Oakland Raiders Get a Wake-Up Call: Is It Going to Be Enough?

From the words around the Internet right now, you'd think the Raiders just went 0-16.

Folks, calm down....it was one game.

For that matter, it was a preseason game, which ranks it somewhere with obscure memories of Pro Bowls and that American Bowl played in Berlin.

This was a game that was set up to measure how far the team had developed, how far the team has to go, and what needs help.

And contrary to the score, not everything was horrible.

JaMarcus Russell threw for over 150 yards. Both Zach Miller and Louis Murphy had over 70 yards in catches.

But the biggest problem today was Oakland self-destructed at the worst time.

Three fumbles were lost, and 10 penalties for 94 yards were assessed—although a few seemed odd, such as a holding call against the Raiders, when the referee didn't know which side of the field the Raiders were on.

We did not have a good day on third down. We managed one first down in 10 tries. Granted, a first down should be expected from one to three yards away, but if you are looking at a 3rd-and-14, it's going to be tough to convert.

I'm hoping Tom Cable approaches his next meeting, quietly enters the room....and flips a table. Then, once he has everyone's attention, he forces everyone to watch the game again and figure out how to prevent a recurrence of this game in Seattle next week.

I am still hopeful for the team...the regular season is still over two weeks away.

But time is running out.