Les Shapiro and Eric Goodman discuss the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas with Bill Williamson on The Afternoon Drive.

NFL owners voted earlier today that the Oakland Raiders can soon become the Vegas Raiders. But before the vote, it was a combination of factors that really culminated in the Raiders being able to relocate in Sin City, which is what owner Mark Davis has apparently wanted for years given that he registered LasVegasRaiders domain name nearly 20 years ago.

Davis blamed California lawmakers for not putting up the money to build a new stadium. Oakland blamed Davis for expecting it to be able to fund such an expensive endeavor. Raiders fans blame one or the other or both.

Either way, the city is losing its team for the second time in its storied history, and I for one am sad about that.

I have no love for the Raiders - or their fans.

But I have to admit they are a loyal bunch. Sure the stadium has a huge empty section every home game and some seasons they can’t get enough fans to the game and must black it out on TV. But there has always been a corps of fans that have remained faithful even to a franchise that left them once before.

But from my selfish point of view, hating the Vegas Raiders just won’t be the same. Because the truth is, it’s the fans - and more specifically the aura of such nasty fans - that is so much fun to despise. Who can hate a Vegas Raider? That’s like hating your spouse’s ex - you know you should, but there’s just no real connection so who cares.

But I digress...

The guys at The Afternoon Drive discussed the move with Bill Williamson, a former reporter for the Denver Post now doing a Raiders podcast and senior writer for All22.

Les Shapiro asked Williamson if the fans and the city really deserved to keep the team.

“Well, they didn’t deserve to lose this team twice,” Williamson said. “Did the city? Maybe. You can place blame at a lot of people. I kind of blame the city for acting like they wanted to keep them but not doing much. But the city can counter with ‘We can’t build a stadium so go to Vegas, rich guy’ and I understand that.”

But the truth was always that Davis was going to go where he could get a new stadium.

“That stadium is awful and it’s getting worse,” Williamson said. “Vegas got it done and so Mark Davis goes to Vegas. I don’t blame Mark Davis much either.”

Of course, now the Raiders have to hang out in a city that’s mad at them with fans who feel betrayed. That dynamic does not bode too well, and Williamson believes Davis’ statement that “We’re still the Oakland Raiders now” was ill-advised.

“No you’re not. You’re the Raiders who are moving to Las Vegas and you can’t get out because you’re stuck and you can’t leave,” Williamson said. “You don’t want to be in Oakland. Don’t act like you want to be in Oakland right now. ...I think it’s going to be ugly. But the saving grace is that the fans love this team and this team is good. But chances are this could go south pretty quick.”

But that’s a problem for Oakland and the Raiders. The problem for the Broncos is just how good this Raiders team is going to be over the next few years - and whether the team may repeat its experience from 1982 where it abandoned Oakland for Los Angeles and then won a Super Bowl the following year.

Could these Raiders be on track for that in three years when they are expected to move in?

“I think the Raiders could win a Super Bowl in next five, six years,” Williamson said. “They’ve got a great quarterback, a great defensive end. Not sure about this year because Patriots got better and Raiders still have some holes, but it could be this year.”

But Williamson doesn’t see the Broncos being in the Raiders’ rearview mirror just yet.

“The Broncos are pretty good and every game in the AFC West is going to be tough for every team,” he said. “Raiders have done really nothing defensively in the offseason and need to get immediate impact players from the draft, and I don’t see them being able to do that, especially when drafting No. 24.”

And how good did the Broncos get/not get by adding former Raider offensive lineman Menelik Watson?

“Well, he’s played very little football. He’s still raw,” Williamson admitted. “He came from England, went to Florida State and was hurt a lot, so it’s hard to tell.”

But could he be the Broncos solution at left tackle?

“The long-term answer? No,” Williamson said. “The short-term? Yes.”