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Archive for June, 2015
The All-Star Game is July 14 and the Oakland A's have several quality candidates that could head to Cincinnati to represent the American League. Unfortunately, fan voting seems like it will knock out many of those candidates, from Oakland and many other teams, in place of much less deserving players. Because of that, the likelihood the A's send more than a player or two are slim. Despite that, and a losing record, Oakland has three solid options, with three fringe players that wouldn't be terrible injury replacements.   Fringe Guys I'm not saying these guys should go. I'm saying these guys could go if there is a lack of ...
The Oakland Raiders have several developing talents worthy of future opportunities but not quite ready to take the field during the 2015 season. The Raiders would benefit from stashing these talents on the practice squad for at least a year before activating them as part of the 53-man roster. Practice squads serve as the breeding grounds for NFL rosters when in need of re-enforcements due to injury or subpar talent on the active roster. SBNation.com writer Matt Verderame outlines the guidelines and requirements for practice squads across the league. Who should the Raiders harvest in the practice unit? Which players have the talent ...
The Oakland Raiders have a young and talented team, which leads to difficult cuts when trimming a 90-man roster down to 53 active players. The Raiders' roster bubble should resemble the size of a hot air balloon, and we’ll explore some potential keeps and cuts to place the best talent on the field. The determining factors concerning who’s saved and who’s released hinge upon the following: skill set duplication at the position, need for depth or lack thereof and projection of impact as an active player during the regular season. We’ll focus on the last five to make the active 53-man roster and ...
The Oakland Raiders have had a very busy offseason. The team brought in a lot of talent both through free agency and the draft. Add to that a brand new coaching staff, and hopes are understandably high in the East Bay. The ultimate goal for the Raiders is to once again be one of the top teams in the NFL. But a rebuilding team such as this can't look too far ahead. The process of returning to relevance has to begin with smaller, more manageable steps. For the Raiders, the first step is to be competitive and successful in the AFC West. Oakland ...
No one knows it yet, but it’s possible the Oakland Raiders signed the next Wes Welker disguised as a fringe player scraping to secure a roster spot. Yes, you’ve heard of Oakland's No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft, Amari Cooper, the highly touted and talented wide receiver out of Alabama. Let’s dig beyond the sand and gravel to uncover a true diamond in the rough.   Kick Return Ability and Opportunity Who is Austin Willis? Willis is exactly who Welker was upon breaking into the league, and he’s going to follow the same route to garner respect from Raider Nation and his opponents.  In 2004, when ...
The Oakland Raiders have big-impact players in David Carr and Khalil Mack, but there are other players on their roster who make big contributions. Who is their unsung hero? Which player should get more credit for his work? Watch as Adam Lefkoe and Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms discuss the Raiders' unsung hero in the video above. Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie will be lauded for his confidence or chastised for his stubbornness in handling the cornerbacks. McKenzie decided not to arm his secondary with proven talent at the cornerback position in a pass-happy league. The Raiders' top three projected cornerbacks have a combined 15 starts, among them oft-injured leading cornerback D.J. Hayden.  The Raiders weren’t strapped for cash, and they decided to wait until the seventh round to select cornerback Dexter McDonald out of Kansas who’s an undeveloped talent with potential. What gives, McKenzie? No solid plan B for a fragile inexperienced group still learning the game? ...
It’s about that time of the year to deliver the Oakland Raiders’ offseason state of the union. We’re not discussing foreign policies or economic climates, but for Raider Nation this is the consummate overview of the roster at its current state.  The Raiders had a busy offseason. General manager Reggie McKenzie led a progressive free-agent signing period and drafted 10 players. Roster turnover was needed in Oakland. Since McKenzie’s hire as GM in 2012, the franchise has 11 wins. Starting with Jack Del Rio’s hire, the somber-smelling air around Alameda changed drastically. The team brought in impact free agents and let go of ...
With three months of baseball nearly in the books, we've learned quite a bit about an Oakland A's team we thought we knew. The A's sit at 32-41, fifth in the AL West standings and 10 games back from first place. The production seems to have split the fanbase in half, with one side believing the raising of a white flag is inevitable, while the other holds out hope for a rebound. Regardless of what you believe the future holds, there's no denying we've all watched the same first half. So what have we seen? Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders have a lot of young talent on their defense.How good can the defense be in 2015? Can the Raiders have a top-10 defense?Watch as Stephen Nelson and Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms discuss the Raiders defense in the video above.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com