Over at Grantland , the great Bill Barnwell wrote an interesting piece on the year-to-year ebb and flow of NFL teams, as it pertains to their records. The basis of his piece was examining whether 2nd half hot streaks carry over into the following season, but he also provided some good statistics on the well known idea that great teams regress and awful teams usually improve the following season. As it applies to the Raiders, coming off a 4-12 season, Barnwell found that since 1990, 88.2% of 4 win teams improved their record the following season, 5.9% got worse, and 5.9% won 4 games again. So should we expect the Raiders to improve on 4-12 this upcoming season? Short answer is: yes. Given that 88.2% of 4 win teams are winning the more games the next season, it would seem logical to expect Oakland will be a better team this upcoming season. The big X-factor for Oakland this season will be the quarterback situation. Matt Flynn will likely be the starter, and he's an interesting case. ...
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...
As seen on Bleacher Report . Owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie were in Napa, Calif. to watch the first practice under new head coach Dennis Allen. The new era of Raiders football got underway on a beautiful sunny day in wine country and finished on a positive note for the defense when rookie defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi picked off a Terrelle Pryor screen pass and returned it for a touchdown. Allen believed the Raiders had a pretty good day of practice, but there was plenty of room for improvement. Once Allen goes back to watch the video of practice, he will see a few players that really helped themselves on Monday and a few who didn't. Winners Eddie McGee Not only did McGee make a few nice catches, including a long grab from Carson Palmer over veteran cornerback Shawntae Spencer, but McGee was coming in with Ford with the No.2 unit ahead of standout rookies Juron Criner and Rod Streater. It's a sign that McGee is very much still in the mix to make the...
The Raiders aren't making much noise in free agency and will attempt to build through the draft. Missing are five of their original seven draft selections and in their place are five players that may contribute in 2012. A couple more selections may be awarded as compensatory selections, but that is yet to be determined. What is the best case and worse case scenarios for the Raiders' 2012 draft? Not only does it depend on the players they draft, but how many they draft and how the players perform they obtained for those picks. 1st Round: Carson Palmer Hue Jackson orchestrated a trade that brought Palmer to Oakland. It was too much to give up, but what's done is done. The Raiders have their franchise quarterback, right? That's the hope. The new regime is hitching their wagon to Palmer and putting a new offense around him. There wasn't many other options for the Raiders. Best Case: Palmer, with an offseason with the receivers and studying the offense, turns in a pro...
For the first time in a long time, the focus of the NFL has been on the Oakland Raiders quarterback. We just don't know who that quarterback is going to be... Hue Jackson is dancing with the media; winking, hinting, manipulating, and enjoying every second of it. Reports came out early in the week that newly acquired Carson Palmer would start after just three practices. Yesterday ESPN and several other news sources stated that it was "unlikely" Palmer was going to start on Sunday. We may see Kyle Boller, Palmer, and even Terrelle Pryor at some point against KC. Hue Jackson is an absolute wild man with his play-calling...he will throw everything at you. We're not even halfway through the season and we've seen a fake punt, fake field goal, flea flicker, and numerous reverses. How can we have the slightest idea of what to expect? One thing you can bank on, Darren McFadden will be a very busy man. Everybody knows it including Kansas City Defensive Coordinator Ro...
Huge action from Hue Jackson. Aaron Curry last week. Carson Palmer today. The Raiders gave up a lot for Palmer, but he's a better quarterback than Jason Campbell. The Raiders lost Campbell for a significant period of time and were faced with starting Kyle Boller for the rest of the season if they didn't make a move for a quarterback. The time is now for the Raiders and Hue Jackson pushed all his chips into the middle by bringing in Carson Palmer. The Raiders have only two picks left in the 2012 draft and with the Carson Palmer trade started dealing 2013 draft selections. This trade and the moves of the past two seasons setup the Raiders for success going forward. Allow us to examine position-by-position and pick-by-pick and what the future may hold for this team and why the move for Carson Palmer was still a good one. If the Raiders go far in the playoffs under Palmer those draft picks become low in each round and with most of the young players on the roster locked up for the ...
Jason Campbell is out for an extended period of time. At the earliest Campbell would be back in six weeks, but that's massively optimistic and it is still likely that it's a season ending injury. Kyle Boller now becomes the starter and Terrelle Pryor will be the primary backup, but the Raiders are exploring other available quarterbacks. The Raiders have already reached out to David Garrard and Josh McCown suggesting they will explore all options. It's tough to imagine that they wouldn't also reach out to Trent Edwards. The Raiders are reportedly going hard after Carson Palmer as well. Josh McCown would become competition for Boller and would have a chance to become the starter if Boller falls on his face. Trent Edwards would be the same type of player, coming in to backup Boller and push him for the job, but far from certain he would start over Boller. The biggest question the Raiders have to ask themselves is if they can still make the playoffs with Kyle Boller. If the...
Just as the world was being set a blaze by Cam Newton’s performance in his first ever NFL start, I couldn’t help but think about our version of a freak athletic quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Newton’s stat line was eye-popping for a seasoned vet let alone a rookie in his debut. Although emotions should be tempered a little bit since it was against the Cardinals less than solid secondary. But 400 yards is 400 yards, and the poise and command he showed were excellent. What does that mean for the Raiders? That means there is a decent amount of hope for the future once Terrelle Pryor gets his shot. The difference between Pryor and Newton? Let me know when you find that out. Here’s their last college year stat lines : Newton 66.1%, 2854 passing yards, 30 pass TD, 7 int, 1473 rush yards, 20 rush TD, 5.6 avg Pryor 65%, 2772 passing yards, 27 pass TD, 11 int, 754 rush yards, 4 rush TD, 5.6 avg. Newton doubled Pryor in rushing yards, but also doubled him in attempts, they matched in rushing avera...
It is common belief that Terrelle Pryor was suspended five games by the NFL because of his miss steps at Ohio State. This is simply untrue. Terrelle Pryor was suspended five games for not following the rules of the supplemental draft entry process. Pryor hired Drew Rosenhaus before he was ruled ineligible for the first five games at Ohio State. Based on the rules of the supplemental draft Pryor should have been ineligible for entry. The power of the media and his agent put the league in a tough position. Instead of doing what they should have done and forced Pryor to sit for a year, the NFL allowed his entry while trying to appear tough. There are basically two arguments Pryor will be able to make to get the suspension lifted. 1) The NFL is punishing Pryor because they chose to not follow their own rules. There is no precedent or rule that allows for any such suspension. 2) The five-game suspension is the NFL is punishing Pryor for his college mistakes. This is also unprecedented. The ...
Reports surfaced early Thursday that Terrelle Pryor had agreed to terms with the Raiders. Of course, Raiders executive John Herrera denied the report, but said Pryor would hopefully sign his deal tonight. Well, now it is official, Terrelle Pryor has signed his contract and the Raiders have announced he will be on the field Friday in Napa. Friday marks the final day of training camp and it will be interesting to see how the Raiders handle Pryor before breaking camp. The timing couldn't be better. The Raiders will showcase Pryor for one day at camp before returning to the uber-secret facility in Alameda where they can start to starch and iron Pryor's warts. Pryor's deal is worth $2,808,100 over four years if he hits all the playing time incentives. In 2011, $586,000 is guaranteed with a base salary of $375,000. In 2012, he will earn $485,000 and $20,300 available in playing time incentives. In 2013, his salary will be $595,000 with a playing time incentive of $40,700. In 2014...
Yes, the Raiders selected Terrelle Pryor with a third-round pick in the 2012 draft via the supplemental draft. Most scouts believe Pryor isn't a great fit as a quarterback in the NFL, but the Raiders didn't waste a third-round pick to immediately covert him to receiver. Pryor is lucky enough to possess elite physical tools. He ran a 4.4 second 40-yard dash at 6'5" and 230 pounds. While he has a long way to go as a quarterback, he has all the needed physical tools to be successful. With no long-term solution at quarterback on the roster, the Raiders are wise to take the chance on Pryor. If the team doesn't feel like he is progressing as a quarterback he can be converted to receiver down the road. Hue Jackson and Al Saunders will attempt to mold Pryor into an NFL quarterback and they have a few good things going for them. Pryor is motivated to be good. He's not receiving a $30 million signing bonus and will need to put in the work to earn a big payday. Warts asid...
Jason Campbell will be the starter going into the 2011 season. Given his inconsistency in 2010, the Raiders must hedge its bet and bring in a quarterback of the future. The backup quarterback is Kyle Boller and is no threat to be anything more than a backup. What available players might fit what the Raiders need? Terrelle Pryor The Ohio State product will enter the supplemental draft. He'd be an interesting project quarterback for Hue Jackson to mold. The Raiders are a favorite to land Pryor and they are, like many teams, exploring Pryor's on and off-the-field resume. He'd slide in as the third quarterback and would be groomed to take over at a future date two or three years down the line. Given the Raiders track record of developing quarterbacks and Pryor's lack of NFL caliber traits as a quarterback, it's probably best to stay away from Pryor despite his size. Vince Young It wasn't long ago the Raiders scouts were drooling all over Vince Young during the p...