Tony Sparanoburied the ball weeks ago, but nothing has changed for the floating Oakland Raiders.
At least not on the scoreboard, where the Silver and Black have dropped their 12th straight game dating back to last season. Sunday's 24-13 loss to Cardinals was far from a disaster, but the Raiders remain a talent-poor, half-baked proposition on both sides of the ball.
Oakland's 0-6 record marks the club's worst start in in 52 years.
"You don't know what the problem is," defensive tackle Antonio Smith said, per Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. "Each week, you go in trying to fix something, and each week, you're wondering why it ain't working. ... I almost cussed there ... It's at that point. What can I do? How do we need to change?"
If you're a Raiders fan searching for hope, look toward Derek Carr, the rookie passer who made big plays downfield last week against the Chargers and again on Sunday. His strong arm and poise under pressure are welcome concepts for a team that's shuffled through quarterbacks with a fury in recent years.
Still, Oakland's defense came into Sunday allowing an NFL-worst 51 percent success rate on third downs. After making that a focal point all week, per the Chronicle, the Raiders could only watch as Arizona rattled off 60 percent of its third-down attempts to keep Carr and friends off the field.
At least one Raiders veteran isn't ready to be deep-sixed with Sparano's ceremonial pigskin just yet.
"Losers are going to put their heads down," cornerback Carlos Rogers said. "Losers are going to tuck their tails and say I'm done with the season. But winners are going to keep fighting. ... I can only speak for myself. I know personally, I am not lying down."
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