The Oakland Raiders Corporation: A New Direction

I've been sitting around thinking of an idea for a new article, and one popped into my head: what if the Raiders were a giant corporation?

Now, hear me out. I know they already are a giant corporation. I'm not talking about the franchise. I'm talking about the players only. What if the players were a corporation? What would the corporate organizational chart look like? Which departments would each player or position group represent?

Obviously I've taken some artistic license with this article in regards to roles and responsibilities and various departments and divisions. I had to personalize it for the Silver & Black after all.

I give you the Oakland Raiders players-only corporate structure:

CEO - JaMarcus Russell, QB

The CEO is the head of the corporation. They are responsible for ensuring that the company performs effectively in daily operations. The CEO should be the most well-informed member of the company, and work diligently to ensure they have a firm grasp on the company mandate and what it takes to be successful.

Russell's talent and potential to be great may have got him into the position, but to stay there he needs to perform and show the want and need to be great. He can't ride the fact that the board is sweet on him for very long.

He's taking steps and slowly growing into the position this offseason, with his renewed commitment to his mechanics and his "corporate retreat" with the sports research and development department being a big step forward.

In life, the CEO receives high praise when a company is successful, but rarely any blow-back if the company is not. This is where Russell needs to improve as CEO. He needs to accept the praise when things go well, sure, but he really needs to be better at deflecting blame on others when he struggles.

He could say things like "Well, we've gone through three corporate restructurings in the time I've been here, and mandates and board members have constantly changed, so I'm just now getting a grasp on company policy."

Or, "Well the board hasn't really put much support staff in place for when things go awry, so I basically have to fend for myself when security or protection breaks down."

I mean, that's what a leader does, right? They whine and blame other people. They don't keep their mouths shut and try and get better. So in that respect, Russell needs to improve to be an effective CEO, because he doesn't blame other people for his struggles. But he's young; with hard work and dedication, he'll learn.

PRESIDENT - Darren McFadden, RB

VICE PRESIDENTS - Michael Bush, Justin Fargas RBs

The VP's support the president and essentially do for the president what the president does for the CEO. In this case, the crew of McFadden, Bush, and Fargas are there to take the pressure off Russell and give him everything he needs to succeed.

With the different styles the three bring to the table, they have the ability to keep the business moving forward, and allow Russell to take less business risks.

McFadden dazzles with his flash, wit, and charm; Bush hammers away with his surprising tact, grit, and determination; and Fargas, the closer, comes in and finishes them off with his relentless attacking style. A three-pronged attack is effective in any business.

Anytime a CEO can play it safe because his staff has done their research and put him in a position to succeed, the entire company thrives.

It is imperative that these three can work together and maintain a good inter-office relationship, because any friction at this level would cause a trickle-down effect of poor leverage, weak bargaining position, and massive wear down in fourth quarter numbers. The CEO would then be forced to step in and take up the slack. If he's worn down or forced to do too much, it can spell disaster.

Effective leadership and support from his right-hand men is essential for Russell's development as CEO. When things at the top are running smoothly, everyone feels it and benefits.

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