Over the last decade we have watched the Oakland Raiders become one of the laughingstocks of the NFL right before our very eyes.
From bad free agent moves, to head-scratching draft choices, to questionable head coaching decisions, the organization's shortcomings have piled up into a mess.
Yet there still might be a light at the end of the tunnel for Raider Nation.
Say what you want about JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey, but the fact is that they are still very young and inexperienced.
Were we honestly expecting these two to come into the league and set the world on fire from the get-go?
These are two young men that possess a great deal of talent but are also extremely raw. Their games need refinement and they need to grow and learn about what it takes to succeed in the NFL as a player.
The light hasn’t come on yet, and it may never come on, but let's at least give them a fair shake before we throw them to the side.
QB and WR are two of the hardest positions to come in and be successful at right away, especially for a bad team.
The Raiders have chosen these cards to play, and to give up on them now would be foolish.
In time, I believe that these two can be a solid foundation for a franchise on the way up. Because let's face it, things can’t get much worse.
It’s better for Russell and Heyward-Bey to take their lumps early and learn from them.
The fact is that no matter what anyone says, they can be successful pro players. They are going to need the talent around them though. This is a team game, and one single player can only be as successful as his counterparts.
That brings us to this year's draft and what the Raiders should do with the eighth pick in this y...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
