Founded in 1960, the Raiders have moved from Oakland to Los Angeles and back and during that span they won three Super Bowl championships, 15 Division championships and made it to the playoffs following 21 of their 54 seasons. Yet since the Super Bowl loss in 2002, the Raiders have been really bad, with their best record coming in the 2010 and 2011 seasons at 8-8, when they still missed the playoffs. Since Bill Callahan left the team after the 2003 season, the Raiders have had six different head coaches most notably Norv Turner, Lane Kiffin and current head coach Dennis Allen. In addition to the constant coaching change, the Raiders have suffered from having 15 different quarterbacks start for them in that time period. 15. One-Five. The most notable of these are Carson Palmer, draft-bust JaMarcus Russell, and Jason Campbell.

The Raiders should take an early chance on another USC quarterback. By Neon Tommy, via Wikimedia Commons

In recent years, the Raiders have tried to find a winning recipe with a focus on the quarterback. Rich Gannon left the team after the 2003 season.  They drafted LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the top pick in 2007. Russell thrilled in his time at LSU, posting a 21-3 overall record, but he wasn’t cut for the NFL and the Raiders soon found that out. He had a record of 18-23 with only 18 touchdown passes through three seasons when the Raiders finally cut him.

Former Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was brought in. During his tenure in Washington, Campbell put up successful numbers, going 12-10 as a starter before suffering an injury six games into the 2011 season. He was replaced after the team traded for long-time veteran Carson Palmer. Palmer led the team to another 8-8 record in 2011 and by the end of the 2012 season the Raiders were 4-12 and at the bottom again. The Raiders went with two dual option quarterbacks in Russell and Campbell, then decided to try and work around a pass first type quarterback in Carson Palmer. Although Palmer didn’t have an impressive 2012, I believe a pass-first quarterback is best for the Raiders. Rich Gannon could move well, but he was an accurate passer and the Raiders should look to stick with that type of player instead of going back to a quarterback who runs fast and has a strong arm. The Raiders currently hold the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and I believe they should use it on a quarterback.

What they should do in the draft: 

The Raiders have had what bad teams would call success recently, posting two 8-8 seasons out of the last three. Recently it has come out that the Raiders are interested in the number one ranked quarterback in this years class, Geno Smith. But the Raiders should be looking elsewhere for their savior. The Raiders have six draft picks throughout the draft yet most of the mock-drafts available don’t have the Raiders taking a quarterback in the first round. I’m no Mel Kiper, but I disagree and I believe that the Raiders should take a quarterback in the first round and it should be Matt Barkley.

During their collegiate careers, Geno Smith and USC quarterback Matt Barkley had simlarly great statistics. Geno Smith finished his college career throwing for 11,662 yards, 98 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, while Barkley threw for 12,327 yards, 116 touchdowns and 48 interceptions. While their individual stats are close, Smith is ranked far ahead of Barkley as the number one ranked quarterback in the draft but I don’t understand why. Both Barkley and Smith’s team had down seasons this past year, both finishing 7-6 although Barkley’s team did start the year ranked number one in the nation.

Barkley, I think, is a better version of Carson Palmer and could thrive in Oakland. He is a West coast guy and would fit right into Oakland’s system with a fellow Trojan to groom him.

The Raiders have young talent at both the running back and receiver positions in Darrius McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey. I believe that the Raiders should also draft a tight end and another receiver to match with Heyward-Bey. As for the tight end, I suggest they look into the senior from San Jose State, Ryan Otten. He caught 12 touchdowns in his four years and racked up 1,760 yards. One of the highest ranked tight ends, Tyler Eifert caught 11 touchdowns and 1,840 yards. The stats are pretty similar, yet the Raiders could get Otten later in the draft as he is projected to go sometime in the fifth or sixth round. With the other four draft picks the Raiders could focus on the offensive line, another receiver and maybe a defensive player or two.

Final Word:

It all starts with drafting Matt Barkley with the third overall pick though for the Raiders. Having a franchise quarterback is very important in the NFL and the Raiders could get one by drafting Barkley. The Raiders tried two dual-threat quarterbacks and the first one failed while the second one had some success if not for an injury. I believe in patterns in sports, and the next pattern in the Raiders quarterback shuffle would be to go with a passing first quarterback in Barkley. I may be wrong about Barkley but what I’ve seen from him throughout his college career and the Raiders recently, they would be a great pair. Also don’t forget that Barkley is just a year removed from being a “lock” for the Heisman Trophy and possibly being the number overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft if he had chosen to go into the NFL early. He has the credentials and the “it factor” that could really work in Oakland.

Plastic props and face paint, making Raider Nation the most ridiculous fan base in California. By BrokenSphere (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

It’s obvious why Raider Nation is the most annoyingly destructive dress up party in California: A nation where skull-headed silver and black wackos drunkenly throw beers, curse and shank opposing fans with their straws. Every wannabe-hoodlum drops the baggie jeans and the side-cocked hat, replacing them with face paint and cheesy plastic side props. I’m all for the camaraderie threaded between like-minded fans, but when that fandom becomes a burlesque side show flashing gang signs and grills, it begins to get a little too weird.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

Becoming a Laker fan is a laissez faire decision. It is like being born into a wig-wearing aristocracy, where you sip soup with your silver spoon, and dance in one-of-a-kind clogs.  It’s just too damn easy. And yet Laker fans are still this annoying?

Not annoying because they win championships, but annoying because they complain, mope and point the finger at everyone else like a bunch of spoiled brats, if they don’t.

And if you don’t side with the Lakers, guess what you are? You’re a Laker Hater— the most adolescent tongue-sticking term coined by any fan base ever. Last I checked, most of us grew up and became secure enough in ourselves, not to use over simplified slander in order to be heard. But I guess that’s something Laker fans still have to learn. And oh, by the way, LeBron James is the best player post-MJ. Just sayin’.

3. USC Trojans

The University of Spoiled Children is a place where backroom deals are done like no other. From the Reggie Bush scandal  to the deflated balls incident, the Southern California Spoiled Children continue to soil their name with little to any moral remorse. And despite this, their fanbase blindly follows suit with a passion as persistent as any.

There is a time when as a fan, it is okay to walk away. My wife’s boss for instance: a longtime Dodgers fan, who after the brutal attack on Brian Stow, turned to the Giants as his new team of choice.

Maybe it is the tanning oil causing such defunctory? Maybe it is the madness of Southern California smog-infestation? Maybe it is the effects from large doses of botox bugging the brain? Whatever it is, it is hard to take serious any school like the Trojans. Each and every year the ridiculous gets more ridiculous.

4. San Diego Chargers

This ranking probably throws you off a bit. And I understand why. But anytime fans come out from the fringes when their team suddenly becomes a consistent competitor, irks me to no end. Where were you when your team was a joke?

If there was a ranking for most fickle fan in all of sports, I would rank the Chargers numero uno. I have always said that Ladainian Tomlinson literally saved the Chargers franchise by electrifying a lazy uninspired fan base into sudden outrageously inconsistent diehards.

5. San Francisco Giants*

Honestly, I had no problem with Giants fans until 2010, when it became sexy and cool to be so. Being an Angels fan made it easy for me, as I was suspended above the heated rivalry shared between Dodgers and Giants fans.

I grew up around my friends’ fathers who were lifelong fans of the Giants, and not because it was hip or cool. These men lived hours from San Francisco and told stories about greats like Willie Mays. They were far from cool. They were working men, wearing trucker hats with oil stained on their hands.

The new era Giants fan cocks a hat sideways, like a clown, and calls him/herself a real fan. Two world series in three years and being born in the Bay Area is all of a sudden a silly equation for one’s authenticity.

*My wife believes this ranking belongs to the Dodgers, because Dodger fans “kill people.”