Oakland Raiders: 5 Reasons Why They Will Continue To Lose

The Oakland Raiders. What was once a proud and respected franchise has withered away to nothing more than a doormat for the rest of the league. 

Gone are the days of Ken Stabler and John Madden. Those legends of the silver and black have been replaced with a has-been here and a never-was there. By the looks of things, that's not likely to change for quite some time. 

One could go on forever listing the problems with the franchise as currently constructed, but currently, there are 5 major problems that need to be addressed before this team can even sniff the playoffs.

1. Ownership

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OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 23: Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis speaks during a news conference introducing new Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin on January 23, 2007 in Oakland, California. Kiffin, a 31 year-old offensive coordinator from the University of Souther

It starts at the top. Al Davis is perhaps the most misguided and clueless owner in all of sports, Donald Sterling notwithstanding. It's become so bad that he has begun to become a caricature of himself; here is a man who was once considered a visionary.

His hands on approach was imitated by men like Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and Mike Brown of the Bengals, due to his successful run at three Super Bowl titles. This Hall of Fame executive is now a shell of his former self. He values speed over route-running at the wide receiver position and arm strength over moxie at the quarterback position.

With his football values in such disarray, it's no surprise that the Raiders are largely considered a joke. As long as he is in charge of the decision making in Oakland, don't expect anything to change. 

2. Head Coach

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GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 26: Head coach Tom Cable of the Oakland Raiders scratches his head as he stands on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 26, 2010 i

Meet Tom Cable. For reasons unknown to the rest of the league, this man was hired by Al Davis to be the head coach after the organization went through a messy divorce from Lane Kiffin four games into the 2008 season.

His only head coaching experience at any level came from 2000-2003 at the University of Idaho where he went an unspectacular 11-35. As one of the worst clock managers in all of professional football, it's hard to see how this man is qualified to be a head coach.

He seems to be employed as an easily manipulated puppet for Al Davis to control.While accusations of anger problems and violence issues abound, indecision and a lack of overall discipline have been the hallmarks of his reign as the Raiders' head coach. 

3. Quarterbacks

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OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Jason Campbell #8 of the Oakland Raiders lies on the ground after being sacked against the St. Louis Rams during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 19, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacob

Since Rich Gannon went down in week 3 of the 2004 season, the quarterback position has been an abject disaster in Oakland. Names like Josh McCown, Andrew Walter, Charlie Frye, and Aaron Brooks come to mind when ruminating on recent Raider signal-callers. Those names don't exactly engender any sort of confidence, much less bring to mind any semblance of winning.

JaMarcus Russell hardly bears mentioning, but it would be an insult to draft busts everywhere to not at least mention just how bad this man was at being a professional quarterback.

Now, only three games into the season, the Raiders have gone from Jason Campbell to Bruce Gradkowski, continuing the shuffle of mediocrity that has plagued this once great franchise. Until they secure a franchise quarterback, expect more losing. 

4. Lack of Leadership

This play by Rolando McClain in week 2 of this season against the St. Louis Rams perfectly sums up the amount of leadership that the Oakland Raiders have. This was a blatant personal foul that cost the Raiders 15 yards of field position, but what was McClain's reaction? He celebrated as if he had just sacked Sam Bradford for a 15 yard loss.

Here's a rookie who needs leadership and direction to mold his supreme talent into that of a great professional. Instead of a tongue-lashing from one of his veteran teammates, McClain receives accolades and congratulations.

Something like this would never happen on a team like the Patriots or the Giants. Teams that win year in and year out do so for a reason. They have leadership on the field that instructs rookies on how to go about playing the game.

It's no wonder why the Raiders lead the league in draft busts. If the Raiders continue down this road rudderless and without a strong locker room voice, the team will continue to fail.

Wasted Funds

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OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: Nnamdi Asomugha #21 of the Oakland Raiders sits on the bench against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on January 3, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

The Raiders best player, Nnamdi Asomugha, is perhaps also their biggest albatross.

It's no secret that Al Davis values talent, but he handed out an outrageous $45.3 million, three-year contract to what seems to be a luxury on this team of misfits. A shut-down corner is a great commodity, but his worth is diminished when the team surrounding him is so bad. What good is one shut-down corner if he is essentially the only talent the team has to speak of?

Other aquisitions like D'Angelo Hall and Javon Walker have been failures, and these signings speak to the misguided leadership of the team. When the Raiders start spending money wisely, they will start winning.