I’m not going to be around much the next few days, but will make myself available if anything important arises.  But this isn’t one of those posts.  I often search for new Oakland Raider related clips that I think are worthy of showing, and although the clips below are over 6 months old, (for some reason they weren’t posted until yesterday, at least I didn’t see them anywhere before then) they are too funny not to post.  This guy is passing out in a seat on the 3rd deck of the Coliseum, most of that area is almost as dangerous as the Black Hole.  I’d be surprised if he left with his wallet and shoes.

The Oakland Raiders didn’t make an announcement on their website, but at the Raider Image website the headline is “McFadden Officially Chooses #20″.  To all those who will face to Raiders during the next decade, you better get used to seeing the back of this jersey, cause ya’ll gonna see a lot of it.  After nearly a decade of seeing LaDainian Tomlinson, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, and whomever is handed the ball in Denver in the rearview mirror, times are about to change.  Tomlinson can’t keep running this hard for much longer, can he?  It’s gonna be at least another season before the Chiefs O-line is strong enough to get LJ back on track.  And Mike Shanahan finally looks like he’s worn out his welcome in Denver, so don’t expect their run game, or team for that matter to be very good.  The new star running back in the AFC West is McFadden, and like the very talented RB’s above, he will dominate early, and often.  

Today the Oakland Raiders signed Justin Griffith’s possible replacement.  I am not a fan of the idea of cutting Griffith, but if the Raiders end up making him a salary cap casualty, I think Matt Hahn will be given a chance to make the roster.  Hahn, like Griffith, is a good run and pass blocker, and also like the Raiders current starting fullback, Hahn catches the ball pretty well.  I’d hate to see Griffith go before seeing anything out of Hahn, but at least they drafted a player talented enough to start at fullback in the NFL.  Oren O’Neil did a decent job as a traditional lead blocking fullback, but Griffith and Hahn offer athleticism that’s not found often at that position. 

Warren Sapp was interviewed after the selection of Darren McFadden to see what he thought of the pick.  I’m guessing Yahoo Sports’ Mike Silver was hoping to get a response from Sapp about the Oakland Raiders passing on Glenn Dorsey, but instead he got something totally different. 

“After three games last season, LaMont Jordan led the NFL in rushing,” Sapp said. “But LaMont is like the worst offseason running back I’ve ever been around; he was out of shape and couldn’t keep it going.  Then, remember late in the season, Justin Fargas was slashing and cutting and gaining all those yards? (McFadden) is the same guy, but he’s faster.  I promise you, this guy will hit those holes and take it to the house, and then our offensive line will slash people up.”

Now knowing that Jordan is a slacker I really hope he’s gone before training camp starts.  But on a good note, it’s cool that Sapp still thinks of the Oakland Raiders as his team.  He’ll most likely go into the Hall of Fame as a Tampa Bay Buc, but it’s nice that after 5 straight losing seasons he still feels connected to the Raiders. 

Here’s one of Sapp’s quotes from the interview that I found strange. 

None of that addressed the fact that the Raiders’ defense, particularly when it comes to stopping the run, has serious problems.  Sapp didn’t argue that point – the basic problem, he said, is that owner Al Davis has put together “a team with 3-4 personnel, but they’re running a 4-3 system.  As for Oakland’s leaky defense, Sapp reasoned that Al Davis has put together “a team with 3-4 personnel, but they’re running a 4-3 system.”

I’m not sure what he meant by that, because the Raiders already tried that, and he was the reason why they couldn’t continue.  In the year that Rob Ryan installed the 3-4 scheme, Sapp had the worst season of his career.  When the Raiders moved backed to the 4-3 he led all defensive tackles in sacks.  Sapp was the one who said Tommy Kelly will step in and take his place at the 3-technique and one day be a better DT than Sapp ever was.  Does he now think Kelly’s better off at end in a 3-4, because that’s where Sapp played when the Raiders ran the 3-4, and like said, that didn’t work out?  Sapp could’ve meant now that he’s retired they should move to the 3-4, and that’s an idea I’d love for them to say they’re going to play with in camp, but he didn’t make that clear, so I’m left a little confused. 

A day after the Draft and it’s time to look at what the Oakland Raiders did.  It was a draft much like the Al Davis drafts of recent history; filled with workout warriors.  Darren McFadden brings a talent to the running back position that the Raiders haven’t had since Bo Jackson, and although his physical gifts are far above any other player in this draft, the holes in his game kept him from going in the first 3 picks.

The Raiders 2nd pick ran a 4.31 40 at the NFL Combine, and although he’s very raw, and comes from a sub par football program (UConn), his physical gifts were the reason why the selection of Tyvon Branch was praised by me, and every scout and expert covering the Draft.

The Raiders traded one gifted athlete who runs a 4.3 40, for another.  Fabian Washington was sent to Baltimore for the Raven’s 4th round pick, which the Raiders used to draft Arman Shields.  I was blatantly disappointed with the Raiders 3rd selection, but after 24 hours, I’ve begun to calm down.  After Shields’ poor Combine performance (accept for his 40-yard dash), I didn’t even hold onto the info I gathered on him.  I made a mistake and reported yesterday that Shields ran just below 4.5 in the 40, but it seems that I found old information on him, and he actually ran a 4.37 40.  I still feel adamant that the Raiders should’ve drafted Lavelle Hawkins instead of the Richmond Spider, but I now understand that for one of the first times in my life, the Raiders needed an influx in speed.  Think about it, they lost Chris Carr and traded Washington.  So the Raiders really needed Branch, but they’ve needed Shields speed on offense for over 2 years (since Carlos Francis, and he sucked).  I might not have completely agreed with the pick, but most analysts did, showing that his talent out weighed a poor Combine and Senior season.

The Raiders 4th pick came in the 6th round.  This time the Raiders took Trevor Scott, a beast in the weight room.  Well I guess since they lost Tyler Brayton they though they needed another motivator in the gym.  Brayton loves lifting weights, and like Scott, he knows that he needs all the advantage the weight room can offer, because they know they’re not the most athletically gifted players.  Not many scouts thought this was a bad or good pick, but I just think it’s another typical Raider pick.  The Raiders probably had other players on their Draft board that were gone that they were expecting to be there, and when that’s the case, they usually grab a physical freak.  “He needs to demonstrate on the field the talent that his workout numbers indicate he could be capable of.” - NFL.com

The Raiders 5th and final pick was yet another gifted athlete, and not necessarily the best football player available.  I love the size of Chaz Schilens (6′4″ 208lbs), but I’m kind of getting tired of Davis drafting gifted athletes from small football programs that amount to nothing (i.e. Francis-4.3 40, Johnnie Morant-6′4″).  I would’ve rather the Raiders drafted Lance Leggett out of Miami instead of Schilens.  He’s pretty similar in size and speed as Schilens is.  But it’s not because I don’t believe Leggett is more talented, but because he comes from a big program.

Overall I give the Raiders a B+, but that’s mainly because of the McFadden and Branch selections.

Here are the non-drafted free-agents the Raiders signed today.  There were still a couple talented players out there that the Raiders could’ve signed, but instead they mostly grabbed more small school talent.  I know that the non-drafted players get to decide what team they sign with, but still, it would’ve been nice if they picked up Yvenson Benard, Anthony Aldrdige (went to Broncos), or even Leggett.

Derrick Brown, CB, Southern Utah; Malik Jackson, LB, Louisville; Louis Rankin, RB, Washington; Shane Simmons, LB, Western Washington; Adam Spieker, C, Missouri; Chris Wagner, TE, South Dakota.

Note:  The Raiders released Dominic Rhodes on Monday, saving the team an estimated $1.75 million in cap space.  Just enough to bring the Raiders under the salary cap.  How they’re going to sign McFadden and the other draft picks might be a little bit of a problem, but if it means they need to cut Derrick Burgess, Jake Grove or Justin Griffith, then the trading for DeAngelo Hall and holding onto the 4th overall pick weren’t worth it.  This team is barley ready to compete at a high level; I think losing any pieces would destroy their chances at a winning season.  I see LaMont Jordan being cut to save us some more money, and maybe they’ll restructure the contract of Michael Huff, or sign Nnamdi Asomugha to a long term contract, but they can’t let go of anyone else, especially Griffith and Burgess. 

Just when I thought the Raiders were doing a decent job in the draft, they go and draft another John Bowie (the guy the Raiders selected with the pick they got for Randy Moss).  You guy’s send Fabian Washington to Baltimore for this?  Take a look at this link to NFL.com, and make sure to watch the footage to the right.  I remember watching this kid at the Combine and saying he looked like crap.  Don’t think this is about speed, because this kid only runs a slightly above average 40.

When you take a chance like this you need to have few risks, but this kids coming off an ACL tear that took him out of 10 games this year!  Decent size at 6′1″194lbs, but no real advantage over most corners.  Yes this kid has a lot of potential, but so do many others.  I saw nothing from his junior or short lived senior season that warranted taking him over the many talented players available, including a few receivers. 

Local product Lavelle Hawkins was just sitting there for the Raiders to take, and instead of taking the guy that scored a beautiful touchdown for Lane Kiffin and the Oakland Raiders staff at the Senior Bowl, they take a Richmond Spider.  If we could learn anything from the current San Francisco 49ers regime, is that they draft players who excel for them at the Combine, and have found nothing but success.  Hawkins should be a Raider, and not a Tennessee Titan.  Oh, and did I mention Hawkins went right after Shields…garbage

The Oakland Raiders were trying to trade Fabian Washington for a 2nd or 3rd round selection, but with those rounds passing without a taker, it’s obvious the Raiders had to settle for a 4th.  That’s what Baltimore sent them (125th overall); so after the Raiders traded up for Tyvon Branch with the Cowboys, they traded Washington for another 4th rounder.  No official word, but it apears the Raiders only gave the Cowboys one of their 7th round picks to move up, which would make the selection of Branch even better.   

My pick:  Dre Moore or Nick Hayden

I don’t like all the things the NFL Network does, but this link to NFL.com will send you to a great breakdown of the Raiders 2nd pick.  I’ve got to admit, I didn’t see this one coming.  I was so focused on finding a receiver that could turn into a starter but return kicks and punts right a way, that I didn’t even think we’d grab a corner.  The corners I scouted were man-to-man cover corners, and although Branch has the recovery speed to play in the Raiders secondary, he hasn’t worked much man-to-man.

I think this is an excellent selection, and a little insurance incase Nnamdi Asomugha leaves next year.  I don’t think Tyvon Branch will be ready to be a star in two years, but the coaches will know what they have by then, and whether he can one day start.

Here’s what Darren McFadden had to say to the local media via conference call. 

Q: Were you pretty sure this would be the team for you?

McFadden: For me, I really didn’t know what to expect. I heard a lot of talk about New York, I heard a lot of talk about Oakland too. For me, I was sitting back and I was going to be happy with my name being called.

Q: Lane Kiffin said he called you this morning, what was that conversation like?

McFadden: It’s just a great feeling, he told me if I’m there at No. 4 pick, we was going to call my name. And right before he got off the phone he said he hoped to be talking to me again soon. It was something I was very proud of. I’m very happy, to be able to go to Oakland.

Q: What do you know about Lane Kiffin’s offense and how it might be a fit for you?

McFadden: I like the way he uses his running backs. When he was at USC he moved his running backs around a lot. I just love the way he does that, I feel it’s something I can bring to Oakland, being a versatile player, that I can move around and give them a different style.

Q: He’s compared you to Reggie Bush and that he can use you in similar ways. Is that what you see?

McFadden: I feel like he can use me some of the same ways they use Reggie Bush. Those are real good things and I’m very versatile.

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