It's a beautiful thing when our team wins, eh Nation?

Time and time again, we have not seen our Oakland Raider scheme execute in a manner we would like it to. Week after week, we wonder what type of players we have on our team; pondering which players should stay and which players should leave the facility as quickly as the Falcon clears Space.

So, it is kind of weird seeing all of it come together on a special Sunday. Is all forgiven? Of course not! Allen and Knapp, the Nation still wonders today why in the HELL you would pump up the crowd by putting in Terrelle Pryor for one series in which he would only pass one damn time? Now is the time to give him AT LEAST a half to work with. Why not give him the kind practice he actually needs on a real, live field?

Sith Lord knows, we have already seen what Carson Palmer can do… and then some.

The Raiders recorded their first shutout since 2002 with a 15-0 victory over the hapless Kansas City Chiefs, today.  The game was the team’s last home game of the season.

The Chiefs were terrible on offense the entire game, failing to get so much as a first down until the second half.  Brady Quinn, who was once in the conversation for the number one overall pick along with JaMarcus Russell, was under fire throughout the game but also failed to be very effective in doing anything for the 2-12 Chiefs.  His receiving corps, minus starter Dwayne Bowe (on IR), didn’t help him much, though, dropping many passes throughout the afternoon.

All of the Raiders points were scored on Sebastian Janikowski field goals.  Janikowski made 5 field goals, total, with the longest a 57 yarder. He also missed from 51 yards.

The Raiders’ running game looked revived against the KC defense.  Darren McFadden crossed 100 yards for the first time since week 8, also against Kansas City, when he went for 114 yards rushing on 29 carries.  He had a very similar stat line today, ending with 110 yards on the ground and receiving 30 handoffs.

This piece is the first of a few  in which I will go through my thoughts on the likely direction of the Oakland Raiders at the conclusion of the season.  Future articles will discuss my predictions on the direction of the offense and defense in general and specific players.

Here are my thoughts on the coaching staff.  I try to walk through this very logically and sequentially so each successive point builds off the previous points.  The future articles will build on these points as well to create as full a picture as I can.

So, please enjoy my predictions on the coaching staff for the 2013 Oakland Raiders and let me know what you think either in the comments section or on Twitter @AsherMathews

Reggie McKenzie and Dennis Allen aren’t going anywhere:

“My long-term goal was to research and identify a general manager to lead the Raider organization into the future. I consulted with Ron Wolf to help me identify potential candidates, one of which was Reggie McKenzie.

“Unfortunately, league rules prohibited us from contacting any current employees of other National Football League teams until the end of the regular season. So for three months, I did extensive research into all the potential candidates for the job.

“But early on, I recognized that Reggie McKenzie was the man I was looking for to lead the Raiders into the future. On January 1^st, the shackles were off and we were finally able to ask the Green Bay Packers for permission to interview Reggie McKenzie to become general manager of the Oakland Raiders. On January 2^nd, the Green Bay Packers graciously granted that permission.

“I called Reggie, we spoke briefly, and made arrangements for him to fly in for an interview. We met with John Madden for about six hours and reached an agreement that Reggie would become the general manager of the Oakland Raiders. After the meeting, I texted Reggie that my father used to say, ‘The greatness of the Raiders is in its future.’

“Reggie, the future is now. Ladies and gentlemen, Reggie McKenzie.”

This is how Raiders owner Mark Davis introduced General Manager Reggie McKenzie at the press conference on January 10^th.  While Davis has expressed dissatisfaction with the current record it seems unlikely that, even with a disappointing year, he is going to replace McKenzie already.

No, Reggie McKenzie’s job is safe for another year, at least, but likely for a few more years while he tries to bring some consistency and stability to a franchise that has seen upheaval after upheaval in recent years.

TFDS Contributor Seth Murphy takes an early look at some of the players he thinks the Raiders may target with TFDS' first mock of the 2013 NFL Draft. For more of his thoughts on the Raiders or the draft, you can follow him on Twitter @SethMurphy4991

First Round: Star Lotulelei DT University of Utah

Star Lotulelei has been a monster in the middle of Utah’s defensive line. He would fit in Oakland either as a 0 technique Nose Tackle in a 3-4 defense or as a 1 technique if  Oakland chooses to stay in the 4-3. Many of Oakland’s problems on defense can be traced to the decline of veteran DT’s Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour, both of whom are clearly nearing the end of their respective careers.

Star would make an immediate impact in stopping the run. The 6’ 4” 320 pound monster won the 2011 Morris Trophy for best defensive lineman in the league as voted on by starting offensive lineman. Over his career star has accumulated 107 tackles, 7 sacks and 22.5 while also forcing 4 fumbles and recovering 5. Those numbers are impressive for an interior defensive lineman that faces a double (sometimes triple) team on every play. He also played some goal line fullback and he has recorded a 17 yard reception.

It can't be masked, overlooked or denied; we are honestly a weak, underachieving, dreadful team. If you look at games long enough as I have, you will also realize we are one of the WORST Raider teams as well. Since 2007, the Oakland Raiders have won at least 4 games. Right now? We are still stuck on magic number 3.

Hell, do we even want our team to win? Should we even try to overcome our mistakes? I can sense what most of you are thinking -- of course not. Get the high draft picks, build around them and start Allen Year 2 off with better players. Speaking as a former Athlete, I'll tell you all; that frame of thought is just not possible in the minds of the Players. As long as you compete in the NFL, you play to win. There is just no other option, Nation.

That was a great Halftime, Oakland. They honored all of the of Raiders that were previously inducted into the Hall of Fame. I'd like to think that most of our players look at yesteryear and get motivated, energized and feel a sense of pride after putting those colors on. But it's just not true.

 Dear Mr. Allen,

I understand why Pryor hasn’t been active until late in the season – I really do.  I know you were saddled with him after the Raiders gave up a pick in the 3^rd round for him and while he’s just the kind of guy that Al Davis liked – big, strong, fast and extremely athletic – he’s incredibly unpolished.

I know you likely don’t think he’s the future of the franchise.  I know you’re more worried about winning your fourth game than you are developing a young guy like Pryor who you doubt will ever develop into a starting QB.  I know that your coaching seat is hotter right now than you ever imagined it would be in your first season taking over a team that admittedly had a lot of issues before you got there.

Look, I understand all that and I sympathize with you –we all have employees, coworkers or superiors that we think only got the job because someone made a mistake when hiring (or in this case drafting) them.  And I have my own reservations about Pryor’s future to be honest.  I mean, he lacks accuracy on many of his passes which is really a fundamental necessity for an NFL Quarterback.

Danny & Dano, the hosts of  Sonoma County Sports Fans radio show and podcast were kind enough to invite me back again this week to talk Raiders.  We discussed a number of different topics including the possibility of Jon Gruden coming back to coach the Silver & Black, how much blame Carson Palmer bears for the offenses struggles and what the Raiders should do, at a broad level, for this year's draft.

Please take a listen! To listen to the show, click here.

You can follow Danny & Dano on Twitter @SoCoSportsFans