Barber: Raiders have given up on 2018

SANTA CLARA

Art Shell had a pretty good run as head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders in the early 1990s. But when then-team owner Al Davis brought back Shell to coach the Raiders again in 2006, it was a disaster. Shell’s Raiders finished 2-14, the low water mark in the franchise’s decline following a Super Bowl appearance in January of 2003.

Like Shell, Jon Gruden is a revered former Raider who is getting a second chance at coaching the silver and black. Gruden’s record thus far in the reboot? He’s 1-7 - halfway to 2-14.

Gruden’s 2018 Raiders don’t look as clueless or as hapless as Shell’s 2006 group. But they may be as lifeless. Thursday’s 34-3 loss to the 49ers in a contest that was laughingly referred to as the Battle of the Bay was a humiliation. After beginning the game with a field goal, the Raiders watched their neighbors to the south score 34 unanswered points, piloted by a neophyte quarterback.

“They literally just came out and beat us to a pulp,” Oakland running back Jalen Richard said after the game.

The Raiders had no delusions about their performance against the 49ers. Their delusions pertained to the effort. Let’s hear from the losing team:

Head coach Jon Gruden: “I thought the guys fought until the end.”

Quarterback Derek Carr: “Talking to our guys, talking to our leaders, no one’s giving up.”

Safety Reggie Nelson: “Nobody gave up in my eyes. We kept playing.”

The visitors’ locker room at Levi’s Stadium is in the northwest corner of the facility. Across the field, in the southeast corner, people were telling a different story. Joe Fann writes for 49ers.com, and he quoted an unnamed San Francisco player as saying, “They quit early.”

Like maybe Week 6?

We all know what’s going on in Alameda these days. Gruden took over a roster that made him hold his nose, and has steadily been smashing it. He has traded former Raiders stars and cut players who had received only a year or two to prove themselves. In their place, Gruden has inserted a mix of older free agents and rookies - rookies he drafted, not inherited.

The formula hasn’t worked. In fact, it has been a disaster. The rookies weren’t ready. The older free agents have underperformed. One player, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, abruptly retired Tuesday rather than wearing the uniform one more time. And the Raiders are 1-7; that’s a worse record after eight games than Shell’s ’06 squad, which started 2-6.

It’s all part of the plan, Gruden’s supporters say. What you’re seeing is a rebuild. Gruden knew he didn’t have the players to win in 2018. So he’s casting off the dead weight as Phase One. Phase Two will begin next spring, when the Raiders draft and sign HIS kind of player.

So where does that leave us in the fall of 2018? In NFL hell, that’s where. The Raiders players might have an intellectual understanding of what’s going on, but why should they muster any passion for a team that is purely looking to the future, in a season that means nothing to management? If Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper can be traded, why couldn’t it happen to anyone on this roster? If any up-and-coming young player can be benched, what’s the point of competing for the job?

The result is what we witnessed Thursday: A football team that cares enough to suit up and run the plays, but not enough to compete.

Look at young Nick Mullens’ pass to George Kittle on the second play of the second half. It was a simple out-and-in move by Kittle. And if you freeze the frame with the pass in the air, you see four Raiders in the vicinity of the 49ers tight end. But not only does Kittle make the grab in traffic, he escapes for 71 yards as those defenders hesitate and react too slowly.

Look at the pitch to San Francisco’s Raheem Mostert with about 9:30 left in the third quarter. Mostert is known mostly as a special-teams player. He’s not exceptionally fast. His lead blocker on the play was right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who weighs 315 pounds. Somehow, Mostert turns the corner with McGlinchey out in front, and it’s as if they’re running in regular time while the Oakland defenders are moving in slow motion. The only Raiders player really attempting to make the tackle is safety Marcus Gilchrist, who spins in circles trying to avoid McGlinchey. It was a 52-yard touchdown for the third-string halfback.

Look at the pass rush generated by the two teams. The Raiders had none. They haven’t made a quarterback nervous all year, and they certainly didn’t put any pressure on Mullens, who was making his first NFL start. They let him find a comfort level usually enjoyed only by sultans. Meanwhile, Derek Carr played like one of the moles in a whack-a-mole game. He was skittish, and for good reason. The large teammates in front of him weren’t blocking the large men playing for the 49ers.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Carr was flushed from the pocket. He took off downfield, then went into a slide - with no 49er within a stone’s throw. The closest person to Carr was his running back, Doug Martin. It’s true that the Oakland offensive line has been beset by injuries. By the second half Thursday, they had two backups playing in front of Carr, and another guy playing out of position. It’s also true that the 49ers’ front seven played with much more energy and purpose than the Raiders’.

In an interview with Fox Sports’ Howie Long that aired Thursday, Gruden made a strange assertion. “I get a lot of phone calls from people that are dying to come play here,” he said. “I’m just telling you. They’re dying to play for the Raiders.”

After the 31-point loss, Gruden doubled down on the claim. “That’s been the case my whole life, and I think the brand of the Raiders is an exciting one,” he said.

Asked if those comments might send the wrong message to his current players, Gruden said, “No, I’m just trying to get people excited about the Oakland Raiders.”

Gruden’s arrival DID get people excited about the Raiders. But practically everything he’s done since has accomplished the opposite. Gruden has shown no loyalty to his players, or to the citizens of Oakland, who may well be experiencing their final season with the Raiders. And now, it appears, his players have given up on him. Here in 2018, what could possibly make you excited about the Raiders’ future?