Lowell Cohn: Pressure is on Raiders to improve this season

The Raiders are about to play sort of a game, their first preseason game against the Cardinals in Arizona - a former editor insisted I call these exercises “exhibition” games. Whatever.

Everyone is praising the Raiders, including me. They are a team on the rise, the kind of team that would make Al Davis smile. They draft well. They are a team, not a random collection of players. They are confident and talented.

So, where's the snake in the garden?

It's just that the Raiders actually have to accomplish something. Like perform on the field instead of in the newspapers. Like have a winning record - last season they were 7-9. No one is giving the Raiders anything. The NFL is a bitter, hard world and the Raiders have to seize what they want. Entirely possible but not a cinch.

Look at their schedule. Not team friendly. In their first nine games - the games preceding their bye - they play five 10 a.m. games on the road. Four of those games are back-to-back deals: at Titans and Ravens two weeks in a row, then at Jaguars and Buccaneers starting three weeks later. Sure, the Raiders are real men and all that, but those killer times including lots of travel insert a high degree of difficulty into the deal. It will be tough to win those games.

And there's a kicker. One of the Raiders' “home” games is in Mexico City, not exactly around the corner from Alameda. That one is against the Texans on Nov. 21, immediately following the Raiders' bye. The Raiders are the home team, but come on, they play nine road games this season instead of the customary eight.

Real men don't whine.

And then there's their division, not exactly the wretched of the Earth. The Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos reside in the AFC West. The Raiders have to play them twice and, although no one thinks the Broncos will win the Super Bowl again this season, they still have a great defense - tough, challenging, formidable. Last season, the Raiders split their two games with Denver.

Also in the division are the Kansas City Chiefs, a team the Raiders could not beat in two tries last season. The Chiefs are very good although they are not great. Don't have a great quarterback, alas. That alas was for Alex Smith, still a fan favorite around here. It's unfortunate when a quarterback has an alas attached to his name and reputation.

But the Chiefs are getting back running back Jamaal Charles and pass rusher Justin Houston. Which means they will be better than last season, which means the Raiders better be on their toes - or their cleats, as the case may be.

None of these examples/factoids are intended to put down and otherwise denigrate the Silver and Black. Just to show their task is hard.

Of course, they are good. Dynamic offense. Excellent offensive line. Killer defense. Amari Cooper, a great wide receiver almost inpossible to cover. Khalil Mack, a great defender, 15 sacks last season. Wow. The team spills over with talent.

What about the quarterback? Derek Carr. Seems to have everything. Quick release - the kind of release coaches crave. Think Aaron Rodgers. Well, Carr is like that. Bam. Ball out of his hand. Carr has a quarterback's presence, owns the pocket as he calls the play.

And he's so likable. Even after losses. Upbeat and honest. He was he exact opposite of Colin Kaepernick when Kaepernick was the undisputed 49ers starter - a real sourpuss, although he's learned to smile these days in his vulnerability.

But Carr has something to prove. That he won't give away games at the end when the pressure is on and the focus is him. Last season, he threw away some games. Got skittish at the end. Lost his poise.

I've written this before and I'll write it again. Bill Walsh told me - seemed like hundreds of times - “The quarterback is the limit of my offense.” With Joe Montana and Steve Young the Niners offense seemed unlimited. With Steve DeBerg, who gave away games, considerably limited. Carr has to be more Montana than DeBerg. Carr has to extend the limit. Sometimes he contracted it. Limited the limit.

Not saying Carr will be limited or careless this season. But he must prove himself. Part of the natural growth of any quarterback.

And then there's coach Jack Del Rio. Did a brilliant job last season. Installed a standard of play and behavior on the Raiders, something they didn't have for years. Never criticized his players in public. Refused to lay high expectations on them with the press. High expectations laid on too soon are destructive. Del Rio understood that. He was the perfect coach for a young, inexperienced, up-and-coming team.

It is different to be the coach of a contender when the expectations are iron-hard. Del Rio wants to prove he's not merely a set-up coach as Mark Jackson was for Steve Kerr. Del Rio wants to be a coach when the team approaches excellence. This requires different skills and demands from the coach. Del Rio is a career loser according to his record. I am not calling the man a loser, so don't go there. I am referring to his lifetime coaching record - 75-80.

He, too, has something to prove. And, believe me, this is his year of proof. His year of pressure - the grace period having expired. This pressure is something Del Rio earned. Something he should embrace. Now he has to deliver. Record of 10-6 at the worst. Make the playoffs. Win at least one playoff game.

Go get 'em.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.