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Archive for August, 2015
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts didn’t enter the NFL as the cream of the crop within the 2014 draft class, but he rose to the occasion during the 2015 preseason. Roberts isn’t a stranger to delivering on the big stage. He made big, bold statements at his Division II alma mater, West Alabama, in his senior year. Silver & Black Pride writer Levi Damien provided a statistical snapshot of what Roberts accomplished inside an obscure bubble at West Alabama: As a senior, Roberts broke out mainly due to UWA passing the ball more. Having a receiver like him was a big reason ...
The Oakland Raiders trimmed their roster Monday with the regular season approaching and waived wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, according to Pro Football Talk. Thompkins played 12 games for the Raiders and two for the New England Patriots in 2014 and finished with 262 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. The undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati is yet to establish himself as a consistent threat at the NFL level despite the speed that helped him run a 4.54 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Thompkins had one last chance to impress during Sunday’s preseason contest against the Arizona Cardinals but turned ...
After averaging just 2.8 yards per carry in the Oakland Raiders' first three preseason games, Trent Richardson now finds himself out of a job, as the team confirmed his release on Tuesday. ESPN.com's Bill Williamson initially reported the move Monday. Making the team seemed like an uphill battle for Richardson from the start. Latavius Murray is the incumbent starter, and the Raiders signed Roy Helu Jr. to a two-year, $4.1 million deal this offseason to handle more of the passing-downs duties, a role that could've fallen to Richardson. Getting cut this early into the process is a bad look for Richardson, and Steve Corkran of ...
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio and his coaching staff have the tough task of narrowing down the roster to 75 players by September 1 after a tough loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Three weeks of preseason play helped some players solidify spots on the active roster yet hurt others based on production (you can refer to a previous 53-man roster projection to compare the changes made to the starting lineup and depth of each position). Currently, the Raiders have 88 players on the roster, and at least 13 will look for work elsewhere within the next 24 hours. We’ll fast-forward the ...
The Arizona Cardinals beat the Oakland Raiders 30-23 on Sunday night, but fantasy football players were far more interested in the pass-catching performances from the losing side.  With that in mind, here is a look at the final stat lines from wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end Mychal Rivera: The numbers are solid, especially since neither played the entire game, but what they say about the big picture for each player is more important than the actual tallies in a preseason contest. Cooper stands out on name recognition alone. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft and could ...
Derek Carr’s Week 3 performance against the Arizona Cardinals shouldn’t cause a full-blown panic attack, but it deserves a critical eye. On the surface, it looks like another bad game. Some critics may pass the buck onto the offensive line for not blocking well on this particular night, but there’s a poor pattern of execution in critical situations centered around the quarterback. To some, Carr is viewed as the franchise quarterback in a premature gesture, but his decision-making, especially in the red zone, doesn’t warrant that prestigious title. Carr’s placement of the football jumps off the film as the biggest red flag of ...
Oakland Raiders right tackle Menelik Watson was battling for a spot in the starting lineup this year, but he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on Sunday against the Cardinals. Continue for updates. Watson Speaks on Severity of Injury Sunday, Aug. 30 Watson took to Twitter following the injury, saying, "Ruptured Achilles tendon... I will be back stronger than ever that's a promise. Main thing is supporting the team right now." Bill Williamson of ESPN.com noted that Austin Howard replaced Watson on Sunday and will likely remain at right tackle throughout the regular season given the significance of the injury. Howard started all 16 games for the Raiders in ...
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio dropped some interesting bits of insight on the evaluation of his players during a press conference after Wednesday’s practice. Some of the choice words Del Rio used to address a certain category of players makes sense but possibly comes off as tongue-in-cheek to fans with favorites on the roster. Del Rio made a clear statement with purporse—more on that in the forthcoming slideshow. Along with a press conference chock full of quotable references, the team made a roster move, and one of the coaches on staff deserves a world of praise for his work in a short ...
Taylor Mays reached an agreement with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, the team announced. It's the safety's third stop since March, having been previously signed and released by the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network first reported the defender's latest stop. He noted Mays will be reunited with defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., who he worked with during his time at USC. Mays carried a lot of hype coming out of college as a prospect with tremendous physical attributes who could develop into a high-impact defender, either as a safety or linebacker. In turn, the San Francisco 49ers took ...
Here’s the final report on a series of findings outlining the ups and downs in the first half of the Oakland Raiders preseason. We’ve examined the disappointments and the pleasant surprises, and now it’s time for stock reports on five different players. Many readers have asked about the status of certain players who didn’t appear in the two previous reports. Some of the following players have played well, but they didn’t register as a surprise, personally. And some players haven’t played well, but only due to a lack of opportunities via play-calling or depth-chart positioning. A pair of Raider Nation fan favorites made this list, but they’re ...