VanS Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 I know its hard for most people to look past what they saw last but at this time last year the Raiders were a trendy pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and Derek Carr was a leading MVP candidate. This year I'm hearing little to no talk of the Raiders winning the AFC West and it seems like people have forgot that Derek Carr is still really good. IMO the Raiders are the clear cut team to beat in the AFC West this year. I have them going 11-5 and winning the division. The AFC West is not as strong as it used to be. I think that will help them. Plus I'm not sold on the Chargers (who are the trendy pick in that division this year) and the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs. Broncos look like a disaster to me right now. Not because of the talent on the team but because I don't trust their head coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soko Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 4 minutes ago, VanS said: Broncos look like a disaster to me right now. Not because of the talent on the team but because I don't trust their head coach. 4 minutes ago, VanS said: IMO the Raiders are the clear cut team to beat in the AFC West this year. I have them going 11-5 and winning the division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megatechpc Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Well everybody is entitled to their opinions and can make whatever predictions they want. I personally think Carr has been overrated as a QB and have him ranked as the #15 best starter in the league; solidly average but he still has potential. I also think Gruden is going to be an absolute disaster for this team. The game has simply moved on since his prime 15 years ago, and he is no longer innovative in today's NFL. The Raiders still have a huge question mark with Khalil Mack and what to do about him, and even if he is on the field they don't have tons of talent on that defense anyway. Offensively they have some weapons (and Carr is certainly capable enough to get them the ball) but Cooper has a drops problem and the RB situation is unsettled at best. Jordy Nelson might inject some life into the passing attack, but we need to see if he can still be upper-level without Rodgers throwing to him. Bryant could theoretically help them stretch the field but he's had suspension issues in the past (with rumors of another one swirling around even now) and this is what his coach has had to say about him in camp: Quote "He’s got to get out here and play better,” Gruden told USA Today Saturday. “He’s in a competitive situation. Right now, a lot of the other receivers have had a nice camp. He’s just got to learn the offense. He’s got to stay out here. He’s had some illnesses. He’s got to get on the field. He’s got to master the offense and become more versatile, and that’s the key to making this team better." Meanwhile the Chargers look like the best roster in the AFC West to me. The Chiefs still have a great roster (even if I think Mahomes will be a whiff for Andy Reid) and they're getting one of the best Safety's in the league back. And the Broncos still have a dominant defense that can win games even with horrid QB play (Case Keenum may not play as well as he did last year, but he'll play better than any Denver QB did in 2017). I just don't see any scenario in which the Raiders could be considered a favorite in the AFC West and I personally think they will finish dead last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
game3525 Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Quote I know its hard for most people to look past what they saw last but at this time last year the Raiders were a trendy pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and Derek Carr was a leading MVP candidate. The Raiders were never a 12 win caliber team. They were really a 9 win team that had an unsustainable record in close games in 2016 and teams like that always regress the following year. They aren't as bad as they were last year, but they are an 8-8 team IMO. Could they win the division? Sure, it wouldn't be crazy, but I wouldn't put money on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOaktown_56 Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 16 minutes ago, megatechpc said: I also think Gruden is going to be an absolute disaster for this team. The game has simply moved on since his prime 15 years ago, and he is no longer innovative in today's NFL. We haven't seen his offense so I'd be curious to know what this is based off of. Preseason play calling? The Raiders still have a huge question mark with Khalil Mack and what to do about him, and even if he is on the field they don't have tons of talent on that defense anyway. And the Raiders didn't adequately address the defense in the offseason? Did you not like Maurice Hurst or Gareon Conley coming out of college? Do you think Rashaan Melvin is a one year wonder? Do you not think Paul Guenther is a much better defensive coordinator than what Oakland has had in the past? What is the question mark with Mack exactly? They have him under contract and have cap room to pay him. Do you think he's not going to show up to play for 14 mil this year? Offensively they have some weapons (and Carr is certainly capable enough to get them the ball) but Cooper has a drops problem. Ok he drops passes. Does that mean he won't be an effective receiver? He's immensely talented and had a down year with a bad OC. and the RB situation is unsettled at best. Jordy Nelson might inject some life into the passing attack, but we need to see if he can still be upper-level without Rodgers throwing to him. An RB situation with a Marshawn Lynch, who lead the league in rushing in the 2nd half of the season and was top 5 in broken tackles last year? And with Richard, who averages 5.5 YPC over the last two years and was top 5 in yards per target per reception last year. Jordy doesn't need to be an "upper level" receiver on this team. He just needs to be reliable, run the right routes, and move the chains. He's more than capable of that IMO, considering hundley won't be throwing him the ball. Cooper and Bryant will allow him to line up against weaker corners than last year. Bryant could theoretically help them stretch the field but he's had suspension issues in the past (with rumors of another one swirling around even now) and this is what his coach has had to say about him in camp: There are no rumors about a suspension anymore. Name one source that has mentioned it in the past 2 months. If he broke a rule or failed a drug test, we would know by now. "Theoretically" help us stretch the field? You realize he isn't suspended right? He's a dangerous vertical threat. I don't think anyone will deny that and he'll be lined up against #2/3 corners this year. Meanwhile the Chargers look like the best roster in the AFC West to me. The Chiefs still have a great roster (even if I think Mahomes will be a whiff for Andy Reid) and they're getting one of the best Safety's in the league back. And the Broncos still have a dominant defense that can win games even with horrid QB play (Case Keenum may not play as well as he did last year, but he'll play better than any Denver QB did in 2017). I just don't see any scenario in which the Raiders could be considered a favorite in the AFC West and I personally think they will finish dead last. All the teams have question marks. I don't think there's any favorite in this division. We'll see about last in the division. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOaktown_56 Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 56 minutes ago, VanS said: I know its hard for most people to look past what they saw last but at this time last year the Raiders were a trendy pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and Derek Carr was a leading MVP candidate. This year I'm hearing little to no talk of the Raiders winning the AFC West and it seems like people have forgot that Derek Carr is still really good. IMO the Raiders are the clear cut team to beat in the AFC West this year. I have them going 11-5 and winning the division. The AFC West is not as strong as it used to be. I think that will help them. Plus I'm not sold on the Chargers (who are the trendy pick in that division this year) and the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs. Broncos look like a disaster to me right now. Not because of the talent on the team but because I don't trust their head coach. This better be the one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancerman Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 1. They look like they are on the fast track to lose their best player. 2. New head coach making lots of controversial decisions who hasn't coached in a decade. 3. Last year gave us our first reason to doubt Carr might be on the path to being one of the elite QB's in this league. 4. The Broncos aren't great but there's reason to believe with Keenum they won't be a disaster at QB and the defense can make them competent, no reason to think the Chargers will do any worse. There's just way too many question marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaidersAreOne Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 No no no we are not ready for this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancerman Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Just now, RaidersAreOne said: No no no we are not ready for this thread. You will go 16-0, Derek Carr will win the MVP, win the Super Bowl, and Mack will pay Gruden 20 million to stay on the team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megatechpc Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 That's just my opinion man, don't take it so personally. Nobody's predictions will mean squat once the season gets going, the teams will decide who's a contender and who's a pretender on the field. Its not like I'd be totally shocked if the Raiders won the AFC West, but I sure as heck don't think that'll happen. I've already picked the Chargers to win that division, with the Broncos actually nabbing the 6th seed in the AFC this year. But every year there are surprise teams that come out of nowhere, so I fully expect to not see a team or two coming this year. I certainly didn't see the Rams or the Jaguars last year, and the Cowboys were a huge surprise to me in 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tab Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 raiders are the most mysterious team to me this year. I think Gruden is .. not great.. but i also think Carr was injured most of last year and that probably hindered him a lot. But both of those opinions could be completely wrong lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaidersAreOne Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Honestly the thing I am most excited about this season is watching PJ Hall, Maurice Hurst and Arden Key. All 3 have shown serious potential throughout preseasn and Training Camp. If/when we get Mack back, pairing those 3 with Mack and Irvin will offer the best passrush we have had in over a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayRaider Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 4 minutes ago, RaidersAreOne said: No no no we are not ready for this thread. I wish this thread wasn't here. I hate "why not us" type threads.. and it being your own team makes it even worse. Well, it is my team, so I will to chime in here. 1) I was scared of Jon Gruden coming back as well and personally didn't want him, obviously things that worked ten years ago won't work now. However, I feel people are really overblowing this. The Grudens are offensive geniuses and I'm sure Jon has came up with a bunch of new stuff over the years he's dying to try. So instead of thinking of his offense as outdated, think of it as a ten year bye week where he had tons of time to prepare. Also do you think Jay Gruden's offense has zero influence from his brother? I think not. And Jays offense is a top 3 system in the league along with McVays and Haleys. 2) Revamped secondary and we finally have a real defensive coordinator. Not saying he's great, but he's proven. Ken Norton Jr was probably the worst coordinator in the league and had no idea what he was doing. I think our team will be highly dependant on Khalil Mack coming back, how our secondary performs, if our pass rush improves outside of Mack, and if we can get a stable run game going. I really don't like having Lynch and Martin back there and would of preferred a 3rd Rnd pick on a RB last year or the year before that. However, actually not too worried about Carr/Gruden. Overall this could easily be an 8-8 football team. However, it could easily be an 11-5 division champion football team as well. There is a lot of question marks and they are a hard team to predict/assign a rating. I feel the Chiefs starting a new QB is also very questionable and I think he will struggle. Chargers look like the best team on paper in the west. However, they do have a tendency to under perform and also lose close contests. I definitely see the Broncos finishing 3rd or 4th, but besides that, anything is possible in this division. I'll say Gruden and the Raiders surprise with 10-11 wins but that's a bold and somewhat bias prediction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOaktown_56 Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 19 minutes ago, megatechpc said: That's just my opinion man, don't take it so personally. Nobody's predictions will mean squat once the season gets going, the teams will decide who's a contender and who's a pretender on the field. Its not like I'd be totally shocked if the Raiders won the AFC West, but I sure as heck don't think that'll happen. I've already picked the Chargers to win that division, with the Broncos actually nabbing the 6th seed in the AFC this year. But every year there are surprise teams that come out of nowhere, so I fully expect to not see a team or two coming this year. I certainly didn't see the Rams or the Jaguars last year, and the Cowboys were a huge surprise to me in 2016. I'm not taking it personally. We discuss football here. I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind your arguments and I don't see substance to many of these arguments. Much like the Mack trade rumors. Like cmon man, you said our backfield is weak, but you've given no backing to these claims. I actually think the backfield is one of the strongest parts of the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanS Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Yin-Yang said: Jon Gruden is a Super Bowl winning head coach. I don't know why people are treating him like a joke. He's gonna be good this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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