NFL WEEK ONE

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

I believe in my last post, I mentioned that there was "no pass rush" and a "swiss chesse secondary", besides this debacle was a full team failure, not just a defensive failure. The offense was just as bad as the defense from what I watched.

 

Porter, you do realize that at some Lane Kiffin will have to take some responsibility for what happened tonight, right?. Besides Al Davis not letting him do anything personnel wise(I'm just as frustrated as any Raider fan tonight about Al), this team was flat out sloppy, undisciplined and worst of all unprepared for the Broncos tonight, which I think highlights the incompetency of the head coach and the staff. Like I said, this was a top to bottom full team failure, not just a defensive one.

[Kinetic 0]

WSH@NYG

DET@ATL

SEA@BUF

NYJ@MIA

KC@NE

TB@NO

STL@PHI

HOU@PIT

JAC@TEN

CIN@BAL

DAL@CLE

CAR@SD

ARZ@SF

CHI@IND

MIN@GB

DEN@OAK

 

10-6. Pretty good for the predictably unpredictable first week of the season.

[Guest דניא&#15]

What a shame, Raider fans deserve better than this shit.

Absolutely.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I actually thought the passing game was slightly decent. Russell was just firing cannonballs into people's hands from 5 yards out. That's fucking hard to catch. I realize that ultimately the blame will fall onto Kiffin, and he probably really isn't suited for a head coaching job in the NFL yet, but I'm not really ready to blame him for this mess just yet. It was a mess before he came in, and it'll be a mess when he leaves. It'll be a mess for as long as Al Davis is the owner of the Raiders. Oh well if he gets fired, he should take an OC job somewhere in the NFL or go back to college.

[Matt Young 0]

Looking through this thread- Really, what did you guys expect from the fucking Raiders? They're one of the worst organizations in professional sports, and they have the absolute worst fan base. Not worst as in unsupportive, but worst as in intolerable. Note: I'm not referring to Toby or Matt posting here in this thread, but rather the people I see in the community every day.

 

 

That can't be right. There aren't any Mexicans!

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

Eh, Raiders fans I've interacted with were pretty nice and mellow when I was going to games in Los Angeles with my dad. Of course there are the knuckleheads, but we are no more intolerable than whiny Boston sports fans and a certain Chicago Cub fan. I think people really go by the media sterotype of crazed Raider fans, but we are normal people that really are passionate about our team. I always thought the people who dressed up for the games were cool too. I believe there are other fanbases that dress up as well (not as much as we do). Raider fans just like their team, thats all.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

but we are no more intolerable than whiny Boston sports fans and a certain Chicago Cub fan.

 

Are you referring to this board's members or in general?

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

both

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Yeah. It's rather silly to classify people's personalities based on who they root for.

[Guest דניא&#15]

Let the record shoooow I've had a soft spot in my heart for the Oakland Raiders. VX can vouch for me here; I was recently gushing over the semiotic richness of silver and black, the sloganeering, all that stuff.

 

As for extrapolating characteristics of a team to their fans, it's not far-fetched when American sports teams--I can think of two in Chicago alone--actively market their respective products by presupposing a connection between the qualities of the teams' gameplay or approach and the demographics and attitudes of their targeted consumers, who gladly welcome this marketing approach and wear it as a badge of sorts, tacitly or explicitly. The McCaskeys save millions on costly wide receivers by preaching that this is a "blue-collar team" (they aren't) in a "blue-collar town" (it isn't) that, ergo, plays the game A Certain Way, and the majority of Bears fans are galvanized by this sense of mutual identification and are content with this direction. The White Sox' annual marketing campaigns are based around several recurring themes: the same "blue-collar" aesthetic ("Grinder Rules," "Show The Passion/Show The Swagger," "Win or Die Trying"), resentment of the other team ("We Are Chicago Baseball," "The Real Team Plays Nine Miles South"), or some sense of edginess or threat (South Side Hitmen, Good Guys Wear Black). They do that because it works. It fires people up, it makes people think this is their team in a unique and transcendent way that, say, the Royals could never be. It's effective marketing, and when people get caught up, and they absolutely do get caught up, in the idea of Being A Sox Fan, Being A Cubs Fan, Raiders Fan, it perpetuates stereotypes and sells merchandise. If they're selling and you're buying, why can't we note that people are going to the store?

[Matt Young 0]

Maybe it's different elsewhere int he state, but here in Moreno Valley, there are a bunch of cholos with raiders logos on their back windshields, on their houses, painted on curbs in front of their houses, and tattooed on their bodies. Those are the Raider Nation types I was referring to, since that describes every Raiders fan I've ever seen since moving here.

[Scroby 0]

You really should go to a Raiders game Matt. Honestly some of the best people I've been around, real friendly, real approachable, and really just wanting to have a good time, plus they at least admit when the Raiders are sucking balls during a season, really good people.

 

 

....Unlike 49er fans. Yeah I said it!

 

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Storm killed my satellite and internet last night.

 

Glancing at the highlights, it doesn't seem like I missed much. Ah well.

[Slayer 0]

At least I can take consolation in that my team wasn't the absolute worst team to play last night

[Guest]

I'm a Raider Nation convert. FUCK YEARH GO RAIDERS

 

Now is probably not the best time to root for the Raiders.

I don't mind rooting for losing teams, especially ones who are near enough to allow me to watch all their games. And boy oh boy, is this a losing team. I don't really think last night's loss was anyone's fault but the offensive line. They were dreadful.

 

DeAngelo Hall was mighty shitty as well. Oh yeah, it's his fault too. Didn't I argue with Ripper about this a few years ago? Yeah, Hall sucks dick.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Let the record shoooow I've had a soft spot in my heart for the Oakland Raiders. VX can vouch for me here; I was recently gushing over the semiotic richness of silver and black, the sloganeering, all that stuff.

 

As for extrapolating characteristics of a team to their fans, it's not far-fetched when American sports teams--I can think of two in Chicago alone--actively market their respective products by presupposing a connection between the qualities of the teams' gameplay or approach and the demographics and attitudes of their targeted consumers, who gladly welcome this marketing approach and wear it as a badge of sorts, tacitly or explicitly. The McCaskeys save millions on costly wide receivers by preaching that this is a "blue-collar team" (they aren't) in a "blue-collar town" (it isn't) that, ergo, plays the game A Certain Way, and the majority of Bears fans are galvanized by this sense of mutual identification and are content with this direction. The White Sox' annual marketing campaigns are based around several recurring themes: the same "blue-collar" aesthetic ("Grinder Rules," "Show The Passion/Show The Swagger," "Win or Die Trying"), resentment of the other team ("We Are Chicago Baseball," "The Real Team Plays Nine Miles South"), or some sense of edginess or threat (South Side Hitmen, Good Guys Wear Black). They do that because it works. It fires people up, it makes people think this is their team in a unique and transcendent way that, say, the Royals could never be. It's effective marketing, and when people get caught up, and they absolutely do get caught up, in the idea of Being A Sox Fan, Being A Cubs Fan, Raiders Fan, it perpetuates stereotypes and sells merchandise. If they're selling and you're buying, why can't we note that people are going to the store?

 

Because the "stereotypes" are not always true. Yet you cling on to those like they define your worldview. It's silly and... well it makes you... you.

[Maztinho 0]

You really should go to a Raiders game Matt. Honestly some of the best people I've been around, real friendly, real approachable, and really just wanting to have a good time, plus they at least admit when the Raiders are sucking balls during a season, really good people.

 

 

....Unlike 49er fans. Yeah I said it!

 

Hey! I'm a Niners fan.

 

From Utah, who is that guy who sticks with his team eventhough they've been balls for awhile now.

 

I remember a couple of years ago there was this solitary Bronco's fan in the midst of all these Raider Nation people, it was one of the best visuals I've ever seen. Just orange and blue sitting in this mass of black and silver. Wicked cool.

[bob_barron 0]

I'm a Raider Nation convert. FUCK YEARH GO RAIDERS

 

Now is probably not the best time to root for the Raiders.

I don't mind rooting for losing teams, especially ones who are near enough to allow me to watch all their games. And boy oh boy, is this a losing team. I don't really think last night's loss was anyone's fault but the offensive line. They were dreadful.

 

DeAngelo Hall was mighty shitty as well. Oh yeah, it's his fault too. Didn't I argue with Ripper about this a few years ago? Yeah, Hall sucks dick.

 

I thought you were a Jags fan, why the change?

[Guest]

I still like the Jags. I've been a closet Raider fan for a while, I just had a hard time embracing it for some reason. I've never been a die-hard Jags fan, because of this whole cultural disconnect, team is 3,000 miles away and nobody around here cares one way or the other about them. I don't get to watch any of their games either. Besides, it isn't like I'm ever going to be able to head to Jacksonville to watch them. I can go to Oakland. In regards to the Raiders, everyone in Southern California holds an opinion about them. Some hate them, some don't. I used to act like I hated them amongst friends, because I thought it was cool to act like I hated the Raiders even though I didn't.

 

I liked the Raiders all along, but until recently I didn't really really like them. Now they're my favorite team. In the maff chat a few weeks back I mentioned my burgeoning infatuation with the Silver and Black. It helps that I get to watch them, and moreover, there's so many fans around here that it's easy to just throw a party and have a ton of people come over to watch the game. It doesn't matter if they're playing the Falcons or Lions. It can still be done. You don't get that around here with any other team. My dad's a Steelers fan (his dad is from that area, they visited family when he was a kid, went to Three Rivers and had a great time), so obviously he hates the Raiders. I told him I was starting to like the Raiders and he told me that I should quit before I get too attached. Well, that's not happening. Part of it is probably to spite him. I'm going to buy a Bo Jackson jersey some time soon. Then he'll really get mad.

 

I was more excited to see Darren McFadden get his first touch than I was when David Garrard made that huge play against the Steelers last year. Time for me to stop denying that I really like the Raiders more than everyone else, no matter how shitty they are.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Just got around to watching the 49ers game, that was pretty fun to watch for an 'unknown' game. Really enjoyed it.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I still like the Jags. I've been a closet Raider fan for a while,

 

I was more excited to see Darren McFadden get his first touch than I was when David Garrard made that huge play against the Steelers last year. Time for me to stop denying that I really like the Raiders more than everyone else, no matter how shitty they are.

 

Dude, relax. As bad as they looked last night, the Raiders are definitely a team on the rise... just not this year. I don't know what there isn't to like about them. Great tradition, awesome color scheme, young quarterback with a rocket launcher for an arm, and their mystique (even if it's been dramatically undercut in recent years due to shitty play). If I wasn't born a Bears fan, or lived in San Diego where Chargers mania is running wild, I'm pretty sure the Raiders would be my team of choice.

 

Oh and here's another possible reason, their head coach is a former USC coordinator.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I noticed that while living in California, I had much more of a distaste for the Raiders than I do living outside of there. I think I like the 49ers more, anyways- greater tradition, awesome players in their history, more championships, less douchey fans.

[Guest]

I still like the Jags. I've been a closet Raider fan for a while,

 

I was more excited to see Darren McFadden get his first touch than I was when David Garrard made that huge play against the Steelers last year. Time for me to stop denying that I really like the Raiders more than everyone else, no matter how shitty they are.

 

Dude, relax. As bad as they looked last night, the Raiders are definitely a team on the rise... just not this year. I don't know what there isn't to like about them. Great tradition, awesome color scheme, young quarterback with a rocket launcher for an arm, and their mystique (even if it's been dramatically undercut in recent years due to shitty play). If I wasn't born a Bears fan, or lived in San Diego where Chargers mania is running wild, I'm pretty sure the Raiders would be my team of choice.

 

Oh and here's another possible reason, their head coach is a former USC coordinator.

I was relaxed, that post just got very long winded. The mystique is what gets to me. Before recent years, when you were watching the Raiders, you were watching something special. Hopefully that comes back soon.

 

[Guest Vitamin X]

Not only that, but the Raiders have their own fucking NFL Films theme. With an awesome intro!

The Autumn Wind is a pirate

blustering in from sea

with a rollicking song he sweeps along

swaggering boisterously

his face is weatherbeaten

he wears a hooded sash

with a silver hat about his head

and a bristling black mustache

he growls as he storms the country

a villain big and bold

and the trees all shake and quiver and quake as he robs them of their gold

The autumn wind is a Raider pillaging just for fun

he'll knock you `round and upside down, and laugh when he's conquered and won.

 

Seriously, what a great poem.

[Guest דניא&#15]

Did Porter just cut a promo on me?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Did you just use a lame wrestling term? I thought you were better than that.

 

And for the record, no I wasn't. I was saying your misguided beliefs are silly but they make you who you are presently, so keep truckin' on, I guess.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I had no idea that there were other Raiders fans here. At least the rest of you seem to have some hope; I feel totally defeated as a fan.

[Brett Favre 0]

Damn, you're a Raiders fan? I thought you were a Seahawks fan.

 

A shitload of closet Raider fans here.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Damn, you're a Raiders fan? I thought you were a Seahawks fan.

 

A shitload of closet Raider fans here.

 

I enjoy following the Seahawks and usually go to a couple of games each year, but yes, I am a closet Raiders fan. It comes from growing up in northern California.