Oakland Raiders Notebook: Preseason thoughts at halfway mark

Aug 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; TCF Bank Stadium sits empty as severe weather drives the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings and fans indoors prior to the game. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Complaining about preseason football games is an overused comic cliche at this point. Generally, people complain about ticket pricing, or the lack of competition, but for fans of the Raiders and Vikings, Week 2 of the preseason produced a complaint of absurdity. How can one make a preseason game even more bizarre? Throw in 90 minutes of game stoppage for lightning. Yes, the game known for big hits and outrageous acts of pain tolerance was put off for nearly an additional half of football for a thunderstorm in Minneapolis.

It should be obvious that the quality of the game suffered significantly due to the stoppage in play. The second half of the game was hard to watch at times, but ironically the performances from the game will help dictate the futures of many players. Even though this game was not as crisp as week one and nor was it as impressive, the Raiders did show us things that we needed to see. There is also a level of consistency starting to develop in terms of the philosophies of the coordinators. One of the biggest bright spots was along the defensive line, and overall the game should inject another dose of confidence into Raider Nation.

Next: Raiders Notebook: DJ Hayden