On the one hand, encouraged by victories over the play-off bound Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals, a youthful Raiders side can look forward to challenging for AFC West honors next season. Shane Lechler and Nnamdi Asomugha will go to the Pro Bowl this month.
Sebastian Janikowski, Tyvon Branch, Zach Miller, and Richard Seymour cannot have been far away from selection. It was also a breakout year for Michael Bush, Michael Huff, and Bruce Gradkowski.
On the flip side of the coin, JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, and Darrius Heyward-Bey have so far failed to live up to high expectations and with them in key positions on offense, Oakland has slipped to a seventh double-digit-loss season, including embarrassing home losses to the Redskins, Chiefs, Broncos and Jets.
Are the Raiders progressing or continuing to stagnate?
Despite the obvious negatives, it is impossible to ignore the signs of improvement. Oakland is undoubtedly in a stronger position than at the same stage last year, but is it enough for Mr. Davis? Will Oakland opt to undergo another make-over in order to move forward? We will find out in the next few weeks.
The fact of the matter is that Oakland does not need yet another make-over. With just two significant (but manageable) changes, the Raiders have the ability to have a winning season in 2010. These changes are as follows:
1) One man, one job. This may sound simple, but the Oakland Raiders currently have an inexperienced head coach wearing a multitude of hats.