NFL Panic Meter: 5 Teams Looking For The Reset Button
By Keith Myers
Oakland Raiders
Current Record: 0-7
Of all the teams that are likely hit the reset button this offseason, the Oakland Raiders appear to the most obvious. They’re winless, mostly devoid of talent, and they’ve already fired their head coach.
The question that is still left to be answered is if general manager Reggie Mckenzie can hang onto to his after this embarrassing season. Apparently owner Mark Davis hasn’t made up his mind yet, though all these losses have to be influencing the decision process.
Again, I haven't watched this game. But Mark Davis wants to see if there's enough talent on this team to justify keeping McKenzie...
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) October 26, 2014
Conversely, Bleacher Report’s Christopher Hansen thinks that Derrick Carr’s improvement could save Mackenzie’s job. It is an interesting take on the issue. If Carr continues to develop and turns into a franchise quarterback, then the Raiders will be set at team’s most important position. The Raiders also have a few other young players that are worth building around, including linebackers Khalil Mack and Sio Moore, and will have around $65 million in salary cap space to use. With a few good draft picks and some smart use of that salary cap space, the Raiders should be significantly better in 2015. First though, they have to figure out who is going to be the person deciding who to draft and sign. What the Raiders truly need is a shakeup from the top down, starting with an ownership philosophy change. The best teams all tend to have owners that stay out of the way of their football people. The Allen family has never fit the description. An entire organizational purge isn’t necessarily in order here, but there must be something done to change the culture and get the team back on the right track. The team’s best free agents from last season simply want to re-sign with the team. Many free agents don’t consider the Oakland as a potential landing spot. Until that changes, the Raiders won’t be able to contend unless they hit on their draft picks at a well above average rate. That isn’t something that the current front office has shown it can do yet. Even if it doesn’t include all of the changes that the organization truly needs, change is still coming to Oakland this offseason.