After five weeks of the 2009 NFL season teams are beginning to define their identities. As Dennis Green would say, “the teams are who we think they are.” This does not mean that all teams will remain stagnant in their identity.
There is still a lot of season left. Time enough for teams that are currently treading water to develop that tread into a Michael Phelps sprint. There are also enough games left that teams looking like serious Super Bowl contenders will be exposed as frauds or succumb to the injuries that are inevitable in this brutal sport.
The bottom feeders, however, are not going to inspire much hope for anything other than little improvements and moral victories. Signs that ultimately point to nothing greater than the suggestion that next year will be different.
It is completely unrealistic to hope for any team with zero to one win(s) this year to make a run at the playoffs. Strong performances and signs of growth, thrown in with an upset or two in games played with maximum effort, can be enough to salvage the jobs of coaches and give fans a hopeful outlook during the long off season. Look no further than last year’s Raiders team.
Ultimately the chance that any of these teams will create a meaningful impact in this season is reduced to knocking a team out of the playoffs towards the end of the year.
The Oakland Raiders are different. There is no doubt they will make serious noise the rest of this NFL season.
Not because they are going to make the playoffs or go on a prolonged winning streak, but because the onslaught of criticism cast upon everyone’s favorite red headed step team is going to grow.
This is a team that is widely regarded as the biggest joke in the NFL. I do not get it though- I can’t find the humor in this joke anywhere. Instead I am stuck on the outside shaking my head as I try to find positives to take out of a season that gets a lot more black and a little less silver with each passing week.
The Raiders started this season hanging onto tangible signs of hope. They showed signs of improvement at the end of last year. This was a young team with lots of potential.
Russell finished last season strong. Darren McFadden and Michael Bush had the potential to be the best young RB duo in the league. Chaz Schillens was poised to emerge as a legitimate number one while leading a young and improved receiving corps to a long forgotten promise land.
Al Davis listened to his head coach and offensive line guru, Tom Cable, by trading for Samson Satele and picking up free agent Kahlif Barnes to solidify the offensive line. Mario Henderson ended last season like he was going to make the Left Tackle position his.
The biggest concern of the defense was its inability to slow down opponents run game, particularly on the outside of the defensive lines. This concern quickly turned into yet another source of hope when Richard Seymour was acquired via trade.
Let’s take a look in to see how these seeds of hope are growing. Russell looks uninterested in improving and has regressed. McFadden does not look durable enough to be an NFL running back. Schillens has not played a game yet.
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