Am I lucky or what?
A few minutes ago I read a comment criticizing the use of the slogan "Don't Mess with Texas."
My student whose pen name is HTEXANS10 walked in the room with evidence that you can use the phrase in a metaphoric way in many situations.
Now, I am not usually a "fighter" but since I am expecting the Oakland Raiders to play smarter and harder in 2010, if you "bully" any of us, and I read it, a rebuttal of "slap back" will be posted.
All's fair in love and war—and in football.
Now, a Raider Lady posted a very good ...
Darren McFadden is my pick for 2010 Breakout Player of the Year based on several factors, including a new offensive coordinator, improved play on the offensive line, and of course, a better defense.
But most importantly McFadden is going to be used the way he should be.
I realize Darren McFadden seems to be a hot-button topic among many Raiders fans as well as other fans throughout the league who most believe he's been a bust so far with Oakland.
However, most people fail to realize how to use his talents most effectively.
McFadden has the hands, speed and, ability to hit home runs ...
For the first time in a long time there is an attitude of "team-first" that permeates the Oakland Raiders' organization and the fanbase.
Players are helping one another before and after practice, coaches are praising players for jobs well done, and they're chastising them for mistakes.
But, what does this mean to the average fan?
As a coach I can tell you, this means everything. The Raiders, by all reports, are looking more like an NFL team than they have over the last several years.
What follows are some things this old coach feels Raider Nation should be looking for as the hitting ...
I recently read a blog that pointed out that ESPN and other mainstream outlets of the sports media are picking the Oakland Raiders as a strong dark horse team that can make the playoffs after being under .500.
I thought it was funny that the blogger would ask, "What are your thoughts on the way the media has so conveniently changed their opinion of the Raiders?"
As if the praise is all part of some brilliant scheme of reverse psychology that will make the Raiders over-confident and then blow it. The Raiders can no longer claim to be persecuted by the sports ...
I want to begin by giving a thank you to Kirk Morrison.
He let it all hang out there week after week, and I think Raider Nation appreciated that.
However, Morrison was the single biggest problem that plagued the Oakland Raiders run defense.
I can assure you that it wasn't Tommy Kelly's problem, and occasionally was Gerrard Warren's mistake.
Why was Morrison responsible for those big runs the Raiders gave up?
I picked the Cowboy game last season for this article. The reason being that it had all three game scenarios that would work for this article.
Here are the three possible reasons, followed by examples ...
Iron sharpens iron
There is a saying: Iron sharpens iron. It means so much to me because the environments from which I draw inspiration include people, places, books, videos, and more.
The Oakland Raiders can only be as great as they have the potential of being if they do as Al Davis and others have done. Study the opponents. Study themselves and the play book.
Eyes, Ears, and more
There are several ways to absorb information. The eyes and ears are what most people use. Others, like a man named Earl who was blinded by a shotgun wound in a small Southeast town, lost his vision during ...
The Oakland Raiders will put on the pads tomorrow (Monday) and that's when we will be able to tell how much better the Raiders are in the trenches. Both sides of the ball have had poor play in the last few seasons.
Jon Marshall has started to shuffle the defensive linemen around. We all knew that Lamarr Houston would be switched to defensive end, that was made clear by Tom Cable after Houston was drafted.
But so far in training camp, the Raiders defense has had different looks on their line. On their four man front, they lined up Lamarr Houston and ...
After reading various news stories about the Oakland Raiders defense and most importantly the new linebackers, I've been very impressed with what I've heard about Rolando "Ro" McClain.
He's known as being a leader, a very smart player and a great teammate. It's only 4 days into training camp and all 3 issues have already been addressed.
The last several seasons has seen a lack of communication among the linebackers with someone always being out of position because they had no one to keep them in line. The middle linebacker's job is to keep the defense in the right position and to ...
When Jack Tatum passed away on July 27, 2010, most comments were appropriately respectful, speaking of Jacks ferociousness on the field and all out mentality. But I was completely amazed at the vitriol spewed by some, primarily referring to the 1978 preseason hit that left New England Patriots WR Darryl Stingley paralyzed.
That single incident will likely keep Jack Tatum out of the NFL Hall of Fame, though though others that played with similar viciousness, and that could just as likely have caused similar injuries, have already been inducted.
In fact, despite the ferocity with which he played the game, Jack Tatum is ...