Author Archives: Gabriel Rideout
How do the Raiders move forward without Michael Bush?
As free agency approached the Oakland Raiders were pro-active in restructuring contracts that were having a negative impact on the teams salary cap. Players either restructured, were cut by the team, or in most cases were allowed to test the free agency market. GM Reggie McKenzie made it a priority to settle any “out-of-whack” contracts, especially for players who have failed to live up to those contracts. Of all the team’s free agents there were two players who Oakland desperately needed to hang on too, those being safety Tyvon Branch and running back Michael Bush.
NFL rewind: The draft that could have saved the Raiders
Following another disappointing season after their 2002 Super Bowl run, the Oakland Raiders were in troubled times, with a revolving door at head coach, questionable free agent signings, and of course, head-scratching draft picks, but for the offseason leading up to the 2007 season, the Oakland Raiders could have had a chance to turn the corner and begin a rise into relevance in the NFL.
Would Reggie Wayne be a great fit for the Raiders?
With the 2012 NFL free agency about to begin in the next couple weeks, teams are evaluating their rosters, cap space, and contract issues that may be hindering the team’s success. The Oakland Raiders are no different, Coach Dennis Allen and GM Reggie McKenzie expressed that they are looking to improve the teams roster via free agency and also the draft. But with the team already skating on thin ice with the salary cap, and having spent most the teams draft picks already there isn’t a whole lot of room to improve without making important player contract decisions. The Raiders have already cut defensive back Stanford Routt to free up cap space, and more cuts or restructured contracts are on the horizon. In a press conference McKenzie said he wanted to get rid of the “out-of-whack” contracts, and build a roster of talent and discipline. The Raiders may also be looking to move a few players via trade to acquire upgraded players or draft picks.
Free Agents the Raiders can’t afford to lose
As the 2011 NFL season came to a close last Sunday, it opened up a Pandora’s box that is most commonly known as “the offseason.” With free agency just around the corner, there is a large list of high-profile players who will either cash in big, or be lost in the shuffle. This is the time of year when the front office steps onto the metaphorical field, pushes their sleeves up, and really gets their hands dirty, in order to rebuild or reload their roster. As far as the Oakland Raiders are concerned, they have just as much work to do, if not more, especially with a new general manager.
When Reggie McKenzie was introduced as the new GM for the Raiders, he mentioned that every player is going to be evaluated and assessed and he is going to make is a priority that he has the best possible 53 man roster on the field by Week 1. He mentioned that could mean resigning current players, going after free agents, or draft players for the future. But before he can begin to look at other teams rosters he must first retain the players whose contracts are expiring this offseason that give the Raiders the best chance to succeed.
The top free agent that the Raiders must sign to a long-term deal is safety Tyvon Branch. Branch is among the highest performing defensive players on the roster. His track-like speed matched with his toughness and ability to make open-field tackles make him a huge asset to the team. He is very smart in reading the offensives and can make plays anywhere on the field. Branch has recorded over 100 tackles in each of his last three seasons. Not to mention the fact that he hasn’t missed a game in the last three seasons proves he’s among the toughest on the team as well. The Raiders are looking to improve on defense, and improve against the run, those goals almost seem impossible is Branch is playing safety for a different team.
On the other side of the ball, and just as important to re-sign as Branch, is running back Michael Bush. Bush was an absolute steal when the Raiders drafted him in 2008. Going into Bush’s senior season at Louisville, he was a Heisman Trophy front-runner, and a projected 1st round pick in the draft, but after a season ending leg injury kept him off the field, questions began to surface if whether or not he would be able to survive in the NFL. Following this past season when starting running back Darren Mcfadden got injured again, Bush was able to step right in and perform at a high level. Bush was a mere 23 yards shy of hitting 1000 rushing yards for the season, and considering he took over the starting job in Week 6, he very is capable of reaching 1500 yards on the ground. Although Bush doesn’t possess the break-away speed that McFadden has, he does have enough quickness to hit the hole fast and make defenses really have to work to bring him down. His ability to move the chains on the ground, is an attribute any team would dream about having. He is capable of being the premier back if needed or the complimentary back, regardless he is a weapon that the Raiders cannot let go. There is a good chance that the Raiders may have to use the franchise tag on Bush in hopes of them being able to reach an agreement on a longterm deal if McFadden is unable to stay healthy once again.
Other notable free agents that the Raiders need to secure are defensive tackles Jarvis Moss, and Trevor Scott, linebacker Quentin Groves, offensive tackle Khalif Barnes, running back Rock Cartwright, and receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh. Although these players didn’t have huge stats all year-long, they are veterans who have come up with big plays when their number has been called. Whether its Moss coming up with a huge sack when it’s needed most, or T.J catching a crucial 3rd down converting catch to keep a game winning drive alive. It’s players like these that make football the ultimate team sport, because in order for every superstar to be a superstar, they need a supporting cast who can help pave the way to success.
Gabriel Rideout is an NFL writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at GRideout@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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Could LaMichael James take McFadden’s place in Oakland?
With the numerous changes already taking place in the Oakland Raiders organization and as new head coach Dennis Allen assembles his staff, one begins to get a glimpse of what the 2012 season may have in store for the Raiders.
With the hiring of Greg Knapp as the new offensive coordinator, and Coach Allen already announcing that Carson Palmer is the starting quarterback going into this next season, the focus of the team is now evaluating talent on the roster, potential free agents, and all the possible draft prospects.
Given that the Raider’s have already spent majority of this years draft picks, there isn’t a lot of room for speculation when considering what options Oakland may utilize. But that doesn’t mean that Oakland will be quiet on draft day. The Raiders have a serious choice to make in regard to running back Darren McFadden’s future with the Raiders. At first glance, Raider fans would be scratching their heads and upset that such a home run threat could be sent out of Oakland, but consider this, McFadden has yet to finish a complete season after be plagued by injuries. One would have to decide whether its better to have DMC for only six games or if the team would be better suited to increase Michael Bush’s workload, with the compliment of Taiwan Jones and Marcell Reece.
If the team was willing to trade McFadden, the team should be able to receive a 2nd round pick and even maybe a 3rd round or a future conditional pick. With that pick, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Raiders drafted running back Lamichael James from the University of Oregon. James has all the intangibles to be an extremely successful running back in the NFL, he has great hands, outstanding field vision, has terrific break-away speed and can even block at a high level. He also possesses the ability to run between the tackles and fight hard for every yard. James is listed as 5th best running back in this April’s draft according to draft experts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, and if his stock doesn’t rise after the combine, there is a very good chance that the Raiders are able to pick him up. James is currently listed as a high 2nd round pick, and if the Colts or Rams show strong interest in trading their 2nd round pick, they just might trade it for Dmac and additional picks to help rebuild their rosters.
Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp has proven success at coaching a strong running attack, all his previous teams have finished in the top five in rushing. Coach Knapp helped the Texans to the playoffs and that was with rookie QB T.J Yates, one can only imagine what level of success Knapp will have with a veteran like Palmer. Arian Foster and Ben Tate are arguably one of the most dangerous running back tandems in the league, imagine the success he will have with any combination of Bush, McFadden, Jones, Reece, and maybe James.
When Coach Dennis Allen was introduced as the new head coach on 1/30/2012, he was asked what kind of offense he was planning on using, he said he wanted to implement a fast, aggressive, uptempo offense, although that may seem contradictory to the philosophy of coach Knapp, fans should still remain very optimistic that the Raiders are going to be a very difficult team to defend on the ground. Knapp brings a reputation with him of an inefficient offense from the last time he was with the Raiders, but now that this Raider team and organization is almost a complete opposite of the team that Knapp coached, its safe to expect a level of results this time around.
Trading McFadden for draft picks may seem like a ridiculous possibility, but that does create a roster spot on the team for a player to come in and contribute in all 16, and hopefully more, games a season. Perhaps that’s why the Raiders didn’t place DMC on IR, to allow him to use one more season under contract so that trading him wouldn’t be as difficult this year. On the other hand, maybe Coach Allen will want to keep McFadden and just focus on lowering his workload to try to preserve him for a longer stretch of the season, and have him split the carries with Bush 50/50.
The Raiders are poised to make a serious playoff run this year, with an improved defense on the horizon, and a running game that will be a force to reckon with, explosive receivers at all phases, and a head coach who is looking to establish a well-disciplined football team by the eliminating all the penalty problems, Raider fans should be very excited about a fresh new start next season. Sky’s the limit for this organization, with a GM stressing a team atmosphere in the front office, that type of unification always translates into successful results on the field.
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Could there be a New Quarterback in Oakland?
A lot of changes are on the horizon for the Oakland Raiders. For starters, ownership has a new face in Mark Davis (son of the late Al Davis), the Raiders have a General Manager for the first time, and finally, the Raiders hired a new head coach, Dennis Allen. With so many changes in key roles in the organization, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a change in the most significant role on the field, at quarterback.
When Reggie McKenzie was hired as GM, he made it clear that he wanted to bring in his own personnel. His first action was firing Hue Jackson, and bringing in former Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Although there are no previous ties throughout the league between McKenzie and Allen, it appears that McKenzie is going to let Allen assemble his staff and the two men will evaluate the roster and make whatever changes that they feel are necessary to the team.
Similar to the events taking place in Indianapolis, the Raiders will have to take notice of their quarterback situation. Even though the Raiders spent an abundant amount to acquire Carson Palmer, and even spent a 3rd round pick to draft Terrell Pryor in the 2011 supplemental draft, the Raiders may still want to further improve at quarterback. With various reports citing that QB Peyton Manning is very well on his way out of Indy, it won’t take much for a massive pendulum effect to take place involving various QBs. The Raiders obviously don’t have enough to trade to acquire Manning, nor do they have the cap room to pay him, but where Manning does eventually land, could leave a top-tier quarterback team-less. For instance, the New York Jets look to be the most interested and most capable of landing Manning. If that happens, it would put Mark Sanchez on the trade block, and available for a reasonable price and or trade opportunity.
Another quarterback that could possibly land in the bay area could be Vince Young of the Philadelphia Eagles. He has a winning record, and thrives on teams with a successful running game, and could operate in the spread offense or west coast offense, of which Oakland’s receivers are talented enough to adapt. Since he is a free agent and has a slightly blemished history, he wouldn’t be all to expensive to sign.
The biggest x-factor to consider regarding potential free agents is, what kind of offense does Coach Dennis Allen want to implement? If he is going to operate a spread offense he may want to bring a more mobile quarterback like Vince Young or go with 2nd year QB Terrell Pryor if he performs at a high level during OTA’s. Or, Coach Allen may want to stick with a west coast offense similar to what the Raiders ran last season, in which case, means that after a complete off-season, Palmer would be the perfect fit already in place.
Since Coach Allen is the first defensive minded coach the Raiders have hired since John Madden, its safe to assume that he may want to bring in an offensive coordinator familiar with Palmer, and the type of offense that will best utilize all the talent that is laced throughout this roster.
Even though the 2012 Oakland Raiders are close to the cap limit, and have very few picks in this upcoming draft, one can assess that the biggest roster improvement needed for this franchise isn’t on the field, it’s on the sideline with the right coaching staff. The Raiders narrowly missed the playoff this past season because of the defense giving away 2nd half leads. With a defensive minded coach, a savvy GM, and quarterback who has proven he can still perform at a high level, it’s no surprise that the 2012 Raiders are already being considered as preseason division favorites going into next season.
Gabriel Rideout is an NFL writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at GRideout@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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Who is the Best Available Coach for the Oakland Raiders?
With Coach Hue Jackson out and new GM Reggie McKenzie taking over the reigns from owner Mark Davis, there almost seems to be more questions rather than answer in the black hole. The biggest question for this franchise that needs to be answered is “who is going to coach this team?”
Cortland Finnegan: Born to be an Oakland Raider?
When the 2011 season started for the Oakland Raiders, coach Hue Jackson was determined to have his defense be a “bully” on the field. Of course he never wanted to set the single season record in both penalties and penalty yards, but that’s the risk you take when you create a monster of a defense. The defensive line was fantastic at creating pressure on the quarterback, the linebackers could cover sideline to sideline and the secondary could make any open-field tackle. So why is it that the Raiders had such a hard time maintaining leads? One could easily point out that the combination of Hue Jackson’s and former defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan’s inability to game plan properly as the biggest reason. Or maybe it was the revolving door at starting defensive back opposite of Stanford Routt, mostly due to injuries.
The Raiders secondary showed flashes of being a shut-down unit. Michael Huff lived up to his 1st round expectations and Stanford Routt showed he can be threat while filling in the void left by Nnamdi Asomugha when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Raiders still seem to be missing a true leader in the secondary. With Richard Seymour clearly leading the front seven, and Rolando McClain taking control of the middle-level, the secondary still seems to be lacking the “bully” mentality Coach Hue Jackson envisioned. That’s where free agency comes into focus. There are numerous players that are going to be testing the free agent market, and although many names come to mind that could instantly improve the Raiders’ secondary, only one name stands out as a “match made in heaven.” That player is pro-bowl defensive back, Cortland Finnegan.
Many have classified Finnegan as a “dirty” player for his numerous incidents involving some of the best wide receivers in the game. Most notably, his history involving Houston Texans’ Receiver Andre Johnson, and their “fist fight heard around the world”. At first glance, it would seem that this is a player any GM would want to stay away from, but the true weapon Finnegan possesses is his cerebral toughness. His ability to get inside a receivers head and make the offense make bad decisions, is just the type of leader the Raiders could utilize. Not to mention Finnegan has 4.54 speed, and anyone who knows Raiders’ football, knows that speed is a huge weapon they covet. Although Finnegan isn’t as strong as a of a tackler as the like of Branch, Routt, and Huff, he is just as dominating as a man coverage defensive back. A one-two punch of Routt and Finnegan could result in opposing quarterbacks holding the football for a second or two longer, and with Seymour and company closing in fast, those are precious seconds offenses won’t be able to protect.
By adding Finnegan, the Raiders don’t instantly become the Super Bowl favorites, nor are they guaranteed to make the playoffs in 2012. But what they do become is a team that plays 60 minutes of hard-nosed, true grit football against any team in the NFL. A team that can not only physically beat you up, but can also win the mental game as well. Finnegan is the type of player who isn’t afraid to push his sleeves up and get dirty as long as it results in a win for his team and that type of leadership is what the Raiders have been looking for since Charles Woodson left the bay area.
Gabriel Rideout is and NFL team writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at GRideout@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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Raiders May Make More Moves Than Expected
After finishing an 8-8 season, the Oakland Raiders have a lot of important decisions to make regarding the future of the organization. Of course the most important decision being who will act as G.M. to replace the late Al Davis, not only as a leader but as a personal director. The Raiders also have to decide what kind of changes need to be taken to the coaching staff, as well as the players in contract years. The Raiders are very close to the cap limit and also gave up crucial draft picks for this upcoming NFL draft, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Raiders will be quiet once the free agency frenzy begins.
One of the most note-worthy issues that the team must address will be the fate of Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bresnahan. Even if the team’s secondary was plagued with injuries, the constant “nail biting”, close call, last second loses, is no excuse for poor game management and defensive blunders that were laced throughout the entire 2011 season. Head Coach Hue Jackson has done a great job improving the offense to a top-15 overall unit, unfortunately the teams’ lack of defensive consistency has resulted in allowing the opposing team to pull off the comeback victory, or at least come dangerously close. A great solution would be for Jackson to bring in a defensive specialist that can take over the reigns, and quickly get the defensive unit to commit to the system. An ideal candidate would be recently fired head coach Raheem Morris of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Morris’ defensive knowledge, and successful defensive history, coupled with defensive backs coach Rod Woodson’s knowledge of the talent that exists in the secondary, would result in a juggernaut of a defense that even the likes of Brady, Brees, and Rodgers, would have to respect.
After addressing the personal issues, the Raiders will then look to improve the team’s roster. Since the team spent the first four draft picks of this upcoming draft already, its safe to assume that the team will treat free agency as their own kind of pseudo-draft. The teams biggest two weapons to lock up will be safety Tyvon Branch and running back Michael Bush who will be two marquee names in the free agent pool that the Raiders can’t afford to let go. Branch appears to be the easiest to resolve via new contract or franchise tag. On the other hand, Bush will be a highly coveted player because of his durability and punishing running style. Where the real questions surface, is what CAN the Raiders do to improve the team’s roster? Don’t be surprised if the Raider’s trade away a player that leaves some people scratching their heads, most notably, running back Darren McFadden, whose contract only has two years left, both years paying an average 5.8 million. There isn’t a team that wouldn’t want the all-purpose back, whose speed and strength can’t be matched. Even if his durability is his biggest question mark, a team with an established running game would be able to limit the risk of further injury by limiting the number of touches McFadden gets. By trading away McFadden away the Raiders should be able to get a 2nd round pick for the 2012 draft and a conditional 1st round pick for the 2013 draft at minimum, The Raiders have proven they can be successful on the ground with Bush as the feature back, add in the explosiveness of rookie Taiwan Jones and the versatile Marcell Reece, and the Raiders still will have a top 5 run game that will bully opposing defensives.
At 8-8 the Oakland Raiders may view their 2011-2012 season as a failure, but lets consider the factors: a shortened off-season, new coach, new quarterback, numerous injuries at key positions, and, most important, a passing of a legendary owner, most teams would have thrown in the towel at less adversity, but the Raiders fought to the last second of the last play, and although they came up short of their playoff hopes, they still provided much needed life into raider nation by selling out every home game for the first time since the late 90’s. And though it may be cliché’ to say, “next year will be better”, when it comes to the Oakland Raiders, fans better believe that the silver and black are indeed back.
Gabriel Rideout is an NFL team writer for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at GRideout@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com
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