Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The Next Hour

I feel like an absentee landlord who isn’t taking care of the building, and who is thankful that the tenants aren’t pulling the plumbing out of the walls in protest. Thanks to everyone who is keeping the lights on while I abdicate my responsibilities.

Life is good, and so is my health, but I've decided to pursue a more rigorous diet. My concerns are genetic in nature, and unrelated to chronic exposure to Jerry Porter and Barry Sims, or to radioactive traces of LaMont Jordan. So I’m watching my salt and my caffeine and everything else besides oatmeal and leafy greens. No big deal.

Which, oddly enough, brings me to the Raiders. My diet for the team seems to be changing as well.

I’ve gorged on the Raiders here since September of 2005. Now, 425 posts later, my brain has unexpectedly urged me to go on a diet, for the sake of my mental health. So I’ve been playing hooky. I must confess I’ve enjoyed it. I haven’t been paying too much attention to the draft board, and I can’t tell you what Chris Long eats for breakfast or how many tattoos Darren McFadden has, and I must admit that my ignorance has brought a measure of bliss.

Of course, none of this helps my credibility as a Raiders blogger, but I’m just trying to be as honest as possible, because that’s what the regulars here have been with me. I could pretend that I’ve been wearing a Mel Kiper wig and analyzing round six by candlelight, but that’s just not the case.

I’m just flat tuckered out by the drama, the speculation and, quite frankly, the caring. It’s not that I no longer care. I just sent my first payment for season tickets. I’m still totally “in,” as some like to say. I’m just suffering from “care fatigue” at the moment. I’m not sure if you care about any of this, and I certainly understand if you don’t. I just don’t want to let the paint peel without an explanation.

Let’s be honest—this year got off to a terrible start. Lane Kiffin later confirmed the obvious and pretty much admitted to some serious internal issues, which thankfully seem to have settled down. Who’s to blame? Who cares at this point. What’s unavoidable is that we can’t afford to create new issues, because we’re already plagued with issues. The more error, the slimmer the margin for it. It's common sense.

But then the tide started to turn, at least on paper. Terminal scholarships (Porter, Sims, etc.) were terminated. Sure, we overspent on some guys, but it beats not spending at all. There’s no question that the personnel music is being faced, and that new talent and a new attitude are taking root in Oakland.

I heard a guy on ESPN Radio a few weeks ago, saying that the Raiders were the worst franchise in sports after the New York Knicks. Nice analysis. We’re not even the worst franchise in our division—the Chiefs are in the crapper again, and they’ve never really been out of it, have they? When’s the last time the Chiefs did anything significant in the playoffs, the few times they’ve reached them? Unlike the Raiders, I haven’t seen the Broncos or the Chargers in the Super Bowl in the 21st century, either.

Even as the Raiders rise from the dead, the Haters just can’t help dancing on our alleged grave. This is their hour. The next will be ours.

Anyhow, who cares? I guess I do after all.

289 Comments:

Blogger PantyRaider said...

RT...

Love ya man....It takes a lot more to be honest than it takes to lie....I can respect all that was said...

I have been there a few times myself....After the "SB" loss to the "Bucks" I went into total Hibernation for several months until the draft brought me back out and got me excited again...The year before we lost our Coach to those same "Bucks" and now this was just too much....It seemed all was lost...All the dreams -n- expectations were suddenly gone...And than came the next 5 years of bitterness that have followed....I know the rest also feel the pain...

Somewhere in that deep depression I came to grips with who I really am....I'm a Raider....That's who I will be til they bury me deep under and I escape the agony forever....Until than I will hold my head up....Win or lose....Be thankful for all the great memories over the years....Keep looking with hope to the future that the "OldMan" can somehow bring it all back again....

That's what has me so excited now...Al is out there really giving it his all...I owe him all the support I can possibly muster...It's now...

"Aye Captain....I'm in to da Death"...."When do we sail"...."Not a coward on-board sir"....da crew will stand tall and fight.....fight....and fight again and again until we prevail"..."Or we all parish to da sea"...

PantyRaider....Raider-Love!!!!

10:27 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Posted on the other thread but I wanted to re-post it here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FCfZoPGEFA

Y'all really need to see this video....Amazing...That bastard can run with speed and throw the ball on the money....Nice pass....He can turn the corner with speed and than accelerate into another dimension and leave the "LB"s-n-"DB"s grabbing for air...He can hit a hole so quickly that it looks like he was shot out of a cannon....The "D" has NO chance to adjust to his angle....He runs over players...Knocks players down with his powerful stiff-arm...runs threw tackles at the end-zone....His tremendous speed has such momentum that the play covers 2-4 extra yds after the hit....He has great balance and cut-back ability....he can run the side-lines like NO other...

He is like a Ferrari running around Cadillacs....The HyWay is his....You know who...

This page has several "Vids" to view....A must see for any football fan...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_
query=McFadden&search_type=

PantyRaider....Total-Amazement!!!

6:36 PM

10:30 PM  
Blogger RaiderRealist said...

Welcome back RT!

I completely understand, I've stepped back from it a bit myself. I've still followed the draft machinations, but I just don't need all the drama. Too much of a good thing(or anything) is bad for you, so they say.

Check out JMac playing Devil's Advocate:

http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2008/04/09/the-case-against-mcfadden/

2:45 AM  
Blogger H said...

Welcome back.

H

4:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hear ya', bro. I started to do a li'l bit of insulating myself, but I'm friggin' addicted.

Hello, my name's Jeff and I'm a Raider-holic...

"Hi, Jeff."

---Jeff

6:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RT,
I'm in the same boat. My blogging effort is greatly reduced. I'll probably pick up around mini-camp.

Panty,
You're not getting RT's Bud Light...

Psycho

6:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here is J.Jones on Gholston:

http://www.sacbee.com/static/
weblogs/raiders/

Psycho

6:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RT-
snap out of it, 'bra...on April 26 head up to Ricky's and enjoy a couple of the finest bloody mary's in america, just to take the edge off... and then settle in for the Raiders 2008 draft...life is always good in the Nation

Panty-
you might be converting me to the McFadden side...looked at the video...ridiculous game speed and doesn't need a hole, just a little daylight...would be a monster in our zone cutback blocking scheme... but take heart SOH fans, with Miami negotiating with Jake Long, if they sign him, chances of SOH on board at four go way up [J Long to Fins, Dorsey to Rams, Ryan to ATL]...tough choice

Also been reading a lot that Gholston has "no motor"--rarely see him making plays on other side of field, compared to SOH and Dorsey who are relentless...

6:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is this thread going to be the Panty trying desperately to convince us that McF is a HOFer thread also?

JK.

Does anyone ever post Youtube "lowlite" reels? I'd also like to see some of him not being able to break tackles, or fumbling 23 times.

Also, I keep hearing how great of hands he has, and yet he only caught a whopping 46 career passes. That doesn't scream "Marcus Allen" to me.

6:45 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

Welcome back RT. In some respects, I've been fatigued into silence. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to absorbed all the speculation surrounding the Raiders and the Draft. I have to say, I am not nearly as focused on one college player as I was last year at this time (Russell). I really believe we will improve our roster with any one of the top 5-6 players... thus, we almost can't screw up our first pick if we tried (nothing's impossible).

In the interim, I remain in a wait and see mode. I hope that we have the same forum here at Raider Take on draft day that we had last year. That was a hoot.

6:57 AM  
Blogger H said...

Arkansas Raider,

Hi Jeff, it's ok, you're among friends now. I step back once in a while myself.

--------------------------

I have a friend who was a huge Raider fan. He could almost quote ever player who ever played for the Silver and Black. He was like Blanda and I on steroids.

On September 22, 1991 he and I went to Fulton County Stadium to see our Raiders against the Atlanta Parakeets.

We lost 21-17 that day. From the newspaper accounts you would have thought the Parakeets just won the Super Bowl.

For some reason my friend couldn't handle it. He didn't even take the 12 step program. One step and gone.

One of his problems was he was just too serious. It WAS his life. And it let him down.

My point is, in the end it's still a game. I love to argue the Raiders, argue with the liars in the media. I enjoy every victory and sulk over every loss (but for only 15 minutes). It's a diversion.

Real life and family are way more serious, so we all must step back on occasion. Take, you did the right thing.

H

7:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As usual RT has summed up my feelings on all things Raider. For most of this offseason I've been so beaten down by the senseless drama that I vowed not to take my annual trip to Oakland for a game. At this point I'm already looking into the opener against the Donks. I'm a Silver and Black sucker.

8:24 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

So, Take... What? You came back in time to punk Psycho out of post #400. And to think I felt guilty for punking him out of post #200.

I didn't know that Glenn Dickey was one of the voices behind PFT. That explains a lot. I was trying to determine where that sense of AD hatred came from. So it turns out to be Dickey, the man with the declared vendetta against Al Davis.

I can go either way in this draft. McFadden or a sure thing DE. I can even see trading down for an outside linebacker and more picks.

I've also heard the reports that say that Bush is the best kept secret weapon on the Raiders. And even if that's true, I can see where the idea of putting Bush and McFadden in the same backfield would be like Allen and Jackson in the same way our new CB tandem is hearkening back to Hayes and Haynes.

Still, we've got to pressure the QB and stop the run. Otherwise our offense won't get the ball enough to pose a threat.

Cue the Jeopardy music.

Oh, and just because Miami is negotiating with Jake Long, that doesn't mean they are going to pick him. Remember the Raiders negotiated with both Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell last off season. It's just that the holder of the #1 pick doesn't have to wait for the draft. They can pick and sign their pick at any time up to where their time runs off the clock on draft day. Many teams in this position will negotiate with several of the candidates to determine who the best value will be. And frequently they can get a discount in exchange for slapping the #1 label on someone.

9:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was pleased to see the news reports about the Dolphins negotiating with Jake Long (and possibly Gholston). All of which leads to high hopes that SOH may end up where he belongs, in Oakland.

Which begs two questions,

a.) Are the reports true? Everything you read about the Raiders from the media must be taken with a hockey puck sized grain of salt (e.g. Kiffin out dancing). Does the same ring true from information out of Miami, or is this just a Raider phenomenon?

b.) If SOH is available at #2, do the Rams then draft him? Looking out my window here at work I can see the Edward Jones Dome where the Rams play, and it would make me sick to know that SOH is so close, yet so far.

Any thoughts guys?

Jolly Roger

9:11 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

I understand the fatigue, RT. I've been there myself. This time I decided not to succumb to it, and to battle back. Arguing with every taker.

Of course, I chose your site to do that instead of my own... But what the hell, you weren't using it for anything.

9:17 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Jolly Roger, see my post above your's. Just because Miami is negotiating with Jake Long, it doesn't mean that he's their pick.

9:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks RT for putting a name to the pit in my gut! Ever since I was a little kid I lived and died with this team and once again I find myself in for '08! I think the recent interview Kif did was a good remedy for my sullen mood about the future. The one thing I know for sure come September I will be on the net (I live in western Mass)every Sunday picking up Raiders Radio and checking on our team. tb. (Raider fan since '67)

9:39 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

“High Stakes Poker”

Here is the plan….Now this will seem very bad financially at first glance and also totally up-set the “Wage” scale in the NFL….But bare in mind this is a “High Stakes Poker Game” and a great “Bluff” while moving all your “Pot-o-Gold” to the center of the table can be a very dangerous and destructive weapon to use against your opponent….

“All In”…..

As has been reported the “Fin”s are in contract negotiations with “OT” Jake Long….Now is the time to put tremendous financial pressure upon the #2-n-#3 picks in this draft….How so you ask….

The Raiders contact the agent for Darrin McFadden and start contract negotiations as the #4 pick….His agent is told that in the opinion of the Raiders his client is the best player in the draft and should receive 1st pick money no matter where he is taken….Therefore we are willing to give him 90% of the contract signed by the 1st pick with the “Fin”s although drafted later….

After coming to an agreement on these terms they let word of the deal leak out…The news immediately causes a tremendous backlash of very bad publicity and the two teams who pick at #s 2-n-3 are devastated and trying to trade out of their picks….But NO team is interested in trading up to such a terrible situation….Therefore the Raiders offer to swap positions with the “Bird”s at #3 in exchange for a player….Such as “QB” Walter or “S” Schweigart….

The Raiders now pick 3rd but the “Lamb”s are totally desperate knowing they will have to pay 95% of the 1st pick money to their player at #2.…NO other team is willing to move up….

Now is where the Raiders take advantage of the situation they created….The Raiders offer our 4th -n- 7th rd picks this year….Our 2nd rd pick next year….and multiple players for the “Lamb”s #2 pick in the 1st rd while keeping our #3 pick….We could offer a “S” -n- “OLB” Sam Williams -n- “RB” Rhodes or “CB” Fabian Washington …..

With the 2nd pick in the “2008” NFL Draft the Raiders select ……”RB” Darrin McFadden…..Rah! Rah! Rah!

With the 3rd pick in the “2008” NFL Draft the Raiders select ……”DE” Chris Long….Raw! Raw! Raw!….

OK…So we over pay “McFab” but we negotiate a lesser contract for “SOH”….Now the rest of the picks from #4 down will adjust according to the scale set by the 1st 3 picks….

“CutThroatRaiders”
“Under-Handed-Dealing” at it’s finest….

With the 6th pick we trade with the Jets for their 1st round selection “DT” from “02” and offer also “RB” Lamont Jordan…..Other trades are also possible for players-n-picks on the second day of the draft….

The Raiders get the 2 best players in the draft at “DE”-n-”RB”….Posiblely the best players in the entire draft class…

”FA”s….2-”DT”s….”DE”….”CB”….”S”
…………..”OT”…“C”…2-”WR”s….

We have now rebuilt our team in one season….Possible needs for next year will be “OT”….”OLB”….”WR”…..The package is complete….”PO” run….

PantyRaider….Just-Deal-Baby!!!!

BlandaRocked....as you said the team with the 1st pick has the right to start negotiating early....Well so could the team with the 4th pick if they are a "CutThroatRaider"....What better way for the "OldMan" to go out than this....Completely steel the show....

9:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This year's brand of Raider drama has been particularly tiring.

I've been choosing to wear myself out with more important drama instead this off season.

SOH, RUN DMC, or Trade Back...

9:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mad Stork said...
"At this point I'm already looking into the opener against the Donks. I'm a Silver and Black sucker."
************

I know the feeling well. I was as willing as anyone to boycott all 2008 ticket sales. Now I'm already plannnig the trip in my head.

Psycho

10:00 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Now I would like to throw something else out there....Pure Speculation....

As we know JaMarcus restructured his contract to be "Cap" friendly for the next 4 seasons...."WHY"...

Could it be that he came to Coach Kiffin and "MrD" asking them to go after "Run DMc"....They both played as contemporaries and not doubt know each other....

Could it he offered to do his part if they go after him "All In"....

Whatever the reason I have gained a great deal of respect for JaMarcus for the move he has made....He is NOT just all about money as was reported last year when we had trouble signing him...He is all about his team and winning and willing to sacrifice....I don't remember a high-profile second year player doing something like that before....Do you....

PantyRaider...More-Drama-Please!!!!

10:03 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Panty, we can't do that. At #4, while #1 is negotiating with whomever they chose, it would be tampering for us to begin negotiating with a player Miami might draft. The penalty for that is loss of draft picks.

10:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blanda,
No matter how hard you and RT try, I will not be denied my rightful place at 400. Check "The Magicians".

Psycho

10:18 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked....

That just Sucks....Must be why we haven't done it before...I don't know the legal aspects of the game or the world very well at all...I understand you are very informed so thanks for the adjustment to my thinking....

Psycho...

That was funny...."Tampering-wit-da-Board"...."Un-Post-Man-Like" Personal Foul....You are here-by penalized one Post....Go back 1 space to "399"....

10:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Damn refs always making up new rules for us Raiders...

Psycho

10:41 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Psycho....

It's all your fault....You won't let me take "RT"s BudLight....I'm Thirsty Mannnnn.....

10:48 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Point well taken, Pycho. If the Raiders display the same type of determination - PLAYOFFS!

11:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like think it was Al who inspired me. Or maybe some wierd side-effect from combining too much Beer/weed brownies/anti-depressants/Nyquil/Coffee...

Either way, grab a Bud Light because we're going to the playoffs. Doesn't matter who we pick this month.

Psycho

11:42 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Okay, I'm way out in front. I have film of a prospect for 2028.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&tab=soapbox&vid=d374ba7e-d67c-41e6-acad-81e21f9cbeb9

12:21 PM  
Blogger H said...

Psycho,

I recommend coffee with a beer chaser. You're wide awake, you feel good, but you can't get out of the bathroom. Hot wings are optional but also recommended.

Watch the brownies though. I think that's what Panty was ingesting when he came up with his trade scenario.

Mike Lombardi is reporting Parcells is negotiating with Jake Long's agent, but will probably contact other potential draft choices through their respective agents. Well duh.

I guess he found a paying job.

H

12:33 PM  
Blogger H said...

On a more important note, what's the Raiderette Squad looking like for the upcomoming season?

H

12:34 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

H....

I left those "Brownies" and all other types of "Mind Altering" outside the "Realm-o-Reality" supplement way back in the early "70"s....But many of my friend tell me I didn't quit in time....Imagine That....

I lost my mind in "69"....Where oh where did it go....I looked around up-side down and fell so far behind....Or at least....That's my line at "Beer" time...

Gary oh! Garrrrry!.....

"16" days and counting....Yes....I will fill this thread with "Desire" the same way I did last year with JaMarcus....

You are on the other end of "MY" "TeeTer-TotTer" and running out of weight....I ate tooooo much and now you are Dangling up there trying as you will to grab another Meal or a Beer to tip the load in your favor...Sorrrrrry....You will just have to "TeeTer" until you "TotTer"....."Freeeee Falllll"...."Crash-n-Burn"...."Whooops".....That's gotta hurt....

PantyRaider..."McFab"-"McFab"-"RunDMC"-"McFab"-"McFab"....

Now you know how those pooor little "Donkey"s feel over there at the "DonkeyPost"....NO RELIEF...

1:11 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Remember...

According to PFT, if the Raiders draft McFadden, that's because Al Davis has a fondness for surrounding himself with criminals.

If the Patriots were to draft McFadden, on the other hand - well, that's because they've shown the propensity to look beyond some-body's reputation to discover their hidden character.

1:13 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

For those not as ancient as H and I, if you have HBO and haven't seen this, get a hold of it and see it if you want to know of the building of the Oakland sports dynasties of the '70s.

http://mvn.com/nfl-raiders/2008/04/09/rebels-of-oakland-a-must-view-for-the-raider-nation/

1:53 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked....

That's why they have a coach like "BellyChick"....They look beyond his "Cheatin-Heart" and see the "V"s-n-"SB"s he got in return....

NO different than "Eddy" in "SadFranchise" who Paid off players under the table and his "Policy-0-Carma" who continued to Cheat without punishment....Oh! Ya!....They lost a 3rd rd pick....All they could see was the "V"s-n-"SB"s...

Same animal....Different face....

1:56 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked....

Is that a recording that is available now or can be sent via the web....I have a Video Converter which can take any analogue "V" and record it as MPEG format....TV Shows included....

2:10 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

I was stationed in the Navy on "TI" "71"-"72" and hung out in OakTown....Sailed back to Berkeley "96" from Hawaii and stayed in the bay area til "03" when I sailed to MorroBay...Always a RaiderFan...

2:14 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Actually, I don't think it is currently running on HBO, but I think you can order it from HBO archives. You can likely buy the DVD through Amazon or some such. But I saw it when they ran it, and it's really worth it. They might even run it again sometime as football is cranking up and baseball is well under way.

2:20 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

I remember the As team of '72 - '74. I don't think a team has won three WS in a row since. Free agency broke the team up. The players from that team made a new dynasty for the NY Yankees and made the Angels respectable. And there was still enough left over in their farm system for the pitching staffs on those Billy Martin teams.

4:29 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

Thanks RT for putting everything in its proper perpective. In life there is a time to put your foot to the metal and a time to ease off the accelerator. Above all, enjoy the ride with your family and friends.

6:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Weclome Back Take......

I read a few days ago that Al Davis sold 5% of his stake to a private investor to finance this off season's payroll?

Panty- If JRock really did restructure his contract, that would speak volumes about his character. That would also show his desire to win. And I was against us drafting him. But I am still curious to see how he handles himself this season and how Kiffin brings him along.

I still don't think we need DMC, I would rather us trade down, but

What did Kiffin say when he was asked does Al listen to him?

"Yeah, he does. I don't know what he does with it, but we talk a lot,"

Al, may just throw us all for a loop.

Mr. Duva

Go Raiders-2008 Baby!!!!!

7:42 PM  
Blogger Tim Mo said...

'Sabout time, good sir. I understand your need to refresh, just would have been nicer to know that before you left. But we'll make do. I understand your passion and caring and how it takes its toll, I've had to step back this offseason as well. Total commitment for five years has gotten me nowhere as far as team success, so I need to sit back and let it develop. Nice to have ya.

7:44 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RT....

Just TOOOOooooo Much Raider Love here for you to "Crap-Out" for too long...."16" days and counting....I postponed my return to Thailand until after the draft...So now I will leave May 6....Will be back for about a month 10-21 and gone for the duration...

Ya ever get an urge to travel we can do some fishing in Cambodia...85-90 deg water clear as a pool...I am buying one of their 10 meter Teak fishing boats and hang out the sign...."Gone Fishing"...

You have my e-mail and I will keep in touch...

PantyRaider....Perpetual-Fishin-trip!!!!

7:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Quick note on billychic.
He was Al's first choice before Gruden. And if we had him, we would all be defending him instead of calling him a cheat.
We would be saying it's a BS rule, and comming up with all kinds of reasons why (atleast I would :-)).

9:35 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Thanks for your good vibes, all.

Calico Jack, well said.

Tim Mo, you're always straight up, and I appreciate it.

Thing thing is, this wasn't a planned vacation. The days just went by. A vacation suggests a job, and that's what I don't want this to become. It's a passion. Sometimes a step back is a step forward, at least I hope so, for both my sake and the Raiders' sake.

Is it September yet? I can't wait.

10:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

BR said, "I remember the As team of '72 - '74. I don't think a team has won three WS in a row since." 1998, 1999, 2000 the Yankees won three in a row.
RT, welcome back. I took a little hiatus as well after my post, and I understand the need to "unplug" every now and then. Mine has been due to some crazy things, and has taken most of my time. We had to replace our tub/shower because the owners before us did a craptacular job putting shower tile on drywall with cheap sealant, and caused water damage enough to collapse our shower wall. Still working on that too by the way.
I don't think there is this problem in CA, but here in TX, water damage like that can lead to termites; but thankfully we didn't see any of those buggers. So I may be in and out, but will definitely try to stay up with things this time around.

6:27 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

RaiderNate, I used to follow the Angels between the late 70s and mid 80s. They had a great color man on their broadcasting team. I always felt that color man was the brightest baseball mind I ever listened to, and I always hoped that the Angels would make that guy their manager.

The guy's name, if I remember, was Joe Torre.

Well enough of baseball. It's football draft season.

9:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think you're right BR, he was the color man from '85 to 90 after coaching the Braves, then went to coach the Cardinals. He was replaced by Reggie Jackson for one year.
I still think the best "color man" in baseball will always be Vin Scully though, I can listen to him forever.
So you probably remember the good ol' days of Brian Downing, Gary Pettis, Mike Witt, Bobby Grich, Rod Carew, Doug DeCinces, Kirk McKaskill, Bob Boone, and Dick Schofield. Yeah, I remember the early to mid '80s Angels too. Living in that area growing up, I'd always get tickets to see them play the A's and Yanks. Rickey Henderson was my childhood baseball guy I followed, and he's still the best.
The Stadium is still one of the classiest stadiums in the League, so is the Chavez Ravine (Dodger Stadium for the layman). They are not as nostalgic as the oldies like Fenway or Wrigley, but they are classy even in the modern era. Good memories at both stadiums for me.
As far as the Raiders go, my best experience came watching them their first year back in Oakland in '95. The energy, the game v Philly, the black hole, everything made it the best game in any sport for me. Epic.

10:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RT-

Long time no take. Nice to read from you again! I heard some mutt bear fans talking about the schedule coming out today.
I thought closer to the draft.

Check out this article from Real Football 365 on AD.

http://www.realfootball365.com/index.php/articles/raiders/10853

11:05 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RaiderNate75....

That was the "96" season and I sailed back from Hawaii on my 57ft Ketch "Sweet Sensation" to Berkeley and arived Augest 10th after 24 days at sea....I was so Pumped about the Raiders and went to the 1st "BUNGLES" game on a MonDayNight against the Hated "Squaws"....Just to watch the Raiders have the game won and lose it to a long last second "Bomp" to the End-Zone...."TD-KC"....ERRRRR!!!...I was SOOooooo Pissed....NO "D" what so ever...We knew they would try to "Hail-Mary" it but we had NO Player deep to protect our "EZ"...

Than came the rest of the season....That was one of the few games we were accually in...By the end of the season I felt so agree at myself for comming back to the MainLand....On top of that the "El Nino" was kicking my Ass with constant downpoors of cold rain and high winds....I was Crying....

"I miss Hawaii"...."My Raiders Suck"....

Well as bad as that was it can't compair to the last 5 freakin years of (I just can't speak that badly about my beloved Raiders)....

PantyRaider..."NOT" Fond-Memories!!!!

11:45 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

memdf....

Sweet article....The old "Koot" still has it even at "78"....And by the way he was born the same year as my dad....1929....The year of the "Snake"....da Cobra Strikes...

pride indolence manipulation vanity malice possrssiveness are his bad trates

subtlety insight shrewdness discretion wisdom compassion
is his good side...

11:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yarrrrrrrrr!!!!

Psycho

1:17 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Famous "Snake"s include Howard Hughes -n- Martin Luther King Jr....

1929 Births include...Wood Snake
Popeye the Sailor Man
Herbert Hoover:
Audrey Hepburn:
Sergio Leone:
James Earl Ray:
Barbara Walters:
Dick Clark:
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis:
Yasser Arafat:

I think there is a story here if someone wants to write it...."A Tribute To Al Davis"....Showing his personality traits as "The Snake" and others from his "Class-0f-29" who have made it big in the world....Those "Traits" that make people hate him are also the "Traits" that make him very successful....

I have a very Quirky way of presenting things so it would not come out good if I do it...Besides at the present I am too busy getting everything ready to depart 5-6....My only other passion at the moment is the NFL Draft...

This is something one of you could tackle or as a group here at "RT"...I will contribute info...I have a book named..."Chinese Horoscopes" that is so right on in the Mental aspects of the 12 year cycles that it's almost scary...I'm the "Metal Tiger" of 1950 and it nails me...

I think after reading about how Al is working in "Future Space" now in preparation for 2010 and hearing about the HBO movie that a "Tribute to Al" would really be in order...

PantyRaider....Suggestions!!!

1:25 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

NY "Midget"s CUT "DT"

Manuel Wright | #75 | DT
Height: 6-5 Weight: 345 Age: 23Born: 4/13/1984 Compton , CA
College: USC
Experience: 4th season
High School: Long Beach Polytechnic HS [CA]

Could this guy plug a hole or is he just "Fat" guy that can't play...He was from USC...

1:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Panty, "The 1995 season was the team's return to Oakland after being in Los Angeles for thirteen years." (Wikipedia).
The game I went to was week 4 of the 1995 season, still have the stub. The Eagles went up 17-0 at the end of the 1st Quarter. The Raiders tied the game by halftime, and won 49-17. They scored 49 unanswered points. '95 was the year Rickey Waters left the Whiners for the Eagles, and was his first game back in the "Bay Area."

1:35 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RaiderNate75...

I stand corrected....You are correct...I sailed back 1997 not 1996...Old age is taking it's toll on my memory....Or a least that's a good excuse....This is the game I was at...

September 8 —Raiders open 1997 home league schedule on Monday Night against Kansas City Chiefs at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.....

Somehow I made an incorrect connection to this as the first game home for the Raiders....It was the first game home for me...I sailed off to Hawaii 10-28-95 while Mike White was coach....And NO I was NOT smoking any "PacaLolo" while there....

PantyRaider....Need a Memory Pill!!!

1:59 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Some things in life become painful...Time to let go...Here is my listing for my boats for sell...Sacrifice...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1944-46ft-British-Admiralty-Diesel-Motor-Launch_W0QQitemZ130213763123QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/21-Boston-Whaler-Outrage_W0QQitemZ130213728328QQcmdZViewItem

I will have another boat soon in Cambodia but never the same as what I have now...Gone Fishing...

PantyRaider...Selling-Out!!!!

3:14 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Nate, that '95 season was a pisser. 6-2 the first half of the season, 2-6 the second half. Then White followed it up in '96 by going 7-9. White lobbied to have Shell fired for going 9-7 in '94, then, taking over, went 8-8 and 7-9.

Panty, that game you went to was the beginning of the end for Joe Bugel. After that game he refused to face the press, and banned the press from the locker room. I suspect that he thought treating the press that way would bring favor from Al. Unfortunately the league rules require press access, and the Raiders got fined.

Personnally, I think Al made up his mind to fire Bugel that day, but didn't have a replacement (Gruden) until the off season.

An added note... That was the same year Fox quit in training camp as DC, and Patrick Bates just decided he didn't want to play for the Raiders and went home. It wasn't the money. He just turned into Randy Moss and claimed he wasn't "happy."

3:48 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked....

I guess I brought back some "Bad JuJu" from the Islands....Maybe it was that "Rock" in my pocket from the volcano and "Peli" was venting his anger....

That game was about theeee "Dumbest" I have ever seen...You know they are going to try to go deep on you but you do nothing to protect against it....If they had dropped one lousy player back deep that would never have happened and we would have won the game and it would have been a happy "HomeComing" for me....But NO...."BUNGLES" could not get his ears un-stuck from his "Bung-Hole-Lee-O" and see 2 feet from his nose....We had "ZERO" "D" under his coaching..Guess "MrD" was not involved in that "D"....

Have the Raiders ever had a worse coach than that one....Turner was NOT good but not as bad as that...Even "ShanaAss" was better but not by much...

5:10 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Panty, I think Shell II might go down as "worst Raider coach ever." But Shell II was helped considerably by what I believed to be the "worst Raider team ever."

But Bugel and Shell II have to be neck and neck. Interesting that Gruden took over for Bugel and doubled Bugel's win total with mostly the same team. Then Kiffin took over for Shell II and doubled his win total with largely the same team.

5:56 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked...

I disagree....Under Shell II the team still showed some heart...The "D" was hitting and made some great stands with their backs to the wall...There were still enough players on the "O" giving an effort that at times it looked like the team could pull out a "V"....

NOT so under "Bungles"....The team had ZERO emotion and were flat right from the start..."QB" Stats were very good....30 "TD"s 5 "Int"s...But the team just fell apart....There was no togetherness....It looked very painful for players like Timmy....I saw tears in the stadium because Fans could not hold their heads up about there team....It was embarrassing....NO Toughness at all....They were just drawing Pay Checks....

When Gruden came in all that changed....He brought back the emotion to the whole stadium...Even when we lost we felt like we had played a game....NOT so under "Bungles"....

PantyRaider....Terrible-Memories!!!

6:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And what you've all obviously been waiting for.....

My PERSONAL Top 5 Reasons to dislike the NFL Network on 4/11/08:

1) I waited through freakin' 28 teams to finally get to my beloved Raiders "On the clock" on "Path to the draft"... Not that they could tell me anything that I don't already know...

2) MIKE "I NOW SUCK SHANNAHAN'S D*CK" LOMBARDI is the freaking guest host!!!!

3) MIKE "I wear womens' clothes at night" Lom-Freakin-Bardi Mock-drafted us to take Gholston, with SOH going #6 and us PASSING HIM UP!!!!

4) Our Top "needs" include depth at WR and RB....
RB?!?!?!?

Fargas (established #1 bruiser), Rhodes (re-structured to be "lightning" to thunder), Bush (#3 at the very worst, possibly a star!), "Joe" Etchemandu (quality, quality backup), not to metion Jordan who is currently on the roster......WTF??!?!

5) They just had to bring it up...

The "Trivia Question" of the day:
Who was the last offensive Raider DRAFTED by the Raider to make a Pro-Bowl???!?!?

{{{Jeopardy Music}}}

I thought to myself long & hard. I resorted to names such as Tim Brown And Wiz, as old as they are...

Answer: BARRETT ROBBINS!!!!

They just HAD to bring up ol' Bipolar cop-killer didn't they? Damn, I almost forgot about that "SuperBowl"....

Psycho (Bastards & their goddamn netwokrs...) ((Sorry RT))

8:28 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Psycho...

Calm down Brothah....

We could just send our Bi-Polar Freak after them instead of after the COPs....Now that would be funny news...

"Mediot"s attacked viciously by Psycho X-Raider while the print was still wet....No wait a minute this just in....The wetness was from the "Mediot"s pissing their Panties....

Just Laughin Baby....

9:15 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

OK....Now here this....I found a web-site with Arkansas Vids of their season and my "McFab" is in the game....Now this is some real Vids so it show him taking and giving hits....Being met at the goal line and breaking in...Good stuff....

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=Arkansas+football&ei=UTF-8&SpellState=n-2570416845_q-9BhGdiUQ9V4DsRcFxDKznAAAAA%40%40&tnr=21&vid=1300009279

Here are the rest...

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?ei=UTF-8&tnr=21&p=Arkansas+football&SpellState=n-2570416845_q-9BhGdiUQ9V4DsRcFxDKznAAAAA@@

Enjoy....I'm looking for the Vid against LSU so I can see how Dorsey played against him...

9:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Panty,
Yeah you're probably right man...

I don't want to get "too serious" like H's Raider friend...

It just pisses me off that I support these guys ever since they had Big Lincoln Kennedy on Total Access, and this is how they repay me.....Lombardi on a "Raider-Orriented" show...

Bastards & their Goddamn Donkey-Loving Sausage-Fest...

Psycho

9:53 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

OK...Here is 7 min of LSU-v-Ark....See if you can pick out your "DT"....I saw McFab" get loose up the middle for an 80yd "TD"...

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=Arkansas+football&ei=UTF-8&SpellState=n-2570416845_q-9BhGdiUQ9V4DsRcFxDKznAAAAA%40%40&tnr=21&vid=1289492211

9:56 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Psycho....

Bro...Just sit back with a beer and watch some "Vids" of what might be Raider Football come the 26th...Good stuff...If you want to see all the LSU stuff it here to if you do the search...

9:59 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Here it is...Every thing you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about....You know who...

Watch da "Vid"s Man....

http://secfootballblogger.com/2008/01/04/darren-mcfadden-dmac-video-highlight-clips-tribute/

10:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

from chris carr:
"I was so happy to get out of Oakland and I am hungry to win after all those losing years out there,'' Carr told The Tennessean. "I want to be on a winning team in Tennessee and I want to do whatever I can to help this team win.''

just who in the freakin' hell does he think he is? dude, if you actually scored a TD or 2 you probably be worth a crap! sheesh, some people! you'd think he had a hall of fame career with that attitude. glad he's gone!

10:48 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

I think this the entire game between Ark-n-Texas...

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/
index.php?rn=193177&ch=193300&cl=4804534

Yap...The entire game on the web...

10:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
Good analysis on Fargas:
http://www.raidernews.com/x/article.php?story=20080412064855659

If Rhodes and Fargas can have good games in the cut back scheme, then imagine what McFadden can do. I still think we are ignoring the elephant in the room regarding Run DMC... he posted more yards than E Smith, Walker & Bo Jackson. This isn't just another back coming out. In our cutback scheme he could score quite frequently. A huge advantage for us.
Gary, you focus on his negatives. I wonder how it will all play it (McFadden's nfl career)?

7:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Weekends are usually slow around here so I did my weekend poach from WFIB. This is a recap of bspn's path to the draft. They suck so much they have the mole as their nfl insider.

Lombardi's picks:

Dolphins- Jake Long
Rams- Chris Long
Falcons- Glenn Dorsey
Raiders- Vernon Gholston
Chefs- Ryan Clady
Jets- Matt Ryan
patriots- Branden Albert
Ravens- Cromartie
Bengals- McFadden
Saints- Ellis

Mike Mayock's main differences...

Dolphins- Jake Long
Rams- Glenn Dorsey
Falcons- Matt Ryan
Jets- Chris Long
Ravens- Either Rivers or McFadden

Charles Davis' main differences...

Jets- Matt Ryan
Bengals- Ellis or McFadden

Lombardi believes that RB's have an average career length of 5 years... that's why many don't get picked in the top ten... and why teams need to be careful in investing hugely in them.

Raiders Needs:

Defensive Line
Offensive Tackle
Wide Receiver
Runningback

* Don't be surprised if the Raiders trade down.

Mike Wagaman thinks the Raiders should choose Glenn Dorsey. The Raiders run defense has been terrible since their Super Bowl appearance and they must find a way to stop the run... Glenn Dorsey is that guy. A guy you can build your whole DL around... even build your whole defense around. Dorsey is the entire package. He's answered questiosn about his health. To him, if Dorsey is still there, it's a no brainer... Glenn Dorsey IS the pick for the Raiders.

Wagaman feels the Raiders can't go wrong with either Dorsey or Gholston. He doesn't think Kalimba Edwards is the answer.

Wagaman is talking about how Gholston could be the guy to step into Burgess' spot... because the Raiders didn't fulfill their promise to Burgess in giving him a new contract.

More Wagaman
Darren McFadden is the best pick in the draft. So you have to take a look at him. But the Raiders believe it's the system and not the back which gives them success. LIke the Broncos... plug in any back and it works. McFadden is not a pressing need for them right now.

* Barrett Robbins was the last Raiders pick who went to the Pro Bowl.

8:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RT!

That is the reason why I stop droping by, the negativity that we had in this blog was crazy, I thought for a minute that I was defending my team from donko or dolts fans, it is hard for me to come back to this place and read everybodies takes because I feel like if I had been betrayed by my own family, I try to skip as much negativity as possible, so I try to read what H and blanda have to say, some of the other people I tend to bypass, I know that we have to be open for all type of discussion, negative or positive but you can only beat a dead horse in the head for so long, right!

Panty:

on your first post here EXCELLENT!
you expressed my thoughts better than me.

12:34 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

raiderdecoachella....

We now understand PAIN....That is NOT something I wanted to understand that well but it's here...How we each deal with it is totally another matter...Like you...I can't Waller around in a "Pool-o-Tears"....Just never been a good crier...So we who have 1/2-3/4 full glasses will look at the ++++'s while the others only see the -----'s....

I have alot to look forward to this season...The last "Vid" I posted is the entire game between Ark-n-Texas...I have only watches the 1st 2 positions but will watch it all later...It won't let me down load it to disk so I can watch it off line...Even has commercial breaks....Looking for an LSU game but not found yet...

"McFabulous" is an animal...I love it...

PantyRaider...Bright-Future!!!

12:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great to have you back bro. The non-sense, the lies, the irresponsible speculation wear us all out RT. Al, love him or hate him, has this thing pointed in the right direction again. We will be back to the Super Bowl again before the Chiefs and the Donks and many others who have enjoyed yukin it up the last 5 years. And how sweet it will be. S+B 4 ever!

RaiderMike

2:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scorpio... I agree on Chris Carr. What a moron. He was mediocre (at best) as a kick returner, and his one chance at CB when Asum was out, he was mostly elbows and assholes trying to catch up to TD scores.

He's the last person that should be complaining about the losing considering he did NOTHING besides contribute to it.

Bama... do you really think a player that plays a position we have no need for should have ANY negatives? Especially since he would come at such a heavy price?

I mean I know how you and Panty think he is already a HOFer, but a guy that fumbles almost as often as he catches the ball is not someone that excites me much.

He might be a fine RB, and you both will be the first ones here to tell us about it if we don't pick him, but this is not a fantasy football team. There are too many more important needs that HAVE to be addressed because we have so few other draft picks.

2:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scorpio,
Thanx 4 the C.Carr quote. That bastard can just kiss our collective S&B asses when the Raiders are superior to his beloved "Flaming Thumbtacks"...

Personally I was never overly impressed with the guy other than a few nice plays filling in at CB. He started a game and actually played real well until a huge mistake at the end.

As a returner, is was a nice little Cinderalla story while it lasted, but he was actually well below average IMO. I remember screaming at the TV to "freaking get under the ball!" and "please, PLEASE don't drop it this time!" I was so sick of him misjudging the ball and reaching out to catch punts at the last second.

Hello D.Hall, welcome aboard...

Psycho

11:50 PM  
Blogger nyraider said...

I wouldn't be so hard on Chris Carr. You can't blame him for wanting to leave. And, like it or not, he's right about the Raiders being a losing team.

He's a backup who was about to see his already limited playing time drastically reduced. IMO, we are lucky to have a quality player like Carr be considered expendable.

Raidercoachella- What you perceive as "negativity" by Raider fans here at RT is certainly not for the sake of bashing the Raiders. It's 2 parts frustration and 3 parts accountability, which equals about 3.5 parts "keepin' it real."

Fortunately for us (fans), Al Davis cashed out 20% of the ownership and appears to be reinvesting all that money back into the team.

Whether you believe him to be right or wrong in his selections (moves), you have to admire the man for his undying loyalty and passion for the Raiders. My fingers are crossed that he's right.

6:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
Careful there NY Raider... coachella, gary and the rest of the thought police will add your name next to mine on the subversive's list!

7:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Carr is really all about winning then he's in for a frustrating couple of years.

The Titans can't seem to get back over that hump and become anything more than the 3rd best in their division. Meanwhile the Raiders will most likely shoot right to the top of ours' with only SD giving us competition.

I didn't like his tone at all. Total disrepect. He can bite me and I can't wait to play him.

Psycho

2:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Poor Bama... can't handle his words being disagreed with.

I simply don't think that the team is going to suck shit next season, and that we will not pick a player number four at the ONLY position we didn't suck at last year... RB (especially when we only have one pick the first day).

Deal with it.

4:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ya suppose there are any Titans fans out there going... "Boy, I am sure glad we got Chris Carr now.. THAT will put us over the top."

He can blow me.

4:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If not for CC, we would have had 1 win in '06 (if he doesn't take that pick6 for 99 yards against the steelers).

WTF are you talking about "I don't like his tone"???? How the hell do you hear tone from a text quote???? Get the F outta here.

I'm happy for Chris. He needed a change of sceneray, and now he gets to play with the only player I went to HS with (sat next to in English actually) Kevin Mawae.

I digress. I thank Carr for his years of commitment, he gave 100% ALL the time and NEVER complained.

Not a superstar, just a football player.

All he said was "Glad to be out of Oakland, tired of loosing, and want to be on a winning team with the flaming thumbtacks".

What a bastard.?

5:30 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

If you really break down what Chris Carr said, it really isn't a big deal.

"I was so happy to get out of Oakland and I am hungry to win after all those losing years out there,'' Carr told The Tennessean. "I want to be on a winning team in Tennessee and I want to do whatever I can to help this team win.''

In summary, Carr wants to win and help his new team ... hardly an imflamatory statement.

In Carr's 3 years of service, the Raiders had 10 wins and 38 losses
for a 20.8% winning percentage.

In Carr's 3 years of service the Raiders finished deal last in the division each season.

In Carr's 3 years of service he was a model employee who ALWAYS gave 100% effort.

If you are asking whether or not Carr was worth keeping ... no, he was a marginal return man and a utility backup CB & safety.

Going forward into 2008, I think the Raiders have just a good of a chance to earn more victories than the Flaming Thumbtacks but I have no ill will towards Carr.

5:48 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Gary....

There exist only "ONE" true need in the RaiderNation....Please Al....So if that's his desire than it shall happen and you can "Screw" the damn NEEDS....I am picking who I believe Al will draft...NOT who the most popular player will be for the RaiderNation....And it's true if I were picking I would make the same pick....But I don't have a say in than and nor do you....

Now as you speak....Did you watch the Video I posted of the Ark-v-Tex game...Complete game...Why don't you watch it first and than comment on what you saw....This may give some legitimacy to your takes instead of just "Hog-Wash" Unfounded comments based on ...."Whatever"....

PantyRaider...Welcome-to-da-Nation "McFab"!!!!

6:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Psycho-

I caught your take on the nfl network. I posted a summary of that path to the draft well after you post.
I apologize for the tardiness but lately it has been tough to keep up with all the discourse here at RT.

Although mine was poached from WFIB and had a bit more detail, there certainly was not the passion contained in yours.

I am with you. F#@* the nfl network. How anyone outside the Raider Nation does not see that network as a joke is beyond me.

For lombardi to be on is amazing. Think about it. IMO - Undermining the Raiders because petrino did not get hired. (We know how that worked out for atl)
Waited around to get dumped. Not even man enough to flip AD off. Did not get paid, went to den and did...what? Did not get paid.
Got dumped, and now is giving his opinion as an nfl expert?

I always think conspiracy first. The nfl network has hired this shmuck as their way to get back at AD. Plus they know he will work for free!

7:47 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

memdf....

Ya gota love it....If me and you wanted to be NFL experts we could just "Work for Free"....Oh Ya...We need to get fired first....Woops....That means I have to go to work....Hey...Hummmmm...Cansel me out of that....You can be the expert....I'm too lazy to get a job....

PantyRaider....Gone-Fishin!!!

7:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For the record-

I refuse to watch bspn or any affiliates, i.e., nfl network. I am not an nfl fan but define myself as a Raiders fan. I am able to put forth this distinction as anyone that knows me will not challenge me when the Raiders are mentioned. As my wife says, You are nuts when it comes to this team.
So?

I have advocated a movement against the haters. si, bspn, all others. Cancel subscriptions, bomb their servers with emails, wrap their postage guarenteed
cards to bricks and drop them in the mail. Should I go on or have I sufficiently proven myself a lunatic.

No, I just love my boys.

8:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>>>
Panty:
.I am picking who I believe Al will draft..
>>>>>


Name the last time that Al has gone so far away from NEED with his first pick.

Heres the list:
http://tinyurl.com/5uffvx

Al always attacks his biggest need with his first pick Always. Name the player and WHY it wasn't the biggest need at the time.

I'd guess it would be the early 80's when we still had dominate teams.

I know everyone thinks Al is unpredictable in drafting, but he's actually VERY predictable with his first pick. Just figure out what position caused the most losses the year before. Even the year we took Jani, Nedney blew 3-4 crucial FG's the year before.

9:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>>>
Now as you speak....Did you watch the Video I posted of the Ark-v-Tex game...Complete game.
>>>

No. Why would I want to watch a RB that will be playing AGAINST the Raiders?

9:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And after Jani... 2001.. why did we draft Gibson, Raiderfans ask?

Uhh, do you not remember "Ole" Pope and Dorsett allowing the winning TD against the Ravens in the championship game?

Al's knee predictably kicks at the position that most memorably lost the most games.

Last year it was the d-line.

9:14 PM  
Blogger nyraider said...

Speaking of players that give their all, when are we going to re-sign Coop? The man bleeds silver and black.

6:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
Gary, Gary, Gary. Lovely take on Carr. If Carr would have resigned with us and someone would have made a disparaging remark about it, you'd have been like Carr's defense attorney, telling everyone what a great pick he's been and how brilliant Al was for finding him and also resigning him. Now that he's gone, he's trashed, left with the insightful reponse that he can "blow" you.
Wonderful, insightful writing, Gary.

6:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
And Gary, as for your "Al picks based on needs" theory. Shit, you have once again killed your own argument. If we have Gibson, Jano, Darrell Russell, Gallery, & Fabian Washington et al, as our report card on how well picking "by needs" works, then by all means AL PLEASE STOP USING OUR FIRST ROUND PICK TO TAKE OUR BIGGEST NEED. IT DOESN'T WORK.
The best talent in the draft, bar none, is Run DMC. If he falls in our lap at #4, then we should jettison Jordan & Rhodes and take McFadden. And after his freshman season with us remind us all of 1982 Marcus Allen, then we dump Justin "IR" Fargas in '09 and ride Run DMC & Bush to the playoffs in 2009 & 2010.

6:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon 5:30,

"I was so happy to get out of Oakland" -Chris Carr

What kind of "Tone" do you take from this statement?

This is not what I expected at all from the guy. We took a chance on an undrafted rookie and made him our main ruturn man. Not even a "Thank you". YOU get the F outta' here. Go bunk up with your little butt buddy in Tenn. or at least pick a name... He can still bite me and I hope Coop takes his freaking head off!

Psycho

6:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Memdf,
Thanks for the NFL Network backup. I had no idea they were a BSPN affiliate. I'll stop recording their shitty shows.

Psycho

6:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama... I am not addressing what Al should do.. I am addressing what Al WILL do.

I know how disappointed you will be if he doesn't pick McF... I am simply saying that based on over 40 years of history, it will not happen.

I don't get too worked up about stuff that almost certainly will not happen... nor do I pound my fists on the floor because it SHOULD happen.

If that is something you enjoy... knock yourself out.

8:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama... I don't think much of Carr. If he would have been kept, I woulda scratched my head a bit.. I doubt I would have defended it much.

Sorry my opinions anger you so.

8:54 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

As for Carr, I thought, the day the Raiders signed him, that he was a stop gap, marginal journeyman, that wouldn't be on the team very long. I was right about his talent, but wrong about how long he lasted. He's one of the guys, if he were here another year, who would be called an Al Davis scholarship. Even though I think Al Davis had very little to do with signing him in the first place.

And, no, Bama7. If the Raiders had resigned him, I'd think, at least right now, that the Raiders were bringing him back as camp fodder because the team doesn't have any use for his services any more. If the Flaming Thumbtacks do, then Carr's hope of being on a winning team seems like it will be short lived.

While I agree with Calico in that Carr has given everything he had while he was here, he didn't have much. Basically, he was a piece of chewing gum in a leaky dam.

Gary is right about need being at the top of Al's consideration list on his first pick. But teams frequently have more than one need. Al will weigh the depth of the need against the depth of the talent pool. There is a basis on which he might pick McFadden, and that is if he feels the addition of McFadden will have a greater impact than addressing greater needs.

While I think the addition of McFadden could improve us greatly, I think the Raiders are still at a point where they need to address "infrastructure." Logically, that means either, DL, OL or OLB. Improvements in those areas will not be as exciting, but they make us deeper, more solid, stronger...

9:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=398971

Good article with more on Kiffin's Q&A

Oh yeah....100...

Psycho

9:05 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

I saw you lurking over there in the corner, Psycho.

9:22 AM  
Blogger H said...

I'm Baaaack.

I took a longer than normal weekend break due to heavy medication. The back decided to go south on me. Nothing mind altering just heavy anti-inflamatories.

As for Carr, it would have been nice if he had said he appreciated the chance the Raiders had given him. Being an undrafted free agent and all. He did make a fairly good sum of money and probably got a nice raise from the Flamming Thumbtacks.

Bama,

Disagreeing with Blanda and I doesn't make you subversive. Wrong maybe, but not subersive.

Raiderdecoachella,

Thanks, I always try to find a Silver lining in each Black cloud. Infernal Optimism I believe it's called.

Psycho,

My favorite quotes from the article:

From Kiffin on working with Al, "I think this offseason has worked out well."

From Gruden on the Raiders, "I've pretty much retired from my Raiders comments,"

From Gruden on Kiffin, "He's kind of a 45-year-old, 35-year-old guy. All of us have our own set of challenges, but I think Lane can deal with his."

One reason I stay optimistic is I virtually never watch BSPN or NFL Network.

A couple of weeks ago I tuned in some show called Path to the Draft." I forget who the announcers were, but they started their spiel by talking about the Fish, the Nutered Male Sheep, the Parakeets, followed by the Chefs.

It could have been the old adage, "If you can't say anything good about someone...".

I'm glad I tuned in though, it only confirmed why I don't watch those shows. As an added benefit it helped with my insomnia.

H

11:40 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Well, it looks my projected Raider draft choice is working his way up the ladder - now #5 here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/041208dnspomockdraft.532bcdf5.html

But I have to believe (Al might prove me wrong) that if Chris Long is available at #4, we take him. Although sons of Superstars haven't worked for us in the past - Dorsett, Branch...

12:04 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Oh, well...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon

tent/dws/spt/stories/041208

dnspomockdraft.532bcdf5.html

12:05 PM  
Blogger H said...

Bama,

Chris Long falling to #6?

Jake Long safeist pick in the draft?

I know you were refering to Keith Rivers, but come on, what's this guy put in his coffee?

There is no such thing as a "safe" pick.

How many draft experts have predicted the next Jim Brown, John Unitas, Arnold Ziffel (Sorry it just popped into my head).

Actually, most wind up closer to Arnold Ziffel than John Unitas or Jim Brown.

H

12:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blanda,
I agree with the mock draft right up to our #4 pick. There is no freakin' way Al passes on SOH, who by the way should be "the safest pick in the draft". Work ethic and motor goes a "Long" way in the NFL (I made a funny).

I just don't get all these guys who assume Al makes the "typical Al" move and takes McFadden even though we don't need a RB. After all these years they should know better. Everyone thinks Al cannot resist the temptation and is off his rocker enough to make "another bad decision".

I can see us taking any one of about 6 or 7 guys staying at #4, including McFadden, so it's anybody's guess what the old man is thinking. Funny how every mock D in the world assumes it's McFadden.

Psycho

12:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I happened to scan through walterfootball.com and came accross this mock draft that illistrates my point perfectly. Read his reason for McFadden:

http://walterfootball.com/
draft2008.php

Psycho

2:27 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Psycho, what kills me is they find a way to insult Al while assigning to him the only choice they think reasonable. So in other words, Al will just take the flashiest player available, but the brilliance of the pick belongs to the author.

Personally, if the Raiders go with McFadden, I'll be fine with that. I might even get to love it if McFadden turns out to be all the good stuff advertised. But remember, the draft comes every year, and every year all of the Mock Draft prognosticators turn out to be wrong regarding Al's pick. We here, in 2007, wanted Al to pull the trigger on Russell, but all of the prognosticators were picking Johnson (because Al sees speed and gots to have it).

I'm still saying that Al picks Rivers (SOH if he's available at #4).

3:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah I'd be OK with McFadden too if we're willing. On paper it's the wrong move but it would at least be exciting. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if Al rolls the dice one more time in a crazy balls-out offseason.

I'm still crossing my fingers for OT Jeremy Zuttah on the second day, to become a Center.

Psycho

4:20 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

Psycho: SOH isn't a "safe" pick solely because of his high motor and strong work ethic ... Tyler Brayton defined the description of high motor and strong work ethic but clearly wasn't a performer.

The reason SOH is a safe pick is because of his football intelligence, his overall skill set (size, strength, speed etc), AND his intangibles (work ethic, high motor, drive, toughness, goal orientation etc).

The reason SOH is a safe pick is because he is a pure football tough guy who plays the run and pass equally well. SOH is the type of player who isn't a specialist. It doesn't matter what the down or distance is for SOH to make an impact.

Regarding Run DMc:

Although I don't think it would be wise to select Run DMc, I sincerely love what he brings to the table. He is a remarkable athlete who clearly LOVES the game of football. I have no doubt that he would add a whole new dimension to our offensive arsenal. I have no doubt that he would create excitement and a serious buzz in Alameda.

My BIGGEST concern going into the 2008 season is the Raider D's ability to stop the run. If any of you statistical wizards can show me a team that made the playoffs with a run D in the bottom third in YPC, I would love to hear it. The only team that comes to mind is the 2006 Colts.

7:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

H-

I am with you. I stopped watching the haters and their broadcasts years ago. What is the point, really? They hate with impunity. Fact less, cowardly reporting with no platform for rebuttle.

I have been on this site since about day one.
No one knows more about this team, outside of anyone who actually works for the Raiders, than RTers IMHO.

Do we know what AD will do on draft day? No.
(Well maybe Gary does ;-)

But in terms of in depth discussion and analysis, many on this board have an insight more far reaching than any of these so called experts.

What they lack is an organic connection with the Raiders. Living and dying with the team.

I am I no mood for their bs as I have been told by others in my household that the tuck game is being aired as I write. F*@#ing peachy.

The schedule comes out tomorrow and I can't wait!

My god, I am a madman...

8:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

originally, i felt, and still feel, that d-line is what we need with our first pick.

however, if it comes down to mcfadden or gholston, i must lean toward mcfadden.

the reason is that, to my memeory, most top ohio state picks, end up sucking really bad.

yes, i remember ricky dudley. has aj hawk been heard from lately ?
i would bet my last art schleister football card, that gholston is vastly overrated.

it would be nice if soh falls to us at 4. it would solve everything.

but if it comes down to gholston or mcfadden. the pick should be mcfadden.

8:48 PM  
Blogger H said...

MEMDF,

I'm with you. I haven't even watched a pregame show on Sunday in about three years. Not even for the Super Bowl.

Raider00,

A. J. Hawk has become a very solid, if not spectacular, performer for the Baggers. But, overall I agree with you on Ohio State draftees. Although, Richardson is showing some potential. I don't think he'll be a pro-bowler, but he could be one of those solid show up for work every Sunday guys like Otis Sistrunk (the only Univerisity of Mars Alumni to play in the NFL).

If SOH is available I don't see Al, or Kiffin for that matter, passing on him. Above speed and athleticism, Big Al values loyalty. Howie was one of the most loyal to pull on a black jersey. I would not think his son to be any different. Plus he comes with a lot less excess baggage than McFadden.

And, with the plan to move Kelly inside permanently SOH makes the most sense if he's there.

H

5:08 AM  
Blogger H said...

Speaking of Sisturnk. Under the heading of "Whatever happened to", go to this link:

http://www.defendamerica.mil/profiles/feb2005/pr020905a.html

I did a quick lookup on him after my previous post. It's a good read.

H

5:22 AM  
Blogger H said...

Sorry, try this:

www.defendamerica.mil/profiles/
feb2005/pr020905a.html

H

5:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

***SCHEDULE***

Un-freaking-believable! We get a Bye in week #3....again.

And we end the season with 4 road games in a row, 3 of which are on the EAST COAST!!!

http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/
article.php?id=36305

Psycho

7:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>>
Do we know what AD will do on draft day? No.
(Well maybe Gary does ;-)
>>>


Nope, I just know it's going to be d-line with the first pick (based on past history).

I'm guessing that unless SOH is available, we are bundling Fabian and trading down for three picks.

8:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Schedule due out 2:00 pm EST per nfl.com

9:41 AM  
Blogger H said...

Hey Psycho,

I've just scanned the news and it says the schedules are coming out at 2 eastern time.

Where are you getting your information. Did you call around? (sorry couldn't resist).

H

9:42 AM  
Blogger H said...

Hey Psycho,

It ain't April 1st. I scanned the news wires before looking at your link.

I guess you did call around.

H

9:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I had to try it anyway...

Psycho

10:01 AM  
Blogger H said...

It was a good one.

H

10:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The schedule looks ok. No cold weather games.
The exception is playing the Chargers on a Thursday (stupid NFL Network), after facing KC. But then we get a week and a half before we face New England; so I guess it evens out.

Jolly Roger

11:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For real this time:

Denver
@ KC
@ BUF
SD
**BYE**
@ N.O.
NY Jets
@ BAL
ATL
CAR
@ MIA
@ DEN
KC
@ SD
NE (Get your batteries now!!!)
HOU
@ TB

Psycho

11:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gary-

Just messin'

In years past I have always agonized over the schedule. I do rememeber reading a good take by either CJ or Blanda this past year about what we anticipated and what actually happened schedule-wise.

Including opponents strengths and other factors changing from year to year.

It put the schedule more in perspective rather than what my immediate emotional, conspiracy theory reaction could ever.

Maybe time for a Schedule Take?

11:35 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Wow!....This is a great schedule...

We will be 3-0 when we play "SD"...

I already have my "War-o-Words" written for the "Donko"s and I am already writing one for the "Squaws" so this works perfect as I can post them in weeks 1-n-2...Than in week 4 I can have my finale attack written for the "LightnigBugs"....I just love my "Hate Wars" with the AFCW....

The "Donko"s one I wrote last year and just need to change the "QB" #s...

http://cutthroatraider.blogspot.com/

I will send it to the "DonkeyPost" and all other sites I can find...The "Squaws" post is entitled...

"The Evil Empire Strikes Back”

The ‘Autumn Wind’ blows across the land, remembrance of a once powerful nation, long forgotten, that dark and evil empire sworn to return, now laid a ruin, five times have the seasons drifted past but all that remains is a dark shadow of what once was…..The ‘Raider Nation‘….

There is a chill in the night’s air as shadows of fear appear in the coastal fog blowing inland toward the great plains east of the Continental Divide, but there is a presence in this fog that I have not felt sense…..‘What is that sound‘….As of a sinister breath, and now a blackened shadow slowly appears threw the dense fog as though arising from the smoke of an abyss….‘Darth-Raider’….An evil lord wielding a bright shinning sword glistening and whispering as it pierces the night’s air…..“Where are the ‘No-Mo-Chieftains’”…..‘To the east oh dark lord, to the east they hide in the wilderness just beyond the ‘Valley of the Mule‘, you shall surly find them there‘…..

And then he appeared, the great one of old now withered and bent, his face of many deaths shrouded in a hooded sash, his eyes of power and commitment piercing threw a fogy night‘s darkness, the ground trembled as he moved slowly turning his attentions toward the great eastern plane…..“Tell them the ‘Empower of the Dark Side’ has returned with great powers and with him the ‘Autumn Wind‘ shall again blow upon his domain’ …..’Yes my lord, I shall spread the word of your return, surely I shall‘….Two shadows slowly disappeared into the darkness of the night’s fog and the autumn wind again began to blow forcefully across the land from the great sea and with it came the chill and the frost and many a thunderous storm, as a wicked and dark nation was reborn…..

Well that was the lead in but it's not completed yet so I have more writing to do....

We finish the season against the "Buck"s and so it's X-Coach -v- New Coach and both teams could be in a "PO" hunt....Great stuff...I am now totally excited....Do they say what night games we have besides the 1st MonDayNight....

PantyRaider....PUMPED!!!!

12:10 PM  
Blogger H said...

Well, well, well. If we are in the hunt on December 28th I just might be spending the weekend in Tampa. Straight down I-75 a meer 470 miles.

It'll give me an excuse to see my Sister of H. It's just another 148 miles on the Atlantic side.

H

12:12 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Except for the fact that we play half of our division games before the end of the first month of the season, this is as favorable a schedule as I've seen issued to the Raiders.

I note that our first two games are against the division rivals we beat last year who will be looking for revenge. I view that as an opportunity. If we can snuff them both early, that would put us on track to challenge SD for the division.

after 19-61, it looks like the boot is now coming off our collective neck. Great. Give us an opening and let's see if we can kick in the door.

We know we're going to be better, we just don't know yet how much. I think if we had this year's schedule last year, we'd have likely been in the neighborhood of 6, 7 or 8 wins instead of 4. If the 2008 team could win 6-8 games against last years schedule, they ought to challenge for the playoffs with this one. But you never know what the season will bring until you've seen what everyone else has done with their off season.

The caveat here is that we play a lot of teams that are attempting to pick themselves up off the mat just like we are. This season is going to be all about what we and our opponents have done during this off season. We've clearly spent the most money. Have we bought the biggest gain?

12:18 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked...

I think the answer to that question within our own division is a resounding YES....We are improved a great deal while the rest have slipped or in the case of "SD" stayed about even except for what they add in the draft....They lost "FA"s so they need to replace them...The "Donko"s -n- "Squaws" need the draft just to add something in the shadow of their losses...

I feel great about our first 3 games...#4 will be a challenge...Also we get the same line-up later....D-KC-SD in the same order....I like it....

PantyRaider....Get-Up-For-It!!!

12:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

PatriotsDynasty


I knew I said I would not be back until August. But guess what? I have decided to interrupt my offseason slumber by bringing the fans and friends of RaiderTake the following announcement:


"If at all possible please stay away from the McCafee Coliseum in Oakland on Sunday December 14th, 2008. There will be destruction and annilihation that day. The home team, Oakland Raiders are going to be destroyed, humiliated, embarrassed, and whipped by the visiting New England Patriots. New England is going to come into that dump of a home stadium and take it over, for one day and one day only, McCafee Coliseum is going to be the Gillette of the West Coast. We are going to own that place. The Raiders will be beaten down, bitch slapped, and humiliated in front of their loyal, Halloween costuming wearing fans/freaks. You have all been warned to stay away from McCafee Coliseum on Sunday December 14th, 2008, so as not to witness the utter genocide and destruction of the Raiders. That is all"


See everyone in August! And have a Happy Draft Day!

12:50 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

OK...A look around....

da "Donko"s open with us on MN and then play "SD" -n- @ "KC" in game #4 after "NO"....They could be 0-4 to start...

They also play Jacksonville and Cleveland....We play Baltimore -n- Houston....Their fans are already swatting the schedual...Predict a 6-10 record....I say worse....If they start 0-4 they will not be able to recover....Down hill slide...

"SD"....Carolina...@ D...Jets...@ OakTown....

They will be 3-0 or 2-1 when we meet...

10-26 they have to travel to London to play "NO" and than have a Bye...

They play Pits-n-Indy back to back week 12....They finish with a 4 game series...OakTown...@ KC...@ TB...D...

The season will be very interesting...

12:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A few quick notes.
How does ARIZ get 2 Monday Nights?

How does SF get ONE?

SD has to fly to BUF then fly to London the following week (Haha). And they play IND/PIT while we got BAL/HOU (Haha).

SD has "short" weeks both times they play us (we do too on Thurs).

Psycho

12:53 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Patsy-Cheat-Dynasty...

What up with all the hope we stay away...Are you frightened to show up with your foney R-W-&-B if we are home....Of Course you are...You and your team will get "Punked" in our house....And I doubt a single fan will be will to attend wearing your CheatenColors...

Go figure...18-0 and do da "Flop"...That will be your eternal history....The "Cheatster Flop"....The "Midget"s picked up your silly asses and "Spiked" you like a "FatBitch" doing a "BellyChick" "Belly-Flop" from a "High_Board"...The "Dive" has already begun....Enjoy the fall...

PantyRaider....Get-Real!!!!

1:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

H,

i agree with you that richardson does show some good, lunchpail, work ethic.

but i was talking about high, top ten picks from ohio state.
i believe the history leaves much desired.

aj hawk is a nice player if he were a 2nd round pick. but is he playing like a top 5 pick ?
i don't think so.

what if archie griffin were coming out this year ? should we take him over mcfadden ? well, we have history to guide us on that one.

i,m not saying gholston would be a bad pick from 11 on down. but of course, he'll be long gone anyway.

i'm just saying it wouldn't suprise me if gholston is as underwhelming as so many other highly picked ohio staters of the past.

1:32 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

"Raiders in good position with fourth overall pick"

BSPN piks us to take "SOH" @ #4...4 hours ago...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3346253

1:39 PM  
Blogger H said...

Raider00,

Actually I was agreeing with you. I was just pointing out we may have gotten lucky with Richardson.

H

2:36 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

If we don't trade down, and don't pick OLB Rivers, I think given the following choices this is what we'll do.

If both McFadden and Gholston are still on the board, but SOH is not, we'll take McFadden. In all other circumstances we'll take SOH provided he's on the board when we pick. I predict that in order for us to take Gholston, both SOH and McFadden will have to be off the board.

In fact, I think the only way we take Gholston is by trading down a slot or two.

The rumor from PFT is that Jake Long doesn't want to play for the guppies, but he has to negotiate for the #1 overall position. Word is that if Miami can't sign Jake Long, they take Gholston (choosing not to negotiate with SOH at all).

I think Jake Long wants to play for the Rams. So if Miami takes Gholston, and the Rams take Jake Long, I think both McFadden and SOH are available to the Raiders at #4. If Miami lands Long, I predict that the Rams nab SOH, and we will wind up with McFadden.

2:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

About this time last year I was warning about OT Levi Brown being a flop. I couldn't believe the Cards picked him so high.

This year I feel almost the same way about Gholston. Steer clear of that guy.

Psycho

2:50 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Best schedule in ages. No weird or inappropriate groupings of games. No stacking of East Coast trips. No playing the Super Bowl contestants right out of the gates. No complaints.

Well, one...

Why, in the AFC West, do I have to keep seeing the freakin' TEXANS at home for the third straight season? I love all these trigonometry freaks who tell me that the NFL schedule is nothing but a sensible formula. But even if the formula, for some asinine reason, says that we must keep playing the Texans, why does it always have to be at home?

This follows a recent run of home games against the Browns, which has thankfully been terminated.

We went to Miami last year, and we're going again this year. So the Texans come back (for the third year in a row), and we return to Miami. Great.

How about mixing it up and giving us a look at different teams? Bring Miami here and send the Raiders to Texas.

3:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RaiderTake


Its all due to the scheduling rotation. Houston came to Oakland in 2007 because the AFC West played the AFC South in 2007. We had home games against Indy and Houston while we traveled to Jacksonville and Tennessee. In 2008, the AFC West hosts the AFC South team that finished in the same place as they did in the division in 2007. That is why Indy goes to San Diego, Jacksonville goes to Denver, Tennessee goes to Kansas City, and Houston goes to Oakland. Had we won a few more games last year, we would be hosting the Titans instead of Houston. The same thing goes for Miami. Last year we were scheduled to visit the AFC East team that finished in the same place in the division that we did in 2006 and that team was Miami. And in 2008 the AFC West is matched up with the AFC East. We host New England and the Jets and travel to Buffalo and Miami. This is a reversal from 2005 when we hosted Miami and Buffalo and traveled to New England and the Jets. So see? Its all in the numbers. Win some games, and we will play some better teams the following season.

4:05 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

And yet for the past several seasons, when we didn't win but a few games, we got the privilege of playing the most recent super bowl contestants, the Colts and Bears, in 2007, the most recent super bowl contestants in 2006, Steelers and Seahawks, and the most recent super bowl contestants in 2005, the Patriots and Eagles, which were both East Coast games within the first three weeks of the season.

So not winning enough games means that you keep playing the same crappy non-divisional teams at home AND playing the two top teams in the NFL?

I understand it's a formula. I understand that it's mathematics.

But it's time for a new formula, because it just doesn't add up in my book. Not when the Texans keep coming to town.

5:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RaiderTake


The ENTIRE AFC West played the Colts and Bears in 2007, The Steelers and Seahawks in 2006 and the Patriots and Eagles in 2005 (true we had to play them in two of the first three weeks of the season). Have you forgotten that already? It was the entire division playing both Super Bowl participants of the previous years, not just the Raiders. It just so worked out that was the way the schedule rotation worked for the AFC West during those years. In 2008, we only play one Super Bowl participant from last year (Patriots) since we are not due to face the NFC East again until 2009.

And you say you are sick of the Texans? Blame the Raiders. If they had not lost 12-10 to KC in their own home stadium, we would be hosting the Titans instead of the Texans.

5:49 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

We hear you, RT. But you can see that it is all mathematics. I'll say this. Back in H's and my day the Raiders were constantly called lucky. They made all of those come from behind victories based on nothing but luck, according the prognosticators at the time.

I always, at the time, liked to throw the famous line from the great Branch Ricky back at them. "Luck is the residue of design."

All that said, in recent years (particularly the last 5) the Raiders seemed to lack any semblance of luck. Indeed, they appeared to be completely snake-bit. Over the last five years we've constantly found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Right now I'm just happy that we don't get to play both the Giants and the PansieCheats. The luck is coming back. We'll know it's back if we spank the Blue Oxes and send them home crying.

5:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

well, look who's back.....

http://sports.espn.go.com/
nfl/news/story?id=3348598

6:41 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

So no matter how much you stink, you're not graded on a curve when it comes to playing certain divisions.

However, you are graded on a curve when it comes to having to play the Texans.

I understand that's what the formula dictates, I just don't like the formula.

If you complain about having to play the top two teams in the NFL, you have to hear that it's all about divisions.

Yet if you complain about playing another team that stinks, you have to hear that it's all about your record.

Either grade on a curve or don't.

7:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

14 of your 16 games are pre-determined every year. In the 2009 season we play the AFC North (hosting Cincy and Baltimore and visiting Pittsburgh and Cleveland) and the NFC East (hosting Philly and Washington and visiting Dallas and the NY Giants) The remaining 2 games are determined by the order of how you finish in your division. Our remaining two games will be a home game against the AFC East and a road game against the AFC South. And guess what? If Houston finishes last this season, and the Raiders end up in the cellar again, guess who the Raiders get to play for the fourth year in a row??? Give the man in the front row a prize if he guessed Houston.

7:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

D.Starks is not a bad re-signing.

Can't hurt to have a veteran with a brian on his shoulders to help out guys like D.Hall...

We'll need all the positive influences we can get with this guy. Not to mention D.Starks knows the system and did well for a guy who lost 2 steps...

PSYCHO

7:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who's Brian you ask? I meant "Brain".

Psycho

7:38 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Geez, can't a guy rant without a trigonometry professor showing up?

You know your stuff. Props.

They should run the draft like that. Rotate it on a divisional basis, with just a little break for your record instead of the whole order based on your record. That would keep bad teams from getting saddled with huge contracts for big busts.

By the way, no one will ever convince me that the Raiders playing the Patriots and Eagles, the most recent Super Bowl contestants, both on the road in the first three weeks of the 2005 season wasn't a conspiracy.

7:42 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RT...

The thing I would complain about is that we have never beaten the bastards....They are an expansion team who have kicked our asses...So now I look forward to another opportunity to get even...

If the Raiders are to be a good team and a contender as in the past than we should look forward to every challenge that can come up and want to go threw the best the NFL has to offer on our way back to the top....NOT shrink away in fear like some would do...NOT complain that we have to face some other team like we are afraid of them....

That's "Un-Raider Like Conduct Un-Becoming a Raider" and I will reject it....Bring on the "SB" Losers....

PantyRaider...Kick-Some-Ass!!!!

7:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember that Al Davis pissed and moaned about the Raiders having to open up at New England to open up the 2005 season, making himself and the Raiders look like big pussies in the process. I can remember my co-workers laughing at me for Al being a crybaby. And then what do the Raiders and Norv do? They go out and stink up the joint against the Patriots. They probably went into that game with a "whoa is me attitude" instead of going into it with fire in their bellies and a chip on their shoulder. It makes me sick to even think about it. That is why it irks me when Raider fans complain about the schedule. They sound like cowards and pussies. Over on the Scout.Com board, one Raider fan actually didn't like the fact that we had to play three divisional games in our first four games to open up 2008. To which I responded, "Don't tell me that you fear Denver and Kansas City" We have to play them twice anyway, so we might as well face them early to see what they are made of. I love it when we play tough teams. I wish we opened up with back to back road games against New England and the Giants, cause I want to see how our team measures up with last year's Super Bowl participants. I welcome a challenge. Hopefully the 2008 Raiders feel that way too. Unlike that gutless group in 2005.

8:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aren't you the guy who told me to "get the F outta' here" and then didn't respond to 6:27 ?

Not that I'm disagreeing with the change of subject, just saying...

Psycho

8:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>>>
aj hawk is a nice player if he were a 2nd round pick. but is he playing like a top 5 pick ?
i don't think so.
>>>


I dunno. There are a lot of top 5 picks that couldn't carry his jockstrap also.

There are no sure things in the draft. Never.

8:27 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

Overall I believe the 2008 schedule is very favorable. The only knock is having the bye so early (week 5).

* We only face 3 2007 playoff teams (SD, NE, TBay).

* We have the 3rd easiest schedule based on opponents 2007 winning percentage (.438).

* We only have 1 game where the weather could be a factor (11/22 at Denver).

* We are not traveling overseas.

* We don't have any back to back east coast swings.

The way that this year's schedule lines up, the 1st 4 games are more important than usual. Facing 3 divisional foes in your 1st 4 weeks and having the bye week 5 clearly marks a progress report.

P.S. If we are matched up with the Texans again in 2009, you can bet your last dollar that Kiffin is long gone. For the love of humanity, let's not make it a 4th time around with the GD Texans!

9:05 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

CalicoJack....

An interesting point was made on another site about the Texans slowly improving each season and they could be very good and battle for second place in the South this season....So if that's the case...We could do well to play them again next season....Both with second place schedules...

Just wanted to throw that out there...There are many things we don't yet know around the next corner....Some games which look tough now may be very weak and visa-verse....I mean looking back who expected the "Ass Whooping" we got from the "PussyCats" the 1st game out...

Anno 8:03...

I don't remember "MrD" complaining about anything like that....Kinda out of character for him to do so....He won't even complain about the bad calls and says it all evens out....He will go to battle against the NFL and the officials though...That's totally in character for him....

I remember fans and maybe a coach complaining...perhaps even a player...Just like you I don't like the crying....Just get angry baby and kick some freakin Ass...

I still proclaim there is one and only one player in this draft who has the potential to make us a winner overnight....Do I need to speak his name...10 days and counting.....

PantyRaider....Still-Pimping!!!

10:05 PM  
Blogger H said...

Psycho,

No wonder Starks has lost 2 steps carrying some guy named Brian around on his shoulders all the time.

Take, at least the current formula is better than the old 28 team one. At least all the divisiions are symetrical now.

H

6:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

H,

Have you seen Brian? The guy weighs like 400 lbs!

After all the "Haha"'s yesterday directed at SD, I see this morning that they lost another key LB for 4 games. So once again....HAHA!

Psycho

6:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

BTW, I'm starting to think the main schedule maker guy might have a studdering problem or something.

We start with:

DEN
KC (then BUF)
SD

Towards the end we have:

DEN
KC
SD

Psycho

6:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am sure cheater boy is just making the rounds and has already posted on ny giants take...right.

Scorpio-
What am I loooking at? That link took me to bspn's opening page and I don't have the stomach to go further.

Looks like I will be headed to the Crescent City. If anyone else is going to that game please give me a shout.

6:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>>>
After all the "Haha"'s yesterday directed at SD, I see this morning that they lost another key LB for 4 games.
>>>>


And he returns just in time for the Raider game.

8:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gary,
I think we play SD in week #4 so he'll still be out.

Psycho

8:37 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

There's something Take and Calico are overlooking when they talk about hoping the Raiders don't suck this year so we don't have to see Houston again. You better hope that while the Raiders play better, the Texans don't. If we both improve equally in our respective divisions --- we will play each other again next year.

Being a Raider fan, I've grown up with the attitude that you deal with what you are handed. But at the same time I want the Raiders to beat the best. I've never been one to say, "Gee, I hope we don't have to face the Giants this year." On the contrary, I want to had their giant fat asses back to them. Then there is no mistaking who the better team is.

In the 70s I wanted Pittsburgh or Miami on our schedule every year. I wanted the team to want to play them every year. I want the Raider always hungry to beat the very best.

8:54 AM  
Blogger H said...

Psycho,

Must be Brian Dennehy. He's gotta be pushing 300.

I'll be pleased with 2-2 at the break, but 3-1 is highly possible. Anything less than 2-2 with that opening stretch should be unacceptable. Especially with the changes we have made before the draft.

H

9:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To me, the Texans have become a symbol of everything wrong with my Raiders. We continually lose to this sorry ass team even if we show up for the bigger games on the schedule. We do this because we've basically sucked over recent years.

So in a way I'm kinda' glad we play them again. All we have to do is kick their ass this one time and we can close the book on the chapter entittled "Sucking Ass After Superbowl Loss". The monkey is off the back. We can move on knowing we're improved.

Next Chapter: "Kicking Ass With Kiff"

Psycho

9:34 AM  
Blogger H said...

If we are in the hunt this season and needing a win the last week lets not overlook the irony.

We will be playing Gruden, in Tampa. And Kiffin will be matching wits with his Dad.

The idiots in the media will be beside themselves. I'm sure that scenario was not lost on the schedule makers at the NFL.

H

10:10 AM  
Blogger H said...

MEMDF,

I don't think I'll be making the N.O. game but possibly the Tampa game.

H

10:23 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

This season is going to be great....I can feel it in the air....an old familiar "Chill"..."The Autumn Wind"...

I leave for Asia 5-6 and will return 10-21 for a short time....They did not give me a very good game to attend during my return...By 11-30 I may be going back but if not I think I will make the "KC" game....

10 Days and we will know alot more about how our team is going to look....The excitement is building and I am totally cool with that...But remember we were looking at a 3 year plan when Kiffin took over so I will try to be realistic....This is his second year and we may be able to push for a "PO" appearance....We shall see....But at least 2nd in the AFCW....

PantyRaider....Pimping-"McFab"!!!

11:23 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

I've been looking at mock drafts again. I have to say that I've grown somewhat disdainful of fantasy football. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but fantasy football folks have largely taken on the notion that they have some superior knowledge about building a football team. Building an actual football team and a fantasy team have virtually nothing to do with each other.

Yet it seems like most mock drafts these days are built by folks who follow the fantasy football strategies, and not the Pro Football strategies. I think that's the primary reason that everyone has us picking McFadden.

And, again, if we pick McFadden, that's fine. But I don't think we take him if SOH is on the board. We might not take him if Jake Long is on the board. In fact, the Jets are apparently drooling over the prospect of McFadden. I'd use that to trade down and get some more depth. Especially when it would mean only trading down a couple of notches and picking up as many as two extra draft choices.

12:13 PM  
Blogger H said...

Blanda,

I agree, but then it could be because of our age. I've never done fantasy football.

I only care about my team winning.

It reminds me of a post by a Raider fan (at least they claimed to be) on another blog. He wanted McFadden so the Raiders would make the highlight reels more often.

Of all the reasons to draft someone, that one should probably be near the bottom.

H

12:40 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Things seem to be coming apart at the seams in Cincy.

Does a WR corps of Walker, Chad Johnson, Drew Carter, and Curry sound intriguing to anyone?

Here's a thought. What if we trade our #4 overall for Cincy's first and second or third round picks, plus Chad Johnson? Then we pick up some depth for O and D lines in the later first and second rounds. We might even be able to pick up Rivers with such a strategy.

1:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I stopped campaigning for Ocho Cinco when we signed Walker. But I'd still like to see it happen.

We took a chance on Walker and he might not do anything for us.

Maybe the Kittins will keep their word and force Chad to stay. Which will not go over well, so I don't know why they would really do it.

Anyway, we might be able to work a trade for him next year when things are REALLY bad. Hey, maybe his stock will drop with teams shying away from his antics. It could be cheaper to wait, and we'll have more draft picks to work with in the deal. Plus we get a year to look at Walker.

Psycho

2:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
One item I don't like on the schedule is that once again we travel to Baltimore. How many times have we played at Baltimore since the Ravens were formed, compared to how many times (excluding playoffs) we played Baltimore at home? I don't want to gripe about having to play a team, but their defense is usually pretty nasty and Jruss is getting broken in this year. At Baltimore has, of late, been pretty much an unwinnable game for us. In fact, I don't believe we have ever won at Baltimore.

2:31 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

BlandaRocked....

Trading down to #6 would put us after "KC" and that's something Al would never do in my opinion....He will take from a competitor but give nothing up when he feels he has the advantage...

"Take All You Can And Give Nothing Back"...

I watched the game that I posted with "McFab"....Ark-v-Tenn...It was a game where the OrangeMen "D" was devoting 4-5 players on every play to stop "McFab"....Every time he touched the ball they were swarming on him....So What did I see....

Several plays of 2-3 yd gains but NO negative plays....Several 4-6 yd runs up the middle for very tough yardage...just a few plays where he got loose for 10-20 yds....Overall he ended up with a 5yd avg on 22 caries for over 100yds...That was one of his worst games in his college history....

The week before he had a record setting 300yd game....So even when the "D" is fully stacked against him he still had a very positive game by most "RB" standards....

The guy is for real and I aw his toughness....If you want to watch the game here is the thread again...

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/college
broadcast/teams/jps

The first set of games are basketball....go down to the football schedual and towards the bottom is Ark-v-Tenn....Enjoy...

PantyRaider....da "Pimp"!!!

5:05 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

My comment of:

"P.S. If we are matched up with the Texans again in 2009, you can bet your last dollar that Kiffin is long gone. For the love of humanity, let's not make it a 4th time around with the GD Texans!"

It's simple math folks. The Texans will fare no better than 3rd place.

If you were to look at the AFC South objectively, this is how the division will most like shake out:

#1 Indy
#2 Jax
#3 Tennessee
#4 Houston

Assuming Houston finishes in 3rd or 4th place ...

Ask yourself 1 simple question:

How happy would you be if the Raiders fall in 3rd place? In 4th place?

My point is quite simple. If the Raiders face Houston in 2009 it would mean we fell well short of our hopes and expectations.

I have never been one to bellyache about who the opponents are on our schedule. Line em up, blow the whistle, and let the best team win.

7:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>>>
BLanda:
Yet it seems like most mock drafts these days are built by folks who follow the fantasy football strategies, and not the Pro Football strategies.
>>>>

My Raider buddy said something similar... If we pick McF, at least he can kick everyone else's ass at Madden, but it won't help much in the ACTUAL Raiders W/L column.

I don't play Madden much, but he said they were pretty good with Moss too. Nuff said.

7:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fantasy football is for dorks.


Check out these links boys...

Draft visits, trade potential rises and Jarrod Cooper signs

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=11&entry_id=25761


Bush healthy, but future uncertain

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AivfI3loYCIKNlnEgukHK0M5nYcB?slug=cr-bushinlimbo041608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

7:53 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

memdf....

Well...I read both articles...Both slighted against the "MrD" and the Raiders in the way the info is presented...

As for the 2nd rd speculon...It's very possible we trade players for picks so that is a potential....But they try to paint a picture where we do both trade down and trade players....Only 2 possible 2nd rd players were interviewed...."WR"-n-"DE"....The other players mentioned are all top 5 picks....

The Chronicle confirmed visits from four other prospects -- Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Ohio State pass rusher Vernon Gholston and Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.

LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey should visit soon

Note...Gholston is rated low on some draft boards....Thus a 2nd rd pick


As for M Bush...He spoke in a positive way with a "Reality Check" to his attitude....The writer put his spin on it to say "MrD" was mismanaging the roster....Screw that "BullShit"....Kiffin said he did not want to let the "RB"s go and play against him so a decision was made...In other words Al went along with his coach...

As Bush said....If "MrD" believes "McFab" could bring some "V"s to OakTown you can't fault the owner for trying....He will take the boy...

"Mark My Words".....Consider them marked....

Spoken like a Pirate...

PantyRaider...da "Pimp"...9 days!!!

9:37 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Interesting.

First of all, my complaint about the Texans (which has been mischaracterized here) has nothing to do with anything except: why do I have to keep seeing the same old non-divisional teams in Oakland every year, regardless of our record? There are only five non-divisional home games each year. There are 32 teams in the NFL. Yet I get to see the Texans three years straight in Oakland (prior to that it was the Browns). The formula sucks. I'd like to see some different teams, period. Find a way to change it up. It's really not asking too much.

As for those of you who say go ahead, stack the decks, no complaints, lets take on Indy, Jacksonville, New England and the Giants on the road right out of the gates, who cares, the schedule is immaterial, we need to beat the best...Ummm, when's the last time you saw us make a big stick or hit on defense, the type of knockout hit you see the good teams make several times a game? On what basis are we talking so tough here?

Talk about fantasy football.

Of course the schedule matters. Of course our opponents matter. Of course the best teams should have a tougher schedule. Of course the weaker teams should have a higher draft choice. I'm not saying the NFL should hold our hand, I'm just saying that it stands to reason that the Patriots should probably play a tougher schedule than the Dolphins. It's common sense.

So, in 2005, when you send the Raiders to the East Coast twice to play both Super Bowl opponents within the first three weeks after a 5-11 season, yes, I think Al Davis has a right to be pissed, and I think that any right-thinking individual would view that as a screw-you from the NFL.

Since when do Raiders fans applaud screw-yous from the NFL?

Yet as I clearly said, I have no complaints about the 2008 schedule at all, except that I'll have to watch those awful Texans uniforms rolling around the Coliseum sod for a third straight year, which is simply an issue of boredom and wanting to see something different.

10:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Worse then seeing them is losing to them. Can we atleast kick their ugly butts this year? That would be nice.



RaiderMike

4:42 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

RT - maybe this is a test period to see how well the Texans fit in our division... gearing up for league expansion.

Honestly, there should be a restriction in the scheduling program which prohibits this from happening.

Meanwhile, our first four games are critical, having 3 of 4 against the division. It may have been more ideal to throw Miami or Atlanta in that grouping.

Overall, tough to complain about the line-up. My biggest complaint is that NFL Network is covering one of our two prime-time games. Time Warner Cable and NFL Network still haven't hashed out any agreement.

6:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here is a little something from Jerry McD to fire up the McFabulites. Hell, it kinda' fires me up a little too. Enjoy Panty:

http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog
/2008/04/16/mcfadden-on-the-
raiders/

Psycho

6:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Will my Raiders play 20 miles from my house? My luck can't be that good.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/
story/8042930?MSNHPHMA

Psycho

7:34 AM  
Blogger H said...

Psycho,

I hope they would be visitors. I don't want to go through what the media would do if they moved back to LA.

Take,

With the current formula there is not a guarantee a Super Bowl team will have a tough schedule.

Just look at the Patsies schedule this year. Along with division games against the Bi-Planes, the Fish, and the Buffalo Chips, they also get to play us, the Chefs, the Geldings, the Whiners and the Neutered Male Sheep.

That's 11 games against teams that had sub .500 records. There's a 12th game against the Red Sparrows who finished 8-8. Only four games against teams with winning records. In fact, based on 2007 records the Patsies have the easiest schedule. Is it any wonder the "pundits" are saying another possible 16-0 season.

On the McFadden front. I see Big Al trading to either the Cowgirls or the Bi-Planes under the STIPULATION they take McFadden. Otherwise, he will take him just to prevent the Chefs from getting him.

What will be interesting is if SOH, McFadden and Sedrick Ellis are all three available. That would be a delima. You really wouldn't want to see SOH or McFadden wearing red on Sundays. Especially SOH.

H

8:34 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Yeah, I saw that Psycho. Quote from McFadden: "I had to meet with that senile old jerk, Al Davis who's been destroying pro football for the last 20 years. Man, I hope they don't pick me. That place is a pit - a black hole for NFL players. You know there's a reason they call it that."

Oh... wait a minute, that's not what he said. He said that he loved his visit here, feels Rathman would take him to the next level, was really excited about his visit with Al Davis, and he hopes the Raiders pick him.

Psycho, LA is no place for pro football. LA is a place that requires sports teams to have equal interest from both the west and east coasts. The only team that I think might make it there is the New York Jets, but even that is iffy.

8:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
I have the same fears about SOH...

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2008/qa041608.htm

8:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7

Sorry, here is the link:

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2008/qa041608.htm

8:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blanda,

I guess the whole East Coast / West Coast thing is over my head because I don't see the problem. Other than leaving Oakland hanging.....again.

Anyway, my hopes are based only on selfishness. As long as I can drive to every home game life is good.

Psycho

9:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7,

http://www.profootballweekly.com/
PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2008/
qa041608.htm

Good, I hope people start freaking out. If we're lucky enough to grab him I'd be forever in their debt.

Absolutely no doubt in my mind SOH will be a great player for anyone lucky enough to grab him.

Psycho

9:22 AM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Psycho, when I lived in LA I discovered that a very large portion of the population in LA hailed from New York, Boston, and New Jersey. When these people go to sporting events, it is to remind them of growing up at home. They usually go to the games when their former home team comes to town.

The Dodgers work because they have the Brooklyn tie, and the Lakers because of their storied history and their rivalries with east coast teams. But if you go to an Angels game, more people at the game will be routing for the visiting team than the Angels. It was the same situation with the Raiders, and I believe that's why so many fights broke out in the coliseum when they played.

Both Al and I eventually figured out that LA wasn't the place for us. And when I moved back to the Bay Area there was no more reason for Al to stay, so he came back as well.

9:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blanda,

I gotacha. My boss is from Boston.

Still, I think we'd be fine in L.A. Al wanted to stay and couldn't get his deal done, so at least financially he probably still likes it.

Things might be a little different these days. I suddenly see masses of hard-core Angels fans everywhere I go. There was even some interest in the Arena football team. I think these people would jump all over any NFL team. Not to mention, all of us L.A. Raider fans remain loyal. The games in SD prove it.

I felt like a lot of the fighing was due to the area. This new stadium would be far from the ghetto. Plus, fights are fun anyway.

Psycho

10:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
Thanks, Psycho but I don't see how you can be so sure about a guy that basically faced little competition on the college level, and when he did, as the article states, he didn't fare that well. SOH may indeed turn out to be a good pro, but I think much of the love affair around him is because of his bloodline. I'm betting Quentin Groves ends up being a more dominant nfl player than SOH or Gholston.

10:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fair enough.

Check it out. Chefs close to trading DE J.Allen to Bucs or Vikes.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8043460?MSNHPHMA

Psycho

10:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cooper signed!

It's all coming together now:

http://www.sfgate.com/
cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?
blogid=11&entry_id=25761

Psycho

10:52 AM  
Blogger H said...

Bama,

If past drafts are any indication, the odds on Groves be a bust are equally as good.

It's like Alabama getting the top recruiting class in the country. It doesn't mean a thing until they get on the field.

That's why I think the owners are going to push for a rookie salary scale in the next labor negotiations. It's getting to the point where a top ten player gets paid more than an All-Pro at the same position.

It's also the reason all the top five positions will entertain a trade and why Parcells has opened up negotiations.

There isn't a player in the draft that doesn't have negatives. It was actually easy to find the following on Groves:

"The questions about him start with his tendency to take plays off. He's also undersized to play on the line, with most scouts viewing him as being slow off the ball and lacking the strength to be a power rusher, since he struggles at times to get off blocks."

It's from fftoolbox.com. Never really heard of them, but with the internet everybody's an expert now a days. Just wanted you to know the source.

Would we really want a player who is said to "take plays off", been there done that.

And, anyone who says they know for certain who will or will not make a great pro is ingesting something stronger than Jack Daniels. Including Mel "My Hair is too Heavy" Kiper.

Ryan Leaf is still living off the millions he stole from the Dolts.

H

12:15 PM  
Blogger H said...

Psycho,

If Allen is going to the Horned Helmets that means they are going to have to replace him somehow in the draft. They will have 5 and 17 according to the article, if true.

For the other one, I don't see Huff being traded. Schweigert and Washington and maybe Walter, but not Huff.

H

12:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

psycho said:
"Things might be a little different these days. I suddenly see masses of hard-core Angels fans everywhere I go."

yes, they're called bandwagon jumpers!

"Not to mention, all of us L.A. Raider fans remain loyal. The games in SD prove it."

those (cept you psych) are called gangbangers!

:o)

12:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bama7
H, I would think Groves will play LB in the nfl. The thing I like about Groves is that he played against jemarcus, Run DMC, Tebow, K Moreno, A Woodson, and many other big time athletes in college.
Agree with you on the Tuna. Tuna probably doesn't feel like any of the top 5 guys in this draft are worthy of #1 money. So he's looking for the one that will sign for the least amount (J Long?), or to trade down.

1:17 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Psycho...

Thanks for the thread to my "McFab" Blog....I posted on it 1 week or so ago...Now I see he has new material so I need to catch up...

He will look great in "S&B"...9 days and counting...

PantyRaider...Draft-Excitement!!!

1:19 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

From personal experience I can tell you that I never once had problems with the local community attending Raider games in LA. The local community viewed games there as potential income. Since the LA Coliseum never had enough parking, the locals would open up their front lawns and charge ten dollars a car. Never once had a problem with them, and they were always friendly and polite - asking you to tell them as much about the game as you could on the way out.

The fights were generally started by asshole fans of the visiting team who wanted to show how tough they were when confronted with Raider fans. They would freely hurl insults to the Raider fans (of all stripes) in their own stadium. Now tell me, if you were confronted with that nonsense at the HOT, would you be so forgiving as to just ignore the insults? Wouldn't you expect a fight or two to break out during the game?

It was always blamed on the neighborhood, but the fans who regularly went to the games knew the neighborhood had nothing to do with it.

1:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

blanda - i was at a lot of those games back then. raider fans in LA are mostly loser gangbangers that wear silver and black raider or LA king colors. i remember one game against the steelers where a "raider" fan beat the pulp out of a steeler fan. in another instance @ jack murphy in sd, a raider fan stabbed a charger fan. with the exception a few dedicated and true raider fans, those people down there don't care about football. they have better things to do. i remember seeing that la coliseum mostly empty for many games.

now here's where i'll agree with you re: the media. they do paint a very negative picture of us raider fans. because of the gangbangers, they (the media) have given us a bad rep and has taken that rep up north. it is unfair to label northern california fans the same as la fans. we truly don't deserve that.

1:38 PM  

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