Let the Clowney competition begin

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It's too early for the Raiders to start clownin' for Clowney, but it's not too early to start kicking that idea's tires.

This phenomenon occurs every few years, when a super-stunning NFL prospect looms in the next draft. See: "Suck for (Andrew) Luck." Two things happen:

-- The lousy teams' supporters clamor for their teams to tank the last few games of the season in order to nail down that coveted No. 1 draft slot.

-- The teams' general managers, coaches and players huff indignantly that they would never stoop to such desperate, low-rent cheating.

This year's draft plum is South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, a 6-foot-6, 274-pound tower of power.

Also picking up steam on draft boards is Louisville junior quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The Raiders must get one of those two, preferably Clowney. Come on, he will scare opponents with his name.

The Raiders are in desperate need of a star, a playmaker, a franchise-builder-arounder. Cue the Raiders' teensy team bus, the size of a refrigerator, from which will spring 53 players, fumbling and missing tackles.

You don't start tanking at the beginning of the season, of course. The Raiders have pride; they will coach and play their hearts out. In Week 2, they meet another Clowney candidate, the Jaguars, but that's too early for either team to tank. Probably.

In the most likely scenario, the end of the regular season will feature a desperate fight among a few teams to wind up on the bottom of the barrel. The Colts almost blew it in 2011, winning Games 14 and 15, forcing themselves to rally for a clutch loss in the final game in order to get the No. 1 pick.

Sure, that type of scramble is humiliating, but it hurts only until the draft.

The Raiders' final four games are against the Jets, Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos. That New York game could be a classic, the matchup that decides the Clowney sweepstakes. If the Raiders can eke out a loss there, they would build momentum for a strong stretch collapse.

Just win the draft, baby.