Five Postgame Takes

1. Between the near safety and the recorded safety in the third quarter of yesterday’s game, a certain alchemy flashed through the Coliseum. Up until that point, the crowd of 60,000 strong seemed a bit on edge, a bit tentative. The bitter taste of the Browns game still lingered, reminding us that there is a fine line between a big lead and a blown lead, especially when you’re desperate and winless. But then the Raiders crushed Matt Leinart at the goal line, and the switch was flipped. The proverbial blood was in the water. The Raider Nation rose up as one. Sixty-thousand cells merged to become a singular animal, rabid and riotous and deafening. More than 330 days of pent-up victory-starved energy was unleashed at that moment.

Warren Sapp and gang started whooping it up during the subsequent official challenge, further provoking the crowd. The longest roar was interrupted only by a hail of boos when the zebras held their thieving ground. As the Cardinals lined up for the following play, our linebackers jammed their knuckles into the turf, kicking their feet backward like bulls about to be released from a pen. At that point, the crowd and the defense were mutually plugged into the same high-voltage outlet. A safety at that point was literally inevitable, you could see it, you could feel it, you could sense it. Sure enough, our guys jammed the line while Michael Huff, seemingly shot from a cannon, flew around the right side to seal the deal. The Coliseum erupted as a volcano of white noise, which receded a few minutes later into a long rumbling chorus: Raiii-derrrs! Raiii-derrrs!

2. That scrambling sound you hear is the editors at ESPN trying to figure out how to fill the considerable editorial space that, until 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, was occupied with “Raiders Will Go 0-16!” stories.

3. This game was a testament to the loyalty of the Raider Nation and the recent ticketing improvements made by the Oakland Raiders organization. The house was sold out for a contest between two teams with one combined victory. Absolutely remarkable, considering the historical dearth of sellouts in Oakland. Remember last November, when Raider Take’s favorite columnist said that ticket sales were all about winning games, and yours truly countered that marketing was equally, if not more, important than winning? What say you now, Raider Take’s favorite columnist? By freeing themselves from the punitive bureaucratic impediment of the Oakland Football Marketing (hah!) Association, and by implementing a sensible pricing/marketing program and improving gameday logistics (opening night excepted), the Raiders have enabled the Raider Nation to flourish, and the Raider Nation is responding. Simple as that.

4. In the wake of the game, Art Shell indicated that Andrew Walter is our starter, regardless of Aaron Brooks’ recovery. Great news—now if we can just keep Walter from getting killed by the guys lining up across from Robert Gallery. This is becoming a serious problem, folks. We can’t have our young QB getting crushed from the blind side, over and over again. Brute strength is useless at left tackle if you don’t have the quick feet and hands to go with it. The jig might truly be up with Gallery. He offers as much resistance as a pair of saloon doors. Let’s try Slaughter—with the caveat that we’ll slaughter him if he makes any more false starts.

5. The Raiders Haters will tell us not to get too carried away about beating up the lowly Cardinals. You know what? I will get carried away. You don’t tell me that the Raiders are the worst team in the NFL, and one of the worst teams in history, and that we’ll go 0-16, and then turn around and tell me that this victory is both meaningless and expected. On top of that, it’s our first win in the past 12 games. It’s been a long time coming. Damn straight I’ll get carried away.