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Archive for May, 2011
Just two years ago, defensive end Richard Seymour was in shock. The team that he had spent the first eight years of his career and won multiple Super Bowl rings with had just traded him away for a first-round pick.Reportedly, the only thing that New England head coach Bill Belichick had to say to him was, "Your rights have been traded to the Oakland Raiders."Seymour's first reaction, according to Ron Borges of the Boston Herald, was that he had been "blindsided." He had a right to be angry and confused. This was probably not how he had envisioned ending a ...
I am going to make some ridiculous comparisons in this article. Most of us in the Raider Nation are ready for Hue Jackson and his staff to light a flame under the behinds of these young, talented, well-paid (or overpaid) Oakland Raiders. Here is our call to action: Hue Jackson, please ignite a fire and get these guys to put more effort into the game! As one fine writer points out, Darrius Heyward-Bey has only two touchdowns in two seasons. This means, in a humorous comparison, that each of those touchdowns costs $3.5 million. Well, all we care about are touchdowns, in ...
Coming of their first three game series sweep of the season against the Baltimore Orioles, the Oakland Athletics had plenty of momentum with the New York Yankees coming to town on Memorial Day. The momentum came to a screeching halt as Bartolo Colon pitched a four-hit complete game shutout, ending the A’s four-game winning streak beating the A's 5-0 in front of a sold out crowd. The A’s came into the game 5-1 since the Brian Fuentes and Bob Geren drama last week. A’s ace Trevor Cahill was on the bump Monday, coming off two loses with a no-decision sandwiched in between. Cahill ...
Darrius Heyward-Bey is a much maligned early first round pick that hasn't done anything to acquit himself. He has a total of 35 catches, 490 yards, and two touchdowns in two years for the Silver and Black. Year three is generally the time to call a player a bust, and I can't see him breaking out in 2011. Many will point out what star running back Darren McFadden did in his first two years, but he was hurt. Plus, McFadden displayed that he was of the skill level required to play the position he plays before the injuries. Heyward-Bey has improved but his pass receiving ...
Last week I pleaded with the A's to do something, anything, to jump start their team. I begged the team to clean house from the front office to the management, to the on-field personnel. Did they listen?No.I have to say I'm a bit glad they didn't.After an atrocious week that saw the A's lose five straight to the Twins and Giants, this most recent completed week didn't begin any better, with a close loss to the Angels.Since last Monday, the A's have played as a completely different team.They went 5-1, back to the familiar .500 mark and finally, finally a ...
Sometimes to examine the efficiency of certain players, it's useful to compare their statistics with those of former players. Former Oakland Raiders Art Powell and Warren Wells had successful seasons at the beginning of their careers, and in this article I'm going to examine how some of Oakland's recent first round draft picks stack up to the standard they set. Four players are compared: Art Powell, Warren Wells, Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey.The model is limited but it does give some insight about expectations.  Here are the measures used in the limited comparisons:   Art Powell Warren Wells ...
The Oakland Raiders.A storied franchise, the Raiders have been known throughout the years as a feisty team with numerous different, entertaining personalities on the roster.Ranging from guys like George Atkinson to Ted Hendricks, the Raiders have always had guys who entertained. Period. They signified who the Raiders were—tough and mean.For Al Davis, that was an important factor when evaluating players. How tough are they? What kind of character did they have on and off the field? This is a philosophy that still exists within the Oakland Raiders, but is diminishing quickly.Really, who do we have on the team right now ...
After listening to a video of an interview of Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, I immediately realized that we should be strong and not narrow-minded when it comes to understanding the issues of the NFL lockout. The Raider Nation is strong and vocal. Some of us certainly don't want the NFL or owners to disrespect the contributions the players make to the entire enterprise. Brees indicated that there was a 50-50 agreement in sharing the profits, I assume, of the NFL with the players. It seems the owners want more. It sounds like the owners are making an attempt to ...
In an unexpected move, recently acquired left-handed reliever David Purcey was dealt to the Detroit Tigers for second baseman Scott Sizemore.Sizemore, who was the Tigers minor league player of the year in 2009, was immediately sent to Triple-A Sacramento. The most likely scenario seems to be that the A's acquired Sizemore as a feasible option—with some long-term potential, still, at just 26 years old—at third base in case the A's pull the plug on Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andy LaRoche in favor of Sizemore and Rosales, who is due to return before the All-Star break. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote ...
During the years of the Vietnam War there was a report that few NFL players responded to the mandatory military draft. One of many things that Al Davis did was selected a man who served in the military and who became an outstanding Oakland Raider. Davis, too, was a former military man. Other articles and books indicated that the low response level and forms of favoritism inspired a congressional investigation back in those days. Few professional football players served in the military during those years, according to some documents. As a B/R writer, I have recently developed an interest in the ...