When the Oakland Raiders brought in Reggie McKenzie as their new general manager, one of his first orders of business was to fire head coach Hue Jackson following a disappointing 8-8 season.It may have been a bit of surprising move, but his next decision, to appoint Jackson's successor, was even more surprising. Despite being the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator for just one season, Dennis Allen was given the position as the 18th head coach in franchise history.In his lone season in Denver, Allen had the Broncos ranked 20th in team defense. Before that, he served as defensive backs coach for ...
The Oakland Athletics better hope they can sign free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew, because the fallback plans are limited and bleak. If the A's look to free agents outside of Drew, they'll likely be disappointed. Free-agent options include Jason Bartlett, Ronny Cedeno, Alberto Gonzalez, Alex Gonzalez, Cesar Itzuris, Marco Scutaro and Yuniesky Betancourt. Scutaro is the best of these men, but the San Francisco Giants would be wise to re-sign the once-upon-a-time Athletic due to his overachieving performance down the stretch in 2012. Everyone else comes with age, injury risk and concerns of underwhelming hitting. With Oakland considered to be serious contenders again in ...
We’re hesitant to throw the “B” word out around here, but through 12 weeks of the 2012 season, Darren McFadden has been a fantasy football bust. In the preseason, he tantalized potential owners with his immense promise and major upside for a player that went in the second or third round of most drafts. Unfortunately, for those who gambled on the high-risk, high-reward Oakland Raiders back, he’s been nothing but a disappointment. McFadden has only gained 455 yards and scored two touchdowns on 139 rushing attempts, and hauled in 31 receptions for 190 yards (13 of these came in Week ...
The 2012 Oakland Raiders, like so many of their iterations this century, are a disgrace to professional football. By now, you know the story: since SiriusXM Blitz host Rich Gannon led the team to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Raiders have not had a winning season and have lost 10 or more games a staggering seven times. The 2012 Raiders have been unable to buck the trend. They are 3-8 and have lost six games by double-digits, including the last four in a row. It’s been yet another embarrassing season for the once-proud franchise, which features one of ...
Raider Nation, our hopes were high when the Oakland Raiders started the 2012 season.New general manager Reggie McKenzie had been brought on as the team’s first-ever general manager. First-year coach Dennis Allen was hired as Oakland’s first defensive-minded head coach since the legendary John Madden. He brought on offensive coordinator Greg Knapp to help bring the Oakland offense into the 21st century. 2012, according to many in Raider Nation, was the year the Raiders turn things around. Now that we’re almost 13 weeks into the season and the Raiders record is currently 3-8, Raider Nation is starting to panic. Here ...
To say this Oakland Raiders' season is a disappointment is an understatement. The Raiders put up two back-to-back 8-8 seasons. Once an explosive team on offense, this edition of the Raiders has failed to put up points and has caused many fans to start calling for heads. I'll stop you all right there. I am not one of those fans. I understand that this is a rebuilding year, even though most don't want to hear it. Let us not forget what kind of dysfunction was already going on before the season started.Remember when Reggie McKenzie had to trim $22 million ...
As if all the other problems the Oakland Raiders have weren’t enough, one of their strengths became an issue against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Raiders gave up four sacks, and one was stripped from Carson Palmer’s hand. The Raiders allowed countless other pressures that resulted in overthrows and incomplete passes. When the Raiders needed to protect Palmer they failed miserably. Why can’t the Raiders protect Palmer? Short answer: they don’t have the players. The four sacks the Raiders allowed were actually a representative sample of the protection issues. Like many of the Raiders issues this season, there isn’t just one ...
Darren McFadden took his typical spot on the field Nov. 25 in Cincinnati—on the sideline. Oakland’s oft-injured running back has not suited up since his side’s 42-32 setback against Tampa Bay on Nov. 4. McFadden has been out since then with a high-ankle sprain but is expected to return Sunday against Cleveland. Nobody is sure how productive McFadden will be for the beleaguered Raiders, or if he’ll even make it through the contest. That’s always the problem with McFadden, who is on the verge of becoming a bust. When healthy McFadden—agile, powerful and skillful—is one of the league’s most dynamic ...
It was another disappointing and embarrassing loss yesterday for the Oakland Raiders as they fell 34-10 to Carson Palmer's former team. The Cincinnati Bengals routed the Raiders and left them five games under .500 with a 3-8 record.Standing at 3-8, with the playoffs eliminated from the mind of Raider fans, what is there to look forward to for this struggling franchise?The 2013 NFL Draft.With the Raiders expected to have a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft, there is plenty of talent to choose from, especially on the defensive side of the football, an area where the Raiders have struggled ...
The downward spiral for the Oakland Raiders continued as they visited Paul Brown Stadium and the Cincinnati Bengals.The Raiders entered Sunday’s game on a three-game losing streak. After the dust settled, that streak was extended to four games with little evidence that it will be snapped any time soon. This Raider squad just cannot seem to get out of their own way when it comes to mental mistakes and lackluster play. To say that the team played uninspired would be putting it lightly.In fact, the only time the Raiders showed any heart was during an on-field brawl late in the ...