20 Early Predictions

 Posted by at 10:31 PM  2 Responses »
May 032010
 

I’m about as steadfast in these predictions as a politician is in a campaign promise. Read. Laugh. Enjoy.

1. The quarterback depth chart will be Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski, JaMarcus Russell barring injury.

2. The Raiders will win nine games or more.

3. Darren McFadden will have 1500 all-purpose yards

4. The offensive line will continue to be Achilles Heel of the team.

5. The Raiders will have a top ten defense.

6. The Raiders will have a top 15 run defense.

7. The Raiders will have a top ten running game.

8. Jason Campbell will improve on his 2009 season statistically.

9. Rolando McClain will be the defensive rookie of the year.

10. Tyvon Branch will be a Pro Bowl alternate.

11. Stanford Routt will be a starting corner by season’s end.

12. Bruce Campbell will be a beast on special teams, but won’t see the field as an offensive lineman very much.

13. Nnamdi Asomugha will be thrown at him this season.

14. Richard Seymour will register more than six sacks.

15. Jared Veldheer will start at least one game at tackle.

16. Cooper Carlisle will be cut before the start of the season.

17. Kamerion Wimbley will be the most productive offseason acquisition.

18. Jacoby Ford will return two kicks/punts for a touchdown

19. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy, and Chaz Schilens will each have 50+ receptions.

20. Michael Bush will lead the team in touchdowns.

Minicamp Day 2: Morning Session

 Posted by at 8:52 PM  No Responses »
May 012010
 

Unfortunately, I’m not at the minicamp today. I’ve contacted Raiders PR man Mike Taylor and we should get it worked out soon enough.

- From the reports I’ve seen, the Raiders passing game looks better than last year at this time, but the receivers are still dropping too many passes.

- Rolando McClain is going to struggle in coverage.

- JaMarcus Russell wasn’t as sharp today, but still looks much improved.

- Jason Campbell was much more comfortable today.

- Not easy to judge running backs in non-contact drills

- Darrius Heyward-Bey was matching up with Nnamdi Asomugha.

Minicamp Highlights

 Posted by at 11:01 PM  No Responses »
Apr 302010
 

How about some one-liners?
- JaMarcus Russell looked good, who knows what that means going forward.
- Russell looked noticeably thinner than last season, not 300 pounds (Shame on NationalFootballPost.com for reporting it)
- Richard Seymour is working on a long-term contract with the Raiders
- Oren O’Neal was waived
- Veteran Michael Bennett is in for a tryout as was rookie DT Allen Smith from Stanford.
- Bruce Campbell has a severe learning disability, which likely aided his fall in the draft. More on that as it becomes available.
- Additions and subtractions to my undrafted rookie list. Add TE John Owens and DB Joey Thomas, remove WR Trent Guy (Panthers).
- Russell hasn’t taken a pay cut…yet.
- The Raiders are still a 4-3 defense, despite much speculation.
- Lamarr Houston is indeed playing left end. He will have a tough time earning a starting role there.
- Russell’s bling necklace inventory: #2 Jersey, The Chosen One, Russell Figure with a cape, a hand giving a middle finger. Of course, all diamond encrusted to the hilt.
- Robert Gallery was participating.
- Chaz Schilens, Nick Miller, and Bruce Gradkowski (obviously) did not participate.

Minicamp: Magic or Misery?

 Posted by at 4:52 PM  No Responses »
Apr 302010
 

There is an elephant in the room and every other sports writer on the planet is going to want to talk about him.
I will attempt to write an entire blog post without mentioning He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Minicamp can be the start of a magical season or the start of yet another disaster. For the Raiders, a winning record and/or a playoff appearance would be a magical season.

Seven years of losing takes a toll on any fan base. California’s economy aided the Raiders step backwards in 2009 in regards to television blackouts.

Can the Raiders climb out of the basement and back into respectability? It all starts today with a non-contact minicamp.

Last season minicamp was plagued by injuries, dropped passes and work ethic question. Not a very good way to start of a season; a season in which the Raiders won five games.

This season feels different. There is a positive vibe coming from the Raiders organization, the fans and the media.

There is one black eye on the Raiders organization., but not even “Voldemort” himself can put a damper on those vibes.

Tom Cable was giddy about Darrius Heyward-Bey’s progress. While it is hard to truly believe anything coming from the organization when it comes to a much maligned player, it isn’t often a coach smiles from ear-to-ear about a guy’s progress. He is one player to really keep an eye on this offseason.

The Raiders defensive scheme mystery is among the more interesting “good mysteries” in years. It is something the Raiders should either clear up quickly or sandbag until the regular season.

There is a lot development needed on the offensive line. It will be difficult to see how Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell develop if the Raiders are sticking to the zone blocking scheme, but that could be a potential twist as well. Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson is a smash mouth coach who favors drive blocking. During his pre-draft press conference, for the first and only time, Tom Cable didn’t confirm the Raiders would be a zone blocking only team.

There is plenty of intrigue surrounding this minicamp and it grows by the very minute.

The media turnout for the Raiders minicamp is substantial. The Raiders, if only for a moment, have become relevant again.

More to come…

Raiders Want a Redo: Russell Will Compete

 Posted by at 10:36 PM  No Responses »
Apr 282010
 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Russell will be allowed to report to minicamp and compete for the job.

If Al Davis is intent on keeping Russell, this is the way to do it.

Cutting Russell right now would be a favor, allowing him to potentially hitch a ride with another team. It also gives Russell time to learn the offense for that new team.

Keeping Russell around allows him to compete for *a* job on the team.

If the Raiders decide not to hold onto JaMarcus come cut down day, he will walk away with the $3 million and be hard-pressed to find another team.

This type of maneuver gives the Raiders serious leverage in trying to force Russell to take a pay cut.

If the report proves true, the Raiders are happy to keep JaMarcus around in a reserve roll or are intent on seeing how he responds to true competition.

I'll call ESPN out for reporting this both ways.

It is easy to float a rumor like this, the Raiders will never confirm the report and usually they don't even bother to deny it.

ESPN gets two stories for the price of one when, of course, they report the exact opposite of their previous report.

This type of yellow journalism has earned the network the name, "BSPN" from more than one member of the Raider Nation, something that isn't likely to go away until they stop reporting untrue or inaccurate information.

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