The Monday Mommy: The Raiders May Not Suck Forever.
“Monday’s nights matchup between these two AFC West rivals was not exactly a stunner competition-wise, however was very telling about the state of the two franchises. “
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The passionate heated rivalry between the Broncos and Raiders has been going on since each team’s inception in 1960. Both Denver and Oakland have their slandering nicknames and biases against the opposing fan base and locker room and neither are afraid to use them.
Luckily for those on the Denver side of the rivalry, life has been pretty good lately. The Broncos have dominated the silver and black in recent years, to the point that some are even calling off the rivalry status. True Broncos fans, of course refuse to let it die and will always hate the Raiders with the fire and heat of a gazillion suns.
Monday’s nights matchup between these two AFC West rivals was not exactly a stunner competition-wise, however was very telling about the state of the two franchises. Denver was in control on both sides of the ball and was never in any danger of losing the game.
Peyton Manning was surgeon-like in his precision and his receiving corps was solid with their route running and hands – I’m looking at you Eric Decker, welcome to the 2013 season. Defensively, the linebackers were crazy fast, limiting Darren McFadden to minimal yardage and shutting down the Raider offense all over the field.
In the loss however, the Raiders showed flickers of a bright future that actually could involve the post season. With Al Davis no longer mucking up the thought process in Oakland and the talent currently on the roster, fans of the silver and black have a reason to be optimistic about what’s to come for this franchise.
After having to suffer through the JaMarcus Russell years and then watching Oakland trade everything away for Carson Palmer, the Raiders finally have themselves a legit signal caller. Terrelle Pryor has shown that he is up to the task of being an NFL starting quarterback, at least through the first three games of this season. He certainly has had his share of naysayers and doubters, and has squashed all of it on the football field thus far.
Through three games, Pryor has 624 yards passing and another 198 on the ground, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. With experience and growth, this kid has the potential to be a solid franchise guy for the Raiders. Monday night, he appeared poised in the pocket and showed a desired ability to escape when in trouble.
Pryor has a slew of young talent around him in Oakland as well. Wideouts Denarius Moore and Rod Streater both had productive games against Denver’s defense and have the potential for solid growth with this offense, as they are only 25 and 24 years old respectively.
With other members of the Raiders front office calling the shots and making draft day decisions besides Al Davis, this team is poised for a much brighter future. As much as Broncos Country has been enjoying the complete and utter meltdown of the Raiders franchise over the past decade, the times seem to be a changing. Time will only tell how long it takes for Oakland to turn it around; however they do appear to be on the right track.
For now Bronco fans, enjoy the complete and utter dominance of all things Raider and bask in the glory that is happening with the current Denver team, because it is indeed historic. Take time to mock the ridiculous silver and black face painters and Juggalos while you can folks, because the Raiders aren’t going to suck forever.
But for now at least, they still do.
