Skip to main content

Tight End Talk

Panic arose with the loss of Zach Miller, lest we forget from the ashes many times a Phoenix arises.

Kevin Boss got his first opportunity after the departure of all-pro tight end Jeremy Shockey from New York. Bringing in Boss was a sound business decision at less than half the cost of Miller.

The Boss signing aside, let's look at the current roster:

 

Brandon Myers

The third-year player has looked poor in camp, but still may have been the default starter had Boss not been aquired. His lack of consistency puts him on the roster bubble. Myers is a reasonable in-line blocker, but he has lapses in passing game.

 

David Ausberry

Potentially Marcel Reece 2.0 at the tight end position. Converted from wide receiver his senior season at USC. He is literally still growing into the position and needs to add bulk. He continues to turn  heads in camp with his speed (4.52) and fluidity. The departure of Miller may afford him a roster spot due to his receiving skills.

 

Richard Gordon

Rookie from Miami is known primarily for his blocking skills (only 10 catches in collegiate career). Is a surprising athlete (returned 5 kick offs for 21.8 average) that looks to be a practice squad candidate at least. He has good hands and is thickly built. If the Raiders choose to cut Myers and carry three tight ends Gordon could make the roster. At very least Gordon is destined for the practice squad.

 

Kevin Brock
An NFL vagabond (6 teams) is just a camp body.

 

With the addition of Boss and two promising rookies on the roster the Raider Nation can exhale, the sky is not falling! It was just a bump in the road.

Follow @2Bbige on Twitter.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario

2012 NFL Strength of Schedule

  Disclaimer Some strength of schedule models calculate strength of schedule based on the opponents the team has faced to date.  My model calculates strength of schedule based on all the opponents on a team's schedule.  The reason for this is because it reduces weekly fluctuations. For example, when a team plays their Week 17 game, in the traditional model their strength of schedule would change by 31 games...their Week 17 opponent's 16 games plus the additional game played by each of their prior 15 opponents.  In my model, when a team plays their Week 17 game their strength of schedule will only change by 15 games...one additional game for each of the opponents on their schedule.