"I love it when a plan comes together!"
Not even the most adamant Raider-hater can deny the improvements made by the Oakland Raiders this offseason. Accounts describing the extent of this improvement vary depending upon who is doing the speaking.
Hardcore haters say it's minimal at best. Hardcore fans say it's the best since Al Davis took the Raiders from 1-13 in 1962 to 10-4 in 1963.
As is always the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
The road back to success and respectability is a long one for the Raiders. Improvement is needed at almost every position on both ...
Raider Nation has been starving for the last few years for some good football. Al Davis has finally brought in players that could very well help Raider Nation get to the promised land.
What is Raider Nation's response?
Thankful, but we want more.
As I stated in a previous article, Santa has made his rounds to Raider Nation. In another one, I dared to ask for one more gift in free agent Kevin Mawae.
Would asking for another gift make Raider Nation greedy?
Of course it would, after all Raider Nation has already received.
However, Raider Nation deserves to get greedy. Who wouldn't after seven years of famine. There's another piece that could lead to ...
This off-season the Raiders have been busy. They've had a great draft and have made some great free agent signings, seemingly improving on nearly every aspect of the team: the offense, the defense, special teams and even coaching.
Here's a look at some of the off-season moves the Raiders have made and how they rank.
Let me know what you think and where I was right or wrong.Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders run defense has been horrible, atrocious, and whatever other unflattering terms you might like to call it.
Looking back at some of last season's game tape, the biggest problems were centered around the right and left A gap. Plug in Henderson for Warren, McClain for Morrison, and the change will be drastic.
Comparing the Raiders run defense last season to years past it was actually better, which doesn't say much at all.
The reason why the Raiders gave up the most big plays on the run was a single gap mistake, or Warren or Kelly just getting dominated off ...
Since the beginning of football, it has been known that a team needs balance offensively and defensively to be a contender in the NFL. There has always been the saying that "defense wins games."
So how balanced are the Oakland Raiders in 2010?
Does Oakland have the necessary weapons to defeat the former AFC West champions, the San Diego Chargers? What games could the Raiders win this season? Can the Raiders regain the AFC West title after an eight-year slump?
Al Davis and Tom Cable have been working to build the Raiders so that they can return to greatness. In fact, when it ...
The Oakland Raiders have seemingly turned their franchise around in a matter of months. Many moves were made, most of them important, and starters such as Jason Campbell, Rolando McClain, LaMarr Houston, Kamerion Wimbley, and John Henderson were added via the draft, trades, and free agency.
All of these moves made me wonder: Are the Raiders creating a dynasty before our very eyes? Could this new decade be the beginning of a decade of wins for the Oakland Raiders?
Here are some factors that support this theory.
Media
The Raiders used to be constantly bad-mouthed by the media. However, media outlets such as ESPN ...
This marks the last division article for the AFC conference. So as you read on, here are my predictions for the AFC West division.
As I looked up the images on Google.com for AFC West, it showed running backs instead of the quarterbacks every time I look up a division.
Now we all know this is definitely outdated. Darren McFadden is the only one that is right. Meanwhile, LaDainian Tomlinson is on the New York Jets, Larry Johnson is on the Washington Redskins, and Selvin Young isn't even on the Denver Broncos or any other team as he is currently a ...
Raider Nation has obviously been more nice than naughty lately.
Why would I say that?
Because he delivered gifts for Raider fans.
We all know of the woes the Raiders have had over the last few of years stopping the run. In the draft, Santa brought us Butckus Award winning middle linebacker Rolando McClain in the first round.
He didn't stop there. In the second round, he brought us Lamarr Houston. Houston created problems for the best offensive linemen in the Big 12 throughout his collegiate career.
Santa stashed another gift under a redwood tree a few days ago to help against the run. He delivered John ...
What has been abundantly clear over the last 12 months is that the Oakland Raiders have had a total change in their defensive philosophy.
Since their last appearance in a Super Bowl in 2002-03, when their defense ranked third against the run, they have never ranked better than 22nd in any year.
That is seven years of abysmal run defense.
Their personnel strategy during that time concentrated on the defensive secondary, leaving the front seven devoid of quality players and any real investment in terms of talent or draft picks. Players like Michael Huff, Fabian Washington, and DeAngelo Hall were brought in at ...
America is blessed with having four sports leagues to entertain us all every year.
The best of the best in these sports in the world dream of applying their trade here in hopes of striking it rich.
With so many teams and players it is obvious that some of these organizations do not have a clue whats going on. Begin Slideshow