Is An Apology in Order?

[Pietro]

If you watched the Raider vs Saints pre season game, you are probably thinking about a whole lot of ways to describe it.

Words like, woeful, disgusting, outrageous, pathetic, disgraceful, shameful, bad, ugly, horrible, embarrassing and many more come to mind.

After 6 years of horrible football, embarrassments and dreadful performances, this was the icing on the cake.

I know, it's pre season. It dosn't matter. No professional athlete or team should put on such a performance to a paying public/fan.

The team charges top dollar for the fans. They expect better. We demand better.

This was the test. This was the one where the starters play into the 3rd quarter. This was the one where we can see how far the team has come and use it as a measuring stick.

They failed miserably!

If you listened to Jim Plunkett and Tom Flores, they fed you a steady diet of excuses. Boy did they ever.

Enough already!

Jamarcus Russell, it is time you stepped up and played to the level you are being paid!

Act like you care out there! My gosh, it's bad enough he sounds like a country bumpkin, plays like one and now looks like one with that silly mohawk.

Where is the fire. Where is the emotion. Where is the desire. Where is the improvement.

I always look for positives and am not afraid to criticize when it is warranted.

Folks, it's warranted.

The defense was horrific. The offense was worth.

Fortunately, it is pre season. Thank God!

One can hope, the team will work harder, play smarter with a purpose, desire and will.

Refuse to lose damn it!

As far as I am concerned, everyone who stepped out on that field and put forth that effort and that exhibition should be ashamed and embarrased.

And, an apology is in order to the fans who paid their hard earned money and those who agonizingly watched.

I'm waiting and I'm listening.

[twynkye]

Originally Posted by Pietro

If you watched the Raider vs Saints pre season game, you are probably thinking about a whole lot of ways to describe it.

Words like, woeful, disgusting, outrageous, pathetic, disgraceful, shameful, bad, ugly, horrible, embarrassing and many more come to mind.

After 6 years of horrible football, embarrassments and dreadful performances, this was the icing on the cake.

I know, it's pre season. It dosn't matter. No professional athlete or team should put on such a performance to a paying public/fan.

The team charges top dollar for the fans. They expect better. We demand better.

This was the test. This was the one where the starters play into the 3rd quarter. This was the one where we can see how far the team has come and use it as a measuring stick.

They failed miserably!

If you listened to Jim Plunkett and Tom Flores, they fed you a steady diet of excuses. Boy did they ever.

Enough already!

Jamarcus Russell, it is time you stepped up and played to the level you are being paid!

Act like you care out there! My gosh, it's bad enough he sounds like a country bumpkin, plays like one and now looks like one with that silly mohawk.

Where is the fire. Where is the emotion. Where is the desire. Where is the improvement.

I always look for positives and am not afraid to criticize when it is warranted.

Folks, it's warranted.

The defense was horrific. The offense was worth.

Fortunately, it is pre season. Thank God!

One can hope, the team will work harder, play smarter with a purpose, desire and will.

Refuse to lose damn it!

As far as I am concerned, everyone who stepped out on that field and put forth that effort and that exhibition should be ashamed and embarrased.

And, an apology is in order to the fans who paid their hard earned money and those who agonizingly watched.

I'm waiting and I'm listening.

That's a great post Pietro. I missed reading them. I'm glad I didn't leave work early to watch the game today. Would've cost me 3 hours.

[~OG~]

thanks for the read Pietro...

Even though it was a pre-season game, I have that feeling in my stomach when we got whoop at home against the Chargers on MNF and no it wasn't nothing I ate. I don't even care to watch this game again and I love to rewatch games win or lose. From what I saw was the Raiders were playing alot of Tampa 2 but in that scheme you need your front four to have a unrelentless pursuit and we're lacking that in the worst way. Now I love that we're trying new things on defense but it's obvious we're a few years away to draft players that fit that system but I'm not sure we're heading in that direction but whatever the Raiders call that defense they put out there today, I hope it's call descent on September 14.

[Raidermaiden]

No excuses for a game that poorly played even in preseason, I hoping the whole team just had an off day with the extreme heat and all the cable drama got them off their game, they did look a lot different then they did against Dallas. Brees always carves the Raiders up, but so did the other Saints QB's so that is worrisome, wonder what Rivers is going to do to our defense on the home opener.............yikes.

[MWR]

I think you nailed it Pietro. This was as sad a performance as I've seen from the Raiders. No improvement shown, no talent displayed, and even worse, no desire. Sad day to be a Raider fan.

But at least it can't get any worse. Can it?

[Jimi18]

Nice read Pietro...
All we can do is be thankful it was a preseason game.
but even Plunkett sounded somewhat disturbed at times.. he even said Flores was just sitting there shaking his head LoL
but your absolutely right..
No More excuses!!!
it was sorta a shame seeing the stadium 1/2 empty, but with performances like that.. who can blame them/us??

[code707]

It's getting to the point that I need to get paid as a fan

[Pietro]

Thanks everyone. Nice responses.

I have always been a glass is half full guy. At this point, I would get the coaches together and analyze very closely what went wrong, why and what we need to do to get better.

This team did not compete and that is inexcusable, especially at home.

Then, I get the troops together and lay the cards flat out on the table and pull no punches.

Their performance, their attitude, their demeanor was nothing less than shameful and disgraceful to every person who ever wore that Silver and Black uniform.

You are the Raiders for crying out loud! You dish out those types of losses, not take them!

To succeed, one must work tirelessly and continously strive to improve. It is obvious the efforts being made are not good enough, plain and simple.

You, who are supposed to be the stars of this team need to step up to the head of the class and act like you are the stars of this team.

Where is the leadership? Jamarcus, is it you? If it is, show it on the field! Don't accept mediocrity as being ok.

Oh well is for losers! Get up and kick somebodies ass!

It starts with leadership and I don't see it on the field from the most important player, the quarterback.

He needs to step up and step up now.

Fortunately, as you have all said, it is pre season and we probably have a few tricks we have been sand bagging. At least, that is our hope.

Still, to be humiliated like that at home in front of a national audience on NFL Network, sorry folks, Mr. Nice Guy should leave the building and it is now time to pull no punches with these guys, all of them.

[code707]

Oh well is for losers, go kick some ass - I like this quote!

My thing about this is, when players already have made their millions do they have the pride to dig deep inside their souls and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! "I am a part of this team that the whole world is mocking! I am part of the team that even my fans hate" can they say that to themselves? I DONT THINK SO! or at least they havent proven to me that they care.

At some point "I feel lousy" and "I feel embarrassed" do get old.

[Raidernexx]

Good post Pietro.
Sometimes being embarrassed isn't enough.

We've been getting "embarrassed" for six years plus now and yet there is a refusal to change the way we field a team.

I wholeheartedly agree that JaMarcus needs to do more than simply "lead by example", he needs to become the spark in which a fire is lit.

I'm not calling for Garcia to be the leader of the team, but if JaMarcus refuses to take that mantle, someone else has to.

Each year it becomes more an more difficult to get up for the season as a fan.
I started by attending fewer and fewer games. Then only watching via the NFL Ticket now that I'm in New Jersey.

Last year I considered not renewing but eventually did halfway through the season. This year, I'm definitely not going to renew because it's just too frustrating to watch this team go out and "embarrass themselves on national television" every weekend.

I'm becoming desensitized and as complacent as the players that wear the uniform I'm supporting.

New slogan for us Raider fans should be: "Just Ween Baby!"

Ween yourself off of the frustration through complacency.
Shared only by the Chicago Cubs fan base.

Nexx