Why do I love the Raiders? Well I'm an NFL fan first and foremost, but I tagged on to the Raiders in 2000 for the simple reason that they have all the traits of my home town soccer team, Newcastle United.
Newcastle United have fanatic support, known around Europe as "The Toon Army". Sounds like jibberish, but "Toon" is actually how we pronounce "Town" up here in the north of England. I'm not joking, we do.......
Newcastle also has a history of having free-spirited, maverick owners, who say "screw you" to the leagues authorities. And it's always been a home for players who have fallen out with other teams, or had disciplinary problems.
A second chance
And also a history of not winning much in the last 20 years, and in general, being the team that the other fans like to have a laugh at.
So I immediately felt an affinity for the Raiders, and all that they stand for.
Just win baby. Don't listen to anyone. Don't care how you do it.
I thought I'd write my first article on the team, about something I read on a blog. A fan was questioning why Oakland dropped the 3-4 in 2004, so quickly. Why didn't they go with it a bit more?
I immediately assumed it had been dropped, as we didn't have the personnel. In my (limited) experience, it seems that 3-4 defences can be disastrous, if you don't have the right players, and that 4-3 is the better option for struggling teams.
Possibly less dynamic. But a more solid option.
I'm not sure Oakland's D can be classed as "struggling" any more though. In fact, many pundits think it will be one of the more talented in the league next year.
Steve Young recently compared it, potentially, to the great Ravens defences of the last decade, and claimed that Oakland would keep most teams "...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
