GM Reggie McKenzie strives to rebuild Raiders

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - When Reggie McKenzie took over the Oakland Raiders last January, he knew he had a tough task ahead of him.

The roster lacked depth and elite players after years of bad personnel moves by the old regime led by late owner Al Davis. Bloated contracts left the team significantly over the projected salary cap, leading to the loss of a few valuable players, and the team had no high draft picks.

Even with those daunting circumstances, McKenzie did not expect the Raiders (3-8) to struggle this much in his first season as general manager.

The team has lost four straight games and has struggled even to be competitive at times during a horrid month of November when the Raiders allowed 169 points.