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Oakland Raiders should follow the Vegas Golden Knights blueprint

By Andrew Steele-Davis

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 30: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders shouts over the crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 30: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders shouts over the crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 30: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders shouts over the crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 30: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders shouts over the crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

It won’t be long before the Vegas Golden Knights aren’t the only sheriff in town with NFL franchise the Oakland Raiders getting ready to make the move to Las Vegas.

The Oakland Raiders are currently getting ready for their last season in Oakland ahead of joining the Vegas Golden Knights as Las Vegas’ second major sports franchise in 2020. The team will soon be known as the Las Vegas Raiders and will play their home games at the 1.75 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art domed Allegiant Stadium.

Unlike the Golden Knights, who entered the NHL as an expansion team, the Raiders will be upping roots from Oakland, a place they have called home since being founded as a member of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West Division on Sept, 11, 1960, which merged with the NFL in 1970.

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With 59 years of rich history woven into the tapestry of Oakland, it’s not surprising that not everyone is happy with the fact that the Raiders are a year away from jumping ship and abandoning home. And you can’t exactly blame them for having those feelings.

However, it is a reality Oakland fans will soon have to get used to and it is hardly a new concept for this franchise given that they relocated to Los Angeles in 1982, before moving back to the Bay Area prior to the start of the 1995 season.

But, for now at least, the Raiders will have this year to say their goodbyes to Oakland before moving to what they hope will be greener grass on the other side. And they will also no doubt have aspirations to leave their current home on a high by putting together a winning season in the NFL.

Watching the first episode of the series of Hard Knocks on HBO, which of course stars the Oakland Raiders, it is clear to see that this franchise should thrive in Vegas given some of the characters they have, not least Head Coach Jon Gruden who is well-known for his penchant for being outspoken and flamboyant at times shall we say.

Then you have wide receiver Antonio Brown, or “Mr. Big Chest” as he likes to refer to himself, who is sure to inject some snarl into the Raiders locker room along with controversial figures Vontaze Burfict and Richie Incognito. Throw into the mixing pot as yet unproven quarterback Derek Carr, rookie safety Jonathan Abram and an already displeased fanbase, then we have all the ingredients for an intriguing and potentially explosive year on and off the field.

Anyway, the whole point of this piece is to offer the Oakland Raiders a couple of pointers for how to make their time in Las Vegas a home run from the very get-go, using the hugely successful and proven Vegas Golden Knights’ blueprint as the model. Let’s go…

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