Oakland Raiders: The Love of Our Lives Is Faithful on Any Given Day

You don't have to remind the Raider Nation that the Oakland Raiders have a 2-4 win-loss record this season. Even so, many of the fans still wear their gear, and look forward to the next game.

Sometimes I drive about 90 miles to visit a man who loves the Oakland Raiders, no matter what the record is. He has a steady gaze and look of concern when you ask him about the Raiders.

I know to stay positive with him. He will not tolerate any other attitude. I think that what is perplexing to him and to others in the Raider Nation is the fact that the team is very talented, but the wins are here and there.

What's the problem? Is it a problem of lack of commitment to excellence? Are some of them afraid to be hit?

While I am writing this article, a commercial aired on television, and a man yelled "Do you wanna be a champ or a chump?"

Well, that is a timely question. Do these young, talented players for the Oakland Raiders want to be perceived as future champions or as chumps?

In the '60s, many of the guys who attended the college I attended fought hard to become champions. Losing was not an option. Winning was the goal, and they aggressively pursued that goal.

Let's look at some historical data in 1967 from Pro Football Reference.

  Rushing Receiving     No.   Age Pos G GS Att Yds TD Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G YScm RRTD Fmb 35 Hewritt Dixon* 27 FB 13 0 153 559 5 40 3.7 43.0 11.8 59 563 9.5 2 48 4.5 43.3 1122 7 6 36 Clem Daniels 30 HB 9 0 130 575 4 52 4.4 63.9 14.4 16 222 13.9 2 40 1.8 24.7 797 6 2 40 Pete Banaszak 23 fb 10 0 68 376 1 47 5.5 37.6 6.8 16 192 12.0 1 72 1.6 19.2 568 2 0 30 Roger Hagberg 28   12 0 44 146 2 11 3.3 12.2 3.7 11 114 10.4 1 25 0.9 9.5 260 3 1 22 Larry Todd 25   5 0 29 116 2 16 4.0 23.2 5.8 4 42 10.5 0 17 0.8 8.4 158 2 0 3 Daryle Lamonica*+ 26 QB 14 14 22 110 4 26 5.0 7.9 1.6     &nb...

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