The Black Hole: Go Inside Las Vegas Raiders Football

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.

• The Las Vegas Raiders were embarrassed last week in Atlanta. You can't say it any other way. It is what it is. But in a 16-game NFL regular season, you will have those games.
• The Kansas City Chiefs are looking back at their loss to the Raiders the same way.
• What I saw after the game strengthened my resolve that this team will finish (as I predicted in the preseason) 10-6 and make the playoffs.
• There were zero excuses made from Jon Gruden on down.
• The Raiders in that locker room were embarrassed, ashamed, and angry. That speaks to accountability.
• I have been around for many years.
• One thing that winning teams have is accountability.
• "There are no trap games for a mature football game. You have to be prepared to play every week to your best ability and if not, you can get embarrassed in this league and we felt like we were embarrassed last week," was how Greg Olson succinctly summed it up.
• I spoke with someone inside practice this week who told me, "It was the most player-run week of practice I have ever seen. Guys holding each other accountable and upbeat. They know they (bowel movement) the bed and they are chomping at the bit to play."
• I do not blame fans for being disappointed, but I can tell you I was stunned by some of the fan base's response.
• While the vocal minority does not speak for the majority, I have to wonder. Do some of those people hold themselves, at their jobs, as accountable as they do, "Their team?"
• Last week, the offense was horrible, but that does not indicate how they have achieved and over-achieved this season.
• Something I asked Greg Olson about.
• "I think you stated it. It's our belief, we have a tremendous amount of belief in our players on offense. And it wasn't indicative of their performance thus far this season. We're looking forward to playing this weekend and get a chance to see how our guys respond to adversity. Again, we feel like we've accumulated a lot of the right players, right character players, and had a good week of practice. Just looking forward to getting back on the field to prove ourselves."
• A lot is being made about the Raiders' lack of sacks. That is fair. But it would help if you looked at it in context. They are getting to the quarterback and forcing pressures. They are nearly in the top-ten of the NFL in that stat.
• "If you really look at the pressure numbers, sack numbers, I always liked turnovers. If you getting the pressure numbers and you're getting the ball off the hand where it's not it rhythm, that's what you want," is how Paul Gunther addressed the pass rush.
• There is mounting speculation that the NFL is more inclined to try and host the playoffs "In a bubble" like the NHL and NBA did. Some of that speculation is saying that Las Vegas is an option.
• You may remember I reported about this a few weeks ago, but a league source told me that Texas was the first consideration and possibly Florida.
• Jon Gruden had some interesting comments about Las Vegas getting the honor.
• "I'm receptive to anything. I just enjoy helping each other out any way we can. We got to work together as a league, as a nation, as a world to try to beat this virus. If we want to continue to play football, we're going to have to make some concessions and they continue to add up and make our jobs harder, but live with it. We got to find ways to help our brothers out if they need help and I'm willing to do anything necessary to help anybody out. I just want to keep everybody safe and I'm really excited about the possibility of beating this virus. We're doing some positive things but that's just my standpoint."
• This week the Raiders are not headed to Gotham to take on the New York Jets. They are playing themselves.
• As reported numerous times before, going West to East is tough. But the Jets are terrible. I do not care who is out. The Raider should, and I predict now, will win.
• This week they are playing against and for themselves. I like the makeup of this team. The Raiders are tough, and they are good men. Men of character respond to adversity.
• The Silver and Black will.
• Remember the rule of five. If the Las Vegas Raider wins that, games are over. For those who don't remember it, it has to do with sacks and turnovers. If the Raiders have three sacks and give up two, that means they are plus one. If they then get four turnovers and give up only one, that means they are plus three. That would give them a plus-four for the day. They want to get to a plus-five ratio every game. Teams that reach the rule of five scenarios win 91% of their ball games on average.

• Don't forget Tanner Muse. Out for the year, but that youngster has a significant upside.
• Just file his name away and remember.
• Devontae Booker continues to do all the right things. The Raiders were stunned when he got here and was better than they thought.
• It was a Christmas gift of sorts.
• The Raiders' offensive line, despite last week, has been imposing this season. Look for their reemergence Sunday.
• Jeff Heath has been a rock star on the 2020 Raiders. He is a steady force on the field, but he has paid enormous dividends in the locker room.
• Lost in this year's campaign was Mike Mayock's quest to get quality professionals on and off the field to help lead this team.
• As one person mentioned above at the practice said to me, "You saw that depth of quality leaders this week really leading the young guys. We go something special here."

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.

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