The phrase "Commitment to Excellence" carries gravitas once again for the Oakland Raiders.

And general manager Reggie McKenzie is determined to keep it that way.

New teams reach the playoffs every season that failed to make it the year before. Or, in Oakland's case, 14 years.

The Raiders (11-3) finally ended that drought last Sunday by beating San Diego to qualify for the first time since the 2002 campaign. Oakland can clinch the AFC West and a first-round bye this weekend by topping Indianapolis combined with a Kansas City loss to Denver (the most realistic playoff scenario).

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But what excites McKenzie just as much as reaching the postseason is his belief that such success is sustainable because of three elements: a stacked roster that is sending an NFL-high seven players to the Pro Bowl, continuity on the coaching staff and a manageable salary cap.

The Raiders had none of these things when McKenzie arrived from Green Bay in 2012 following the death of Oakland team owner and top football executive Al Davis.

Oakland’s talent level and cap situation was such a mess that McKenzie had to essentially start from scratch. Knowing the scope of such a project, McKenzie began releasing veterans he didn’t envision as being part of the foundation by the time the team got good again. The bloodletting was such that the Raiders carried $73.9 million in “dead money" against their cap for players who weren’t even there. Oakland’s record reflected that.

The Raiders went 4-12 in the first two years under McKenzie and Dennis Allen, a first-time head coach who was clearly in over his head. Allen was fired after an 0-4 start to the 2014 season. Some fans and media members (including yours truly) believed McKenzie should have been gone, as well.

Fortunately for the Raiders, team owner Mark Davis didn’t listen.

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As promised when he hired him, Davis stood by McKenzie knowing the quick-fix mentality the franchise had over the previous decade needed to change. Veteran players were added to fill holes — and there were plenty of them — but most contracts were of the pay-as-you-go-along variety that gave the Raiders flexibility to get out of deals rather than get stuck with a major cap hit.

Davis also saw that, after two mediocre draft classes, McKenzie began hitting home runs with the 2014 selections of outside linebacker Khalil Mack and quarterback Derek Carr in the first two rounds.

With cornerstone players at two of the game’s most important positions and more help to come, the next step was hiring the right head coach. Oakland found him in Jack Del Rio.

A Northern California native, Del Rio grew up a Raiders fan. Something else about the tugged at his pride as well — proving he could flourish as an NFL head coach once again after his nine-year tenure in Jacksonville ended with his 2011 in-season firing.

The Jaguars experience helped Del Rio avoid making some of the same mistakes that usually happen with a first-time head coach. Del Rio not only changed a losing culture by guiding the Raiders to a 7-9 record. He also kept the same coaching staff intact heading into this season, a rarity in Oakland that allowed the club to continue building upon what was accomplished in 2015.

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"It’s all about continuity and chemistry," McKenzie told co-host Gil Brandt and me earlier this week on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Talent and good coaches are everywhere. But when you get them to mesh together on a consistent basis, that's what it’s all about. The right hand knows what the left hand is doing. You’re being taught the same things over and over again. You’re hearing it from the same voice.

"That to me is the fine line between winning and losing — the extra three-to-eight points to win a game that comes with that chemistry … You make all these changes, it gets a little discombobulated at times."

Oakland’s improvement didn’t come at an exorbitant cost under the cap, either. According to the Spotrac.com web site, the Raiders are currently projected to have $45 million available entering the offseason. This means Oakland will have ample room to try and lock Mack and Carr into long-term extensions before their rookie contracts expire.

McKenzie has used the phrase "Built to Last" when describing his vision of the Raiders whether the franchise remains in Oakland or relocates to Las Vegas as early as 2017.

"We’re talking from a foundation standpoint with young players that can continue to ascend," said McKenzie, who received his own contract extension earlier this year. "We have the money situation as far as cap and contracts under control so we’re don’t foresee crashing that way.

"When you’re talking about ‘last,’ you’ve got to not only think physically as far as having good players but being able to keep them. We think we set ourselves up to where we can keep most.”

McKenzie does acknowledge not every current Raider will be around for the long haul. He pointed to quarterbacks where backups Matt McGloin and Connor Cook are mired behind the 25-year-old Carr.

McKenzie’s philosophy toward the position is one he learned during his early years with the Packers and also used by New England. Develop young QBs behind an entrenched starter — a la Brett Favre in Green Bay and Tom Brady with the Patriots — knowing they will ultimately depart as their cost-efficient rookie deals expire. However, those backups could fetch draft picks or net the Raiders a compensatory pick upon leaving.

With McGloin set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2017, McKenzie set up a succession plan earlier this year by using a fourth-round pick on Cook.

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(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/7c/d8/connor-cook-122316-getty-ftrjpg_1frj0qj1ycmi01hlkfcd7wsx9g.jpg?t=740750177&w=500&quality=80

Connor Cook (Getty Images)

"We feel really comfortable in what we have in Matt and Connor but we know at some point they’re going to want to play,” McKenzie said. "They’re in the meetings every day with Derek and know who our quarterback is.

"That’s how it goes in the NFL. Guys move on. They get nice contracts elsewhere and have their opportunity."

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The 2016 Raiders now have their chance for postseason success.

"We really felt even last year we had a real shot to get into the playoffs,” McKenzie said. “We just wanted to stay the course, work hard, keep our eye on the prize so to speak and go after it.

"It’s hard to win so we’re going to cherish every moment getting in these playoffs, especially since Raider Nation waited so long for this to happen."

And the best news of all for the silver-and-black?

"We’re hopefully not going to be a one-hit wonder," he said.

Alex Marvez can be heard from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Friday and 9 a.m. to noon ET Saturday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.