Tag: Oakland Raiders (Page 9 of 33)

      If Jason Campbell is Jim Plunkett then I’m Peter King

      September 19, 2010 /
      OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Jason Campbell of the Oakland Raiders lies on the ground after being sacked against the St. Louis Rams during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 19, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

      “I see this young Jason Campbell as a football player like I saw Jim Plunkett.”

      Oh, Al Davis…you goofy bastard.

      After completing just 8-of-15 passes for 87 yards and an interception on Sunday, Campbell was benched for Bruce Gradkowski in the second half of the Raiders’ 16-14 win over the Rams. Gradkowski immediately led the Raiders on a touchdown drive and finished 11-of-22 for 162 yards with one score and one interception.

      While he wasn’t Jim Plunkett himself, Gradkowski certainly played better than Campbell, who may be in danger of losing his starting job just two weeks into the season. That’s a pretty amazing notion considering the Raiders thought Campbell would solve their issue at quarterback after JaMarcus Russell had infected the position the last three years.

      Perhaps what’s most interesting about Gradkowski is that he’s played savior before. He led the Raiders to upset wins last year over the Bengals and Steelers and some thought that he should have received a look at the starting job before Campbell was acquired.

      He may have won the job anyway.

      External Sports, NFL

      Maybe Darrelle Revis should just trade places with Nnamdi Asomugha

      August 2, 2010 /
      HEMPSTEAD, NY - JANUARY 10: Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets poses for a portrait on January 10, 2007 at the Jets training complex in Hempstead, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

      If being the highest paid cornerback in the NFL is so important to Darrelle Revis, then maybe he should switch places with Nnamdi Asomugha. I’m sure Asomugha wouldn’t mind making a little less for the chance to play for a Super Bowl-caliber team.

      In some respects, you can’t blame Revis for playing hardball with the Jets – a team that has always been regarded as a cheap organization. But considering they’re not being cheap when it comes to his new contract, what more does he want from them?

      They offered him a contract that would have made him a Jet for life. But he rejected it. They also offered him a short-term, Band-aid fix and the opportunity to talk again at the end of the season about a long-term deal.

      But he didn’t want that either.

      Even though the Jets offered him a deal that would have made him the highest paid defender in team history, it’s still not enough for Revis, who has decided not to report to camp until he receives what he wants. And what he wants is not only a new deal, but to also be the highest paid cornerback in the league. That means that the Jets will have to come up with more than the $15.1 million a year that the Raiders are currently paying Asomugha.

      Let’s rewind. The Jets are willing to make Revis a very, very rich man and set him up with a long-term deal, but because the contract won’t make him the highest paid in the league, he doesn’t want it.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Raiders deny interest in Terrell Owens

      May 19, 2010 /

      Despite an ESPN report stating that they had internal discussions about signing the free agent receiver, Raiders head coach Tom Cable is denying that the team is interested in Terrell Owens.

      “We really haven’t had any discussion about that,” Cable said. “We’ve got a good, young receiving corps, it’s never been a point of conversation.”

      “I think we did what was best for our football team, that’s the only thing that really matters here,” he said. “Why, why not, this or that, it doesn’t matter any more. What matters is we move forward as a football team and we did what we think gives us the best chance to succeed.”

      Al Davis has always acquired talent with reckless abandon, but Cable’s second quote indicates that the Raiders are going to be smarter when it comes to bringing in new players.

      For the first time in a long time, the Raiders have had direction this offseason. They dumped JaMarcus Russell, acquired Jason Campbell, had a productive draft (where the player selection actually made sense) and now appear to be staying away from players that don’t fit. Are we seeing a change in philosophy in Oakland?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Top 10 active NFL passer rating leaders

      May 8, 2010 /

      The NFL draft is over and free agency is kind of in a lull. Mini-camps and stories about letting Pacman back into the league, JaMarcus Russell being released, or what counseling Big Ben is attending just don’t help the football jones we all have. So that’s why we’re back with a few Top 10 lists to ponder. This one for the active NFL passer ratings is good because it’s a solid indicator of who you might think about drafting for your fantasy team come August or September. And hey, we’re just a few months away!

      1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (97.2)—Rodgers really emerged last season with 103.2 rating, especially once his line decided to keep him upright. He and the two guys immediately below him should win at least one ring in their careers solely because of their own talent.

      2. Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (95.8)—Rivers has topped 104 in QB rating the last two seasons. If you told me I could have one quarterback to win one game, I’m not sure this isn’t the guy I’d take. In fact, he IS the guy I’d take.

      3. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (95.6)—Romo cut down his interceptions drastically in 2009, but the pundits and fans in Dallas still couldn’t lay off the guy. I’m telling you, they don’t know how good they have it with Romo at QB. As a Giants fan, this is one guy I cringe when facing.

      4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (95.2)—Always solid, but Manning needed a freakish 121.1 rating in 2004 and two more seasons after that over 100 to make up for some really bad years early in his career. Still, he’s Peyton Freaking Manning.

      5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (93.3)—Speaking of freakish, Brady’s 117.2 in 2007 kicked him up a few spots here. You know, maybe this is the guy I want in a must-win game, but then again, he’s shown to be slightly damaged goods since the 2008 opener.

      6. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (91.9)—Brees finally won that elusive ring in 2009, and he also led the NFL with a 109.6 QB rating as well as a ridiculous 70.6 completion percentage. Yeah, I’d say he earned that ring.

      7. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (91.7)—A great quarterback that sadly has so much baggage, he has the Steelers and their fans wondering if he’s worth it. The two Super Bowl wins surely don’t hurt, but has Ben peaked?

      8. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans (91.3)—Finally healthy a full season, this guy was fantasy gold in 2009. Look for his QB rating number to continue climbing—well, assuming he still has Andre Johnson to throw to.

      9. Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins (90.1)—He hasn’t quite matched his 104.2 mark in 2002, but Pennington was always an underrated QB. And kind of still is. I mean, this guy is still a backup? I can think of at least three teams he’d be starting for.

      10. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals (87.9)—He hasn’t reached 90 in QB rating since 2006, but it’s not often you hear anyone say a bad thing about Mr. Palmer.

      Notable omissions: Not on this list are Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Eli Manning and Matt Hasselbeck. Okay, really, just the first two are surprising, but then again, maybe not so surprising.

      Source: Pro Football Reference

      NFL

      Raiders officially release massive bust Russell

      May 6, 2010 /

      Al Davis has finally decided to cut the cord on JaMarcus Russell, who is currently competing with Ryan Leaf for biggest draft bust in NFL history. The 24-year-old quarterback was officially released on Thursday, just three seasons after he was selected as the top pick in the 2007 draft.

      Somewhere, Lane Kiffin is laughing. He was the one that urged Davis not to draft Russell in ’07, but against his head coach’s wishes, Al selected the LSU product anyway. Russell finishes his career in Oakland with a 7-18 record, a 52.1 completion percentage, an 18:33 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 65.2 passer rating. Comparing the numbers, I think Craig Krenzel may have produced better numbers.

      At this point, there won’t be many teams (if any) lining up to sign the former first overall pick. Even a quarterback-hungry team like the Bills will likely stick with what they currently have on their roster, despite the fact that Russell can throw the ball the length of 87 football fields while sitting down. Everyone outside of Al Davis realizes that if a quarterback isn’t accurate, doesn’t want to work hard and takes half a season to get into shape, then it doesn’t matter how far he can throw.

      It seems as if Russell just wants to take his big payday from the NFL and walk off into the distance with it. And maybe that’s exactly what he should do.

      External Sports, NFL

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