The Oakland Raiders' offseason rumor mill continues to buzz with knee-jerk reactions and early conclusions for the 2015 season. Some conclusions have merit, while others are based on unsubstantial hearsay.
At this phase of the offseason, projected starting lineups are the hot topic. Who’s putting in hours to solidify their roster spot? Who’s underperforming on their way to the bench?
Things will change when players return for training camp in six weeks, but there are some glowing reports and a few position battles to keep a very close eye on going forward.
We’ll check in on the most contested battles across the depth ...
After the Oakland Athletics traded stars like Josh Donaldson, Jeff Samardzija and Brandon Moss away during the offseason, few expected the team to return to the playoffs in 2015. The results have been even worse than expected, though, as the A's currently own the worst record in the American League at 26-39.
Bad play and bad luck have afflicted the A's equally this year. Oakland's 4-18 record in one-run games suggests some regression toward a winning record, but not every game has been so close.
On offense, surprise resurgences from right fielder Josh Reddick and catcher Stephen Vogt along with the coming ...
The first half of the Oakland Raiders offseason program concludes with interesting player storylines—some winners and some losers.
The good news is that the team has managed to wrap up organized team activities and minicamp without any major injuries suffered during these practices. It's also clear that fierce competition will continue throughout training camp under new head coach Jack Del Rio.
On the other hand, Oakland came into the offseason with three glaring needs: wide receiver talent, pass-rushers and a solid offensive right guard. Thus far, upgrading the WR talent was the only need addressed adequately. There’s still plenty of time to ...
Derek Carr landed in a perfect situation last year.
No, the Oakland Raiders didn't have 10 All-Pro players sharing the field with him or a dominant defense with a brilliant supporting cast to alleviate the pressure on him. Instead, he had no expectations to meet on a team that would keep him out of the spotlight.
Carr had no expectations for a couple of reasons. For one, he wasn't a first-round pick. He went in the second round and wasn't expected to start ahead of Matt Schaub during his rookie season. Carr took Schaub's job, but it appeared to be more of ...
Oakland Athletics switch-pitcher Pat Venditte has fallen victim to the injury bug that has forced him to be placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Continue for updates.
Venditte Has Shoulder Strain
Friday, June 12
According to the A's official Twitter, Venditte has a strained right shoulder that will keep him out for at least the next 15 days:
"I've gone from pure joy to this," Venditte said, according to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group. Hickey reported the pitcher won't throw for a week.
Joe Stiglich of CSN California reported the MRI shows Venditte has minor fraying in the area of his shoulder he had surgery ...
The Oakland Raiders have high hopes heading into the 2015 season.
Which players have looked good at minicamp? Who needs to pick it up?
Watch as Stephen Nelson and Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area discuss the Raiders in the video above.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
The Oakland Raiders' offseason practice regimen concludes after three weeks of organized team activities and a three-day mandatory minicamp. Some poignant issues need solutions heading into training camp in July. This final week of practice has revealed some interesting camp battles, glaring holes at positions and some depth issues that could become problematic if not handled adequately.
We’ll delve into each of the following five issues and offer some early solutions for consideration.Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders should move Austin Howard back to guard in order to strengthen the right side of their offensive line and allow another young prospect to develop.
It all started a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl. New head coach Jack Del Rio made one of his first major decisions, moving Howard back to his natural position at tackle, per San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur:
Playing to Howard’s Strengths
Former interim head coach Tony Sparano made a strategic move transitioning Howard inside as an interior lineman in 2014. He worked with the former undrafted talent in New York as an ...
As we continue to slowly but surely make our way toward another season of Oakland Raiders football (kickoff is less than 100 days away!), and as the roster continues to take shape, we can start to look a little more closely at the 2015 schedule.
There's no way to determine at this time which games on the schedule will be "must-win" games. There's also no way to accurately tell, especially with a rebuilding team like Oakland, which games the team "should" win.
However, there are five games on the schedule that the Raiders can win. The Raiders now have the talent and ...
Much of the excitement around the Oakland Raiders surrounds quarterback Derek Carr, but the Raiders front office has injected their running back stable with dynamic talent capable of moving the chains.
Running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden have left town—the former for retirement and the latter renewing his career with the Dallas Cowboys. The Raiders have a slew of running backs entering new phases in the beginning stages of their careers. Initially, it seemed as though a two-man RB committee would emerge, but one particular player has separated himself from the pack.
Latavius Murray: The Lead Back?
There was very little said ...