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Archive for August, 2011
All the hype surrounding Raiders second-year linebacker Rolando McClain last season led Raider Nation to believe he was to be the second-coming of Ray Lewis. Not. The truth of the matter is that disrespected former Raider, Kirk Morrison, who led the league in tackles as a rookie and sophomore was/is arguably better than the young McClain is now.What makes it worse is that McClain has the luxury of playing behind arguably the best D-line in the league with studs like Seymour, Kelly, Houston and Shaughnessy. I don't even remember who Morrison played with as they clearly sucked. But in typical Raider ...
It is fair to say that the Oakland Raiders were a bit of surprise in the AFC West last year.  Their 8-8 record was the best they have finished since winning the division and finishing with an 11-5 record in 2002. The most amazing part of Oakland's season is unfortunately also the most disappointing.  The Raiders became the first team in NFL history to finish 6-0 against their division and miss the playoffs, thanks to just a 2-8 mark versus the rest of the league. Even with the marked improvement last season, head coach Tom Cable has been replaced by ...
It's a rainy day and you decided to take your umbrella to an Oakland Raiders game. Oops! You can't take an umbrella into the Coliseum, for example. You visited the sports store and you decided to get that beautiful flask with the Oakland Raiders logo (or other NFL team logo) on it. Wow! You can't take a flask into the Coliseum or Candlestick. You are watching the game and you see that the referees have miscalled a play. You curse. Nope, you can't do that either. Seats are empty to the left and right of you. You move to another seat to get a better ...
Everyone always seems to write off the Oakland Raiders.Just because the franchise has been struggling over the past decade doesn't mean this year will be like all of the rest.After an 8-8 season, Oakland has showed that they have the talent to compete for an AFC West division title. The main question is, do they have the talent to compete for the Super Bowl?Owner Al Davis tried the JaMarcus Russell experiment, and that failed horribly. The best move was to grab a veteran quarterback, and he did just that. Jason Campbell has settled in really well with the Raiders ever ...
The final dress rehearsal is coming! I know there is a depth chart posted on the Raiders' website but you know that depth chart means nothing. From what I've seen of some of the starters so far, that depth chart better not mean anything. If it does, the so-called "bully" Raiders' head coach Hue Jackson is trying to build will not exist during the 2011 season. This is a pivotal year for the Raiders who have some good draft picks and key free agent pickups. They finished .500 for the first time in seven years in 2010 and now look to build upon ...
The San Francisco 49ers have announced they would like to postpone—if not outright cancel—their annual preseason games with their cross-bay rivals, the Oakland Raiders, after two men were shot and a third man was beaten unconscious during last Saturday’s game. While it’s not yet clear whether this was fan-on-fan violence or gang violence spilling over into a sporting event, one question remains: Is it time to disband the Raiders? It may well turn out the perpetrators in this latest incident were 49er fans.  It could also turn out that team affiliation had absolutely nothing to do with it.  Even so, ...
About five months ago I wrote an article on Bleacher Report where I asked, What Happened to Just Going to a Game, Having Fun and Rooting for Your Team? That article was in reaction to the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. Stow, who is still in critical condition in a Bay Area hospital, was wearing a Giants jersey and was beaten in the parking lot after the game by a group of men wearing Dodgers gear. In that article I said this: "One of my fondest memories of my youth is the time ...
I do not like Terrelle Pryor. Never have, probably never will.He's arrogant, self-centered and cocky. Sound like anyone else?Al Davis has been known to be a bit arrogant, a bit self-centered and a little bit cocky. Many might say that Davis took a chance, a risk, on drafting Pryor in the third round of the 2011 NFL supplemental draft.However, given his arrogant, self-centered cockiness, he believes he found a gem. Surprisingly, I agree.Obviously, we have all heard of Pryor's past transgressions while attending Ohio State University. I for one feel that there should be a method of payment in place ...
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has speed, size and athleticism—all the tools that a quality receiver possesses. Since the Oakland Raiders’ system is built on size and speed, this recent acquisition makes sense, right? Wrong. The transition to tight end may sound appealing at first, but the question is, will the former quarterback be able to block and run routes? He won't come cheaply, either. The Raiders are already without a pick in the second and fourth rounds of the 2012 draft and must now relinquish a third-round pick for selecting Pryor in the supplemental draft. At this current ...
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor entered the NFL's Supplemental Draft after his scandal-driven departure from the Buckeyes. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell allowed Pryor to enter the draft where he was chosen in the third round by the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders gave up a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft in order to take Pryor. Pryor will start his NFL career with the five-game suspension he was set to serve for the Buckeyes before he left the team for the pros. Although he is an extremely talented football player, how his career plays out is still uncertain. Here are five predictions for ...