What is it like to live in a city with a winning football team that competes for 60 minutes from week to week? People of Oakland - call your out-of-town friends and ask. Raider Nation may not know until 2011.
Even with a 9-point lead, under five minutes to play, and Buddy Ryan's son at the reins on defense, the Silver and Black couldn't come up with stops when needed. Nine times five equals 45, and that's the number of minutes Oakland played "Raider Football" in week 3 at Buffalo. Hence came the fourth quarter and a collapse.
It was actually two 9-point leads that were devoured by the ravenous (and now 3-0) Buffalo Bills in the final quarter of play. Kicker Rian Lindell's game-winning kick as time expired capped a 24-23 win for the Bills, who remain undefeated.
"We found a way to get it done," says Buffalo defensive end Chris Kelsay. "I’ve been on the other side of this situation many times. This year there’s just something different about this team."
The Bills scored 17 points in the final 9 minutes of the game. They scored only a single touchdown prior to that, one set up in the second quarter via a Raider fumble at their own 23 yard line.
"Our guys hung in there," claims Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. "We overcame a lot of adversity."
Kiffin Still Standing
In over four decades of Al Davis-inspired Oakland Raider football, seldom, if ever, has there been a time when team personnel issues were made as public as they are now. For weeks, rumors have abounded that Oakland head coach Lane Kiffin was on the verge of losing his job should more losses pile up as they've been doing for Oakland since 2003.
"There's so many conversations that go on around here," Kiffin told the Los Angeles Times Monday. "I have not been told by Al Davis that I'm not the head coach, so until he tells me directly we're going to keep plugging away," he added in the same press conference.
Since their unforgettable week one loss to Denver, the Raiders have only allowed 32 points (only 15 in the first 7 of the 8 aforementioned quarters), rookie runningback Darren McFadden has turned in dandy plays for big yards, and quarterback JaMarcus Russell hasn't thrown an interception.
Yet the week 3 loss brings the return of the Commitment to 'coulda 'shoulda 'woulda seen from time to time in Oakland (and L.A.) since the early 90's. While many feel the Raiders deserved to win in Buffalo, many others feel Kiffin should stay employed for the time being.
"We're taking care of the football better...we're getting the ball back on defense...we're forcing turnovers," Kiffin says. "Some of our core beliefs in what we need to do to win are happening."
Can the Raiders Jolt the Bolts?
Oakland, who has not been over .500 since week 3 of the 2004 season, are under it again with the San Diego Chargers coming to town Sunday. The Raiders have dropped their last nine meetings to San Diego.
A threat seemed to hover over Kiffin' job going into week two, and should one return this week, perhaps the team would try even harder for a win.
Not all fans think so.
"When they go bad, they stay that way," says lifelong Raider fan Randy Fontes. "I don't know if they can rebound from a game like the Buffalo one."
