Tag: Oakland Raiders (Page 4 of 33)

      Sunday Evening Quick-Hitters: Reactions from Week 5 in the NFL

      October 9, 2011 /

      Every Sunday evening throughout the 2011 NFL season I’ll compile quick-hit reactions from the day that was in football. I vow to always overreact, side with sensationalism over rationalism, and draw conclusions based on small sample sizes instead of cold, hard facts. It’s the only way I know how to write…

      DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING…

      New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (C) walks off the field with teammates after throwing an interception that was run into the end zone for a touchdown by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter during their NFL football game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, October 9, 2011. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      – The Giants and Eli Manning had the game I thought they would last week in Arizona. Manning threw three touchdown passes but he was also picked off three times as the Giants started slow and finished poorly. Of course, Eli wasn’t the only reason the G-Men dropped a game they simply had no business losing. Their defense couldn’t stop a Seattle offense that has suddenly started to hit their stride after staging a dramatic comeback in the second half last week against Atlanta. Tarvaris Jackson, Charlie Whitehurst and Marshawn Lynch tuned up New York’s defense for 424 total yards. What’s most remarkable about the Seahawks’ 36-25 win is that the Hawks fumbled twice in New York territory. This could have been an even bigger blow out.

      – The Steelers winning a home game against the Titans hardly constitutes a “Didn’t see that coming” moment. That said, this was a Pittsburgh team that didn’t have Casey Hampton, James Harrison, Aaron Smith, Chris Kemoeatu, or a fully healthy Ben Roethlisberger. Considering how good Tennessee’s defense has been this season, it was rather surprising to see Big Ben (who threw five touchdown passes) and Pittsburgh bully the Titans for four quarters. It appears those claims about the Steelers being finished were greatly exaggerated.

      – Much like the Steelers’ win over the Titans, it’s hardly surprising that the Raiders traveled to Houston and beat the Texans. This isn’t the same Oakland team that was pathetic four or five years ago. That said, Al Davis just passed away yesterday and the Raiders took on a solid Texans team that just bullied Pittsburgh a week ago. Nobody would have been surprised if the Raiders’ hearts weren’t in it and left Houston without a win. But they played hard for four quarters, shut down Arian Foster, and won a huge road game to get to 3-2 on the season. Granted, Matt Schaub did throw an inexcusable interception at the end of the game and the Texans were without Andre Johnson. But “Just win baby?” Absolutely.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Al Davis dead at age 82

      October 8, 2011 /

      The Oakland Raiders announced that Al Davis died in his home. He was 82 years old.

      Davis was one of the true icons of professional football. For years the Oakland Raiders were one of the perennial powers in the old AFL and then the National Football League. The Al Davis Raiders won three Super Bowls, and the team always carried the image of its brash owner. The “Silver and Black” were always one of the more intimidating teams in the NFL. They talked a good game and they could back it up. Davis was known for his “Just Win Baby” attitude, and he loved speed and power football. With quarterbacks like Kenny Stabler and Jim Plunkett, Davis loved to throw the ball downfield.

      Al Davis was his own man, and he had his own epic battles with the NFL and later with his own coaches. As the years went on, however, Davis continued to have a hands-on approach to the Raiders, but his obsession with old formulas led to botched draft choices and toxic relationships with his coaches. he let Jon Gruden go, only to watch Gruden lead Tampa Bay to a victory over the Raiders in the Super Bowl the next season. That seemed to start a downward spiral, and the Raiders never really recovered.

      In recent years it became apparent that Al Davis had lost it as an elite owner as the Raiders became one of the worst teams in the league. Their consistent “Commitment to Excellence” was replaced by consistent ineptitude.

      Yet that doesn’t take away from Davis’ accomplishments. The man is a true legend, and he will be missed.

      External Sports, News, NFL

      Three reasons why Pryor was worth the risk for Raiders (and three reasons why he wasn’t)

      August 22, 2011 /
      Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) runs the ball against Eastern Michigan University during the second quarter of their NCAA football game in Columbus, Ohio September 25, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The Oakland Raiders selected former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor with a third-round pick in the 2011 supplemental draft. Seeing as how they now don’t own a second, third or fourth round pick in 2012, it was quite a gamble for Al Davis and his franchise.

      But here are three reasons why Pryor was worth the gamble for Oakland (and three reasons why he wasn’t).

      1. Don’t get fixated on the third-round compensation.
      No, the Raiders currently don’t own a second, third or fourth-round pick for 2012. But they also just lost cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and tight end Zach Miller via free agency so chances are they’ll recoup that third round pick when the NFL hands out compensatory selections next year. In fact, there’s a good possibility that Oakland will receive a third and a fourth-round pick for next year’s draft. That doesn’t mean that the Raiders should just give away their draft picks, but that’s not what they did. In Pryor, they landed a gifted athlete with plenty of potential…

      2. …Pryor is a gifted athlete with plenty of potential.
      Pryor is raw as a quarterback prospect but there’s no auguring how good of an athlete he is (which is why Al Davis was so attracted to him). He ran in the sub 4.4-range at his recent pro day and if he doesn’t make it as a QB, he has the quickness and body control to potentially become a receiver at the next level. As of right now, the Raiders don’t have any quarterback on the roster signed through next season. That includes Jason Campbell, who becomes a free agent at the end of the year. Even though Pryor will miss the first five games this season due to a suspension, he gives Oakland the developmental quarterback that their roster currently lacks.

      3. The reward could outweigh the risk.
      As it stands right now, this isn’t a move that will set the Raiders back for years to come. In the end, all they gave up was a third round pick that they’ll probably get back next year anyway thanks to Asomugha’s decision to sign with the Eagles. If Pryor winds up being a starting quarterback in Oakland, all it would have cost the Raiders up front was a third-round pick. That’s also third-round quarterback money, which is nothing. On the flip side, if doesn’t pan out at quarterback, the Raiders could still try him at receiver. If he flames out there, then hey, at least they didn’t give up a No. 1 overall selection (eh, JaMarcus?).

      THAT SAID…

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      External Sports, NFL

      Terrelle Pryor goes to Oakland Raiders

      August 22, 2011 /
      Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor throws to a receiver against Purdue during the second quarter of their NCAA football game in Columbus, Ohio October 23, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      What a surprise. The most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL takes the head case from Ohio State in the third round of the supplemental draft.

      I guess the Raiders will draft anyone who can run a good time in the 40, regardless of position.

      Terrelle Pryor is a major project. I’m not sure he can ever develop into a starter in the NFL, and he’s obviously had off-the-field issues as well. The kid needs to grow up, and landing in Oakland only makes that more difficult.

      He would have been better off going to a good team like Pittsburgh where he could learn under good coaches and behind a good quarterback who moves around in the pocket.

      External Sports, NFL

      Raiders’ Louis Murphy arrested for Viagra possession

      April 3, 2011 /

      Here’s one you don’t read everyday.

      Raiders’ wideout Louis Murphy was reportedly pulled over for a loud stereo on Sunday morning. First he ignored the officer, then he refused to show his ID or put his hands behind his back. When he finally consented to a vehicle search, officers found 11 Viagra pills in a bottle with the label torn off because he apparently didn’t want his girlfriend to know that he needed the little blue pills to, uh, perform. (Cat is out of the bag now, Louis.)

      According to the Gainesville Sun, it took three officers to place Murphy into custody. This is the former Gator’s second arrest in Gainesville, with the first coming in 2006 when he was taken into custody for possession of marijuana.

      According to a Sports Illustrated article, Murphy vowed to turn his life around when his mother was diagnosed with cancer a second time in 2007. She died in on Valentine’s Day 2008. He grieved in the butterfly garden at UF’s Museum of Natural History when he worked there as an intern for part of his sports event management degree. He was also captain of UF’s football team that year, scoring a touchdown from a Tim Tebow pass in the BCS championship game.

      Murphy volunteers in his off hours. Last year, he spoke with inmates at the Pinellas County Jail annex in Clearwater, telling them that everyone deserves a second chance.

      Being arrested for possession of Viagra without a valid prescription is more embarrassing than an indication that Murphy is a bad egg. But there’s a lesson to be learned here: When a police officer pulls you over for cranking your tunes too loudly, just comply and apologize. Even if “It’ll never happen again, officer” is a flat out lie, tell them what they want to hear and get on with the rest of your day.

      Maybe then you won’t make the papers for being arrested for something as stupid as not having a prescription for Viagra, and your girlfriend won’t find out that the wood you’ve been sporting is performance-enhanced.

      External Sports, NFL

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