Raiders dont need to prove it all in Week 1, but they need to show something

The Raiders cannot fix years of dysfunction in one Sunday afternoon.But they can give everyone a reason to believe they have finally started.That is the opportunity waiting at Allegiant Stadium, where the Dolphins arrive for a season opener that should be measured by more than the numbers on the scoreboard.Yes, winning matters.The Raiders have done too little of it to treat a victory as anything other than valuable.But the larger assignment is establishing that all the changes made since last season amount to more than another rearrangement of the furniture.A new coach.

A reshaped roster.A veteran quarterback entrusted with the present and a young one representing the future.

Another offseason of decisions made under general manager John Spytek and with Tom Brady’s influence.Sunday begins the process of finding out whether those pieces fit.The timing comes with a complication.Two of the most important players in the Raiders’ long-range vision will not drive the offense against Miami.Fernando Mendoza will watch as Kirk Cousins’ backup.

Brock Bowers will sit out following knee surgery.One is waiting for his opportunity.The other is waiting for his knee to heal.Their absence from the offensive equation makes this an incomplete look at what the Raiders hope to become.It does not make it a meaningless one.In some ways, it sharpens the examination of everything being built around them.Can the offensive line establish control? Can the running game provide an identity? Can Michael Mayer turn an expanded opportunity into evidence that he belongs in the long-term plan?Can a young secondary play with enough discipline to make its growing pains manageable?Can Klint Kubiak make the jump from designing an offense to directing an entire team? The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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