The Raider Nation is one of the most loyal, devoted, and intense fanbases in all of sports. Notorious for excellent game-day food, colourful costumes, and blind devotion to a team that often recently disappoints, the Nation is a unique collection of individuals with a common goal: the celebration of the success of the Oakland Raiders.
Unfortunately, we are in the midst of the least celebratory stretch in the franchise's history. Although we all knew our impressive run of the late '90s—early 2000s wouldn't last with an aging roster of veteran talent, no one could have foreseen the epic collapse and subsequent struggles this ...
Dynasty league owners haven’t found much to like in Oakland the past few years. From big name acquisitions like Javon Walker to highly heralded rookies like JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden, the Raiders have simply left a lot to be desired from a dynasty fantasy football perspective recently.
This season brings a new age full of renewed hope in Oakland. JaMarcus Russell has finally been shipped out of town and new quarterback Jason Campbell brings an element of legitimacy and stability unmatched at that position for quite some time. Campbell’s presence should help this offense reach new heights and finally begin ...
Touching the lives of others has been a part of my career for more than 40 years. The idea of contributing to the lives of others was taught to me at home and at Texas Southern University. As a member of the Raider Nation I sometimes take time out to visit with a senior former Oakland Raider whose love for the game and for the Oakland Raiders has not faded away.
One of the Bleacher writers for whom I have a lot of respect made reference to a classification of Warren Wells as a prototype wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders. It seems he ...
Quentin Groves has quickly faded to the back of the minds of most in the NFL, but what if Groves finds fertile ground in Oakland and rekindles the greatness that he exhibited in Auburn? One word would sum it up the Raider defense….Monstrous.
Groves came out of college heralded by many as one of the best pass rushers in the draft. Many made note of his explosiveness and attack mentality and was often compared to Dallas’s Demarcus Ware. He tied the career sack record at Auburn (26) and recorded 38 tackles, even though he missed two games due to injury.
Groves ...
It's that time of the year again for Oakland Raider fans. They just came off another 11 loss season, they added some new players and now they think they are back on track and going to the playoffs.
Sound familiar? Its happened every offseason the Raiders added players like Warren Sapp, Kerry Collins, Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, DeAngelo Hall, Gibril Wilson and Richard Seymour.
Every year that the Raiders lost 11 games or more, they followed up with an aggressive offseason, leading to 11 losses or more.
Fool me once shame on you, fool me seven times shame on me and my mom.
In a recent ...
The Oakland A's have had an up-and-down season so far.
They were in first place in the American League West at the beginning of June.
At the All-Star Break the A's are now 43-46 and seven-and-a-half games out of first place and three games out of second.
Now is time to take a look at the grades for each player the A's have had at the break. I'll start with the infield, then outfielders, relievers, and then the starters for the A's. Begin Slideshow
If you don't bear the cross of being an Oakland Athletic fan, you should thank your lucky stars.
Unless, of course, you're a Cleveland Cavaliers fan—Cav fans should be grateful as well, but I'm not going to make that particular request of them until they can pull the serrated knife from the city's collective back.
A sports fan otherwise situated should have nothing but sympathy for the Bay Area's redheaded stepchild of baseball.
Understand, I'm a San Francisco Giant die-hard who cut his teeth under the City's shadow while the Bash Brothers were still in chemically enhanced business. In other words, those ...
We all know that the Oakland Raiders as a team are eager to get on the field and prove that they aren't the same old Raiders that we've been watching since the last Super Bowl run. Let's take a look at some of the individual players who want to prove they can make a positive impact on their team.Begin Slideshow
In February of this year, I wrote an article called Zach Miller and friends = Hope For Oakland Raider Nation in 2010.
In that article I profiled a few players that played well and gave Raider Nation a reason to look toward the future in a positive way.
This slide show will be an expansion of that article, but will discuss more than players. I'll be covering players, coaches, and something that may surprise you.
Do Raider fans have good reason for legitimate hope for the upcoming NFL season?
Let's find out...Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders are known for their reclamation projects. Any time the Raiders are doing well, there are one or more reclamation projects making big contributions.
Former first round outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley is a Raider reclamation project I am very excited about. Wimbley had 11 sacks in his rookie season. From there, his numbers fell to nine sacks in his next two years.
That happens when you become the only marked man on your defense. Opposing teams found it rather easy to game plan for him as no one else could hurt them.
Shawn Rogers only playes when it's not too hard on his lungs. Outside of Rogers, what other threat did the ...