Back in Black

Yep, I'm still here, just off to a late start this season. Let's get right to it...

Bottom line: this feels to me like the most professional Raiders team in I don't know how long. 

There's been so much weirdness at head coach and general manager (and ownership) since I started this blog, that it's almost disorienting to not see any outright dysfunction. 

I didn't like how the whole Gruden thing went down at the end, but it provided us with a most unexpected and unlikely mulligan. Instead of being yoked to Gruden's ridiculous contract and mediocre performance for the next six years, the Raiders got a do-over, and I think they got it right. 

We have a coach-GM tandem that makes sense. Things seem way more grown up, operationally speaking. Moving on from Bisaccia as the sentimental Raider favorite was a good sign. The old Raiders probably would have brought him back. Great guy, awesome stopgap, but not the one. The rest of the NFL knows that, look at his current position.

Will it translate? We'll see. It's a tough division, and McDaniels is still unproven. But there's a freshness to the Autumn Wind right now, and I'm loving it.

What say you?