Hue Jackson Will Shepherd the Good Sheep; Are There Any Goats in 2011?

There can be good players and bad players. Bad players are the "busts." Now, if the head coach is like a shepherd who tends, nurtures and guides "good sheep" or good players, then the other guys who don't function very well are "the goats."

In 2010, we had a goat for a while. Are any of the players going to be "busts" or "goats" in 2011 because their learning curve is warped?

Now you may ask, "What can cause the career of an Oakland Raiders player to get 'bent out of shape' or 'warped?'"

Drugs, women, failing to learn the playbook, poor relations with the coach or fellow players and personality/ego problems can "warp" the career of a guy who shows a lot of potential in college, but fails to produce in the NFL.

We don't need to name the warped careers of those who were Oakland Raiders. We do need to encourage the men on the current roster to avoid those things that get them "bent out of shape" in their careers with the team.

JaMarcus Russell's career was warped. It took time to see why his performance was irregular, but the truth finally came out. How in the world could a man who was offered millions of dollars trade off the opportunity for a mouth full of cough syrup which costs only six or seven? That does not make sense to many of us from another generation of fans.

Let's hope that the frustrations of the NFL lockout have not driven some of these guys to do things that "warp" their potential as great Oakland Raiders.

Don't be a goat and eat or drink crazy stuff.  Be a player who follows his shepherd or head coach and aspires to be shepherded, and head toward the playoffs and a Super Bowl.

Go Raiders!