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The Raiders have been hard to watch this season. They have only one win, an overtime win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. It was a mark of the high seas, the only highlight as we cross the mid-point of the season.
Everything was downhill from there. The Raiders have lost all four games since at least 14 points, the longest sequence in the history of the franchise. Two more shots, and the Raiders will equal an NFL record.
The jerseys of Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper were rendered useless after coach Jon Gruden traded these players for choices. Veterans leave this team en masse, with Bruce Irvin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Derrick Johnson all off the list.
This list still remains filled with short-term contract veterans who are not expected for the return. A few rare Raiders beyond most recruits are guaranteed to return in the next season.
We are already focusing on the off-season, when the Raiders have three first-round picks and a large salary cap space.
This raises an important question: why stay tuned for the second half of the season?
The Raiders stink, are regularly embarrassed and have a brutal schedule in front of them. Gruden's staff always tries to win individual Sundays, but victories would ultimately hurt his project.
Gruden still has goals in mind beyond the final results.
"I just want to see an improvement," said Gruden. "I want guys to keep working hard and growing. I would like some guys to become healthy so that we can be all we can be. "
Gruden has demanded more from his rookie class, which includes several players who are part of the team's long-range plans.
It will also be important to watch Derek Carr navigate during the season, especially when the offensive line becomes healthy again. He was solid in the execution of Gruden's system when he was protected. Carr is still playing a test season, with the prospect that Gruden could use one of his best choices on a quarterback. The Raiders can pass without him for only 7.5 million dollars of dead money, a sum that decreases by one third each season.
While fans have to look for information in the second half of the season, applicable to subsequent seasons, players in the current lineup are still trying to win victories every week, despite such a bad start.
"Any team can go in any way. Are we waiting for the training camp to start this season? No, said defender Frostee Rucker. "I know that guys are doing well and are passionate about their work. We can therefore win victories. It did not happen tonight.
"We're not putting it away, it's not about next year, or anything like that, we're trying to win, we just do not do that for you." 39; moment. "
[[[[RELATED: The rush on Raiders passes causes Irvin's loss]Coaches will continue to evaluate this lineup for players who can contribute in upcoming seasons. It is highly unlikely that senior members of Gruden's staff will go elsewhere. They will push this group thoroughly during the last eight games.
"We had to make a lot of difficult decisions during the first two months at work. One of the decisions we have made is to continue to train hard, "said Gruden. "We will be enthusiastic and optimistic. We will develop these young guys.
"We will call our veteran leaders to lead.If there is a better player on the market, someone we think can come to help and help us this year and for the future we Let's get on with it, the changes during the season are very difficult, we will continue to coach, improve the standards on the training ground and, hopefully, get results on match day. "
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