Lowell Cohn: Enough talk about Raiders' rise; it's time to see it

The talking stops here for the Raiders.

There’s been months of talk about the Raiders and every other NFL team. No sport generates more talk per minute than pro football. And the Raiders have been a talking point for sure. Back from the dregs. One of the up-and-coming teams in the league. A playoff contender. And lots of other verbiage.

Now the talking stops. Now they play a real game. In New Orleans against the Saints.

Thank heaven for real games, for turning down the volume on the chatter.

Who are the Raiders, really?

Fair question. I attempt a partial answer in this column - certainly we’ll know more after the Saints game.

The Raiders are talented. No question about that. It’s just that they have quality young talent. Talent that needs to grow. Still a very young team. Takes time. And general manager Reggie McKenzie needs to build quality depth. He’s working on it. Knows the deal.

Smiling, cheerful quarterback Derek Carr should be even better than last season - 32 touchdowns, 13 interceptions. But a rude question intrudes itself on the conversation: Is he a really really good quarterback or just a capable one? He showed signs early last season of having the potential to be a top-10 quarterback, but regressed in the second half. Does he build on what he did well and get better or stay about the same? Staying about the same is not so good.

Me, I lean toward the “really really good” answer, but Carr needs to show it. On the field. Not in the newspapers.

The Raiders have good receivers, to a certain extent. Amari Cooper is a tremendous talent. Off the charts. A privilege to watch. Michael Crabtree, dead in the water with the 49ers, learned to swim in Oakland and adds experience and a reliable No. 2 receiver - what he always was. Clive Walford is a respectable tight end. But after those three receivers, talent doesn’t abound. Remember this is a young team that needs depth.

The running backs are nothing exceptional. It’s Latavius Murray and, after him, Taiwan Jones and a couple of beginners. Lots to prove on that unit. Call Murray “Adequate-plus.” That may be enough.

Because the offensive line with the addition of Kelechi Osomele is really really good. And that means the Raiders ought to have an excellent running game, or be ashamed of themselves. The running game means everything to the Raiders. Coach Jack Del Rio likes to play “smash mouth” football. Go out and smash some mouths, Jack.

Will the defense be up to the task? Big question if the Raiders want to be serious.

The loss of Mario Edwards Jr. - bad hip - hurts. No question about it. Teams will be able to focus on the great defensive end Khalil Mack - double-team and triple-team him. Not so good for the Raiders. Hopefully, from the Raiders’ point of view, Bruce Irvin will take pressure off Mack, provide some pass rush and play decently on first and second downs.

The Raiders secondary is formidable. Question: Do you ever use the word formidable in real-life conversation? I only use it in football columns. Anyway, McKenzie worked hard to take the concept of “saps” out of the secondary. That goes double for cornerbacks.

The addition of Sean Smith at corner is big. So is he, a big corner - 6-3, 218. No shrimp that Smith. Not even a giant prawn. Plain big enough to scare receivers and knock down passes. So is David Amerson- big, that is - 6-1, 205. The Raiders finally are talented and intimidating at cornerback. Except the nickel corner is a question mark. That old depth thing again.

The kicking game will be very good.

But there’s one other thing to consider. I know what you’re thinking: “With this guy there’s always one other thing to consider.” Sue me.

It’s the Raiders’ schedule. Mundane to the max, sure. But it’s their reality. Three of their first four games are on the road. Right now they’re in New Orleans. Then they’re at home against Atlanta. After that, in Tennessee and Baltimore.

Lots of tuchus time on airplanes. Lots of different time zones. Could make a team tired. In their first four games they face quarterbacks Drew Brees in New Orleans, Matt Ryan (at home) and then Marcus Mariota and Joe Flacco on the road. Not saying the Raiders are going to wilt, or run scared. But there’s a high degree of difficulty in those games for the Raiders defense.

In their first eight games, the Raiders play five on the road. They play in Jacksonville Week 7, then in Tampa Week 8. They wisely will stay in Florida between the Jaguars and Buccaneers games, rooming in Sarasota and practicing in Bradenton.

Oh, and there’s this. After an alleged home game on Monday, Nov. 21, in Mexico City, they play the Panthers six days later in Oakland - that means facing the loaded Panthers on a short week. That means the Raiders actually play nine road games instead of the customary eight. Just reading their schedule, you want to pant like a dog.

Prediction: in spite of killer schedule, Raiders go 10-6. But it will be a battle. If they go 10-6, they make the playoffs. At worst, they go 9-7. That might not make the playoffs.

Are you ready for some football?

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.