Las Vegas Raiders Will Be Show Worthy On the Strip
Anytime you're meeting someone new, you want to make the best first impression. Going on a first date, interviewing for your first job, or becoming the first NFL team to play in the city built on boom or bust. Where you walk in with a winner's mentality, Vegas can make your dreams come true, or be your worst nightmare.
Ok, so maybe that isn't everyone that shows up in Las Vegas. Still, for the sake of the Las Vegas Raiders long-term popularity in a city where it nearly saw its expansion NHL franchise win a championship in its first year, you can't just win, but you're going to have to flash doing it.
People aren't dumb. They realize that the Raiders are being made over by Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock. But in Vegas, they like their shows.
It's why the Raiders, taking receivers with three of their first four picks in this year's draft, while a disputable strategy to the ever-present critics, when it comes to overall team building, makes perfect sense for what this Raiders team will need to be. Taking the draft's fastest player in Henry Ruggs III fits the Raiders profile. Taking the versatile Lynn Bowden Jr. out of Kentucky along with Bryan Edwards from South Carolina shows that the Raiders are committed to getting the most out of quarterback Derek Carr and their offense.
All you have to do is look around the AFC West to realize that offensive explosion is becoming a necessity. The Kansas City Chiefs are reigning Super Bowl champions and added a dual-threat running back in Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the offense of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce.
Denver has built up their weapons over the past two years for second-year quarterback Drew Lock by acquiring Jerry Jeudy, Cortland Sutton, and Noah Fant. No matter who starts in Los Angeles for the Chargers, they will complement Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, Mike Williams and Austin Ekler.
The Raiders' signature used to be loading up with speedsters and turning games into track meets bombing the ball downfield. Gruden is an offensive savant who loves to do that. But he wants to set Vegas on fire and keep up with his competition, and he won't waste what he and Mayock have garnered at their disposal. The Raiders didn't have the necessary weapons to ask Derek Carr to go deep. Now, as they open up the offense, the Raiders will have a chance to make Vegas their own.
Once Gruden's gang gets going in Las Vegas, I can guarantee what happens in Vegas, won't stay in Vegas. The eyes of the football world always sit on this storied franchise, and once things get rolling, what happens in Vegas, won't stay in Vegas this time.
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