Raiders issue challenge to defense, impending free agents
It hasn’t been an ideal season for the Oakland Raiders (4-10), to put it lightly. They have lost 7 out of their last 9 ball games and rank 29th in the NFL, giving up 28.1 points per game.
Still, there is light at the end of the long, long tunnel in Oakland. The silver and black haven’t seen a winning season since their Super Bowl run in 2002, but several contracts are coming off the books and the Raiders figure to have plenty of cap space – reports have figures as high as $70 million – and a renewed focus on rebuilding.
The defense is worn down, as evidenced by their past three games that saw them give up 31, 37 and 56 points, respectively. Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver is issuing a challenge to his squad, and to any impending free agents that have any inclination of returning to the Raiders in 2014.
Tarver spoke about the state of the defense, and its fatigue, in a report from CSN Bay Area’s Scott Bair.
"“Yeah, it may be,” Tarver said. “But who’s going to push through because that’s how you earn the contract that they want, and that’s how we find out who’s going to fit in the future because we’re right on our process. We want to see which guys are going to push through. Who’s going to finish this thing? Who’s going to finish it the right way?”"