While no player or coach wants to go to Oakland and where no team wants near T.O., Davis and Owens are meant for one another. Chicago, Kansas City, and St. Louis remain the likely contenders to enlist Owens’ services, the Raiders and Al Davis are the clear front runners to acquire the flamboyant receiver. 

In a quantifiable sense of Owens likelihood to join the Raiders, there’s no better authority on the matter than Vegas. According to sports-odds.com, Owens is favored to join the Raider are -200. A clear favorite, if you believe Owens will join the Raiders and want to put your money where your mouth is, you’d have to bet $200 to win $100.

Regardless what plague Owens will bring to Oakland, I remain skeptical of any tangible benefit Owens will bring to the field if he fails to get along with Jamarcus. Remember Randy Moss? A top-5 wide receiver in every season of his career EXCEPT for his time in Oakland. Owens will likely fall into a similar trend as soon as his first check cashes.

Welcome Owens or not, take his likely arrival in Oakland with a grain of salt.

Bush Powers By The Bucs Defense

Hey Philadelphia Eagles fans, you’re welcome. Didn’t think the Raiders could travel from west to east and pull a road win? Didn’t think the Raiders could win two in a row since…who knows? Think the Raiders didn’t stand a chance with top receiver Ronald Curry and pro bowl corner Nnamdi Asomugha out for the game?

You know where I’m going with this. In a game where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 6-1 home team, desperately needing to win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Oakland Raiders went into Tampa and gave the Bucs more than they could handle.

Despite throwing a late interception returned for a touchdown, Jamarcus Russell settled down and led the Raiders down the field on two efficient 4th quarter drives sealing the game.

As for Michael Bush, a top 10 running back out of the 2007 draft had he not broken his leg at Louisville, the second year back ran for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns including a beastly 4th quarter run to the right blowing through every Tampa Bay defender. You can watch the game highlights here at the NFL.com site. Bush’s run is on around the 2:30 mark.

As for the final game of the 2008 season, the Raiders reaffirmed hope across Raider Nation that the team is progressing. Managing to beat a tough Houston team at home and traveling into Tampa on back-to-back weeks, Jamarcus Russell has clearly developed and the new Raider backfield tandem of Fargas-McFadden-Bush provides intrigue for the 2009 season.

At 5-11, the Raiders will have the 7th overall pick ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2009 Draft.

As for next season’s schedule, the Raiders will face the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens in Oakland. On the road, the Raiders will travel to San Diego, Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, New York for the Giants, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.

The Raiders have shown a lot in the final two games this season. Yet a tough off-season awaits the team as direction and guidance still remains hazy. Al Davis needs to re-evaluate his own future role in the Raiders organization. If Tom Cable doesn’t remain the coach, the Raiders need to begin their search. Asomugha becomes a free agent and the league would certainly offer him the world.

But amidst everything, Raider Nation heads into another hopefilled off-season.

Anyway, as we take a step backwards in the rebuilding process, Adam Schefter over at the NFL Network reports many Raiders deciding to jump ship. Although he didn’t name who, a prominent player on the Raider team went as far as to considered quitting and taking a leave of absence. Off-season acquisition Javon Walker previously offered to return his bonus money over the summer to leave Oakland and Gibril Wilson now looks for an opportunity to leave town as well.

Furthermore as the Raiders plan on slapping the franchise tab on all-pro and THE best corner in the league, Nnamdi Asomugha, if things don’t change, the heart of the Raider secondary may flee as well. Something better change by the end of the season or the Raiders will fall from the recent 5-year Raider Recession to a decade long Raider Depression from returning to any form of greatness.

Welcome to The Oakland Raider, today marks the first entry of the internets new source for Raiders news, updates, and discussion for arguably the NFL’s most hated by all franchise. And you know what? That’s just the way us Raider fans like it. As Al Davis reassured us, the Raiders will be back, and the committment to excellence remains strong with us. However, one thing the 2008 season showed for sure, is the return to excellence can come much sooner with Al Davis looking for a REAL General Manager.

Let’s finish this season strong. The building blocks are still there for the Raiders to be great again in the near future.