SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY

Sometimes there are choices put before you that are hard to choose from.You could be given the option of a kick in the nuts or a crowbar around the head.You could be faced with having to listen to Justin Timberlake or whale music, or you could have to select from crimpelene slacks or brown cords (cords every time).Either way you are choosing something that is particularly offensive.

And so we get to the AFC Championship this Sunday.Could it be any worse?Well it could be but it's hard to imagine how, our hated divisional rivals versus the Westworld Patriots.

I do like to watch the Championship games, but then the Colts went and ruined it, at least I had a team to cheer on if they had beat the Chargers.But oh no, lets have the AFC Champs game that we all didn't want.Cheers NFL.Now what?
I don't like Tom Brady, I don't like the Patriots and their World League uniforms, I don't like Big Bad Bill and his cronies.
But I really hate Philip Rivers, what a classless cretin that bloke is.LT is a crybaby and a girl, at least Rivers went back into the game ,LaDainian you great ponse.
So here's the scenario folks, this is how it goes down in the land of the Pond.
The AFC Championship game is horrendously one sided.The Chargers are humiliated by the Westworlders in every aspect of the game, Rivers is pummelled into the ground, and he tries to jaw it with the fans but the oxygen mask interferes with that, game over NE 38 SD 7.
Bye Bye San Diego for another year, and the cheating tarts advance.Great.
At this point the Gods of all that is good and fair descend upon Arizona and curse the very ground that the New England Cheatriots walk upon making sure that the winners of the NFC Championship game become Superbowl Champs and rightly so.I am an AFC guy but come on what can we do?
So at this point I have to nail my SB colours to the mast, and they shall be Green and Yellow.Thats a bad combination, it looks bad and there is no getting away from it.But the Green Bay fans are to me, the closest to the RAIDER NATION out there,as much as I have tied to dis-like Brett Favre and his ever-present wife I can't, sorry.
But how can Roboteam be beaten I hear you ask.I'll tell you how, by us all really concentrating hard and picturing all good things in a green and yellow hue, go on its a good thing.God bless the Brett or for that matter Eli, we as the RAIDER NATION love you all, sort it out chaps, you know it's right.
Lets face it the cheats getting to the SB and losing is a great option, 1 game shy of the perfect sesson, ideal.

COMMITMENT TO VIOLENCE.

One of my favourite commentary moments from this season was when Justin Fargas was described as a man who ran with violence.Body on the line every carry, full commitment.
No surprise that he is the recipient of the 2007 Commitment To Excellence Award.RAIDERS teammates realise the extent of the effort put in by him, as do the RAIDER NATION.Hopefully Fargas is back in 2008 and some of that work ethic rubs off on those around him.
The award is richly deserved, and his performances during this season have represented the type of pride and skill that we want to see back as a regular sight at the McAfee Coliseum.Congratulations to Justin and may the violence continue....

Sunday night's season finale at home to the Chargers brought a few things into sharper focus here at the Pond.

1. JaMarcus Russell is raw, in some respects he's really raw, but the flashes of talent were there too, and after the worst possible start he had some good moments, notably that TD pass to Jerry Porter.While watching the first ( just win ) baby steps of Russell's career, it is obvious that the package that the coaches have designed for the big man is very limited, and couple with that the fact that his surrounding cast are very limited too, then it becomes intriguing as to what the 2008 Raiders offense will look like with JR having had a full pre-season under his belt, and a full playbook at his disposal.

2. That surrounding cast has to get a lot better this off season.We need some real impact players, some weapons for Russell, a WR that gives a bonafide deep threat is a must, the running back position needs sorting out, much of which will be dependant on Jusin Fargas' decision about where he will be next year.A couple more free agent linemen of the quality of Cooper Carlisle wouldn't go amiss either.

3. Phillip Rivers looks like a big girls blouse, he also acts like one.Following on from the previous weeks my dads bigger than your dad session with that other tart from Denver, Sunday saw Philip getting upset because the OAKLAND fans were cheering when he hit the turf under the frame of Tyler Brayton.What does he want the opposing fans to do? Watch the big screen nervously until brave soldier Philip gets up, then sportingly applaud him from the field?Philip dear, you were in OAKLAND in a Chargers jersey, on the floor.Only way that gets any better is if your arm breaks, get the picture?

4. I am rarely more nervous than when Johnnie Lee Higgins is stood looking skyward.

5. Important decisions need to be made on Defense.The line needs to be added to, we need something done at the safety position, Nnamdi needs to be signed asap.It was understandable that Lane Kiffin trusted the D going into the season, and equally understandable that he is disappointed by this years showing.It remains to be seen how much that disappointment reflects on Rob Ryan.

6. The change of direction and attitude within the OAKLAND RAIDERS organisation has started.The team played hard until the last game regardless of the fact that they came up short more often than not, indicative that the players have stayed "In", and judging by the crowd at the Coliseum the Nation is well and truly "In" too.

7. As the RAIDERS completed a 4-12 season last weekend, the New England Patriots completed a 16-0 one.That means that next season a storied franchise has every chance to continue it's rise back to winning ways, and one soul-less westworld commissioners pet will have only downhill to go in 2008.Good news, Happy New Year.