In their home opener Sunday vs. Houston, the Raiders committed four turnovers and didn’t score their first points until the fourth quarter in a 30-14 loss.
And afterwards, veteran safety Charles Woodson gave an unflattering assessment of Oakland’s performance.
“We suck,” Woodson said, according to Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area and other Raiders reporters.
Woodson said he knew the performance was a downer for Raiders fans, who haven’t seen their club make the postseason since 2002 and witnessed Oakland fall to 0-2 in a game in which it trailed by at least 14 points for three-quarters of the contest.
“Everybody’s optimistic. You know, it’s our first home game. They’re excited to see their Raiders, and what was that we put out there on the field?” Woodson said afterwards, according to a video clip posted by Marcus Thompson of Bay Area News Group. “That’s embarrassing. And I’m embarrassed for this team, I’m embarrassed for the fans, and the thing about is, I’m part of it. I don’t know what we need to do as a team going forward, but something’s going to have to be done. I don’t know what that is, but we’ve go to do better than we did today.”
The Raiders play the Patriots in New England next Sunday, then travel to London to face the Dolphins on Sept. 28. Their bye is in Week Five, giving them a little extra time to regroup. For now, though, the Raiders are left to adjust on the fly, for as Woodson indicated, their current level of play isn’t up to par.