Five Things the Oakland Raiders Can Do to Turn Things Around
Oct 19, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano reacts after the Raiders were called for a penalty against the Arizona Cardinals in the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
So far, the 2014 season has been memorable in how forgettable it’s been. Having now started 0-6, the Raiders are quite possibly the worst they’ve been since before Al Davis bought the team in the early 1960’s. Firing head coach Dennis Allen after an 0-4 start hasn’t done much, the Raiders have been more competitive, but still lost the last two to bring their current losing streak to 12 games, the longest since a 19-game losing streak that ended in 1962.
More from Las Vegas Raiders News
- Raiders news: Free agent TE Foster Moreau diagnosed with cancer
- Las Vegas Raiders: 2023 NFL Draft will make-or-break David Ziegler Era
- Raiders news: Jimmy Garoppolo offered a different kind of deal
- Raiders 2023 NFL Draft: Trading down for an elite DT on Day 1
- Raiders 2023 NFL Draft: Will David Ziegler trade his top-2 picks again?
There is a laundry list of things that have gone wrong for the Raiders. Lack of production from key free agent acquisitions is one. Injuries, combined with lack of quality depth, is another. It would be easy to point out that the Raiders are either starting or using heavily a number of rookies – Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Gabe Jackson, TJ Carrie – but those are the most productive players on the roster. This team just has not yet been able to find a way to win.
So what can be done? Reggie Mack tried firing Dennis Allen and replacing him with Tony Sparano. Tony Sparano tried burying a football and opening up the playbook. The team still can not stop the run, can not get off the field on third down, and aside from one game, cannot consistently run the football. Injuries continue to plague the team, especially on defense, where they have lost linebackers Nick Roach and Kaluka Maiava for the year, along with safety Tyvon Branch, and it’s likely they just lost safety Usama Young, as well. But there are still a few things left they could do to win football games. Here are five of them: