Another Win in the Books

But is it really a "win"?

Any win is a good win, of course. In particular, this win assures the Raiders will finish with at least five wins (and two games left to play, one very winnable). This, in turn, assures that we will have matched or improved on our record every year since 2006. For all the hooplah about how dysfunctional this franchise is, there are at least a few other teams who have been on a finishing record roller coaster, including next week's opponent, the typically-hapless Cleveland Browns.

So what could spoil such a great occasion? Before Sunday, it was a general sentiment in the Oakland media (and evidently in the Raiders camp itself) that JaMarcus Russell would be on his way out, clearing a hell of a lot of salary cap space and also removing a player who seemingly does not care enough to be a QB in the NFL.

This sentiment was further engrained when once #3 QB Charlie Frye was given the start in Bruce Gradkowski's place. It seemed that Coach Cable would have to be out of his mind to put Russell in for the start, and his actions clearly backed this notion up. And then, lo and behold, Frye gets hurt after a lackluster yet not altogether disastrous three quarters, and Cable is backed into a wall. It's either Russell or J.P. Losman, a guy that started the season on a UFL roster and had only been signed for a week. Personally, I think I would have taken my chances with J.P., but then I would have been wrong.

Who would have guessed that JaMarcus would lead this team to a last minute touchdown with less than forty seconds remaining, against one of the best pass defenses in the league, a team that had shut us out of the end zone in Oakland earlier this year? Well, it happened, and that had to restore some confidence from Al Davis, who like it or not will ultimately decide his fate at the end of the season.

So was it a perfect win? Not by a long shot. We're back in limbo on who it is we should be paying to lead this team, and who should be kicked to the curb. Ideally, I would hope that it comes down to who shows the commitment and work ethic needed to be a quarterback in this league. Any other factor is simply icing on the cake. It all comes down to commitment, which is a fact that holds true in many areas of life.

This would be post #100 by the way. Here's to a 100,000 more to come!