When Al Davis died on October 8, 2011, we all knew the Oakland Raiders franchise would never be the same again.After decades and decades of Davis being the one-man power structure for the organization, the Raiders suddenly had to fill that void. Hue Jackson filled it with an eventful but brief stint, as he made trades for Aaron Curry and Carson Palmer at the expense of draft picks in a win-now mindset.Jackson was the "czar" of the Raiders, for the lack of a better term to describe a head coach who no longer had any higher power to answer to. ...
In spite of a four-game losing streak, the A's are a good 12-8 through their first 20 games. Known even during the Moneyball days of the early 2000s as a slow-starting team, this start has been the team's best since 11-9 starts in 2002 and 2003.However, the clear caveat is the fact that six of those 12 victories have come against the woeful Houston Astros. But this early in the season, there is no need to apologize for the schedule. Instead, let's take a look at how Oakland's roster has performed in each major unit.First, there's the rotation. Surprisingly, this ...
If the Oakland Raiders are to right their sinking ship, then they desperately need to draft well in the coming days if they are to renew some of the hope and optimism of what was once a proud and prosperous NFL franchise. Working in the Raiders favor are some of the most passionate and flamboyant fans around, but even the most optimistic of the team's followers have faltered somewhat from the repeated blows dealt them by the front office's poor decision-making.When looking at the current state of the Raiders I see a team that resembles a struggling franchise that's very ...
Will Carroll is taking a look at the top draft picks in the 2013 NFL draft with any medical questions. Carroll takes a look at the full spectrum of info, including injury history and exclusive medical insight from Dr. Neal ElAttrache.PlayerStar Lotulelei: 6'3" 311-pound, defensive lineman from Utah Injury HistoryLotulelei has no significant injury history aside from a heart issue flagged at the NFL combine. Testing showed a reduced efficiency of his heart. The ejection fraction for Lotulelei was at 44 percent versus a low-normal reading of about 60 percent. (I had a heart attack in early March and my percentage ...
The Oakland Athletics are the best team in the American League. At least, according to their 12-4 record they are. With an MLB-best 96 runs scored, they’ve proven to be quite difficult to beat this young season. Or that it’s certainly hard to contain them for very long.Still, some might look at Oakland’s record with caution, considering the division-champion A’s have played—and beat—the Houston Astros six times already. Remember, this is an Astros squad that lost over 100 games in both 2012 and 2011, so the matchup appears to be a bit skewed in Oakland’s favor.But, in sports, anything can ...
With the NFL draft just one week away, the league enticed its fanbase Thursday with the release of the 2013 regular-season schedule. For the Raiders, the schedule officially begins Sept. 8 in Indianapolis against last year's No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck and the Colts. However, before the regular season, there's still the matter of this year's draft, which could help fortify a Raider roster that still has as many holes as a pack of Life Savers. As the process to next Thursday has taken place, I personally have had a pair of mock drafts. The first was just before the Super ...
According to ESPN.com's weekly Major League Baseball power rankings, the Atlanta Braves and the Oakland Athletics are the two top teams at this early point in the 2013 season. So who is the better team, and who will continue to excel as the season goes on?The Braves are currently hitting and pitching just as good, if not better, than any team in baseball. Led by the offense of outfielder Justin Upton, catcher Evan Gattis, infielder Chris Johnson and infielder Juan Francisco, the Braves are currently ranked fourth in Major League Baseball in slugging (.458), 10th in runs (68), 16th in batting average (.254) and 14th in ...
We already knew which teams the Oakland Raiders would play in 2013, but sometimes the order is just as important. Travel to the east coast, home games, division games, cold weather, bye weeks and the unknowns of teams with new coaching staffs all have the potential to impact Oakland’s win-loss record.There are all sorts of things that can impact the outcome of a game just by the order, but it’s still played between the white lines. The Raiders aren’t a very talented team on the field, so the schedule probably has more power to impact them than it would a ...
As the Oakland Raiders move onto the second year of the Reggie McKenzie/Dennis Allen era, they will look to improve on last season's dismal 4-12 campaign and climb the ranks in the AFC West.After an offseason of change, the Raiders will look different from last year. The team made numerous personnel and coaching changes, including a switch at offensive coordinator to Greg Olson. Olson, along with new offensive line coach Tony Sparano, will bring back a power-blocking scheme with the hopes of boosting the run game. Ideally, this scheme change will benefit running back Darren McFadden and help get the offense ...
Wow, what an offseason for the Raiders!Midway through free agency, a lot of Raiders fans were calling for Reggie McKenzie’s head. There were some big-name free agents out there, and Raider Nation wanted a few.With the cuts of Michael Huff, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Dave Tollefson, Reggie freed up some much needed cap room. This trend continued with Tommy Kelly and Rolando McClain being cut, and Carson Palmer being traded to Arizona. Reggie retooled the team while making cuts at the same time and freeing it from salary cap purgatory. From a fan’s perspective, the moves hurt. From a business perspective, ...