Are the Oakland Raiders Getting Help from Division Foes?

The Raiders are getting help in their quest to win the division title this year. The draft and free agency look to be the completion of the Raiders' long rebuilding process.  

The head coaching spot is stable as Tom Cable will continue to lead Raider Nation. Cable will have a better supporting cast with the additions of offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and defensive line coach Mike Waufle.

Believe it or not, what the Raiders have done isn't even the best part. The Raiders actually appear to be getting help from outside.

Where is it coming from?

It's looks like it's coming from the other AFC west teams. 

The Kansas City Chiefs don't really count. They have been at the bottom of the division for the last couple of years. As far off as they appear to be, their rebuilding process seems to be going well.

It all started last year with GM Scott Pioli being brought to Kansas City from New England. He then hired 2008 NFC champion Arizona Cardinal offensive coordinator Todd Haley to be the head coach.

After a great year of filling in for injured Tom Brady in New England, quarterback Matt Cassel was brought in, with plans to build the offense around him. Cassel found things to be a little more difficult without Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and a line to protect him.

Cassel was paired with a young weapon in receiver Dwayne Bowe, but he was not available for the entire season. Bowe was suspended for four games for taking a banned diuretic.

Barring another suspension, we'll see if Cassell and Bowe can develop a connection. This year he will have Thomas Jones to get the running game going. They still appear to have holes on the offensive line, so we will see how this offense fares in 2010. 

Defensively, they have helped themselves but there are still holes. Safety Eric Berry is the much-needed playmaker they got in the first round. Cornerback Javier Arenas was a solid pick in the second round. 

Mike Vrabel is their veteran leader, but outside linebacker Tamba Hali seems to be the only threat they have up front. LSU stars Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson were collegiate beasts that need to get going in the NFL.

The Chiefs have had a good offseason, but they appear to have too many holes to make noise in 2010. One thing that will help the Raiders is that there is no more Larry Johnson in Kansas City.

The Denver Broncos appear to be the team that has helped tremendously as well. Josh McDaniels has made some questionable moves to let his team know that there is a new sheriff in the Mile High City.

The first thing he did was get rid of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler via trade to Chicago. He probably began to feel much like his mentor Bill Belichick as the Broncos went 6-2 in the first half of the season.

The Broncos then played the tougher part of their schedule and went 2-6 in the second half of the season. The Broncos then missed the playoffs.

At season's end, McDaniels felt the need to really let the Mile High City know it was his show. He traded receiver Brandon Marshall to Miami and parted ways was defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

The Broncos have since drafted receiver Demarius Thomas and quarterback Tim Tebow in the first round of the draft. I like both players, but we're talking about a potential Hall of Fame quarterback/receiver combo leaving the Mile High City.

Nolan is a good 3-4 defensive coordinator. I thought he could have made some things happen with Elvis Dumerville, Champ Bailey, and Brian Dawkins as a foundation, but McDaniels has other plans.

The San Diego Chargers look to have started helping the Raiders in 2007. They fired Marty Schottenheimer after he posted a 14-2 regular season record. He was replaced by Norv Turner, who had already proved not to be a great head coach.

After the 2009 season, they seem to have helped the Raiders more. All-World running back LaDainian Tomlinson had an understandable decline in production. He lost the right side of his offensive line and super blocking back Lorenzo Neal after the 2007 season.  

It was clear that Tomlinson needed some blockers. However, they let him go and replaced him with first round draft pick Ryan Mathews from Fresno State. It appears we're getting even more help from the Chargers to this day.

Left tackle Marcus McNeil and receiver Vincent Jackson are unhappy. It has been recently reported that the two will not sign their tenders and will not report to camp.

Raider killers Schottenheimer and Tomlinson are reason enough for Raider fans to rejoice. These recent developments help the Raiders even more.

Do you still not believe in the Raiders' chances of winning the AFC West this year?

They're as real as they've ever been in recent years.

Raider fans are now rejoicing over the great offseason they've had. Now there are even more reasons to be happy. It appears that the Raiders are getting help from the AFC West.