OFFICIAL OAKLAND RAIDERS 2010 SEASON THREAD
- Thread starter Meta4iCAL
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Just HC Hue Jackson and Al Davis messing with the Assistant o-line coach/Timeout Coordinator again.
Last week
Al: Herrera, get me Hugh Jackman in here right now! Hugh, tell Tim Cable that Brad Gradkowski is the unquestioned starter.
Hue: Yes sir!
This week
Al: Herrera, get me Hugo Jacksman on the phone. Hugo, tell Todd Cable that I haven’t decided who will be the QB against the Steelers, but tell him I am leaning towards Jimmy Campbell. This is too easy!
Hue: Yes sir! Sir, are you going to do stuff like this to me when I am the head coach next year?
Al: Don’t worry about the future Henry!
Hue: Err, okay.
Last week
Al: Herrera, get me Hugh Jackman in here right now! Hugh, tell Tim Cable that Brad Gradkowski is the unquestioned starter.
Hue: Yes sir!
This week
Al: Herrera, get me Hugo Jacksman on the phone. Hugo, tell Todd Cable that I haven’t decided who will be the QB against the Steelers, but tell him I am leaning towards Jimmy Campbell. This is too easy!
Hue: Yes sir! Sir, are you going to do stuff like this to me when I am the head coach next year?
Al: Don’t worry about the future Henry!
Hue: Err, okay.
the steelers' o-line is wrecked, I think our D will destroy them. it's pretty much up to our offense to not fuck us over. if campbell shits the bed against them, he better not start another game this season.
also, it's looking like schilens could be ready to play after the bye. somehow I get the feeling they'll hold him out until the dolphins game anyway though.
also, it's looking like schilens could be ready to play after the bye. somehow I get the feeling they'll hold him out until the dolphins game anyway though.
This goes out to all the haters that think the Raiders dont have a big fanbase
America's Next Top 'America's Team'
Who better to replace the Dallas Cowboys as America's Team than the Raiders?
It wasn't easy, finding America's Next Top "America's Team." It is no casual thing; the implications are severe. You saw what happened with the Cowboys.
Dallas was "America's Team" for … well, forever. But over the past few seasons, the Cowboys have worn that moniker like an anvil around their collective neck. There's an implied pressure to perform that, let's face it, can be a little wearying when it's so nonstop. (As it turns out, Wade Phillips' team this year opted not to perform at all, so no worries. But still.)
And even if the Cowboys were on top of the football world right now, the title needs to change hands occasionally. What's the fun in having something like "America's Team" to throw around if it's always the same bunch? There's a new Top Chef every year. There's a new Top Model every year. A new Idol. Everything in our country is subject to review, except perhaps the key plays of a Major League Baseball game.
So, ladies and gentlemen, after much deliberation, we are both happy and a little anxious to present to you … America's Next Top America's Team.
The Oakland Raiders.
We'll wait here. You may need to take a moment.
Right, it's understood: The Raiders might not, at first glance, be the obvious choice. There's no question about that. We're as surprised as anyone that the voting wound up going the way it did.
OK, so maybe "America's Team" doesn't have the "ring" it once did. And who really has any business talking about rings around the recent-vintage Raiders?
Whatever. We looked around at the other options. Clearly, fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers can make a case for their team; the Steelers win all the time and they're a family business. The Green Bay Packers are literally owned by their fans, at least in part. The Philadelphia Eagles are being led by a quarterback who is making the most of a second chance at a football life. The Patriots have that revolutionary-sounding nickname. Worthy candidates all.
But in almost every way, the Raiders are a living snapshot of America right now. They're a big, sloppy mess. They don't always know what they're doing. They make some lousy choices and some inspired ones, and they often spend futilely. You can question their leadership almost any day you feel like it.
And yet, they're forging ahead, reaching for better days. They can even see some of those days within their grasp right now. What could possibly be more emblematic of the country that that?
Despised by the other powers? Check.
Often caught overvaluing their assets? Check.
Confusion at the upper levels of administration? Oh, baby.
We have a winner.
Oakland's ascent to relevance in the NFL this season beats the odds in every way that can be measured. It wasn't even a sure thing that the coach, Tom Cable, would make it to the start of the campaign. Cable finished last year with a not-untalented team and a 5-11 knot on his noggin. He had a fat, immobile quarterback (JaMarcus Russell), and he called out owner Al Davis by enthusiastically embracing an interviewer's suggestion that the team was a potential playoff entry if only Cable had been allowed to bench Russell in favor of Bruce Gradkowski.
Usually, potshotting Davis around Oakland is a one-way ticket out of the Bay Area. And if that didn't do it, some people figured that the incident in which Cable allegedly went after one of his assistant coaches would have taken care of things. Instead, Cable got to the end of that miserable season with his job intact and, however improbably, the respect of his players very thorough and rather deep.
Even a few weeks ago, though, the 2010 edition of the Raiders looked eerily similar to previous versions. Oakland was in another QB quandary with Jason Campbell, who was brought in to give Davis the precious vertical game he covets, losing his job to the consistently underestimated Gradkowski. The defense was up and down. The O-line was banged up, and the record was 2-4.
But that was three straight wins ago. Gradkowski got hurt, Campbell was forced back into action, and Oakland hasn't lost since. The return of Darren McFadden and the run game has made a huge difference. A healthy offensive line matters tremendously. There is a sense among the Raiders -- a very new sense, mind you -- that they are going to compete in every game they play.
Of course, this being America's Next Top America's Team and thus a symbol of the current state of affairs in our country, that could all change radically, and soon. Oakland's overtime victory against the Chiefs on Sunday raised its record to 5-4, an unheard of plus-.500 showing this late in the season for recent-era Al Davis teams. The Raiders' reward? A trip to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers, following a bye week.
Again, though, that kind of uncertainty is the way of our nation right now. So much of the Raiders' experience is quintessentially American: They have a nutty owner and, as a result, some ongoing confusion over who's calling the shots. (The Contra Costa Times reported this week that despite Gradkowski's return to health, Cable chose Campbell as the starting QB because he was pressured by Davis to do so.) And they've spent terrible money at different times (DeAngelo Hall, Larry Brown, Javon Walker, Russell).
But they can still surprise you. Sure, they had a draft year in which Darrius Heyward-Bey was their big choice, but that same draft produced Louis Murphy. This year, they snagged unheralded rookie Jacoby Ford in the fourth round; Ford personally dismantled the Chiefs with his receiving and kick-returning brilliance.
Will it last? You'd be crazy to think so. The Raiders have put together so many consecutive losing seasons (seven and counting) that no one is yet willing to christen them as some sort of winning outfit. It's only fair, after all.
Then again: This constantly sputtering, smoke-spewing, overspending, overly nostalgic entity just found a way to become part of the big conversation once more. Who is really to say what could happen?
It's anybody's ballgame. Very American.
America's Next Top 'America's Team'
Who better to replace the Dallas Cowboys as America's Team than the Raiders?
It wasn't easy, finding America's Next Top "America's Team." It is no casual thing; the implications are severe. You saw what happened with the Cowboys.
Dallas was "America's Team" for … well, forever. But over the past few seasons, the Cowboys have worn that moniker like an anvil around their collective neck. There's an implied pressure to perform that, let's face it, can be a little wearying when it's so nonstop. (As it turns out, Wade Phillips' team this year opted not to perform at all, so no worries. But still.)
And even if the Cowboys were on top of the football world right now, the title needs to change hands occasionally. What's the fun in having something like "America's Team" to throw around if it's always the same bunch? There's a new Top Chef every year. There's a new Top Model every year. A new Idol. Everything in our country is subject to review, except perhaps the key plays of a Major League Baseball game.
So, ladies and gentlemen, after much deliberation, we are both happy and a little anxious to present to you … America's Next Top America's Team.
The Oakland Raiders.
We'll wait here. You may need to take a moment.
Right, it's understood: The Raiders might not, at first glance, be the obvious choice. There's no question about that. We're as surprised as anyone that the voting wound up going the way it did.
OK, so maybe "America's Team" doesn't have the "ring" it once did. And who really has any business talking about rings around the recent-vintage Raiders?
Whatever. We looked around at the other options. Clearly, fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers can make a case for their team; the Steelers win all the time and they're a family business. The Green Bay Packers are literally owned by their fans, at least in part. The Philadelphia Eagles are being led by a quarterback who is making the most of a second chance at a football life. The Patriots have that revolutionary-sounding nickname. Worthy candidates all.
But in almost every way, the Raiders are a living snapshot of America right now. They're a big, sloppy mess. They don't always know what they're doing. They make some lousy choices and some inspired ones, and they often spend futilely. You can question their leadership almost any day you feel like it.
And yet, they're forging ahead, reaching for better days. They can even see some of those days within their grasp right now. What could possibly be more emblematic of the country that that?
Despised by the other powers? Check.
Often caught overvaluing their assets? Check.
Confusion at the upper levels of administration? Oh, baby.
We have a winner.
Oakland's ascent to relevance in the NFL this season beats the odds in every way that can be measured. It wasn't even a sure thing that the coach, Tom Cable, would make it to the start of the campaign. Cable finished last year with a not-untalented team and a 5-11 knot on his noggin. He had a fat, immobile quarterback (JaMarcus Russell), and he called out owner Al Davis by enthusiastically embracing an interviewer's suggestion that the team was a potential playoff entry if only Cable had been allowed to bench Russell in favor of Bruce Gradkowski.
Usually, potshotting Davis around Oakland is a one-way ticket out of the Bay Area. And if that didn't do it, some people figured that the incident in which Cable allegedly went after one of his assistant coaches would have taken care of things. Instead, Cable got to the end of that miserable season with his job intact and, however improbably, the respect of his players very thorough and rather deep.
Even a few weeks ago, though, the 2010 edition of the Raiders looked eerily similar to previous versions. Oakland was in another QB quandary with Jason Campbell, who was brought in to give Davis the precious vertical game he covets, losing his job to the consistently underestimated Gradkowski. The defense was up and down. The O-line was banged up, and the record was 2-4.
But that was three straight wins ago. Gradkowski got hurt, Campbell was forced back into action, and Oakland hasn't lost since. The return of Darren McFadden and the run game has made a huge difference. A healthy offensive line matters tremendously. There is a sense among the Raiders -- a very new sense, mind you -- that they are going to compete in every game they play.
Of course, this being America's Next Top America's Team and thus a symbol of the current state of affairs in our country, that could all change radically, and soon. Oakland's overtime victory against the Chiefs on Sunday raised its record to 5-4, an unheard of plus-.500 showing this late in the season for recent-era Al Davis teams. The Raiders' reward? A trip to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers, following a bye week.
Again, though, that kind of uncertainty is the way of our nation right now. So much of the Raiders' experience is quintessentially American: They have a nutty owner and, as a result, some ongoing confusion over who's calling the shots. (The Contra Costa Times reported this week that despite Gradkowski's return to health, Cable chose Campbell as the starting QB because he was pressured by Davis to do so.) And they've spent terrible money at different times (DeAngelo Hall, Larry Brown, Javon Walker, Russell).
But they can still surprise you. Sure, they had a draft year in which Darrius Heyward-Bey was their big choice, but that same draft produced Louis Murphy. This year, they snagged unheralded rookie Jacoby Ford in the fourth round; Ford personally dismantled the Chiefs with his receiving and kick-returning brilliance.
Will it last? You'd be crazy to think so. The Raiders have put together so many consecutive losing seasons (seven and counting) that no one is yet willing to christen them as some sort of winning outfit. It's only fair, after all.
Then again: This constantly sputtering, smoke-spewing, overspending, overly nostalgic entity just found a way to become part of the big conversation once more. Who is really to say what could happen?
It's anybody's ballgame. Very American.
we're not "America's Team" because that phrase symbolizes more of a wholesome all American image... that's not the Raiders
the Raiders have that bad boy, outlaw, rebellious, villainous type of image
the Raiders, like the Cowboys and the Steelers do have a large fanbase that extends outside of the local region... which is why the fans are referred to as the "Raider Nation"
the Raiders have that bad boy, outlaw, rebellious, villainous type of image
the Raiders, like the Cowboys and the Steelers do have a large fanbase that extends outside of the local region... which is why the fans are referred to as the "Raider Nation"
^^^ i see what your saying but the Raiders have the 2nd biggest fanbase in the league and I think thats why they even said on ESPN (who likes to talk shit about the Raiders) when the Raiders are good its good for the NFL. Im kinda shocked ESPN is jumping on the Raider wagon cuz i dont feel the Raiders are even that great but they are the best team in the AFC West
ESPN and the media in general has been jockin the Raiders lately
I do agree that the NFL is better when the Raiders are good
I know everyone has the attitude like "ohh... NOW the media wants to praise us... they haven't for the past 7 years"
but if you think about it... why would they? we've been garbage the past 7 years
there are some individuals in the media who go out of their way to really hate on the Raiders, and have made us out to be worse than we really are simply because they're haters... Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin... etc etc...
it's cool to see the media talking about us know, but at the end of the day I really don't care... all I care about is us winning games
it is cool to see us getting more media coverage, but I really don't care...
I do agree that the NFL is better when the Raiders are good
I know everyone has the attitude like "ohh... NOW the media wants to praise us... they haven't for the past 7 years"
but if you think about it... why would they? we've been garbage the past 7 years
there are some individuals in the media who go out of their way to really hate on the Raiders, and have made us out to be worse than we really are simply because they're haters... Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin... etc etc...
it's cool to see the media talking about us know, but at the end of the day I really don't care... all I care about is us winning games
it is cool to see us getting more media coverage, but I really don't care...
Considering how terrible we played, what key pieces to our puzzle were missing, and we were still able to pull out the win, we have alot to be optimistic about. Reality is going to set in real soon for the Chiefs because like I said, yall are not that good. Just like Denver last year, the Chiefs will do the nose dive this year. Before you do it, I'll say it, SUCK MY CACK!
chargers are starting to worry me a bit but i can't say they are the best team though...i can't say any team is the best right now truthfully. the raiders did beat us but they barely did beat us by the skin of their teeth...regardless of who was injured and who wasn't.
lets come back to this in a few weeks and see where all teams are sitting...sound good?
lets come back to this in a few weeks and see where all teams are sitting...sound good?
why do they have to be "fluke" pass and catches?
why can't they just be great plays??
we'll be sure to not be too optimistic... you chefs do the same
I still say the division is up for grabs... and it should be a 3 team race
we're in a good position because we're 3-0 in the division
you guys are in a good position because of your soft schedule for the rest of the year
the chargers are in a good position because Rivers is their QB
It's gonna be fun watching this whole thing play out... I can't wait... this home stretch is is gonna be very interesting and exciting
why can't they just be great plays??
we'll be sure to not be too optimistic... you chefs do the same
I still say the division is up for grabs... and it should be a 3 team race
we're in a good position because we're 3-0 in the division
you guys are in a good position because of your soft schedule for the rest of the year
the chargers are in a good position because Rivers is their QB
It's gonna be fun watching this whole thing play out... I can't wait... this home stretch is is gonna be very interesting and exciting