Let me stretch your mind and tease your intellect with the discoveries I made today while researching one of the newly signed Oakland Raiders, Colt Brennan.
First, I started by researching his name. Why? The name Brennan is similar to my family name, Brannon. It is as simple as that.
I discovered that Brennan and Brannon are indeed connected in some way. So, I looked up the meaning of Brennan. It means "raven."
Now, I am going to conjecture that Colt Brennan is a perfect fit for the Oakland Raiders. Why would I make that claim so soon?
Let's just say the Cherokee Indian ...
I've read around three or four articles in the past few weeks telling us Raider fans that we shouldn't get our hopes up.
The problem is that those articles don't provide a lot of factual information on why the team will finish poorly this season. They aren't fans of the team, so naturally they don't know what's going on with the silver and black.
Since my slideshow app isn't working, I decided to do this on basic article format.
I'm asking the five most common questions from an outsider's perspective, and then answering from an insider's perspective.
Question One: Kam Wimbley is strictly a ...
How does it feel being a woman in the man's world of the NFL?
How are you treated by men?
Do they show you respect, or give you a hard time?
When you support your team, do you wear your team colors?
These are just a few of the questions I have been asked from time to time being a hard core, female Raider football fan. I was recently prompted to write an article about my responses to these questions, so ladies, pay attention and feel free to comment back.
Guys, now is definitely the time to put your two cents in. Let's keep it ...
Gio Gonzalez was a first round draft pick in 2004, so his road to fantasy relevance has been slow to develop. Finally, at 24 years old (he’ll turn 25 in September), he’s achieved it, putting up a solid 2010 season with these stats:
10 Wins141.0 Innings3.51 ERA1.32 WHIP114 Strikeouts (7.3 K/9)62 Walks (4.0 BB/9).287 BABIP
The question is whether Gonzalez is a pitcher worth owning, or whether his success has been an aberration.
The strikeouts are actually lower than you would expect. For his minor league career (676.1 innings), he posted a K/9 of 10.3. That includes a 9.7 K/9 in 184 innings ...
In the offseason, the Raiders and head coach Tom Cable had make the assumption that Darren McFadden and Michael Bush would be sharing running back duties, to whichever ability would serve the team better.
Do the Raiders need a hard push? Drop Michael Bush into the game and let him punish the defense. Looking for a couple yards to get the first down? Have McFadden split the line, and if he breaks a tackle, you can pick up about 20 yards or more.
Now in training camp, Darren McFadden's preseason is becoming more and more of a question mark. A hamstring injury ...
It happens every year, players who finished who finished at the top of the depth chart last season slide, and others who thought that they had little chance to make the roster or were underperfromers somehow rise.
Sometimes it is age, sometimes injury, or sometimes a player doesn't fit with a new scheme that the team wants.
The Raiders defensive scheme is certainly changing, and so will the offense under Hue jackson.
So who are this year's risers and fallers so far in camp?Begin Slideshow
How bad do you want to make the team?
A lot of different things go on at an NFL training camp. Newly acquired veterans try to learn a new system, retuning players knock the rust off, and rookies try to prove their mettle. All of this happens under the watchful eyes of the media and fans alike.
With several players still recovering from injuries sustained last season, many borderline players have been given a long look in camp this year.
With Chaz Schilens nursing a foot injury and Louis Murphy dealing with a concussion issue, Paul Hubbard and Shaun Bodiford have been ...
Drafted fourth overall in the 2008 draft by the Oakland Raiders, the expectations on Darren McFadden have been extremely high.
What would you expect? He was coming off a junior year where he rushed for 1,830 yards and 16 TD in just 13 games at the University of Arkansas.
You have to wonder if things may have been different for McFadden if he had landed on a team with more stability. Instead, he has been labeled a bust after rushing for just 856 yards and 5 TD over his first two years in the NFL.
Things in Oakland do appear to be improving, ...
My view of the Oakland Raiders is like the Titanic: They were once a great team that has sunk to the bottom of the NFL. With the additions that was made through the draft and free agency certainly has improved the team.
It seems as though Old Al has finally undergone a serious offseason to try and raise the once great team from the bottom.
Here are some players that will have a key role in bringing the ship from the bottom back to the surface. Also, I have included some veteran Raider players that could have breakout seasons.Begin Slideshow
Foreword
This article from my archives was published, in part, in a newsletter, edited by Don Small of the USMA (West Point). A discussion of some issues related to the selection process of the Hall of Fame was at the center of the discussion. Moreover, it seems only reasonable to recognized the accomplishments and gifts of great NFL players and Oakland Raiders.
A part of this article was published in 2007. A similar report was mailed by certified mail to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No record of a response was received.
Congratulations to Jerry Rice for his enshrinement. There ...