Week 1 couldn't have been more unkind to the Dolphins, but the football gods are compensating by sending a banged up Oakland Raiders team to Miami in Week 2. The Raiders' injury report includes marquee names such as Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, Rolando McClain, Ronald Bartell and Taiwan Jones. Ford and Bartell have already been ruled out, and McClain, Moore and Jones were limited in practice this week. To make matters more favorable, the Raiders played on Monday night. So, not only did they have a short week of rest and preparation, but they also have to fly across the country. However, none ...
June 24, 2012. That was the day that Oakland A's rookie pitcher A.J. Griffin's dream of pitching in the big leagues came true. From his debut all the way up to the gem he tossed last night (Wednesday) against the Angels, Griffin has been tormenting major league hitters every start. The 24-year-old has made 11 career starts since that first outing and has yet to receive a loss, going 6-0 in that span. Those six straight wins to begin his career make him only the third pitcher in Oakland A's history to accomplish that feat. Though Griffin himself has only earned six decisions, the ...
It seemed settled forever on June 23 of this season that the San Francisco Giants were the Bay Area's best team.The Giants beat the A's 9-8 that day to clinch the season series and improve to 40-32 for the season. While the A's were playing better than most prognosticators expected, they were only 34-38 at the time—ten games back in the division.While Billy Beane was still competent enough to build mediocre teams on shoestring budgets, his candle appeared to have flickered out in the heavy winds of his post Moneyball fame. Brad Pitt's A's had made the playoffs on the ...
It’s Rolando McClain’s third season in the NFL and many believed it could be his last in Oakland. McClain was arrested last year, and he hasn’t played like a middle linebacker that was drafted with the eighth overall pick. Among the excuses made for McClain were that he played injured, he was miscast as a 4-3 middle linebacker and he was a poor fit in the Raiders' man-to-man, no-blitz defensive scheme. As it turns out, some of those excuses could actually be legitimate. The Oakland Raiders defense played well against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, and McClain was ...
Aww Shucks, It Was Nothin' Peyton Manning's successful return to the NFL was the pinnacle highlight of opening week. Watching Peyton touch his shoulders to signal a huddle up was quite awkward, like botched foreplay on a first date. It just wasn't going to light the candle. Then it was on.The no-huddle was unleashed and the Peyton-lead Broncos romped down the field with laser-like precision passing and near perfect execution. Peyton's game, his mastery of the no-huddle is comparative to say, Magic Johnson's court wizardry—a once-in-a-lifetime, graceful work of art.It is pure football entertainment. Peyton got great support from his ...
The Raiders will be without the services of No. 1 cornerback Ron Bartell for 4-6 weeks and wide receiver Jacoby Ford for a significant period of time. Depth was always going to be an issue with the 2012 Raiders, but Bartell’s injury was one the Raiders had hoped to afford with Atlanta, Denver and Pittsburgh on the schedule over the next month. ESPN’s Bill Williamson reports that Bartell has a broken shoulder blade and will meet with a specialist to get more information. There is hope he could be back in as little as four weeks per the report. It’s ...
In the home stretch of one of the most surprising seasons in franchise history, perhaps I may be accused of throwing a wet blanket on Oakland A's fans by speaking ill about 2013.But this piece is not meant to slight anything that has happened in this remarkable year, which still has a chance to be historic in the East Bay. No, this is more about seeing things in the bigger picture. While the A's have over shot even the most optimistic expectations already in 2012, there are more than a few signs that what we are seeing is an illusion instead ...
The Miami Dolphins (0-1) are hosting the Oakland Raiders (0-1) in a battle between two teams that direly need a win. Oakland was pegged by many scouts and analysts in the offseason to make a playoff run and possibly win the AFC West, but was shocked on national TV in the season opener. Miami is hoping that their rookie QB can show some signs of development, as he completely failed to impress in any facet of his game in his debut. Keep reading to find out more about this exciting matchup, what’s at stake, who to watch out for and ...
The expectations were high for the Oakland Raiders in Week 1, but the team left O.co Coliseum with a loss to the San Diego Chargers.Carson Palmer was a big question mark heading into the season, but he completed 70 percent of his passes and didn't turn the ball over once.The Raiders also did a solid job of cutting back on penalties. They only committed six on Monday night, but defensive tackle Tommy Kelly was flagged for being offsides twice on third down which helped keep the Chargers' drives alive.Oakland only scored 14 points all game, and it took the team ...
The first game of the Oakland Raiders' 2012 season was an emotional rollercoaster for fans of the Silver and Black. From botched punt snaps to awful penalties, there are a number of areas that need improvement. However, fear not Raider Nation! Oakland did make some quality changes that they can grow from. Let’s take a look at some of those changes and highlight three positives we can take away from Oakland’s Week 1 loss to the San Diego Chargers.Begin Slideshow