The Black Hole: Go Inside the Las Vegas Raiders VI

In our weekly Black Hole article discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly with the Las Vegas Raiders we take you inside the Silver and Black.

Henderson, Nev. -- People are hungry for information on their beloved Las Vegas Raiders, and I am here with a smorgasbord of food.

I get a lot of nuggets and information that alone are not big enough for a story. When I have a few that I can assemble, I will, and when I only have one or two, I will post them on our community page. So, welcome to The Black Hole.

• Jon Gruden has held together a team of young players and free agents, with on-field and off-field issues, and steered the Las Vegas Raiders ship to 5-3 at the halfway point.
• We saw this coming at Raiders Maven in our preseason predictions.
• Gruden deserves all of the respect in the world for what he has done. After two years, he is proving why he is potentially what a Hall of Fame coach looks like.
• "If he's not the best right guard in football, show me the man. I wouldn't trade Gabe for nothing. We think Rodney Hudson and Denzelle [Good], the inside guys are playing great." Gruden can't hold back the praise of his guys and the job they are doing.
• Earvin "Magic" Johnson and I had a conversation at the Breslin Center once. I asked him about the difference between good and great players.
• I specifically discussed the journey of a player moving from good to great. His answer floored me, and I felt it transcended all sports and was really about life.
• "There are a lot of people who are really good at what they do. But if you are going to be great, elite, then you have to be a good player who makes everyone around him better. People think being great is about them, (but) it is about being good and making others better." I agree with Earvin.
• So keeping what Earvin said in mind, listen to what Jon Gruden thinks of his interior lineman and quarterback play. “That’s the strength of this offense, the quarterback and the interior linemen. Boy, they make the guys next to them play better. They really set the standard here. They know how to prepare. They know how to compete."
• We spent significant time this offseason putting Gruden's staff under the microscope. We said that Tom Cable was among the best offensive line coaches and even position coaches. He has proven every single letter of praise we gave him as accurate.
• The way Cable has maneuvered his team through injuries, COVID-19, and numerous players is nothing short of amazing. If Tom Cable, at the halfway point of the 2020 season, isn't the NFL's top position coach, then I have no clue who would be.
• Position coaches can only work with what their general manager gives them. It is easy for fans to go after a coach, but that isn't always reality.
• Coming into the season, we discussed the Raiders have one of the best offensive lines in all of the National Football League.
• Through the mastery of Cable, they still do, even with an offensive line held together with scotch tape and glue.
• I was told this week (I apologize that I do not remember who told me or I would credit them) that the projected Raiders starting offensive line from training camp has only played three downs together this year.
• If that isn't accurate, it is very close, and that should tell Raider Nation how good Tom Cable is.
• When you have a fan base as large as the Raiders, it is easy for the national click-bait media to take shots.
• A large segment of NFL fans don't like the Silver and Black and many do. So no matter what they say, people click.
• That is why I found so much of the preseason criticism to be absurd. I said right here at Raider Maven and on numerous radio shows that it was ridiculous.
• Do you remember the "Hot takes," that Marcus Mariota would take Derek Carr's job?
• When I said that wasn't even close to accurate, people were stunned.
• During camp, I said that Marcus Mariota wasn't even the second-best quarterback on this team.
• He is back and healthy and still isn't.
• When I called Derek Carr an "Elite" quarterback this offseason, I meant it. He is. Rumors of his demise were foolish. Jon Gruden wants every player to get better, but the Raiders knew what they had in Carr.
• "… You always start with the quarterback. He's playing great. He's not playing good, he's really playing great for us." When asked about a terrific 5-3 start, Gruden held back no punches.
• Now that the Raiders have made many of the critics look foolish, I am stunned at how many in Raider Nation run to embrace "the love." Don't get played.  The people telling you the Raiders and Derek Carr were crap this summer, are now changing your tune.  Keep that in mind.
• I have a very close friend, who is a very successful professional athlete. We were fishing last summer, and I asked him what he had learned over his journey. "It is amazing how many people love me and want to be around me now that I have money and fame."
• That same principle is valid with the Raiders. The Raiders were easy to take shots at when they were struggling. Now that there is evidence of this franchise's resurgence, people are jumping on the ship.  With fans that is fine.  Don't let those who aren't fans play you, Raider Nation.
• The Raiders are a solid team. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have done an exceptional job. I predicted 10-6, and I stand by it. A playoff team, but not a Super Bowl team.
• The Raiders are coming; they aren't yet entirely there, but enjoy the road to success.
• It is fair to say that the Raiders 2020 veteran free agent class has been disappointing. To their credit, they haven't lacked effort.
• Not having an offseason was a significant reason as to why, but you can't question effort.
• One of those free agents who has performed well and is getting better is Nick Kwiatkoski. He can play better, but each week he is improving. That is something easy to see, even to his head coach.
• "I think the more he's been around, the more communicative he is becoming. He's not really a loud, screaming, yeller type. We need our middle linebacker to give reminders, checks, and alerts. I think the more that he's played, the more that's coming out of him. His leadership, his play-making, his intensity, those are things that we feed off of. We need a lot more from him down the stretch, that's for sure."
• Did you know that the Las Vegas Raiders have punted only 15 times this season? Through eight games? Less than twice per game? I was in a press conference with Jon Gruden this week, and when he said it, I was stunned.
• Fullback Alec Ingold being back is a big deal for the Raiders. He does so many things at a high level that you can't see on a stat sheet.
• Cornerback Damon Arnette is improving every day. He is not 100 percent, but playing on Sunday will be up to him and how he feels.
• The threat of Henry Ruggs keeps defenses honest. The Raiders have been able to connect with him enough to change defenses when he is in the game. But that doesn't mean Derek Carr doesn't want more. Not having the offseason workouts has hurt the chemistry that most players develop in the OTA's. Carr acknowledged that they are still learning each other. Fans see it as a throw and a catch, but it is not PlayStation.
• "I feel like we've left more out there than we've gotten. And that sucks, man, because we're practicing great, we're practicing hard, we're hitting them in practice and that kind of stuff, the timing of it, him understanding where I want to put those balls, me understanding, a lot of these guys break differently, so understanding that. We're going to get there." Carr nailed it.
• Earlier this summer, we wrote that the Raiders wanted more out of their second-string running back. Some inside the building thought that Theo Riddick would get the job. He didn't. Jalen Richard beat him out.
• Devontae Booker has taken over that role. He is playing as a terrific complement to Josh Jacobs.
• Do not take this as a criticism of Jalen Richard. He is an excellent football player, but the Raiders looked for something different in that second back, and they found it.
• To his credit, Richard has continued to do what's asked and to do it well.

OK, I need to stop. That is five pages already, people, and I still have more.

I have so many more notes, and I promise that I will get them all in. Our "Black Hole" articles will happen once a week.

I can tell you this, Raider Nation has a ton to be excited about. This article is already long, or I could give you many more reasons and players to be excited about. Keep your eyes out for the next "Black Hole," and please tell your friends about it.

Tell us what you think in the comment section below and please make sure you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Raiders Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE FOLLOW button on the main page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter, @HikaruKudo1