MODS PLEASE LOCK | The Oakland Raiders 2015 Season Thread: Week 17 @ Kansas City / 7-8

How many wins will the Raiders have this season?

  • 0-2

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  • 3-5

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  • 6-8

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  • 9-11

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  • 12+

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Ronaldo Nazario said:
I'm going in a fairly large group, only time I've honestly ever gotten rowdy was when we won the Super Bowl, when I went to a game at Lambeau and then two weeks ago when that Hail Mary was completed. For the most part I'm fairly calm, I love my team but I know it's just a game. The most I'll do Sunday is clap. I'm gonna go in positive then, never had any serious offenders and I got respect for Raiders fans cause they've really stuck through thick and thin unlike some other Bay Area teams. But I do agree, a lot of fans get extremely rowdy and do unnecessary things :smh: but I couldn't pass up free tickets from work to this one.
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Where are you sitting at?
 
[h2]A journey into New York City’s Black Hole of Raiders fans[/h2]
By Claire McNear   @claire_mcnear  on Dec 16, 2015, 2:46p 2  

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Fan passion transcends geographic boundaries.

Past the car dealerships, past Paco’s Tequila Bar, past the hundreds of trophies on display at Rhythm Central Dance and Fitness Center, past Advance Lock & Key (Sandy’s Gone. We’re Not!) and the Tanning Loft -- that’s where you’ll find the Staten Island headquarters of the Oakland Raiders’ New York City fan club, where few of the fans have ever been to Oakland and where all of the fans think leaving Oakland would be a disaster.

The meetings are hard to miss. An SUV with the Raiders shield on its hood sits parked in front of the club’s bar headquarters, a Raiders flag hanging from each window. Above it is a New York City street sign -- "THE BLACK HOLE NYC" -- installed by one of the chapter’s members, a Department of Transportation employee. Outside the front door, two women in silver and black hug one another: How are you, sweetie?

Inside, they roar: ONE, TWO, THREE, TOUCHDOWN!

A year ago, I wrote about my attempt to join Raider Nation. I had moved back to the Bay Area after the better part of a decade away, and with my football allegiance undeclared, decided to throw my hat in with the Bay Area’s uglier, meaner, worse team in a historically bad season. The Raiders went 3–13, a whole calendar year stretching between their final win of 2013 and their first of 2014. When the article was reprinted this autumn, an email landed in my inbox.

"Good evening Ms. McNear," it began. "My name is J.T., I am the president of the NYC Black Hole Chapter."

J.T. wrote to invite me to join New York City’s Black Hole Chapter to watch a game. Come out to Staten Island sometime, he said.

"Obviously you can bring anyone you want (just have them wear black) lol," he wrote.

* * *

The Black Hole, of course, is Raider Nation’s diehards. When you think of Raiders fans, these are the ones you imagine: dressed in black and caked in silver face paint, with spikes and chains fastened to every available surface. They rule a section of seats behind the O.co Coliseum’s southern end zone, twirling plastic battle-axes and howling at the opposing team as they crush cans on foreheads and body-slam one another for sport. Just win, baby, or else.

Since 2010, the New York City Black Hole Chapter has met on Sundays in Staten Island, 2,552 miles from the Coliseum’s entry gates. The group was co-founded by J.T. Tragares, a Staten Island native, and his father, Chris. Chris Tragares grew up in Brooklyn, and after he saw the Raiders play the Jets at Shea Stadium in 1969, he knew it was the team for him.

"I met my husband and he said, ‘If this is going to work, you’re going to have to change over,’" said Irene Tragares, J.T.’s mother, who grew up a Kansas City Chiefs fan. "I thought Len Dawson was cute, but I thought my husband was cuter."

J.T. inherited Raiders fandom as a badge of ancestral pride.

For years, J.T. has been going to Oakland every year for the home opener. Six years ago, while he was there with his dad and brother, he met some members of the Black Hole. You know, one said to him, we don’t have anyone doing anything out in New York yet.

Since then, the New York City Black Hole Chapter has convened at a bar in Great Kills, Staten Island, draping the walls in Raiders flags and tuning a half-dozen TVs to the game, every game -- whoever they play, however bad their record. Dozens of people pour in, some 40 or more on a typical Sunday: men, women, children, grandparents, most of whom have been coming for years.

All of them, naturally, are wearing black: the littler ones in jerseys that read Carr and Mack; the older members in Plunkett and Stabler and Villapiano. A couple years ago, the bar changed ownership and the new owners tried to get the Staten Island Black Hole to keep it down, or at least to close the door of the room they watch games in, but that was never going to work. How else could they draw people in, welcome them to the Nation? The door stays open.

On a Sunday in November, long tables were piled with plates of cookies, platters of homemade sausage and peppers, visors signed by former players, hand-painted helmets and old Raiders Starting Lineup figurines. It was a particularly busy day for the Staten Island club: they were hosting the Jersey Shore Raiders Booster Club and another group of Raiders fans from Pennsylvania, bringing their number to well over 100.

The Jersey Shore group is an official Raiders booster club, one of 56 around the world: everywhere from Tyndall, S.D., to Davie, Fla., to Liverpool, England.

The booster clubs, which have names like "D.F.W. Raiders 4 Life" and "One Nation Commitment to the Silver & Black," pay dues to the team, authorizing them to use the team logo, and are required to do charity work. For now, the New York City Black Hole Chapter is unofficial -- but J.T. is looking to get team recognition soon.

On the walls hung the chapter’s logo: the Statue of Liberty recast as a smirking skull with an eye patch.

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Here is a fact about Raiders fandom: if you wear anything with the Raiders logo on it, you will be stopped by strangers. It doesn’t matter if you’re on Telegraph Avenue or in Chicago or Charlotte or Great Kills: if you wear the shield in public, people will come up to you and say, "Oaktown." They will say Davis, AC/DC, Raider Nation, baby. They don’t want to talk, really -- they just want to say the name, Raiders. They want to draw out every letter: Rrrraaaaaiiiiiidddddeeeeerrrrrssss.

"You go to a Raider game, you wear that silver and black -- whether you just met them or you’ve known them all your life, it’s your family," said Chris Jurgeleit, the Staten Island club's 39-year-old sergeant-at-arms. "You’re in. That’s it. We got your back, you got our back. Whatever you need, Raider Nation’s there for you no matter what."

"No other team in the NFL has that camaraderie the way we do," said Jurgeleit, whose 7-year-old son Niko paced back and forth under a projector screen, holding his head in dismay when Derek Carr threw an incomplete pass. "It’s just a beautiful thing, and that’s why my kids are Raider fans. I started them young, and they’ll pass it on from generation to generation."

* * *

It would be reasonable to think that these people -- a continent away from the crumbling old stadium, from the bursting sewage pipes and the leaky ceilings and the many people trying their damnedest to get the team out of there -- wouldn’t care much if the Raiders moved out of Oakland. That, of course, is what a lot of people involved with the team and with the NFL want them to do: go back to Los Angeles, the team’s home from 1982-94.

The Coliseum is nearing the end of its austere, concrete life, and if Oakland won’t pay to build the Raiders a new stadium, why not L.A.? Poor, woebegone Oakland, always second fiddle to San Francisco -- why not head south again to where the team still has many fans, and let a new city -- a bigger market -- have a crack at it?

"What’s going to happen is if they move to L.A., everybody’s going to get priced out," said Tony "Enz" Benevento, 37, the Black Hole chapter’s vice president, who has the Raiders pirate tattooed on his left fist. On his right is the Yankees logo. "It’s the same thing that happened with the Yankees. Yankee Stadium moved across the street, and regular fans could barely afford to go to a game. Same thing will happen to the Raiders if they move to LA."

"Stay in Oakland where you belong," he said. "They belong in Oakland. They belong  in Oakland. Oakland’s working-class."

"The real fans would not be able to sit front row behind the end zone," said J.T. of a new stadium in L.A. "Those tickets would be gone. Those are going to be P.S.L. seats. They won’t be able to afford even the parking."

And yet: J.T. and his vice president were two of the only people present who had ever been to the O.co Coliseum. Many of the attendees, in fact -- including almost all of the 103-person Jersey Shore booster club -- had never been to Oakland at all.

"I get questioned a lot," said Terri Russell, 46, the president of the Jersey Shore club and a resident of Brick, N.J. "‘You live in New Jersey! You should be rooting for the Giants or the Jets!’ And I’m like, well, they call themselves the New York  Giants and the New YorkJets, but they play in Jersey. And I pay taxes in Jersey. Change your name, maybe I’ll like you!"

"But I’ll never jump ship from my Raiders," she said.

Russell hasn’t made her pilgrimage yet: like many of her club’s members, she’s still making plans to go to the Coliseum. And when she goes, she won’t sit just anywhere: she’ll be in the Black Hole right next to Gorilla Rilla, one of the section’s more famous -- and more hairy -- residents.

"I want to go and I want to sit in the Black Hole," agreed Tina Rosado, 43, a Staten Island member. "I want to paint my face. I want to do all the crazy sh*t."

"I will die an Oakland fan," said Rosado, pulling up a pant leg to reveal a tattoo of the Raiders shield with Donald Duck in the center.

"Mine is planned!" exclaimed Russell on seeing Rosado’s work, explaining how she’s going to get a tattoo of a Raiders-style Mickey Mouse wearing a Jersey Shore Raiders Booster Club hat.

"I’m getting Raider Mickey," said Russell. "I don’t care what anybody thinks about it."

One fan told of how when his nephew, a dedicated Raiders fan, passed away a few years ago, the family asked the team for permission to use the Raiders logo on his tombstone. They'd heard a story about a guy whose family put up a San Francisco 49ers marker on a loved one's grave, only to have it ripped out when the team got wind of the unauthorized usage. But the Raiders didn't just grant approval. They paid for the tombstone themselves, a huge, carved memorial with a bench so the family could be comfortable when they visited.

Others have stories -- so many stories -- of being invited to go on the field, of being welcomed into box seats, of running into players and executives in hotels and airports and finding they were so  nice, so  humble, so  generous. On their phones they carry pictures: them and Derek Carr, them and Mark Davis, them and the roster of retired players -- Phil Villapiano, Otis Sistrunk, Ray Guy, Tim Johnson -- who've dropped by their watch parties over the years.

"When you’re out in Oakland, it’s really a family atmosphere," said Irene Tragares. "They want you to give them your suggestions, and they open up to you. Not many clubs would do that."

Once a year, the New York City Black Hole Chapter travels to see the Raiders play -- this year, to the Bears game in Chicago. Another year during a bye week, the club held a tattoo party so some of the guys could get Raiders tattoos -- not that many of them were missing them to start with. ("No. 34?" J.T. said approvingly, pointing across the room to a man in a Bo Jackson jersey. "His whole arm is Raiders stuff.") When the Raiders aren’t playing, the club organizes other events: pumpkin picking, wine tastings, polar bear plunges on Super Bowl Sunday.

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It was a dismal Sunday for the Raiders, an 18–13 loss to the Detroit Lions. But you’d never know it from the crowd. When the Raiders did anything positive -- a field goal, a sack of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, hell, even a halfway decent pass -- the room erupted in cheers. Periodically, someone would shout, "OAKLAND!" and the whole room would answer: Ooooaklaaaand.

In a room full of people with perhaps a dozen BART rides between them, everyone had a story of how they got into the team.

"I hear a lot of people say that they like the colors," said Russell. "They like the skull thing. I know so many people who are into skulls. And our logo isn’t even really a skull. More like a pirate."

"But," she added, "I like pirates too."

"I’m from New York," said Tina Rosado. "My parents were Giants fans. But for me, it was because of Howie Long. I love him. I think he’s the hottest of hot. I was like, ‘Oh, he’s hot! What team is he on?’ That’s how I really started. Like, alright: the Raiders, wearing black, known for being aggressive and mean. That’s what drew me in. And then that’s it."

Rosado has a Howie Long autograph, a gift from a family friend who met him a few years ago. It's an 8x10 of the defensive end in a suit, and on it he wrote: "To Tina, All my love." She cried.

"I keep it hanging in my collectible room," she said.

"I get a lot of people who are into them because of the old players," said Russell. "It’s hard to explain if you’re not a Raider fan, but it’s more the camaraderie. We’re more of a family."

She hasn’t been to see them at home -- not yet. And still, she’s certain. "They’re the Oakland Raiders!" said Russell. "They belong in Oakland."
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Mack, currently at 14 sacks needs 2.5 sacks to break the franchise single season record.

Derrick Burgess had 16 sacks in 2005

Carr, currently at 28 passing touchdowns needs 7 touchdowns to break the franchise single season record.

Daryle Lamonica threw for 34 touchdowns in 1969.
 
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Seven TDs in three games? I don't know if Derek gets there. Maybe if he kills San Diego.

Mack might break 16, but definitely not hitting 20.
 
Feels good to actually be looking forward towards breaking positive records.

We still hold the record for most penalties in a season, 163 in 2011. :smh:
 
I'll b happy with Carr throwin 30 TDs and coop getting over 1000 receiving yards. Mack can deff get that team sack record...all in all, very positive year...
 
[h1]Packers' Next Opponent: Oakland Raiders scouting report[/h1]
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[h4]Jack Dempsey[/h4][h4]Quarterback Derek Carr has started all 29 games since the Raiders picked him in the second round of the NFL draft in 2014.[/h4]
Since the Green Bay Packers' return to contention in the early 1990s, they've played the Oakland Raiders only five times.

The Packers have won all five of the games, and only the 1999 meeting was competitive. The point differential has been plus-25.4, the yardage differential has been plus-137.8 and the turnover differential has been plus-9.

Probably the biggest reason why four of the games were routs has been the play of the quarterbacks. While Brett Favre (four games) and Aaron Rodgers (one) were combining for a passer rating of 105.7, the nine quarterbacks that played for the Raiders checked in at 48.1.

Starting the five games for Oakland were Jeff Hostetler (1993), Rich Gannon ('99), Rick Mirer ('03), Josh McCown ('07) and Carson Palmer ('11). Also playing were Vince Evans, Rob Johnson, Tee Martin and Andrew Walter.
Click to expand...
Full article.
Green Bay  — Since the Green Bay Packers' return to contention in the early 1990s, they've played the Oakland Raiders only five times.

The Packers have won all five of the games, and only the 1999 meeting was competitive. The point differential has been plus-25.4, the yardage differential has been plus-137.8 and the turnover differential has been plus-9.

Probably the biggest reason why four of the games were routs has been the play of the quarterbacks. While Brett Favre (four games) and Aaron Rodgers (one) were combining for a passer rating of 105.7, the nine quarterbacks that played for the Raiders checked in at 48.1.

Starting the five games for Oakland were Jeff Hostetler (1993), Rich Gannon ('99), Rick Mirer ('03), Josh McCown ('07) and Carson Palmer ('11). Also playing were Vince Evans, Rob Johnson, Tee Martin and Andrew Walter.

For the first time since Kenny Stabler, the Raiders have a young quarterback to believe in. The Packers will get their first look at Derek Carr on Sunday as a three-point favorite at O.com Coliseum.

"Carr's a lot better than the guys they've had," an assistant coach on defense for a recent Raiders opponent said. "We really thought Carr was coming on. He's a pretty damn good quarterback."

Selected behind Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater in 2014, Carr (the 36th pick) has started all 29 games. The Raiders (6-7) overcame a 12-0 deficit Sunday in Denver to win, 15-12, although Carr passed for merely 135 yards.

"He's been in sort of a slump the last couple weeks," one personnel man said. "You go through that, I think, as a young player. But he's capable of scoring 35 points or having a stinker like last week."

The Raiders haven't had a winning season since they went 11-5 in 2002 and played in the Super Bowl. Since Tom Flores won a pair of Super Bowls from 1979-'87, the franchise has cycled through 13 coaches.

General Manager Reggie McKenzie, a longtime Packers' personnel director, hired Jack Del Rio in January.

"I think they're a very physical team," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said in mid-November before a 30-14 victory in Oakland. "They're a tough-minded team. I think that's part of what Jack Del Rio is trying to preach to them.

"I wouldn't say we're intimidated, but they are a very aggressive football team, yes."

This week, a combination of five scouts and assistants all picked Green Bay to win. The scores were 24-23, 20-17, 31-21, 23-13 and 24-21.

"It's a solid offense and a good defense," said one scout. "They play the run strong and they'll get after the Packers.

"At the end of the day, the Packers have a better quarterback."
[h3]OFFENSE[/h3][h3]Scheme[/h3]
Bill Musgrave, a coordinator for the Eagles, Panthers, Jaguars and Vikings, rejoined coach Jack Del Rio to call plays this year. He has an extensive playbook that can confuse defenses. He likes empty sets and getting the ball out fast. He often uses two RBs and two TEs. His preference with Oakland is to pound the ball, but the run rate has dipped to 37.5% because the ground game has been so futile (67.2, 2.9) the last five weeks. The Raiders rank 15th in points (23.0), tied for 17th in giveaways (20) and 20th in yards (344.5).
[h3]Receivers[/h3]
Last year, James Jones led the unit in catches (73) and snaps (720). This year, it's former 49er Michael Crabtree (70, 642) and rookie Amari Cooper (62, 764) leading the charge. Crabtree (6-1½, 215) has resurrected his career after two down seasons; last week, he signed a four-year extension ($16.5 million guaranteed). Crabtree, 28, runs tremendous routes and attacks the ball with sure, strong hands. Cooper (6-1, 210) not only runs 4.35 but already is a master of the double move. He is remarkably polished for age 21. Andre Holmes (6-4½, 210) and Rod Streater (6-2, 195) combined for 36 starts from 2012-'14 but can hardly get on the field because Seth Roberts (6-1½, 195), a second-year free agent from West Alabama, has been so impressive. He has 4.46 speed, good hands and five TDs. TE has become a weapon with the rise of rookie Clive Walford (6-4, 250), a third-round pick. A hamstring injury wiped out Walford's training camp, but in the last month he has been using his 4.75 speed to make tough catches deep down the seam. Mychal Rivera (6-3½, 245) isn't a blocker but has 123 catches in three seasons. Former Bill Lee Smith (6-5½, 265) can't run at all but is a rugged, nasty blocker.
[h3]Offensive line[/h3]
The Raiders are in good shape with LG Gabe Jackson (6-3, 335), C Rodney Hudson (6-2½, 300) and LT Donald Penn (6-4, 315). Jackson, a third-round pick in '14, is no better than an average athlete (5.51 speed). However, he's sound in protection and can get movement for the run. Musgrave features Jackson's pulling ability. Hudson was given $20M guaranteed to depart Kansas City in March. Size hurts him in certain matchups, but he's an excellent technician with good feet, strength and intelligence. Penn started at LT for Tampa Bay from 2006-'13 before arriving in Oakland for $4.2M guaranteed. He's one of those bad-body guys that plays substantially better than he looks. It's possible the Raiders lost their best blocker when RT Menelik Watson blew out his Achilles in August. Thus, RG Austin Howard (6-7½, 330), a former Jet, moved to RT and former Bear-Viking LT J'Marcus Webb (6-7½, 330) became the starter at RG. Howard and Webb are like having "two houses" on that side, according to one assistant. Other than size, they have few redeeming qualities. If Howard (knee) can't play, Khalif Barnes (6-5½, 320) would make the 121st start of an 11-year career. He's near the end.
[h3]Quarterbacks[/h3]
Derek Carr (6-2½, 215) ranks 10th in passer rating (96.5), vast improvement from a 30th-place finish as a rookie (76.6). He has a rapid release, outstanding arm strength, the speed (4.69) to run or avoid and a soft touch. His scores on the Wonderlic intelligence test were 20 and 23. He needs to take better care of the ball in the pocket and react better to blitzes up the middle. Matt McGloin (6-1, 210) went 1-5 as a starter in '13 (76.1 rating).
[h3]Running backs[/h3]
Latavius Murray (6-2½, 230), a sixth-round pick in '13, has hit the skids the last five games (49.6, 2.99). Even taller than James Starks, one scout said he was faster (4.39) but not as physical as the Packer. He does have very good hands and doesn't back off against the blitz. He's a bit of a long strider with a fumbling issue. Jamize Olawale (6-1, 240) and Marcel Reece (6-1, 250) also play. Olawale is a terrific talent and a better blocker than Reece, who has been a useful receiver-rusher since '10.
[h3]DEFENSE[/h3][h3]Scheme[/h3]
Ken Norton, the LB coach in Seattle from 2010-'14, is a first-time coordinator. His play sheet blends ideas from coach Jack Del Rio and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. Based on the foe, Norton employs both 4-3 "under" and 3-4 looks. Norton seems to prefer man coverage. The Raiders rank 13th in takeaways (20), tied for 23rd in points (25.1) and 25th in yards (372.5).
[h3]Defensive line[/h3]
RE Mario Edwards (6-2½, 280), a second-round (No. 35) pick, is winning with size and athleticism in a strong rookie season. On passing downs, he moves inside and might be the team's second best rusher. LE Denico Autry (6-4½, 280) agreed to a free-agent deal with Green Bay shortly after the '14 draft but apparently failed his physical before signing with Oakland a few days later. Autry is slow (5.07), but with long arms (345/8 inches), gigantic hands (115/8 inches) and a relentless approach he has impressed. NT Justin Ellis (6-1½, 335), a fourth-round pick in '14, provides ballast. Three-technique Dan Williams (6-2, 330), a big-money ($15.2M guaranteed) signee from Arizona in March, is lighter on his feet than Ellis but basically fills the same run-stopping role. Talented DT Leon Orr (6-5, 320), a rookie free agent, debuted Sunday from the practice squad and made the most of 26 snaps. DE Benson Mayowa (6-3, 240) is OK outside in sub. DE Shelby Harris (6-1½, 290), who played at Homestead and briefly for the Badgers, has been on the 53 since Nov. 19 but hasn't played.
[h3]Linebackers[/h3]
SLB Khalil Mack (6-2½, 255) was compared by one scout to Kansas City's Justin Houston. Another said he was like a young Clay Matthews. The NFL's leader in sacks (14), he uses power and speed (4.57), a disciplined approach and big energy for a complete game. He shows first-step quickness, explosive bull rush and exceptional instincts. His vertical jump was 40 inches. MLB Curtis Lofton (6-0, 245), a highly productive starter for the Falcons and Saints from 2008-'14, signed in March for $10M guaranteed to provide stability. He's a great tackler and heavy hitter, but his role has been reduced because a decline in speed leaves him vulnerable against the pass. Former Seahawk WLB Malcolm Smith (6-0, 225) plays every down, has the speed to walk out in coverage and is adequate. Replacing Lofton in nickel for about a month has been rookie Ben Heeney (6-0, 230), a fifth-round pick. He's a gung-ho type with 4.58 speed, a nose for the ball and enough smarts and athleticism to start at some point.
[h3]Secondary[/h3]
Starters David Amerson (6-1, 205) and TJ Carrie (5-11½, 205), nickel back Neiko Thorpe (6-1, 200) and dime back DJ Hayden (5-11, 190) share the cornerbacks' common bond of size and physicality. Denver's receivers dropped passes Sunday after being bodied by the Raiders all afternoon. Amerson, the ********' second-round pick in '13, fell out of favor with the new regime after two years as a starter and was cut Sept. 21. Since being claimed, he has been the best cover man in Oakland. He runs 4.42 and is a ballhawk, but in the past has taken excessive risk. Carrie, a seventh-round pick in '14, looks the part with 4.49 speed and a 41-inch vertical. He and Thorpe, a free agent in '12 with 4.45 speed, are competitive players. Hayden has terrific ability but seems to lack confidence and resorts to holding and grabbing. Former Packer SS Charles Woodson (6-1, 210) tries to hold the group together as he plays through a shoulder injury that has affected his tackling. With former Eagle FS Nate Allen (6-0½, 210) iffy (knee), it'll probably be well-traveled Taylor Mays (6-3, 235) deep in base and possibly Carrie in sub. Mays hits but is a liability in coverage.
[h3]SPECIAL TEAMS[/h3]
P Marquette King is outstanding. K Sebastian Janikowski, 37, is starting to slip. Long snapper is up in the air because Jon Condo suffered a dislocated shoulder Sunday. Former Packer-Lion-Raven Jeremy Ross was added to the roster Nov. 25 and was the dual returner for Games 11-13. RB Taiwan Jones is the top performer for first-year coach Brad Seely.
[h3]GAME-BREAKER[/h3]
When it came time for Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie to exercise the fourth selection in the 2015 draft, among the players on the board were DT Leonard Williams, WR Kevin White and RB Todd Gurley. McKenzie went with WR Amari Cooper. With 920 yards, he's set to become the team's first 1,000-yard receiver since Randy Moss (1,005) in 2005; Minnesota's Stefon Diggs (638) ranks second in yards among rookies. Of the Raiders' 12 longest receptions, Cooper has six. On Sunday in Denver, he was shut out despite being targeted eight times.
[h3]WEAKEST LINK[/h3]
CB David Amerson, the best cover man, started the season in Washington before being cut and claimed on waivers Sept. 22. The fact Amerson became a starter Oct. 4 speaks volumes about the group of cornerbacks that he joined. Oft-injured DJ Hayden, the 12th player selected in 2013, started the first 10 games before being benched in favor of TJ Carrie. Amerson leads the club in passes defensed with 20, or 10 more than the runner-up, Carrie. Oakland ranks 28th in passing yards allowed (271.5).
[h3]McGINN'S VIEW[/h3]
When the Packers played in Denver on Nov. 1, the Broncos started the same five offensive linemen as they did Sunday against the Raiders at Sports Authority Field.

The Packers' pass rush could hardly have been any less effective against what was regarded by scouts as the Broncos's suspect offensive line. Green Bay had no sacks, three knockdowns and one hurry in its 29-10 defeat.

Oakland upset Denver, 15-12, largely because of its one-man pass rush. OLB Khalil Mack had seven of the team's eight quarterback hits, and five were sacks.

Four of the sacks came when Mack beat RT Michael Schofield playing left end in a nickel defense. The fifth came when he switched sides and beat LT Ryan Harris.

On the first, Mack dipped under Schofield and sacked Brock Osweiler in 2.6 seconds.

On the second, he slipped past Schofield off the edge and sacked Osweiler in 3.3. He fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Denver for a safety.

On the third, he worked up the field against Schofield, knocked him off-balance with a right-handed shove to the upper chest and sacked Osweiler in 2.8.

On the fourth, the Broncos positioned a running back just outside Harris to chip on Mack. Instead, Mack surprised Harris with a bull rush that deposited him on his back and led to a sack in 2.6.

On the fifth, the Raiders rushed only three so RG Louis Vasquez slid toward Schofield to deny Mack the inside. This time, Mack raced wide of Schofield and registered the sack in 3.3.

Mack tied the team record of five sacks set by Howie Long in 1983. He also became the first player to get five sacks and one forced fumble in a game since the 49ers' Aldon Smith in 2012.

Mack, the fifth player selected in 2014, leads the NFL in sacks with 14, one-half more than Detroit's Ziggy Ansah and Houston's J.J. Watt.

Even though Mack played in the Mid-American Conference for Buffalo, most scouts loved him. They voted him the best outside linebacker for a 3-4 defense in that draft ahead of Jadeveon Clowney.

The Texans, who made Clowney the first pick two years ago, would surely take Mack hands-down (or Odell Beckham) if they could do it over again.
 
I was there back in 2003 when Favre lit us up after his dad died. Not gonna lie it was awesome to watch.





That was also Tim Brown's last home game as a Raider
 
didnt realize that the NFL is forcing every team to wear the color rush jerseys on thursdays next year. how you guys feel about that?
 
I think NIKE should keep that stuff in the college game. Supposedly the Packers refused to do it this year.

I would hope Mark would hold out, but we all know how that ended up with the gold 50 yard lines. :lol:
 
hopefully we just do the afl jerseys with white pants if anything. keep it clean.
 
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