Archive for June, 2009

Today on ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning, Kirk Morrison delivered a dagger to the hearts of bloggers and sports talk radio hosts nationwide by proclaiming JaMarcus Russell as the leader of the Oakland Raiders. The statement is in stark contrast to many of the reports and articles written about Russell recently with the newest issue revolving around Russell’s absence from the final day of the last OTA. Keyshawn Johnson was filling in for a vacationing Jim Rome and did his best to give Morrison every opportunity to stir the pot and each time Morrison proved to be every bit the [...]

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The ball is in your court, Coach Cable. You spent the free agency period convincing Al Davis to sign offensive linemen. You didn’t bat an eye when Mr. Davis dialed you and uttered three nouns – “Darrius Heyward-Bey“. You inherited Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. Any one of those aforementioned runners would be an upgradge for most NFL teams, having all three is a luxury. When you were introduced as the newest head coach of the Oakland Raiders you proclaimed to the world that you would be calling the plays despite that fact that Paul Hackett and Ted Tollner – [...]

After seeing how much money Al Davis was willing to commit to Nnamdi Asomugha, ultra successful used car salesman Drew Rosenhaus decided to get a pony into the Oakland sweepstakes as well. Rosenhaus made the announcement on Twitter that he has agreed to represent Oakland Raider left tackle Mario Henderson. We are pleased to announce that we have signed Mario Henderson, starting left tackle of the Oakland Raiders as a new client. Mario is a rising star at his position and we are excited to work with him. He is a FSU alum and played high school ball in Fort [...]

The OTAs have come and gone. Now, we’re all just waiting until training camp starts in July for our next serious Raider fix. Here are a few of my takes on what has transpired during the OTAs. JaMarcus Russell’s progress – Depending on who you ask, Russell either looked like he was taking one giant step towards Ryan Leaf status or he was slowly progressing into the team leader Tom Cable challenged him to be. There is not a more galvanizing member of the Raiders than JaMarcus. Either you believe Jeff Garcia was brought in to mentor Russell or to [...]

Numerous outlets are reporting that the Oakland Raiders have signed former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis to a three year deal. Much of the speculation revolves around what the rumored arrival of Ellis means not only to Oakland’s plans for the defensive end turned linebacker but also to trade bait incumbent starter Derrick Burgess. Ellis was selected eighth overall in the 1998 draft and played defensive end for the Cowboys for the first eight years of his career. When Dallas made the shift to the 3-4, the former North Carolina Tar Heel was moved to outside linebacker. In 2006, Ellis played [...]

Here’s a little Raider food for thought to get you through the weekend. Enjoy! The Vick Question – David White of the SF Chronicle offers four good reasons why Mike Vick will not be a Raider Raider Special Teams  Committed to returning to Excellence – Patrick Patterson Examines the best special teams unit in the NFL The Raiders’ Unstoppable Rushing Attack – A good read on Bleacher Report that not only dissects the Raider running backs but also offers a nice nickname for the Fargas, Bush, McFadden trio: “Triple Thunder” Kirk Morrison to Answer Fan Questions - Got a question you’d like to ask Oakland’s [...]

JaMarcus Russell is the starter. Jeff Garica is Russell’s backup. End of discussion. No matter what you might hear discussed by Disney sportscasters. Despite the blurbs in Sports Illustrated, one thing remains as clear as the glass case housing three Lombardi trophies in Oakland: This is JaMarcus Russell’s job to lose. Tom Cable assumed the coaching reigns in Oakland with an old school mentality. He’s building his roster through competition. Somehow his philosophy of competition has been confused with controversy. Russell was the youngest starter in the NFL during the 2008 season. As the number one overall pick in the [...]

In the continuing efforts of the Oakland Raiders to acquire every quarterback who has played both in the Mid-American Conference and for the Cleveland Browns, Charlie Frye was added to the roster today. Frye’s name was the newest to pop up on the Oakland Raiders transaction page. The former Akron Zip joins former Toldeo Rocket Bruce Gradkowski in competition for the role of emergency/third string signal caller. Frye and “The Big” Gradkowski both played for the Browns prior to their Oakland arrivals. David White of the San Francisco Chronicle believes that this all but assures Andrew Walter of a one-way [...]

If Tom Cable wants to announce himself as the Harry Redknapp of the NFL, then he’ll pull a Houdini and show Raider fans something they haven’t seen since September 28th, 2003: A victory over the San Diego Chargers. The Raiders had to overcome a two touchdown deficit in the second half to defeat the Chargers by way of a 46-yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal back in ’03. Since that 34-31 victory, the Chargers have taken the rivalry by the horns in Jim Tressel-like fashion. The numbers are ugly and I suggest viewing them on an empty stomach. The Chargers have 11 straight victories over the Raiders. During [...]