2018 NFL Season: 10 offseason hot takes being proven false

1 of 10

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 14: OaJon Grudenkland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden looks on from the sideline during the NFL International Series game between Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders at Wembley Stadium on October 14, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

There were plenty of people prior to the 2018 NFL season who were exceedingly confident that they knew how the entire process would play out.

They finally had the great riddle solved. These teams would be good. These teams would be bad. Those quarterbacks would thrive while those would crash and burn. You know, because the NFL has always been a league that’s easy to predict. Naturally the moment the actual games started, holes began to appear in their predictions as if they were a dam made of tissue paper.

Since then there have been several big hot takes that dominated the offseason that have come crashing down. Some of them coming from high expectations and others from unexpected surprises. One thing is for sure. A lot of people will have to eat some crow on these declarations at the end of the year.

“Jon Gruden would rescue the Oakland Raiders”

Everybody declared the Raiders would be back when the almighty Jon Gruden was hired back in January. Sure the man had turned the team into contenders in 2000 and 2001 and won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. However, it was difficult to figure out where all the adulation came from. Did people forget he made the playoffs just twice from 2003 to 2008 before retiring?

Apparently the Raiders did, and they compounded that mistake by giving a man who’s been out of the league for 10 years a massive contract that includes control of the final roster. Among the first things he does? Trades away Khalil Mack, their best player. Rumors are also swirling that Amari Cooper could be next. The team is 1-5 and Derek Carr is a mess. Nothing has gone right.

Home/NFL Hot Takes