Oakland Raiders: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Oct 6, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Rod Streater (80) leaps into the fans after scoring a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, the face that people knew as the Oakland Raiders is changing.  It takes that drastic of a change sometimes.  Does anybody recall the 1999 season, when Al Davis brought in a beleaguered journeyman quarterback by the name of Rich Gannon?  How about Tyrone Wheatley?  Later on, the team acquired older players such as Jerry Rice, Rod Woodson, Bill Romanowski, Torey James, and Sam Adams.  Players that had previous success which ultimately led to a Super Bowl appearance for the Raiders in 2002.  It’s about creating the right attitude, and that’s what McKenzie is trying to do.

The resurfacing, as it is, seems to be taking a long time, but that’s due to the fact that the Raiders have been out of contention for so long.  Supposedly the Raiders have been in rebuild mode for the last 10 years when, in fact, it has only been totally rebuilt in the last 2 years.  Too slow at times, but a rebuild nonetheless.

The next piece to come will be a quarterback.  The question remains though, will it be from a quarterback currently on the roster (McGloin, Pryor, or Edwards), a free agent QB (Schaub, Sanchez, Vick, or Freeman), or is he from the draft (Carr, Bortles, Bridgewater, or Manziel)?  Either way, it cannot be completed without this piece.

Still, I ask for Raider Nation to keep their hopes alive and have some faith in Reggie McKenzie.  He is making calculated moves to truly shape this team into a contender for the long haul, not just a one hit wonder.  This is a race that is not won on speed alone.  Stamina is required to continue when times get really tough.  I believe Reggie’s slow and steady pace will in fact win the race.  Do you?