"... CBS Sports and Sirius XM NFL commentator Rich Gannon, who led the Raiders to their last playoff appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. "Look at how many quarterbacks they've run through in both places. Look at the evaluation process. Look at how they've missed drafting players, signing free agency. When they get a good player they fire the coach so they don't properly develop players. That's no way to win."
Quarterback conundrums
The chain of Oakland quarterbacks since Gannon won league MVP honors in 2002 looks like it should belong in Jacob Marley's closet. The Raiders have had 18 start at least one game in that time – or one more than the Browns. Jason Campbell, Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski own the dubious distinction of playing for both.
Lack of continuity almost always starts at the game's most important position and dramatically impacts the futures of franchise decision makers. Failing quarterbacks often get the men who coach and select them fired. New coaches and the men who select them usually contribute to the demise of the quarterbacks who got the previous regime fired.
Such is the cruel gridiron cycle.
"You draft a quarterback, he's there a year, and then you fire the coach and the coordinator," Gannon said. "The next group brings in an entirely different system and what happens to the young quarterback? We've seen it happen to guys like Sam Bradford and Alex Smith."
The Fresno State product has thrown eight touchdowns and five interceptions while suffering just four sacks. His quarterback rating (80.9) ranks near the league's bottom, but Gannon asks fans to look at the talent surrounding him.
"He's got a mediocre offensive line, not a lot of depth at receiver and they can't run the football," the analyst said. "But he's shown he can play fast and make all the throws. There's a lot to like about this kid."
The Raiders fired Dennis Allen after an 0-4 start. His replacement Tony Sparano is 0-2 with the toughest part of the schedule awaiting him. If the Raiders clean organizational house again in the offseason what will the new decision makers think of Carr?
Gannon believes the decision is an easy one.
"I think they've got their quarterback," he said. "They just have to build around him."
... The late Al Davis, whose renegade approach led the Raiders to three Super Bowl titles, lost his way and his patience with the organization. His methods became as outdated as the stadium his team inhabits. The Raiders spent themselves into salary-cap purgatory on the likes of Javon Walker, Larry Brown, Desmond Howard, DeAngelo Hall and Warren Sapp.
General manager Reggie McKenzie was hired in 2012 and charged with fixing the cap mess bereft of first- and second-round selections lost in the Carson Palmer trade.
"What Reggie inherited was an impossible situation," NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly, a former Redskins and Texans general manager. "He was buried under two years of cap problems. They were without top draft choices. It was going to take you two years to get to zero. You can't win in free agency when your team is not winning."
Casserly believes continuity leads to success. He points to the patience the Bengals showed in Marvin Lewis and Cowboys exhibited with Jason Garrett...
After years of poor drafting, the Raiders might finally have a promising class led by linebacker Khalil Mack, Carr and guard Gabe Jackson. But will McKenzie be given another year if the winless Raiders don't start producing?