My first thoughts on the Oakland Raiders’ 2011 schedule are that Weeks 3 and 4 will tell us a lot about this year’s team.

Week 3 is a home game on Sept. 25 against the Jets, and Week 4 is another home game on Oct. 2 against the Patriots.

What these two games will tell us is whether or not the Raiders are ready to compete with the big dogs.

The past few seasons, the Raiders have had horrible games against the NFL’s elite teams.

Last year’s game against the Steelers is a prime example. The Raiders were shellacked in that game, 35-3.