Khalil Mack is the best player on a bad Oakland Raiders defense. Jihad Ward is coming off the PUP list. Mark Davis says the Raiders already own Los Angeles.
Get up. It’s time for the Black Hole Roll Call. We’re halfway through the preseason with two more exhibitions left on the slate for the Oakland Raiders. While star pass rusher Khalil Mack looks poised to defend his Defensive Player of the Year title, the rest of his defense has some serious work to do in the next two weeks.
Things could get a little better for the Raiders defense, as defensive end Jihad Ward has come off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Oakland has been bullied on the defensive line the last two preseason games versus the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams.
Though the NFL has recently moved two franchises to Los Angeles, Raiders owner Mark Davis says that his club has already won the Battle of Los Angeles and there’s no way either the Rams or the Los Angeles Chargers can take L.A. back from Raider Nation.
Here is some of the best news you might have missed on your Raiders from Monday.
Khalil Mack ready for regular season, but Raiders defense is not – Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area
Mack was the highlight of the lost Raiders defense on Saturday versus the Rams. He was explosive off the edge, including a brilliant sack of Rams quarterback Jared Goff. While Mack is on the attack defensively, his teammates aren’t anywhere close to getting on his level.
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Raiders’ Jihad Ward taken off PUP, returns to roster – Jerry McDonald of The Mercury News
Ward will be back on the field for the Silver and Black before we know it. The second-year pro out of Illinois had foot surgery this past offseason. He came into the league with a great deal of promise, but hasn’t lived up to the hype of so many of his Raiders defensive line teammates.
Mark Davis says Raiders, not Rams or Chargers, already won the Fight for L.A. – Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com
The Raiders are the most popular NFL team in three major cities: Oakland, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. While they haven’t played in Los Angeles in nearly two decades, Raiders owner Mark Davis points out that Raider Nation still stakes claim as the city’s favorite team, not the Rams or Chargers.
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Raiders are using Marshawn Lynch’s blocking skills – Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle
Ostler makes a great analogy to summarize what the addition of Marshawn Lynch is to the Raiders. The hometown hero from Oakland is blocking potential blowback about the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas in two years. It’s not just a great signing schematically for the football team, but a good PR move for the Raiders in the wake of relocating to Sin City.