So....Are the Raiders for real?

[lonewolf371]

Preseason I had the Raiders pegged as a dark horse team along with the Panthers and Lions. All of those teams seem to have good, young talent in a number of areas and could capitalize on it with a run. That being said, I see both the Chiefs and the Raiders falling off as the Chargers take the division.

[Feared]

They are much improved from previous versions of the Raiders, and they actually play hard and believe they can win which is a big step up.

I just don't think they can keep up this level of play for the whole season, I just don't trust Jason Campbell to not make mistakes... (and a few of his big plays from recent weeks were a little fluky... the deep balls that got tipped and bounced around back to another Raider come to mind) I think their Running game is the real deal, McFadden looks to be a stud... but like someone mentioned they'll have to show they can run on some of the better D's in the league.

This NFL season has been so wacky so it's hard to tell who will emerge once the big cloud of dust settles. However I do think the Raiders have a good shot at beating the Chiefs this weekend.

[RJTurneR]

Quote:

Their running game has been unrealistic the past few games.

How the hell is any running game in the NFL unrealistic? Thats one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. So running backs are limited to how many yards they can run for? To keep the stats 'realistic'?

If thats the case, CJ2K should be fined $50,000 because running for 2,000 yards is so unrealistic.....

[PantherBeast_OS]

I say for now that it's hard to tell wheather they are good or not. They really ain't played no good teams. They have beat teams that are as good as they are. So it is hard to tell. I believe they could be good in the long run if they get a few good WRs and a good tightend to go along with their running game. But at 4-4 it is still hard to tell at this point until they play some of these good teams like the saints and the Pats.

[rangerrick012]

Quote: Originally Posted by Legend Killer

I say for now that it's hard to tell wheather they are good or not. They really ain't played no good teams. They have beat teams that are as good as they are. So it is hard to tell. I believe they could be good in the long run if they get a few good WRs and a good tightend to go along with their running game. But at 4-4 it is still hard to tell at this point until they play some of these good teams like the saints and the Pats.

Zach Miller isn't a good tight end anymore?

[slickdtc]

Quote: Originally Posted by rangerrick012

We're still in the category of a team that can beat anyone any given week (SD, SEA) and lose to anyone any given week (SF) but it seems like 75% of the NFL is in that category this season.

This is just it. There's only a few teams where you can see the schedule and predict what games they're going to win and what games they're going to lose (Patriots, Colts).

I'm all about your record tells who you are, but even the worst team in the league, the Buffalo Bills, has gone to OT with good record teams and also had a double digit lead against the Jags. I guess you could say that they ultimately lost (whether it was close or not) because they're worse overall, but I think every team can play with every other team. A break there, a miscue there, and someone's favorite team has lost to an "inferior" opponent. Plus, we've seen the Chargers dead in the water after 8 weeks a few times the last few weeks only to go on huge win streaks and capture the division. Take no team lightly.