Being a Raiders fan no longer feels the way it did. It's almost like I'm rooting for an expansion team.

Las Vegas is a soulless town. The fans who show up in droves each week to support the opposing team are loud and passionate about their team. A small number of passionate Raiders fans show up, but most of the spectators who aren't actively rooting against the Raiders don't seem to care one way or another. They're tourists who had "Raiders game" sandwiched between "Bellagio Fountain" and "Fremont Street" on their list of things to do during their trip.

I watch every game, and I want the Raiders to win, but on the rare occasions that they do, it feels hollow. The Raiders went from being the winningest team in the history of professional football, which they were until about 20 years ago, to a team on par with the Bears, Browns, Jets, and other perennial losers. It seems as if as long as Mark Davis is running the show they will stay in that bottom tier.

A win used to feel like one more step on the road to the playoffs, and hopefully another Super Bowl. Now it feels like we've been pushed down a notch in the draft order. Is 5-12 really any better than 2-15? Should I take pride in the fact that my team lost a little less than a couple others, knowing that those others will rebuild and succeed in the next few seasons, while my Raiders will again be losing a little less than some new batch of teams?

The Raiders have a very favorable schedule this year in that they play most of the worst teams-- Bears, Patriots, Broncos (twice), Giants, Jets, Vikings, Colts-- yet all that really will do is help us see where in that bottom tier the Raiders belong. Are we rooting for the 29th best team, or will they prove themselves to be 26th? Should I proudly chant "We're Number 24! We're Number 24!" if that is where we finish?

The days of Just Win Baby and A Commitment to Excellence are loooooong gone.