The Oakland Raiders are clearly in rebuilding mode. But they should be in full on tanking mode if they want to be good by the time they reach Las Vegas.
The Oakland Raiders need to follow the advice of 16th century protestant reformer Martin Luther. Luther stated that people are going to “be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”
Simply put, instead of being good, be great. Instead of being bad, be awful. The worst thing to be is somewhere in the middle.
Right now the Raiders are in the middle. They are not good. They are bad. But they could be a lot worse. If the Raiders have begun a rebuild, then they should go all out and tank the season. Why stop at bad when being awful is so much better for the future?
This may sound funny, but it is absolutely serious. If head coach Jon Gruden has determined it is time to start over, then it is time to truly start over. Forget playing veterans while trying to knee-jerk to the remaining fans in Oakland.
The Raiders need to admit what everybody already knows what they are doing. They are preparing to move to Las Vegas ready to win. To make that happen, Gruden needs to reshape the roster after his own image.
After the admission, the real remaining question is: what is the best way to reshape the team in two years? The answer is obvious. The best way to rebuild a team that is currently the oldest in the league and has the 23rd highest payroll in the league is to tank.
The Raiders are already rebuilding but they are not tanking. Instead of rebuilding, they need to begin tanking immediately. Some may be wondering, what is the difference between rebuilding and tanking?