Raiders Opinion: Avoiding Last-Season Swoon

    Looking back across the Las Vegas Raiders’ most recent seasons, some similarities can be found. But, the biggest similarity is the hot start followed by an icy cold finish to the season. As these similarities take place, the team tends to remain the same, avoiding major injuries and trades, which adds even more confusion to this trend. The Raiders must kick this habit.

The Fade

   When a team has a bad second half in an individual game, fatigue or a predictable gameplan can be to blame. However, when the trend is expanded to an entire season, fatigue is not an acceptable excuse as every team goes through the same draining sixteen, now seventeen, games. The Raiders being fatigued around Week Twelve may be an aspect to these struggles, but it cannot be the only reason.

Formulaic Approach

   Additionally, the Raiders being relatively predictable can also lead to a lack of success. The novelty of Jon Gruden’s coaching style still has yet to be seen consistently, and opposing teams take solace in having very good ideas of what plays are on Gruden’s docket. But, there is still this unseen factor that is not particularly present at the start of the season, but infects the entire team by the time playoffs roll around. It appears difficult to believe that the reason for the Raiders’ collapses is something outside of the locker room, but what type of locker room disease comes out when things are just starting to get good?

Origin

   Since nothing concrete exists on the matter, it makes it even more difficult to determine the source of these breakdowns. But, rest assured, something happens. In the first half Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead while in the second half Raiders get throttled by the Atlanta Falcons and almost lose to the hapless New York Jets.

Accusatory Comments

  Many will look to blame the coaches, who rightfully deserve some criticism, but the heart cannot be coached and heart is what it feels the second-half Raiders lack. Derek Carr crumbles and breaks out a classic three-fumble game. The offensive line is downright offensive. The Raiders as a whole come off as pressed and nervous, unable to sit back and play their game.

Dips

  Rough stretches happen on every schedule, but this is far more than a rough stretch. Typically, the Raiders get through rough patches, mitigating a few losses with bounce-back wins, that is, until the second half. If the Raiders crawled into the second half of the season, a second-half collapse would not even be a collapse. The collapse exists because of the amount of success in the first half.

Finish Strong

In the first half of the season, the Raiders gain national attention as a team in the playoff hunt. Yet, somehow, are laughed out of the playoff race weeks before the season is over. Habits become incredibly difficult to break. Plus,  if this one continues, some team-altering changes need to occur.