Oakland Raiders: Antonio Brown’s departure is a positive

The Oakland Raiders proved they can win a football game without  Antonio Brown. All things considered, his departure was a good thing for the team.

There have been diva wide receivers before in the NFL. The 2000s had guys like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson, while the 2010s had Odell Bechkham Jr. and Dez Bryant. All have one thing in common: all-world talent, loud attitudes to the point of distraction and an empty trophy case as far as Super Bowls go. The Oakland Raiders certainly don’t want another Moss situation with them where a receiver of immense talent gives minimal effort due to unhappiness.

All of those aforementioned divas have absolutely nothing on Antonio Brown.

Disregarding an increasingly situation off the field, Brown’s departure is good for Oakland on the field. As far as the football side of things goes, though, Brown’s departure and overall clownish way he treated the Raiders organization left the team fit to be tied going into their Monday night tilt with the Denver Broncos to open the season.

The fans in the Black Hole were riled up — obscenity-laced chants and all — and the players followed suit. The Raiders were the better team on the field no matter how you slice it.

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Production wise, without Brown getting all the attention, Tyrell Williams was able to have something of a breakout performance, catching six passes for 105 yards and the first touchdown of the season in his debut as the Raiders’ No. 1 receiver. Derek Carr also was solid and looked very comfortable in the pocket commanding his team with veteran poise.

Rookie first-round pick Josh Jacobs also had a great night in his NFL debut with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while also catching one pass for 28 yards. Jacobs became the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson to have 100 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns in their debut. Not too shabby.

The Raiders were also playing with more physicality than it seems like they’ve been in years. The other two first-round picks in this offseason’s draft made their presence felt also. Clelin Ferrerll, who many felt was a reach when selected at No. 4, had a sack while safety Johnathan Abram was in on five tackles and deflected a pass. The latter, unfortunately, may miss the rest of 2019 due to injury, though.

Even still, the team was inspired on Monday night and even had head coach Jon Gruden lead a victory lap with the fans after the decisive 24-16 win, a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

While the adrenaline of opening night post-AB may wear off a bit, the team should keep up the the intensity all season as a result of the almost forced camaraderie that has come from the snafu. Nobody is expected them to win the AFC West, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in the division.

The Raiders have some young talent and a solid pro quarterback and may be able to sneak up on some teams this season. Going forward, the Raiders should be able to ride this momentum into the next decade (and Las Vegas) when you consider they still have a lot of draft picks for Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock to play with thanks to the Khalil Mack trade with the Chicago Bears.

The Raiders aren’t going to “Just Win, Baby” every game this year. However, using their “Pride and Poise” and the history of a “Commitment to Excellence” they should be in a better situation than initially thought when they let Antonio Brown walk.