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Posted at 4:00 PM EST. 

LAS VEGAS +160 over  Baltimore

8:20 PM EST. There will be much pomp & circumstance, pyro & ballyhoo and likely even a little shake, rattle & roll tonight in Vegas. The Raiders will finally have a proper homecoming since moving to the desert. Allegiant Stadium or as it’s more fondly named, "The Death Star," will be packed with fans that are going to be ready to blow off a little steam. When the dust settles after all the hoopla, where does that leave us?

We’re not going to bother with a breakdown of this matchup from a game planning perspective because you can get that in bulk from any outlet of your choosing. Instead, we are going to talk about the human element. It cannot be taken out of anything and because of that, issues or situations that most reasonable, caring adults would consider being morally bankrupt get far more attention or traction than they should. It might seem innocent at first, but as with any smolder a flame can soon form. Then a fire rages.

Football, or any team sport for that matter, most certainly has a human element to it. Watch an ESPN 30/30 or an HBO Special or anything else that follows the plight of a team or player. Family is mentioned dozens of times and we’re not talking blood. We’re talking about the family inside the locker room. Athletes always refer to their teammates and coaches as brothers or family. It’s always “about the team”. These guys go to war for each other on a weekly basis. They win together, they lose together and it becomes a fraternity that lasts a lifetime. 

Yesterday, three unvaccinated, high profile quarterbacks took the field. If you want to include vaccine critic Ryan Tannehill, and we will, as he let the virus rip through his household, including his unvaccinated wife, who begrudgingly got the jab, that makes four. Would you like to know how their teams fared? 0-4 while being outscored 116-69. Nice. There was Kirk Cousins, Carson Wentz and Josh Allen. 

Enter Lamar Jackson. Twice infected with COVID and still unvaccinated. Why does this matter? For one, the quarterback is supposed to be the team leader. Second. There are restrictions on unvaccinated players that keep them segregated from their teammates during the week which limits their interactions greatly. That’s not a way to build a bond. Do you think the five hogs upfront who ARE vaccinated want to block for a selfish motherfucker? We’re not saying nobody would let a man slip through on purpose but subconsciously, that extra effort that one cannot explain when the game is on the line and a play needs to be made might not be there when one is not willing to run through a wall for their pivot. We’ll leave it there for now, as this is a situation that we will continue to monitor. We preach about “in-game variance” often, well this is “off-field variance” and it cannot be ignored. In other words, if he’s (the QB) not willing to protect us, why should we give a fuck about protecting him? Unvaccinated players cause a divide inside the locker room. Now think about yourself for a minute. Do you want to go the extra mile for an unvaccinated friend, relative or colleague? Do you want said person around you or your children? Again, you cannot take the human element out of anything.  

As for this game tonight. You can keep the points. Mark Davis, much like this father and Raiders patriarch, Al (just win baby!), has equipped his “family” with the best state-of-the-art facilities to practice in, review film in, workout in, and play in. He’s provided his family with all the tools to give them the best possible chance. The Raiders have a home and we promise you that there will be a home-field edge tonight unlike anything you saw this weekend. Think Golden Knights and times that by 1000.   

We’ll leave you with this from Raiders pivot Derek Carr, "If you want an easier way of life every day at the facility and a better chance of playing every Sunday, getting the shot makes that chance go higher. Teams will have to forfeit games if they miss one and can't reschedule — and everyone who plays in this league knows that every game matters." That’s a leader, folks. Raiders outright is the call.

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