Category Archives: Oakland Raiders
Bengals were the winners of the Palmer trade
Mike Brown worked one of the best deals in Cincinnati Bengals history when he traded quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders for their 2013 first round draft pick. With that pick the Bengals addressed a specific need on defense by picking up Dre Kirkpatrick.
The Bengals will also have a first or second round pick in 2014 based on the outcome of the Raiders record this season. Former head coach, Hue Jackson (a wide receivers coach with the Bengals from 2004 – 2006) worked this transaction personally with Bengals owner Mike Brown.
Next in line: 5 teams Los Angeles should court next
Yesterday it was announced that the Minnesota Vikings are staying in Minnesota for good. The Minnesota Legislator passed a Bill toward a new stadium and Vikings fans can now rejoice and celebrate the biggest win in Franchise history.
Marcel Reece: Player profile
Marcel Reece, fullback for the Oakland Raiders may be the first in a new movement of multi-use fullbacks.
The 6’3”, 250 lbs. Marcel Reece played wide receiver at the University of Washington and tallied 761 yards and eight touchdowns his senior season.
He also holds the Huskies’ record for longest play from scrimmage with a 98-yard reception against Arizona.
Then UW Head Coach Tyrone Willingham may not have known that he was sitting on a future pass-catching fullback in the NFL, or he may have changed his lineup to give first-year starter Jake Locker more closely positioned playmakers.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders fans will have to wonder if trading a 2012 first-round pick and a conditional second-round pick in 2013, that can become another first round pick if Oakland makes it to the AFC title game in either of the next two years, was worth it for quarterback Carson Palmer.
The Raiders didn’t have a draft pick until the 5th round of the 2012 NFL draft. But thanks to compensatory draft picks the Raiders received three—a third round, fourth round and a fifth round. This gives general manager Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders a total of five picks with which to work.
Predicting who they might take at this point is a crapshoot.
Teams who need to take advantage of Compensatory Picks
The NFL has announced the compensatory picks for the 2012 Draft, and now 32 extra picks were distributed to 23 different teams on Monday. For those who don’t know, Compensatory picks are handed out to teams based on the number of free agents lost and gained during Free Agency. The Oakland Raiders were the big winners as they didn’t have any picks in the first four rounds of the 2012 Draft.
Can Darren McFadden carry the load?
Fans of the Oakland Raiders are asking one question right now, can Darren McFadden carry the load and not get injured in 2012?
Although the very explosive “RunDmc” has not carried for 30 or 40 times a game, he just hasn’t proven he can do it yet.
Losing Michael Bush to the Chicago Bears will hurt the Raiders offense in a big way as ground and pound has always been Oakland’s game.
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.
Manning and salary cap spell doom in Oakland
The combination of desperate free agency cuts, and the Denver Broncos’ signing of Peyton Manning, the Oakland Raiders have once again found themselves in the back seat of the AFC West.
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.
2012 mock draft: AFC West edition
My Divisional Mock Draft breakdown continues today with the AFC West and will conclude on Friday with the NFC West.
Looking into the future of the AFC West
Denver Broncos(8-8)- Tim Tebow will be the starter going into next year despite all the media controversy that will continue. The Bronco’s came on at the end of the year, but lacked the talent to make a deep playoff run. The offense ranked #1 overall rushing the ball, however the passing game was on and off and unable to accumulate an excess of touchdowns. Defensively, the Bronco’s have promise in 1st year player Von Miller who had an outstanding year with 11.5 sacks. The LBs DJ Williams and Wesley Woodyard played well, however the defensive secondary needs improvement. Bottom line is that Tebow must develop into a more polished passer, and next year will be his time to put to rest doubters. Although rumors will start about the Bronco’s taking a QB to putt pressure on Tebow, I feel they will concentrate on other issues such as the defense.
San Diego Chargers(8-8)- Roster shake-ups are needed this offseason in order to stay competitive going into next year. The defense was alright but could get better. With several offensive players such as Jackson most likely Matthews locked in, the Chargers should concentrate on defense and protecting Philip Rivers, or picking up a big playmaker. With the exit of Marcus Mcneill San Diego needs to get an impact offensive line man and resort to some big free agency pickups outside of what’s normal for them. This team has some viable tools to make a run, however Philip Rivers must have a rebound type year and cut down on the picks.
Oakland Raiders(8-8)- For a while I thought the Raiders would make noise last year however the defense cost them late in the year. With the acquisition Carson Palmer options at QB are good, however I doubt he is the full circle answer. Offensively, Michael Bush, Darren McFadden and Heyward Bey were impressive as the Raiders were top 10 in both rushing and passing. Defensively Ronaldo Mclain had an excellent year, but the defensive line needs help and so does the secondary in order to make a stir in what should be a competitive division once again. Without a first round draft pick they will have to make up for it later in New York with quality late round choices.
Kansas City Chiefs(7-9)- With the return of Matt Cassel healthy they could be a decent team. They have the athletes to work with on offense, as Mccluster and Bowe are game breakers. The defense is led by Derrick Johnson who is in his prime in addition to Jovan Belcher, and Tamba Hali who at times played very well this past season. With the return of Eric Berry in the secondary, the Chiefs could gain a lot of ground. Going into next year given that Brandon Flowers had a great 2011 performance with 4 interceptions the DB’s should improve. With a high draft the Chiefs will most likely concentrate on defense in order to solidify a unit that showed promise. A huge win over Green Bay last year is definitely a solid place to start.
Thanks to Sean Shearier for providing this guest post and please check out www.walloffamesports.com.
Raiders cut Stanford Routt, Bills interested
Less than a year ago Al Davis made cornerback Stanford Routt an offer he couldn’t refuse that eventually kept him from free agency.
Routt was released just one year into his $54.5 million dollar, five-year contract ending the seven years he has spend for the Oakland Raiders.
The Buffalo Bills wasted no time in perusing Routt and could be the favorite to land the free agent.
He is also scheduled to meet with the Tennessee Titans, according to TitanInsider.com.
Rout had four interceptions last season for the Raiders and would instantly boost the Bills secondary which struggled against the pass last season.
The opposition’s 39.4 percent completion rate when throwing at him was the lowest of any player targeted at least 60 times.
While Routt once again held opponents to a low completion percentage (47.4) and allowed fewer than 6 yards per pass attempt for the season, he was susceptible to penalties and touchdowns.
Related articles
- Cortland Finnegan: Born to be an Oakland Raider? (thepenaltyflagblog.com)
- Free Agents the Raiders can’t afford to lose (thepenaltyflagblog.com)
- What do the Oakland Raiders do with Michael Bush? (thepenaltyflagblog.com)
- Oakland Raiders Named ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ in 2012 (thepenaltyflagblog.com)
