JOE’s Two-A-Days: Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles

A bleak, bleak year ahead for the silver and black while the Eagles could be in for a decent year under a new coach.

Oakland Raiders:

Last season: The highpoint came in Week 3, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-31. That was one of only four wins all year, and as they conceded nearly 28 points a game, they were on the receiving end of a lot of heavy defeats. This season: Incredible as it may seem, the Raiders are probably going to be worse this season. Thanks to former GM and owner Al Davis, the club had burned through years of future draft picks and had a host of bad, overpaid players. GM Reggie McKenzie has had to strip the team to both save money, and effectively tank the season to ensure they’ll get a low pick in the next draft. It’s a move you see a lot in the NBA, and now the Raiders have to do it. It’s going to be ugly at the Coliseum this year. QB Carson Palmer is gone, as is free safety Michael Huff, as has wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, as has Phillip Wheeler. Those were arguably their four best players. In has come veteran safety Charles Woodson, and QB Matt Flynn, though Terrelle Pryor looks like he’s getting the start under centre. This is not good news. Verdict: It’s going to be a hell of a battle with the Jets but we reckon the Raiders should land the title worst team in football this season. Shorn of talent, and with a QB roster that fills us with no confidence, they will win less than they did last year. Add in the fact they are in the tough AFC West with Denver, Kansas and San Diego and it is going to be very grim indeed. Bet against them every week, and make sure you take them to lose by more than the handicap too.

Philadelphia Eagles

Last Season: It was a strange season. Vick struggled to replicate the fantastic form that saw him score a huge new contract and was banged up, Andy Reid's reign finished and there were the tragic events involving the death of his son. 4-12 was disappointing, but there was so much happening at the franchise off the field that it was understandable. This season: Riley Cooper has had an interesting off season, attending a few concerts in his spare time, but there's no need to go to that here. Google it if you haven't heard about it. Chip Kelly has come in as the new coach, replacing Andy Reid, and certainly promises some innovation and maybe a few interesting games. That said, he's also an unknown quantity, and that can be good or bad. The step up to the big league is more of a jump, but it's going to be fascinating to watch. Michael Vick looks like he's gained the trust of Kelly and will be the starter, at least for the first few games, but it shouldn't be forgotten that he isn't getting any younger and does tend to get injured thanks to the fact that he likes to get outside the pocket and ends up taking some hits. Whether he lasts the full season is an issue for them, but Nick Foles looked capable last season and will be pushing Vick for the starter's spot all the way. DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin (out with an ACL injury for now) are also great weapons for the team to use on offence, and they can most certainly cause opposing defences headaches with Kelly's up tempo style of play. Speaking of defence, they lost all their big name corner backs that were the talk of the NFL last season when they were labelled the “Dream Team”, with the most talked about one being Nnamdi Asomugha, who headed to San Francisco. There's still talent on the roster though; Patrick Chung is always solid and Fletcher Cox should pick up a few sacks now that he has moved to defensive end. Verdict: This team is really still an unknown since there's so much change, but they will almost certainly improve this year (not hard, we imagine). Whether they can surprise everyone (like the Seahawks did last year) and make the whole thing click remains to be seen, but 7-9 would be a reasonable year, and something to build on for Kelly.