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Archive for November, 2012
Carson Palmer and Dennis Allen have proven to be colossal busts for the Oakland Raiders, and both of them must go. The Reggie McKenzie era in Oakland got off to a worse start than even the most realistic Raiders fan could have imagined, as this team has been embarrassed on a weekly basis. For the season, the Raiders are minus-114 in points differential—the third-worst mark in the NFL behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs.Of the three games the team has managed to win, only one was against an opponent worth getting excited about—the Week 3 victory over the Pittsburgh ...
For the first six or seven weeks of the Oakland Raiders' season, few people knew what to think of this group.Many of the losses could be attributed to flukes (early-morning game in Miami heat, long-snapping fiasco against San Diego), while they also notched an impressive home win against the Steelers.And then, things went downhill quickly.Now in the middle of a three-game losing streak in which their defense has emerged as the worst in the league, the Raiders' season is essentially over, meaning it's time to look to the future.With that in mind, we've evaluated the major areas of the 2012 ...
After getting dismantled by the New Orleans Saints 38-17 on Sunday, sending their record to 3-7, it's become abundantly clear that this year's Oakland Raiders aren't going anywhere.Last season, the Raiders gave up a third-round pick in this year's draft to select Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft, the last draft choice Al Davis ever made.Pryor was highly recruited coming out of high school before settling on Ohio State. He was a two-sport star, being highly sought after to play basketball as well, before deciding upon football. Although Pryor's college career didn't end on a high note, he still had ...
As the Oakland Raiders continue the 2012 season under first year general manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen, tough questions will need to be asked as Oakland tries to build towards 2013 and beyond. Do they stay keep quarterback Carson Palmer? Safety Michael Huff? Offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp? Who should stay and who should go?Begin Slideshow
At 3-7, the Oakland Raiders are now trying to find an identity for 2013.Reggie McKenzie's first year as general manager of the Raiders has been disappointing to say the least. After inheriting a financial disaster left by late owner Al Davis, McKenzie has a cluster of overpaid players on his hands.Unfortunately, Oakland's problems lie deeper than just the players. The Raiders have been one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NFL this year, and the coaching staff has not made it any easier for them.Let's take a look at some of the personnel changes the Raiders must make before ...
Without running back Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson, the Oakland Raiders turned to versatile fullback Marcel Reece to handle the bulk of the rushing duties against the New Orleans Saints. Reece put up 103 rushing yards and added 90 more through the air in his second career start at running back. Reece’s performance rivaled McFadden’s best performances of 2012. Reece not only performed, but he did so by executing the zone-blocking scheme that the Raiders want to use. The zone scheme has been much maligned as a poor fit for McFadden, and the Raiders chose to mix in man-blocking plays ...
For many of us, the holiday months of November and December can mean a couple of things: A great time to catch up with family, or a sobering time of reflection on our floundering sports teams. As a Oakland native, transplanted in San Diego, the past decade has been full of broken promises and shattered dreams.But every time I start to feel like I don't stand a chance of seeing a trophy hoisted, I think of how it must feel to be a Cubs fans, or worse, a Cleveland native.What's it like to be a fan of Detroit teams, where the ...
The thing that stunned most within the baseball world about the Oakland Athletics' incredible 2012 season was the fact they did it with relative no-namers.Well, it's time to start learning their names, because according to general manager Billy Beane, he's keeping the team intact for another run in 2013. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series on the backs of nationally-known talent such as NL MVP Buster Posey, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. The Detroit Tigers got there with big names like AL MVP Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. Before the season started, the most familiar face in Oakland ...
The Oakland A's have some work to do in the MLB offseason if they are to remain a playoff contender in the American League.In 2012, the A's surprised the baseball world, and likely many of their own fans, by winning the AL West and qualifying for the postseason. Once again, the cash-strapped A's had success with the now famed "Moneyball" approach.While they do have a young and talented core, based on some of the players that they will lose this offseason, several areas need to be addressed for them to have any chance at repeating as division champions.Some of the most ...
The Oakland Raiders were 1-4 after five games, but the lone victory was a 34-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the most recent loss was by three points to the then-undefeated Atlanta Falcons on the road.The Raiders started slow, but appeared to be showing progress. It was progress that fans and coaches alike would have liked to see build to the point that the Raiders were competitive in every game, but after 10 games, the Raiders have failed to show any progress and have actually regressed. Instead of pounding the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders slogged ...