The Oakland Athletics have a glaring hole at third base—one that could be filled effectively by Brandon Inge. The former Detroit Tiger was cut Thursday, ending a 12-year career in the Motor City. Inge is only a .234 career hitter. In nine games this season, he's 2-for-20, and his .100 batting average is well below the Mendoza Line. Still, there's a couple of reasons the A's should take a chance on Inge. The Current Incumbents Aren't Great As of right now, the two players receiving the most repetitions at third base are Eric Sogard and Josh Donaldson. Donaldson is ...
Just because the Raiders had to wait 94 selections before jumping on the draft clock, it doesn't mean they won't see any impact from their incoming rookies this season. New GM Reggie McKenzie got his job largely because of his ability and reputation for identifying talent. There will be no better test of that than this draft. McKenzie had very little to work with, but he has definitely brought in some intriguing pieces. At the time of writing this, the Raiders have made four selections. Here is what you can expect from those picks. Rd. 3, No. 32: Tony Bergstrom, G, UtahBergstrom spent most of ...
CBS Sports had Juron Criner ranked as the ninth-best wide receiver in this year’s draft class. While Criner isn’t a big-name wideout prospect, he does have all the right tools to make a significant contribution during his rookie season. The University of Arizona product finished his collegiate career with 209 receptions, 2,859 yards and 32 touchdowns. At 6’3”, 224 pounds, Criner has good size and strength. He possesses good vision and lateral quickness—which explains why he runs so well after the catch and why Arizona consistently looked to feature him in its spread offense. The Wildcats often looked to get ...
Defensive end prospect Jack Crawford, a Longport, New Jersey native, was a four-year contributor at Happy Valley and was named to the All-Big Ten second team in 2011. He had a strong senior season for Penn State, posting 40 tackles (7.5 for a loss), 6.5 sacks and six passes defended.Crawford possesses all the physical attributes scouts look for when evaluating 4-3 defensive ends. He ran a 4.76-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine—a terrific number considering he's 6'5" and weighs 274 pounds. What the Experts are SayingNationalFootballPost.com sums up their evaluation as such:A big, strong defensive end prospect who still has ...
The Raiders just got a strong, fiery and versatile linebacker in San Diego State's Miles Burris.Burris has spent his football career playing inside linebacker. This past season he switched to the outside and looked good doing it. Burris has a nose for the ball and is a sure tackler. Defensive statistics are unofficial, but ESPN had him pegged for 76 tackles last season. He also knows how to get to the passer. ESPN recorded eight sacks for him last season. What Miles Burris Brings to TeamBurris will be able to play either the inside or outside. He has good size at 6'2" and ...
The Oakland Raiders are in desperate need of a backup QB, and there is not a better fit for that spot than Matt Leinart. Both parties seem to be fully aware of this as ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that league sources tell him the Heisman trophy winning QB will visit the Raiders next week, and he is expected to sign a contract.The move makes sense for many reasons. The first and most glaring is that the Raiders need a backup QB. As it is now, second-year QB Terrelle Pryor is the backup. And Pryor is not ready to be a snap ...
It appears the Oakland Raiders will add some insurance behind oft-injured starting quarterback Carson Palmer by adding veteran Matt Leinart. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Leinart is expected to visit Oakland this week.The 28-year-old quarterback is expected to back up Palmer, his predecessor and fellow Heisman Trophy winner at USC.Meanwhile, second-year dual-threat Terrelle Pryor will likely lock down the No. 3 spot on the depth chart as he continues to progress at the pro level after being selected in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft.The move was first reported as a possibility by ESPN’s Bill Williamson after Leinart ...
The Oakland Raiders are "likely" to sign free-agent quarterback Matt Leinart this week, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.The move would give the team another backup option behind Carson Palmer, who is entering his first full year as the team's starter and hoping to improve after having to learn the playbook on the fly last season.Originally the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft of the Arizona Cardinals, Leinart has had an underachieving career after starring at USC. The former Heisman Trophy winner played in 12 games as a rookie, finishing with 2,547 passing yards to go along with 11 TDs, ...
The first step to being successful is getting over .500 and the Oakland Athletics have taken that step. The A's took a 3-1 lead on an Eric Sogard two-run home run and never looked back on Friday night. Josh Reddick added a home run for Oakland and finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI.Brandon McCarthy picked up his first win of the year. He was solid for seven innings allowing two runs while striking out four and issuing three walks. The win gives the A's an 11-10 record and puts them one game over .500 for the first time since May 18, 2011.The A's won ...
The Oakland Raiders came into the 2012 NFL draft ill-equipped with only five draft picks. Their first pick would not come until the end of the third round at No. 95.Personally, I expected the Raiders to go defense. Reggie McKenzie had expressed interest in nose tackle Josh Chapman of Alabama. If he was interested in nose tackle, Washington's Alameda Ta'amu was there as well, surprisingly.When Willie Brown announced that the Raiders selected Tony Bergstrom, I turned to my laptop and did some research immediately. Turns out, the guy fits perfectly with what the Raiders are trying to do.But before I ...