Oakland Raiders Will Not Be Satisfied With Another Losing Season—Period

When a player has an opportunity to play in the NFL, he leaves people wanting to know the trials and tribulations it took to get there, as if there is a secret to your success. 

When people ask me, I wish that I could give them a really cool answer; the truth is, however, there is no secret. 

It's no different than anything else: A determined mindset to reach the goals you set for yourself, and a little luck. 

One of the defining characteristic of a NFL player is to never be satisfied.

So, when you hear people make comments like, "The team should be satisfied they did better then last year," that may register with fans but not with the players.

"Almost" is never good enough in the mind of a player.   

Let me tell you something about the mind set of every NFL player, at least the players that are worth a damn: Just playing in the NFL is not good enough.

True players want a Super Bowl under their belt before they lose the chance. 

Time is limited in the NFL and players count years like dog year—with one year equaling seven. This is why players put so much emphasise on practice during the week, as a player will only get between thirty and sixty snaps a game and needs to make every snap count.

The NFL is a harsh place to survive mainly because it's a league that forgets from week to week. It's a performance-based job that will crown you king of the world for winning and will dump you like a bad prom date for losing. 

If players want to be remembered in the NFL, they have to create memories for the fans that will last forever. 

Best way to create a memory is by making it to the playoffs or a Super Bowl.  50 years from now, everyone will still recognize Jim Plunkett as a two-time Super Bowl champion; not many will remember Clint McCray, a practice squad player that worked his way up to the active roster then was cut at the end of the season.

Last week, the Raiders beat the Chargers in convincing fashion and this week lost in a close game to the Jaguars.   

Remember: This is a week to week league, so if the Chargers end up going to the playoffs, the Raiders victory over them will be forgotten in the grand scheme of things. 

It still means the world to the fans, but will end up being just another statistic used by analyst next season when the two teams meet. 

Teams go through major changes every offseason, so the idea that a team will perform the way it did the previous year is highly unlikely. 

The good news is most of the players on the Raiders team are under contract for the next couple years and will be back next year. Every player I talked to this week is unsatisfied with the results of this season, which already starts the fire for next season.

With two more games left on the schedule, the Raiders have a chance for a winning season and to send a strong message to Raider Nation: "The Raiders are back."

Jarrod Cooper

8 year Veteran

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