Oakland Raiders Need To Say Goodbye to Mr. Nice Guy: We Won!

The rules are changing in the NFL. Nevertheless, there is still room and space for the Oakland Raiders to tweak their play and become the crude, rude dudes that win more games.

Football is a physical game where nice guys lose, and crude, rude dudes tend to win.

If you saw the new movie about the kid who kept getting beat up by a child in Beijing, you silently cheered when the American kid got training and discipline to protect himself.

I thought about the Oakland Raiders. I wondered if they were willing to learn new disciplines to win games. One thing is certain: New strategies can be learned.

Anticipation was a skill taught by the great teacher of the young American boy in Beijing. Now, apply that idea to the Oakland Raiders: They must read the game more carefully and anticipate moves while countering those moves with new reactions and strategies.

It takes a lot of focus and alertness to play a game well in 2010. Focus, sharp focus, is needed. Determination, fierceness and focus are a must.

Reading the nonverbal body language of the opponent is a necessary skill.

Maybe if these fresh, young men had grown up on dangerous street corners in certain cities, they would have developed the keenness and alertness you need for survival on those streets.

This is not to suggest that those experiences are the best, but it does mean that even out of hostile environments some good skills can be learned and used on the playing field.

It is a good thing that this generation of NFL players may not have had the hard life or hostile environments to contend with. Unfortunately, however, they may just be too "soft" to play a hard-hitting game of professional football.

Something is missing sometimes, so it makes sense to question what is going on.

Nevertheless, the theme is still excellence. It is also, "Just win, baby!"

So get out there and play ball like you mean it.

Go Raiders!