I don't know about you, but I almost fainted or at least lost hope because of this complicated NFL lockout drama.Something great happened on July 11, 2011, the first day of class, and now I hope others are encouraged. After looking at the 2011 schedule, I noticed that the Oakland Raiders will play the Houston Texans on my birthday, October 9.Since my favorite team is the Oakland Raiders, I certainly was hoping to get to the game—it would be so much fun to see Jacoby Ford catch that ball and get a touchdown, somewhat like he did in 2010.It would ...
Darren McFadden was great last year. After combining for 856 rushing yards (1,386 total yards) and five touchdowns in his first two disappointing years, he responded with a breakout season that saw him run for 1,157 yards (1,664 total yards) and 10 touchdowns (seven rushing, three receiving). When somebody blows up like that you wonder if they can repeat their performance. Could it just have been a fluke? In Darren McFadden’s case though, you wonder if he could be even better.For the third straight season Run DMC missed three games (four in 2009). If he could stay healthy and play ...
In 2010, the Oakland Raiders improved to 8-8 from 5-11 in 2009.
That was due in large part to players like Darren McFadden, Stanford Routt, Michael Huff, and Tommy Kelly breaking out. Jacoby Ford broke out as a kick returner and and former first round outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley reclaimed his career.
In 2011, the Raiders are still a very young team with talent that has yet to be unleashed. I see some more Raider players that look to be on schedule to unleash that talent and break out.
Should that happen, will we see another three game jump up to 11-5?
I don't know but it will definitely help if these seven players break out.
Turn the ...
Some might say that Gio Gonzalez is on the 2011 All-Star team due to the fact that every Major League team has to have a representative.
Others would argue that he has pitched well enough to be selected regardless of the rules. Actually if you look at some of the other pitchers on the roster and the way Gio has pitched down the stretch of the first half, that argument definitely has merit.
Compared to guys like Michael Pineda and Felix Hernandez, the two starting pitchers from the Seattle Mariners who made the All-Star team, Gio is right in the mix. Pineda is 8-6 with ...
The A's are 12 games out of first place, and that's not the only bad news.The A's haven't been competitive since 2006 when they advanced to the ALCS. Since then, that's four and a half seasons; the A's best record was in 2010 at 81-81.Average, that's the A's best season. Average.Is that what the Athletics have been reduced to?This was a team that won three straight titles in the 70s, three straight pennants from 1988-90. What do the A's have to show for the last two decades? Nothing. No pennants, no world titles. One playoff series win and four Game ...
I Hate Mondays is columnist Dave Golokhov's pessimistic, sarcastic compiled thoughts on sports. For a more regular dose, tag-in at Twitter with @davegolokhovHe told me his name was Billy Beane, as he caused a scene after being a focal point of a book on baseball economics named Moneyball.Then every fan of Major League Baseball turned with eyes that dreamed of him being the one.In the early 2000s, Beane was considered the sharpest general manager in all of baseball. He did more on a limited budget than anyone in the sport. Even Barry Trotz would tip his cap.Beane was ...
The Oakland Athletics' season has been on life support for the better part of the last two months and finally has lost its battle.As we know from watching any hospital TV show or movie, the doctor always has to record an official time of death when a patient loses his or her battle against whatever ailment has put them there and ultimately ends their life.Today, we can finally make that call.With a record of 39-53 following a four-game sweep by the Texas Rangers that pushed the A's to 12 games out of first place and 14 games under .500, the ...
The Oakland Raiders had some spectacular catches last season, and the wide receiving corps stepped up to win a few games.However, it was also obvious that the wide receivers were inconsistent. Simple passes dropped cost the Raiders a few games as well. Darrius Heyward-Bey is an example of inconsistency, and unless he can improve in 2011, he should be released.Defensively, the Oakland Raiders are to be feared. The defensive front is simply "The Four Horsemen," as Tommy Kelly, Richard Seymour, Matt Shaughnessy and Kamerion Wimbley inflict suffering upon opposing rivals.Last season the defense was fast and stopped the run whenever necessary. Yeah, there were ...
The NFL lockout has certainly interrupted the opportunity for the new coaches in the Oakland Raiders' franchise to get their collaboration strengthened and synchronized to build the 2011 team.
Since there has been no direct contact with the new Oakland Raiders and since about 53.3 percent of the coaching staff is new to the Oakland Raiders coaching staff, there will be many challenges. These challenges are surmountable, however.
Eight of the 15 coaches are in their first year as a part of the Raiders coaching staff. Four of them or 50 percent of the new guys actually have rejoined the team, which ...
When the NFL players and owners first started bickering about money, I thought the season was going to be shortened at best. Then as thing went along, I thought their would be football ball the hold up and canceled OTA's would hurt the Raiders' momentum after finally improving to 8-8 in 2010. After a closer look, I see this labor dispute will help the Raiders more than any other team in the league. Turn the page to see how.Begin Slideshow