Mired in a disastrous 1-5 season, the Raiders players clearly aren't having any fun.
But does that mean they don't love the game of football? Not necessarily. But to Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, at a minimum, it appears like the Raiders don't enjoy playing the game right now. Does that have something to do with new head coach Jon Gruden and the sudden trade of Khalil Mack? Carter isn't sure, but he left the door open for that possibility.
"We can keep making excuses, but man, Khalil Mack is gone. And is not coming back," Carter said Monday morning on FS1's First Things First. "But let me tell you what you are stuck with. You're stuck with that head coach. And to me, they don't have a lot of guys that look like they love playing football."
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On Sunday morning, just as the Raiders were getting set to take on the Seahawks in London, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that first-round picks Amari Cooper and Karl Joseph were being shopped by Oakland. Carter tied in his previous comments with Cooper, someone he's known for a long time.
"Amari Cooper, he's a kid I know really, really well and I heard recently this week that Oakland might potentially give up on him and he's available to be traded," Carter said. "I'm just telling you, Amari Cooper can play for my team, he is a great guy. Man, he's the kind of guy you would introduce to your partner's daughter. He is a gentleman. And to see him not play with any type of enthusiasm, like I've known the kid a long, long time, it looks like the joy of football has been sapped from him. And I don't know the reason why, but I have known the kid for a long, long time. He comes from the tough streets of Miami, Miami Northwestern High school. Went to Alabama where it was not easy. I never saw the look on Amari Cooper's face the way I've seen him the first part of the season and what I saw there yesterday in London."
As Scott Bair wrote Sunday evening following the Raiders' 27-3 loss to Seattle, the players were brutally honest about their performance. Rookie defensive end Arden Key eluded to the Raiders needing increase their passion.
“We came here and we got our ass whooped,” Key said. “There’s no way around it. We got our ass whooped from first whistle to the last one. We have remember that, and come out with fire [after the bye] week and continue to come out with fire.”
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So maybe Carter is on to something. Maybe playing for a coach that traded their best player and might trade two more first-round picks has crushed the player's desire.
After traveling back from London on Monday, the Raiders enter their bye week. When they put the pads back on, the face the Colts and 49ers in two winnable games. We'll find out if they come back from the break with the fire Carter and Key wants to see.