(In my best Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson voice) FINALLY! The Raiders are going to play some FOOT-BALL!!

What this really means is that the time for talking about what you're going to do, and what type of team you're going to be is O-V-E-R! Now it's time to go out and, as we say in the streets "Not just talk about it, BUT be about it!"

Our beloved Oakland Raiders couldn't ask for a better platform. The Raiders get to open the season at home, (against the Super-Chokers). Not only is this the season opener, it's the season opener on - Monday Night Football; Which means, in case you didn't know, that the entire country will be watching our team.

As I said - The time for talking is just about over; Furthermore, so is the time for writing.

It goes without saying that I don't care what happens week one. It's always going to be Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders till I Die!! Moreover, with the Giants being a 9-7 team, and still finding a way to go on and become our world champions, I may not worry about the first half of the season. Forget about game one.

While we're on the topic of game one, that's exactly what this is going to be for the so called "new era of excellence" in Oakland. Finally, (still using my best Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson voice) we in The One & Only Raider Nation can begin to get the answers to some of our questions. 

Questions such as: How good can/will Darren McFadden and Carson Palmer be together? Can the players selected by Reggie McKenzie perform at a high level when it matters the most? Moreover, will/can this staff, (both offensively and defensively) find a way to put those players in the best possible positions in order to be successful?

Of course we won't have a complete picture until the Raiders are done playing football for the season. However, the first brush strokes of this picture are about to be painted, and it would be nice to start things off on a positive note. 

Now, I know that it's supposed to be a "new era" in Oakland however, I'm hoping to see the old Raiders. You know them - Their the team that OWNED Monday Night Football! They're the team that didn't play for just sixty minutes, they played for as long as it took to "Just Win Baby!"

They played hard, smart, and intense football! They were always "Committed To Excellence." Sure they got penalized; they got penalized because they were beating people up! They didn't get penalized because they didn't know what they were doing.

The old Raiders were opportunistic, aggressive, entertaining and WINNERS!

I don't know about you my brothers and sisters, but this Raider Fanatic isn't hoping to see the birth of a "new era". I'm hoping to see those same old Raiders!