By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Finally, no more waiting on roster cuts.

No more first-team offenses and defenses playing a few series here and there of “ho-hum” football.

It’s officially football season and the games count even more than they did in the preseason and that’s what we’ve been waiting for as fans and sportswriters for the last six months.

For the Oakland Raiders, who will open up the 2015 season Sunday against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals (1:25 p.m. PT, CBS), this is a season full of optimism and renewed sense of belief

They hired a brand new head coach with strong Bay Area ties in former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Del Rio knows how to get the best out of his players. In his nine seasons as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Del Rio compiled a 68-71 record, but just 1-2 in the playoffs.

Del Rio is a player’s coach, but is tough and wants to instill a great toughness in a team that has not reached the playoffs since the 2002 season, in which Oakland reached the Super Bowl.

“I think it’s important to win at home,”  Del Rio said Wednesday after the team’s practice. “We’ve got great fans that are going to come out in full force on Sunday, and we want to put on a good show for them and make sure they’re proud.”

Second-year signal caller Derek Carr had a great training camp and appears to be fully entrenched as the Raiders quarterback. With the addition of former Alabama Crimson Tide star wide receiver Amari Cooper by way of the fourth overall draft pick in this year’s NFL Draft, and former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Carr could vastly improve his numbers.

As a rookie, Carr looked more like a seasoned veteran, becoming only the fourth rookie in league history to throw at least 20 touchdowns and 12-or-fewer interceptions in his first season. Carr threw for 3,270 yards passing, 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while completing 59.1 percent of his passes. Carr continues to develop into one of the league’s top young quarterbacks and greatly wants more wins in the win column for Oakland.

“I think this time last year I knew I was the starter for about three days,” Carr said Wednesday. “This time around, obviously, it’s a little different. You have a whole offseason to prepare for the season. You know what to work on. You know what’s going to happen. You’ve already played in the games. You’ve already seen it, so there’s a lot of benefits obviously that were not here last year that we have this year. I’m definitely excited and just ready to compete.”

Oakland finished 3-13 last season after starting the season 0-10 and Carr knows that getting a win Sunday against the Bengals would be a huge boost in the right direction for the Silver & Black in 2015.

“It’s huge,” Carr said. “You always see coaches, and stats, and everyone talking about, ‘You got to start fast. You got to start fast,’ and that’s the case. You want to go out there and start fast. We have a great veteran group coming in that we’re going to play against, but we’re excited to go out there and compete, because we have a good veteran group too, and we’ve been working really hard.”

Defensively, particularly in the secondary, Cincinnati could raise some trouble for a patchwork Raiders’ secondary so cornerbacks D.J. Hayden, T.J. Carrie, and Keith McGill you better be ready because the Bengals’ wide receivers are a good group of playmakers that present unique challenges.

All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu. After posting back-to-back 11 touchdown receiving and 97 and 98 catch seasons, Green slipped last season finishing with just 68 catches and six touchdowns. Green has recorded four straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons, and has made four trips to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl.

“Every week there’s a good test,” said Head Coach Del Rio. “We’ll talk about the talent on the other team every week. Everyone has talent in this league. Certainly they have talent and we’re looking forward to matching up on Sunday.”

Green is just 27-years-old.

Jones, the former California wide receiver, was lost for the majority of the 2014 season, but is a smooth route-runner from the slot, finished second behind Green in 2013 with 10 touchdowns receiving.

Sanu has proved to be a great compliment to Green on the outside. Sanu racked up 56 catches for 790 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games (13 starts) last year for the Bengals.

Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton noted Thursday that he knows that former Raiders interim head coach/offensive coordinator and current Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has a prolific offense.

Cincinnati finished 15th overall on offense in 2014.

“They’re very, very skilled group,” said Norton. “Really nice throwers, really good catchers. Fantastic combination at the runners. Really explosive group, so we have to really take our time and do our best to matchup with them.”

At the end of the day, the Bengals’ fortunes rely on the right arm of quarterback Andy Dalton.

When the Bengals win, people are quick to point out that Dalton should win with the talent around him, which includes a stud-running attack with running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard.

When the Bengals find ways to lose games, Dalton becomes Cincinnati’s appointed “Fall Guy.” (Thanks Cris Carter LOL).

The match up that I’ll be paying close attention to will be between two former Alabama Crimson Tide players in Cooper and Bengals cornerback, Dre Kirkpatrick. Cooper and Kirkpatrick weren’t college teammates, as Kirkpatrick was drafted in 2012 by Cincinnati, while Cooper arrived in Tuscaloosa that spring.

Kirpartick recently told ESPN.com’s Bengals reporter Cole Harvey that Cooper, “Looks great. He doesn’t look like a rookie, I’ll tell you that…He looks like he’s been here before.”

On paper, the Bengals should win this game, but games aren’t played on paper and I think with the renewed energy that Del Rio has brought into an organization that has been choking under water for so long, coupled with upgrades to the wide receiving corps and not to mention the addition of former Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton, Oakland can win on Sunday.

The game will be close, but I think that Carr will make just one more play that Dalton that will put Oakland over the top, 27-23.

Breaking News – Raiders sign former 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith

The Oakland Raiders have signed former 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith to a one-year contract, per ESPN sources and media reports.

Smith, who was released by San Francisco on Aug. 7, has had many off-field incidents, but is eligible to play according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Oakland will consider playing Smith during Sunday’s contest against Cincinnati based on his conditioning.

Smith, who has recorded 44 sacks in 50 games as a member of a once-dominant 49ers linebacking corps,  had turned down offers from Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and St. Louis.

The deal was first reported by Bleacher Report.

Glued to the Tube: The Four Must See Games for Week 1 by #TheFootballJunkie

Green Bay at Chicago – 10:00 a.m. PT, FOX – The NFL loves their rivalries and the Packers and the Bears are the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Green Bay, who lost to the Seattle Seahawks in last season’s NFC Championship Game, are poised for another postseason run with the incredible Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, but will have a tough time getting back to the conference title game without his go-to man, wide receiver Jordy Nelson after Nelson was lost for the season with a torn ACL.

In 2014, Nelson established career-highs in receptions (98) and receiving yards (1,519) to go along with 13 touchdown catches.

Chicago, with quarterback Jay Cutler, are just 1-11 with Cutler under center against the Packers, and have lost eight straight games against their heated rivals from Wisconsin. In those eight losses, Cutler has tossed 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions with a QBR of 24. According to Spotrac, both Rodgers and Cutler are making $54 million guaranteed.

For Green Bay, its been money well spent as Rodgers has delivered a Super Bowl. For Chicago, its been a fleecing by Cutler.

Green Bay swept Chicago last season en route to a 12-4 record. Both games weren’t even close with the Packers outscoring the Bears 93-31.

Oh yeah, and Chicago is breaking in a new coaching staff headed by former Denver Broncos Head Coach John Fox this season, whose calling-card is defense.

Packers 31 Bears 17

Seattle at St. Louis – 1:25 p.m. PT, FOX – Another divisional rivalry that may get even hotter this season as St. Louis looks to take a major step in the NFC West, but Seattle remains the cream of the crop in the division. The two teams split both meetings last season, but the Rams have won two of the last three meetings with the Seahawks.

The Rams finally turned the page on the Sam Bradford Era by shipping the former No. 1 overall quarterback to Philadelphia for quarterback Nick Foles. Foles put up some great numbers in a Eagles’ uniform, throwing for 6,753 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions with a 15-9 record. St. Louis is banking on Foles as the quarterback that can lead a resurgence (the team re-signed Foles to a two-year, $24 million ($13.7 million) guaranteed) during the offseason.

But Sunday’s encounter with the NFC Champion Seahawks will be a defensive slugfest in my opinion.

Outside of the Buffalo Bills, St. Louis may have the best defensive line in football this year.

Defensive tackles Michael Brockers and 2014 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Aaron Donald (10 sacks) are forces in the middle, and with the addition of a slimmer, former Detroit Lions’ first-rounder Nick Fairly, the Rams have added much needed depth. Throw in defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn, St. Louis sport five first round picks.

That’s talent that is unmatched in the NFL, unless your Seattle whose defense is by all accounts the league’s premiere defense. But the defense is showing signs of cracking. Strong safety Kam Chancellor, the unquestioned leader of the Legion of Boom, is holding out for a new contract and won’t be in the lineup on Sunday, according to media reports.

Free Safety Earl Thomas was out for most of training camp recovering from a shoulder injury, but is slated to suit up, while cornerback Richard Sherman has recovered from the arm injury he suffered in the NFC Championship Game. Has the toll of playing deep into January over the past three seasons finally has caught up with Seattle?

The Rams are hoping so, and St. Louis could be prime for the upset, especially if “Sack City” makes life difficult for Wilson, who completed 23-of-36 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in St. Louis’s 28-26 home win in Week 7.

Seattle is looking to become the first NFC team in history to make three straight Super Bowl appearances.

Seahawks 23 Rams 13

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 1:25 p.m. PT, CBS – All indications are that this will be the first time that the top two quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL Draft will meet when Jameis Winston leads the Buccaneers into Nashville against Marcus Mariota and the Titans.

Both Winston and Mariota have been tasked to rebuild franchises that finished 2-14, respectively. Both are decorated college-winning quarterbacks, but the jury remains out on both men.

Buccaneers 17  Titans 9

New York (N) at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. PT, NBC – Ahh the nightcap. Giants at Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

What more can a fan want? More football.

After losing at Lambeau Field in the NFC Divisional Playoffs to the Green Bay Packers, Dallas thinks that this is the year that it finally gets back to Super Bowl and tie the Pittsburgh Steelers with six Lombardi trophies.

Quarterback Tony Romo had another stellar season with 34 touchdown passes, nine interceptions, and throwing for 3,705 yards. Wide receiver Dez Bryant (he of the five-year, $70 million ($45 million guaranteed), is a top-five wide receiver, finished with 88 catches for 1,320 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.

But Dallas took a huge blow when they let running back DeMarco Murray bolt for division rival Philadelphia. Murray led the league in rushing with 1,845 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns. Its going to be very difficult to replace that kind of production.

Dallas has won the last four previous meetings, but last season’s Week 12, 31-28 victory (on Sunday Night Football coincidentally) was epic for the Cowboys, but that was the game that put Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on the map.

You know, the game with what people have called “the greatest catch” in football history.

Beckham Jr. finished the game with 10 catches for 146 yards receiving and two touchdowns, one of them was the jaw-dropping one handed catch over Cowboys’ cornerback, Brandon Carr.

Dallas usually shows up when the lights are the brightest, but so does Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who finished 29-of-40 for 338 yards passing, with three touchdowns and one interception in that game.

Cowboys 35 Giants 24

#MikePParlay’s for Week 1 – *For entertainment purposes only.

Indianapolis (-2.5) vs Buffalo            O/U 45

Carolina (-3.0) vs Jacksonville          O/U 41.5

Cincinnati (-3.0) vs Oakland             O/U 43.0

San Francisco (-1.0) vs Minnesota   O/U 41.5