Oakland Raiders, NFL's Real Black Hole

The entire Raiders franchise as well as Al "Da Rat" Davis is in the beginning stages of rigormortis. The last 5½ seasons Oakland has won 21 games. Oakland last won a Super Bowl in 1984 and last made the playoffs in 2003.

The Oakland Raiders currently sit atop the NFL with a $154 million dollar payroll. $6 million more than the No. 2 team in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. The Kansas City Chiefs currently have the lowest payroll at $83 million, and have only one fewer win than the Raiders.

If the Raiders stay on their current pace, they would win four games this season, and should they reach that mark, have spent roughly, $38 million per win. Should they hold steady at two wins, well, that would be $76 million per win. USA Today has published a list of the top-25 highest paid players in the league, which contain three Raiders players. This clearly illustrates how a team can spend the most money in the league and still be one of the worst teams on the field game after game. This season they've lost six games, one head coach and a very good cornerback having a very poor season, as "Da Rat" fires CB DeAngelo Hall, eight games into his Raider career.

Half way through the 2008-2009 season and here are some of Oakland's most-pressing issues entering the second half of the season.

QB JaMarcus (JaMilliions) Russell showed some promise early on, but has regressed. He is the NFL's worst passer in terms of completion percentage. He has been sacked 22 times, fumbled eight times and directs an offense that has scored a league-worst 107 points.

Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has seen his "Escort Service" sink, to a ranking of 30^th out of 32 in rushing yards allowed per game and are near the bottom in average yards allowed per carry and touchdowns allowed.

Owner, Al "Da Rat" Davis has committed to shelling out millions of dollars in free agency or via trade to, OT Kwame Harris, WR Javon Walker and CB DeAngelo Hall. All have started, but none has made the kind of impact commensurate with his salary, with Hall being cut only eight games into the season.

Oakland's offensive line has struggled consistently protecting Russell and opening up holes for the Raiders running game.

The Raiders offense averaged 19.5 points the first four games of the season. That figure has dropped to 7.2 in the last four games four games.

The Raiders are last in the league in red-zone offense, only having scored six touchdowns on 20 trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line. The Raiders have also scored only one touchdown in 48 first-half possessions.

There is not much to be happy about being a Raiders fan these days. However there are a few bright spots in the black hole. One is K Sebastian Janikowski. "Sebass" has been fairly steady over his 8-year tenure with Oakland, and recently celebrated breaking George Blanda's record of the most points scored by a Raider with 865. Another bright spot is three time Pro Bowler, P Shane Lechler. RB Justin Fargas who is coming off his first 1,000-yard season and playing in a new three-year contract also show signs of consistent play along with fellow RB Darren McFadden, if the O-Line could open holes.

I must agree that Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha is said by many to be the best at his position in the NFL. That teams seldom throw the ball in his direction is a testament to his ability. Nnam is definitely the "silver" in the Silver and Black this season. While his return to the Raiders in the 2009-2010 season is questionable. He is most likely headed to the Pro Bowl while the Raiders are headed to the Toilet Bowl.

Until "Da Rat" drops dead the Raiders will suck. The latest game showed just how pathetic they truly are. One completed pass to a wide receiver, and this when you are down 24-0 at the half and should come out throwing the ball. Not one Raider wide receiver has as many as 10 receptions this season.

"Da Rat" should just go down on the field and coach the team himself. Then after a couple games he would have to fire himself, thus ending the misery.