RAIDERS +3 v BROWNS
“Desert Delusion?”
Intro
In the never-ending cycle of societal dysfunction, I find that I can’t escape the quest for the one “Ups-Manship” by the various combatants as the “Blame Game” is in full effect. Since it seems (according to the media that the world and everything in it is horrible and there is no hope for humanity) there is a race to make sure everyone involved in a “fight’ gets their finger pointed 1st at those who they feel is the most responsible for this epic collapse of mankind. This blame is non-discriminatory as its Democrats v Republicans, Grandparents v Millennials, Drug Addicts v Doctors, Fox News v CNN, etc. and when in doubt everyone just continues to blame former President Trump. I could go on and on, but you get the point. This quick trigger to project the blame and to “save face” in the midst of calamity even extends to our favorite Sunday wagering sport (NFL). In this behemoth of a league the Owner blames the Coach who instantly deflects this negativity back on to the dispensable player who must, (right or wrong) “take it” otherwise he might find himself benched, put on the waiver wire or out of the league all together with one wrong retaliatory statement and/or tweet.
Now this “biting the bullet” approach when getting chastised by his HC might be for the best as it pertains to the players long term sustainability in a cutthroat league, it certainly isn’t conducive to a “happy home” (locker-room) especially when it comes from a HC who has never taken responsibility for his own ineptitude and for who has accomplished nothing. What this highly delusional + control hungry head coach doesn’t see, due to being clouded by his own hubris, is that his antiquated style has now created a fracture + divide within in the locker-room that can bever be repaired. It’s one thing if HOF Ex- Head Coach the likes of Bill Belichick with his equity and accomplishments calls out the player publicly (which he never did) but when it’s the oversized ego of never won anything Raiders HC Antonnio Pierce it’s a totally different story all together. Quoting Pierce “The players made “business decisions” as he couldn’t resist throwing his team under the bus by stating after a humbling loss last week to a bottom feeding Carolina Panthers club” Seriously? Old coach humility must have forgotten that he only got this job (like possibly our next president might) by getting christened by the players by player led owner.
Pierce, in only his way has deflected the criticism by not falling on the sword like any respected leader would but instead blamed everyone else (Very Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli of him) from his starting QB (G. Minshew) all the way down to the ball boy for the recent Silver & Black failures. Feeling empowered so nobody is immune from the wrath of the self-described defensive Svengali. Well Coach the bible states, “pride comes before the fall” and you might be the current king of that phrase but the minions you claim to rule are quietly looking to distance themselves from your tyrannical reign. Simply put the players who championed your cause now may just have had enough. The group who once would run thru a wall for you have lost the faith in your leadership and the trust that you have their collective backs. Simply put, the Raiders are irrevocably broken with nobody able or coming to repair this sinking ship. This sudden lack of institutional trust and the accompanying results on the field just didn’t happen overnight. To get at this point where the Raiders reside (bottom feeder) takes time. Situations like this are similar to a simmering volcano for whom the pressure built for years under the surface until finally exploding for all to see.
The Raider players lack of trust in their supposed “leader” got me to start thinking again (oh no) on what specifically is trust and more importantly within this specific context, what exactly led the players to go from one day an unconditional follower/believer in the head coach to now looking at every website and reading his quotes questioning the players commitment, competence, and status. I have now set the table on this week’s post as I formally welcome you to the meaning of trust or lack thereof and how it relates to the current dysfunctional state of the so called “Commitment to Excellence” carpetbagging Raider bunch. Ahh, I hear that damn bell once again informing me that its time where I introduce to you to the sometimes elongated but always informatic version of “Sunday Psychobabble.”
History Lesson
For those of you who are history freaks, you know that President Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk that read: “The Buck Stops Here.” It meant he accepted responsibilities for all the decisions of his administration. Truman’s stand exists in organizations today but, unfortunately, as the exception rather than the rule.
Without accountability, even the most brilliant, hard-working, well-intentioned leaders fail. They fail to meet their performance goals, they fail to develop their teams, they fail to hire top talent, they fail to coach their players, they fail to communicate clearly, they fail to optimize performance, and they fail the business overall. Effective leadership requires real accountability. Pierce must not be a big fan of Truman’s personal constitution.
Trust Me?
By nature, I’m a pretty trusting person. Under normal circumstances I tend to extend trust to others expecting they will reciprocate in kind. If the other person proves to be untrustworthy, then I’ll dial back the level of trust I place in him/her. In relationships where I’ve experienced distrust, I’ve found it usually isn’t caused by one significant breach of trust (although those are the ones that grab my immediate attention), but rather several smaller instances over time. A broken promise here, a missed deadline there, and a pattern of unreliable, unethical, incompetent, or uncaring behavior becomes the trend.
Not a One Night Stand!
Distrust doesn’t happen overnight. It develops progressively through stages, and if we can recognize these stages when we’re in them, we have a chance of addressing the situation before distrust takes root.
- Doubt – The first stage of distrust begins with doubt. You start to experience a slight uncertainty about someone’s trustworthiness that causes you to pause just a bit. It might be that nagging doubt in the back of your mind that you can’t seem to dismiss, or something just doesn’t feel right about the situation even though you can’t put your finger on it exactly.
- Suspicion – Doubt, if unresolved, grows into suspicion over time. Suspicion is belief without proof. You’ve started to see a pattern of behavior that may indicate a lack of trust, but you don’t quite have enough proof to make a firm conclusion. Your trust radar is telling you that something is wrong.
- Anxiety – The third stage of distrust is anxiety, a feeling of apprehension or uneasiness, that is often manifested physically. When dealing with someone you don’t quite trust, you may experience nervousness, a rapid heartbeat, anger, a knotted stomach, or even disgust.
- Fear – At this point in a relationship, distrust has risen to the point where you are afraid to show vulnerability. You have experienced repeated breaches of trust and have grown to distrust another person to the point you are afraid for your emotional well-being.
- Self-protection – As a result of the fear you experienced, you move into a state of self-protection. You put up walls in your relationship to prevent the other person getting close to you. This act of self-preservation reduces your vulnerability, but also cements the state of distrust in the relationship.
Broken Bonds
Trust is the cord that holds two people together in relationship, and when it’s severed, disconnection occurs. When you can no longer be vulnerable with the other person, you begin to experience different things in your relationship. There are several common experiences of damaged trust:
Withdrawal – Instead of acting carefree, which is normal in a trusting relationship, you become more reserved in sharing personal information. You quit taking risks in the relationship because the safety net has been removed. Loneliness or feeling dead or frozen inside is common.
Movement to task – To compensate for the lack of trust in the relationship, you may over-invest yourself in tasks related to hobbies, work, school, church, or other activities. You stay active in other parts of your life because you find it easier to “do” than to “connect.” You shut down the personal part of your relationship with the other person.
Unbalanced “giver” relationships- It’s common for a person to be the “giver” in all relationships and to avoid “receiving.” Being the giver allows you to remain safe from being vulnerable with another person. You will listen, help, and guide others, but withhold letting others help you. Being the giver also manifests itself in co-dependent relationships.
Bad habits – Trust issues can often lead to problematic behavioral patterns in your life. It’s easy to suppress our emotional feelings by over-eating, drinking too much, or other addictive behaviors.
Distrust can spread through a relationship like a wildfire. What starts as a small ember of doubt can mushroom into a full-on blaze of distrust if we don’t take steps to address it early. The best way to prevent distrust from taking root is to proactively focus on building trust. Trust must be continually developed and nurtured throughout the course of a relationship, not just when it’s been damaged.
In this context the constant and publicly open chastising and “throwing the players under the bus” while not taking any responsibility for his own bumbling and negligent coaching has led to a point that has infected the Raider culture to the point its irrevocable. How? Why? I thought you never ask.
Crisis Adverted?
Many psychoanalysts have maintained that personality develops in a predetermined order through eight stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to adulthood. During each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality development. These crises are of a psychosocial nature because they involve psychological needs of the individual (i.e., psycho) conflicting with the needs of society (i.e., social).
According to the theory, successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and the acquisition of basic virtues. Basic virtues are characteristic strengths which the ego can use to resolve subsequent crises. Failure to successfully complete a stage can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages and therefore an unhealthier personality and sense of self. These stages, however, can be resolved successfully later.
- Trust vs. Mistrust
If the players receive from the HC is consistent, predictable, and reliable, they will develop a sense of trust which will carry with them to other intra-team relationship, and they will be able to feel secure even when threatened. If these needs are not consistently met, mistrust, suspicion, and anxiety may develop.
Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of hope. By developing a sense of trust, the player can have hope that as new crises arise, there is a real possibility that other people will be there as a source of support. Failing to acquire the virtue of hope will lead to the development of fear. The player will carry the basic sense of mistrust with them to other intra-team relationships. It may result in anxiety, heightened insecurities, and an over feeling of mistrust in the “locker-room” that surrounds around them.
- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of will. If the players in this stage are encouraged and supported in their increased independence, they become more confident and secure in their own ability to excel on the field.
If the players are often criticized, overly controlled, or not given the opportunity to assert themselves, they begin to feel inadequate in their ability to perform at a high level, and may then become overly dependent upon others, lack self-esteem, and feel a sense of shame or doubt in their abilities.
- Industry vs. Inferiority
It is at this stage that the player’s peer group will gain greater significance (“tuning out” the HC) and will become a major source of the player’s self-esteem. The player now feels the need to win approval by demonstrating specific competencies that are valued by the team and begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments. If players are encouraged and reinforced for their initiative, they begin to feel industrious (competent) and feel confident in their ability to achieve goals. If this initiative is not encouraged, if it is restricted by coaches, then the player begins to feel inferior, doubting his own abilities and therefore may not reach his or her potential. If the player cannot develop the specific skill, they feel the coach is demanding then they may develop a sense of Inferiority.
“Get Off My Lawn HC”
I was going to hold off my Antonio Pierce bashing for now but with him in early-season critical form I couldn’t wait since the anvil might drop on this outdated and bitter HC at any moment, so I need to get possibly one more shot at him before they kick him to the curb.
What we are now seeing publicly in “Sin City” is no different than what many teams are dealing with only we are viewing the final stages of a divorce play out or all to see as other teams are currently in the preliminary stages that will eventually get to the point the Raiders are at as those involved in the chaos stay on way to long. The delusional organization feels that it all can be worked out with a training camp bonding exercise (useless) or a big road upset win at Baltimore (band-aid on a broken leg). It’s similar to the couple that feels a vacation together with no kids, job or daily life’s many ills will miraculously cure the schism in their ever-dissolving relationship. Yes, in the moment just like with a winning streak, a nice tropical week in paradise can give pone he illusion that all is well, but this is the ultimate lie most all buy into. Eventually the problems rear their ugly head once again but with no escape it’s just a matter of time until the simmering volcano explodes and with it destroying everything in sight. Ask yourself if you are in the same personal mess as the Raiders. I believe it’s going to end badly for them, can the same be said for yourself?
GAME TIME
Catnip
Enough Las Vegas. It’s now time to put up or everyone just needs to shut-up. In Week 1 you lost on the road to a division opponent (LAC)-no shame in that. In Week 2 you went on the road in a game that everyone felt you had no shot and scored a big 4th quarter comeback against AFC powerhouse (Balt)-Big time win. Then in Week 3 you couldn’t even muster a whimper and coughed up a furr-ball in a lifeless effort in the home opener against a team picked by most to be the worst in the league (Carl)-Embarrassing! -No more he said-she said high school schoolgirl catfights! It’s time to be professionals and go out and show you belong in the conversation as a viable playoff team that is building something viable and setting the framework for sustainable future success!
What a perfect time to reset. Look I know that they will be without top WR (Adams) and best DE (Crosby) but what a better time to come together as a team when nobody believes they will overcome this adversity and the stench of being publicly humbled by a bottom-feeder (Panthers) last week! No better time in “shocking the world” as now a home and wounded dog by getting a highly vulnerable and fragile Cleveland Browns club that has a starting QB (Watson) who is a shell of his former self, a M*A*S*H unit of an offensive line, and a paper tiger road team defense that outside a 1 score win v a winless Jaguar club have lost at home to the Cowboys and Giants respectively. No more excuses Las Vegas!
Conclusion
In the end all the major destruction we see and experience in life never happen in an instant even though it appears that way. Just like the numerous hurricanes that batter the Gulf Coast starts with a cloud and , a forest fire which consumes half the State of California starts with a simple spark, the systematic loss of trust between those supposedly together for the same goal starts as a minor issue and when left unchecked (communication) it will metastasize into a giant out of control storm that will eventually lead to mass disillusionment, bitterness and an predictable + disastrous ending from a once promising outlook and future that was projected at the introductory press conference where it was all smiles and adulations.
The Raiders could very well come out and make me look the fool, but if the Raiders lose today, I will take the fool label as what the public will be calling this rudderless franchise will make being called simply a fool the desire of every member of the Silver & Black.
Finally, it is my belief Raiders never knew it at the time but their future with HC Pierce and a quest for the return to glory never stood a chance from the start. Pierce wasn’t the leader they thought he was before they hired him, isn’t the leader they hired him to be now, and will not be the leader they want him to be for the future. The only question now Raiders is can you prove me and many other doubters wrong? And if not now then I’m sorry to say you never will! GOOD FORTUNE TO All! PhD!
OTHER PLAYS:
Bears -3
Ravens-Pk-130
Dolphins-Pk-130 (Mon Night)
Commodores/Cardinals Over 49
2-Team-6 Pt Teaser:
Jets -2/Buccaneers +7
2-Team-7 Pt Teaser:
Packers +10/Chargers +14
OVERALL RECORD:
2024 8-9- 47%
2023 60-42-3 60%
2022 64-57-3 53%
2021 61-53-1 54%
2020 55-46-6 55%
2019 54-53-4 50%
2018 49-30-2 62%
2017 48-47-3 50%
2016 48-42-3 53%
2015 36-18-5 67%
GOOD FORTUNE TO ALL! PhD.