For those of you who read Oakland Raiders Signing a Veteran Receiver or Raider Nation Tweets Their Concerns, you know how I feel about signing another receiver. If you didn’t read said articles than let me fill you in.

The Raiders have a receiving unit filled with young players with high ceilings. What they lack is a third potential game changer.  Moore and Ford have proven themselves, but they have also lacked consistency. Rod Streater filled in on a horrible offense, but who says he isn’t just another Ronald Curry or Jerry Porter who failed outside the Raider organization.

What Oakland needs is a player like Josh Cribbs. The former Pro-Bowler is a proven weapon on special teams and known for his speed. If lined up at receiver defenses would have a very hard time keeping up with him and track star Jacoby Ford. Fortunately, McKenzie must have read my articles as Cribbs has received an offer from Oakland. So here is 5 reasons Cribbs should accept said offer.

5. Raider Nation – Despite suffering a losing season last year, Oakland has one of the most dedicated fan bases in the league. Have you ever seen these people at games. They not only look like fans, but something straight out of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Bottom line, don’t end up on their bad side.

4. Good quarterbacking – Every receiver wants to have an accurate quarterback. In Oakland there are three quarterbacks with tremendous upside. So chances are one of them will succeed and excel in passing. In Matt Flynn, Cribbs has a passer that is tremendous in short and intermediate passes. This would be great for someone looking to make moves post catch. Tyler Wilson is very similar to Flynn, but with higher upside in his deep ball. Then comes the black sheep in TP6. Pryor would give Cribbs a shot in participating in a wildcat type offense.

3. A future – If Cribbs proves his worth in 2013 he may find himself in Oakland for a long time. Come 2014 the cap is looking better than the Mila Kunis at the beach. And with all the tell-tale signs that Reggie has Oakland moving in the right direction, why wouldn’t Cribbs want to be a part of a 49er-esque team.

2. Jacoby Ford – Two of the fastest players in the NFL today would make a very lethal weapon (It’s been revoked). Safeties would be forced to give help to corners over the top, as very few corners could keep up on feet (or in most cars). This would benefit the entire offense greatly.

1. Playing time – Cribbs is known as a return specialist. Many teams already have a unit led by two top-dog receivers. However, in Oakland Cribbs could line up outside allowing Ford to line up in the slot or the other way around. Not to mention the ever frequent bite of the injury bug. Cribbs could easily find himself the leading receiver for this squad.

Aug 24, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs (16) walks off the field at the end of the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in a preseason game at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US Presswire

So Josh Cribbs, what do you think? Lets get you into that silver and black right away so I can sleep easy at night!

Yet they are.

If form holds true then come Sunday night the Raiders will be back to .500 yet again. That’s how this roller coaster season has gone. In fact this goes all the way back to last season when the Raiders finished as a .500 club. If you really want to do some digging then go back to those consistently inconsistent .500 years prior to Jon Gruden’s arrival. Chucky helped the team to take the next step. Can Hue Jackson do the same but in a shorter amount of time? That remains to be seen.

What we have seen is the following: A win, followed by a loss, followed by a win, followed by a loss. That is the pattern and that is the tendency this team bust break in order to finally breakout.

Standing between Oakland and a town called Consistency is Cleveland. Ironically the Browns are a .500 club. Some are calling this a trap game for the Raiders but that is being far too dismissive of Cleveland. This game is no more a trap than last week was in Houston, or the week before that against the Pats.

Simply put the Raiders aren’t in a position to fall into any trap. All there is right now on the schedule is opportunity. How Coach Jackson and his team embrace the chance to gain a little momentum will be seen Sunday.
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Sounds simple, right?

Despite having won just five games all season, Cable’s Raiders have more quality wins than any other team in the NFL this year. Having beaten the Broncos, Eagles, Bengals and Steelers, it would seem an easy chore to notch win number six in Cleveland.

That was until a new life crept into the Dawg Pound.

Pac-10 aficionados knew who Jerome Harrison was prior to last Sunday. After his 286-rushing yards pushed the legendary Jim Brown out of the record book, the entire football world became aware of the former Washington State Cougar.

Not great news for a team that has a history of terrible run defense. As I told my friends over at WaitingForNextYear.com, the Raiders will have to stop the run if they have any desire to break the string of six straight 11-loss seasons.

John Marshall hasn’t fared much better than his predecessor Rob Ryan in run defense.

Sunday will be a family reunion of sorts as Ryan will square off against his former employer while Charlie Frye gets a chance to exact a little revenge on his former team. Whereas Frye will have family in stands, Ryan will have admirers on the opposite sideline. Nnamdi Asomugha is among those in the Oakland locker room who still think fondly of Ryan.

Once the game starts, you can expect those found feelings to be forgotten quickly.

Once the game starts, you can also expect Sebastian Janikowski to kick to Josh Cribbs.

Coming of a history making two touchdown kick return performance one week ago, Cribbs has established himself as the most potent returner in NFL history. Janikowski has the leg to boot balls beyond the end zone on kickoffs. Getting Cribbs to take a knee is the best weapon of defense.

When last these two met, it was the Raiders who’d walk off the field with a 26-24 win in 2007. Before that, The Frye Guy himself led the Browns to victory over Oakland in ’06 with a three TD effort to boot.  Now he’s trying to return the favor for his current employer. Should Frye falter, Cable could always turn it over to his closer – JaMarcus Russell.

There are plotlines-a-plenty in this matchup. Both teams are fighting for respectability. Both teams have endured a tumultuous season. Both teams are trying desperately to salvage what remains of the schedule.

No matter the outcome, Cable has one more shot at history against Baltimore. But a win in Cleveland could set the stage for something even more unprecedented in current Raider history – a season with single digit losses.

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