THE OFFICIAL OAKLAND RAIDERS 2009 SEASON THREAD
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Richard Seymour says its time to start thinking about the playoffs
Seymour: Playoff time
Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour said to print those 2009 playoff tickets right now, because his team is headed for the postseason.
"You can mark it down," Seymour told the 1530 Homer radio station. "The Raiders will be in the playoffs."
First thought: Playoffs?!?, Jim Mora-style. Second thought: you know what? This is the sort of attitude the Raiders need, and it's not coming from some delusional wishful thinker. This is coming from a career winner.
The Raiders (2-4) may as well try to seize momentum and dream big while they can. It's been awhile they felt this good heading into Game 7.
Some quick notes from today's locker room ...
** Credit Al Gore for improving the Raiders' defense. Isn't he the one who said he invented the Internet?
Defensive end Greg Ellis has a private website set up that allows his teammates to study film and learn all sorts of cool things from the 12-year veteran. It's a members-only site for the Raiders, and Ellis wasn't giving many details.
But, the younger players said they have been using it to put in extra time away from the facility.
Ellis said his first mentor, Leon Lett, didn't offer him any Web lessons back in the day.
"With Leon, we had VCR tapes," Ellis laughed.
** Ellis wasn't laughing when he opened a Fed-Ex letter moments later. It was the NFL, telling Ellis he was fined $5,000 for helmet-to-helmet contact with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Ellis was not penalized on the play during the game.
** Raiders coach Tom Cable is already downplaying Sunday's blitz-crazed victory over the Eagles, telling New York media they blitzed maybe seven or eight times.
Actually, they blitzed 15 times -- seven in the first half, eight in the second half -- after having but 20 blitzes in the first five games. Outside linebacker Thomas Howard he had seven-eight blitzes alone.
It may be Cable is trying to soften expectations of more blitzing against Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.
One point to consider if they scale it back: they didn't blitz the Eagles because of the quarterback, because Donovan McNabb is as veteran is it gets. They did it because the offensive line was injury-riddled and unprepared for it. That won't be the case for the Jets, who are healthy up front and getting ready for the blitz.
So if they don't blitz much Sunday, you'll know why.
** Rookie receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey lacks a catch in four of six starts, but the two-catch player does not lack in confidence.
Heyward-Bey says he grades out every game, and points to his run-blocking, route-running and decoy work as evidence. As for the inevitable comparisons to 49ers rookie Michael Crabtree, who will make his NFL debut Sunday?
"I'm aware of it, but I don't care about it," DHB said. "Because I can't sit there and worry about what people are gonna write about comparing. I need to worry about what the Raiders are doing here, how we're gonna win this division, how we're gonna go to the playoffs, how we're gonna reach our goals. So I can't worry about if I'm compared to somebody else. If I sit there and worry about that, I'm not worried about the right things."
Posted By: David White (Email) | October 21 2009 at 01:16 PM
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/raiders/detail?&entry_id=50045#ixzz0Uc5i59N4
Seymour: Playoff time
Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour said to print those 2009 playoff tickets right now, because his team is headed for the postseason.
"You can mark it down," Seymour told the 1530 Homer radio station. "The Raiders will be in the playoffs."
First thought: Playoffs?!?, Jim Mora-style. Second thought: you know what? This is the sort of attitude the Raiders need, and it's not coming from some delusional wishful thinker. This is coming from a career winner.
The Raiders (2-4) may as well try to seize momentum and dream big while they can. It's been awhile they felt this good heading into Game 7.
Some quick notes from today's locker room ...
** Credit Al Gore for improving the Raiders' defense. Isn't he the one who said he invented the Internet?
Defensive end Greg Ellis has a private website set up that allows his teammates to study film and learn all sorts of cool things from the 12-year veteran. It's a members-only site for the Raiders, and Ellis wasn't giving many details.
But, the younger players said they have been using it to put in extra time away from the facility.
Ellis said his first mentor, Leon Lett, didn't offer him any Web lessons back in the day.
"With Leon, we had VCR tapes," Ellis laughed.
** Ellis wasn't laughing when he opened a Fed-Ex letter moments later. It was the NFL, telling Ellis he was fined $5,000 for helmet-to-helmet contact with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Ellis was not penalized on the play during the game.
** Raiders coach Tom Cable is already downplaying Sunday's blitz-crazed victory over the Eagles, telling New York media they blitzed maybe seven or eight times.
Actually, they blitzed 15 times -- seven in the first half, eight in the second half -- after having but 20 blitzes in the first five games. Outside linebacker Thomas Howard he had seven-eight blitzes alone.
It may be Cable is trying to soften expectations of more blitzing against Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.
One point to consider if they scale it back: they didn't blitz the Eagles because of the quarterback, because Donovan McNabb is as veteran is it gets. They did it because the offensive line was injury-riddled and unprepared for it. That won't be the case for the Jets, who are healthy up front and getting ready for the blitz.
So if they don't blitz much Sunday, you'll know why.
** Rookie receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey lacks a catch in four of six starts, but the two-catch player does not lack in confidence.
Heyward-Bey says he grades out every game, and points to his run-blocking, route-running and decoy work as evidence. As for the inevitable comparisons to 49ers rookie Michael Crabtree, who will make his NFL debut Sunday?
"I'm aware of it, but I don't care about it," DHB said. "Because I can't sit there and worry about what people are gonna write about comparing. I need to worry about what the Raiders are doing here, how we're gonna win this division, how we're gonna go to the playoffs, how we're gonna reach our goals. So I can't worry about if I'm compared to somebody else. If I sit there and worry about that, I'm not worried about the right things."
Posted By: David White (Email) | October 21 2009 at 01:16 PM
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/raiders/detail?&entry_id=50045#ixzz0Uc5i59N4
Thank Al Davis for getting Seymour.... It's good to hear that a player is thinking playoffs. It's that kind of attitude that Al Davis needed to bring in and we paid the price but it's worth it. We need to hear playoffs/Raiders, that should be our goal. High expectations need to be placed on our squad.
On that stanford rout interception did u see how fast thomas howard caught him....Howard got them wheels boy.....I was beating the shit out of some cry baby in madden last night with Oakland and Howard got a pick......Maurice Jones Drew was chasing but couldnt catch him and howard scored..........This cry baby went into a rant about how a linebacker couldnt out run MJD......Howard Just caught up 2 a DB with no problem......The play is now justified......
That was a clean pick by the way and yeah ive seen NFL coaches do way worse than that......
That was a clean pick by the way and yeah ive seen NFL coaches do way worse than that......
Yeah Howard got wheels by far our best linebacker.... they need to blitz him more because he's fast and can get to the qb.
Yeah coaches contest controversial calls all the time. Cable was pissed because they (the refs) took another TD away from us. We all seen how Singletary went off on them refs when they ruled that Walker fumbled against ATL (even though he was touched down and the ground can't cause a fumble)...
Yeah coaches contest controversial calls all the time. Cable was pissed because they (the refs) took another TD away from us. We all seen how Singletary went off on them refs when they ruled that Walker fumbled against ATL (even though he was touched down and the ground can't cause a fumble)...
Oakland defensive end Richard Seymour caused quite a stir in a radio interview when he predicted Oakland would make the playoffs this season.
The Raiders are 2-4 and are a game off the current pace for a wild-card spot. Seymour, stoked by the team’s 13-9 win over Philadelphia on Sunday, believes the winning will continue in Oakland. In the three games prior to the win over the inept Eagles, Oakland lost three straight games by a combined score of 96-16. Seymour is obviously basing his view on the narrow win over the Eagles and not the previous three games.
My thoughts on Seymour’s prediction: Big deal.
I’m neither inspired nor offended by his comments.
I’ve never been amused by the growing number of guarantees in the NFL. What does a guarantee or a prediction mean? Is there anything at stake? No. They are empty.
This is what Seymour’s words are. They’re empty. I mean, good for him to believe in his team. But if he’s wrong, there are no consequences. If Seymour were to say, “If we don’t make the playoffs, I’ll send portions of my salary to members of the six teams who do make the AFC playoffs” then it would mean something.
I’m not suggesting he do that. I’m just saying anyone can say anything.
Also, what is Seymour supposed to say? That he doesn’t believe the Raiders will make the playoffs? No one is going to say that. Seymour’s words are certainly eye catching and it creates some excitement for Raiders fans that one of their leaders is fired up about the team, but really it just doesn’t matter.
I guess it can pump up the teamm
The Raiders are 2-4 and are a game off the current pace for a wild-card spot. Seymour, stoked by the team’s 13-9 win over Philadelphia on Sunday, believes the winning will continue in Oakland. In the three games prior to the win over the inept Eagles, Oakland lost three straight games by a combined score of 96-16. Seymour is obviously basing his view on the narrow win over the Eagles and not the previous three games.
My thoughts on Seymour’s prediction: Big deal.
I’m neither inspired nor offended by his comments.
I’ve never been amused by the growing number of guarantees in the NFL. What does a guarantee or a prediction mean? Is there anything at stake? No. They are empty.
This is what Seymour’s words are. They’re empty. I mean, good for him to believe in his team. But if he’s wrong, there are no consequences. If Seymour were to say, “If we don’t make the playoffs, I’ll send portions of my salary to members of the six teams who do make the AFC playoffs” then it would mean something.
I’m not suggesting he do that. I’m just saying anyone can say anything.
Also, what is Seymour supposed to say? That he doesn’t believe the Raiders will make the playoffs? No one is going to say that. Seymour’s words are certainly eye catching and it creates some excitement for Raiders fans that one of their leaders is fired up about the team, but really it just doesn’t matter.
I guess it can pump up the teamm
