It’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine which conundrum is worse: The Raiders finding a place to call home in 2019 or the Silver & Black finding a solution to an anemic pass rush.
Flummoxed is a good word to describe the situation owner Mark Davis and his team find themselves in. Not long after the 2018 season came to an end after this past weekend’s Super Bowl, a report surfaced the Raiders would be playing in the San Francisco Giants’ digs, Oracle Park (formerly known as AT&T Park) for the 2019 campaign.
Reaction
The news was met with surprise and skepticism. Not only did the Giants have to sign off on the deal, the San Francisco 49ers had to waive their territorial rights and the NFL had to give it a thumbs up. Too many moving parts on a fluid situation. Moreover, it did not take long for the opposition to raise concerns and outright say this is a bad idea. As swift as the naysayers came, so did the death of the Raiders at Oracle.
In addition, here we all are awaiting the latest news in the Raiders’ debacle of a search for a home. The only two viable options at this point are Oakland and Levi’s Stadium (the 49ers home in Santa Clara). The former is only “viable” in notion because that is where the Raiders played in 2018, however, the animosity between team and city is making reconciliation near impossible. The Raiders bouncing to Las Vegas, and the city filing a federal antitrust lawsuit against the team and the league jade both sides –. No amount of woodworking artisanship is going to mend this fence.
Possible Bright Spot
A fiercely loyal Raider Nation would love the team to play one more season in Oakland. Even one of the most beloved players seeks one mo’ gain. Nevertheless, the hatred between team and city is not going to allow that. Thus, there is the mammoth in Silicon Valley. The 49ers are reportedly welcoming the Raiders warmly to their spot for the 2019 season before the Silver & Black leaves for Sin City the following year. However, Davis’ disdain for playing at Levi’s is not a secret. However, neither is the NFL’s desire for the Raiders to figure this mess out so it can go forth with creating next year’s schedule.
Just how this latest episode in Raiders melodrama ends is anyone’s guess. Yet, people underestimated the Bowl Cut Kid once, and he got Nevada to pony up the cash to build him a state-of-the-art home.
Too bad, it will not open until 2020, though.
