OAKLAND RAIDERS OFFSEASON THREAD
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Shit even Freddie B said the problem was too many backups starting. Why cant Al see that, not very many ex-raiders get picked up by after they get cut from the team.
If Kiffin is fired he'll turn out to be like Shanahan and haunt Al until he dies. While Art Shell or Dennis Green and possible James Lofton lead the raiders for 2 season max and get fired.
If Kiffin is fired he'll turn out to be like Shanahan and haunt Al until he dies. While Art Shell or Dennis Green and possible James Lofton lead the raiders for 2 season max and get fired.
you have to build depth through the draft....and draft is ethier hit or miss...i dont know what you suggest AL davis to do? stwart schweigert is garbage....but easily the most tanted guy you had at that postion and had starting experience....
you gotta have a viable replacement before you just go about cutting players...
you gotta have a viable replacement before you just go about cutting players...
Al Davis has alot more misses than hits with his draft choices...85-90% of his picks don't pan out. What should he do? How about get some real scouts and let someone else have more control over the draft picks or better yet, just hire a real fuckin gm. Teams like the Colts, Steelers, Patriots etc. always have good depth and guys who are ready to step in when other players leave, get hurt/cut or retire.
Little-known, little-paid players could make team
David White, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Todd Watkins waits for a JaMarcus Russell to fall into hi...
(08-18) 19:42 PDT --
Coach Lane Kiffin isn't happy with half of his 80-man roster, that much has been made clear.
That doesn't mean every little-known player is on Kiffin's flush list. With the first of two cut-down days a week away, here are four players about whom you know little who could find their way onto the 53-man roster.
Best of all, they'd come pretty cheap in light of the team's offseason spending spree:
-- Todd Watkins: In a world shared with wide receivers Javon Walker, Ronald Curry and Drew Carter, all Watkins has done is catch most every ball thrown his way.
He has been in the shadows all his playing career. In high school, he played third fiddle to Alex Smith and Reggie Bush at Helix-San Diego. Last year, he was the Cardinals' seventh-round pick out of BYU who ended up on the Falcons' practice squad.
The Raiders picked him up for a relatively paltry $295,000. That makes him affordable when Kiffin picks his five receivers.
"Every time we give him opportunities, he seems to make plays," Kiffin said. "He's one of those guys (who) doesn't look great when you go to individual (drills) but he just finds ways to make plays."
-- Rashad Baker: He's a third-string safety behind Michael Huff and Hiram Eugene. So, how can he make the roster?
Special teams. Baker keeps appearing on video as someone in the right place doing the right thing. Kiffin loves to fill the roster with multitalented players, and Baker certainly fits.
Baker, who would make $855,000, very well could force the Raiders to take a fifth safety instead of a fifth cornerback - especially with the team so thin in credible corners.
-- Chris Morris: He fell out of the starting competition at center weeks ago, but by no means did that make him expendable.
Morris can play center, guard and long snapper - all for $275,000. If Jake Grove wins the starting job, Morris could edge out John Wade ($1.4 million) for the backup job because of his diversified portfolio.
-- Fred Wakefield: He has played tight end, defensive end, defensive tackle and offensive tackle - and that's just during this calendar year.
For now, he's a backup offensive lineman, but that didn't stop him from lining up on the goal-line defense late in camp. At $975,000, he gives instant depth wherever it's needed.
Not so safe: The Raiders took Monday off, which only can help the beleaguered safeties.
Huff, the starting free safety, has an ankle injury, Eugene, a backup, hurt his hip and backup strong safety Tyvon Branch had hand surgery last week.
That leaves starter Gibril Wilson and backups Baker and Jarrod Cooper as the only healthy safeties.
E-mail David White at [email protected].
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/19/SP4E12DA0C.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
David White, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Todd Watkins waits for a JaMarcus Russell to fall into hi...
(08-18) 19:42 PDT --
Coach Lane Kiffin isn't happy with half of his 80-man roster, that much has been made clear.
That doesn't mean every little-known player is on Kiffin's flush list. With the first of two cut-down days a week away, here are four players about whom you know little who could find their way onto the 53-man roster.
Best of all, they'd come pretty cheap in light of the team's offseason spending spree:
-- Todd Watkins: In a world shared with wide receivers Javon Walker, Ronald Curry and Drew Carter, all Watkins has done is catch most every ball thrown his way.
He has been in the shadows all his playing career. In high school, he played third fiddle to Alex Smith and Reggie Bush at Helix-San Diego. Last year, he was the Cardinals' seventh-round pick out of BYU who ended up on the Falcons' practice squad.
The Raiders picked him up for a relatively paltry $295,000. That makes him affordable when Kiffin picks his five receivers.
"Every time we give him opportunities, he seems to make plays," Kiffin said. "He's one of those guys (who) doesn't look great when you go to individual (drills) but he just finds ways to make plays."
-- Rashad Baker: He's a third-string safety behind Michael Huff and Hiram Eugene. So, how can he make the roster?
Special teams. Baker keeps appearing on video as someone in the right place doing the right thing. Kiffin loves to fill the roster with multitalented players, and Baker certainly fits.
Baker, who would make $855,000, very well could force the Raiders to take a fifth safety instead of a fifth cornerback - especially with the team so thin in credible corners.
-- Chris Morris: He fell out of the starting competition at center weeks ago, but by no means did that make him expendable.
Morris can play center, guard and long snapper - all for $275,000. If Jake Grove wins the starting job, Morris could edge out John Wade ($1.4 million) for the backup job because of his diversified portfolio.
-- Fred Wakefield: He has played tight end, defensive end, defensive tackle and offensive tackle - and that's just during this calendar year.
For now, he's a backup offensive lineman, but that didn't stop him from lining up on the goal-line defense late in camp. At $975,000, he gives instant depth wherever it's needed.
Not so safe: The Raiders took Monday off, which only can help the beleaguered safeties.
Huff, the starting free safety, has an ankle injury, Eugene, a backup, hurt his hip and backup strong safety Tyvon Branch had hand surgery last week.
That leaves starter Gibril Wilson and backups Baker and Jarrod Cooper as the only healthy safeties.
E-mail David White at [email protected].
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/19/SP4E12DA0C.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
i agree....the way kiffen said it or the way the article contexted his words was al davis wasnt bringing enough FAs in....
Al Davis has been horrible in the draft ecspecially in the past years....but kiffen knew exactly what he was getting himself into and to complain about shit when your job is allready on the line could make players question your loyaltly to the team....
if kiffen brings the team to less then a 8-8 record the whole coaching staff will be fired again id assume...and in reality thats what people think the raiders are going to do, face it they play in a tough division and are putting fait in a young qb and a WR that has personal issues
constantly changing OC/coaches is horrible on young teams EXSP young QBs...
i agree hes keeping it real......but its when keeping it real goes wrong....you may even be able to make an arguement that the players will get behind him a lil more by speaking out against the old fart....but AL has canned people for less....
al may not even be able to fire kiffen....im not sure what coach in thier right mind would leave thier stable situation for a raiders vacancy....
al may not even be able to fire kiffen....im not sure what coach in thier right mind would leave thier stable situation for a raiders vacancy....
I also like Rankin the HB I think thats how you spell his name I know the raiders are deep as shit with Halfbacks but would like to see him make sp. teams or something. I think fargas will get injured again at some point in the season DMC and Bush will split time and Rankin would be a good third HB an I bet he would come cheap as he is a undrafted rookie.
Louis Rankin was a beast on a bad team up in Washington and I'll be so dissapointed if he dosen't make the cut, Echemandou is a golden Bear and I hope he at least makes the practice squad. Higgins is a wuss mentally and he makes hella mistakes, I'd rather bring back Tim Dwight to return ish than watch Johnny crash and burn.
1 thing about schweigert is he showed love ala J. Cooper
AL, please release Walker and pick up Horn or trade 4 Boldin...then die.
Remember K. Huntley? Probably not, the Steeler cut him loose recently
1 thing about schweigert is he showed love ala J. Cooper
AL, please release Walker and pick up Horn or trade 4 Boldin...then die.
Remember K. Huntley? Probably not, the Steeler cut him loose recently
That all depends on who replaces Kiffin. The more coaches Al Davis fires within this losing period the harder its gonna be to bring in a quality coach. After Gruden left it took 6 years to find another decent coach. The team has been god awful during that period of time so just because the team could be heading toward mediocrety(8-8) it doesn't gaurantee the future is bright. If theres no stability in coaching the team will never win consistantly year after year.
WHAT???????
It most certainly makes a difference!
First off what decent coach would take the job?
What will this new coach have to deal with?? same overpaid leftovers?
How long do you think the good players that are young that Oakland has right now would actually stay through more coaching changes??
It most certainly does make a difference
no and no
Al is not doing the best he can do. He is throwing money around HOPING it's the best he can do. He could have had a few decent wr's fromm FA but he choose to gamble on a injured headcase...thats a gamble, not the best you can do.
Kiffin is just stating his side and being honest. Would you rather he say have no fear raider nation we are fine and all will be ok, then after another 5 win season have him backtrack?? NO. he is stating right now, hey guys, it's not all good. sure we have places that we are strong but if sometihg happens then our whole foundation is gone. He wants a good product to work with and without telling the senile owner a thing or 2 about his "best he can do choices" things would never change.
Al is not doing the best he can do. He is throwing money around HOPING it's the best he can do. He could have had a few decent wr's fromm FA but he choose to gamble on a injured headcase...thats a gamble, not the best you can do.
Kiffin is just stating his side and being honest. Would you rather he say have no fear raider nation we are fine and all will be ok, then after another 5 win season have him backtrack?? NO. he is stating right now, hey guys, it's not all good. sure we have places that we are strong but if sometihg happens then our whole foundation is gone. He wants a good product to work with and without telling the senile owner a thing or 2 about his "best he can do choices" things would never change.
Good point...I thought about this aswell. It has also hurt the team in free agency over the past few years and will get worse as time goes on. Only way we can sign quality players through free agency is to overpay them now. Raiders used to be the place to go if you were a free agent, I dont see that as the case anymore.