Las Vegas Raiders should stop fighting and worry about winning

After another fight at a joint practice between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams, questions are rising about the former.

The NFL’s regular season is three weeks away. Apparently, someone should tell the Las Vegas Raiders.

In practices this week between the Raiders and Los Angeles Rams, the fighting has been as prevalent as the football. For the Rams, this is problematic but also less so. After all, they are coming off a playoff appearance for the third time in four years.

For the Raiders, it speaks to a larger issue. Las Vegas, which hasn’t been to the postseason as a franchise since 2016 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2002, needs to focus.

On Thursday, head coach Jon Gruden rightfully talked about his distaste for the situation once practice ended, per NFL.com:

“There’s no message. They know. They know better. Everybody knows better. And again, it wasn’t everybody fighting. It’ll be on TV. You’ll see a bunch of guys screaming and yelling. But it was two guys in a special teams period, and then it was a lot of trash-talking that escalated. It’s just sickening, really. It’s just stupidity. I’m done with that. It’s just child’s play to me.”

For Gruden and the Raiders, this season represents a key turning point in their fortunes. Now in their second year at Allegiant Stadium, fans are finally being allowed after having to miss the action due to COVID-19 last season. If the teams puts together another playoffs-less performance, the fans will boo, quarterback Derek Carr might be gone — his contract doesn’t have any remaining guaranteed money in 2022 — and Gruden, four years into a 10-year contract, will start hearing calls for his job.

While Gruden is unlikely to be sent packing any time soon, the good will is about gone. Looking at the roster, specifically on the defensive side, the former Super Bowl champ will need to do some of his best work to cajole the Raiders into postseason contention.

In a division with the two-time AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and a rising group in the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas needs to find an identity. Perhaps that’s with new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and his Cover 3 scheme, or maybe it’s with Carr airing it out to second-year receiver Henry Ruggs III.

Regardless, it starts with football, not fighting. That has appeared lost on the team most of this week.