Raiders fans, do you remember when Al Davis chose to take JaMarcus Russell as the top pick in the 2007 NFL Draft?
Do you as I do, remember all the hype that surrounded Russell and his cannon of an arm?
Well, in case you forgot, here's a little reminder. The Raiders selected Russell because of his great play at LSU. As the quarterback for the Tigers, Russell went 25-4, threw for 52 touchdowns and recorded a 61.2 completion percentage (2nd highest in school history).
His college numbers appeared to be an indication as to the type of player he could become in the ...
The NFL draft is upon us once again, and most people in Raider Nation are anxiously waiting for our picks.
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell steps up to the podium and announces the Oakland Raiders are on the clock, the whole of Raider Nation will nervously watch and wait to hear who the Raiders select with the eighth pick of this year's draft.
Our recent draft picks haven't been able to produce the way we hoped, but 2010 is the year that our highly criticized draft picks will show why they were drafted in the first place.
JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, ...
An 86-year-old great grandmother shared her opinion about the quarterback situation with the Oakland Raiders.
When asked, "is competition for the position within the team a good thing," she said, "Yes, it makes people strive to do better."
She continued, "If the quarterback is good, he ought to get better, and if he is better, he must strive to be the best."
So, the strategy of not selecting one quarterback over the other is a good thing, just let them demonstrate their abilities on the playing field. In the end, you will find out who is the best quarterback.
And, the best quarterback should get the ...
Despite the fact that the NFL Scouting Combine is more about a players athletic ability and how they perform in shorts than actual on-field football ability, it can still have a dramatic effect on a players draft stock.
If you are Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, who puts a premium on athletic ability above almost all else, then it can have an immense effect on how you grade players.
So which players did the most to rise up the Raiders draft board?
There were some excellent performances at this year's combine, but some players stood out by showing considerably better than their peers. Here ...
With JaMarcus Russell an unknown factor and Bruce Gradkowski on his third NFL team in three years, the Oakland Raiders need to find its starter at the quarterback position and do it pronto!
When free agency starts this week, the Raiders could also help themselves mightily by finding a run-stuffing middle linebacker and perhaps bring in a veteran receiver to bolster the position.
And no...I don’t see Terrell Owens wearing the Silver and Black, but thanks for asking.
Here’s how things might play out as the NFL signing period begins to unfold (Thursday night at midnight EST).
The big names hitting the open market are headlined by Carolina’s Julius Peppers, San ...
Allow me to be the first to welcome the 2010 Oakland Raiders draft class into your living room.
There will no doubt be surprises this year, the draft is deep. Some rookies will rise and some will take the inevitible plunge of doom into the late first round/second round range.
The draft is always a good time and never fails to ammuse my small mindedness. This year I've been getting involved in the rookie class more than ever before. Trying to get a good feel for the direction that my favorite team might take on the fateful NFL day.
This year's ...
Cable has made it official that Jamarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski will compete for the starting spot. I have asked my alternate personality to engage in a Good Cop vs Bad Cop argument, to see who really should be the starter for the Raiders. Each QB, will be looked at and will be praised, as well as grilled. I hope you enjoy, and get a laugh or two in the process of reading this article.Begin Slideshow
While the Raiders try to figure out what to do with the quarterback position, let's do a little flashback to the glory days....or, before the glory days really got underway.
In 1966, Oakland was 8-5-1. not bad for the AFL, but working forward. A three game losing streak hurt the team early in the season against the Oilers, Chiefs and Chargers. They would go 7-2-1 to finish the season, but would be in second place, with no Wild Card at that time. This team was led by John Rauch, a former assistant to Al Davis, who was elevated to league president, ...
Tom Cable has made it clear that there will be a QB competition this offseason, and he will not name a starter anytime soon.
But is this open competition a good thing for JaMarcus Russell, Bruce Gradkowski, and the rest of the team?
Cleveland Browns GM, Mike Holmgren doesn't think a QB competition is the right way to figure things out.
"Somebody's got to play a full season," Holmgren said. "Not two games here, out two games, in three games...It doesn't work. So pick one, commit, coach him up, build confidence, make him better and then surround him with good people."
Russell is being brought ...
Independent navigation in college recruiting can be a daunting effort. Whether it’s investigating NCAA rules and recruiting time-lines or developing and implementing tactics to “get on the radar” of the college coaches on your “A” list of schools, an organized and informed approach to the college quest will give prospects and families the best chance at success.
Gather Information
Gathering information is critical to the successful organization of any worthy project. Building a college recruiting information base can begin as early as the ninth grade as a family hobby and increasingly grow into a highly organized, disciplined project by the end of ...