Give credit to Matt Stafford and the Detroit Lions. They made all the plays when it mattered most. Calvin Johnson was unstoppable which is why you have to wonder why Rolando McClain was stuck covering Megatron at a crucial point in the game.

You also have to wonder if Oakland’s playoff hopes are as dead as Elvis.

Three weeks ago Oakland was in the driver’s seat. Three weeks later and they’re riding bitch.

Hue Jackson, you have a problem.

Your team – injured or not – gave the Detroit Lions their best shot and all they did was laugh. The Lions never panicked. The Raiders did. It is just that simple. In the clutch, one team was Kobe Bryant while the other was LeBron James. I’ll let you guess who was who.

Darrius Heyward-Bey played one of the best games of his career. Unfortunately he’ll be remembered for his costly fumble. But that’s how it goes when you’re playing for a squad that might have squandered their playoff aspirations.

Today provided a golden opportunity. The Denver Tebows finally met their match. Still, the Raiders couldn’t capitalize.

Today’s last loss leaves the Raiders with two must-win contests against divisional foes.
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Amid all the hyperbolic talk of the Oakland Raiders being led to the edge of irrelevancy like lemmings by owner Al Davis is an obvious fact hiding in plain sight: The Raiders are very profitable.

Among all the NFL franchises, very few have the worldwide exposure of the Raiders. It is safe to say that there are more Raider fans in England than there are Houston Texan fans in the United States.

Davis is unlike any owner in all of professional sports. His football roots give him a perspective no other millionaire turned sports fanatic can match. Jerry Jones was never the commissioner of a major sports league. Mark Cuban has never coached a professional team that achieved the highest goal possible.

However, it is not his success alone that makes Mr. Davis and his beloved team such a sports landmark; it is his failures as well.

Since the Cleveland Browns have returned to the NFL, they’ve been an unholy mess not even the Pope himself would fix his eyes on. However, it is the fall of the Raiders that is discussed on a daily basis.

When the Kansas City Chiefs made the biggest reach of the 2009 draft by selecting LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson third overall, not one person batted an eye. As soon as Roger Goodell announced Darrius Heyward-Bey as the seventh pick in the draft, the sports world was turned on its head as every media outlet in the country was given a topic to plaster across its headlines and discuss ad nauseam for weeks to follow.

Mr. Davis has never been one to listen to the consensus; he does things his own way. His maverick practices are the reason the world still keeps a keen eye on all things Raider related.

JaMarcus Russell updates are daily fodder for the blogosphere. When J-Russ floats an errant pass in May, it is instant inspiration for writers, reporters and fans alike to get emotional about. Nobody cares about Matthew Stafford’s physique, but Russell’s is the talk of the sports nation.

The Oakland Raiders are not the franchise they once were. There has not been a Lombardi added to the trophy case since the team returned to Oakland. Mediocre coach after mediocre coach has been hired and then dismissed by Mr. Davis. Six years of sorrow have left Raider fans wondering if there will ever be a time when losing is not the norm.

For the NFL, the success and failure of the Raiders is inconsequential. Either way, the league profits whenever Al Davis makes moves.

Disney can’t get enough of the Raiders. They use every chance they get to lampoon them. The irony is that a lot of that Disney money that went into the NFL’s pocket for broadcasting rights has also found its way into the pockets of Al Davis.  

Professional sports are a bottom line business. No matter what you hear debated, at the end of the day, the business must be profitable. If you know your history, then you must also know that the gambles of Al Davis have helped make professional football a billion dollar industry in North America alone. Imagine if the game was played globally.

Most will just chalk his rolls of the dice up to his age and diminished stature. Others will claim that his ego is leading the charge. There is some truth to be found in these statements, but the fact is that the Oakland Raiders are still a ratings bonanza for the NFL and all the members of the media.

The Buffalo Bills sold their souls to the devil to gain a little attention. It is only a matter of time until Terrell Owens departs Orchard Park taking his TV cameras with him. Mr. Davis has created a similar stir with a receiver who has yet to play a single NFL game. All eyes are on Heyward-Bey.

Perhaps you will consider this Raider Rhetoric, simply passing my writings off as myopic propaganda. That’s fine by me, I don’t need the validation, but Roger Goodell does. Why else would he have requested that the two biggest train wrecks in the NFL meet on Thanksgiving Day in 2009? Perhaps Goodell is as big a fool as Al Davis. The ratings are sure to tell something much different when millions worldwide tune in to watch the Cowboys and Raiders lock horns as an entire nation pauses from its turkey chewing to see the drama unfold.

Raider fans can still watch their favorite team playing in primetime despite a hideous half decade while fans in Cleveland salivate over one Monday Night appearance in the same amount of time. Imagine what a successful Raider team would do to the NFL’s primetime schedule.

Call the Raiders a circus all you want, just know that the circus isn’t free. You have to pay in order to get a good view of the three rings in Oakland. If not at the gate, then you’ll feel that tug on your wallet when you purchase the Sunday Ticket or when it’s time to reup with Sports Illustrated. Mr. Davis thanks you for your donation.

With just over a week  remaining until the NFL draft is underway, the picture is as clear as a foggy morning in the East Bay. If the rumors of the Detroit Lions opening contract talks with Matthew Stafford have any legs to them, then they’d better go from a motivated walk to a full on sprint sooner than later. For the sake of our sanity – and to save my man Daniel Evans over at NFLMocks.com from having to anticipate another 100,000 different scenarios – Detroit needs to get the 2009 draft party started and put the Rams on the clock.

Depending on your view, the Oakland Raiders are in either a precarious or an auspicious position at number seven. With a multitude of options floating around out there, I’d like to whittle down the top 10 scenarios for the Oakland Raiders and present a conspiracy theory for selecting Michael Oher of Ole Miss.

 1) Michael Crabtree will be gone by the time Al Davis is on the clock: Forget about it Nation. This was wishful thinking from the start. That screw in Carbtree’s foot was only a tease. I don’t see him lasting past Seattle or even Kansas City for that matter. However, this writer doesn’t see that as a bad thing. I’m in the minority here, but I’m not buying the Crabtree hype. I think Crabtree will be a solid pro, but so is Antonio Bryant who was a second round pick. Brian Robiskie anybody?

2) There will be no swapping of first round picks: I am a subscriber in the “trade out of the top 10″ movement. Unfortunately, I think I’m the only one keeping that scenario in circulation. When asked about trading down on draft day, Tom Cable said, “It has to be an option.” Don’t get too anxious though, Cable followed with, “I don’t think there’s a lot of history to that [in Oakland].”

3)  Darrius Heyward-Bey is not “top 10″ material: Many have hoped the Raiders would stay true to form and select the fastest receiver in the draft . To me, the “Heyward-Bey to the Bay” movement is all posturing by the Raider brass. He’s got a lot of potential, but economics play into this and at this point in time he’s not worth the $20 million in guaranteed cash. More on why the Raiders worked out Heyward-Bey later.

4) Andre Smith is still a gamble: Despite Tom Cable’s glowing review of the dominating Alabama tackle, Andre Smith is still very much a question mark. Some have compared his skill level to that of Orlando Pace when he was pancakeing Big 10 defenders at will. However, none have stepped forward and defended Andre’s work ethic after the Bobby Petrino disappearing act he pulled off at the combine. Wait, that last statement is not exactly true. Nick Saban, his former head coach, came to Smith’s rescue. If you trust a single word that Saban utters, then you might want to dial anybody in the 305 and ask them about what Nick the Slick’s word is truly worth.

5) B.J. Raji alone cannot fix the run defense: Terdell Sands is not going to be confused with Albert Haynesworth anytime soon. But not even Fat Albert’s presence in Oakland could help with all the defensive issues. Perhaps Raji is a step in the right direction. But what good is Raji if Kirk Morrison is still out of position? How can Raji be a factor if the opposing QB is never blitzed? What good does it do to pay a defensive tackle more than $40 million if your scheme that has failed to stop the run for 6 years running doesn’t change? I’m not making a case against Raji. This is all about Al Davis, Tom Cable and John Marshall getting on the same page. Sorry B.J., you’re just collateral damage on this one.

6) Malcolm Jenkins cannot be an option for Oakland: After the combine, the top cornerback looked more like the top safety. To quote Brian Billick, “Corners who can’t run become safeties; safeties who can’t run become linebackers.” Jenkins might become a good NFL safety one day, but he does not have “Raider speed” and the last thing our roster needs is another money pit at the safety position. Forget about it!

7) Aaron Curry could be a Raider: Don’t laugh, this is a real scenario. Ignore all the hype out there surrounding the Wake Forest freak. There are some real questions that NFL general managers are mulling over. The biggest question surrounds Curry’s lack of a pass rushing prowess.  That  issue alone could spell a Brady Quinn-like moment on draft day for Curry as he falls out of the top 5. Hello Oakland! Maybe he’s not the answer, but I’m willing to guess that neither are Sam Williams or Ricky Brown. Oh, almost forgot to mention, I don’t think Brian Orakpo is either. I know I’ll get some heat for this, but I’m done with taking Longhorns in the top 10. Until one of these kids from Austin makes good on all that potential, I’d advise all NFL teams not to buy what Mack Brown is selling.  Also, if Curry slips then Eugene Monore and Jason Smith will be gone by the time Oakland’s clock starts, so go ahead and cross them off.

8 Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez aren’t even in the equation: There is a lot of JaMarcus Russell hatred out there, even among Raider Nation. No matter what your take is on J-Russ, it’s too early to tell. I don’t even want to list all the reasons why you can’t select quarterbacks in top 10 within three years of each other. Let’s just say that if you know your history, then you’ll understand that for young throwers it’s all about the second season as a full-time starter. But here is one great reason not to even think of going QB in the top 10 again: $ (cah-ching!).

9) Jeremy Maclin has no business being in anybody’s top 10: Yes, he’s going to make an immediate impact on special teams. Yes, he’s still got room for growth. Before you start to remind me of all your You Tube viewings of Maclin, keep in mind that he has been injury prone and has no clue how to run pro-style routes. Maclin is the kind of prospect that needs to prove he’s worth the top 10 price and not the kind who should be given an all-pro contract prior to his NFL debut. I’ll stick with Johnnie Lee Higgins if for no other reason than the fact that I’ve seen him play on Sundays and know what to expect.

10) Michael Oher could very well be the pick: I’m going out on my own on this one. No proof of anything, just a theory I’ve cooked up. Everyone has been so quick to talk of the big three (Jason Smith, Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe) yet it was Tom Cable who was very specific when he said “There’s four of them that are outstanding” when speaking of the offensive tackles in the draft. Here is my conspiracy theory. The Raiders worked out Heyward-Bey to put a little pressure on teams picking late in round one to trade up. Should there be no takers for the trade, Cable made sure to talk up Andre Smith, this time to pressure the teams picking ahead of Oakland. All the while the Raider coach was just hedging his bets to ensure Michael Oher is on the board no matter what when Oakland is on the clock. Stadning at 6’5″ and tipping the scales at 309 lbs, Oher has the ideal ZBS build. His upside is huge and he’s the kind of project Tom Cable would love to undertake.

So there you have it. I’m not advocating the selection of Oher. Heck, I’m not even saying it’s a real possibility. I’m just trying to connect the dots on a picture that’s changing every five minutes. For all I know, Eben Britton is the guy Tom Cable has been eyeing all along.

For what it’s worth, I see trading out of the top 10 as the best option in Oakland. There are too many needs and not enough help coming via free agency. Of course, I’ve already dispelled that happening, so take it for what it’s worth. Merely opinion sprinkled in with hopeful fanaticism. That’s about all we’ve got to hang our hat on in April.