Oakland Raiders: Jack Del Rio’s AFC West Prediction Spot On

ByJonathan George|

When the Oakland Raiders hired Jack Del Rio to be their next head coach, they expected him to come in with a lot of confidence in his abilities, yet also show patience when looking at the team’s current state. With a mix of veterans, rookies and everything in between, along with a lot of cap space, the Raiders knew he and his staff would have their hands full getting acclimated while preparing for 2015.

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With free agency, the draft, and OTA’s done, and with training camp coming up quickly, it’s apparent Del Rio has seen enough to give his abbreviated “state of the franchise” opinion for 2015: We can win the AFC West.

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Del Rio said so recently during a video made for raiders.com, per Sean Wagner-McGough of cbssports.com.

“Goal No. 1 is to win our division, and I don’t see why not “, Del Rio said during the videotaping session, a clear sign he is not only happy with the progress he’s seen over the last few months, but excited about the potential the Raiders have when the season begins.

And the fact is, there are plenty of reasons to think he’s correct in his convictions.

One thing that is clear is that he has not only brought in a lot of energy from his coaching style that players can feed off of, but his staff is just as fiery and driven by it as well. Offensive line coach Mike Tice, a guy who has head coaching experience as well as a coach who is vital for the Raiders success in 2015, gave his own opinion in the same team video:

“We’re going to be a championship football team”, Tice stated on video, as reported again by Sean Wagner-McGough of cbssports.com.

If you really look at what both coaches said, or maybe avoided saying, it is truly telling. Del Rio could have given a strong confidence boosting line, like “we are going to play our tails off”, or “we should be there in the end”, but he didn’t. He said exactly what he felt: They can win the division, period. The same goes for Tice. He didn’t say “Championship-caliber team”, as is popular nowadays in coaches interviews. He said “ championship football team”. Huge difference.

Having the players believe is just as important, if not more. And it’s happening; veteran guys are stepping up and taking leadership roles. Per raiders.com, tackle Donald Penn recently appeared on a Sirius XM radio broadcast and called young quarterback Derek Carr a “Leader” and believes Oakland is going to be “the new Raiders”. That kind of veteran buy in rolls down to the younger players and can infuse the whole team with a “us versus everyone else” type mentality.

Another reason Del Rio should be making these types of statements is that he can see what the core of his team did last year with inferior talent and injury problems. Carr has a much better supporting cast around him this season; logic would seem to dictate that should equal better numbers and more wins. The defense is going to not only benefit from Del Rio’s influence, but the growth of Khalil Mack and T.J.Carrie in their second years.

The team his better starters and better depth at just about every position. Meanwhile the other teams in their division have taken some hits in terms of talent and continuity.

“We’re going to be a championship football team”-Mike Tice, Raiders offensive line coach

Lastly, if anything, the fact that the Raiders have been bad for so long has to mean something when it comes to odds. While it seems most pundits and fans alike keep asking every year when the pain will end, with each passing season the answer has to be sooner rather than later. Can a franchise known for having the type of success the Raiders have had continue to be so horrific year in and year out?

Jack Del Rio isn’t relying on luck, fate or anything else other than work ethic to turn things around. Trusting the process he saw produce some good success as a coach in Jacksonville is a great start and the reason he can legitimately believe in his team’s chances of winning the AFC West in 2015.

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