Sunday, December 31, 2006

Hello 2 and 14

There are three minutes left in the final game of the season, after which the numbers "2-14" will be etched into the Raiders history book.

Try as I might, and despite all of the evidence, I still have a hard time understanding the supernatural ineptitude of our offense. If I recall correctly, we've scored one touchdown over the past 16 quarters.

Aaron Brooks isn't the worst quarterback ever. Guys like Ronald Curry and Doug Gabriel are quite capable (as is Randy Moss). Justin Fargas and Zack Crockett aren't pathetic. And our offensive line, while still a big problem, has stiffened a bit, and can't be blamed for everything. Yet here we are, a living definition of utter offensive impotence.

Consider that the Texans had a similarly awful offensive line last year, a season in which they also went 2-14, but they managed to put up scoring totals of 27, 15, 30 and 20 over their last four games.

So this goes deeper than our line. How deep? Pretty deep, but I can't say for sure. All I know is that something is seriously wrong. It doesn't make sense, it still defies explanation, and I'm just glad it's over. Now it's time for big changes on the offensive side of the ball.

30 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

from the anno that br & panty hate.......lets see... shannyrat was forced out by the players,art comes in,forced out by the players,white,forced out by the players,bugel,same thing...gruden,to a degree,callahan,same thing,turner,same thing...do we have a pattern here?? what causes this dysfunction, players after players,coaches after coaches?????? what is the one constent??? this is where it all begins,many years of proof and as time goes by the older he gets and the more control he takes,the worse the team is....people please WAKE UP..what is more important??? winning or making sure Al is doing it his way??? because the proof is in the pudding and the pudding says they don't go hand in hand.....what is it that we as a nation can start the ball rolling for change???? for a new way??? we ALL need to band together and ADMIT what is wrong here and start a motion,no matter how little it is,it needs to over take the nation and organization...IT IS TIME PEOPLE,DO YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS TEAM????? if you do,do what you can as individuals to get the ball rolling throughout the nation for the need of CHANGE...this is our only hope of stopping the dysfunction and overall piss poor managment of this organization.

1:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well...The Raiders are on the clock.

1:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Some pstgame takes:
1-Brooks is disgraceful. Going thru the motions, no leadership or emotion. Look at Sapp and how he's engaged on the D and compare. I got up for 16 games and I'm not getting paid. Cut his ass with prejudice.
2-Our offensive coaches are still on page 2 of the offensive coaching guidebook because on page 3 it says if it's third and 1 and you KNOW you're going for it on fourth, you throw. In the next paragraph it says when you run a QB sneak you do it from spread formation, not tight. Cut their ass.
3-Shame on CBS for rooting for the Jets to win. We know you want the NY market in the playoffs but running ads that say "45 minutes to go" and "halfway there!" are bush league and way inappropriate. The NFl should fine their ass.
4-At least the Lions won. First pick and hopeful fresh start on the way....

2:00 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

There is no debating that this is the worst Raider team and worst offensive unit in the history of the organization.

This off-season will have long lasting implications for the short term AND long term health and welfare of the Raiders organization.

Major decisions need to be made on;

- What will we do with the #1 pick?
- Who will be our QB in 2007?
- Who will be our HC, OC, GM?
- Will Moss or Porter be back? (I surely hope not)

Anon: I get your point but anyone who thinks Al Davis will sell or step back from the organization while he is still alive is just kidding themselves. I prefer discussing constructive, realistic solutions instead of living in neverneverland.

I hate to sound like a broken record but the 2 most important aspects of improving this team is the HC and QB.

For example, would the combination of Martz/Quinn be a starting point to moving in the right direction considering that our offensive unit produced 10.5 points per game?

Can the Raiders really bypass an opportunity to pass on Quinn? Wouldn't Mad Mike's innovative ideas & cutting edge offense be a solution to our ineptitude?

Upward & onward and best new year's wishes to the Raider Nation!

2:18 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

Correction:

I meant ...

"Can the Raiders really bypass an opportunity to sign Quinn? :)

2:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All of you who think Quinn is the answer...........Check your package. Yep.....Who does ND play.....Navy and Army.......Another Rick Meier For SURE! At the least pick up a QB from the SEC or any league with talent.

Quinn would be a very poor choice but I would take him over another CB or SS. How can Shell stay in Oakland......Am I the only fan who sees this 350lb Cheerleader....Cannot call offense......Shows no wisdom in Red flag moments..........Stayed with Tom "Mayor of Brokeback I-DA-HO" Walsh in spite of Pedestrian playbook.......Benched Porter but kept Big Mouth "smoothy" Moss Poppin' off from his pie hole.

I could go on but......Do I need to?????? New GM "AND" Coach..........Thats it!

I'm Out!

2:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

BAMA7
We'll just have to wait on Al. Wait on Al to change (fat chance) or wait on Al to leave (ain't gonna happen). I'd just like to see all the old raiders, my heroes growing up, step aside and turn in their notices. For the good of the nation. Freddie, W Brown, SHELL, Martin... all of them. Cuz we need change. Big time change. Let's all sit back and see what Al does. He should do something quick to show the fan base he's serious... but he'll probably leaves us all hanging out for weeks with no word.. thinks he still creating mystique. It's not mystique anymore... it's just ugly, inept football operations.
Agree with Calico Jack that HC and QB are the most important thing. Can't win without those spots filled appropriately.
Atlanta can't keep Schaub and Vick another year. I'd take either over what we currently have. Quinn I'd take, but I think he needs a great scheme, like Weiss's.
I suppose Peterson would be our best bet. And I still say that Michael Huff needs to be in the FS spot, not SS. Leave it to Al to take a FS in the 1st rd when he already had a pretty good one, and his team desperately needed QB.
Al, the legend is over. He keeps this crap up and he may be the first Hall of Famer to have the award taken back. Now I know why they wait to give HOF awards after people are retired.

3:28 PM  
Blogger nyraider said...

As RT says, the numbers and scoring ineptitude are beyond explanation, but there a few names that come to mind: Brooks, Walsh, Shell...

Bama: You’re so right, it is time for the “Raider-family” resignations to start flying in... for the good of the team.

Calico: Martz should be given a free hand, but instead of pairing with Quinn (probably overrated), maybe Troy Smith is a better match. Smith has proven more than Quinn, and we all know Al has a thing for Heisman winners.

In reality, we probably keep the status quo and take the fastest player from the combine as our first pick in the draft. So, get your air sick bags ready!

3:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

CJ-
I was never a Martz fan but after seeing this year's offensive fustercluck, I'm on board

5:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

jack....... it's our only hope and the fans can collectively send a huge message to Al,that a change must happen....don't give up hope...you mention what we really need is a hc and qb..well,what will it matter??? who will coach??? you thinking Al is going to hire a good hc and developing a qb,lol, you sir are the one in dreamland. you call that realistic????? come on dude,realistic is saying that we may as well just sit down and wait for Al to give it up and if we as a nation can make it happen sooner than him dying,i say i am all for it.no talking like the organization is going to all of a sudden turn on a dime and fire art and higher a good h.c , draft a qb that will light it up in Al's offense...that is dreamland.

5:48 PM  
Blogger x said...

Just a reminder that besides the less-than-3-points average scoring in the second half this woeful season, the Raiders were the only team in the NFL to play 16 games and not score a touchdown on their opening drive.

So, to summarize, not only can't Shell/Walsh/Shoop not make halftime adjustments, they can't even devise a successful opening drive.

Sad, but sadder is that it looks like at least one of these three will return next year.

6:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this season/year is mercifully OVER.

this organization is such poor shape that it would take a major rebuilding effort to get this team back to .500.

anonymous said what is more important??? winning or making sure Al is doing it his way???

people, the problem as much as it pains you to read is al davis. ok so we have the 1st pick. what's he gonna do with it? pick a sub 4 seconds in the 40 track star in the combine with the 1st pick?

if al does it his way, this team will be awful for many more years to come. it's high time for al to have a piece of humble pie and do what it takes to build a model organization. to start, the 1st thing to do is fire art shell. he doesn't have a clue. he cannot return to the sideline as a head coach. even worse, he CANNOT be a GM as many has suggested in the press.

admit his mistake and find a legit GM, give him control leave him alone to scout and sign the right personnel.

then find a head coach with some fire to instill a winning attitude. get rid of the cancers on this team. cut the puppet strings and promise this new coach a chance to actually coach.

then come draft time, don't make the same GD mistake he made last year and that is to let a franchise QB slip through his fingers ie: leinart or cutler. you tailor your offense to the new QB's skills NOT the other way around. oh and PLEASE NOT troy smith. i'm talking about quinn. we need a leader at the QB position. we need a leader as a coach to coach him.

i am so very disgusted at this whole al davis lovefest. this guy doesn't give a fat rats ass about us fans. if he did, he'd come out of his little dark closet and vow to clean up this freakin mess he's made. then, there's the return to LA. so you bay area raider fans better enjoy our team because 2011 is coming up fast.

having the first pick doesn't matter because he WILL do something major to screw it up.

i am so angry and full of hatred for this man for running this once proud franchise into the ground. now we are the laughingstocks of the NFL. as long as this man lives, this is what we should expect folks.

8:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Panty; your glass is empty, just like this team.

And for Gruden turning it around he went 8-8 his first year with a less talented team.

The only people who stay are Ryan and his defense. Maybe Crockett and Curry stay on offense, but aside from them everyone and coaches should be shown the door today. Well coached teams play disciplined, mistake free ball, poorly ones do not. This is not only one of the worst offensive performances in league history, but it is one of the worst coaching performance as well from playcalling, to preparation, adjustments, knowledge of the rules, clock management, game plans or lack thereof and overall leadership.

Guys; aside from Gannon's four years here we are one of the worst franchises in the entire league over the past decade and draft picks and free agents ain't going to change that. This is a disfunctional and inept organization and the product on the field is merely a result of it. I no longer trust Al to fix it and it's time for him to admit he needs help running this thing.

11:16 AM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

This take came from Peter Fleming via email:

Thank God the season is over.

But I think this season was something we Raider fans always said we'd accept, but now aren't. A rebuilding one.

As we have all been told, Al brought in Art to change the culture of the team and bring back Raider tradition. Well, aside from leading the league in penalties what did he actually do Raider-like?

I think he used this as a true rebuilding year and assessed the team. He made big changes on defense, a place where changes can be made quickly, and it showed. The #4 rating may be skewed by our offensive ineptitude (the opposition probably laid down a bit), but it's still looking like it's heading the right way. We have corners we can leave on an island and a strong, fast, developing front 7.

The offense needs a LOT of work, but at least now we know what doesn't work and it's mostly everyone's hands. I haven't seen this many dropped passes since the Seahawks of a few years ago. I actually think I heard "clang" a few times when balls thrown hit receiver’s right in the hands and bounced off.

How can we really accurately judge Walter and Brooks with the drops in mind? Wouldn't that affect your play? I'd think it would affect theirs, be it trying to do more or something different which would result in them not throwing correctly and then things spiraling downwards.

I think we need an old, angry, acquisition for the line, like a Mawae type, to teach everyone how to take the attack to the defense. I know we have coaches who were excellent players, but that doesn't always means they are the best teachers. (Like the best pitching or hitting coaches usually aren't the most talented when they played)

We are NOT going to draft a kid QB. Maybe Matt Schaub, or Leftwich or Garrard may come here. Maybe even Harrington (please no), maybe even Martin Lawrence will be back with Walter, but not one of next Marinovichs. It just won't happen.

I do believe that with the defense set on the right course, we will see the focus changed to offense, and we will see a change. I'm sure not the "Fantasy Draft" moves we love to think up, but solid moves to strengthen a horrible weakness.

I do believe this will happen. I don't believe we will be playoff bound next year. I'm not drinking that Kool-Aid, but I do think .500, with this D and an offensive makeover, is a reachable goal.

Al has changed. He never would have rebuilt like this in the past, but I think he knew that what was there was too far gone to just "reload".

Thank you in advance, and let’s go Raiders!

May they draft well and Al stay in good health.

12:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

10 Necessary Rules for Raiders 2007
1. If Shell Remains we must hire a superstar offensive coach.
2. If Shell is gone, Ryan should be coach and we still need a superstar offensive coach.
3. Draft intelligent, hard working team guys with skill... no more prima donnas with IQs of 2..Draft guys that are good teammates..Draft guys that want to be leaders and turn around a mess.
4.QB,running back, and WRs and lineman should be order of draft..This team needs playmakers and guys that want to make plays.. Hines Ward types..
5. Get rid of ALL malcontents now.
6. Draft well in middle rounds.
7. Put the offensive lineman on agility plans.. They cant run, they look like lumbering fat asses..
8. Leadership must come from vets.. Raiders are 2-13 yesterday and Warren Sapp busted his tail, his energy must be contagious to guys like Huff, Washington, Howard, etc...
9. Come to camp in great shape period.. Again no more slow fat assed lumbering lineman. Jordan could stand to lose 15 pounds too..
10. Mr. Davis please get together with management, coaches, and players and show that we are all on the same page.. Ever since Gruden left this team is a fragmented mess of identities who pay no mind to each other..

12:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lets get rockin for 2007 Raider management.. Dont ever forget that Shanahan, Snottheimer, and the Chiefs all hate us and beat the crap out of us each year.. Bring in coaches and players that have some pride, that want to compete, that have some smarts and want to bust it.. As a Raider fan for 39 years this years product was hideous.. Draft players that want to be part of greatness not part of their paychecks.. Pay for greatness not malcontents.. Draft a QB (Quinn, Brohm, Smith,) running backs (Peterson, Bush, Lynch) and playmakers are what we need..

12:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here is my plan to bring the Raiders back.

Drafting Quinn is not going to help much. He is only one guy, and I do not believe he is as good as the Qb's that the Raiders passed last yr.

So, trade down a little, staying in the top five, and collect more picks through the trade. Also, try like hell to trade Moss for at least a late 1st round pick.

In the 1st round, select LT Joe Thomas, and then come back and grab Qb, Brian Brohm, with the Moss pick.

Then take the best RB with the high 2nd round pick.
Use the rest of the draft for 0-line, & D-line help.

With Brohm in the fold, make another pitch to Bobby Petrino, with the idea he can pick his entire staff, and really coach the team.

Well, it's a big mess, and the fixin has to start somewhere.
this is my first steps toward the comeback.

1:33 PM  
Blogger x said...

In case you guys didn't catch this entertaining outburst from Jarrod Cooper:

"If you ask me, the way they were playing on offense today, they were playing to get that No.1 pick," Cooper shouted out to no one in particular. "Sorry (expletives)."

"(Bleep) it," Cooper said. "It's too late to be sensitive. Somebody needs to tell somebody the truth in this (expletive). Everybody's kissing everybody's (rear) around here."

Cooper's outburst was greeted more with hoots from teammates than with specific agreement. And afterward, Cooper asked a reporter to "be nice with me."

2:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Calico Jack said,
"Major decisions need to be made on;

- What will we do with the #1 pick?
- Who will be our QB in 2007?
- Who will be our HC, OC, GM?
- Will Moss or Porter be back?"

With the #1 pick the Raiders select one of the 3:
Antonio Pittman, Adrian Peterson, or Troy Smith (because Mike Hart is not entering the draft).
Our QB in '07 should be Andrew Walter.
Shell will more than likely be the HC and GM, as for OC, I'd like to see Shoop take full control, or bring in someone else.
Moss and Porter will, hopefully, be traded. I don't think we should trade Moss for anything less than a 2nd rounder, or a high 3rd rounder. If we cut them both, it won't be until after June 1st; but we better get something for them.
Langston Walker, Barry Sims, Robert Gallery, Aaron Brooks, all of our TE's, LaMont Jordan, Alvis Whitted, Adam Treu, Jarrod Cooper, and some other RB's should be cut.
Will Buchanon should be signed to the team, we should go after some Free Agent Lineman, and possibly draft some WR's like Limas Sweed, Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarret in the 2nd round. We desparately need a RB. If we don't find a valuable RB in free agency, we need one with our first pick. Screw this thought of "we-need-a-QB" because we don't. We need an offensive line and a running game first. What good is any QB going to do with our team with blocking and a dismal running game that we had this year?
I say we draft Antonio Pittman, who is a strong downhill runner, which is the style of play that Shell wants. He's our best choice for the draft, and will make a HUGE impact immediately on our team. Anyone else is borderline deplorable.

8:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just can't see how we can bring back Art unless he hires an experienced and compentent OC, perhaps even Denny Green. I know his team was just as bad as the Raiders but he is a good OC. And he should be desperate/hungry enough to come to the Raiders. I am not excited about Quinn. I would not mind trading down and going for Troy Smith.

Roy

8:49 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

The more I think about, the more I lean toward trading our top pick for additional picks. Bottom line, no one person (QB, RB, OT) is going to save us. We need bodies, and lots of them!

Also, Tui is all but gone, and we need to let Brooks go (0-8 as a Raider with 3 TDs 8 INTs), so we will need to add two QBs either through draft or FA (probably both). Hmm, a potential starter and a quality backup... not an easy task.

At #3 in the NFL, our defense is good, but over-rated (too many mop-up appearances). Aside from a much need DT, we should move Huff to FS, Bing to SS, Stu to backup, and show Brayton the door. Oh yeah, move Kelly back to DE where he had proven to be an impact player.

The organizational dysfunction is beyond my comprehension, so I won't delve into that. However, I expect the status quo, with Shell at HC and possibly even Lombardi back next year.

There's simply too much work needed for one off-season. Be prepared for at least one more year in limbo. I'm afraid even if we're lucky, we'll only have enough improvement by next year to win a division game or two and a road game. So, brace yourselves!

10:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hmmm, i don't think shell and lombardi will coexist. shell knows NOTHING about scouting personnel let alone managing them so my guess and hope is that shell is the one to go.

although it's good to have that one franchise player, it's wise to think about trading the pick for multiple picks. there's a QB by the name of jamarcus russell on lsu's roster that is pretty good also and might even be a lower risk than quinn. the more and more i hear, the more i am intriuged by him.

i'm sure the closer the draft gets, we'll find someone hungry or desperate (key word being desperate) enough to fork over their first this year AND next year, along with a second or third. remember what the giants did to get e. manning. perhaps somehow we can still end up with a peterson and a couple of linemen. i am NOT at all satisfied with lamont jordan. again, this is on the front office who supposedly scouts and evaluates players. and they've made very poor decisions.

first things first, al davis needs to make up his mind NOW if he will find a new coach.

11:04 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

It comes down to this. Many games this season I've watched the Raiders move the ball very well. But when they get something going, a stupid penalty, a turnover, a sack (3, 5, 7 step drop, it doesn't matter). This is the same thing that happend in Callihan's second year, both of Turner's, and now Shell's 1B. All three coaches have been successful coaches in the NFL.

While Anno would have us believe that the only constant here is Al Davis, Al Davis has been the most successful owner in NFL history. Anno would have us believe that nearly 40 years of success is accidental.

The constant over the last four seasons is instability at HC, causing a team to be built with absolutely no design. You can change that in multiple years, or you can change it one (like New Orleans did this year), but at some point one mind needs to build a team in his image.

I agree that coaching changes need to be made. We need new offensive line coaches, and we need a new OC. Shell is not an offensive guru, but we shouldn't expect him to be. Some coaches are X and O guys, other are motivational. Shell is the motivational type like many other successful coaches in the league.

As for our number one, I don't think there is anybody in the draft this season who is worth the #1 over all. We need to trade that pick for additional picks. Let Shell pick some new O-linemen, a WR, a RB, and perhaps a QB. Then this ship will begin to sail.

12:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A team without a QB MUST NOT pass up a franchise QB. We did last year but only because we thought we already had that player [AW]. So, one of two statements are now true:
1] After seeing AW for eight games, he is not the future, so we draft from among the potential franchise QBs [Quinn, Smith] or,
2] The offensive scheme was so bad that it constrained AW to the point we don't know if he's the guy or not. If this is the case, the offensive coaches gotta go, and you still draft the potential franchise QB, because they are available and we DONT KNOW about AW.

Either way the answer is the same--take the franchise QB. Brooks is good as gone and the best case is you wind up with two capable QBs [AW and Quinn or Smith] until one takes over and the other is traded.

1:02 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

lk: I might agree with you except for the fact that I don't believe there is a "franchise quarterback" in the draft this year. Sometimes there isn't. I've watched some of the big choices this year, and none of them made me think, "we've got to get that guy."

Trade down for additional picks. Both Brooks and Walter will be better with a better team around them. I'd go for a pretty decent free agent, or somebody who we can get without having to give up too much in trade (like Pat Ramsey). Then in the off season camps let them know that there is no number one. One of them is going to have to take the job from the other two.

1:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

blanda..... if you are going to mock what i write then you best be getting your facts straight... 40 years of success??? the last 20 years we avg. below.500 in wins,is that success or just mediocre??? have we won any super bowls in that time??? Al is the one constant and the problems remain the same.... undisciplined,underachieving,chaos in the locker room,poor coaching.... take a look,that is fact,plain and simple... this team is being built under one mans vision and has been since the organization has been in Al's care. you say blame it on the coaching turnover,well who is responsible for that???? the gm??? who is the gm????? STOP WITH THE DENIAL,you try and belittle what i write,at least mine is based on facts and is not a propaganda machine like yours. you say we need a great oc...who will it be,who will work under the art and Al show????? the only person i can see taking the job is some ass that can't get a job somewhere else ,like shoop or walsh....you are right about one thing,this team does need a NEW identity,one that doesn't have Al's fingerprints all over it because of what i stated earlier with FACTS....you say art is a motivator..what???? did that team ,other than the defense playing for ryan,look motivated??? if anything ,i go back to sapp's comments on doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, art lost the offense early in the year and the defense just played for themselves....art was not impressing ANYBODY on the team,jordan spoke out about it,moss did,porter did,walter did,sims did...... imagine if ALL the players spoke out about what they really thought. they would be ripping art for his poor managment of the team and poor adjustments and poor gameday coaching....that does not motivate anyone..... you need a hc that the players can respect and art ain't it....as far as coachella goes.... you say that Al gets a pass because mediocre players don't get the job done,brooks sucks,always has,Al fires a ton of money at jordan who is no where near a premiere back.Al trades away a 7th overall pick for a wr who was well known for being a problem and an attitude guy,when he just gave a ton of money to porter to be the #1 wr. yeah,great moves by Al,how was he to know that these guys suck,right???? he is the GENIUS,he is the one who calls the shots,so yes,when for most of 20 YEARS the team has been a disappointment,who do you blame?????? the guy calling the shots is who and that guy is AL DAVIS.... as for asking for someone to tell me how it is...thanks but no thanks,i have a real good view and have for some time and i don't need you or anyone else telling me what i can see with my own eyes.... deal with the facts,you can't dispute it,this is where the truth lies.....

2:33 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Ano:

Nearly everything you say is contrary to what comes out of the locker room in terms of Shell and the team's response to him.

What you continually offer is the same kind of tripe we get every year from the likes of Glen Dickey (who, by the way, has confessed to me that the reason he hates Al is based on some 40 year old grudge).

There are 32 teams in the NFL, and only two of them can go to the Super Bowl. Franchise success is based on giving the ticket buying fans a team in contention through the last home game of the season. Name ONE owner in the NFL who has done this more consistantly, and through as many seasons than Al Davis. Name one team that has NEVER gone through 4 consecutive losing seasons.

This team's worst decade was the 90s. They only made the playoffs in 90, 92, and 93. In the 80s we had two Super Bowl wins and otherwise made the playoffs in 82, 84, and 85. In the 2000s the Raiders were in the playoffs in 2000, 2001, and 2002 (with a Super Bowl appearance). I expect we'll be back in the playoffs either next year or the year after.

Your Al Davis hatred is kind of, well... uninformed.

3:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

AMEN ANON - you are RIGHT ON with EVERYTHING you've said brutha!

it chaps my hide to read that some raider fans, just because they have a knowledge of X's and O's or watch recorded games 20 bazillion times and can break down plays that they are more passionate or more dedicated than us no-nothing fans who hate al f-ing davis.

we're all raider fans and we all bleed silver and black so why doesn't everyone just chill out. you are no better than the rest of us. we all pay for our season tickets or even regular tickets so we fans, knowledgeable or NOT are certainly entitled to our opinion.

with that said, let's just watch how al blows yet another valuable pick(s). this'll screw us up for years to come!

7:45 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

I have to agree with NYRaider and LK in regards to the Raiders needing to find a franchsie QB.

Assuming that we dump Tui + Brooks and keep Walter, we have 2 slots to fill in for THE most important position on a team. Ideally we would want Walter competing with a blue chip QB draftee and a vet for the #1 spot.

There are many ways that this can be accomplished EVEN if there is no clear cut #1 type pick.

Personally, the more I read and find out about JeMarcus Russell, the more I believe he could be a franchise type QB. He could best be described as Leftwich with wheels. 6'6, 260, strong arm, mobile playing in the best conference in football (SEC), competing at the highest level.

Viewer Alert: Check out the Sugar Bowl tomorrow night where Russell (LSU) faces off vs. Quinn (ND).

Possible avenues to consider;

(1) Take Quinn at #1 (if he is deemed the best QB and a good fit for the Raiders, how can you pass him up?)
(2) trade down to #5 (or later) and take Russell, Brohm, or Smith
(3) trade down to get Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, or Joe Thomas but also target a QB for the 2nd round like MSU's Stanton

Do 1 the above the 3 things in combination of aggressively persuing trade avenues and identifying a possible free agent.

Would Atlanta take our #1 pick plus Porter for Schaub and their #1 pick? Is Plummer, Ramsey, Huard temporary stop gaps for the next 2 years while the draftee or Walters develops? Any of these combinations would be better than rolling out the status quo of Brooks/Walter;

Schaub/Walter/Stanton
Schaub/Russell/Walter (my favorite)
Plummer/Quinn/Walter
Huard/Russell/Walter
Ramsey/Smith/Walter
Carr/Walter/Brohm

8:08 PM  
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