Laddie Morse
Even though the Las Vegas Raiders just beat the Los Angeles Chargers 63-to-21 on the 14th of this month… they look like a weak team. Their starting QB is a rookie and backup Aiden O’Connell was the 135th pick in the 2023 draft — they are 6-and-8 and about to have another losing season — and they are last in rushing yards per game, surprisingly (even though Josh Jacobs is 12th overall).
With all that said, they Raiders are a dangerous team. They have a QB who is only 25 years old, but earlier this year, in March, they signed the 32 year old Jimmy Garoppolo $67.5M to a three-year deal. silverandblackpride.com has an article called, “What are the Salary Cap Implications of Cutting Jimmy Garappolo?” in which they say:
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“The best way I can explain this is the Raiders are going to have to take on about $28.3 million in dead cap space to cut Garoppolo this offseason, it’s just a matter of how they want to split that money up.”
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I’m not sure if the Raiders are coming or going.
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Why the Raiders Deserve Respect
I have no really good answer for that one. The Chiefs lead the all-time series 73-54-2. I recall some very early dis-honest play by their linemen. Plus, I have a hard time looking past their owners mantra: “Just Win Baby” and with K.C. leading that series by so much, they should change that to “Just Lose Baby.” At least the Raiders appear to be trying:
After the 2022 season, NFL.com said,
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“With Josh McDaniels taking over, pairing Davante Adams with Derek Carr, adding Chandler Jones, and extending the likes of Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, it felt like the Raiders were building toward a quick turnaround. And then the season started. Vegas went 6-11, including three separate three-game losing streaks and some dramatic defeats to finish third in the division. The Raiders lacked cohesion, particularly on defense and had glaring depth issues exacerbated by injury.”
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The KC Star published an article this week called, “Raiders have been Jekyll and Hyde since loss to KC” and the point of the piece is that the Raiders scored zero points vs the Vikings then turned around the very next week and scored 63 points against the Chargers. If there is such a thing as emotional “Jekyll and Hyde”… then they have perfected it. That may be exactly what the Chiefs need to avoid: the ups and downs of this Raiders team. We especially don’t want to experience any of their ups.
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Why the Raiders Are Deserving of Contempt
It starts with their old owner who thoroughly disrespected the Chiefs. Even when K.C. won the Super Bowl, Al Davis was contemptible saying: “We would rather be feared than respected.” His son is the current Raiders owner, Mark Davis and he is no different. However, the mantra of “Just Win Baby” doesn’t work anymore. Kansas.com has an article out called, “There are many reasons for the hatred between the Chiefs and Raiders, here are five” and here are those five reasons:
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Lamar Hunt, the original Chiefs owner and AFC architect, and Al Davis, never liked each other very much. Here are the two memorable Brawls, one from 1970 and the other from 1986, (0:31 and 0:29):
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“One of the Raider’s biggest stars becoming a Chief” is referring to RB Marcus Allen and the last one, refers to QB Rich Gannon. That one especially hurt since the Chiefs hadn’t had a great QB since Len Dawson and Gannon took them all the way to a Super Bowl. Gannon was a 4th round pick of the Vikings in 1987 then was traded to the Washington team in 1993 and became a Chiefs in 1995 after sitting out a year with a shoulder injury. The Chiefs (mistakenly) allowed him to become a free agent and he signed with the “Oakland” Raiders in February of 1999.
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Location Identity
The Raiders have moved from Oakland to Los Angeles back to Oakland then on to Las Vegas. I know, I know… the Chiefs have moved from Dallas to Kansas City. However, that was once and it also was back in 1963. The Raiders have moved so many time now, I can hardly keep track of who they really are.
Raiders Fan Base
For some this is referred to as: Raider Nation, which is supposed to be an homage to the team;’s name. Some call it, “The Black Hole” and blogger Imran Qamar Dogar at quara.com adds:
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“The Black Hole” is a specific section of the stadium where the team’s most diehard fans sit. It is known for its intimidating atmosphere, with fans dressed in all black and wearing various Raiders-themed costumes and face paint. The name is a reference to the idea that opposing teams get sucked into the “black hole” and have a difficult time escaping with a win.”
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I prefer to think of the Allegiant Stadium as the place where the Chiefs go to win, again, and again, and again. In fact, the Chiefs have never lost their. I recall a worker who buried a Chiefs Kingdom flag under that stadium as they were making preparations to complete it:
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Are the Raiders going to try and beat the Chiefs? You betcha! In any case… it’s Raiders Week!!!
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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