No, its not an massive earthquake that just struck California, but many members of the Raider Nation have been completely shaken by the lost of two of their top players, Nnamdi Asomugha and now Zach Miller. Although many are at a point in which the Raiders are being written off, to quote head coach Hugh Jackson, it's nothing more than "next man up."By no means am I trying to reduce the talent or importance that both played during the time they spent with the Raiders, but it's very important to note that football is a team sport and practically the ...
Nobody thought that Zach Miller would leave, even if he was visiting the Seattle Seahawks. Oakland Raiders radio announcer Greg Papa said Tuesday morning on a radio show that he expected a deal to be done today (Tuesday) to keep Miller in Oakland. Let's look at why the Raiders have lost the services of their leading receiver over the last three seasons. It starts with the lockout and the new CBA.Miller was originally supposed to be a restricted free agent after his first four seasons. Now he is unrestricted because of the language in the new CBA. Not only did the ...
If you look at the all-time data for all 32 NFL franchises and focus on certain categories, you realize that the Oakland Raiders are above average in several ways. First, let's get the average of all of the win-loss averages for the 32 teams. It is .5008. Well, the Oakland Raiders ended up with a .549 at the end of the 2010 season. Like it or not, that is above the average by about .049 points. Similarly, if you look at the number of times a particular team has made it to the playoffs, we see that the average for all ...
The Philadelphia Eagles have won the free-agent Super Bowl, but that means nothing right now. The Oakland Raiders won the free-agent Super Bowl in 2008 with the signings of Gibril Wilson, DeAngelo Hall and Javon Walker. But all that glittered in the 2008 offseason wasn't gold in the regular season. Wilson (safety) couldn't cover, Hall (corner) could bump and run and Walker was damaged goods. In 2011, the Eagles took Nnamdi Asomugha along with Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. After losing Asomugha to the Eagles and not making too much noise, everyone has the Raiders in last place for 2011 free agency. Still, owner Al Davis has played the game the right ...
Saying that the Oakland A's "rocked" the trade deadline may be a bit of an exaggeration.Actually, it would probably be considered one of the greatest sales jobs of the year if I could convince you that were the case, but the truth is that the A's made exactly the right decisions given the scenarios they were presented with.Then again, the other option for this particular A's commentary would have been to argue that they "blew" the trade deadline, an argument that I can't honestly argue with conviction.None of the big names were moved.The rumors for Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, Coco ...
We have all heard the news of Nnamdi Asomugha leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles.For the record, I wish him all the luck in the world. I have respect for him, both as a player and as a man.He did what he felt was in his best interest. All I can say is that I wish he could've been a part of the turnaround that the Oakland Raiders will embark on in 2011 and beyond. Despite Asomugha's departure, the Raiders are on the rise. I believe we will see it clearly on the defensive side of the ball especially. This defense ...
If the Oakland Raiders play football for a cause that is greater than themselves, might that help revive the economy of the city of Oakland? In July 2010, 80 Oakland policemen were fired (24 of those policemen have been re-hired and will start again shortly). This news report inspired the question of the relationship between a winning team in a city and the economy of that city. Some claimed that the move of LeBron James away from Cleveland would hurt the city's economy. If one basketball player's move can shake the economy of a city, then certainly it is possible ...
Raider Nation! How have you all been? I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I have been extremely busy on Twitter lately. Follow me @EzraRuiz.Now, as most of you guys know, the Raiders have been very quiet in free agency. They've opted to take the wait-and-see approach: Wait for the market to settle so they can get bargain prices on veterans.Here is some good news: Steve Corkran of the Oakland Tribune is reporting that the Raiders and Zach Miller are close to reaching an agreement.I reported on Twitter hours before that, stating that Oakland and Miller have agreed to a ...
I chose not to believe it until it was a fact. Now it is, and the Oakland Raiders are preparing for life after Nnamdi Asomugha.When he first signed with the Eagles, I thought that it was a debilitating blow for the 2011 Raiders. After a long, hard look at it, though, the Raiders can be productive and win without the All-Pro corner. If the Raiders don't win in 2011, it won't be because Asomugha left Raider Nation. Turn the page to see why.Begin Slideshow
The offseason in the NFL is generally a period of renewed optimism, with teams starting over with a clean slate.For the Raiders of recent vintage, however, the offseason seemingly represents a time of year during which to make regrettable personnel decisions. With this year’s rather unusual offseason waning, it seems like as good a time as any to revisit, with the benefit of hindsight, the Raiders’ five worst offseason moves of the past decade.Begin Slideshow