Okay, we can argue the good and bad sides to the NFL lockout. We can argue the money, that most of us will never see in our lifetimes, is being tossed around while both sides whine that the other is being untruthful, unrealistic and downright irritating.
But as it sits for the Raiders, the team did some last-minute pickups, beating the paperwork gurus to decertification process, buying the team some extra names. Granted, since no one is sure how things like free agency, the draft or even how restricted free agents will work, once this has all panned out, there are ...
And it begins: The NFL Lockout 2011, which has been dreaded by fans, players, and owners alike, has officially started.
Ouch.
Who should take the blame here? Both sides are pointing fingers at one another. My opinion is that it's the NFLPA's fault all the way.
Have you seen the final offer the owners gave? They practically gave in to everything. Insurance after football, the 18-game debacle, you name it.
Forget about that. This article is about the Oakland Raiders, anyway.
The most active team this offseason, Oakland put millions of dollars into its own free agents and faced much criticism for it.
Now with the ...
The Oakland Raiders finished 8-8 in 2010, which is far better than what they were expected to. Al Davis now looks to improve on his team's decent season, with new coach Hugh Jackson at the helm. The Raiders went 6-0 against their division, yet still missed the playoffs in 2010.There are still glaring holes on the team (quarterback, cornerback, receiver), but Oakland doesn't have any first round picks. Why else should they trade into the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft? Let's take a look...Begin Slideshow
The media is always at it. The media always wants to publish a story that the fans will bite on. Even if it has to stretch the truth or fabricate a story all together, it loves to publish things that, like I said, fans will bite on.
Recently it was reported that Plaxico Burress will get released from prison sometime this summer. Now I know the Raiders could use a veteran presence at WR, but Burress is not the guy for the job. He was already on the downside of his career before he was sent to prison for shooting himself ...
Have the Oakland Raiders had "critical years" when their wins are less than their losses?
The answer is, yes.
There were critical years in 1981, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. This list identifies the years when the Oakland Raiders lost more games than they won, from 1967 to 2009.
Looking at the earlier years we see the following in wins, losses, and ties:
Year Wins Losses Ties Ratio
1966
AFL
Oakland Raiders
8
5
1 8/5
1965
AFL
Oakland Raiders
8
5
1 8/5
1964
AFL
Oakland Raiders
5
7
2 5/7
1963
AFL
Oakland Raiders
10
4
0 10/4
1962
AFL
Oakland Raiders
1
13
0 1/13
1961
AFL
Oakland Raiders
2
12
0 2/12
1960
AFL
Oakland Raiders
6
8
0 6/8
My method of analysis labels a year "critical" when the losses exceed the wins. Hence, ...
The offseason additions of Josh Willingham and David DeJesus created a log-jam in the Oakland outfield. The two offseason trade acquisitions joined returning A's outfielders Coco Crisp, Ryan Sweeney, Conor Jackson and Chris Carter, meaning that come the end of Spring Training, there would be one player headed to Sacramento to begin the season.All early indications were that Chris Carter would wind up being the odd man out with Sweeney and Jackson filling bench roles as the fourth and fifth outfielders. At the time of this update however Conor Jackson has only managed to put together a .077 batting average ...
In his finest hour, Jim Otto moved mountains. Actually, he moved defensive linemen, but they were mountainous men, and Otto used leverage, strength and sheer will to clear them out of the way.
Otto, the Hall of Fame center for pro football’s ne’er-do-well Oakland Raiders from 1960-74, played football at knee level. His world on the gridiron was mostly lived 24 inches off the ground.
Otto touched the football on every play, but in the same way that a bell is involved in every boxing match. Nothing happened on the football field until Jim Otto said so. No one was to flinch ...
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has always, always been a man driven by the desire to create the greatest football team of all time. There will never be an NFL owner like the legendary "maverick" himself, Mr. Al Davis.
Since the 1960s, Al Davis had been a foundation for the AFL. F. Wayne Valley hired Al Davis to coach the Oakland Raiders in 1963. At 33, Davis was the youngest coach in professional football history. Being Al, he went to work immediately and implemented the "vertical game."
That season the Raiders improved to 10–4. Al Davis was also named the AFL Coach of ...
Plaxico Burress is scheduled to be released from prison in early June of this year.That means he'll be on track to participate in the 2011 NFL season. "Plax" is expected to get signed very soon after his release, largely in part due to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, along with prior success in the league.In his NFL career, Burress has amassed 505 receptions, 7,845 receiving yards, and 55 touchdowns.Nice.So who is Plaxico expected to sign with?Many NFL experts are already screaming the name "Raiders!"The Oakland Raiders have been in need of a receiver for some time. That was thought to be ...
So Tiki Barber has come out of retirement.In an ordinary offseason, this would most likely register as no more than a blip on the radar. However, with the current state of league affairs effectively shelving the usual pontification regarding free agency and even muting draft coverage a little bit, Barber's announcement is big news.It's the only circumstance in which I could think something so yawn-inspiring would be big news.I'm sure nothing makes Barber happier, as he'd be glad to regale you for hours upon hours as to why he's big news and it's very important that he's coming out of ...