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Archive for March, 2013
Following in the footsteps of many other NFL teams, the Oakland Raiders opened the 2013 free-agency period by making major slashes to payroll.According to the Raiders' official Twitter feed, the team released wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, safety Michael Huff and defensive end David Tollefson on Tuesday:As a franchise that was languishing on the edge of the salary cap heading into the league year's opening, Oakland's moves were likely financially motivated. Heyward-Bey and Huff alone combined for a cap number of a shade under $22 million, per Spotrac.While that all won't be recouped—dead money from previous bonuses still lingers—the releases will ...
There are few teams in the NFL that have more to accomplish than the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have fewer than 50 players on the roster and don't have a lot of cap space to be active in free agency—which kicked off at 4 p.m. EDT.   There isn’t a position on the team where the Raiders couldn’t use a player or two. The Raiders need bodies at cornerback, defensive tackle, defensive end and linebacker at the very least. There’s also a need for a left guard and right tackle on offense. Since the Raiders don’t have much cap space, ...
The Oakland Raiders are one of the more interesting teams to track as NFL free agency begins. They have plenty of needs to fill, a number of contracts to address and even an unenviable quarterback situation. In short, this team is a mess. However, general manager Reggie McKenzie has a chance to right the ship and return the silver and black to prominence by making the correct signings, cuts and draft picks during the offseason. It’ll be interesting to see what the organization winds up doing, and we have some of the latest rumors here on tap to give fans ...
Raider Nation wants action, but the best thing for the team actually might be inaction. At least that’s the case with Carson Palmer, who has a cap number of $15.3 million in 2013, according to overthecap.com. The Raiders would be somewhat crazy to go into 2013 paying their quarterback such an absurd amount considering his level of production, but time is on their side. Palmer holds all the cards right now because the Raiders probably aren’t comfortable handing Terrelle Pryor the starting job in 2013. Palmer would also be interesting to other teams looking for a quarterback, so he’s not ...
One of the biggest problems with the Oakland Raiders franchise over the last few seasons has been the front office making moves that have improved the team in the short term, but sacrificed the well-being of the team in the long run.Transactions such as the trades for Richard Seymour and Carson Palmer come to mind immediately.  Both trades were made to improve the team in the present, but sacrificed the future. Also, both cost the Raiders a first-round pick (2011 and 2012) and a second-round pick (2012).  The practice of trading premium draft picks for aging veterans seems to have ended, as Reggie McKenzie has ...
The free-agency period will be a key part of the Oakland Raiders offseason, and much of which will dictate their strategy for the 2013 NFL draft as well.  While free agency is no way to build the foundation of a team, it can certainly be extremely useful in adding some necessary upgrades at key positions.  Having said that, winning free agency is hardly about teams signing the most big-name players, but rather teams getting the most value at positions of need. Essentially, winning free agency should be measured internally rather than externally comparing to other teams around the league.  With ...
The hottest position competition for the Oakland A's this spring is at second base, which is where one of their hottest hitters happens to play his defense.Jemile Weeks has had an up-and-down career, having been called up from the minors in 2011, being deemed untouchable in trades that offseason and then being sent back to the minors in 2012.With the A's trading Cliff Pennington and losing Stephen Drew in free agency, Weeks has gotten his chance to climb back to the top.  Weeks has missed some time with an injury this spring, but before getting hurt he was off to a ...
Tommy Kelly has been mentioned as a prime candidate to be released this offseason because of his massive contract that he signed back in 2008, and now it appears even he is buying into the speculation.Kelly told the San Francisco Chronicle that "the writing is on the wall" for his release. Kelly said that the Oakland Raiders have not contacted him at all since the end of the regular season.  Kelly formed a solid tandem with teammate Richard Seymour in the middle of the Raiders' defensive line and were among the NFL's best defensive tackle tandems in 2010. But that ...
Twelve official unofficial games into spring training (Friday's washout against Seattle not withstanding) has provided a bit of time to assess who looks good, who has struggled out of the gate and who's dealing with health issues for the Oakland A's. In terms of the players projected to make the 25-man roster, things have looked largely promising, though a couple of players have stood out, both good and bad. Note: Italics represent player deemed biggest surprise, bust or serious injury situation currently on each list. SurprisesShane Peterson - Peterson, beyond a long shot to make the club out of camp, has been ...
The Oakland Athletics are going to win fewer games in 2013, but fear not—they'll only miss equaling 2012's mark by a few games. Predicting a regular season record can be difficult. First, there's 162 games to think about. Then, there's variables to consider, such as injuries and suspensions. And that's just for one team. Factor in injuries and suspensions for the 20 teams the A's will face this season and this task becomes ambitious. So how does one predict a team's record? Taking an initial look at the schedule is a good place to start. There's a certain sense that ...