Impressive OTAs are a small part of finding the regular-season standouts on the roster. The mental component is what separates good performances from average performances this early in the offseason.
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has made a concerted effort to alter the mindset of a team packed with physical talent but in need of psychological redirection.
After the first two weeks of OTAs, it’s clear which players are drinking Del Rio’s Kool-Aid more than the rest. And that’s not a negative. Before the team can achieve any goals, the players must buy into the system and believe in their ...
Khalil Mack's football career didn't merely adopt the darkness when he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders—it was born in it.
The outside linebacker/defensive end was left in the shadows as a recruit coming out of high school. ESPN didn't give him a grade, while Scout.com ranked him as only a 2-star prospect. Buffalo was the only school to offer Mack a scholarship, so he ultimately played there in the shadows of the top schools.
Despite playing at Buffalo, Mack was able to show off his skill set on a consistent basis. That skill set made him worthy of being a top-five ...
The second week of organized team activities (OTAs) provided another chance for players on the Oakland Raiders' roster to try to make a positive impression. And for the second week in a row, several players were able to take advantage of the opportunity.
Positive reports that come out of OTAs always have to be taken with a grain of salt. The history of the NFL is riddled with players who were OTA superstars, then disappeared and never made a real impact. The Raiders are no exception (remember back when, based on pads-free practices in May, Tyler Wilson looked like he might be ...
There’s good news, encouraging news and ominous reports coming from Oakland Raiders OTAs.
The coaching staff is setting the tone in the early beginnings of minicamp. It’s part of head coach Jack Del Rio's plan to change the culture by altering the mentality of the players.
Change starts from within, and there’s a reason for the optimistic outlook despite a slight bit of uncertainty surrounding the franchise.
Let’s get into the good, the encouraging and uncertainty surrounding the silver and black.Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders made several interesting picks in the 2015 NFL draft.
Who will be the hidden gem in their draft class?
Watch as Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Matt Bowen discusses a hidden gem for the Raiders in the video above.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
The Oakland A's are totally screwed.
Come trading season, however, that won't be such a bad thing for either them or the rest of Major League Baseball. The "For Sale" sign is going to go up, and everyone will benefit.
The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but the point has been reached where we can treat an A's fire sale as an inevitability. With their 3-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, the A's dropped their American League-worst record to 17-32.
It would thus take a 15-game winning streak just to get them back to .500, and ...
The Oakland Raiders offense is projected to make significant strides in 2015. One must wonder what's offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s blueprint for optimizing a revamped offense in Oakland.
Musgrave gave one clue as to what the Raiders offense could resemble this year. Think Chip Kelly and that up-tempo offense in Philadelphia scoring points in flurries. Oakland will need those flurries to outscore opponents with question marks and unknowns on the defensive side of the ball.
Let’s step into Musgrave’s shoes and lay out the perfect blueprint for this year’s offense.
Setting Up the Passing Game
It seems logical to start with the quarterback position, but ...
Oakland Raiders' 2014 first-round pick Khalil Mack lived up to the hype in his rookie year and will look to enter superstar status in 2015.
How will the Raiders' linebackers look in 2015? What does Mack do especially well?
Watch as Stephen Nelson and Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Matt Bowen discuss the Raiders' defense in 2015.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
The second week of organized team activities (OTAs) has kicked off and there’s a lot of buzz coming from Alameda Oakland.
The Oakland Raiders' 2015 draft class has brought a ton of excitement into minicamp. Analysts, fans and the Raiders coaching staff are gushing over the possibilities of the Silver and Black regaining respect as a formidable opponent on the schedule.
We’ll dive into some rookie updates, reports and observations that should get the most pessimistic Raiders fan excited for the upcoming season.Begin Slideshow
The quarterback position is the most important position in the NFL. Fortunately, the Oakland Raiders have their QB situation sorted out. The fans and the organization are anticipating significant progress in Derek Carr's maturation process within a revamped up-tempo offense.
Can this offense run efficiently without Carr? Players aren’t indestructible, and injuries can strike a team’s playoffs hopes down within an instant.
Last season, both Nick Foles and Carson Palmer missed huge chunks of the season with significant injuries. The Philadelphia Eagles just missed the playoffs with Mark Sanchez at the helm. In the NFC Wild Card Round, the Arizona Cardinals third-string QB, Ryan ...