In a year in which the team had more dead money against the salary cap than any other in league history, little was expected by way of wins or even competitiveness heading in. Even so, the Raiders showed some promise early on, turning out to be one of the NFL's surprise teams in the first half of the season.
Despite the lack of expectations, the ensuing drop off in play during the second half of the season seemed that much more disappointing for the organization and fans alike.
As a result, questions surrounding the fit of both the coaching staff and even management for this team have begun to circulate of late.
The biggest question that needs to be answered, especially if this team is to help itself moving forward, is: Where did it all go wrong in 2013?
A realistic analysis suggests that the Raiders did not have the necessary tools to get the job done this season, and they finished right around where most league experts expected them to.
Unfortunately, the impressive start to the season will have many thinking that the Raiders could have been a playoff team only to fall apart down the stretch due to poor coaching, when that is simply just not the case.
Yes, the team regressed as the season carried on, and that does reflects poorly on the coaching staff on the surface, but in the NFL, someone always shoulders the blame for a lost season. A deeper look may suggest that the early success was a result of the high-level coaching by that of Dennis Allen and his staff, while the regression to follow can be attributed to the team's talent and depth limitations catching up to them.
Consider the Raiders' run defense as the primary example. On paper, improvements were made to the ro...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
