Raiders' late-season struggles raise plenty of questions

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The tourists nearby were getting tipsy, the Napa sun was shining bright and optimism was high back in training camp. OK ... maybe not high. But the Raiders coaches and players were convincing themselves that they weren't terrible.

Oakland was coming off a 4-12 season and wasn't as talented, after general manager Reggie McKenzie blew up the roster. But he believed, as did coach Dennis Allen, in the toughness of the new second-tier players.

Allen said the Raiders could win with "guys that aren't going to let go of the rope."

Well, Oakland didn't let go ... but the team got pulled right back into the muck.

The Raiders finished 4-12 again in Allen's second year and left him with a tenuous hold on his job. He is expected back but meets with owner Mark Davis on Monday or Tuesday.

Allen said he will tell Davis all the progress the team has made despite the record. The Raiders were better at running the ball - thanks to team MVP Rashad Jennings, who stepped in and was an improvement over injured running back Darren McFadden - and defending the run.

Oakland was also better in the red zone offensively, getting pressure on the quarterback and on kick coverage.

Davis, for sure, will have some questions for Allen. Like:

Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings (27) scores on a 1-yard touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings (27) scores on a 1-yard touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. (AP ... more Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Raiders' late-season struggles raise plenty of questions 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

-- How did a defense that was ranked 10th after seven games give up a franchise-record 56 points to the Chiefs and look a step or two slow in the closing six-game losing streak?

And "They were tired" isn't good enough.

-- What, exactly, was the plan at quarterback?

Matt Flynn bombed and was ultimately cut, but did later help get Green Bay to the playoffs. Then there was the Terrelle Pryor meteor. No sooner had he played well enough to be featured in two national magazines than he lost his starting job. There is still some disagreement about how injured his knee was, though both sides seem to agree his future is elsewhere.

Third-string quarterback Matt McGloin started six games and didn't embarrass himself, and the undrafted rookie seems to have won at least a backup job next season.

Allen admitted last week that the Raiders need a quarterback, and they might address that need with the No. 5 pick in the draft.

Oakland needs help everywhere, something the coaches admitted more and more as the year went on. Players weren't executing, it's true, but no one was raving about the coaches' half-time adjustments every week either.

"The hardest part is, the last few weeks we've looked like what everybody said we'd look like," safety Charles Woodson said. "That's probably the most disappointing part about it, just because we've shown flashes this year of being a pretty good team and we've just dropped the ball the past few weeks and really just not played good football."

Worse than that, the Raiders didn't really have an infusion of new talent that promised better days are ahead. Top draft picks D.J. Hayden and Menelik Watson struggled or were hurt, and fourth-round pick Tyler Watson was cut twice before the quarterback was mercifully picked up by the Titans.

It was a lost season.

Assuming Davis lets general manager Reggie McKenzie get his way - which is what's supposed to happen, considering he is in charge of football operations - and Allen is back for a third year, how high can the bar of expectations really go?

The Raiders may have close to $70 million in salary cap room this offseason, but they have a lot of holes to fill with 17 potential unrestricted free agents. That includes two of their better young players in tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lamarr Houston.

Oakland had 10 new starters on defense this year, but how many of them will be back? Only linebackers Nick Roach, Kevin Burnett and Sio Moore are under contract, plus strong safety Tyvon Branch, who missed most of the season with a broken fibula.

"Obviously, that's something we have to attack in the offseason ... I think having continuity is important," Allen said. "I certainly wouldn't want to go into next year with 10 new starters like we had to this year."

Allen said he has been part of the deconstruction process and would like to be part of the rebuilding process with the Raiders. He obviously couldn't say that before the season started, and he won't be able to say it again if Oakland goes 4-12 again next year.

Questions answered In The Chronicle's 2013 NFL Preview section, we had "3 Big Questions." Here are the answers. Who will sack the quarterback? Everybody ... once in a while. Without proven pass rushers, the Raiders blitzed often, and 15 players had a hand in 38 sacks. That's not great, but it is 13 more than the previous season. Are there any building blocks? Not many. Two of the better young players, tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lamarr Houston, are free agents. First-round pick D.J. Hayden struggled, and then the cornerback was injured the last eight games. Receivers Denarius Moore, Rod Streater and Andre Holmes all flashed at times. Are Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor any good? The quarterback situation is still a mess. Flynn was terrible, benched, moped around and was cut. Pryor showed his playmaking ability before struggling and getting hurt. And then struggling again. - Vic Tafur