What’s different between 06-07 and 08?

[POKE]

In the words of a very wise poster on this site.

Time Will Tell!

[HITMAN]

There will always be differences of opinion, some people understand that concept, some fail to recognize it and consider any opinion not along the lines of theirs as negativity.

As I have said countless times, no one knows how good or how bad this team will be until a game is played and you can post and write pages upon pages of hyperbole and speculation until the cows come home. We won't know if they are indeed improved or if some serious question marks remain after the off-season acquisitions.

[or24]

Originally Posted by Brixity R8R

Ok, now go outside and get some fresh air! Well said! We will be the surprise team this year and we're not necessarily sneaking up on people. We have mad talent all the way around. Nice write up, keep up the good work and the optimism!

Unproven talent. We went from Wheatley and Zereoue to Jordan and Porter and curry to moss and porter, not to mention the addition of Burgess from 2004 to 2005 and we won LESS games than we did the year before. We haven't had a qb in the past 5 years reach a qb rating of 80 or higher for a season. Russell is supposed to do that in his 1st year? Sure it's possible, but that's an awful lot of pressure for a guy at a position that can take up to 5 years to fully develop. Not to mention the Oline wasn't upgraded at all. Sims was a very good run blocker. He cleared out many lanes for Fargas. He's not a long term answer, but dumping him for Harris who is more expensive and possibly a downgrade was not a good move.

[raidersrocker]

This thread reminds me of Frosted Mini Wheats. The logical/serious fan side in me understands there are many intangibles that can make or break a game/season, and that there are many reasons to be cautious; But the fun/carefree fan side in me loves to be optimistic at the start of every season, and have fun rooting for my team.

So I agree with pretty much everything that's been posted.

I won't be suicidal if my optimism ends up getting slapped down by another bad dose of reality. If it happens, I'll just post my frustrations and vent like before. But if that optimism becomes positive reality, well then I had fun the entire ride.

I just don't understand why folks seem to be labeled of being one thing or another. I'm a fan, so I'll probably be flip flopping with the "positive" and "negative" posts all year long. Good or bad, I'm still going to enjoy being a Raiders fan. I also enjoy reading the variety of opinions and comments from many of the members, regardless of what "side" or label others may give them.

And I like Frosted Mini Wheats for the same reasons they give in their ads.

[or24]

I'll be positive when we start winning some games. That's just realistic. The homers will always be overly optimistic because you can see they predict superbowls after a 4 or even 2 win season.

[raidersrocker]

Originally Posted by or24

I'll be positive when we start winning some games. That's just realistic. The homers will always be overly optimistic because you can see they predict superbowls after a 4 or even 2 win season.

The only time the optimism annoys me is when the Raiders are 2-9 (for example) and someone is still trying to calculate if playoff hopes are still possible.

On the other hand it's also annoying when the Raiders win a game and someone tries to suck all the joy out of the moment with a "We still suck" thread.

[RaiderInNY]

You know what, there were similar threads like this in 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 rationalizing why the Raiders would defy the odds and be totally awesome.

[raidersrocker]

Originally Posted by RaiderInNY

You know what, there were similar threads like this in 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 rationalizing why the Raiders would defy the odds and be totally awesome.

And that's cool that after those 5 seasons people still have their hopes up that this could be the year it starts to turn around (I'm not even thinking about totally awesome yet), or that there's always next year.

[or24]

Originally Posted by raidersrocker

The only time the optimism annoys me is when the Raiders are 2-9 (for example) and someone is still trying to calculate if playoff hopes are still possible.

On the other hand it's also annoying when the Raiders win a game and someone tries to suck all the joy out of the moment with a "We still suck" thread.

I agree, that's just ridiculous on both ends. Enjoy a win when you get it. But don't claim the division is ours after 1 win either lol

[or24]

Originally Posted by raidersrocker

And that's cool that after those 5 seasons people still have their hopes up that this could be the year it starts to turn around (I'm not even thinking about totally awesome yet), or that there's always next year.

Optimism is a good thing. But so many people take it too far. You can't tell me it's not overly optimistic to say we will make the playoffs this year. A few offseason moves don't turn you from one of the worst teams in the league to a superbowl contender. After seasons of 4, 5, 4, 2, and 4 wins I think 6 or 7 wins is pretty optimistic.

Everyone just wants to be the surprise of the league. We have yet to solidify any unit of ours besides our run game. People think money will motivate Kelly to being one of the best players in the league. If anything, he will get lazy knowing he's got it easy for the rest of his career. But maybe his incentives will motivate him, I don't know.

I'm not gonna say a good player will turn out to be great after 1 season because he won the lottery thanks to some help from Rob Ryan. Sands has potential but hasn't tapped into ANY of it and is one of the worst starting lineman in the league. When you have major issues like that up front, it trickles down throughout your defense. So unless Sands has an epiphany and starts playing football, we will once again see horrible play from our defense.

Offensively, we have lots of playmakers and tons of potential. I think in a year or 2 we will have one of the better offenses in the league. Just give them some time to grow. But remember Russell is a rookie behind a very questionable line.

Special Teams? It's been horrible for years. I don't even know how to determine if it's improved this early. Maybe Branch will be a gunner and tear it up like Coop, or maybe we will see stu out there whiffing like crazy. No idea who will be on kickoffs or punts. Higgins had 1 big return all of last year that was called back. Hall may or may not be out there. Jano is inconsistent while Lechler is reliable. Time will tell lol

I know we have improved but how much of an impact do all these moves make? Russell has all these weapons to form a solid air attack, but how will Walker perform off another knee injury facing Cromartie and Bailey twice a year? How long will he last? Are Curry, Carter, and Miller good enough compliments to Walker? Will Darren make an impact as a reciever? Will the unit be cohesive or just sparatically make plays with a rookie at the helm?

All questions that are left out by most people and they just call everyone a beast All we have right now is a good team on paper. That doesn't mean sh!t. If it did, we wouldn't play the games. It's not like e have a roster full of all pro players. When you compare to ther teams around the league, our talent isn't far and beyond everyone. With all these young guys who we have hardly seen play, if at all, we don't know what our team will look like. Let's not crown them before they earn their throne.