Raiders Fans Make Feelings Abundantly Clear on Franchise Rebuild

So I asked you on my X page (@HondoCarpenter) for your opinion on what GM John Spytek should do before the team arrives for camp, and you certainly spoke out.

Relax, Francis

I have addressed this so many times, but I still get it over and over. Fans are terrified at worst, anxious at best, about why Fernando Mendoza’s deal appears to have taken so long. It has and hasn’t. There was never any concern about either Mendoza or his deal, and the panic is fueled by media or para-media seeking clicks, not those very familiar with what both parties are thinking.

There is nothing to see here.

What, You're Kidding Right?

Evidently, some in the Raider Nation are not as enamored of the rookie phenom Fernando Mendoza. I know NFL Executives were, when several named him the best QB prospect of the last four years, but this one surprises me a lot.

Not sure what some people are thinking, perhaps they just don’t think he will work out, and the odds are against him for sure, but this is nonsensical to me.

Hold on There, Tap the Brakes

Many people agree with this sentiment, Ken. I do not, and neither does the team. If he wins it in training camp (a long shot), great, give him the job. But the longer he stays on the bench (think Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes), the better the Raiders are in the long run.

I have predicted he will start this season, but let the young man earn it; he and the Raiders will be better for it.

Maxx Crosby Remains Atop the Nation's Mind

Maxx Crosby is arguably a top-two defensive player in the NFL. That is a fact. We told you during the season that there was a market in which some teams would trade two first-round picks for him. None of my critics came back and apologized when the Baltimore Ravens did just that.

The deal fell through, and while most in the NFL do not think it had anything to do with Crosby’s health, the reality is that he is still in Las Vegas.

The team is not shopping him; Crosby is not demanding a trade. But the reality is that one already happened, he is ready to win now, and the Raiders are rebuilding. There is a lot of interest in him, and there should be.

So what do the fans think of Crosby? Evidently, a lot of various thoughts.

A major extension would squelch those immediately. He has a very favorable contract conducive to trading, and while that would be great for him personally, I do not see that happening with the Silver and Black. An adjustment? Okay, maybe, but not a major extension as you suggest.

The amount of hate mail I got from fans after the season about a potential trade was ridiculous. Few apologized when he got traded, but when I talk about it now, there are still fans who are angry, as if the media is making this up.

I am unsure how many times I have to say it, but the Raiders aren’t shopping him, and he isn’t demanding a trade. The reality is that he wants to win Super Bowls, the Raiders are rebuilding, and teams want him. Covet him in some cases.

He is not a good player; he is a great player, and as someone who has known him for a long time, I can say he is an even better person. I am not advocating shopping him, but I am saying he and the Raiders need to keep their ears open for something that benefits both parties, should it present itself. It very well might, considering the teams with interest.

During the season, I reported that a couple of teams felt Crosby was worth two first-round picks. Two of those three teams are no longer in the market. One is. That is still a possibility, but I could see a first-round pick and a key player, or two picks (one first-round, the other based on the quality of the player) as very realistic.

Delmar "DJ" Glaze: The Mule

This one hurts me a little bit. After a terrific rookie campaign (in which he earned the nickname "The Mule" from Zamir White and me), he looked like a star in the making.

The collapse last season was not his fault; it was terrible play-calling and an offense that looked sophomoric at best. The team did nothing to help him, and the criticism of his sophomore campaign was fair; directing it at him was ridiculous.

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