Well, there you have it ladies and gentleman not a perfect season but one to remember. I want every Raider fan to know even though it seems like the Oakland Raiders always have crazy issues going on so does everyone else. Every team has it's issues, a NFL season is full of ups and downs and what ever team can figure out how to mange their problems the best, will always prevail.
I keep in contact with several players through out the NFL so I get to hear all of the dirty secrets from each team. Some of the things that go on behind closed doors would put most people on the floor. People have a hard time believing what I tell them about the NFL so I try to insert information slowly so I don't ruin their fantasy world. Some people even get mad at me when they hear the truth of the NFL, I tell them you can't always believe what you see on t.v. or the Internet. What you can believe is what you see on Sundays between the lines, NFL game day will always bring out the truth.
I could ask 50 different NFL players the same question and you would get 50 different answers and none of them would be wrong. That is one of the privileges of playing in the NFL, NFL players have special knowledge of the game that can not be imitated even though people try everyday..
If you ever pay attention to the sidelines at a NFL game the coaches are always talking to the players as they come off the field. That's because playing in the game is a lot different then watching it from the sidelines. Coaches want to see what the players are seeing so they can get a real feel for the game, its a knowledge only a player can give.
Your are probably wondering why am I talking about players incite? In that last six weeks of the Oakland Raiders football season Tom has done something that has taken me by surprise. Tom has shut his month and stopped trying to coach like Jamison Wooden and started listening to the players. Yes it is true, players have told me that Tom has actually ask them how they would like to play the game. Bush and McFadden requested to "run the ball more and don't stop running the ball just because we get behind." The defense asks "can we blitz more, and don't be afraid to put us on the field when the game is on the line." At first the player thought their request fell upon deaf ears but when the game started he keep is word.
In the eyes of a player, the only way a coach has any chance to be respected in this league is by winning games or keeping his word. This was Art Shells problem, he would constantly tell us he was going to do something and not once did Art deliver, that is why Art Shell lost the players respect before the season even started.
Earlier this year I talked about many of the Raider players not really liking Tom, but in the last weeks of the season Tom has gained trust from many of the players with his honesty. With most jobs you can get away with a little white lie hear or there but not in the NFL. The NFL is famous for its brutal honesty just ask any player that has been demoted or has been cut from a team. Honesty is hard to hear most of the time but it will gain you respect in the NFL faster then anything else.
Not sure what lies ahead for Tom but I do think that he has shown Raider-nation that he has what it takes to move this team in a positive direction. After all these years of disappointment Raider-nation can go into an off-season with there heads held high and big dreams for next year.
Jarrod Cooper
8 Veteran
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