I will be doing a series of Raiders camp position battles throughout the off-season starting with wide receiver. I will continue to update these battles throughout camp as roster events take place such as injuries, cuts, new signings, etc. Here is a list of the wide receivers on the Raiders 90 man roster including links to their player profile and my written summary breaking down each one individually. Denarius Moore #17 Darrius Heyward-Bey #85 Jacoby Ford #12 Juron Criner #84 Eddie McGee #16 Rod Streater #80 Louis Murphy #18 Derrick Carrier #89 Duke Calhoun #14 Brandon Carswell #13 Thomas Mayo #19 Travionte Session #87 I believe the Raiders will carry six wide receivers this season, with realistically 2 spots up for grabs. The amount of prospects the Raiders have brought in speaks to the fact that no one will be handed a job anymore. Performance in training camp will go a long ways in deciding the future of a lot of these young players with the Raiders. The competition at the po...
Denarius Moore #17 College: Tennessee Height: 5'11⅝" Weight: 194 lbs Arm Length: 33.0" Hand Size: 9.399" 40 Yard Dash: 4.43 3 Cone Drill: 6.78 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.15 Bench Press: 13 reps Vertical Jump: 36" Broad Jump: 118" Denarius Moore will be the most interesting player to watch this year. He was a 5th round pick in the 2011 draft and viewed as a young project receiver at the time. That is until the lockout ended and training camp got under way last year. Coaches and fans alike quickly learned that Moore was wasting no time in making his mark in the league. Moore consistently went out and made play after play in camp and had everyone buzzing. Of course, it's always tough to really put a final judgement on a player in camp. Many tempered their expectations until seeing him in game action. Something was different about Moore from the beginning and it was obvious if you were paying close attention. He was not looking for media attention ...
Al Davis carefully planned his estate so his son could retain full control of the team. It will be Mark Davis who leads the team into an era of Raiders football without his legendary father. Mark Davis waited three months before making any changes on the football side of the organization, but changes were inevitable. Perhaps the best slogan for the 2012 Raiders would be, "Under New Management." The Raiders have hired 21 new people on the football side of the organization and whereas a quality control coach will have little to no impact on the immediate or long-term success of the team, a general manager will have significant impact. 21. Eric Sanders, Quality Control - Defense He's been with the team for two years and even the most die-hard fan doesn't recognize the name. Sanders coached linebackers at U.C. Davis for two seasons and he was a psychology major before joining the Raiders. He'll make copies of play sheets and get the rest of the staff coffee. That...
Allow me for a moment to walk the Raider Nation through a timeline of Hue Jackson's tenure with the Raiders. 2010 Al Davis hires Hue Jackson to revamp an offense that hadn't been good in many years. With the aide of competent quarterback play and a healthy Darren McFadden, Jackson is wildly successful in his first year. 2011 Tom Cable is fired for an 8-8 season and Hue Jackson is promoted to Head Coach. Situation He is working with a roster constructed by Al Davis and defensive coaches hired by Al Davis. October 8, 2011 Al Davis dies and Hue Jackson is forced to take a more active role in managing player personnel because-although unqualified-he is the most qualified person in the building. Mark Davis begins to gather his advisory team or John Madden, Ron Wolf and Ken Herock. Problem 1 Hue Jackson loses his starting quarterback to injury for the season. Jackson knows with the passing of Al Davis that a new front office would be coming in and in all likelihood he would be fired ...
Prediction 1: Matt Shaughnessy will have 10 sacks or more. Result: Shaughnessy played in three games registering 1 sack. There is no way of knowing is Shaughnessy would have made it to 10 sacks and the three games was too small of a sample to project out a full season. 0 for 1. Prediction 2: Taiwan Jones will have at least two touchdowns longer than 70 yards. Result: Jones also had an injury that derailed what could have been a promising start to his young career. No dice. 0 for 2. Prediction 3: Darren McFadden will have 2000 total yards from scrimmage. Result: Yet again injury hurts he possibility of the bold prediction coming true. McFadden had 768 total yards from scrimmage in seven games. Projecting McFadden's season over 16 games means he falls short at 1751 total yards. 0 for 3. Prediction 4: Darrius Heyward-Bey will catch twice as many passes as he did last year. Result: Twice as many? That wasn't enough for DHB who caught more than twice as many passes and it w...
When the Raiders exit the field Sunday, there are three possible scenarios for the Raiders: Division Champs, Wildcard winners, or out of the playoffs. The Raiders could be division champions with a win and the Chiefs can beat the Broncos, the Raiders could be wild card winner with a win, Bengals loss and either a Jets win or Titans loss. The last scenario is one no Raider fan wants to think about, the Raiders lose or the Broncos and Bengals both win. It's been a very up and down season and the Raiders must win and get a little help to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Perhaps it is fitting that the Raiders would let the possibility of a playoff berth come down to the final game. The Raiders have seemingly given opponent after opponent the opportunity to win the game, if only a few took advantage of the opportunity. The primary issue has been a porous defense, but the Raiders defense played one of their best games of the season in San Diego a few short weeks ago a...
Anyone who is a Raiders fan or works writing about football is beyond frustrated with the Raiders organization right now. Not because of the way they're playing, which is bipolar to say the least, experiencing glimpses of an untouchable championship team, then flashes of a scrappy high school squad. The frustration comes from within, with regard to injuries. Call it self-serving, but many people need to know what to expect on Sunday, and with these obscure, clearly false injury reports, fans are getting restless. A key component to the Silver and Black's mystique is an air of secrecy. Up until the time of his death, the team and family never let on how truly sick Mr. Davis was. This would take attention away from the team on the field, which no one inside the walls of the facility in Alameda wanted. This same tactic is being employed with the Raiders current injured players. Darren McFadden has been out for weeks with a foot injury that they've played down from the beginnin...
Quarterback Carson Palmer is lighting up the field now, and helping to win football games. With the recent slew of quarterback injuries league-wide, you should seriously consider picking up Palmer. He's back in the saddle and playing well, even in the Fantasy world. Last week he threw for 300+ yards, but had one interception. Depending on if you have a league that's focused more on yards than points then play him, however, if you rely heavily on a QB's ability to score, he may not be as beneficial. Last week he threw for no touchdowns, but his stats were great. Again, play him if you're looking for yardage, but do so while accounting for one or two interceptions. Running Backs Michael Bush is a must play this week. Darren McFadden in still out with no word on when he'll return. Rookie Taiwan Jones also did not practice on Wednesday, which doesn't bode well for his chances on Sunday. These factors taken into account, Bush is going to get a ton of carries. While h...
The Raiders success on offense this Sunday in Minnesota relies on the massive shoulders of the offensive line. The big boys up front dominated the Chargers defensive line last Thursday night, providing big holes for Michael Bush and a solid pocket for Carson Palmer. But it’s a horse of a different color waiting for them in Minnesota: a big purple horse wearing number 69. Match-ups To Watch LT Jared Veldheer vs. DE Jared Allen Jared Allen leads the Vikings front seven. He is a tenacious, relentless pass rusher, and leads the NFL with 13.5 sacks. His motor never stops, he has a wide range of pass rush moves and has embarrassed even the league’s best tackles. He can electrify the loud raucous crowd in Minnesota with one play, and it’ll be up to 6’8” left tackle Jared Veldheer to slow him down. Don’t expect him to shoulder the burden alone, Hue Jackson will have tight ends Kevin Boss or Brandon Myers stay in and pass block on some plays, and he may also chip Allen with a back....
Quarterback Carson Palmer is a name that is generating a lot of buzz this week, partly because of his solid stat line in Week 10 (299 yards, 2 TD passes, 1 INT). It also has to do with the fact that a lot of quarterbacks are injured in fantasy land (Matt Schaub, Matt Cassel, Michael Vick). Facing off against a depleted Vikings secondary this week, Palmer is a recommended start this week. The Vikings placed cornerback Antoine Winfield in injured reserve and will be counting on Benny Sapp. Unfortunately for Sapp, he will most likely going up against one of the hottest receivers in the NFL in Denarius Moore. With a plethora of options in the passing game, fantasy owners should be able to count on Palmer against a weak Vikings' secondary this week. Running Backs Michael Bush has been a force in the running game, scoring double-digit fantasy games in three straight games. While Darren McFadden has been seen out of his protective walking boot, he has been ruled out for week 11. Fantasy o...
The Raiders are one of the most up and down teams in the NFL, but with good reason. At the beginning of the season, they rose with the Autumn wind, fueled by the emotion of the passing of Mr. Silver and Black himself. They looked unstoppable; that is, until Campbell got hurt. The team, who still has no real, official front office leadership, had to make a snap decision about what to do since the signing deadline was looming. This landed Carson Palmer squarely into the black hole, and the rest of the team started looking like just that: a black hole. Then the Autumn wind picked up again and the team is cruising steadily. Though they're headed in the right direction, there are still some massive things to look out for, both good and bad. Raiders' Biggest Obstacles Penalties It's still no secret that the Raiders are the most penalized team in the NFL, which is not unique to this season. This seems to be something that needs constant work and attention. Even a casual Raiders fa...
The Raiders really took it to the Chargers on Thursday night and came away with a seven-point victory in San Diego. The Raiders played well and a few players really stood out in a good way and a couple in a bad way. Special mention to the Raider Nation's Southern California division for making the game an extra home game for the Raiders. STUDS Kamerion Wimbley An impressive performance by the Raiders franchise player. The Chargers backup tackle had no answer for Wimbley and the rest of the Raiders defensive line on Thursday. It's a big reason Phillip Rivers didn't look comfortable all night. The Raider Nation has been waiting for Wimbley's coming out party and they were blowing out birthday candle after that four sack performance. Stanford Routt If you wanted to be critical, he was unable to breakup the Vincent Brown touchdown grab. I saw was a heck of a catch and Stanford Routt clawing at the pass the whole way down. Just a superb play by the receiver to come down with...
1. TAG! YOU’RE IT. - Michael Bush proved once again just how productive he can be as a starter in this league. His 242 yards from scrimmage were the most by a Raider since the merger. The Raiders need to use the franchise tag on him in the off-season, as its clear he is worth it. It’s a steep price to pay for a backup runningback, but as this league continues to remind us, you cannot just rely on one. 2. PLAYING FAVORITES - Looks like Carson Palmer found his go-to guy in rookie wide out Denarius Moore. Moore has come on strong the last two weeks and is finding his groove with Palmer. Moore brought in 5 receptions for 123 yards and 2 TDs, including one of the best catches you’ll see all season. The sky’s the limit for this kid, as he continues to wow the Raider Nation and develop a rapport with the Raiders new signal caller. 3. WIMBLEY IS BACK - Hue Jackson said Kamerion Wimbley would get his sacks in bunches, but who could predict he’d grab four against the Chargers, doubling h...
Hue Jackson essentially benched Darrius Heyward-Bey, the team's most productive receiver, in favor freshly signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh and rookie Denarius Moore. Moore's production has dipped since taking over punt return duties and was targeted on three of the six interceptions against the Chiefs and another one Sunday against the Broncos. Benching a guy just starting to get confidence is terrible mistake if he is to be part of the Raiders future. Al Davis wouldn't have let this happen and by pulling this move Jackson is essentially urinating on whatever legacy Al Davis left behind. Houshmandzadeh hasn't played a down in months and he gets more action than your top receiver? Palmer is paid to throw the receivers on the roster. Houshmandzadeh was not a terrible sign, but it's subtraction by addition if he plays more than your top receiver. The only valid reason to bench Heyward-Bey was for discipline reasons. By all accounts Heyward-Bey is a model teammate. Jackson h...
Quarterback This position, in regards to Fantasy, is less of a crap shoot than it was two weeks ago, but there's still no way to confidently say play Palmer over other QBs in the NFL. Palmer's play against the Chiefs was not an indication of his future play because he was unprepared and didn't have his go-to: Darren McFadden. He was just trying to clean up Boller's mess. This week he still won't have McFadden, but he will have T.J. “Who's-Yo-Mama” Houshmandzadeh with whom he practiced during his “retirement.” Housh will give Palmer a reliable target that he's comfortable with and can go to on third downs, or any other down for that matter. It would irresponsible to give a definitive “go!” for starting Palmer on your team this week. On the bright side, Tebow will make him look like a pro-bowler again. Running Back All of you who have been reaping the benefits of McFadden's success have probably been drinking yourself to sleep after seeing him leave practi...
Studs Michael Bush While he was stone-walled at the goal line by Derrick Johnson three times he still managed to put up a very respectable game with 99 rushing yards on 17 carries. That's a very healthy 5.8 yards per carry. He managed a respectable game despite little to no threat passing and an early two score deficit. He wasn't amazing, but no one was on Sunday. Darrius Heyward-Bey He snarred another 5 balls for 89 yards and he's the Raiders leading receiver and it isn't close. Heyward-Bey is on pace for over 1100 yards receiving on 72 receptions. Over the past four games Heyward-Bey is averaging 96 yards and 6 receptions. If that trend continues he'll finish the season with 82 receptions for nearly 1400 yards. It probably will not continue at the same level, but it is worth noting. Ten receivers finished the 2010 season with more than 1100 yards and only Brandon Lloyd finished 2010 with more than 1400 yards. The sample is still relatively small, but Heyward-Bey m...
Quarterback Not sure what to tell you here except don't play Campbell or Boller. Obviously. Al Saunders basically told everyone that Palmer will start, but Jackson is trying to “surprise” people on Sunday. Hue, your surprises are welcome in Raider Nation, but not in Fantasy Land. Pick up Palmer as your QB if you need one this week because chances are very good he'll start. That being said, he has a big playbook to learn. He's worked with Jackson before at USC and Cincy, so he knows his style, but hasn't had the time to memorize the NFL's most prolific playbook. This leaves the chance of interceptions if he gets routes confused, so most likely he'll be handing off a lot. Running is what the Raiders do best, but it gets you nowhere in Fantasy. Pick up Palmer, but don't play him just yet, unless you're QB-less. Running Backs If DMC is going to have a huge, monster week, this is it. Not only will he be able to run all over the Chief's defense, his quarte...