Oakland Raiders Vs Tampa Bay Bucs: Old Vs New Raiders

Oh Chucky, if only we knew.

Since Chucky's departure, minus one good year in 2002, Oakland has been a mess. With a number of coaches, QBs, players, a soap opera, and even general chaos, makes for an interesting background to this week's final game for Oakland, or possibly Tampa Bay's as well.

If you consider since Gruden left, these two clubs have had an odd connection. Gruden, Bruce Allen, Tim Brown, and Philip Buchanon via Houston, came to Tampa Bay. Warren Sapp and Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin's son, joined the Raiders for a short time.

For added oddity, Lane now will steal two coaches, one from Oakland and one from Tampa Bay, to build his staff in the college ranks. Plus Kiffin was the second to last coach for the Raiders, fired after a weak start and a inability to deal with Al Davis.

So, to the game standpoint, how big is this game?

Oakland is 4-11. They've been at or near the bottom the last six years. The few bright points they have, like the victory last week, do give a little hope to the faithful out there. Considering Houston was supposed to walk over Oakland, the Texans might not make .500 now.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, just got throttled by a San Diego team want the playoffs in the worst way. Trying to turn the ultimate trick, they wanted to make their last game of the season meaningful, so getting past Tampa wasn't going to be an option.

And Jeff Garcia was shelled, big time, 24-41. While he did have 232 yards in the loss, he threw two INTs, one returned for a TD at the end of the game, sealing the win.

Tampa Bay right now, needs help to get into the playoffs. Several of the routes involve Dallas losing it's game on Sunday to the Eagles. I can't imagine Al Davis wouldn't love to win one on the road, against a former student.

One thing that can't bode well for the Bucs, is the hard facts. They were 9-3 three weeks ago, in control of their own playoff route. They were about to chase down the Carolina Panthers, and were fending off Atlanta.

Three straight losses, to Atlanta, Carolina, and San Diego...and the picture ain't pretty.

For Oakland, meanwhile, it's a case of a interim coach hoping to solidify his position. JaMarcus Russell showed a side of his maturity, rarely seen this year, and Darren McFadden is proving himself to be a multifaceted weapon, with or without the ball.

For this game, I'm going to give the nod to Oakland. Simply because, Tampa Bay isn't as hopeful as they seem. And Oakland seems to understand the principals to win, is a full effort. With a team full of vibrant young players, Oakland wants to turn the corner, and set the table for next year.

Oakland 21 Tampa Bay 17