Rhodes’ restructure was conditional
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm in Oakland Raiders.
It sounds as if Dominic Rhodes was promised that if he agreed to take less money on his contract and the Raiders drafted Darren McFadden, he would be granted his release.
“If they drafted Darren McFadden I was like, ‘Listen, I’ll restructure but it’s got to be to where if y’all draft him I can leave, you know. Y’all let me go.’ That’s kind of how it went,” Rhodes said in an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio Tuesday. “They kept their word and they let me get a chance to go somewhere else and get my opportunity. I know they like Mike Bush. They just re-signed Justin [Fargas] and I didn’t want to have to deal with what I dealt with last year because I know I can play and I know somebody can use someone like me.”
Host Pat Kirwan asked Rhodes if he regretted the decision to come to Oakland as a a free agent.
“The year out in Oakland was a tough one for me, man, especially coming from the Colts which is a great organization. They put together their team in a way with not a bunch of guys that are supposed to be like Hollywood types,” Rhodes said. “They go and get guys like myself who they know can play football and they put them on the field and they win with them, you know?
“Out in Oakland it was tough, man. I got put into a bad situation. The first thing was my fault by getting the four-game suspension but then when I got back, they knew that I was going to have that four-game suspension, and when I got back they kind of held it against me, didn’t give me my shot to get on the field and do the things that they said they were going to do.”
“That right there kind of let me know what was going on and then I don’t see the reason why the Raiders needed to draft a running back, you know what I’m saying? We had like a stable full of running backs that are capable, that ran for a hundred yards, every one of them and we went and drafted a guy that - he’s a great runner, don’t get me wrong - but I don’t understand the logic behind it.”
Rhodes’ complaints about playing time carry some merit, but the thing that hurt his chances the worst was when Fargas exploded for 179 yards against Miami the week before he became eligible.
If McFadden is as good as the Raiders think he is, they simply couldn’t pass on him. Rhodes is an above average back, but not a home run threat. Once Jordan was injured in the same Miami game where Fargas won the job, Rhodes probably should have been the second runner and given more of a workload.
Jordan seemed clearly uninterested once Fargas took over and Rhodes talked from the heart and played from the heart.
He got a chance in the final two games of the season to put two good games on film, and the Raiders did the right thing in keeping their word and letting him go once they drafted McFadden.
Rhodes sounded interested in returning to the Colts.
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April 29th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Thanks BM
April 29th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I hope we’re only hanging on to LaMont until June 1st to spread out his cap hit.
I’m disappointed Rhodes didn’t work out here, but it sounds like the two sides parted fairly amicably. Rhodes was a ton better than Jordan, and I’m a bit sad he never really got his chance.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I tell ya, if I hear Home-run threat one more time in the context of football, well, I’m gonna…..Well, I guess I’ll hear it one more time!!
April 29th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Some info on Washington DE Greyson Gunheim, 6′5 268.
“UW’s Pro Day was held Friday, and while it wasn’t open to the media, I’ve been able to get a little bit of information from it with the help of Rob Rang, who is a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com
Turning in some intriguing numbers was defensive end Greyson Gunheim, who ran a 4.58 40, benched 225 pounds 28 times, had a vertical of 36 inches and ran the short shuttle in 4.32. He also ran the three-cone shuttle in 6.76. All are solid numbers for a defensive end prospect.
Rang said those numbers give further proof that Gunheim “is a very good athlete.” But he said he thinks Gunheim is still likely to have to go the free agent route. The Chargers, Jaguars, Panthers, Raiders and Falcons are all thought to be interested in Gunheim.”
Strengths
Has good size and is really effective against bigger oversized offensive linemen. really quick, and still has good size. Really fast around the corner and makes a straight path for the QB.
Great against the run, with 42 career TFL. Can generally time and deflect passes better than almost any DE in the country. Had an incredible 21 passes defensed in 2006, but had only 4 in 2007. Very good at running laterally and can handle quick back on quick pitch carries.
Weaknesses
Just not big enough or shifty enough to slide off really solid tackles. Most of his production seems to come in short stretches of the game. Can disappear throughout a game. Despite reaching the backfield almost every play, never quite seems to track the QB down fast enough for the sack, and rarely ever forces a fumble.
Projection
Greyson is very highly ranked but I don’t really see a stellar NFL career for him. He reminds me a lot of a bigger more talented John Engelberger. A solid prospect worth a fly in the middle rounds of day 2.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Wow, we’ve come full circle, when the Irsays are running the model franchise. I remember when Elway wouldn’t play for them. The word Irsay was a joke. Times change.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
see ya Rhodes, go drink in Indy.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Rhodes got screwed. The Raiders have always been a favoritist <—(ah, a new word!) team. If you say something wrong, do something wrong, you are not going to play. And by wrong I mean, not in line with the company culture.
It’s too bad, he’s a pretty good scat back that can make plays in the short passing game. Kinda sounds wet coast, hey, is’nt that us??
April 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
# Mistabrown Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Personally I like Rhodes over Fargas but someone had to go. Maybe DR asked for release we dont know..
April 29th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Why does Dakota sound a lot like that Madden weirdo guy??? Dakota must be out watching the NBA playoffs.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
We still have a stable of good backs… Fargas, McFadden, Bush! One of these guys is going to get hurt, and the others will be there to step it up. I think the Raiders could have one of the best backfields in all of the NFL. Kansas City and Pittsburgh will have something to say about that, though.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Saint Kaufman: The reason i like McFadden is because he’s a three point threat! He can score from down town! hahahaha is that better?
CT RAIDER
April 29th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I am SOOOOOOOOOO pissed KC got Charles.
If Stu ever has to tackle this guy it will be an instant highlight reel!!
KC had a great draft!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Kiffin did do a poor job handling the running backs. Even when the Raiders were blown out, Kiffin kept running L.Jordan into the ground when he could have given D.Rhodes some 4th quarter carries, at least to get him in game shape and see what he could do. Then Kiffin did the same with Fargas. I haven’t looked back at the stats, but I remember fragile Fargas getting nearly 100% of the carries until he finally cracked. I wonder how hard he really pressed to get M.Bush activated.
He also did a poor job with the wide receivers. Once the Raiders were completely out of it, it made no sense whatsoever to give playing time and punt return duties to the old, useless, never to be seen again T.Dwight, when J.L.Higgins could have been getting experience. Sure he would make rookie mistakes, but it wasn’t like the team was losing because of his mistakes. It made no sense.
The same goes for the quarterbacks. Weird secrecy, the clown, Culpepper, the clown…just dumb BS.
Offensive line, same thing. Why didn’t J.Grove get more playing time at the end of the season instead of the broken down old man Newberry? Why not at least activate M.Henderson, give him a few 4 quarter plays in the losses. It wasn’t like B.Sims was playing like a pro bowler.
Maybe Kiffin is good with x’s and o’s, but he sure botched up the playing time. Hopefully he’ll do better this year. Last year was clearly a rebuilding year and any idiot knows you should be giving your young players experience in rebuilding years.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Hey Jim, I thought you were in Illinois now?
The question is if he can take it to the hole. I had no idea he had range though!
Maybe a FG kicker?
April 29th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
3 trophies,
No, it is me, I have always taken an anti-Al stance…and I have not dropped the 19-61 (or whatever it is)record line, lol.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Dakota,
Sorry you didn’t get to enjoy the 3 trophies we won and all the battles won and lost along the way. Your loss Dude. Any “fan” would have respect for the Nation and the team that created us. And we owe it all to Al. I hate to break it to you buddy, Al’s not trying for #4 to please you. He’s doing it for his team and the true fans.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
LTR, oh thanks for the enlightenment. You are right, Al is great, he does no wrong. He is the greatest owner ever…baaaaaaaaaaa
Is that better? Am I a “TRUE FAN” now?
April 29th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
On the Rhodes deal: Just as H-E-double toothpicks said (”Rhodes free to go,” post 225).
April 29th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Pirate,
I agree with you, Kiffin I thought was definately a rookie coach.
It seems this year so far, he’s speaking a little more plainly.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Dakota…
good one =)
April 29th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
WTF…..
April 29th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
If Jordan doesn’t get hurt against Miami, Rhodes becomes the 2d back the next game. But Fargas was ready when he got his shot; he earned it. One game after another he proved himself.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Rockets 74 - 55 end of 3rd….
April 29th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Actually Pirate you bring up a really good point. The deal with being an NFL head coach really has little to do with X;s and O’s. Little Kids can draw up plays that work. It’s relating to guys who make tens of millions of dollars that’s really a pain in the ass.
Really Kiff did not have a lot to go on in the first half of the season. Jordan was number one on the depth chart at RB for a reason. He looked good on last years tape. Once Kiff discovered what a lazy fat ass he really is, he was relegated to the bench. Which was the right thing to do.
The WR’s Kiff inherited were terrible. I’ve had many discussions about that on this blog, with many disagreeing with me. Apparently by drafting 2 WR’s and signing 2 other major FA’s Kiff agreed with me. The deal with Dwight is he had only one less TD in the Coliseum than Jerry Porter had in 5 years. Which happens to be only two more than I HAD!! Higgins was coughing it up more times than a 6 month old baby and he was costing us games, so Dwight was a good choice and it didn’t cost anything. Plus Dwight is a very very very high motor guy which was a refreshing change from Mike Williams and Jerry Porter.
With regards Kiff and the QB’s there’s an old expression in the league: If you have three QB’s playing, it means you don’t have any. This year now, we have one.
Lastly, Grove was hurt. He got hurt bad in practice and was done for the year. Hope this clarifies somethings.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I think Dakota is allrigth….
And as far as the team, it´s only been 1 year and 3 months since rock bottom at 2-14, I say we have made dramatic improvement from where we stood just 15 months ago.
We are on the right track.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Dakota,
You’ve been using my sheep line lately…
That’s actually a registered trademark of SK inc.
Gonna cost ya some beers!
Speaking of which, I just had one of those Miller Chill beers, not bad. I mean, I didn’t puke or anything. I live in the land of the microbeer and have completely revolted against all of it. Strictly mexican beers from here on out. But this Chill beer was alright…
hmmmm, maybe I should stop typing now…
April 29th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
yup guys that it…
I’m outta here…. See ya
April 29th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Sorry Saint, baaaaaaa
I can’t help it, everytime I think of Al I, I, I, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..
shoot, is this what Goon feels like?
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I can’t do this…Al sucks…there
whew, that is much better.
Al, wake up and fire rob ryan!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Hi Madden,…why dont you use your old name anymore?…I liked it.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Well Madden,..are you excited about the great upcoming season following this great draft and offseason moves?
April 29th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
GRaider
See that….such insight from a non insider.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Sorry Hell,..I am an insider,…dont let your jealousy destroy you.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Bob Marley is right. 2006 seems light years away. We are on our way. Soon to be four trophies.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
LOL
I will try to remember my place. But I was the one yesterday that called it on the Rhodes contract. Got your bad that’s all.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
3 trophies,..dont say that,..losers like Maddenraider,..(currently Dakota),…and the rest of the losers in here that arent into optimism hate seeing text like that,…they like to spew misery and bitterness, because thats their role in life,..try and bring others down into their own sorrow.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
“Jordan was number one on the depth chart at RB for a reason. He looked good on last years tape. Once Kiff discovered what a lazy fat ass he really is, he was relegated to the bench. Which was the right thing to do.”
Didn’t Jordan get hurt? At the time he was leading the league in rushing yards?
I get the impression that the issue with Jordan is he doesn’t keep himself in good enough shape to avoid hurting himself as a 3down back. He ran well in the early games last year.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Ok Hell,..however I told this room in January that both Rhodes and Jordan were both gone before the season,..and they will be,..try and keep up.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
It wasn’t a matter if he was leaving or not it was why so soon. I said when he restructured… that was part of the deal for him to take less money. If we got McFadden they would let him go after the draft.
But you already new that. We will forgive you this time. If you would like to read 225 from yesterday you will see where and how you were mistaken.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
No need to cry Hell,..I was right in January,..last time I checked that was prior to your silly post yesterday,..if you need any more help stay tuned,..more accurate predictions to come.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Well goodnight crew,..hey manana I will have some more info fresh off the island,..so come on back!!..see ya then!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Enough with all the information about undrafted free agents. None of these guys will make the team in all likelihood. If they get close to making the team talk about them then. I’ve seen posts of just about every FA they signed saying “hey I think they have a shot at makin it”, yeah they do about 1 in a million!
Does anyone know how McFadden will do w/ the ZBS? Did they use that at Arkansas? Sometimes that takes some time to get used to and sometimes backs never do. He is a great athlete anyway and I like his versatility, but good that we have Fargas, and Bush just in case.
We still need a lot of help at WR. Here is our “recently proven” receiving team.
Curry.
Miller will be a good TE but he isn’t a WR. Javon has a lot to prove.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Well I’m please to know someone in here is really good at stating the obvious.
We all need that kind of leadership in here.
I will be back tomorrow awaiting more insight. Maybe if you have time you could let us know where are home games will be played and some game dates and times. Most importantly our first game. I would hate to miss out on the first game.
Thanks for your help.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
dmac nd brach going to make the team for sure nd one of the 2 wr will make it for sure i dunno bout the DE
April 29th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Eastcoast
I don’t know a lot about the ZBS other then it is a single move and run down hill system.
Watching McFadden and how fast he hits the hole. It seems he will be great. Some of the runs where JF got free last year would have been TD’s if the were Dmac in there.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
“….his chances the worst was when Fargas exploded for 179 yards against Miami the week before he became eligible”
Sh!t happens get over it.
I was the only one that pointed out the fact that Rhodes was pouting last year. The first three games he was on every interview crying about his playing time. After about the 4th week he finally shut up. He finally realized nobody was listening to him. Nobody gave a Sh!t.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
East Coast Raider…I’m not the ZBS guru, but i reall L Jordan being quoted as a sceptic of the system until of course He found He had Massive running lanes…lol
Fargas had to make an adjustment or 2 as well.
Based on Cable’s track record at Atlanta, and Denvers use of the system, I’m betting that McFadden will have no problems making any adjustment.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Rhodes was descent. He definitely wasnt as good as he thought he was.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
did anyone check out chaz schillens on youtube one high light in paticular he caught a 2 yard pass took it for a 98 yd. touchdown but the wheels this guy has for his size looks scary ! he also shows he’s got handles, lookin foward to seeing him in camp… could be a poor man’s calvin johnson or randy moss.. for real!
good night y’all
April 29th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I am pretty optimistic about that kid from SD State. I am sure that there was a reason he didn’t go until the seventh round, but you don’t often see that combination of size and speed. I hope he has the attitude and desire to go out and work hard.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Dakota says:
Sorry Saint, baaaaaaa
I can’t help it, everytime I think of Al I, I, I, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..
shoot, is this what Goon feels like?
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I can’t do this…Al sucks…there
whew, that is much better.
Al, wake up and fire rob ryan!
————————————————–
I see your still doing your Raider hater chant and this time you seem a little torn. AL, I love you. BAAAAAAAA. AL I hate you. BAAAAAAAAAA. AL, you can do no wrong.BAAAAAAAAA. AL, everything you do is wrong. BAAAAAAAAAAAA. Go take a picture of AL and get a room. Your confused man love-hate for Big AL is showing. And you act as if AL doesn’t fire DC’s. “IF” the defense doesn’t perform any better with the new additions, Ryan will be fired, just like the DC’s before him. Get a grip.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I don’t blame Rhodes for his comments. Nothing too harsh or too unfair toward the Raiders. Obviously some pride on Rhodes’ part skews his perception of reality but that’s to be expected.
He’s a decent No. 2 back and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in Indy or seeing playing time elsewhere.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
The only thing that keeps me going is they did alot with nothing last year. We have something this year so we should be really good.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
DbSF Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
“Jordan was number one on the depth chart at RB for a reason. He looked good on last years tape. Once Kiff discovered what a lazy fat ass he really is, he was relegated to the bench. Which was the right thing to do.”
Didn’t Jordan get hurt? At the time he was leading the league in rushing yards?
I get the impression that the issue with Jordan is he doesn’t keep himself in good enough shape to avoid hurting himself as a 3down back. He ran well in the early games last year.
If you got the impression the issue with Jordan is Keeping himself in shape, which part of lazy fat ass becomes incongruent??
April 29th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
East Coast Raider and others…
13 Undrafted Free Agents were on the Raiders roster and played during the 2007 season.
Barry Sims
Tommy Kelly
Chris Clemons
Dominic Rhodes
Cornell Green
Chris Carr
John Madsen
Ricky Brown
Isaiah Ekejiuba
Hiram Eugene
B.J. Ward
Chris McFoy
Jon Condo
17 Undrafted Free Agents made the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants roster and played 2007.
Skip the UFA information if you like, but some of us find it interesting.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Dominick “Rhoides” really effed himself when he took the league suspension. Obviously that did not sit well with the organization. How many Raider players do you see get suspended week in and week out??? Not many.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Bob
Can you tell me why we didnt make a better run at linemen after the draft? You think guys would be standing in line in Oakland. We have the biggest need and they would have a better chance of making the team.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
The more I think about it I definitely do like McFadden a lot better in the ZBS than in a traditional running game. I think he’ll have trouble pushing the pile for 3-5 yard gains and will get stopped at the L.O.S. too often, but if the line gets him to the second level and he can make his cut and go that’s where he’s going to break off plenty of huge runs.
A lot of his success will depend on how/when Kiffin uses him.
With the success of the ground game last year, the addition of Kwame Harris, the talent at RB and the development of JaMarcus I suspect we’ll probably run more than any team in the league. That means McFadden should get about 10-15 carries per game, catch a couple of passes and maybe return kicks too while Fargas and Bush combine for 20+ additional carries.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I thnk DMC will be amazing with the ZBS. He is a one cut back and that is the ideal back for the ZBS. Jordan spent too much time dancing. McFadden will hit it and blow up field.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
It’s funny Bob, two months ago I said the UFA’s were going to make or break the advancement of the Raiders back to respectability. Thank you for keeping us informed. I am really happy about Speiker, Jackson and Joe Fields. They may not stick, but all those guys are very very good players.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I agree…… I only care about the first few picks. I dont get into the UFA stuff. If they start playing good, I will notice then. I usually dont watch the 2nd pay of the draft. It takes too long. I can read it in the paper the next day.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
HR, I don’t mean to speak for Bob Marley, he does a good enough job for himself, but while we’re waiting for his response, I’ll offer my humble opinion. For whatever reason, the Raiders feel set at the DT position and are trying to shore up the DE position a bit. Why they think this, I do not know.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Oak
I will ask you the same question. #56
This is what makes no sence to me.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Chris in Ny…I think You’re right about McFadden and the ZBS.
Backs with great vision and the ability to make the cut and hit the hole fast DO get to the 2nd level quickly and in many cases the 2nd level is out of position… and reacting…but to late.
Touchdown Raiders.
Personally I hope McFadden get at least 20 touches per game.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Man your quick. Thank you, I respect what you offer in here and please feel free to offer up what ever you have to add.
So like me you are wondering why as well.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
exactly
April 29th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I will admit I was not for McSaggin. Not against him but wanted more picks out of our #4. But now that he is here I’m excited to see him play. Someone post a You Tube link earlier on McSaggin. He looks incredible. He was blowing through the holes and gone. Check it out.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Oak
Well as I said earlier. Kiff and company did a lot with nothing last year. Now we have some good players. We should look pretty damn good this year. I can’t get past not addressing our line. But hey! Let’s see what they can put together. Just hope we don’t have any injuries.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Who’s Joe Fields? I missed that one.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Hell raiderrrsss…post 56,
I wish I knew, I´m guessing a couple of vets will be added before the season.
Oakglenn..59
Yeah, I know you were big on UFA´s, it is true they have a slim chance but you just never know like post 54 proves.
I like the Adam Spieker, Brandon Rodd, Shane Simmons, Malik Jackson, Louis Rankin and Greyson Gunheim siginings so far.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
QB Brian White (Portland State)
TE Darrell Strong (Pittsburgh)
DE Greyson Gunheim (Washington)
DE Derrick Gray (Texas Southern)
LB Shane Simmons (Western Washington)
TE Chris Wagner (South Dakota State)
RB Louis Rankin (Washington)
C Adam Spieker (Missouri)
OL Brandon Rodd (Aiea)
FB Matt Hahn (Penn State)
CB Derrick Brown (Southern Utah)
LB Malik Jackson (Louisville)
DE Casper Brinkley (South Carolina)
TE Chris Conklin (Wingate)
CB Cortney Grixby (Nebraska)
FB Breyone Evans (Massachusetts)
S Joseph Fields (Syracuse)
DT Brandon Jenkins (Mississippi)
WR Damon Morton (Colorado State)
QB Taylor Tharp (Boise State)
DE Greyson Gunheim (Washington)
DE Derrick Gray (Texas Southern)
LB Shane Simmons (Western Washington)
C Adam Spieker (Missouri)
OL Brandon Rodd (Aiea)
LB Malik Jackson (Louisville)
DE Casper Brinkley (South Carolina)
DT Brandon Jenkins (Mississippi)
Gota believe the bottom 8 are getting looked @ most because we could use depth in any of these positions - Also they may be looking for a TE if there thinking of going with a more tradtional TE than John Madsen that was converted to a TE from a WR
April 29th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
HR, I have to say personally I was hoping for Long/Dorsey or Ellis. I think any of those guys and our defense is absolutely top notch if not the best in the league. When I watch McLuvin, the thing that really stands out to me is a couple of things. First his understanding of the offense and defenses is pretty amazing. The second thing that really stands out for me is not the one cut and he’s gone. In all those plays he’s playing against kids his own age, who he is clearly better than. Now, he’s going to play against grown men who are just as fast as he and they’re bigger. And meaner. The thing that really stood out to me is the clip where he throws this option pass, running to his left, against his body and throws a pretty nice ball in coverage. That, my friends, was pretty above average.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Oakglenn and Hell Raiderrss
I do agree with Oakglenn. For better or worse, they seem to feel that a 4 man rotation of Kelly, Warren, Sands and Jospeh will be able handle the DT spot. Someone else should make the roster, I hope it´s another vet like Grady instead of Josh Shaw.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
If you got the impression the issue with Jordan is Keeping himself in shape, which part of lazy fat ass becomes incongruent??
Actually, I only questioned your stated reason for him being benched, had he not got hurt, he wouldn’t have been benched at all, everyone was pretty high on him before he got hurt, he was quite productive. his “lazy fat ass” most likely got him hurt - yes, but his production before his injury was not at all bad and certainly Kif was not considering benching him because he was lazy or fat
April 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Bob, also the guy I really like is Joe Fields, the Safety out of Syracuse. 6′1″, 210, 4.4 forty, great hands, hits like a ton of bricks, smart. Nice signing there.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Oakglenn Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
“The thing that really stood out to me is the clip where he throws this option pass, running to his left, against his body and throws a pretty nice ball in coverage. That, my friends, was pretty above average.”
I was thinking the same thing - Can you say pay back SanDiego
April 29th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
DoeDoe, karma IS a hideous bitch goddess, isn’t she???
April 29th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
San Diego is going to be yelling Im Tired of being Karmas Bitch!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
DbSF, I’m actually only teasing. You’re right in that he WAS injured, but his lack of strenghtening work probably led to the back problems and note how after he got healthy he really didn’t see the field again, which normally players will regain their jobs when they’re healed up. Jordan has a bit of a lazy streak which definitely does not sit well with Kiff and the coaching staff.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Hey Oakglenn…I agree with Your observation about McDaddys QB skills…He is a Great Athlete.
Where My observation / perception differ’s is… I think He looked like a Man among boys.
That talent translates to Any Field.
Not many are just as fast and who really knows how many will be meaner.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Len you’re right, and he should look like a man among boys. You’re gonna find the DB’s in the NFL will be just as fast, two or three hundreds of seconds won’t make a lick of difference when those defenders are a few yards downfield, and most of the defensive starters I’ve ever met in the league, well I can’t say they’re the jolliest guys come gameday.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
I´m not sure we signed Joe Fields, I was looking for something about him and read a report he signed with Carolina.
In fact, I think the list on post 70 is wrong, those are both the Raiders and Panthers signings.
I think we only signed this guys so far:
QB Brian White (Portland State)
TE Darrell Strong (Pittsburgh)
DE Greyson Gunheim (Washington)
DE Derrick Gray (Texas Southern)
LB Shane Simmons (Western Washington)
TE Chris Wagner (South Dakota State)
RB Louis Rankin (Washington)
C Adam Spieker (Missouri)
OL Brandon Rodd (Aiea)
FB Matt Hahn (Penn State)
CB Derrick Brown (Southern Utah)
LB Malik Jackson (Louisville)
April 29th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Oak
Yes he has to prove he can do it in the NFL. But as you noted his passes were nice. I guess I’m just hoping praying he can be as effective running the ball. Going back to last year. It seems there were a lot of plays we missed huge gains because JF was late to the hole or couldn’t out run the tacklers.
#70 Is this the list of the udfa we have picked up todate?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
*these
April 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Bandon Jenkins signed with Carolina: http://www.kffl.com/player/19707/nfl
April 29th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Looks like # 81 got to the bottom first.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
these are the breaks quit crying rhodes: your stupidty ultimately cost you a shot to get on the field.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Lane could have used him a little more, but that is besides the point.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
The biggest knock on McFadden has been his inability to get tough yards or run people over. If you talk to the folks out west they seem to think that too. HOwever, if you read columns written from the east or read reviews from fans in the east they refer to him as a “beast” and how he is a tough runner.
I know the only footage we have of him shows breakaway speed but that’s all you would typically see in a highlight reel. Highlight reels don’t show the tough runs because they’re not exciting.
Who to believe, I’ll go with those that saw him on local TV and the local fan base. NOt to mention those columnists that covered him.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Oh, bummer man. I saw someone here posted we signed Joe Fields. Not that we needed another safety anyway. he’ll be good for Carolina. I hope he makes it. Bummer man.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Sorry if I gave out wrong info Nation - Here’s another link that showes we signed 14 udfa’s - some sites are showing different things
http://fflivewire.com/articles/2008_NFL_Undrafted_Free_Agent_Signings_1.aspx
April 29th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Oakglenn…I don’t think we will see many 215 corner backs running at Dmac….and for damm sure their wont be any 220 pound safties catching Him from behind.
Ya can’t Hit what ya can’t catch.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Assassin
What were they saying about Adrian Peterson when he came out?
Myself I don’t watch college ball so I really have no history on these guys.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
My big criticism of Darren McFadden was exactly what you guys all rave about. You see him blast thru a hole and he’s gone. Well, what I see is Robert Felton at Guard and Jonathon Luigs at center, both All Americans just blowing guys to bits and creating huge holes. Hence why Felix Jones ran so well too. What I said to everyone is obviously I like McFadden, but I really like Luigs and Felton! Those two All Americans kicked ass.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Here´s something on this guy:
Derrick Gray DE 6′4 266 Texas Southern.
Overview
One of the top 40 small-school prospects in this year’s draft class, Gray was not really on the radar coming into his senior year.
But last fall he showed the potential to become a nice power defensive end with a second-team All-SWAC season: 76 tackles, 24.5 for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
That sort of production from a larger defensive end got him in the crosshairs of NFL scouts pretty quickly.
Positives:
Prototypical size for a strong-side defensive end, with long arms and good upper-body and leg strength. … Holds the point well, even against bigger right tackles. … Can chase down the line and hustles downfield. … Uses his length at times to put pressure on the quarterback from the outside. … Gets his hands inside the tackle’s body and rips him to get off the block.
Negatives:
Could give more consistent effort. … Got his production against lesser competition, but he does not have the elite quickness needed to consistently beat NFL tackles off the snap. … Needs to learn how to effectively use his size and length to get off blocks to make plays. … Straight-line runner. … Does not change directions quickly on misdirection plays, and may not be agile enough to handle quick backs in space.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Len I am with ya on that. I think Dmac is going to be fantastic no doubt.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Anybody sign Xavier Lee, QB, FSU? He’s kind of an odd fit because he’s not nearly polished enough to play NFL QB but he’s an impressive athlete. He’s about 6-3, 230 and runs in the 4.7 range. He got stuck for some reason behind Drew Weatherford at QB for FSU and never had a chance to develop, but he was considered one of the greatest high school players ever in the state of Florida and did show some flashes at FSU. Anquan Boldin ran a similar 40 time coming out of FSU (that’s why he lasted until Round 2) and Boldin was converted from QB while at FSU. Maybe Lee could switch as well.
He’s a project but he’s one of those rare guys that when he has the ball you feel like he could break off a huge play at any moment.
I hope the Raiders at least consider picking him up if he’s still out there. Maybe stash him on the practice squad until you figure out what position he’s best suited for.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
AP was always touted as a tough runner with concerns about his shoulder/clavicle injury. Had he not had the health concerns he probably would’ve been drafted earlier than he was.
He was also analyzed as someone that got away with being faster than his competition in college but it would catch up with him in the pro’s. THey also said he had a narrow frame.
Sound familiar?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Hey Oakglenn, was Dorsey one of those guys gettin blown out?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Nice!! Well, Dorsey holds the POA pretty darn good, but I’m sure Luigs and Felton got him a time or two.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Oakglenn - Fair points re: the oline for DMC and Felix Jones. That said, Fargas seemed to have found holes last year, as did Jordan and Rhodes. If those same holes are present for DMC I suspect he can hit them as fast (if not faster) than either of those guys. I’m hoping he hits the hole, unloads his trademark stiffarm, and gains a few yards. A couple of these runs will help JR set up play action.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Oak
You said it. The guys up front make room to run.
Where I feel good about this is Fargas ran for a 1000 yards. Not a knock on him….I like Fargas. But come on. If he can get a 1000 yards in what 12 games? What can DMac get.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Man I type slow. Im always one post late!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Oakglenn…My point is that DMAC is a GREAT football player with talent that translates to any league, under any system, under any circmstance.
The Raiders just need to use HIS talent effectively.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
One thing we need to remember is that the running game was NOTICEABLY better when Newberry was in the lineup. I realize Wade is smart and knows coverages but I don’t know if he can open holes like Newberry did. If we have any intentions on running the ball up the middle we will need a Center that can drive the NT forward. The Center position is one I wan’t to watch closely this year.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
David White, of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports several Oakland Raiders players were surprised at the release of RB Dominic Rhodes. “I didn’t foresee that happening,” said RB Justin Fargas. “Dominic is a good player and a good locker-room guy (who) brings everybody else up. Those are the kind of guys you want to have around, so when they let him go, it was a little bit of a shock, a little bit of a disappointment to me.”
April 29th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Good night all.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Len I completely agree. The more I think about this guy Dmac, the more ways I can think of using him. I just can’t wait for Dmac and Mike Bush in the same backfield or Fargas and Bush in the backfield and Dmac split out as a SE.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
DoeDoe…what that article tells Me is that 1st it’s bussiness and 2nd nobody’s job is safe.
Competition. Step up or …..
April 29th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
If anyone would know how to get the best out of D-Mac coach Kif would be the man
April 29th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Well good night all. Thanks for the info and the chat!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Def agree
April 29th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Oakglenn…WEAPONS BABY
Sucks for all the D co ordinators out there…lol
April 29th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
David White, of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden will command a six-year contract worth at least $50 million with no less than $20 million in guarantees.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Sign Him
April 29th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
I liked Rhodes but Fargas won the job last year and Kiffin loves his work ethic and do it for the team attitude. Ultimately, Rhodes knows he’s not as talentted as a guy like McFadden and couldn’t say anything bad about Fargas. The Raiders owned up to what they said they would do and let him go find a team that can use him. Good Luck Rhodes. I’m only glad that we have the ability to let a guy like that go and be in good shape.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
“This seems in-line with what he should expect. Now, it will be up to the Raiders and his agent to work out the language.”
http://www.silverandblackpride.com/
First time on this web - Not to bad - seems pretty updated with the latest greatest Raiders info
April 29th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
That’s Roughly 10 mil. less than J Long Agreed too in total $… Guaranteed money is I think about the same.
I could be wrong
April 29th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Think about this for one second: We get the ball first. The opposing kicker even boots it out of the end zone. lst and 10 from our 20.
Bush and Fargas in the backfield. Dmac splits and runs a streak pattern. Leave both backs and the tight ends in to block. The opposing defense would have to commit 8 to run support. Jam then drops back and throws a SEVENTY YARD STREAK TO DMAC to open the game!!!!!! How do you like me now Denver????
April 29th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Raider4Life…what that also tells us is that the Raiders have Ethics. The honored a handshake agreement.
They have cred in the industry.
Regardless of what many may think.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I must say I am very pleased with the draft
I admit I was sceptical of McFadden only in the sense that I was trying to be practical. To me trading down and aquiring more picks and players with this years deep draft sounded like the right thing to do, the smart choice due to the bad record and overall talent level, or lack there of from the Raiders.
What in Tommy Maddux’s name was I thinking?! I absolutely failed to to reach par with Al Davis, Lane Kiffin, or even Rob Ryan which no one fully understands. I pride myself as a knowledgable Raider Nation psycopath and have been correct in most presumptions with what they are doing and the direction they are going on and off the field.
Plain and simple I got in a rut! I was rocked to sleep by all the negative drama and b.s. and even some very true nightmares we constantly endured over the past 5 years. Then as Madden would yell BOOM! it hit me like Jack Tatum…
We have a chance to get of the Barret Robins Tijuana Bad News Band Wagon. I got to give it to Al, Kiffin and company. Mixing Darren McFadden in the same backfield as JaMarcus Russell, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, Justin Grifith, and Oren O’neal could be absolutely silly!! The Luckiest team in the NFL could be the one that has the bye week in addition to prepare for all these weapons before they play us. If they can click on all cylinders this could be scary good.
This is a chance, not at practicality, or to increase the overall talent pool and make a solid working machine, but this is a bold move in greatness! With so much copy cat and parody in the NFL, you can get dragged in the mud with mediocrity. I was probably o.k. with this before but when I think of just how special this could be, to throw any look at the opposing defense and they have to fear so many weapons all game long. Just imagine you are the line backer who doesn’t know if you have to shed a stiff hitting O’neal so you want to get in early and get leverage so that the split second you may have to grab McFadden’s ankle and hope to bring him down before he fly’s by you meaning the quicker you feel the blow from the hit you just took and as you look on from being buried 2 inches in the grass you see Russell still has the ball. You look in the secondary and realize your are not the only one who bit down hard on the fake, then you grab your shoulder to straighten out your pads as you look to see Russell throwing a lazer to Zach Miller 35 yards over the safety’s head who reacted with the linebacker and McFadden and say to yourself mercy. All of their backfield weapons have a chance at being elite with superior skill sets.
The next few years can be really fun Nation.
On a side note Iove the picks of Branch, Scott, Shields, and Schilens because the theme is speed. Something you can’t teach and crave to coach.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Oakglenn….TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS
I like the way You’re thinking.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Very true Raiderlen… Kiffin had these guys on the same page as much as you can ask for last year. He will do some more weeding out this year. Even Sapp who is retired called out Jordan and gave props to Kiffin’s offense.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Post 118 and 120
I LOVE IT!!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
About this……
“David White, reports McFadden will command a six-year contract worth at least $50 million with $20 million in guarantees.”
That´s about right, considering the deal Gaines Adams, last year´s 4th pick signed with TB. Lombardi once said, you figure a 3 to 10 percent increase from year to year according to the slot.
“Tampa Bay’s Gaines Adams agreed Thursday to a six-year deal..The deal maxes out at $46 million, with $18.56 million guaranteed, ESPN’s John Clayton reported.”
And as far as Jake Long, keep in mind he signed only a 5 year deal and it was for 57.5 million with 30 guaranteed.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Oakglenn…did you notice your boy Robert Felton went undrafted?…he signed with Buffalo, I think.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
BOB..thanks for the info
Well then I will Presume that means DMAC will be “signed sealed and delivered” (HE’S OUR’S), before camp opens.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
No problem Len
Good night people.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Raider4life…You Paint a BEAUTIFULL picture of what is to come.
Thank You.
Can’t wait to see the Raiders start to give back what they’ve been takin’.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Have a Goodone nation
As Greg Papa would say TouchDown
RAAAAAAAAIIIIIIDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEERRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
April 29th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Fargas McFadden and Bush (unless he gets beat out by one of the FA’s we bring in) is a great backfield. Fargas will run hard and won’t complain and the other two are rookies (bush didn’t play last year) with no egos from what I’ve seen and heard. Fargas gives us an above average to good everydown back, McFadden can be eased into the offense and used as a change of pace and weapon in various packages, and Bush can start off as a short yardage guy - his versatility in the pass game will help a lot too. Griffith can run the ball too so we’re basically set…Rhodes was o.k. He wasn’t going to carry the load and he wasn’t going to give us more than 3.8-4.1 ypc.
I didn’t want to draft McFadden b/c of the needs on the d line, but realistically the only guy worth of the pick was Chris Long and once he was off the board, McFadden was the only guy worthy of the pick since Kelly is playing the 3 technique (thus eliminating Dorsey as Kiffin stated and I along with a select few on the board have said all along).
This should be our last top 10 pick for a long time so if DMac is the real deal (that’s the coach’s call), and Javon Walker is ready to go, we’re set at the skill positions for a while and DMac will end up being the essential element to Kiffin’s explosive offense. It’s the pick teams on the cusp of the playoffs and better than can’t get to the superbowl that would die for D Mac - if he works out (and I think at worst he becomes a great change of pace back that can be used to create mismatches in the passing game), we can build around him, JR, Miller, and Walker - realistically the superbowl is 3 years off anyway no matter how you slice it - a good draft on the d line and o line might have given us a better chance at the playoffs this year, but moving forward we will be glad we made this pick as we address the o line in the next two years while JR learns how to play in the NFL.
I just rewatched all of McFadden’s you tube highlights, he is a perfect fit for this offense. He’s a lot tougher than I thought he was, loves contact, has a mean stiff arm, and when he sees daylight whether it’s inside our outside the tackles, he attacks it quick. He’s much better/more complete than Reggie Bush, and like others have said, he’s only 20 and can bulk up his lower body. The difference we’ll see between him and Fargas is the ability to maintain his balance after contact and to make full-speed cuts once he gets to the second level. Fargas is a one cut back that hits the crease hard and fairly quickly but with little balance and poor top-end speed at this stage of his career. McFadden’s vision and reaction time is ridiculous. When I watched him (granted they were highlights), he instantly accelarted to top speed and blasted through the line with really small running lanes or creases. Also, check out his 4.27 40 at the combine on youtube; he just walks to the line, puts a hand down and takes off unlike all the other guys that had a whole routine down; it was impressive. I’m definetly concerned about his small lower body since he’s a number 4 overall pick and that doesn’t bode well for a franchise back, but he’s better than Reggie Bush and is a lot more fluid. He’s like a faster Marcus Allen. I also think the wild hog offense he ran in college will translate well to the zone scheme we run because the principle is the same, look for daylight and hit the crease and make a play at the second level.
Anyway, that’s my take - I’m positive he won’t bust beause he can be used in a lot of ways and we’ll see if he’s the second coming of Bo in a couple years when he fills out completely and gets on a professional weight program.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
too bad Robert Felton was not taken by us a Undrafted FA, cause i think he would be a nice back up at Guard at least
April 30th, 2008 at 12:00 am
O.k. one last nostalgic post for the evening nation and good night.
You can’t spell McFadden without the Madden! The winniest coach in Raiders History!
April 30th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Jedi, Nice post. McFadden, IMO..is the Real Deal.
He will never be Bo Jackson. Man What a shame His carrer was cut short.
But I do Believe He can be as good as Marcus was for the Raiders Back in the Day.
Can’t wait to see it play out.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Raider4life…LOL..It’s pre destined Karma Baby.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Exactly which person or persons is going to protect our new star running back from his own family once he does sign that dotted line? In this age of unbridled selfishness it should be of great concern to the young man.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Len,
Yeah, Bo was IT. That was a sad day when he went down, but anybody who’s a football fan should be glad they got to see him in the NFL and the only reason was because of Al Davis letting him play part time. I see very similar running styles between Bo and McFadden though, which really surprised me. I had him pegged as Reggie Bush 2 most of the pre-draft, but a couple of new youtube clips changed my mind…I’m not a huge college football fan so I didn’t see much of McFadden’s games, but the clips I saw showed me that McFadden has that same tenacity as Bo - nobody is going to have that same insane combination of size speed power and agility, but McFadden does bring the hammer from the video that I saw. There’s one in particular where he blasts through a hole between the tackles and puts his head down to blast through the strong safety, but he got to the second level so fast that he took the angle away from the safety and without breaking stride, he lowered his shoulders, covered the ball with both arms, and gave a pop anticipating the contact…when it wasn’t there, he raised back up and sprinted to the endzone, again, without breaking stride. This kid has the mentality of a Running Back, not like Reggie Bush who just wants to bounce everything outside and got away with pure speed most of his life.
I am really impressed and I think the combination of our strong running game coupled with the threat of McFadden taking it to the house is going to open up our offense like no other player could have possibly done. I can’t wait until the pre-season - if Bush and McFadden are as good as advertised, JR is going to have a lot fun going vertical off play action.
I had to suffer in San Diego for four years listening to all the discharge fans singing the praises of LT… I can’t wait until McFadden throws a half back option pass for a TD against them…you’re right, this is going to be a fun offense to watch as it matures over the course of the season.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:19 am
I don’t think McFadden’s character is going to be an issue - he’s out of his old stomping grounds, the Vick case has everyone on notice, and he’s not that bad of a guy from what everyone says. He got in a bar fight defending his brother when he was 19. According to the report I saw, his coaches said he was so upset that he let his team down because he dislocated his toe in the incident and couldn’t play in the opener against USC, that he refused to go out to bars for the rest of the season. This guy is team first, has no drug issues, and his sister is coming out here to live with him to help him adjust and stay out of trouble. Kiffin will also contribute to his maturation process I’m sure.
We won’t know for a while, but give him the benefit of the doubt and let’s see what he can do on the field.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:34 am
OK, let’s go over the timeline of how Dakota got baited today.
MaddenRaider reviews the blog this morning and to his surprise, notices that Dakota takes a couple of shots at Davis. Normally, Madden would give Dakota a 2-shay under one of his names. But since Dakota can’t go more than 3 posts without calling out MR, MR decides to take another route. He hawks it as an Al Davis worshipper, using the name “Ro 34″, an actual name of an Al loyalist that MR used to go at it with at RF.net.
Dakota, being the einstein he is, bites like a salmon in September, and takes on MR’s new alter ego, mind you, MR’s alter ego taking the side of Al Davis. MR’s plan is simple. Baiting Dakota into bashing Al will inevitably provoke real Al loyals to go after Dakota. Enter “Big Al’s Goon”. For the rest of the day, Dakota and Big Al’s goon go at it, while MaddenRaider, for all we know, left for his job at 7-11 or whatever at 2 pm.
What’s the moral of the story, kids?
IGNORE THE TROLLS.
I don’t know why you guys simply can’t do this. You guys always tell everyone to do it, but then are the first to bite whenever one shows up. Dakota, congrats. You got punked. Again. Let’s see if you bite again tomorrow.
Good evening.
Don’t bother responding.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:38 am
I actually think Al Davis sucks.
Now, let’s all take a bow…
April 30th, 2008 at 1:48 am
Dominic Rhodes is a perfect example how fast love can turn to hate. When he signed the contract it was a great organization and he was happy to be here, but now that he got the Timberland he has all of this stupid sh%t to say. First of all he wasn’t there long enough to have a legit opinion about the way they run things in Oaktown due to his suspension so clearly he’s just bitter. Who is he to tell the Raiders they a have some pretty good backs so they shouldnt have taken a great back. That sounds really stupid. The difference between a good back and a great back could be 2 TDs vs. 2 FGs. 10 wins vs. 7 wins. Playoffs vs picking high in the draft again and again. Rhodes needs to stop acting like an angry woman, pack his/her bags leave, get over it and shut the hell up. Life goes on.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Jedi,
DmC may be a fine young man, it is others around him that may be of harm.There are 20 million reasons that he could find himself having to deal with many persons who have nothing but selfish interest preying upon him at every turn. Some athletes, take JaMarcus as an example, seem to have enough support from family and friends to be of benefit. DMc?
April 30th, 2008 at 2:49 am
M,
Completely agree and we’ve both probably known people in our lives personally or professionally that were easily influenced by people or circumstances that are fundamentally bad and their careers suffered for it. Millions of dollars can corrupt anyone or just empower a turd to do bad things (i.e. pacman jones). As far a pro football players go, my only claim to fame while playing 8 man football was catching Rashaan Salaam from behind and forcing him out of bounds after a 20 yard gain. That was the only play the dude didn’t score a touchdown - he mercy ruled us in 2.5 quarters. That guy had talent, won the heisman, had unbelievable parents, went to a wealthy prep school, and still screwed up because of the money and drugs. Same with Todd Marijuanavich - you just never know. Bad or weak people (e.g. Ricky Williams) do bad things - What McFadden did was defend his brother and after he got in trouble and injured himself, he never defended his actions except to say he made a mistake because emotion got involved due to family and was deeply disturbed not being able to play for his team - I think he learned his lesson and the vick/jones cases only serve to reinforce that. He’s bringing his sister to Oakland to help give him a family foundation out here, and I’m sure the organization will give him all the support he needs as well. If we see him running with his old crew out here, then I’ll be concerned, but I think he realizes he needs to avoid trouble and I think he knows he needs that help - he’s not the brightest crayon in the box and he’s also not very saavy at his young age, but to his credit, he seems to recognize both and brought his sister out here to make sure he doesn’t stray. I think the worst we can expect are a few more baby mama’s (lock up your daughters, nation) but all in all, I do trust that he knows keeping bad company will kill his career and he just loves football too much to risk it.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:52 am
i’ll assume we had a good draft and mcfadden is as good as many say. i have no hatred for al davis. i remain worried about both lines, and about the health of our rookie quarterback, upon whose shoulders our hopes lie. as we dispense with veterans like rhodes, i am concerned with leadership and team chemistry. even when a team is destined for the superbowl, there are times when the going gets rough and it is important to have guys on both sides of the ball who can say: “it’s ok, i’ve been here before and if we stick together we can get through this”. who will fill these roles on this team as it is currently constituted? rookies, near rookies, UFA’s, guys prone to injury, and guys with little experience with winning? i liked having rhodes around, a guy who had experienced winning the big one. i want the raiders to succeed, and i hope we don’t wind up regretting personnel decisions as with him.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Well…it just dawned on me.
We’re going for the power trio setup that Dallas and Indy used to climb back to sucess after being at the bottom of the NFL.
Dallas had Aikman, Emmett and Irvin.
Indy had Peyton, E. James and Marvin Harrison.
We have JaMarcus and McFadden……..we are missing the 3rd guy in the trio.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:03 am
Jedi Raider…were you a Bishop’s guy? ha ha
April 30th, 2008 at 3:22 am
Nothing new here but a nice read non the less!
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080429/SPORTS/804290336/1015/SPORT0502
April 30th, 2008 at 3:38 am
“CopenhagenFan Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Well…it just dawned on me.
We’re going for the power trio setup that Dallas and Indy used to climb back to sucess after being at the bottom of the NFL.
Dallas had Aikman, Emmett and Irvin.
Indy had Peyton, E. James and Marvin Harrison.
We have JaMarcus and McFadden……..we are missing the 3rd guy in the trio.”
Well, lets hope next year we will complete the trio or may one of our current receiver can the last piece of the puzzle
April 30th, 2008 at 4:58 am
The offense will look just like Tennessee’s except with more long balls. Bottom line is McFadden is way better than Rhodes ever thought about being and a lot younger.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Tennessee’s offense sucks…Vince Young throws about the same as McClown!
I hope JMoney can get his head together and harness his gun.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:12 am
CAM do you think that Walker can step up at WR?
April 30th, 2008 at 6:04 am
I heard the interview with Rhodes on Sirius. This interview probably hurt Rhodes more than his lack of production. Waa, Waa, Waa…I don’t understand, more Waa, Waa… Let me make this plain and simple so even Rhodes himself understands. M.Allen, B.Jackson, D.McFadden types only come along every ten or twenty years, and there is no guaranty your going to be the one of 32 teams trying to get him. The second McFadden was drafted Rhodes was up for trade. If any team in this league felt he was worth a sixth or seventh pick they would have jumped at the chance. Jumped at the chance because nobody expects a sixth or seventh rounder to have any better then a 50/50 chance of making the team. So if Rhodes wasn’t worth locking down with a seventh before anybody else gets there, why would anybody want him now that he opened his mouth and cried boo-boo on a national stage. At this point he will probably sit around until he accepts the NFL min. and plays as the third then fourth the in a three years or less is just not worth the min.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Tennesse was a playoff team and beat us, their offense does not suck. Young just can’t throw the deep ball very well just like McNair.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Copenhagen…
what if this Schillens was our guy?
April 30th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Eyepatch if you think the Titans offense doesn’t suck you are fooling yourself. Their defense held opponents to under 17 points like 10 weeks or something crazy, thats how they made it to the playoffs.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Real nice OakGlenn but you were firmly against drafting DMAC weren’t you?
# Oakglenn Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Think about this for one second: We get the ball first. The opposing kicker even boots it out of the end zone. lst and 10 from our 20.
Bush and Fargas in the backfield. Dmac splits and runs a streak pattern. Leave both backs and the tight ends in to block. The opposing defense would have to commit 8 to run support. Jam then drops back and throws a SEVENTY YARD STREAK TO DMAC to open the game!!!!!! How do you like me now Denver????
April 30th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Man, you guys spend a lot of time here blogging. I hope you are getting paid to blog.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:36 am
#144 we are also missing guys #4-8 in the equation… the stud offensive line.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Since when is McFadden Randy Moss? The guy had all of 149 yards receiving in 13 games last year, and he is going to come into the NFL and start running 70 yard streak patterns?
April 30th, 2008 at 7:41 am
BSPN stated that MacDaddy wasn’t going to get 800 yds ruching this year because the Raiders are so bad. man I really want to stuff it down their throats for once!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:00 am
McFadden and Bush- “Rape and Pillage”….
There, you heard it…quit with the “Thunder and Lightning” cr@p!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Mistabrown, I think Oakglenn, like the rest of us who wanted Def. has resigned himself to rooting for the Raiders & their players no matter what. What I don’t understand is the McFadden fans who b!+ch about “crazy Al” when it was “crazy Al” that enabled McFadden to come here.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Mistabrown needs defcaf….keep it coming…Armchair QB can’t get sacked…love it!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:06 am
RaiderTW….it’s about being All In The Family…
we b!tch about our own family but can’t nobody else.
I’d love to shake Al’s hand for what he has done for the NFL and then give him a flying drop kick Mortal Kombat style for what he has done to the Raiders…LA, Art Shell II, Marcus Allen, No Receiver opposite Brown until Rice came along, etc, etc.
As family, this is allowed.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:07 am
What does that matter Brown??? What are you foolish?? I was also against KC drafting Dorsey.
And of course Trevjo doesn’t even know what a streak pattern is or he wouldn’t comment. It might be time for both of you to go unwrap your new Madden 09 games while the rest of us talk about actual football.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:08 am
—”According to a “league source,” the Raiders have been holding onto LaMont Jordan because they believe they can still wrangle trade value out of his 2005 season.
Crazy Al is at it again. At this point there’s no way teams will part with anything of value when they can simply wait for his release and sign him to a cheaper deal. Apr. 30 - 10:48 a.m. ET”—
—”The Raiders are expected to begin searching for a backup quarterback to compete with Andrew Walter.
Trent Dilfer remains a candidate, and Daunte Culpepper is still hanging around. More likely the team is hovering around the Buccaneers’ roster like a vulture, waiting see which of their seven quarterbacks get dumped before training camp.
Apr. 30 - 10:51 a.m. ET”—
April 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Easy Oakglenn, I already have McFadden up to a 99 on my bootleg (thank you China) ‘09!! LOL!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Lowdown…
you sure sound like a sympathetic healthy fella!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:12 am
LMN…I was having a good night…
April 30th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I guess Sapp ruined our chances to trade Jordan with his talk about jordans offseason status…
I never thought we could trade him anyway…
April 30th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Lowdown..
it was regarding your rape and pillage comment - and your latent homo erotic comments…
April 30th, 2008 at 8:18 am
LMN, I tend to read more than post…hadn’t seen you on in a while….nice to some Order amongst all the Chaos which generally goes on in here.
As for Rape and Pillage…just tweaking what someone said about Pillage and Plunder…
McFadden’s Combine numbers for FRP (Forced Reprodution): 2.5 Kids….classic.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:19 am
lowdown, bootlegs games and videos in China???? No way.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:21 am
hehehe
April 30th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Latent?? It was blatant… Verdamte Auslander! Hoffentlich mit dem Viertel Reich alle die Nederlander wirdt todt sein und wir konnen einem besser Welt haben.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Copenhagen brought up the “triplets” analogy of the Girls and Horses. I haven’t yet understood why a WR has to be the third member of the party. Zach can easily be our number one option even if he is a tight end. Triumverate complete. (I say make it a foursome, throw M.Bush in there.)
Stud O-line? Hmmm. A quandary. Tom Cable, time to break out the magic wand.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Oakglenn…yeah..hard t find (every street corner)…worst part is these peasants think soccer is football…actually had to hunt all day for it…b@stards “No I don’t want Euro Football, Hockey, or Rugby”
Damn commies and thier conspiracey to infest the world with avan flu and soccer!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Lowdown,
that stuff you’re breathing ain’t air, it’s an amalgam of toxins. Don’t inhale!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Lowdown….
I read german too, but you romantics about your leader AH is off base… btw what has the Dutch done to you… remember you self a foreigner at the moment =)
April 30th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Lowdoen you really proved a point/claim about amricans there….
April 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Lowdown…
why dont you step out in front of a tank at tianemen…you would do your fellow american a favor, I bet the Chinese would thank you and the entire Raider Nation would be better off…
April 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
LMN…of course I know you read German…slanderd you long ago…and most Europeansspeak several languages….as for being a “foreigner”…hell as Bogart said in Casablanca “I’m a drunkard”…ergo making him a citizen of the world!
That being said, I dig your commentary…
AH was a punk…hah, you call that a war? Try haggling in the markets here or in Morraco, now that’s war!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am
hold kæft en tosse… typisk de er så vilde med alt fra anden verdenskrig at de tror dem der tabte krigen er nogle seje gutter…. taber
April 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am
LMN,
good afternoon. Yeah, Lowdown’s Deutsche diatribe was a quite a load.
If you breathed the atmosphere in Beijing you might have some odd thoughts as well.
April 30th, 2008