Terrelle Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft. It was the late Al Davis' last draft pick for a franchise that he ran for half a century. His last pick was the perfect story book ending to his great career. Selecting Pryor with a 3rd round pick not only fit Davis' mold of targeting the biggest and fastest players, but by selecting him so high he proved once again that he only cared about one opinion and one opinion only, his. That was last year though, and this year the Raiders find themselves with new management and a new agenda for building this team. Where Pryor fits into those plans, will likely be determined by his development over the next couple of seasons. Because last years supplemental draft wasn't until August 22nd, Pryor did not get much practice time with the team in training camp. He also faced a 5 game suspension to begin his first NFL season for his violations of NCAA policy in college. While this is techn...
Much like the understanding that the NFL has become a passing league, it has also has adopted the "running back by committee" model. In a day and age where running backs seem to be a dime a dozen, teams are less likely to commit to one guy and therefore take on the RBBC approach to the season. With the mindset of having multiple backs sharing the touches, many also assume that each team needs a "speed back" and a "power back". The idea, of course, being that the power back gets the tough yards and wears down the defense while the speed back plays the finesse role and provides the home run threat to the offense. The last few years the Raiders have had the luxury of a backfield that consisted of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. In some ways, it seemed to be the perfect combination power and speed that would be a nightmare for any defense. Except when you break down the games when both running backs were healthy last year, you saw more of McFadden wearing do...
Philip Wheeler #52 College: Georgia Tech Height: 6'1⅞" Weight: 248 lbs Arm Length: N/A" Hand Size: N/A" 40 Yard Dash: 4.76 3 Cone Drill: 7.11 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.29 Bench Press: 24 reps Vertical Jump: 31" Broad Jump: 118" "A tenacious, strong and remarkably athletic inside linebacker... considered by many as one of the nation's best-blitzing linebackers". Those were words used to describe Philip Wheeler coming out of college. He averaged a half sack per game his senior year at Georgia Tech and also led the team in tackles. His athleticism allows him to play coverage as well and he led Georgia Tech in interceptions in 2007 with four, not bad for an inside linebacker. His athleticism was a big part of why he was drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2008 draft. The Colts have been a very finesse defense for the better part of a decade and really liked how a guy like Wheeler fit into their defensive system. The Colts run a s...
Rolando McClain #55 College: Alabama Height: 6'3" Weight: 254 lbs Arm Length: 33" Hand Size: 9 3/8" 40 Yard Dash: 4.69 3 Cone Drill: N/A 20 Yard Shuttle: N/A Bench Press: 24 reps Vertical Jump: 35" Broad Jump: N/A In the last decade there have been a lot of Raiders first round picks that were scrutinized far before they ever put on a uniform. A lot of the scrutiny was justified, but should not always be directed at the player. After all, the players can't control where they are selected. Rolando McClain "broke the mold" if you will, when it comes to first round picks by the Raiders though. He was thought of by many to finally be one of those "sure thing" draft picks. Well the start of McClain's career in the NFL has been anything but "sure". McClain struggled to make the transition from a one gap linebacker in Nick Saban's 34 defense at Alabama to a two gap linebacker in the 43 defense the Raiders ran in hi...
This is the time of year where general managers earn their money. They are paid to make the right decisions for the team, whether it's the most popular one or not. It is also the time of year when fans like to express their feelings on how the roster should be shaped. While the Raider Nation does know the Raiders very well, the reasoning behind each decision goes way deeper than whether or not the player fits under the salary cap. Here are just a few of the questions that coaches and general managers have to answer before making a decision on any given player. How does the player fit into the scheme? The amount of success a player has on the field has a lot to do with how their skill set fits the scheme they are playing in. The Raiders are in the middle of a complete overhaul this off-season. There are changes across the board from new general manager all the way down to the strength and conditioning program of the players. Those changes bring even more uncertainty when your trying...
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...
It's clear that Dennis Allen is ready to take the reins as a head coach in the NFL. Allen is praised by his peers, he has earned the respect of his former players, he has even been mentored by some of the games finest, but the challenges of being a head coach are never fully realized until you become one. Allen is just getting his first taste of those challenges. Since the day Dennis Allen was offered the job to be the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders, there has been speculation surrounding who he would choose for his staff. Allen is now ready to start answering some of those questions, but the answers didn't come nearly as easy as he thought they would. Being the last head coach officially hired for the 2012 season and with the majority of the available coaches already finding new teams, Allen was starting from behind. It didn't affect Allen too much at first because he had a short list of coaches he wanted to bring in. As a head coach, especially a first time head...
There is always going to be a good debate between fans on how the Raiders should scheme on defense. It really doesn't matter what side you are on, because there are good arguments for both sides. There has been speculation on what Reggie McKenzie prefers as his defense and he was asked in his introductory press conference if he preferred the 3-4 to the 4-3 defense and he indicated that he did not have a preference, although he later said "3-4 is what I know." McKenzie has made it clear many times to the public that he intends to let the head coach hire his own staff and that the coaching staff has the freedom to run what ever scheme they feel gives the team the best chance to win. We know that McKenzie comes over from Green Bay where they ran a 3-4 defense and won a Super Bowl while running the 3-4 defense. However, the Packers didn't always run that style of defense. In fact, they just recently made the transition to the 3-4 defense in 2009. What this means: 1) McKen...
Pete Carmichael Jr. Status: Interviewed 1/13, no longer under consideration Age: 40 Specialty: Offense/Quarterbacks Current Position: Offensive Coordinator, New Orleans Saints Head Coaching Experience: None McKenzie link: unknown Notes: Carmichael has been Sean Payton's offensive coordinator for many years. He's relatively young and took a greater role in playcalling this season when Sean Payton was injured. If the Raiders decide to go with an offensive mind, they could do much worse. Todd Bowles Status: Interviewed 1/14 Age: 48 Specialty: Defensive Backs Previous Position: Defensive Backs Coach & Interim Head Coach, Miami Dolphins Head Coaching Experience: 2-1 (2011 Dolphins) McKenzie link: unknown Notes: Bowles seems to be a rising star, but he's never been a coordinator at the NFL level. If hired, Bowles will need to bring in strong offensive and defensive coordinator. He's got a long history with the Bill Parcells coaching and front office tree. Has potential to...