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Chad, The Raiders are on the thresh hold of a new era. Ol'time Raider Football has always been defined by tough defense and ground control offense. The last 6 years has been tough, as a fan, but you saw the deliberate effort to get high character, dedicated players who have a team first mentality. This was exemplified by the hire of Tom Cable as coach. He was brought in by Lance Kiffin (who made every effort to disrespect and gut the franchise) and Cable has been a God send regarding his player and team management.
The tough, hard hitting play we saw Monday is the type of play this team will been known for. There will be more running and deep passes. While I was encouraged by Monday's game, it ended the way Raiders games have for several years now; Teams stay close and beat the Raiders by scoring on the lame prevent defense. Until this team develops the will to win and the ability to put teams away, this hate we see in the media will continue.
Either we remain mired in a 5 or 6 win seasons, blaming coaches or individual players, or we close this chapter of team history and start winning. That will be Tom Cable's legacy, and, he knows it. The haters know it too. From the media to the town sports pub, the Raiders will be mocked and criticisized until they win. That simple. Peace
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