The Raiders were spending their bye week hopeful they would recover from some debilitating injuries, attempting to upgrade a pathetic passing game and, in the back of some players' minds at least, wondering if they were going to have the same head coach when play resumed.
A full-blown crisis situation almost anywhere else, but in Oakland, business as usual.
The Raiders entered the bye week as they did last season, with a loss to AFC West rival San Diego. It happened after Week 8 this time, after Week 4 last season, but again there was no guarantee the Raiders would have the same coach when play resumed.
Following last season's 28-18 loss to the Chargers, a game the Raiders led entering the fourth quarter, Lane Kiffin was fired "for cause" in a move that had been long anticipated.
Offensive line coach Tom Cable took over as the interim coach, had the interim label removed in the offseason, and seemed to be on firmer ground than his predecessor.
That was until he first had an alleged training camp altercation with defensive assistant Randy Hanson, which Napa authorities declined to prosecute due to lack of evidence, and then an ESPN report which accused Cable of having a violent history with women.
The Raiders responded, but in typically confusing fashion.
The first response seemed to indicate Cable was in serious trouble, noting that other employees had been dismissed for inappropriate conduct for reasons never disclosed because of confidentiality.
The second chastised ESPN, which the club said "routinely disseminates falsehoods about the Raiders," highlighting last season's firing of Kiffin (without naming him) as being someone who had "engaged in a calculated effort to distort the truth about the Raiders, utilizing lies and innuendo."
Kiffin didn't make it past the bye week. Cable's future, given the warning shot of the first press release and the lack of respect for the information uncovered by ESPN in the second press release, is unclear.
Whether Cable remains in charge or not, the Raiders hit the bye week nowhere near the team they hoped to be after a pair of impressive wins to close the 2008 season that helped the head coach retain his job.
The statistics say the offense is more culpable than the defense.
Oakland is dead last in total offensive yardage (215.8 yards per game), 31st in passing (122.1 yards per game) and only 25th in rushing (93.6 yards per game), an area where it expected to be in the top 10.
Defensively, the Raiders' biggest problem is ranking 29th in rushing defense (161.0 yards per game). They're 26th in total defense and 13th in pass defense, in part because their secondary is strong and in part because opponents don't feel the need to go up top against a team that has just five offensive touchdowns in six games.
The Raiders' goal of balancing their offense with a viable passing game to go along with a rushing attack that was sixth in 2007 and 10th last season has failed through eight games, and in so doing has weakened the running game that was the lone offensive strength.
Problems have included the loss of wide receiver Chaz Schilens, who suffered a broken fifth metatarsal Aug. 18 and has yet to return, and the four-game loss of running back Darren McFadden, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Other losses included left guard Robert Gallery (broken left fibula in Week 2) and right tackle Cornell Green (calf strain which kept him out for three games).
In theory, all three players would return when the Raiders resume Nov. 15 against Kansas City.
McFadden, Green and, to a lesser extent, Gallery were around early in the season and the Raiders were still struggling. Whether the addition of Schilens, a training camp standout who had 15 catches as a rookie last season, can make a huge difference in Russell's production remains to be seen.
Through midseason, tight end Zach Miller was the only reliable target for Russell. He had 28 receptions for 421 yards through eight games, 12 more catches than rookie wide receiver Louis Murphy.
Even Miller seems to think throwing the ball less frequently is a good idea.
"We've got to run the ball a lot and keep it really limited in the passing game," Miller said.
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