Getty Raiders Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.
It’s been a season to forget for the Las Vegas Raiders. After an excellent 5-2 start that saw them as the top seed in the AFC, the team has lost five of their last six and the playoffs are highly unlikely. Heading into Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders had a great opportunity to turn their season around versus the hated rival.
Charles Woodson was at the last matchup between the two teams in Week 10 to receive his Hall of Fame ring. The Raiders lost that game 41-14. Woodson sent the team and quarterback Derek Carr a very blunt message ahead of the game.
“If they go out there and embarrass themselves, everybody is on notice,” Woodson said Sunday. “The GM’s on notice, the head coach is on notice, Derek Carr is on notice. Everybody in that building is going to be on notice if they go out there and embarrass themselves.”
“If they go out there and embarrass themselves, everybody is on notice.”
@CharlesWoodson had this to say about the Raiders this morning before they went on to lose to the Chiefs, 48-9.
Instead of rising to the challenge, the Raiders lost 48-9 and showed almost no fight whatsoever. Woodson followed up with a somber tweet after the loss.
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Woodson Is 100% Right
Owner Mark Davis will likely look at Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs when he’s making major decisions in the offseason. That game almost certainly killed any shot that interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and general manager Mike Mayock had of keeping their jobs. As Woodson said, every single person involved with the team is now on notice.
While Bisaccia and Mayock’s fates are likely sealed, Carr can still save himself. He hasn’t been the Raiders’ biggest issue this season and there were times when he looked like an MVP candidate. In recent weeks, he just hasn’t been playing at a very high level. Woodson played with Carr and the two remain friends but he’s even acknowledging that the quarterback is on notice. There are dark days ahead for the Raiders but that doesn’t mean they need to last forever.
Raiders Could Have Bright Future if They Nail Offseason
It’s been a rough season for Raiders fans as the team got their hopes up with a strong start only to fall apart in the most embarrassing way possible. Getting blown out by a divisional opponent twice in the span of a month is unacceptable. That said, it needs to be kept in mind that the team has an interim head coach and a general manager who didn’t call the shots before Jon Gruden resigned.
If Davis can get the head coaching hire right, the Raiders could be good quickly. There are some solid bones on the roster. Carr is a good quarterback, if kept around, Darren Waller is a superstar and Hunter Renfrow is one of the five best slot receivers in the NFL. On defense, Maxx Crosby is a stud, Trevon Moehrig has shown potential and there are other good young pieces spread out. The Raiders don’t need to start a complete rebuild from a roster standpoint. The front office and coaching staff will be rebuilt but the talent is there for the right coach to build a winner quickly for the silver and black.
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