tre'von Moehrig, Divine Deablo, and Nate Hobbs (if he can stay out of trouble). The jury is out there with their 1st round pick, Alex Leatherwood. Putting him in Right Tackle early was a bad idea. Luckily, the Raiders corrected that when they put him inside at Right Guard, but still more work needs to be done with their 2021 1st round pick. 

The Raiders have some pieces. But obviously, they're gonna need more to get over and be a serious playoff contender for years to come. We watched, we saw, and we heard up close about the environment in Las Vegas. The funny thing is, Raider Nation has complained about fans being too noisy in Allegiant Stadium when the offense is on the field or when the opposition scores / makes a big play. The ones that initially opposed this relocation (myself included) saw this coming a mile away. The biggest con in Vegas is that there is no true homefield advantage. Opposing fanbases will travel because the city is a notorious tourist hub. If the Raiders want to maintain the stronghold in their new digs, they have to do what the Golden Knights of the NHL did, they have to be a well-oiled machine in winning games and make the playoffs year in and year out. Becauseif they ever hit that rock bottom of perennial mediocrity again, Las Vegas people will stop caring and the opposition will be taking over. Luckily, they played in front of an empty crowd last year. 

It'll be interesting to see what kind of decisions Mark Davis makes this offseason. He has no more football advisors to rely on other than his own intuition. Al Davis is gone. John Madden is gone. It's time for Mark to step up to the plate. This is his team. This is his franchise.  This is his organization. The greatness of the Raiders is in its future, is it not?

Jon Gruden...

Well, that was quite an anticlimactic way to get out of his contract...

The Raiders and Jon Gruden parted ways after some emails from 10 years ago surfaced where Gruden made some racist remarks. And now, it was discovered that he had more messages where he made homphobic and misogynistic comments. Jon Gruden has officially resigned as head coach. The Raiders released a statement today from Mark Davis reading:

"I have accepted Jon Gruden's resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders."

I should feel happy, but at the same time I don't. You all should know by now, I was never sold on Gruden being the guy to take the Raiders to the next level. All of his personnel and roster decisions, coaching decisions, drafting, and gameplanning were abhorrent and archaic. We're talking about the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades, the Antonio Brown saga, the reaches and misses in the draft, and the 2nd half collapses in the most important period of the NFL season. This 2nd tenure of Gruden literally drove me to the point of insanity and with a coach getting paid $10 million for 10 years, he was getting this team nowhere.

I wanted Gruden out on the basis of those terrible decisions in his 2nd tenure with this team. But, we should know by now, we live in a highly sensitive world where anything can be taken out of context. And anything you say in the past can come back to bite you in the present. The things on race, gender, sexual orientation, diversity, and equality are all magnified in this day and age. And if you say something subtly offensive on those topics, it's literally the point of no return for you. Even if you apologize, the goal post will be moved farther away. And Gruden did that. He apologized. But, sorry is never good enough.

If anything, I'm not mad, just disappointed. Gruden has nobody to blame but himself for making those slurs and remarks in the first place. He might've not considered getting another head coaching job then. But, the NFL is a revolving door. Coaches come and go and come back. Rinse and repeat. Nobody in their right mind would consider making derogatory comments to a professional email. Especially if you're a former head coach in the league. 

This is yet another black mark in Silver and Black infamy. Things like this is why most Raider fans have zero tolerance with this franchise and why my outlook on this team has been negative. They give you a false sense of hope and optimism and unravel who they truly are as the season progresses: a team that has mediocrity as it's ceiling. And it was showing that way so far this season yet again. The Raiders started 3-0. Then they lose 2 straight, one against a team they should've beaten yesterday in the Chicago Bears. Now, this team finds itself soul-searching yet again. And the last time they involved themselves in controversy, it didn't bode well the rest of the way.

In closing, a majority of us wanted Gruden gone. We got him gone, just not in a way that we would've possibly imagined. He's certainly never coaching in the NFL again. 

"Just Win Baby" - Raiders Convert Game-Winning Two-Point Conversion vs. Broncos + Blogger's Final Word

 Final Score: LV 32 DEN 31 [W] (8-8)

Well, looks like this is the first and last post of 2021 on this blog. Welcome in and Happy New Year! TrueRaiderLaker has finally reached its endgame after a 10 year run and what a way to end it as the Raiders finish at 8-8 with a dramatic come-from-behind win against the AFC West team I hate the most, the Denver Broncos in a 32-31 victory. Though, this was a challenge to get a hold of this game if you're residing in the Bay Area. Since this game was meaningless, we had to see the Arizona-LA Rams game as that had more playoff implications on the line. But, there's a reason why we have Internet. And I managed to catch the game on a non-descriptive livestreaming website. The fact that this game was not televised in the Bay Area is a harbinger of unfortunate things to come as a Raider fan in the region. 

Let's get the negatives out of the way: penalties, turnovers, and the defense collapsing yet again. The Raiders racked up a lot of penalty yards this game with 111 yards on 14 penalties. Honestly, this is to be expected every damn Raider game. The zebras will have no hesitation to throw a flag to screw the Raiders in any way possible. Even if this team is in a new city, the Raiders getting numerous penalties still follows around. Defense gave up a lot yards yet again and they broke down yet again in the 4th quarter, allowing a 92 yard go-ahead TD from Drew Lock to Jerry Jeudy.

The turnovers, 2 fumbles lost and 2 INTs. Darren Waller had a great game, which I'll talk about later, but he had two faults this game. He fumbled on a catch and run. And the football bounced off his hands into a Broncos defender for 1 of 2 Derek Carr INTs. Henry Ruggs took a nasty hit on a sweep and fumbled the ball. Derek Carr's first INT as mentioned was not his fault, but the 2nd INT was as he made an errant read. Lock and the Broncos' offense hasn't been impressive all game besides a pair of scoring plays. But, they had big time help on those turnovers to get things going. 

But despite all that, the Raiders still found a way to live up to the Al Davis moniker of "Just Win Baby." Derek Carr adds another game-winning drive to his resume. But, Darren Waller is hands down the MVP this game with 9 receptions for 117 yards and 1 TD plus the game-winning Two-Point reception. He only needed like 2-3 receptions to break the record for most receptions in a season by a Raider since Mr. Raider himself Tim Brown did it with 104 receptions. Waller completely shattered that record today and it's a fitting way to end a Pro Bowl-worthy season. Bryan Edwards had a mini breakout game with 2 receptions for 51 yards and 1 TD. It has been a frustrating rookie season for Edwards, but hopefully this game provides something to build off of next year. Josh Jacobs capped off another 1,000 yard rushing season with 89 rushing yards and 2 TDs. He's been hampered by the ankle injury since the Atlanta game, but he also capped off a strong finish to a Pro Bowl season.

This game had a deja vu finish from last year. The Raiders tried to win the game on a two-point conversion, but they were stuffed and ended the season at 7-9. This year, same team, same place, same scenario, but they got it done this time around. Despite the defense being a letdown like usual, they made a crucial stop in the final two minutes of the game, which allowed ample time for Carr and the offense to orchestrate the game-winning drive. But, the Broncos still had one more chance. And the fact that the Raiders committed a penalty after a big gain by Denver had us to the edge of our seat. It was like "is this going to be the Dolphins game again?" And Brandon MacManus has a big leg even though he uncharacteristically missed some field goals this game. Denver also had nothing to lose as well that they rolled MacManus out there to try a 70+ yarder. Nonetheless, they went for the 63 yard game-winning field goal, but the Raiders blocked it and Arden Key who was the scapegoat in Week 16 recovered the football from the block to seal it. 

From that, the Raiders avoid 7-9 part 2 and finish 8-8. It's not a losing record, but it's not a winning record either. Like I said in my preview, I had this team 9-7 at best, 8-8 at worst. This has been a frustrating start in the 2nd Gruden era. Deconstruction in the first year. Back-to-back collapses in years 2 and 3 after 6-3 starts. It's not a good look when you're paying a coach $100 million for 10 years. Sure, they're improving in win total, but it's not an impressive improvement and some of Raider Nation who have a voice in calling out this franchise's perennial mediocrity aren't either. 

There's still a lot of work to do and we all know where most of the work will take place: on defense. This side of the ball has been a perennial doormat for the Raiders as far as I remember and it needs to change. Hire an innovative DC, scrap the 4-3 scheme, start signing and drafting the right players. I don't care what they do. I am tired of seeing mediocrity on that side of the ball. I am tired of this team spending draft capital and throwing money at defensive players that don't pan out or don't live up to their potential. I am tired of  the hiring of unproven or below-average DCs. This defense needs to get out of the bottom of the barrel and become an above-average unit.

As for individuals, cut Tyrell Williams. Nelson Agholor has pretty much supplanted him and has built a good rapport with Carr. Why they haven't re-signed him is beyond me. But Agholor balled out this year and deserves a contract extension. That might mean moving on from Tyrell Williams at this point. Trade Trent Brown. I had to laugh at Gruden's comment calling him the LeBron James at the right tackle position. But, Trent Clown has been the absolute opposite of that. They always say the best ability is availability. Whether it's through an injury or COVID-19 violations, Trent Clown is never available. He is a looming black mark on Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock besides the Antonio Clown saga last year. Let Jason Witten walk. He's as old as the Raiders' last Super Bowl appearance. Cut Nevin Lawson, he's trash. Arden Key, release him too. Cut Maliek Collins. The entire DT unit needs a massive overhaul.

Regarding the 2020 draft class, it's a little unfair to evaluate and consider them underwhelming since they had no OTAs or preseason. But, Henry Ruggs needs to work on his route running. Damon Arnette needs to work on football instincts. Bryan Edwards needs to get involved in the playbook more. These three literally stand out in the Raiders' 2020 draft class. John Simpson might be another name to keep a lookout for since Richie Incognito got injured and Simpson was plugged into the O-line unit in some games. The 2019 draft class, Josh Jacobs and Hunter Renfrow are as advertised and have been the only players that panned out so far. The jury is still out there for Clelin Ferrell as a top 5 pick. Maxx Crosby had a down year. Johnathan Abram throws his body out there and gets injured. He needs to work on coverage. Trayvon Mullen took two steps back this year. The general rule is to not evaluate a draft class until they've been on the team for three years. There's still a lot of things to be fleshed out in the two draft classes in the Gruden-Mayock era.

Everything else, Darren Waller is a star and provides a mismatch nightmare for the Raider offense. As I mentioned, Nelson Agholor is a must-retain. And whether you're tired of Derek Carr or not, I think he did enough to see another season in Vegas. This win at Denver further solidifies it. The jury is also out there whether or not Carr is a legit franchise QB. He literally has all the Raiders' passing game records and statistics, but the win-loss record is another story. 

Every year, it's been the same excuses for Carr. He doesn't have the talent around him. He doesn't have a defense. The OC is terrible. Oh, they fired the OC, where's the continuity? The only time these excuses were valid were his rookie year. But, this ain't 2014 anymore. There's a reason why Carr stays afloat in the mid-tier level of starting NFL QBs. If you want to be mentioned in the same breadth of franchise QBs like a Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, you have to play like an elite QB week in and week out. As good as Carr is, he is hampered by streaky QB play and mental errors. He plays more like a game manager. He will be entering his 7th year as an NFL pro and in his 4th year under Gruden's system. And the talent is expected to improve on both sides of the ball. If we believe Derek Carr is an elite franchise QB, he has to perform like one. He has had enough continuity. 

Jon Gruden, he will be entering year 4 out of 10. No Bret Hart pun intended. His 2nd tenure is off to a disastrous start. He has hindered the team with conservative playcalling, boneheaded coaching decisions, personnel and roster decisions, etc. Rich Gannon is not coming out of that tunnel and call him out on his questionable playcalling on certain downs and distances. The 2002 Buccaneers defense is not coming out of that tunnel to help him fix this defense. He and Mike Mayock have their work cut out to improve the roster. But coaching-wise, he has to hire the best DC available. Maybe give up offensive playcalling duties, but that would require canning Greg "up the middle" Olson and hiring a creative OC whose forte is the West Coast offense. The Raiders may have a top 10 offense, but Gruden's conservative style has hindered them from being something more. And they need to work on playing good football for the 2nd half of the season. We're tired of seeing these late season collapses. Bottom line, Gruden's gotta put that $100 million contract to good use next year. Time is ticking and the vocal part of Raider Nation is running out of patience.

Final Word from the Blogger

The least I can do is thank the Raiders for winning this one game against the Broncos in my final post on TrueRaiderLaker. It's a good way to end on a high note. I've said all I wanted to say in my "Moving On" post, which is highlighted on the blog. But, it has been an unbelievable run, blogging, providing my thoughts on Raider games, Laker games, NBA Finals, Super Bowls, etc. Like I said, there's more bad than good during this period of Raider football and Laker basketball, but I'm glad I was able to cover one championship season. That has been my goal since I started this blog. And obviously that championship run came from the Lakers. But, it was also great to cover at least one winning season from the Raiders back in 2016. I'm hoping the Raiders get back to their winning ways, but it's a long way to go. And hopefully, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel for that.

As I depart from this blog and deem this blog inactive after this, I just want to thank you all for following and visiting my blog. Whether you're a Raider fan, Laker fan, or a hater, I appreciate your time here on the blog and reading my posts. I'll admit, I'm not the perfect writer. But, all the blog posts I've done here are done with 100% passion. Some bloggers quit the game and never leave a final post. And I wanted to make sure that I end on good terms with all of my visitors and followers as I depart to pursue other projects.

Rest assured, this is not a retirement. I may return to the world of sports blogging some time in the near future. But, this is the decision that I wanted to make. And I'm sticking by it. I'm excited for my next endeavors and I can't wait to embark on them. And you all know how I end all of my blog posts: "I'll see you guys later." That still reigns true even in this final post. As the old saying goes, "it's never goodbye, it's see you later." In closing, I say again "Thank You" for a fantastic 10-year run. The colors of Silver and Black and Purple and Gold will forever reign on this blog. With that said, for the final time: I'll see you guys later.

~ Matt (MechG2994)

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.

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.

Falcons Hammer Raiders

Final Score: LV 6 ATL 43 [L] (6-5)

Expect a short recap today. The Raiders looked like poo poo today. There's no way around it.

What the hell did I just see today? This game was unbearable to watch. Damon Annette going down early on this game should've been a microcosm of how this matchup was going to go down.

The offense went from hanging with the Chiefs last week to being absolutely atrocious this week against the Falcons. Gotta give credit, the Falcons have been playing better since moving on from Dan Quinn. And they're pretty much on pace to rebounding to a strong finish.

I wouldn't put too many details on the offense's negatives. The running game was stuffed. Carr and the receivers didn't look like they were on the same page. Fumbles, pick 6, poor play calling overall, and penalties swamped this team. We can discuss time zone differential. But, it was a pathetic display overall.

The only positive I can think is that the Raiders' defense forced two INTs. I'm not sure if you can call that a positive because both times, the ball ricochet off a Falcons receiver. That's how bad this game was.

The game was essentially over when Nathan Peterman took over in the 4th. And you know it's even more bad when they switch over to the Colts-Titans game at the 4:15 mark of the 4th quarter for us here in the Bay Area. Yeah, this was the game in a nutshell. If the team puts up this effort again next week against the Jets and lose, no playoffs. It's as simple as that. I'll see you guys next week.

Raiders Lose the Shootout vs. Chiefs

 Final Score: KC 35 LV 31 [L] (6-4)

Well, I had a post previously. But, apparently that got deleted when I published. I'm just going to give out a condensed summary of this game.

This game was as advertised as a back-and-forth shootout. Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense did what they can and scored as many points. But, key drops were a big factor down the stretch. The defense did what they could with key players missing due to the COVID-19 protocol. In the end, the Raiders lose off a go-ahead TD from Mahomes to Kelce. Kansas City was methodical in their run game and Patrick Mahomes did what we're accustomed to seeing him doing and that's extending plays with his mobility.

I'm not going to drop stats because I exhausted my effort from my previous post that got deleted. But, the Raiders still remain in the last Wild Card spot and they're now at the softest part of their schedule. The only challenging opponents left are the Colts and the Dolphins. But, first they have a chance to get right next week against the Falcons. Matt Ryan and company had a brutal day against the Saints' defense today. Maybe, the Raider defense can pull a page out of their book for their preparation for this matchup. I'll see you guys later. 

Raiders Rebound From Slow 1st Half, Pick Lock 4 Times in Rout

Final Score: DEN 12 LV 37 [W] (6-3)

The Raiders may have moved out of my home state, but the one thing that'll never change is a satisfying win over the Denver Donkeys. And today was a beauty. The title says it all with how this game went down as the Raiders blow out the Broncos 12-37. The Raiders keep it rolling with three straight wins against teams we expected them to beat.

From the scoreboard alone, it looked like the Raiders played a complete 60 minute-game. But, that wasn't the case especially in the first half. Even if the Broncos' defense is missing some pieces (notably Von Miller), they have been decent for the most part. What was frustrating though was that the Raiders were able to drive over this Denver defense with ease on the first drive that capped off with a Josh Jacobs 11-yard TD run. After that, the offense came up empty in their possessions. There was a lot of points left out there on the field.  

The big positive was the defense. They came to play out there today and pretty much made Drew Lock's life miserable today. They started sluggish with a couple of missed tackles and giving up some 3rd and long plays. But, the turnovers gave this defense some juice. Jeff Heath especially stood out picking off Drew Lock twice. Probably the critical one was the one he made in the end zone in the final seconds to keep this game a 6-10 score in favor of the Raiders. Denver never saw a lead this game and the drive that ended with Jeff Heath's 2nd pick was the closest the Broncos would get to taking a lead. 

In the 2nd half, the defense made the job of the Raiders' offense a lot easier even though the offense did improve after sputtering in the 1st half sans the opening drive. Carl Nassib had a pick in Denver's own territory, that resulted in another field goal. Broncos had a catch and fumble deep into their own territory yet again, which capped off in a Devontae Booker TD. Nick Kwiatkoski capped off the defense's spectacular performance in the turnover category with a sick 1-handed interception. 

We can't say anything else about the running game. They have been terrific these last three games. Today, Josh Jacobs, Devontae Booker combined for 193 total yards on the ground. Derek Carr's 10 rushing yards put the rushing total to 200+ yards. What's impressive is that this is behind a makeshift offensive line. No Kolton Miller. No Richie Incognito. No Trent Brown. Yes like I said, Vic Fangio and Denver D is missing some key pieces. But, the Raiders' ground game gashed them today. Especially, this was a revenge game for Devontae Booker against his former team and he hangs 81 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries. Josh Jacobs lead the rushing attack as usual with 112 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries.

So, where do the Raiders stand in the playoff picture? They currently hold the 2nd wild card spot in the AFC. If you've been living under a rock, the NFL expanded the Wild Card teams this season to three teams and the Raiders are well within the hunt. They hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland after their win two weeks ago. They get Indy and the Miami Dolphins later in the schedule. The Colts currently lead the AFC South and Miami currently has the final Wild Card spot. Those games will be critical in the foreseeable future and those teams aren't a slouch either. But, it's not too early to talk playoff scenarios and the Raiders are well within the race. They could also be well within the AFC West race if they take care of business against the Chiefs next week in primetime. It's not going to be easy, but a 2-0 season sweep against the defending champs would be monumental for this team. The last time the Raiders swept the AFC West, it was 10 years ago. And I remember that 2010 season very well. I still think they should've gotten those two wins in Arizona and Jacksonville to break the tie for the AFC West crown. It certainly is possible they can do it again 10 years later and they have the chance to do it right this time. I'll see you guys next week. 

Because I forgot to mock the Chargers last week...

Raiders Survive Late Chargers Surge

Final Score: LV 31 LAC 26 [W] (5-3)

Of course, every Raiders game gotta have us living on edge. The Raiders come into the new SoFi Stadium and outlast a furious Chargers comeback lead by the rookie QB, Justin Herbert with a 31-26 victory.

What a game. The Chargers may be in rebuilding mode, but they kept most of the core in tact and put Justin Herbert in the right situation. The Raiders are fortunate to get away with this one. The Chargers are like the gift that keeps on giving. They historically find ways to lose. Last week, they blew a big lead at Mile High. This week, it looked like they won it. But, Isaiah Johnson stepped in and contested the catch. That slight bobble made the difference and the referees ruled it incomplete.

Bad weather wasn't a factor this week. It won't be as long as you're in an indoor stadium. The offense did work today. It was the ground game in the 1st half. The passing game took over in the 2nd half. But, the Raiders still ran the ball to churn out some clock. They may have well found their "Thunder & Lightning" in the back field with Devontae Booker and Josh Jacobs. Booker lead in rushing with 68 yards and 1 TD on 8 carries. He has been the perfect complement this season to Josh Jacobs and it allows Jacobs to stay fresh. Meanwhile Jacobs rushed for 65 yards and 1 TD on 12 carries. 

As I mentioned, the Raiders shook it up in the 2nd half with some pass plays. The most notable one is Derek Carr's 45-yard bomb to Nelson Agholor to recapture the lead 21-17. We continue to see shades of 2016 Derek Carr today. He took a dive in the red zone in the 3rd quarter, very reminiscent of the dive he took to get the first down out of bounds in the opening game against the Saints back in 2016. That set up a 3-yard pass TD to Darren Waller to put the Raiders up 28-17.

The Raiders did not make this win easy at all. The defense had an up and down game tonight. We saw the pass rush get going as they were able to get pressure on Justin Herbert. Carl Nassib and Maxx Crosby each got a sack. The defense was able to stop the run on early downs. But, it was 3rd and long plays that kept the defense on the field a little too much. Every time, Paul Guenther calls prevent, the Chargers responded by throwing underneath to Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Hunter Henry and their YAC abilities just took over. Carr fumbled the ball at the end of the first half to allow the Chargers to retake the lead. That was more on coaching's part. Jon Gruden got too greedy to put some points on the board when they had the ball to start the 2nd half. And in that 4th quarter, it felt like an eternity for the defense to be out there as the offense moved the ball a bit, but couldn't anything going besides a Carlson field goal. As mentioned, Chargers looked like they came back. But a great contest by Isaiah Johnson and an extra camera angle showing the ball being bobbled was the difference.

It's not always easy, but the Raiders somehow still found a way to win. This stretch is not too difficult by all means. The fact that they're taking care of business against the teams they should beat is more than enough. The Raiders get another plus matchup next week against the Broncos. They are within striking distance with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. The Chiefs got away with a win against Carolina. A win against the Broncos next week should set up a crucial AFC West rematch with the Chiefs on Sunday Night. It's astonishing despite some of this team's flaws. But, if they can get it done, they can get it done. I'll see you guys later. 

"The Autumn Wind is a Raider" in Win vs. Browns

Final Score: LV 16 CLE 6 [W] (4-3)

First day of November, windy & wet weather conditions, now football season has started. Not much to say, but the Raiders got it done in sloppy weather conditions. They outrun the Browns in the ground game. When you're in a bad weather game and the running game is your strength, it's a no brainer to run the ball down the defense's throat.

Cleveland's rush defense is respectable, which makes this more impressive. It was literally the Josh Jacobs and Devontae Booker show today. Jacobs rushed for 128 yards on 31 carries. Booker when subbed in, gained tough runs after contact and finished with 29 rushing yards. The key phrase is the yards after contact. The running game plowed through the Browns' D-line at will and it chewed up a lot of the clock for the most part of the game.

The Browns tried to be a little too cute on their first drive. Rather than running the ball with Kareem Hunt, they started with some play action to get the pass game going. Probably the riskiest game plan when the elements are not in your favor. The Raider defense didn't have to do much with the poor game planning on the Browns' part under the elements.

Derek Carr can still use his legs. We all know his track record in cold weather games. It was an ugly game on both sides, but Carr did just enough to win. He got pressured, sacked all game long. But, he made the right plays at the right time. The crucial one was the go-ahead TD throw to Renfrow. 

There have been so many passing TDs that were waived off today. I thought that Renfrow TD was gonna get called back since the ball moved a bit. We'll take it regardless. The officiating hasn't always been kind to the Raiders, but that was a huge break and the play of the game. 

The Autumn Wind lead the Raiders to a win today. They only have 2 more cold weather games to deal with at this stretch, which is very favorable. Great win today in the midst of ugly weather conditions. Nothing more to say. I'll see you guys next week.

Brady, Bucs Continue to Haunt Raiders

Final Score: TB 45 LV 20 [L] (3-3)

I guess you can say this is going to be my "farewell tour" for the next couple of weeks. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers come into town today and score 21 unanswered to finish off the Raiders in a 45-20 rout. This game was initially supposed to be a Sunday Night game until it was flexed out because a certain Raider failed to follow COVID-19 protocol. I will address that later.

Figures this would happen after a bye week and after a big win against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. Games after the bye week literally are the Achilles heel for this. For the most part, this game was pretty competitive at the start. The Raiders scored on their opening drive as Derek Carr connected on a 20-yard passing TD to Nelson Agholor. Agholor had a good game today leading the Raiders in receiving with 107 receiving yards and the aforementioned TD. The Raiders were within striking distance down 11 at the half. And then the game just got away from them.

Big plays and the lack of a running game ultimately doomed the Raiders today. The Bucs' leading receiver is Scotty Miller with 109 receiving yards and 1 TD. A lot of Miller's yardage came off of big plays and he caught a big 33-yard grab to help Tampa Bay extend their lead to 10 before the PAT. The Brady-Gronk reconnection is just starting to warm up. They hooked up for a score last week against Green Bay and they followed that up again today. The Bucs have a lot of weapons at their disposal. You talk about Gronk, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette. The secondary couldn't account for all of them and Tom Brady just did what he did in spreading the ball around.

Last week, Tampa Bay's run defense proved their legitimacy by holding the Packers' strong rushing attack to under 100 yards. Then again, Aaron Rodgers uncharacteristically threw picks the game. But, today they backed it up. The Raiders racked up a mere 76 yards on the ground and Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs were the only players that were above 5 yards per carry. It simply wasn't there, especially behind a makeshift offensive line. That O-line got thinner as soon as Gabe Jackson was hit with a "BS" unsportsmanlike penalty and ejection after the 3rd quarter drive which capped with a Carr-Waller TD. Jackson didn't even initiate that scrum after the score. But because it's the Raiders and Jackson did have that incident in 2017 when he knocked down a referee against the Broncos, of course he has a big target on his back.

The only silver lining here is that the Raiders got out with a .500 record in their toughest stretch. Going forward, the schedule gets a lot easier and there's plenty of opportunity for the Raiders to rack up some wins. The Browns are an enigma. Chargers are in rebuilding mode. Broncos have some things to work on with Drew Lock. The Jets are pathetic. The Falcons are masters in their craft in blowing leads. The schedule ahead is pretty favorable for Jon Gruden, Derek Carr, and company.

Now, I mentioned I'm calling out one Raider for failing to follow COVID-19 protocol. As if dealing with one "Brown" was enough last year, another is stirring up some trouble this year. Trent Brown, how stupid are you? The Raiders failed to follow COVID-19 protocol yet again because big Trent decided to be negligent and prompt the Raiders to send the entire offensive line home to quarantine. From what I heard, the NFL might take a draft pick away from them. The thing about Trent Brown is that he's good when he's available. But, the guy finds ways to not get on the field. It's frustrating for the Raiders and it's frustrating for Gruden and Mayock. At this pace, he is literally taking the Andrew Bynum route of getting himself out of the league. Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowl, big bucks, no more love for the game and getting injured. Those 2019 offseason additions outside of the draft continue to make a negative impact for this team. That's my rant for the day. I'll see you guys next week. 

Moving On

Hi guys. Hope you all are having a splendid week. I'm pretty sure everybody's still celebrating the Lakers' 2020 Championship run. Or having a relaxing bye week like the Raiders after a huge win over the Kansas City Chiefs and gearing up for Sunday Night against the Buccaneers. It's nice to have a week off and reflect on some things and so on and so forth.

I wanted to make this announcement on Sunday, but I've been super busy wrapping up one half of the Fall Semester of my Masters program. And now that's out of the way, I have time to effectively announce my future and the future of this blog. To say I'm "retiring" is not the word I want to throw out there. It's more like I'll be going into a long-term hiatus. I don't know when I'll come back and post content. It could be a year from now. Two years from now. Five years from now. Or maybe fifteen years from now. That's up for me to decide. But, I have decided after witnessing my Lakers' run to the NBA Championship this season, I am effectively moving on from this blog at the conclusion of the Raiders' 2020 NFL Season. 

To be honest, I contemplated about this for a couple of years now. My endgame was that either the Lakers make it to the NBA Finals, win or lose, or the Raiders make it to the Super Bowl, win or lose. Having both scenarios happen would be a plus. But, once one of those scenarios happened, I was going to move on from this blog. When the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, I felt really satisfied and reflected on the 10 years that I've had this blog. I covered what was nearly a decade of mediocrity with both the Raiders and Lakers failing to win championships. Of course, there are a few bright spots like when I recapped the late Kobe Bryant's final game when he dropped 60 points over the Utah Jazz or when the Raiders went 12-4 later in the same year, covering all those come from behind wins. But other than that because the Raiders and Lakers have been terrible through all these years, it has been nothing but pain on this blog. I've been typing out the same regurgitating stuff about what they can do to get better or if certain players or coaches need to get cut or fired. I'm thankful the Lakers got good again with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as I reached my "twilight years" of posting on and managing this blog. And when the Lakers won it all this year, it was right and then and there that this is the decision I wanted to make. 

I made this blog undergo a lot of changes since I first started. I was just beginning my junior year of high school and I lost a lot of writing material because my previous laptop failed and I didn't have a backup drive to save them. I had aspirations to be a writer and the day I lost all of my writing crippled my drive to write again. Starting this blog after that incident in August 2010 was like a haven for me because it was a way to keep my writing style alive. Writing and blogging about my beloved Raiders and Lakers came out of the blue because sports is a consistent topic to blog about.

When I first started, I was actually covering three teams: the then Oakland Raiders, LA Lakers, and the San Jose Sharks. My high school was very religious about Sharks hockey and yes, I do like the Sharks as well. But, I didn't have much knowledge about the NHL or hockey as I did with football and basketball. By the time I transitioned over to college, I dropped the Sharks (still rooted for them though) and stuck to what I knew best and that was Raiders football and Lakers basketball. And that's pretty much when I rebranded this blog as True Raider Laker. By 2013 after doing three years of short recaps and stats highlights, I expanded my posts to share more of my knowledge about the games with the quarter-by-quarter (Q by Q) reactions and full recaps. I just typed what I saw in the games from my perspective. I'm not an expert or anything. It was all subjective on the pluses and minuses after the games.

In 2015, I synergized my YouTube channel, MechG2994, with this blog, starting up TrueRaiderLaker Productions where I simulcasted my hype videos on my channel and on this blog. My 2015 "New Generation" Raiders video caught the eye of a prominent Raiders YouTuber. You may have known him somewhere as "Donkey Lips." But we all know him as Mikey Raider. I was able to drive traffic to my channel, but I missed a big opportunity to drive traffic to my blog. From my 2016 Lakers Hype Video onward, I started watermarking the URL to my blog. I stopped at my 2019 videos because I assumed most of my viewers were annoyed by it. 

2018-2020 was like a "jumbo" era for this blog. I immediately cut off the real-time Q by Q reactions. And as a Raider fan, I pretty much lost my sanity when Jon Gruden infamously dealt Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears before the season started and eventually Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of the season. And of course we had the following year with the saga of Antonio Brown the Clown and the Raiders losing their last home game in Oakland against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Time will tell if Gruden and Mike Mayock rebounded from that mess. There's still a lot of issues, but the Raiders are off to a solid start in their inaugural Las Vegas season. On the Lakers front, it was not as bad, but still bad as the organization couldn't get a plan together and decide if they want championships now or hold onto the young core for long-term sustainability. Rob Pelinka definitely proved naysayers wrong after Magic Johnson resigned, trading for AD and putting a "Plan B" championship team with quality veterans and young players who understood their roles. Like I said, I'm thankful the Lakers got good again to bring some positivity to this blog. By my later years, I started to care less about this blog, but the Lakers' resurgence this past season gave me something to hang onto by a thread.

2020 man, this year has been a year of unpredictability. Kobe Bryant's tragic death sent this world into a tailspin. The following months, all sports have been suspended and we all locked down to contain the spread of COVID-19. And of course on a personal note, I lost my dad overseas and pretty much I have to step up now as the new man of the household. If the NBA continued as planned and the Lakers still won, I would've announced this in June and I wouldn't be around for the first 2020 Las Vegas Raiders season. But life works in mysterious ways. The NBA restarted in July in a bubble setting. The NFL went on as planned with limited to no fans. The Lakers were crowned champions this month, but the Raiders are just getting started. I'll still hang around since football season is current. But like I said, after this season, barring an improbable Super Bowl run by the Raiders, I am moving on to oversee new projects I want to groom and take care of some personal stuff.

I had a great time managing this blog and sharing my fandom for the Silver and Black and the Purple and Gold. But, all good things must come to an end at some point. As I mentioned, I wouldn't say I'm retiring. I won't be around on this blog or post content as much as I used to. However, my TrueRaiderLaker Productions content will hang around as long as I have a visual idea. But, they'll be taking a back seat going forward. I'm thinking about dispersing another niche on my YouTube channel and letting that grow as something new and independent. I'm not gonna close down this blog after this incumbent Raiders season that's for sure. This blog and all of its posts will live on. After all, what happens on the Internet, stays on the Internet. I'll see you guys later.

Raiders Pull Off A Major "Stunner" vs. Chiefs; Snap Losing Streak @ Arrowhead

Final Score: LV 40 KC 32 [W] (3-2)

They did it. They absolutely did it! Compelling performance from the Raiders today just a couple of minutes ago. Going on the road at Kansas City to face the Chiefs at a raucous Arrowhead hasn't been kind to them the last couple of years. But today, that nightmare ended as the Raiders beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium 40-32. Derek Carr outduels Patrick Mahomes and gets his first win against Kansas City on the road.

I mentioned this in the last recap, this was a "legacy" game for Derek Carr. One of the blackmarks that he had in his career is that he is 0-6 previously at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs. A lot of those losses came late in the season in cold weather games. This season was his best chance to get a win with the weather being over 80 degrees over there. On the plus side, he got his deep threat Henry Ruggs back and right tackle Trent Brown back. He balled out. I gotta give credit where it's due. He still got ways to go before I can hop back on the Carr train. I want him to regain that 2016 form more than anybody else, which is why I have been harsh on him these past seasons. 

But, this is a stepping stone today. 347 passing yards 3 TDs, 1 INT, and two huge QB sneaks on 4th down. This game is an example of what we always wanted out of Carr. We want him to be aggressive, take shots down field, and give your receivers a chance to make a play. Yes, he threw one pick. But how he responded made that turnover forgettable. He was constantly looking to air it out today. A deep ball to Ruggs for 46 yards on the opening drive. Deep ball to Nelson Agholor for a 59 yard TD. Deep ball to Ruggs again for a 72 yard TD to allow the Raiders to retake a 24-21 lead. And another one to Hunter Renfrow for 42 yards on a critical 3rd and 18 in the 4th. 

How about Henry Ruggs impact today? He only had two receptions, but the numbers I mentioned, he totaled up to 118 receiving yards today and a TD. The Chiefs defense had to be sick to their stomach after letting him loose that first half. They always face someone similar to Ruggs every day in practice. Does Tyreek Hill ring a bell? The Raiders sure gave them a taste of their own medicine for that. Ruggs' presence absolutely opened a lot of opportunities for the offense.

The first half, it was great to see the Raiders scratch and claw back into this game against Patrick Mahomes and a potent Chiefs offense. The 2nd half was even better because they were an absolute no show until late in the 4th. Kudos to the defense and the running game for showing up in that 2nd half. At some point in that half, the Raiders dominated time of possession: 16 minutes to KC's 4 minutes. The offense did a fantastic job keeping Mahomes off the field and kept pushing on the gas with Josh Jacobs securing two more TDs in the ground game. The defense tightened up that 2nd half. The pressure was getting to Mahomes. He was still elusive, but he can only do much. That entire unit hung around and they eventually got a big play with Jeff Heath's INT that helped set up the Raiders to go up by two scores. Holding the Chiefs offense to just 8 points in the 2nd half is a big win and perhaps Paul Guenther lives to coordinate a defense another week. 

This is a monumental win against the defending champs and a great way for the Raiders to head into their Week 6 bye. It was essential to let those Chiefs know that they may be one step ahead in the AFC West, but this Raiders team is on the come up. Raider Nation, we're going to enjoy this win for these next two weeks. We got two weeks to savor this at the expense of Chiefs "King-Dumb." After that, regroup and focus against Tampa Brady and the Bucs on Sunday Night, Week 7. I'll see you guys later. 

Raiders Handed First Las Vegas Home Loss vs. Bills

Final Score: BUF 30 LV 23 [L] (2-2)

Okay. Time to drive this double time on the blog home with this. The Raiders returned home after an ugly loss in New England last week. Still, it was the same old story as the Raiders couldn't rebound in a 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills who are riding high to a 4-0 start.

This was pretty much a repeat theme from the Patriots loss last week. A lot of points left out there on the field, but you can only do so much with so many injuries. I mentioned last week, that I wouldn't put too much blame on the defense. This week, yes they are a negative this game. They were disappointing to start. No push, no pressure whatsoever. I'm pretty sure the gameplan was not to let Josh Allen run out of the pocket because he's prone to do that when he feels pressure. But it backfired in a hurry as Allen was able to sit in the pocket and find targets with ease. 

It didn't help that the secondary was dropping like flies and coming in and out of the game to create a lot of inconsistencies. That showed on the first TD of the game for Buffalo. Amik Robertson filled in with injuries to LaMarcus Joyner and Nevin Lawson. He gets burned for a 26-yard TD to Gabriel Davis. 

The defense overall didn't play well this game. I'm not surprised that Paul Guenther is on the hot seat. What bothers me more is that I'm not seeing the impact play from Clelin Ferrell on the D-line. Four weeks into the season, I just don't see it. The fact that the Raiders reached him that high last year is still a headscratcher to me. He was a decent prospect, but definitely not top 5 pick material.

For the offense, it was the same story this game. I won't put the blame too much on Derek Carr. Although, he did fumble the ball late in the 4th to deny the Raiders a bid for a comeback. There was a lot of points left out there on the table. Untimely penatlies, drops, and a crucial fumble by Darren Waller in a one-score game cost the offense so many positive drives this game. Going back to Carr, it's not completely his fault today. He put the ball where it needed and Waller and Nelson Agholor, as solid of a game they had in the receiving game, didn't put enough effort to make a play in critical situations. Like last week, the offense was most effective in scoring during the 2-minute drill in the first half and in garbage time when the game is well out of reach.

The injuries to the offensive side of the ball is catching up to the running game, which is the Raiders' strength. This is where the extended absences of Henry Ruggs, Trent Brown, and Richie Incognito make an impact. The Raiders rushed for only 86 yards. Josh Jacobs certainly struggled to find holes to the open field with 48 rushing yards on 12 carries. He only had 2 big 10+ yards this game, but that's not saying much. It's frustrating to watch that run game struggle without Brown and Incognito on the O-line and Ruggs out there to stretch the field. As I said, these injuries are hindering on what is the biggest strength of the Raiders' offense.

As I mentioned, the Raiders get the toughest 5-week stretch to open up the season before their bye week. The only surprise was the win against New Orleans, but everything else has been expected. The last two losses, Buffalo and New England are expected go neck-and-neck in the race for the AFC East. Next week, the Raiders visit Patty Mahomes earlier than expected in Arrowhead. And judging by these recent losses, they are still far away from catching up to the Chiefs in terms of talent. But, the Raiders have to show us they can hang around for 60 minutes. Last year's matchups against these Chiefs were brutal with the blowouts. 

Most of all, next week is probably Derek Carr's legacy game. There are two black marks on Carr's career with the Raiders: his Win-Loss ratio and the fact that he's 0-6 at Arrowhead. Mahomes is everything that we expected out of Carr and more. As devoid of talent he has on the offense, Derek Carr has to elevate what he currently has around him. This week is not his fault entirely. But next week, he has to play like a franchise quarterback. No exceptions. No garbage time stats. I'll see you guys next week.

Raiders Come Crashing Down vs. Pats

Final Score: LV 20 NE 36 (2-1)

Happy days are here again. The Raiders were handed their first loss of the season as they get walloped by the Patriots 20-36 in Foxborough.

Some things just never change. This team just can't get over the hump against the Pats for some reason. They are 1-6 all-time since that dreaded Tuck Rule game. This is getting old at this point.

The injuries were definitely a big factor this game. No Henry Ruggs to take the top off, which made the Patriots' defense job a lot easier. All they had to do was double Darren Waller and Derek Carr had to distribute the ball elsewhere. Despite that, the offense left a lot of points out there on the table. The untimely turnovers and a missed field goal by Carlson doomed this offense. They had good drives in spurts. But, they couldn't capitalize with points.

I wouldn't put too much blame on the defense this game. They got off to a solid start, containing the run game of the Pats and forced a turnover. But they were on the field too long. The time of possession (TOP) speaks for itself. The Pats' offense controlled the clock for 34 minutes compared to the Raiders' 25. They switched it up with some play action. J.J. Taylor provided some spark to the New England run game as a change-of-pace back. Then, it was ground and pound from there with Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead.

Some individual positives: Hunter Renfrow and Maxx Crosby. Renfrow especially came to play today with 6 receptions, 84 yards, and 1 TD. Gruden moved him around the field a bit. He could've had 2 TDs this game if he wasn't down by contact with 9 seconds to go in 2nd quarter. But, the drive still capped off with a Foster Moreau TD. Maxx Crosby got that pass rush going with 2 sacks on Cam Newton. We were harping on that defense to get more pass rush going and Mad Maxx delivered that.

When I looked at the first five weeks on the schedule, I felt like Carolina was the only sure-fire win for these Raiders. After a 2-0 start, the Raiders are in their toughest stretch before the bye. They crashed this week against the Pats and it doesn't get easier from there. They have a tough draw back home against the Bills next. Josh Allen is a stud and the defense is going to have their hands full on them. Buffalo's defense hasn't showed up yet, but they are solid on paper and the Raider offense will be tested once again unlesss Henry Ruggs and Trent Brown return from injury. I'll see you guys later.