Oakland Raiders: Summer Dreams, Winter Glory

Jun 17, 2014; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) at minicamp at Raiders Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Dream Scenario: Khalil Mack

Let’s hope that the hype that has come with this young man plays out as we would all like. The dream scenario for Khalil Mack himself is to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and to sack Peyton Manning. So much has been spoken of Mack and his rise in the draft that the Raiders were more than lucky to land a player of his caliber. Already in camp we are seeing that the hype might actually be warranted. Just yesterday, Reggie Mckenzie compared him to Clay Matthews and Coach Allen said he reminded him of Von Miller when Allen was in Denver.  Here’s what  OL Doanld Penn had to say about the rookie:

“He’s going to have a lot of sacks late in the down he has a motor that’s relentless. As a tackle, you have to stay on him until you hear the whistle or hear the crowd cheer.”

“I see signs, in between snaps, he’s in Justin Tuck’s ear. Khalil’s a special athlete. I can tell from some of his moves and the way he can put his foot in the ground and change directions, for him to be doing that at defensive end, he moves like a defensive back. It’s crazy for a guy that size to be doing that.”

Let’s hope that the Big Mack Attack is legit and is here to stay in Oakland for however long the Raiders call Oakland home.

Nightmare Scenario: The Schedule

There is just no getting around this one, the Raiders will play the toughest schedule in the league this coming year. To put the schedule into perspective, they will face six teams that had double digit wins last year, they will play six teams that were in the playoffs last year and one that should’ve been (Arizona).  Three of those teams they will face twice in their division rivalry games. Let’s also not forget that the Raiders will travel to the east coast and beyond three times and will face the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins. We all know too well the woes that this team has faced when travelling East. In this scenario, the team looks to barely get four wins as early odds have them already favored to lose in ALL of their games.  Even the media that is favorable to the Raiders have predicted at the most six wins for the team this year. For a franchise that is hoping to get back to relevancy, this schedule couldn’t have come at a tougher time. But it is what it is. This schedule looks imposing on the surface but keep in mind that the games against San Diego last year were a split for the season and the team actually played well against Kansas City until the injuries hit the offensive line and Raider fans had to endure that horrible 3rd and 48.  Let’s just see what happens.

As as Raiders fan I am hoping that all the dream scenarios come true and this team that has been down for so long can claw its way back to relevancy. After ten plus years of cellar dwelling,  I am more than ready to see the Raiders earn the respect that they had so long ago. What about you, are you ready?