For at least one Sunday…the Black Hole was filled with joy again. It was a whirlwind week that began with sweeping changes at General Manager, Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback but finished with pure elation. Not only did the Raiders thoroughly dominate the New York Giants, but it felt as if some demons were exorcised in the process.
The Raiders made a lot of news this past week for not only beating the Giants, 30-6, in their first game of a new regime…but maybe even more so for the fashion in which they celebrated the victory. Videos emerged of the Raiders players smoking celebratory cigars in the locker room after the win. From outside the Black Hole, the action may appear ridiculous. After all, the Giants were a struggling 2-6 football team who lost their starting quarterback in the second quarter.
However, for anyone inside Raider Nation, this had nothing to do with beating the Giants. This had everything to do with a football team that had not enjoyed the game of football for far too long, finally taking a deep exhale, and allowing themselves to enjoy the moment. This was a frustrated football team that had appeared to be close to spiraling out of control prior to this week. The changes made all the difference and they let it all out in Week 9.
It was equally exciting for the passionate fan base that has struggled alongside its players for so long. For Raider Nation to see its beloved Silver and Black take a team to task from the opening kickoff and never let up was a sight for sore eyes. Beyond that, to see Davante Adams openly celebrating his teammates successes despite once again not seeing the ball enough for a player of his caliber was a relief. Adams made it clear that it’s not about him, as long as the team is performing to its standard.
This week football became fun again…and I can’t wait to see what happens next.