how and why the Raiders will make the playoffs

It's tough to make the playoffs in the AFC, with basically every division being like the NFC East in competitiveness every year.

The Bengals, Jags, and Dolphins have crashed the playoff party in the last three years, so certainly, it wouldn't be impossible for the Raiders to do it, but:

1) The Bengals needed to go 6-0 in the division to make it last year
2) The Dolphins needed to get 11 wins to make the playoffs against a soft schedule, and couldn't have done it without Brady's injury
3) The Jaguars' starting QB threw 3 INTs in 13 games in 2007.

If you're into such stats, the average team DVOA (http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff)of these three teams was only 6.3%, or somewhere between the 2007 Redskins and the 2008 Redskins. So it's certainly possible. But as the Raiders have been the second worst team in football over the last three years, a playoff berth would require both a significant improvement (which is probably coming), and something terrible to happen to Philip Rivers, which may or may not be coming.

DITTO!

I'm looking at the title thread wondering why on earth do we give a rats patooy and then I saw who started the thread. My next question is, is there not a Raiders board he can play on? Some one should pull his starting of new threads abilities. I'm not trying to be a jerk but if it pertains to the Skins I guess it's ok, but if it's talking about Raiders .... who cares.

I'm betting the theory is we as Redskin fans would be still interested in what's being said about JC.
#1- JC has moved on and so have I.
#2- I'm betting there was just some itsy bitsy half sentence about JC and the whole article was about all the other players. So again why would we care?

and.... not to toot my own horn, I've been a member for a while and have posted many of comments, but as of yet even being a Redskin fan on a Redskin board I have not once felt the need to make a new thread. It amazes me that fans of other teams feel the need to show up and start one every other day.


wow, that was a little harsh. pull my thread starting priviledges? let's leave that one up to Matty.

also, i'm a redskins fan who happens to be a writer. that website has asked me to write bout the Raiders (in addition to weekly columns on the redskins). is that okay?

also, if you've never started a thread.... fine. to each his own. if you have a personal problem with me, also fine, i guess. but as i said, there's plenty of general nfl stuff on this board. if you only want to read the Redskins stuff, that's cool. no one's forcing you to click on threads you dont care about.

you might not have been trying to be a jerk, but you sure came off as one.

i hear you, but this forum is "Redskins and General NFL Discussion" so feel free not to click on threads about Rothlisburger, Lawrence Taylor, Tebow's jersey, and the Raiders playoff chances. if there was a seperate "general NFL" forum I would have posted it there.

Disregard the armchair mods. A lot of folks don't seem to realize we talk Skins and anything related to the NFL in this forum.

It's tough to make the playoffs in the AFC, with basically every division being like the NFC East in competitiveness every year.

The Bengals, Jags, and Dolphins have crashed the playoff party in the last three years, so certainly, it wouldn't be impossible for the Raiders to do it, but:

1) The Bengals needed to go 6-0 in the division to make it last year
2) The Dolphins needed to get 11 wins to make the playoffs against a soft schedule, and couldn't have done it without Brady's injury
3) The Jaguars' starting QB threw 3 INTs in 13 games in 2007.

If you're into such stats, the average team DVOA (http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff)of these three teams was only 6.3%, or somewhere between the 2007 Redskins and the 2008 Redskins. So it's certainly possible. But as the Raiders have been the second worst team in football over the last three years, a playoff berth would require both a significant improvement (which is probably coming), and something terrible to happen to Philip Rivers, which may or may not be coming.


great points, it would certainly be a challenge and a suprising result if it happened this year.

They would have to win the division. No way do they make it as a wild card. San Diego still has to be the favorite but after that I don't think there is a big gap bewtween Oak, Denver and KC.

On the raiders - skins theme, I watched the "30 for 30" movie the other night by ICe Cube, "Straight Outta LA." It was awesome, except for the clips of the LA Raiders killing us in the super bowl!

They showed an interview w/Dexter Manley from back then. Of course, they had to show M. Allen & his famous run on us. That was the apex for the LA raiders, they went hollywood after that, became a ghettoized fan base & mediocre at best for the rest of the 80s.

Interestingly, of the clips they showed about the raiders demise, they had a Raiders - Skins game in LA w/Jay Schroeder throwing a pick 6 to Martin Mayhew. The highlight was also accompanied by Willie Gault saying the raiders didn't have a great qb then. That they showed that game was fitting, since we traded Schroeder to them for the best LT in the game, Jim Lachey. Lachey went on to win a super bowl w/Joe Gibbs & D. Williams. Schroeder continued his downward slide w/the raiders. Kind of funny to look at that w/the recent JC trade having gone down.

Another funny thing in the movie were the tapes of Shanahan being introduced as head coach in 88 I believe. Rod Martin, raiders LB from the super bowl team, said that Shanahan wanted to make them a finesse team and "took the fun out" of football for him. Shanahan's & Al Davis' stormy relationship has always been well known in the press. Yet, w/Bruce Allen here, we have a former raiders gm who obviously can make a deal w/Al Davis et al.

On the raiders making the playoffs this year; I'd say they're about in the same boat we are. It will take some good fortune & overachieving to get there.

They would have to win the division. No way do they make it as a wild card. San Diego still has to be the favorite but after that I don't think there is a big gap bewtween Oak, Denver and KC.

KC hasn't done enough to be a winning team IMO, but Denver should at least give teams a run for their money. they are getting younger, but will need another year to be a winning team. SD has the only complete roster in the div.

So you really think because JC is a hard working QB that will turn the other players into hard working players? Wonder why it didn't work here? Oh, maybe it did but his stron effort could not over come his lack of talent.

So you really think because JC is a hard working QB that will turn the other players into hard working players? Wonder why it didn't work here? Oh, maybe it did but his stron effort could not over come his lack of talent.

We had bigger problems, don't you think?

So you really think because JC is a hard working QB that will turn the other players into hard working players? Wonder why it didn't work here? Oh, maybe it did but his stron effort could not over come his lack of talent.


no, my point was that switching from Russell to Gradkowski was obviously a spark and that team won with Gradkowski (hardly a worldbeater himself) so i meant that handing the keys to a guy who gives a shit and works hard might have a similar effect.