Oakland Raiders Preview: Bad Contracts Equal More Heartache For Raider Nation

Raider Nation may not like me very much, but you have to respect Raider fans. They’re quite possibly the most passionate, die-hard fans in the NFL.

Their blind passion is enviable. While most fan bases are skeptical, they're forever optimistic. They believe in their team, no matter what any of us "experts" say.

And they always stick with their team no matter what—through the good and the bad, the thick and the thin.

Unfortunately for Raider Nation, lately it’s been more thin than thick. Or is “thick” bad and “thin” good? In any event, it's been more bad than good recently.

Since their Super Bowl run in 2002, the Raiders have been on a free-fall of epic proportions. One that saw them bottom out two years ago, when Raider Nation was forced to witness the return of Art Shell even though he was legally declared dead seven years ago.

He was the first legally dead person to coach an entire season in the NFL since Rod Rust.

Replacing him with Lane Kiffin was a stroke of genius. Allowing the front office’s relationship with Lane Kiffin to deteriorate to the point it did during this off-season was a stroke of stupidity.

Luckily for Raider Nation, despite the friction, Kiffin returns in 2008 for his second season as Raider head coach.

Thankfully for Kiffin, Jerry Porter, Dominic Rhodes, and Warren Sapp won’t be returning with him.

I’ll give Al Davis one thing: he’s not afraid to spend money. The question is whether or not he spent it wisely.

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