Oakland Raiders

preseason game and therefore meaningless, but here's what I took from the Bears' 32-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

it was another slow start for a Bears first-team defense that gave up countless first-drive scores last season. Brian Urlacher left the game after only a few plays with a calf injury that's not believed to be serious. The pass rush struggled and the coverage downfield was nonexistent on a drive that ended with a Jason Campbell QB sneak for a touchdown. Corners were out of position and linebackers were missing their assignments. It was a less than stellar effort. Julius Peppers showed up on a few goal line plays late in the drive, but it was too late to jump-start the defense by then.

Continue reading "Bears hit early snags against Raiders"

 

Forgive the extremely abbreviated posting, but I'm in the midst of a crazy nerd-filled weekend at Chicago Comic-Con and simply don't have the requisite time to fully flesh out a preseason game with the Raiders. Never fear though, I will be live-tweeting the game and posting a recap for all of you. Now let's get to a few of the things I'm looking for during Saturday night's contest.

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Raiders at Bears"

The movement could be frantic.

Oakland Raiders: How will they screw up this year?

Raiders Owner/GM/Curmudgeon Al Davis always finds a way to reach on a pick or find a complete bust. They reached on Michael Huff at pick 7 in 2006, found the laziest quarterback ever in 2007 with JaMarcus Russell and the jury's still out on 2008's Darren McFadden thanks to a poor offensive line. Probably the worst of the bunch is from last year's draft when Davis used the 7th overall pick on wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (9 catches in 11 games in 2009) and not the top WR Michael Crabtree (48 catches in 11 games). 

Continue reading "2010 NFL Draft: What to Watch for on Day One"

win unless Belichick has a second coach-fart this season. 

(8-7) Baltimore Ravens at (5-10) Oakland Raiders

If the Ravens win, they're in. That may be tougher than it sounds if the Raiders decide to try for one of their upset-specials. However, as Bruce Gradkowski is still out at QB, JaMarcus Russell will get the start. Russell can't be mediocre if the Raiders are going to play spoiler. Since I don't believe he can do that for four quarters, the Ravens should win.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 17"

e team a few weeks, it’s impressive.

   

(4-3) New York Jets 38
(2-5) Oakland Raiders 0 

After a great win, Oakland went back to being putrid. JaMarcus Russell threw two interceptions and fumbled in the first half; giving way to back-up Bruce Gradkowski’s getting some game action. For the Jets, it was a desperately needed victory. Dropping to 3-4 would not have been a happy event in the Big Apple. Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog on the bench was amusing enough though. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 7"

Both have too many issues to be legitimate contenders. 

(3-3) New York Jets at (2-4) Oakland Raiders 

Oakland is coming off a freak win against the Eagles while the Jets have lost their last three outings. Mark Sanchez has been launching interceptions left and right with eight picks in those losses. If they fall in Oakland, the Rex Ryan honeymoon will officially be over. For the Raiders, the rest of this season will be spent deciding if JaMarcus Russell is their quarterback of the future. Hasn’t looked like it to me. Oh Oakland, keep on suckin’!  

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 7"

Maybe Kurt Warner isn’t done yet. 

(2-4) Oakland Raiders 13
(3-2) Philadelphia Eagles 9 

Who saw this coming? The Eagles had been lighting up the scoreboard all season while the Raiders were struggling to just complete passes. Everyone is complaining about Andy Reid failing to commit to the run. Hello McFly! Reid hasn’t committed to running the ball in the nine years since he’s had Donovan McNabb! This is how Reid rolls: through the air.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

Yep Trent, you're a Bill. Sorry.

San Diego Chargers 24, Oakland Raiders 20

So… LT didn’t look all that great, and it brought him a seat on the sidelines as the game was on the line in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers looked flustered at times until his final drive when the Raiders gave him every check-down he wanted enough space to gain ten yards.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 1"

Overall Record: 21-19
Week 14 Record: 1-3


1) Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders

The Houston Texans were officially eliminated from the playoffs at the end of Week 15 to no surprise after the shaky first half of the season, but faded playoff hopes hasn't kept the team down the past 4 weeks as they've played tough defense and good football overall. In the last 4 weeks the Texans have defeated (in order): Browns, Jaguars, Packers, Titans. Okay the Browns and Jaguars isn't too big of a deal, but going into Lambeau and dominating the Packers and then coming home and defeating the first place team and rival the Titans? That's a statement. This should be a layup for the Texans this week as they go into Oakland to face the 3-11 Raiders. A loss would be very disappointing for a team that has won 4 straight. I take the Texans in this one as they'll win their 5th straight game (hopefully).

Continue reading "NFL Week 16 Predictions"

Thus ending Brad Johnson's NFL career. Both would be the correct move and this team's season is hanging in the balance. No sooner than Cowboy fans could rejoice over a great one-handed Roy Williams gr

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h Antonio Cromartie, one knows something is wrong.

And not that anyone expected anything from the Oakland Raiders or the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Chiefs have had the worst quarterback-carousel in recent memory and just lost inept first-stringer Brodie Croyle to a season-ending knee injury (which currently leaves the Chiefs in the utterly pathetic hands of Tyler Thigpen). And the Raiders, despite remaining competitive in many games won or lost, have not lived up the hype that their off-season acquisitions merited.

Continue reading "The AFC West: How the Former Powerhouse ..."

If the Panthers can stay on target, they’re one of the best teams in the NFC.

Oakland Raiders 16, New York Jets 13

Brett Favre always looks so depressed after a loss. I know he has the most wins at quarterback in NFL history, but shouldn’t he know how to cope with defeat? In the post-game conference, he talked about how it was one of the worst losses of which he’s ever been a part. He honestly looks like he’s going to cry in his post-loss conferences. Man up Favre. If you can call a former division rival and offer up strategy to help beat the Packers, you can suck it up after a loss, crushing or not. He’s also mostly to blame, as he threw two interceptions to kill Jet drives. Added with a Leon Washington fumble, the Jets turned it over three times, while the Raiders didn’t let it go once. New York dominated in the running game, rushing for 242 yards on a collective 33 carries. When you’re gaining over 7 yards a carry, the only thing that can stop you is turnovers. Nice job Brett. This one’s on you.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 7"

Week 7 is officially in the books as Tuesday, the 21st of October rolls around today. This week's Fallout report will cover the most interesting games from the week 7 slate in the National Football League. The alarm is going off in Big D as the Cowboys struggle for the second week in a row to find a win, the Vikings put up 41 in a loss, and Brett Farve gets the ball three times in overtime against the struggling Raiders, but can't chip any points in. I'll cover those happenings....right now!

Continue reading "NFL Week 7 Fallout"

eally kiss (name deleted) in high school, he wanted to know if the Saints were going to lose to the Oakland Raiders.

God, I wish I knew. If there's anything we've learned about the Saints it's that they can beat any team in the league and also lose to any team in the league. A Saints fan doesn't get to have the confidence and faith that say - the New York Giants have in their team. We don't even get to have the overconfidence that Dallas Cowboys fans have. Unfortunately, a loss to the train wreck that is the

Continue reading "My Brother-In-Law Called Me From ..."

It was an interesting week in the National Football League. A few surprises, a big meltdown by one team and one bruised and battered team found a way to win a big prime-time game. Let's get right to it--game by game.

Continue reading "NFL Week 5 Fallout"

First off, I want to introduce myself. My name is Jake, I live in Houston. I'm glad I found this place. I've read a lot of bloggers material today from predictions to their favorite teams' rants, it's great. I enjoyed it. Sports, baby sports!

Continue reading "NFL Week 5 Predictions"

m that is clearly in rebuilding mode, can they be their division spoilers and create some upsets?

Oakland Raiders – How many flashes of greatness, if any, will we see from this team’s young talented skilled players?  How many games can this defense keep them in and give them a shot at winning?

Continue reading "NFL Opening Weekend = Christmas in September"

Well, it's taken me a minute to write this second part, mostly due to the fact that I’ve been swamped with work. Some good news, well, for me anyway, is that this blog will soon become available as a podcast. I’m working out the details but a big thanks to Bill Takeshita for getting me into it.

Continue reading "Feeling that Clippers Spirit (Part ..."

The Oakland Raiders opted to not improve their horrendous defense in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Instead they went with another offensive playmaker in Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. Was McFadden so desirable that a team with a defense as bad as Oaklands really couldn’t pass him up? I guess so. Still their defense needs work and without a strong defense their hopes of making it to the playoffs will be shot down. For Oakland is too easy to run on and they are even easier to pass on. They play in a division that is praised for their respective running games and if Oakland can’t stop them, they don’t stand a chance. They finished last season with a 4-12 record. Last season, was a horrible display of both offense and defense, but I think that they’re offense was better then they were given credit for. Their running game was fantastic. 3 running backs from Oakland had 100 yard games last season and I don’t see that changing much this year. Their offense will be much improved and maybe that can make some noise, but it takes a whole lot more to make the playoffs.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #17: The Oakland Raiders"

Josh McCown, John Beck, & rookie Chad Henne out of Michigan. McCown started for the Oakland Raiders last season and had a tough year. The Raiders aren’t a great team, but McCown barely played. He missed several games due to injuries, which in turn questions his durability for this season. John Beck, the Dolphins second round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, has seen very limited time in the NFL, but in that time hasn’t looked like the Quarterback of the future. This brings us to Chad Henne. The rookie quarterback selected in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft. He’s a talented quarterback out of Michigan who can perhaps make an impact for the Miami Dolphins. The only problem is that he’s a rookie. You can’t rush rookies into playing at the NFL level. Henne is going to need some time to develop into an NFL quarterback. What I think will happen is we will see Josh McCown as the starting quarterback for at least 6 weeks. This will give time for Chris Henne to refine his knowledge of the playbook and prepare himself for his first start, which I believe will be week 7 at home against Baltimore. John Beck will most likely only see time if McCown can’t go. I believe Henne will be the Quarterback of the future for the Miami Dolphins.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #2: The Miami Dolphins"

I wrote the following article during the 2005 season for my campus newspaper. It is still very true today and I think most people will get a kick out of it. And just for the record, I am a Raiders fan.

Continue reading "I HATE TOM BRADY"

Huh? Really? Yeah, the Oakland Raiders have turned in an embarrassing season where they were nearly last in every measurable category. Since the departure of John Gruden, they have been on a

Continue reading "The Los Angeles Raiders"

My #1 team(s) the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders never even made it to the playoffs - so the time has come for auxiliary cheering methods – jump on the bandwagon! I have planned out who I will be rooting for next week for sure (remaining season afterward to be determined):

Continue reading "Bandwagon Season!"

The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, and Pittsburgh Steelers made appearance after appearance in the post-season and nearly every other team was just window dressing. Later, when the cap came along things slowly changed. The shift has been interesting and it has taken me a bit to become accustomed to teams from smaller markets and without storied pasts gaining prominence.

Continue reading "Random NFL Rumblings…"

My San Francisco 49ers are stinking up the place as are my Oakland Raiders. There is no hope from my San Diego Chargers either…huuuuhhhmmmmm

Go Bucs!

Continue reading "My Guilty Pleasure"