Raiders options for remainder of season

October 14, 1:28 AMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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With week six of the NFL season approaching, the Oakland Raiders once again have to do some serious soul searching. Whilst, technically a 1-4 record doesn't mean they are eliminated from the playoff picture, their completely abysmal performance thus far in 2009 shows that there is no hope of a post season for the Silver and Black.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)

No one from the organization can come out and say that it is time to thrown in the towel on the season, especially with Al Davis around. However, the stark reality is that with the way they are playing, the chances they avoid double digit losses for the first time since 2002 range somewhere between slim and none. In fact, the Raiders look more like a team competing for the first overall pick than anything else.

The Raiders have been between bad and ineffective in all three phases of the game, and despite the assurances from players like Michael Bush saying "every game should be a relatively equal match, we're good." they are far from a good team. Good teams have a bad game. The Raiders have had four straight games where they couldn't even manage 200 yards of total offense. That is not the mark of a good team. That is the mark of a very bad team.

With the allegations swarming around head coach Tom Cable, as well as the pitiful performance of the team on the field, it is becoming a safe bet that 2010 will see the Raiders start the season with a new head coach for the third consecutive year. WIth JaMarcus Russell's seeming inability to get out of his own way, the Raiders very well could and possibly should be considering replacing him as well come next season. Since 2010 will be the 'uncapped year' there won't be any cap to take a hit for his release.

The Raiders have a few options on how they can play out the string.

Tank you very much:

This has been a common second half to nearly every Raider season since 2002. They reach the point where they realize they are just playing out the string, and start tanking. There could be strategic merit to this as they position themselves for a better pick in April's draft, or it could be the players knowing that they are under yet another lame duck regime, so why bother? This happened to Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, and Art Shell. It seemed to happen with Lane Kiffin in 2007, despite Kiffin coming back to start the following season. The Raiders won two straight under Kiffin and looked like they were heating up, only for the story to break about Kiffin being interested in the job at Arkansas and the team to lose their last four.

If the Raiders were to go into tank mode, it couldn't look any worse than the Raiders have looked so far this season. They have no offense, defense, or special teams. In fact, Antonio Pierce of the New York Giants said, "There was no vibe of trying or effort from the Raiders at all from a defensive standpoint against their offense. We're getting three-and-outs. You don't hear nobody (saying), 'Hey, let's go!' trying to pick the guys up, rallying them, getting guys fired up. There was nothing. It was quiet. A guy gets sacked or somebody gets beat, they just get up. It's not like there's yelling or no kind of (emotion) about the way they were playing."

Mix and match:

Perhaps the Napa district attorney's office doesn't proceed to trial against Cable, and he feels he can fight for another year. He could go hog wild by benching the players who are not producing and try other guys. That method, along with some luck, could light a fire under some of the guys and produce a few extra wins. This would be favored by the fans, as wins are the ultimate goal. However, it would seem that Cable's ability to make changes in the roster are limited from above.

Stay the course:

This is the most likely scenario, as well as Cable's favorite saying. Barring injury, JaMarcus Russell will be starting for the remainder of the season. Darrius Heyward-Bey will likely also continue starting despite his inability to hold on to the ball. (2 catches and at least 10 drops.) Cable will continue with his post game assessments that shift the blame from one unit to another and the losses will continue to add up.

Sadly, with the way the Raiders have been playing, 2006 may be in jeopardy as the plateau of ineptitude not only from an offensive standpoint, but also from standpoint of the win-loss record.

For more info: Check out  RaiderNews.com for the latest on the Oakland Raiders.

You can also find Patrick Patterson on Thoughts from the Dark Side.