Hondo’s Raiders Mailbag: Fans Make Their Demands Clear

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) have turned the page from their brutal loss this past weekend to the New England Patriots (3-2) and are already fully focused on the Buffalo Bills (4-1), who are coming to town for a tilt this weekend at Allegiant Stadium.

If the Raiders play like they did last weekend (we already detailed that in our report card), they will get blown out.

But, led by a coach who shone brightly in the Patriots' loss, his worst moment as the Raiders coach last week, Klint Kubiak, if they play as they did versus the Kansas City Chiefs, they could steal a win.

Raider Nation Speaks

I asked the Raider Nation, as I do each week, to let me know via my X account: besides the obvious answer of a win, what are they looking for?

Once again, one of the elite and smartest fan bases, who see their fandom as their way of life, and not just a game, responded in a big way.

I thank you.

Run the Damn Ball

The Raiders have no chance of winning over the next two weeks without some semblance of a running game.  I couldn’t agree more.

The issue isn't whether Ashton Jeanty or Mike Washington Jr. is playing; the issue is that the offensive line, as a unit, looked terrible on Sunday.

Tyler Linderbaum and Delmar “DJ” Glaze, the Mule, didn’t look bad, but guards Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers Johnson did, along with LT Kolton Miller.

I asked Kubiak about the poor guard play mentioned above and whether it opened an opportunity for Bryce Cabeldue and Caleb Rogers to get some reps this week.  Not one to lie or deceive, the Raiders' head coach was blunt as always.

"Yeah, we always want competition. We're looking at how to get better at all positions. So, yes."

The Raiders' mindset is to win this weekend, and QB Kirk Cousins said it best on what that takes in this league.

“I think anytime you're one-dimensional, it probably does make it a little bit easier on a defense. I think also playing from a lead, they can probably afford to be flexible with what they're doing because they've created a bit of a cushion. But you certainly want that run-pass threat at all times if you can have it.”

Just Compete, Baby!

This is one of the many reasons why Matt Millen sold me on this fan base, and why I genuinely love you all.  You get it.  You are not unrealistic or foolish.  You don’t ask for much, and in a rebuilding year, facing a team with legit Super Bowl aspirations, you are fair.

Two weeks ago, the Patriots went to Buffalo, then played the Raiders and beat the incoming Bills. Theoretically, that makes the Bills a worse team.  I emphasize theoretically because, despite the loss at home, I think the Bills are better.

Asking your team to be competitive, considering what they did in that same building versus the Chiefs, who I think are better than the Bills and the Patriots, is not asking too much.

Kubiak agrees with you.

“We have a whole lot to prove to ourselves and our fans this week. Really looking forward to playing in front of our fans this week. And our men, our leadership, our coaches, we're up to the challenge, and we have to bounce back.”

Respond, Not React

I love this for a million reasons, not least of all because my father used to instill this in his sons regularly.  Most don’t know the difference, so let me quickly explain it to them.

A reaction is an automatic, instant reflex fueled entirely by emotion, often creating mistakes that make us, in our best Homer Simpson voice, slap our forehead and say, “Why did I do that?”

A response is a conscious, deliberate choice made after taking a moment to think. It uses your brain to assess and make the right decision.  It is calculated.  Essentially, a reaction is controlled by the situation, but a response keeps you in control.

The Raiders, for the entirety of the time I have covered them, and long before I got here, have been reactionary as a franchise.

With Tom Brady, John Spytek, and Klint Kubiak, that is no longer the plan of attack.  I don’t think the Raiders will win this Sunday.  I do expect them to look better than last week, and the biggest reason is that they aren’t panicking; they are reactionary.  They are calculated.

They will respond.

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