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Remember the dumb brother from the movie "Corky Romano"? Trying to order rum raisin nut, rocky road, then pistachio. The guy keeps telling him we only have the three flavors on the sign; Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry. That's what Hue Jackson has served us this pre-season, a big cup of vanilla-flavored offense. Which is perfectly fine, he gets to see what the players can execute and at the same time doesn't expose too much to other teams. Insert one Chuck Bresnahan. The old/new defensive coordinator re-hired by Al Davis in the off-season. When he was initially brought in his role on the staff was not given, was he the linebackers coach? This leads one to believe Al had someone else in mind that he wasn't able to land for the position of defensive coordinator. So after a week or so the Raiders quietly named Chuck the coordinator and everyone said "oh....". Bresnahan went into this preseason with a defense who just lost its biggest name, Nnamdi Asomugha. H...

Nnamdi Asomugha went down with a high ankle sprain injury against the Seahawks and when he returned last week against the Dolphins after three weeks of rest he clearly wasn’t himself. Now it appears his ankle is worse than previously believed or got worse during the game on Sunday. Asomugha could miss more time. Chris Johnson was also out with a groin injury and could also miss this week’s game in San Diego. That leaves Stanford Routt and rookies Jeremy Ware and Walter McFadden as the only healthy cornerbacks. Jeremy Ware drew poor reviews from the coaching staff in Pittsburgh and was inactive last week. Walter McFadden was active and had a rough day against Miami. Both will be relied upon against the second best passing team in football. When the Raiders defeated the Chargers in Oakland, Philip Rivers threw for 431 yards and two touchdowns. He was unstoppable against the Raiders secondary, which included Asomugha and Johnson. Michael Huff will likely see additional snaps at corn...

People line up to declare the next Al Davis draft selection a bust because the Raiders are well known for draft blunders. These people point to a lack of football instincts in the players Al Davis drafts. They say things like, “He’s just a track star, he’s not a football player.” Let me know if you can figure out what a saying like that means. It sounds good but means nothing. Can a track star not be good at football also? You don’t hear people say, “He’s a wrestler, he’s not a football player.” Those same people turn around and say, “Speed kills.” What? So now speed is good in the NFL player? Yes, there is much more to being a good player than speed, but much of it depends on how smart the player is, how much they can learn and if they are dedicated. Are these traits not also desirable in a track star? Why does running track have to be a negative stereotype? Some guys have more smarts, have learned more or have been more dedicated to football when they enter the NFL. This is the re...

Stevie Brown has been signed to the Raiders practice squad,  according to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times. Wilson also notes that there was quite a bit of interest in Brown and that his stint on the practice squad could be short lived . The Raiders could decide to promote Brown themselves, but they would have to move someone off the 53 man roster.

Stevie Brown is indeed  the Raiders final cut to get down to 53 players. A small controversy may have been stirred up by a South Florida radio host named Andy Slater . According to his bio, he once worked as the tech who chopped up game film for the Raiders. Salter claims the coaching staff didn't want Mike Mitchell and insinuated it was due to an off-the-field problem. He goes on to say that only Al Davis could step in and save Mitchell. This apparently happened as Slater later claimed that Stevie Brown would be cut instead. While he ended up being correct about Brown, there are more than a few people skeptical about his claims about Mike Mitchell. Mitchell performed well in limited action last season. Releasing a seventh round draft selection isn't usually a big deal and Brown being cut at the last minute could simply have been the Raiders trying to sneak Brown for the practice squad. In NFL circles releasing the cut list at the very last possible moment is common...

There were whispers all afternoon that it could be Stevie Brown being cut. He was just removed from Raiders.com . Although no formal announcement has been made. This comes as a bit of a shock to many who thought it would be a receiver or Hiram Eugene. Andy Slater correctly called this cut after predicting earlier that Mike Mitchell was going to be cut. There are still some questions to be answered. Update: Brown is now listed as released on the transactions page .

Every year and in every city the preseason is when the fans watch to see if they have the next impact rookie. This year’s top crop includes Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston, Jared Veldheer, Jacoby Ford, Bruce Campbell and Walter McFadden. What is often lost in the rush to evaluate the rookies is just how much a second year player can improve and make an impact for a team. One recent example is Tyvon Branch. Branch, as a Sophmore, lead all safties in tackles. He figures to be an impact player for the Raiders in 2010 and beyond. The 2010 sophmore crop includes: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Mike Mitchell, Louis Murphy, Matt Shaughnessy, Desmond Bryant and Marcel Reece. These sophmores will all see significant playing time in 2010. The offseason has been filled with reports on Heyward-Bey’s improvement. He’s looked like the best player on the field at times and his route running is much better. All the reports a vast departure his the drop-filled 2009. Mike Mitchell’s rookie campaign was hind...

The Raiders announced the signing of seventh-round S/LB Stevie Brown. The only unsigned draft picks are now first-round pick Rolando McClain and second-round pick Lamarr Houston. No first-round picks are signed and just a couple second-rounders have signed their rookie deals. This should be an interesting couple of weeks.

The Oakland Raiders 2010 draft is over and Raider Nation should be happy. The Raiders selected productive football players early and saved projects with potential for the later rounds. Round 1 (8) - Rolando McClain, LB, 6-3, 254, Alabama Round 2 (49) - Lemarr Houston, DE, 6-2, 305, Texas Round 3 (69) - Jared Veldheer, OT, 6-8, 321, Hillsdale Round 3 (85) - Traded to Cleveland for Kamerion Wimbley Round 4 (106) – Bruce Campbell, OT, 6-5, 310, Maryland Round 4 (108) – Jacoby Ford, WR, 5-9, 181, Clemson (Acquired by trade for Kirk Morrison & a 5th) Round 5 (138) – Walter McFadden, DB, 5-11, 175, Auburn Round 5 (153) - Traded to Jacksonville for Quentin Groves Round 6 (190) – Travis Goethel, LB, 6-2, 240, Arizona Round 7 (215) – Jeremy Ware, CB, 5-10, 180, Michigan State Round 7 (251) – Stevie Brown, S, 6-0, 211, Michigan 2012 Round 4 pick - Traded for Jason Campbell The top undrafted free agents that should be on the Raiders radar: Tony Washington, OT, 6-6, 311, Abilene Christian LaGa...