Raiders NFL’s oldest team a sign of wanting to win now

but Khalil Mack trade is a rebuild move Womens Mike Nugent Jersey A lot was made about the off-season acquisitions that Jon Gruden made after taking over control of the team. Specifically there was a lot of chatter about the average age of the players that were brought in. Time and time again Gruden and company brought in veterans for his squad, much to the chagrin of the media and some fans.The result of the veteran shopping spree was the Oakland Raiders going from being the 19th oldest team in the league to the 32nd oldest team with an average age of 27.4 years old. That is a full half year older average than even the Falcons who were rated as the 31st oldest team, and a staggering 2.18 year average age difference from the Cincinnati Bengals who field the youngest team with a 25.2 year old average.The author of these ratings knows what you are likely thinking right now, 2.18 years isn’t really that big of a difference right? PhillyVoice’s Jimmy Kempski is prepared for your question if so and made sure to address the obvious grievance about his rating.When he puts it that way it’s easy to see the difference really is a monumental difference then, because 5 years in the NFL is an eternity. When Gruden set out to collect his veteran additions, it was seen as a move to try to set up the Raiders for a win now mentality. That’s all well and good, but the Khalil Mack trade was the opposite of that and seems more to have announced the Raiders will be rebuilding instead.The oddity of those conflicting messages was not lost on Sirius XM radio and The Athletic’s Ross Tucker. He’s not wrong with his “bizarro world” assessment here, they truly are two completely opposite messages being put out. Gruden just sold the farm to build his house Authentic Jared Cook Jersey , announcing that the draft picks and financial freedom was better for his team than one of the dominant defensive players of this generation. That is a rebuilding move through and through on a team full of players at the end of their careers who want to win now not later.It’s an interesting paradox if nothing else anyway. Though the Mack trade clearly weakens the Raiders for this season, it doesn’t mean they can’t be competitive anyway though. It just got a lot harder, especially when talking about a team that is far and away the oldest in the league.Maybe the average age of the team will actually help them overcome the Mack trade and get some wins despite losing their best player though. The oldest team in the league also means they are the most experienced team in the NFL, so most of these guys have seen the ugly business side before and many were victims of it already themselves.That experience will help the young talent on the team get used to the post Mack era quicker. It’s a hard lesson to learn but it will help having the veterans to ease the transition. It may be bizarre seeing two drastically different messages about their team, but these players have real games that they are about to start playing. Khalil Mack is a great player, but he is just one guy on a 53 player team. I’m still excited to see what this veteran team is capable of even in a post Mack world. I don’t know if they are rebuilding or ready to win now, but I do now a team averaging 27.4 years old isn’t going to lay down in front of adversity. Win or lose, I still can’t wait to see what these veterans have to offer starting a week from Monday night against the Rams.Raiders vs. Packers: 4 Winners http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/gareon-conley-jersey , 4 Losers Greetings, Raider Nation! The game against the Packers is finally over, and it’s well past all of your bedtimes. The game started late and was made longer by the clock stopping on every play for a penalty flag. But now that the slog of a game is mercifully over, who was a hero and who was a zero?WINNERS1) Raiders defensive lineThe Raiders had five sacks tonight, and four of them were from defensive linemen. Fadol Brown led the way with 1.5 of them, and he was too much to handle all night long for the Packers’ offensive linemen. Maurice Hurst shared a half sack with Brown, and the other two were from Shilique Calhoun and Trayvon Hester. The Raider defensive line kept up the pressure for the entire game, allowing only 73 rushing yards and making the Packers QBs run for their life on a regular basis.Furthermore http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/reggie-nelson-jersey , when Arden Key was in the game he spooked the Green Bay tackles so much that he caused two false start penalties and got held another time. They wanted no part of Key.2) Chris Warren IIIWarren again led the Raiders with 15 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown. The Packers stacked the box to slow him down and still weren’t really able to. He ran with his usual combination of power and speed, bulldozing a Packer defender in the end zone Bosworth style. Warren has nothing left to prove.3) Amari CooperOn the one target Cooper had in this game, he adjusted to an underthrown deep ball from Derek Carr and avoided the tackle, rolling over the defender’s body to scamper for more yardage. Cooper looks in fine form, but it’s Carr who must improve his deep ball to make this connection even more special.4) Paul GuentherThe last time I think I’ve seen a Raider defense look this good was when Charles Woodson was playing on it- the first time. Did you see any Raider defender make a serious mistake tonight? Miss an assignment or make a boneheaded play? I didn’t. All the mistakes came from the referees.Paul Guenther has this team applying pressure and lockdown coverage with linebackers who fly to the ball and players who are where they are supposed to be when they are damn well supposed to be there. This is what good coaching looks like. Guenther is an absolute godsend.LOSERS1) Connor CookI would rather have a root canal than watch Cook play in a game ever again. I watched Colt McCoy earlier today look like a second-year political science student at Amherst trying to play quarterback against the Broncos and he outplayed Cook tonight. Connor Cook might have just played his way out of a job altogether. EJ Manuel wasn’t great, but he was a damn sight better than Cook.2) Pharaoh BrownMore holding penalties than catches for Brown in this preseason isn’t going to endear him to this perfectionist coaching staff. Brown’s penalties are drive-killers, and the right end spot is loaded as it is. Brown is an easy cut at this point.3) Doug MartinMartin ran behind the first-team offensive line and did basically nothing. Chris Warren ran behind the backups and looked like Bo Jackson at Auburn. I know the coaches love Martin and he’s basically a lock for the roster, but can they ignore the fact that Chris Warren is not only better http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/seth-roberts-jersey , but like eight years younger?4) The Refs, againYou know the helmet rule is trash. I know the helmet rule is trash. Everyone knows the helmet rule is trash. That’s not in question here. What is a problem is phantom holding calls all the time and absurd roughness penalties. What would Bob Sanders do in today’s NFL? Dick “Night Train” Lane would be send to the nearest Soviet gulag if he played in this environment. The Packers and Raiders combined for 23 penalties and 210 penalty yards. The Packers had the worst of it, amassing 13 penalties for 110 yards, and that’s just the ones that were accepted. This situation is totally out of hand.Do you know what happens when you try to tackle heads up and someone is coming right at you? Your ass gets bent backwards. Ask Denzel Ward how he feels today. This nonsense has got to stop or we won’t be watching football in short order.