2012-2013 Oakland Raiders, NFL is BACK

It is that time of year again!

The National Football League is only a few weeks away from the initial Preseason games to launch this season off.  You always hear that baseball is America's pastime, but let's all be honest people; NFL is by far America's favorite sport.  With a revenue of over $9 billion dollars annually, makes it quite clear which sport is the most successful in this country.

This blog is a special appreciation for my Oakland Raiders.  3-time Super Bowl winning champion Oakland Raiders.  And I want to make it official for this upcoming football season that I will make the commitment to post about your Oakland Raiders and keep you updated week by week pre and post game.

What makes this upcoming season so memorable is the fact that the Raiders have turned the page with the late and great Al Davis; If not the most infamous NFL owner of all time.  Eric Davis, son of Al Davis and company have completely changed the dynamic of this team, starting with bringing in a former Green Bay Packer executive, Reggie McKenzie. McKenzie is creating a new attitude to this team and hopefully changing the bad labels that the rest of the league has put on them.  He changed that attitude by turning the coaching staff upside down and bringing in people that he believes will get the job done for an under-achieving Raiders squad.

Former Broncos Defensive Coordinator and now Head Coach of the Raiders, Dennis Allen is the first Defensive-minded head coach since the great John Madden to walk the sidelines for the Silver and Black.  It is obvious that fans were tired of seeing the bad mistakes from the defense and the fact that they seemed to rack up the penalties each and every game, and it was up to the Raiders front office to finally bring someone in that can help limit those costly mistakes that have plagued this Raider team for that last few years.  And for all you Raider fans out there (including me), it's hard getting heckled for rooting a team that leads the league in penalties every year.  I mean it is by far the most frustrating thing in the NFL..you work so hard to get those yards and with one foul swoop fifteen yards is immediately take away, or a Pass Interference is called over and over again.  Solidifying our defense is the most important aspect to this team, because just by limiting those penalties, it is almost certain that the Raiders could have won a few more games and had the potential to win the division and make the playoffs.

Injuries; we all hate them, especially stud Raiders running-back Darren McFadden, when at his best could be called the best running back in the league.  However, throughout his whole career he has never been able to finish a complete season always seeming to get injured.  Whether it be turf toe or an ankle injury, something is always coming up.  Withe the loss of Michael Bush heading over to the Chicago Bears, it is going to be up to McFadden to take on more carries and to stay healthy and help this team win.

One thing that will not change from the Al Davis era is going to be the long pass game.  Veteran Carson Palmer is coming back as the starting QB again and will be expected to make those long connections in the end zone more often this season.  With returning wide receivers like Denarious Moore, Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey, Palmer should and will have success in the passing game.

I shall continue more on the Oakland Raiders and their preparation for the 2012-2013 NFL season.  We will discuss the different offensive schemes that the Raiders will hopefully execute and the players that will make those differences.  To be continued.