The Oakland Raiders were beaten handily by the the New England Patriots on Sunday, but that’s not stopping head coach Hue Jackson from making–err, sticking by–bold predictions. The coach believes the Raiders will win the AFC West this season. Jackson’s squad finished the first quarter of the season with a .500 record and wins over the Denver Broncos and New York Jets. The Raiders could very well have been at 3-1 had it not been for collapse against the Buffalo Bills. As it stands now, they trail the division leading San Diego Chargers by one game with a difficult road contest against the Houston Texans on the horizon. “We’re 2-2, so I’m disappointed but not discouraged because I know what’s in the locker room. I’ve said this before: I have to keep coaching and keep pushing and keep grinding on these players. And these players have to keep responding, and they’ve responded every time I’ve asked them to. . .We’re not backing down from what the expectation is here by no stretch of the imagination. It’s not going to change. We’re going to win the AFC West. We’re going to do everything we can to get in the playoffs and go challenge for a Super Bowl. I am not backing down from that.†Source: Football News Now
Good! One of Cable's best attributes as a head coach, was that he believed the team was talented enough to compete, and he passed that belief into the team. I was worried that Jackson would be a step up as far as a role model coach goes, but a step down in the confidence, but so far so good. Lets take the AFC West... Hell lets get a home playoff game!
