Oakland Raiders: Be on Guard, Toughen Up

Research is a good thing. Sometimes, you get a shock when you see the results.

I am so curious I spied on the data for the San Diego Chargers. Let's call it reconnaissance. On second thought, it cannot be called spying because the data is in the public domain.

The goal of my research was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our opponent. Comparisons are sensible so the Oakland Raiders clearly know what they are coming up against.

Someone commented I should spend time discussing the Oakland Raiders, rather than searching out the strengths, weakness, and points of vulnerability of the opponents of the Raiders.

How immature that comment was. In war, even in football war, you need to study your opponent.

What you find will not always be easy to digest. For example, I looked at the 50-year history of the San Diego Chargers. During their existence, there has not been even one shutout.

Alert! Toughen up, Oakland Raiders. Even if you are tempted to party, sip a drink, and overindulge (a little) this week, don't do it. Please, focus on preparation for the game.

I had this great idea of comparing their shutouts with those of the Oakland Raiders.

This research was an eye-opener. Unless I am missing something, the Chargers have never had a shutout during the regular season in their 50-year history.

Another approach I used to gain insight was to calculate what I call "differentials." These are the differences in the score between the Raiders and their opponents.

The total differences in final scores between the Raiders and their opponents is negative 124, or -124. This means Oakland needs to work harder, play harder, and think smarter. Oakland has allowed the opponent to score 124 points more than they have.

It is difficult to sugarcoat these numbers.

All we can say is, "Get out there, and play like you mean it."

This, then, is a reality check for us. Don't dare go into the game without being buttressed and ready to play hard.

Enough said!