Oakland RAIDERS Season Thread

[The_Isomotion31]

McFadden and Goodson back at practice today. I'm actually going to Sunday's game so can't wait.

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

McClain Waived??

 

[ag 47]

McClain Waived??

Is this real life?????? I just checked NFL.com and saw nothing. But someone else mentioned this in the NFL discussion thread. Jesus Christ man.

NVM: He wants off the team to play for a "real team"....good riddance.

 

[dman14]

So what's going to happen with DMC? Will he continue to be a Raider?

There's no reason he wouldn't be. He has another year on his contract, only a trade would have him playing for another team.

I guess I misread a blog or something. I probably read they "should" trade him. I was skimming football news.

But yeah, I agree with everyone else, Knapp should be gone. Though I would like to see more from Dennis Allen, I don't want him gone just yet.

what other options does he have? dude is injury prone and plays a position where the average career span is very short.

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

It's funny that he says he wants to play for a real team cause we want a real Linebacker

 

[The_Isomotion31]

Read about the McClain thing. Sort of feels like a swing and a miss situation. In that the Raiders were thinking about waiving him in anticipation of picking up Babin...But when Jacksonville got him...well......


I really think McClain has a place as a pass rusher and run stopper. Just not in coverage. Kid is only 23 years old. I would of gave him another year to see if he could over come his shortcomings in the passing game. That is of course with a discount on that salary.


Regardless, when he leaves I'm sure he will find a home somewhere that will utilize him.

Meh, enough of that. Wonder if the Raiders will be able to contain Trent Richardson this weekend.

 

[albooboo]

It sounds like he will be released tomorrow.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Once Allen had moved him from an every down player to only participating in particular schemes the writing was on the wall. I can't imagine other teams utilizing him further than the demotion we gave him, unless the team is struggling and they are working a 3-4.

 

[laker4lifeman]

Heard about this thank god he's gone now. I wasn't even hyped when we drafted I was meh. He was going to get cut at the end of the season but that confrontation today made it faster.

 

[blakmn89]

best highlight of mcclain as a raider

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

lol that body slam was vicious.

 

[ag 47]

Once Allen had moved him from an every down player to only participating in particular schemes the writing was on the wall. I can't imagine other teams utilizing him further than the demotion we gave him, unless the team is struggling and they are working a 3-4.

Truth. Still shocked me pretty good. I thought this management was going to be boring and regular

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

“@VicTafur: Rolando McClain would be 27th player that new #Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has erased from roster since last year’s Week 17 loss to Chargers.”


Cleaning House

 

[captain charisma]

best highlight of mcclain as a raider

Pretty much the only highlight of him as a Raider.

Excluding this gem...

 

[The_Isomotion31]

Bill Romanowski is going to throw a party on CSN. lol.

 

[The_Isomotion31]

Well no news of being waived yet. Read an article speculating that the Raiders are going to try to suspend McClain for conduct detrimental to the team(Apparently he got in a shouting match with Dennis Allen yesterday at Practice) And will just release him at seasons end.


Also, the game this weekend has been blacked out. Won't really matter for me as I will be there.

We shall see if Pryor is activated as the 3rd string qb this weekend.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Maybe management doesn't want to make him available during the season to help other teams. I honestly feel that Rolando is talented enough to play in the NFL and that he would have done enough to be on our team if we ran a 3-4. But given his behavior, there's no chance of keeping him here at the rate he's being paid and hope for him to contribute that way. Release him in the offseason and let teams figure him out then.

 

[The_Isomotion31]

Looks like he was suspended for 2 games and due back on the 10th. Maybe McKenzie will have a chat with him then?


Would anyone like a Chucky/Kiffin combo in Oakland? Think the Raiders D can benefit from or use the Tampa 2? Of course, then they would definitely need to have an awesome pass rusher IMO.

Hell, even giving Dennis Allen another shot. would a Dennis Allen/Kiffin combo be able to help fix the defense?


Wonder who are the available Offensive Coordinators are next year... Think Andy Reid would be willing to be a coordinator ala Jack Del Rio? Would Andy Reid be the right guy for this offense?

 

[ham city]

My boy shared this with me today. Whether you believe it or not it's interesting to say the least.

Sources close to RF have sent in a compiled report of various happenings with the Raiders organization:

Rolando McClain:
The following is what happened regarding McClain and DA: McClain's other half gave birth to a second child not long ago. McClain went to the coach early yesterday morning and told him that as a result of the second baby, he's not going to be able to attend 7am meetings anymore. DA was pissed off to say the least. Anyways, on the training field yesterday mid morning, they went through the first set of drills and McClain was half-assing it, not putting any effort in. DA pulled him aside and they chatted for a bit. It was unsure what they said as they were speaking quietly and it didn't appear there was any problem until McClain shouted at DA: "I HAVE FOUR F*CKING MILLION REASONS NOT TO TRY HARD!" He then went on to tell DA, "F*CK YOU!" to which DA replied, "F*CK YOU TOO!" Branch and Kelly ran to DA and McClain and separated them, pulling McClain aside and trying to calm down and respect the coach, before taking #55 off the field. Contrary to initial reports, McClain has not been waived. He has been suspended and has been told that he is not allowed to even come into the building at 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway unless he has his attorney present. The Raiders are currently attempting to find a way not to pay McClain for the final 5 weeks of the season, and will look to move him in the off-season. My source later revealed that McClain has been unhappy ever since he was drafted by the Raiders, that he has never been able to adjust to playing for a team which is on the wrong side of the W-L column. It was also mentioned that McClain wants to return to the South. Said Omar Gaither was a certainty to start at MLB this week, "which is going to be fun."

Regarding Reggie McKenzie:
Said Mark Davis (MD) was depressed about the current situation. In regards to the hiring of Reggie, it was Ron Wolf's doing. Wolf pretty much told MD "that's your guy," and Mark went out and got him. No other candidates were interviewed, and my source said that even though it was an interview, Reggie's interview was more of a formality than anything else and was a certainty for the job. There is speculation amongst the Raiders organization that Wolf only recommended Reggie to MD so much in order to get his son, Elliot, up the ranks at Green Bay. Despite this, Reggie has been in the league for a long time and is more than qualified for the job. Going back to MD, DA has his job very secure and that it is doubtful MD would be willing to "eat 9 million" (DA is on a 4 year deal worth 3 million per season). Source also said even though he (MD) doesn't know much about football, he wants the Raiders to play a specific way. Said it wouldn't surprise them if MD went above DA and Reggie and fired Knapp as Davis is fond of Saunders.

Al Saunders:
Saunders is merely an offensive assistant, doesn't have much to do with the specific game planning, is just a coach who coaches. Saunders told my source that he is firmly against putting your schemes in and trying to make the players fit the scheme. Said that it needed to be the other way around, by which you put your players in positions where they are most comfortable to make plays. Said to read between the lines, it's obvious Saunders and Knapp don't see eye to eye.

As for DA, said he was young but extremely meticulous, "to a fault." He's a perfectionist who wants everything spot on. He doesn't tolerate any BS and is very much a hard nosed guy.

Described this year's D as "terrible." At the same times, they mentioned that "players play, coaches coach." and that coaches can only do so much before it becomes the players' responsibility to make the play that is drawn up. At the same time, source mentioned that you could put every coach (except DA) on the market, and offered them to the 31 other teams, there would be few who would be hired by the other teams in the same capacity they are with the Raiders. Specifically mentioned that Giordano was "horrible," our D-Line is "terrible," and that Mike Mitchell "shouldn't even be in the NFL." When I pressed the source about the D-Line, they said that Houston is a "rah rah guy" who doesn't back it up on the field nearly enough, than Bilukidi is not good enough to be playing regularly yet, and that Carter is a walking injury who is playing way too much because we have no one else who is even remotely good enough to get on the field.

Richard Seymour:
Basically has "no leadership qualities." He is a guy who is simply collecting a check at this point in time. Said Seymour does his big rah rah speech in the locker room and what he says there on gameday is the complete opposite of what he does during the week. Specifically said that the trainers have cleared Seymour to practice. His hamstring has healed but Seymour being the leader that he is has decided to take it easy anyway. Went as far to say that source was unsure why Reggie hasn't cut him yet. Reggie apparently is a guy who loves hard workers. Said that we might not see great teams, but the 53 men on the roster will be trying their ***** off for 60 minutes of game time every Sunday once Reggie gets this thing built. Mentioned that Seymour's 2013 year of his contract is a "team option," and said there's no doubt he'll be released.

As for other defensive players:
Curry was described as a guy whose knees were "shot" and released simply because he didn't warrant getting any playing time. Mentioned when he played in the first game that he had two personal fouls which may have been a factor. Also mentioned Huff as a guy who is a candidate to be released at the end of the season, as he "gets beat a lot." Contrary to some reports, source believes Branch is a definite player to remain in Oakland in 2013, and not be a cap casualty.

As for the offense, believes that McFadden is done as an elite guy, is likely going to remain on the roster in 2013 (contract year), though mentioned that 2013 would be a lame duck year so it wouldn't be surprising to see him traded. Mentioned Reece is a guy who is going to be good in a HB role for a few games but it definitely not the solution to starting at RB. Said that Reggie won a ring at GB with a backup running back (Starks), so I guess you can read between the lines there for yourselves Said that Denarius Moore will be "fine" despite having problems with Palmer recently, that Heyward-Bey will be back in 2013 (which is his contract year), that Myers is a good receiver but can't block well, cringed when I mentioned Brisiel's name and wondered how bad Bergstrom has to be if he can't get a start on this offensive line.

Jacoby Ford:
Speaking of Jacoby, he may have to retire given his injury is one that is going to keep reoccurring if he continues to play football and spends the majority of his time hitting on interns.

As for offensive coaches, Wiz left because Pollack and Knapp are good friends. Pollack took complete control of the line and treated Wiz as if he was a guy who knew nothing about football. And because Knapp and Pollack are good friends, the chain of command always had Pollack in Knapp's corner. Wiz's response to that was he didn't need the money nor the stresses of the 80 hour/week job and could spend more time with his family than putting up with that, so he subsequently quit. Nothing much else to say about current coaches. Former coaches on the other hand...

Hue Jackson:
Source said that Jackson lost the team by the end of the year. The press conference after the final game of last season was only the tip of the iceberg. At the end of that game, here are two of the quotes Jackson had to say to the players in the locker room behind closed doors: "I'm sick and tired of covering your *****!" and "You guys just suck!" Source told me other quotes but I honestly forget them and don't want to quote incorrectly. Nonetheless, what Hubert said was ridiculous. He didn't have a cooling off period between losing his ***** on the players and the official post-game presser, which explains his public anger.

Jon Gruden:
Then there's Jon Gruden. Source stated it's unlikely Gruden would come back and coach the Raiders. However, source described Gruden's feelings for the Raiders as an "infatuation." Also said that there are 2 reasons that Gruden wants to get back into coaching:

1. He is getting older and doesn't want NFL guys to think that he has been out of the game too long

2. He gets pissed off and has a point to prove given that there are some who believe he won the Superbowl with Dungy's team

Mentioned Gruden lives in St Petersburg (FL) and barely has to work. Flies out for the MNF on the saturday, leaves after the MNF game, and spends Tuesday through Saturday at an office building he rents for 800/week breaking down game film. He has a very relaxed life but the NFL is definitely not past him.

The Raiders and LA:
Last but certainly not least is the ownership situation between MD and the NFL. Said that the NFL is trying to get MD to sell his majority stake in the team. They would still like him to remain a part owner, in the vicinity of 15%, but they want the majority owners to be more business minded. The NFL will then help the Raiders move to LA (should a change in majority ownership occur). Source also stated that they wouldn’t be surprised for this to happen, although it’s extremely unlikely this will happen next year. Having said that, the source said that the lease can easily be broken. Mentioned that the new stadium will most likely be Farmers Field, and not the City of Industry, as more people are in the vicinity of LA Live and it will be a more popular area, although the City of Industry stadium plan appears to be the more sound proposal.

 

[ham city]

If there's one thing the Raiders have done right so far post-Al it's slowly getting rid of the unproductive bodies and cancer personalities. It's another tough season on the books for the players and the fans and in a lot of ways the play of the organization reflects the state of the city. Oakland is shambles now. The murder rate is climbing as is crime and soaring unemployment. Look forward to seeing some of the younger players getting reps and looking forward to offseason changes with the new year upon us. Cheers to everyone and happy holidays

It seems like people not from Oakland always want to make a point that this city is in shambles.

I'm not gonna act like everything's all sweet, it's been a very rough year for murders but we've seen drops two of the last three years. The unemployment rate is NOT rising and has been steadily dropping for almost three years.

We're alright. All things considered its pretty amazing the growth areas like downtown and parts of West Oakland have experienced throughout the economic crisis.

Not trying to get at you but I just don't see the parallels between a city and the sports franchise.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

That report is interesting, if true. I can see MD having to be convinced to hire Reggie, simply because he himself doesn't know football like that. He's known for not having a football mind, but choosing Reggie was the smart move. And it wasn't just Wolf advising MD on the hire; Madden and Davis vetted McKenzie for a six hours interview before making the hire official. Wolf may have had ulterior motives, but Madden's loyalty to Al would have impelled him to speak out if he didn't agree with the McKenzie hire, in my view.

If Rolando has never been happy being drafted by a losing team then he should have his head checked. You were one of the best player coming out of college in 2010, where did you think you were going? And you can't be upset that you find yourself on a non-contender when you yourself aren't contributing positively to turning things around. Rolando is too talented to be done after this stunt in Oakland; I see him being released at season's end and then signing on in a back-up type role somewhere closer to home for him and producing mixed results.

I think Seymour's situation is something most of us could have guessed. So much of the weeks in season he spends away from the practice field, attending to injuries. He's older now, with little to prove and happy with the amount of money he's going to be taking home.

The McFadden bit is disappointing to hear, if true. Aside from his lis franc injury, he's had relatively minor injuries and been forced twice to work in a system that hides his natural ability as a power runner that punishes defensive players with his size and speed. I dont' want to believe that he's missed his time as an elite back, but if he can't get it done next season what else can be said for him?

Gruden's information is interesting only as a minor note. I think most of us realize that he'll likely never return to Oakland; his price tag would be enormous and the team is committed to doing things in a new way, unfettered by past role players in the team's history. McKenzie certainly isn't going to hire someone like Gruden unless he himself believes that he is the right man for the job, but so many "right" men can be found for a much lower price. Perhaps after a failed coaching experience elsewhere for Gruden and Allen is tossed later on could the Raiders and Gruden come together, but I don't see that happening.

The NFL leaning on Mark to become a minority owner and moving the team to LA has me concerned, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I don't like the idea of the team going "corporate" and losing its link to Al Davis. I doubt any change in ownership could change the atmosphere of Raider games or Raider Nation, so I suppose it isn't that serious an issue. Los Angeles is obviously more than ready to support an NFL team in a new stadium in the heart of the city, and though I object to the likely monetization of tailgating by designating areas for it and charging for entry and use, it's time that the Raiders had a new stadium with prime fan support. Oakland has proven the past two years that it's able to bring the fans into the Coliseum and sell out; what hasn't been proven is the City of Oakland's ability to eliminate its own ineptitude (and corruption?) in working with teams within the City to live up to promises to provide support for a new stadium. Without that, there's dim hope for either the Raiders or A's remaining in the City.

 

[laker4lifeman]

Everything that I just read is pretty much what I thought was going on except MD on Reggie. Especially Briesel and Bergstrom :x

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

I wish they would ship Rolando to Jags it's in the south and they sucks worse than we do

 

[dman14]

blacked out vs the browns?

 

[laker4lifeman]

Yup