There is a distinct air of optimism surrounding the Oakland Raiders this offseason, and with good reason.
The team improved the coaching ranks, preserving continuity by bringing back Tom Cable and finally hiring an honest to goodness offensive coordinator in Hue Jackson.
They made some smart trades, improving positions of weakness for little in return, such as Jason Campbell for a conditional fourth round pick and SAM LB Kamerion Wimbley for a third rounder. Those two deals in particular are already looking like steals.
The marriage of Campbell's football IQ and Jackson's offensive creativity has produced playcalling that looks like an NFL offense in all facets, even if there ...
There isn’t all that much to say about life as an Oakland Raiders fan recently. The Raiders have stunk. Let's not sugarcoat it. With ornery owner Al Davis in charge, Oakland has been terrible since head coach Bill Callahan led them to an 11-5 record and a Super Bowl appearance in 2002. After Callahan was fired following the 2003 season, the hottest coaching seat in football became Oakland. Norv Turner, Art Shell, and Lane Kiffin all came and went in less than five full seasons. Tom Cable took over mid-2008 for Kiffin, and has promptly led the Raiders to consecutive ...
It's time once again for the Bay Area Battle. The Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers will face each other on Saturday in their third preseason game.
Somebody may have to let the players and fans know it's only a preseason game because you can feel the intensity before the game even starts.
These Bay Area rivals will be clashing for the first time this year, they have another meeting scheduled October 17th.
Last season the 49ers and Raiders practiced together and it sounded like the Niners overpowered the Raiders during their practice.
This year because of their games during the preseason and ...
Foreword
Bob Carroll of the Professional Football Reseachers Association carefully watched over the production of the article, "A Gleam of Dawn" written a couple of years ago. He also did the illustration of Warren Wells.
"A Gleam of Dawn" was written under my real name. It is republished in an attempt to share some of the history of a senior Oakland Raider, who some recognize as one of the greatest wide receivers on Oakland's squad.
The honor of having limited exposure to this great athlete, Warren Wells, has broaden my awareness of the challenges and struggles of celebrity in the NFL, and with the ...
The Oakland Raiders are getting ready for the most violent game of the preseason. It just might be the most violent game the Raiders play all year.
It's the third preseason game, which means the starters will be going most of the way on Saturday. Oh, it's against those guys on the other side of the Bay Bridge, too.
Yes, it's the San Francisco Forty-Niners. Mike Singletary and company have a smash-mouth team going across the bridge.
Tom Cable and his crew look as if they've finally built a smash-mouth team, and the Bay Area rivalry makes it a natural for must see, violent ...
Call him the #1 shut-down corner in the NFL. Call him collect. But opposing NFL wide receivers will be calling him “the shadow.” Because the Raiders pro-bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will be doing just that against opposing number one receivers.
So what does Asomugha think about it: ``I love it," he said, "I've been inside, I've been outside, both sides. It looks like it won't be a thing that's selective based off who we're playing. It's just going to be a thing that we can do whenever we want ... and that's great. It gets me more involved."
In a game ...
The Oakland Raiders believe they have everything in place to win the AFC West and make the playoffs. These 5 players will assure that the Raiders succeed this year.
1. CB Nmandi Asomugha
Asomugha will do everything on defense this year expect blitz quarterbacks. In 2009, opposing quarterbacks threw at Asomugha only 28 times. With Asomugha playing the #1 WR, look for more interceptions from the Raiders Pro-bowler.
2. TE Zach Miller
Zach Miller led the Raiders in receiving last year. Expect the same this year. Jason Campbell will have Miller on his radar the entire season. And Campbell is an expert in maximizing ...
Saturday night the Raiders and 49ers will battle. Most NFL analyst predict the 49ers to win and have a better season than the Raiders.I, however, challenge those notions. I've listed my top 3 reasons why the Raiders will win on Saturday.Begin Slideshow
Week Three of the NFL Preseason is usually the week that most teams showcase their starters.Here are the five things that will be determined Saturday night when the 49ers and the Raiders meet.Begin Slideshow
Saturday night will match up the Top two Wide receivers picked in the 2009 NFL Draft.
In the 2009 NFL Draft, the best wide receiver was Texas Tech’s man-child Michael Crabtree, but Darrius Heyward Bey was faster than Crabtree—therefore, the Oakland Raiders went with Bey in the first round.
Crabtree wound up with a much more productive year after a lengthy hold-out.
Fast forward to this year, the news out the Raiders training camp is Bey has much improved. Bey is a beast. Bey is catching everything but a cold. You can’t stop Bey, you can only hope to fatigue him.
Bey, however, ...