2019 Oakland Raiders Discussion

My main man slithering into The Hall.



Props to Brett Favre for calling out the Raider fans for showing respect and dignity on that memorable Monday Night Football game...and mentioning then Southern Miss punter Ray Guy.

 

Quick hits:

- reading that Ball and Edwards are practicing... Good news.
- the above two and Joseph are being brought along slowly.
- Heeney is now setting up the defense from his middle backer spot.
- Carrie and Hayden battling for slot corner duties.
- still no punt return person? Mickens? Hansley? Do not want Carrie back there...
- our secondary has depth. The Mickey D boys Dexter and Dewey are serving notice.
- this Cowser kid could be a steal. Clay Matthews Lite?
- D-Line... Edwards, Ellis, Williams, Calhoun, Ward, Autry. Beef, beef...and more beef.
- Holton the next solid Raider wide-out? Or the next Brice Butler?
- Holmes still Holmes. One great play followed a string of mehs...
- Washington and this other kid Richard. Maurice Jones Drew clones?
- Tom Flores for HOF. First Latino head coach. Two rings.
- Cliff Branch not in is a travesty. George Atkinson says "Lynn Swann? Soft!"

 

Besides the starting line-ups, looking forward to:

- can Cook play?
- Washington as the second back...
- who'll be the fifth wide-out?

 

From SI's Top 100 NFL players... Five from The Silver And Black.



14. Khalil Mack, LB, Raiders

After a very good rookie season in which he showed wisdom beyond his years as a run defender, Mack turned in the pass rush stats to round out his game as a dual-threat terror last season when he tallied 15 sacks, which was tops among edge players and trailed only J.J. Watt for the league lead. At this point, there’s no edge defender better at defending the run at the point of attack than Mack. The trait that stands out is his tremendously low pad level, which is a big problem for the taller tackles because it allows his to get inside and under their long arms. Combine that with strength and an explosive burst, and the NFL’s next great edge disruptor has arrived.



59. Gabe Jackson, G, Raiders

The obvious focus for Oakland’s offensive uptick in 2015 fell on Derek Carr’s development and Amari Cooper’s arrival, but not to be overlooked in the Raiders’ resurgence is the improvement up front, and Jackson has been central there. He entered the league expected to be an imposing run blocker while carrying questions about his pass protection, but he was far more effective as a protector last season than he had been as a rookie, and he turned into an all-around force as his pile-driving presence continued to emerge. The Raiders will now pair Jackson with Kelechi Osemele to form arguably the toughest guard tandem in the NFL.



86. Sean Smith, CB, Raiders

If they want to, the Raiders could send a pair of 6’ 3” giants out to the boundaries in Week 1 between successful reclamation project David Amerson and Smith, the crazy-long free agency acquisition who will be expected to set the tone in a new-look Oakland secondary. The Chiefs’ stout front seven helped raise Smith’s profile, and the Raiders’ other off-season moves put them in position to replicate that sort of pressure and allow Smith to leave QBs even tighter windows.



93. Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders

The No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft wasted little time last season showing why the Raiders have such lofty hopes for he and Derek Carr together. Cooper topped 100 yards receiving in three of his first six games while Oakland emerged as a surprise wild-card contender. Neither Cooper nor his team could keep the momentum rolling into December and January, but the upside is obvious. Cooper finished with 1,070 yards and nine TDs last season, and that should be his floor moving forward.



98. Kelechi Osemele, G, Raiders

Oakland paid Osemele like a tackle (five years and $60 million), but he likely will slot in as a starting guard on the left side, flanked by tackle Donald Penn and consistently underrated center Rodney Hudson. The Raiders did not seem to mind overpaying a bit for Osemele as an interior lineman because another team might have swooped in on him as a tackle after he finished last season playing outside for Baltimore. He also played tackle as a rookie in 2012, but it was when the Ravens slid him inside (with Bryant McKinnie at LT and Michael Oher moving to RT) just ahead of their Super Bowl run that he and the offensive line really settled in. Osemele is a bully in the run game, hence his success lining up closer to the ball. The Raiders figure to give him every chance to take advantage of his massive size (6' 5", 333 lbs.) and power to drive opponents back along the interior.

...still have not sipped the Kool Aid. Have to see the field first.

 

Man. I went to a bar to watch the early action, but it turned out there was a septic leak and they had to close the place. So I went up the street to another place - but they don't have the full NFL Pass. So I followed the game on my phone and watched Olympic basketball.

At any rate, I'm not impressed with our start. Our defense looks solid, but our first team offense has really struggled.

Carr is 12-20, 72 yards, 1 INT. I know it's only preseason, but he hasn't looked terribly good. I went back and watched the INT - the DB pushed Cooper in the back on the play. Should've been PI.

Murray: 10-40. It's not bad, I guess.

Maybe I'm overreacting

 

Cool Stats from PFF

Brice Butler has a perfect QB rating on passes thrown to him.

Gabe Jackson has gone 75 pass snaps without allowing A PRESSURE. Best among all Guards.

Matt McGloin has the highest QB grade so far among all QBs.

 

No overreaction... It is similar to how we respond when The Purple and Gold don't play well in The Summer League no less. I was annoyed about how the running game was sporadic. I was annoyed about the lack of the pass rush. I was annoyed that Mario Edwards will be out four to six weeks. I am really annoyed that my satellite provider dropped our local affiliate that covers their games.

Other than those...I'm good. The potential is there...we have talent stockpiled and so are expectations.

 

A load for Del Rio to harp about. What separates a good coach from a great one is when they make the team learn from flat outings and have its leaders held accountable. We may have a young crew but they have to start immediately.

It's a quandary between Atkinson III and Jones. Atkinson has the physical goods with power and speed BUT Jones is multi dimensional even if he is not spectacular in any of them.

 

Washington makes it over both of them. We keep Olawale. Do we need a other RB? Can we keep an extra one till Reece returns?

 

Jalen Richard...though he hasn't played in the last two exhibition games. Reports are that he is a clone of Washington.

 

I knew Karlos at FSU. I am not surprised that he's out of the league early - and pissing people off with his attitude.

 

Raiders file for TM for Las Vegas Raiders.

 

Raiders scored in their first drive. Looked good on O, especially in the passing game. Getting torched in the air - especially Sean Smith.