Won't find many more wins

The won a total of two games the entire 2006 campaign, so when they began this year 2-2, they were one of the NFL's early season feel-good stories. A few weeks later, however, the Raiders are back to earth, having lost three games in a row. At 2-5, things are looking bleak for Oakland -- especially when 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
you consider the team's difficult remaining schedule.The fact is, wins from here on in are likely to be few and far between for the young Raiders, who have made some strides this year under rookie head coach Lane Kiffin. For a team without a current solution at quarterback (Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown are below average), an offensive line in rebuilding mode and a promising defense that was great last season but has been a middling group in 2007, the notion of Oakland being on its way to yet another high draft pick isn't much of a surprise.Of the Raiders' last nine opponents, only one (Minnesota) has fewer than three victories this year. Three, including this week's foe (Houston), have grabbed three wins, while four have won at least four. Further, the Raiders unfortunately have three AFC West games remaining. Why is that unfortunate, you ask? Because Oakland has gone 17 consecutive divisional contests without a victory, a streak that is easily the worst in the league. Whether in close contests or blowouts, the Raiders simply have not shown the ability to grab a 'W' in the AFC West. They came close this year, losing 23-20 to the Broncos and 12-10 to the Chiefs, but moral victories are nonexistent in pro football. Throw in the fact that all three of the Raiders' divisional enemies -- San Diego, Kansas City and Denver -- are better than they are, and news just keeps worsening for Oakland.Ultimately, even if Raider Nation doesn't want to accept it (and rightly so), closing the year poorly might be a good thing in the long run. Doing so would give the team a chance to insert last April's No. 1 overall pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, into the lineup late in the season, and it would enable Oakland to garner yet another set of 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
high selections in the 2008 draft.Of course, there's always a chance of the silver and black turning it around and finishing '07 on a respectable note over these next nine weeks, but the Raiders are a young team that simply hasn't learned to win. And with a brutally difficult schedule on the way, don't expect Oakland to stumble upon many more victories.For the Raiders, .500 was fun while it lasted.: The place to go for honest commentary