The Raiders are one of the many NFL teams trying to work their way up from mediocrity to playoff squad. They went 7-9 last year in their second season under coach Jon Gruden and are coming off a second-straight impressive draft. Well-known sportswriter Peter King even ranked them No. 8 overall in his recent NFL Power Rankings.
The Raiders are dealing with something that most teams aren’t, moving from their Oakland location to Las Vegas. While there is plenty of excitement from those in Sin City, it’s still an adjustment for players and coaches who have to uproot themselves and their families.
Now, there’s a piece of unpleasant news with first-round pick Henry Ruggs III cutting his thigh while moving things into a trailer. Here’s a quote the receiver’s father made to AL.com (source ESPN).
“He was trying to move a trailer or something — move furniture or something — and the trailer just kind of pinned him against a car or a wall or something. He’s pretty much OK, I’m about to go out there and see him in a little bit. It was just like a little open wound on his leg, a little incision. Like something had stuck him right there on his thigh a little bit.”
Raiders +5300 to win the AFC
The Raiders are +5300 odds to win the AFC at the Winning Poker Network sportsbooks. That ranks 12th out of the 16 teams and is a far cry from King’s ranking at No. 8 in the league.
I’m not sure what to make of Ruggs’ injury, but my guess is that it’s worse than what his father is portraying.
Still, the Raiders are an intriguing long-shot pick at these +5300 odds.
