National Football League

Raiders brimming with real hope

Published Jun. 15, 2010 5:20 p.m. ET

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Peter Schrager

“The Autumn wind is a Raider,
Pillaging just for fun,
He'll knock you round and upside down,
And laugh when he's conquered and won"
— “The Autumn Wind,” NFL Films, 1974

When the “Autumn Wind” was penned by Steve Sabol and read in epic tones by John “The Voice of God” Facenda, the Oakland Raiders were the class of the NFL.

In 1974, the Silver and Black had won seven division titles in eight years, featured a roster star-studded with seven future Hall of Famers, and boasted Hall of Famers in the owner’s box (Al Davis) and on the sidelines (John Madden). They’d go on to win three Super Bowls over the next 10 years. The '70s Raiders pillaged just for fun. And they certainly won.

The Oakland Raiders of today? Well, not only has the franchise missed the playoffs in every season since 2002, but it’s also lost at least 11 games in each year. Oakland is a stunning 29-83 during that time. Any “Commitment to Excellence” has been replaced by a commitment to failure. “Just Win Baby”? Well, that motto’s been supplanted by “Just Win Five Games, Baby.” As for the “Autumn Wind,” that’s long blown away. “Ship of Fools” is likely the more accurate song to describe the franchise of late.

But it’s June, when fans of 32 teams are allowed to be optimists. In Oakland, there’s more than just optimism. There’s hope, excitement and a bit of old school Raiders bravado. Hell, there’s even legitimate talk of playoff football.

Call me crazy, but I’m kinda sorta maybe possibly buying into it.

From top to bottom, the Raiders appear to be much improved. After one forgettable year in which he relieved the well-traveled coaching wunderkind Lane Kiffin midseason, and another marked in controversy over a fistfight with an assistant coach, Tom Cable returns to the sidelines for a third season as head coach. From the outside looking in, the young Raiders are buying in, working hard and the job is undoubtedly his.

More importantly, though, is that he finally has some help with the offense. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, the man most in Baltimore credit for making Joe Flacco the quarterback he is today, comes to Oakland and will handle play-calling duties this season. Jackson helped Flacco lead the Ravens to the playoffs in 2008 and 2009, the quarterback’s rookie and sophomore seasons in the league. Cable and Jackson worked together on the staff at Cal State Fullerton in 1990 and at California in 1996. They reunite with a shared goal: to bring the once feared Silver and Black offense back to respectability in some shape or form.

The Raiders were second to last in the league in scoring with 197 points last season, and gained the second-fewest yards on the way to their record seventh straight season with at least 11 losses.

Jackson’s not the only new addition. Jason Campbell comes with five years of starting quarterback experience and one monstrous chip on his shoulder.

Though he’s been a Raider for less than three months, Campbell’s already taken the young offense under his wing. He’s assumed the role of leader that former top overall pick JaMarcus Russell never could and has brought a sense of professionalism to what has long been a huddle full of amateurism and mistakes.

"We can do some good things together," a comfortable and confident Campbell told the NFL Network last week. "They're putting together a defense that has been outstanding. Last year, their defense started to become one of the premier defenses in the league. If we can help out offensively and turn some things around, anything is possible."

Beyond his work in the huddle, Campbell’s brought something fresh to the locker room: a sense of camaraderie. Second-year wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey told reporters last week, “Everybody’s wanting to go out to eat, go over to San Fran, get some dinner, go to the movies or something. It’s more of a team this year. I don’t know if that’s because Jason came, but the teammates we have here all want to come together and be one.”

Heyward-Bey himself has been the subject of extensive positive chatter out of Oakland this spring. After being selected seventh overall and three picks before fellow Bay Area wideout Michael Crabtree, Heyward-Bey struggled to find his place in the lineup and caught only nine balls in 11 games as a rookie. He was the butt of more than a few hackneyed Raiders jokes around the NFL.

This season, though, he’s expected to make great strides. Thus far in offseason workouts, he has been lighting it up. Wearing a new number (85) and sporting what appear to be very different hands than the ones he used last season, Heyward-Bey — referred to as “DHB” by San Jose Mercury Star Raiders beat reporter Tim Kawakami — has been an absolute stud.

“I’ve just been using my speed to my advantage,” Heyward-Bey told reporters. “I can move the defense around the way I want to, and that’s just by listening to Hue and to Coach [Sanjay] Lal about how to use my speed out there.”

While he’s figuring it all out and starting to jel with Campbell, the Raiders’ front office isn’t hesitating to get the local fan base pumped up over his emergence. Oakland’s PR staff put a new spin on “jumping the gun” this weekend, issuing a press release on Sunday comparing Heyward-Bey to the greatest wide receivers in franchise history.

After listing Fed Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch, Lance Alworth, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, the press release reads: "Now Darrius Heyward-Bey is prepping to join that group.”

The release continues: “Heyward-Bey has enjoyed a workmanlike offseason where he has put in time and energy to prepare for his second NFL campaign, when many of those whose names mentioned blossomed in professional football competition. The list of wide receivers should make any pundit or so-called expert think twice before putting negativity on Heyward-Bey. No one has come close to the excellence as wide receivers that have worn the Silver and Black. These performers have been the greatest players who have ever played the game."

Again, Heyward-Bey had nine catches last season. Nine! Move over, Biletnikoff! Hello, DHB!

With any other team, any other franchise in pro sports, I’d rail against such a release and call it a moronic act of hubris. I’d use the word “despicable” and list examples of civilizations and war heroes burned by their own excessive pride.

With the Raiders? I smile. To be honest, it’s kind of refreshing to see. When was the last time the Silver and Black acted like they were the Silver and Black of old? The press release reeked of arrogance. Call me crazy, but I’ve missed that odorous scent of bravado coming from the Bay Area. It’s been seven years since the Raiders won six games. It's been at least that long since they were considered the brash, big bullies of the AFC West.

The offense may have a recent history of ineptitude, but no one’s got jokes about the Raiders' defense. It’s legit.

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is a first-team All-Pro, 31-year-old defensive lineman Richard Seymour’s still got some quality years left in the tank, and both Trevor Scott and Tyvon Branch have showed signs of Pro Bowl-caliber talent. First- and second-round picks Rolando McClain (LB) and LaMarr Houston (DT) both were highly successful college players and should find their way into the starting lineup. McClain’s overall talent and ability to adapt to the pro game has had everyone buzzing this month.

In addition to McClain and Houston, Oakland nabbed two offensive line prospects with unlimited potential, Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell, in April’s draft. For the first time in years, Oakland wasn’t the punch line of draft weekend. In fact, most pundits gave the Raiders A or B grades.

Asomugha told reporters this week, “We've drafted off of need before, but this time I think there was a general consensus we did what everyone thought that we should have done. We drafted a guy like Rolando — a guy that can help us out with the run defense. And then throughout the whole draft, I think we did well. It showed the direction that we're trying to go in for this year, next year and the years to come."

In the end, NFL games most certainly aren’t won in draft-day war rooms, team field trips to the movies or offseason noncontact workouts. Summertime press releases, positive vibes and jersey number switches truly don’t mean squat after Labor Day.

But there’s genuine optimism in Oakland. And when that team’s lost an NFL-record 11 games or more for seven straight seasons, that’s something.

At the very least, it’s a start in the right direction.

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