Hello, folks, and welcome back to my weekly column, Pressures, Hurries and Knockdowns. This season, I will be doing two versions: A pregame spread on Friday that outlines who is under pressure for the upcoming game (plus things we learned from the previous game), and a post-game piece on Monday to see if my pregame article had any merit or was just completely off-base.I hope you join me throughout the season as the Raiders continue their climb back to the top of the AFC West.Week 1 is in the books, and for the first time since the Super Bowl year ...
It looks like the media is drinking the Buffalo Bills' Kool-Aid after their Week 1 blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs. It's crazy for the media to make such a prediction based on the previous week, because the Raiders are a far cry from the Chiefs. The old boxing saying is "styles make fights" and the saying also applies to football or any type of contest. This is why I'm predicting a win for the Raiders over the Bills Sunday after the Bills looked like world-beaters against the Chiefs. Turn the page to see exactly why.Begin Slideshow
It's been too long since the Oakland Raiders have won a championship or a Super Bowl. Similarly, the Buffalo Bills had a record with sparse data for wins, and too many losses in 2010.Both teams ought to have a ravenous desire to win on Sept 18.A look at the Bills data shows eight consecutive losses, followed by two wins, two losses, two wins and finally two losses.Since the Bills have the same head coach, you can be certain his head is on the block. A 4-12 record just doesn't look good to most fans and NFL owners.Also, since the Oakland ...
The Oakland Raiders are known for drafting players with size, strength, speed and play maker ability.Then there was JaMarcus Russell.While some of these drafting strategies have failed for quite some time, the silver and black is hoping for big plays during the 2011-2012 season. Here are my top 5 play-makers for the Raiders in the upcoming 2011-2012 season.Begin Slideshow
As starting free safety Michael Huff sits out a second-straight day of practice after injuring his groin against the Denver Broncos, the Oakland Raiders may be forced to use a player whom they initially cut when the team had to get down to the 53 player maximum and then brought back shortly thereafter.Ladies and gentlemen, the Raiders' free safety on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills may be none other than journeyman Matt Giordano.While there is still a chance number 24 may man the center field position of the Raiders' defense, fans may have to get used to seeing Giordano in ...
While it is true the Raiders haven't had an aerial onslaught for a long time, it was generally believed that the passing game would be improved over the 2010 season with an additional year of experience for Jason Campbell and Jacoby Ford.The departure of Zach Miller and subsequent injury to new signee Kevin Boss did little to dispel the notion that the Raiders passing attack is still a work in progress.It was never more noticeable than in the Raiders opening game victory, where they amassed a mere 105 yards. RB Darren McFadden had 156 total yards, just for comparison.It appears ...
At 6'2" and 215 pounds, Derek Hagan has Oakland Raider size. Maybe his 4.45 40-yard dash time isn't classified as Raider speed for a wide receiver. Maybe Al Davis just likes playing the guys he chose to draft. Either way, Derek Hagan is getting the short-end of the stick during his stay in Oakland.
Hagan led all Raider receivers in receptions (12) and yardage (224) during the preseason. He looked like a perfect fit for a Raider team in desperate need of a reliable pair of veteran hands. Hagan ran solid routes and made plays when he had an opportunity, and ...
Just as we all knew they would, the Oakland Raiders were able to get by the Denver Broncos on opening week. As I knew, all the supposed weakness on the team based on the preseason weren't all there. But they are going to have to do something and do something soon about the offensive line. The Broncos aren't the biggest, most physical team in the middle on defense, yet the power-blocking plays didn't work for the Raiders in the first half. Star running back Darren McFadden was able to get loose on draws and plays to the outside at that point. Simply ...
For the Oakland Athletics, it has been an anguishing and deplorable 2011 campaign, another in a seemingly everlasting stretch of rebuilding. What started out with hope, promise and division title dreams turned into a nightmare of injuries, clubhouse bickering and general disappointment. All this has equated to, worst of all, losing. Nearly everything that could go wrong in a baseball season did, including and culminating in the firing of then-manager Bob Geren. Replacing in the interim is Bob Melvin, who inherited a team that was in the midst of a season-high 10-game losing skid.Though an unenviable position to be in, ...
It was September 28, 2008. I was up early to tee off at 8 a.m. for a shotgun start and found myself in a foursome with an old friend who did 95 percent of the talking over the 18 holes. But he had an interesting story to tell us about the Oakland Raiders after hearing I was a big football fan who actually liked the Raiders as a 10-point underdog the prior week. Having a friend who was at a wedding at the downtown Buffalo Hyatt, he got word about how the Oakland Raiders were staying at the same hotel. Unfortunately for the wedding ...