MODS PLEASE LOCK | The Oakland Raiders 2015 Season Thread: Week 17 @ Kansas City / 7-8

[Johnny_Cakes]

Our backup QB's suck but still start McGloin.

You mean he's not the starter?

 

[wearinthefourfive]

After months of trying to fight it, they finally broke me down; I re-upped my season tickets. The Raiders sales team is relentless.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

After months of trying to fight it, they finally broke me down; I re-upped my season tickets. The Raiders sales team is relentless.

One of us, one of us.

 

[ciscokid]

Just watched the Mr raiders HOF speech on YouTube

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Q&A with Raiders coach Jack Del Rio through nine practices at training camp in Napa

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer

A transcription of Raiders coach Jack Del Rio’s press conference Sunday following his team’s ninth of 16 practices in Napa as provided by the club:

Q: What is your philosophy when it comes to game-planning for preseason games and that kind of thing?

Del Rio: “There won’t be any game-planning, not for the first preseason game. We’ll basically just pair down things that we’ve installed and try and really evaluate the players, their ability to play fast and some of the basic concepts that we want to be able to utilize. We’re not trying to outsmart the opponent in this game. We’re trying to get a real thorough evaluation of the people we have and what they’re capable of and really looking to kind of settle some of the battles at different positions.”

Q: How important is it to see these guys take what they’ve learned on the practice field to the game?

Del Rio: “Everything we do is geared toward performing well on game day. We want to have that heightened sense of urgency. We want to be able to take what we’ve been able to teach and accomplish on the practice field and be able to apply that in a game setting. You’re typically looking for guys that when the lights come on and it’s in a game situation, that they’re at their best.”

Q: It’s been nine days for Rod Streater and Clive Walford missing practice. Were they worse than you thought they were originally? Were there any setbacks?

Del Rio: “No. Two different scenarios. With one, we’re trying to determine exactly what we’re dealing with with the non-football situation. The other is very close. Two different situations.”

Q: Could Jamize Olawale’s injury be more significant in terms of time missed than some of the others?

Del Rio: “I hope not and I don’t think so.”

Q: Did you feel like the players earned that day off tomorrow?

Del Rio: “Oh, we earned it. We had a great first week or so of camp. I think a lot of productivity – a lot of energy and effort – but a lot of productivity. I think we grew as a football team this week. We went through a lot of different situations. Fundamentally, the teaching that went in, the work and the sacrifice and the coming together and understanding how we’re going to apply ourselves within the system. I think all of that was really excellent. Good first week. This effort would have earned a day off, but it’s mandated so they’re going to get it regardless. But I was glad to see that kind of performance.”

Q: What is your take on the players mentioning that the playing background of the coaching staff makes things carry a little bit more credibility?

Del Rio: “I don’t put a lot of stock as a professional coach into that aspect of it. I am aware of it. Certainly the guys that have had experience that we’ve been in that seat, been in those pads, understand what we’re going through. I think there is a different perspective that you have. But there are a lot of excellent coaches that never played the game, so I don’t think it has a whole lot to do with whether you can coach or not. I think you have an ability to relate to them a little bit better. The coaches are good coaches because you can help your players be better players. That’s what I’m most concerned with.”

Q: When a unit has had a bad session or a bad practice, have you seen the bounce back that you like to see?

Del Rio: “Well, we’re looking to flatten it out and be more consistent on a daily basis. So where we’re seeing ups and downs, we want to see the up at a high level and be maintained and be consistent with it. So that’s what we’re striving for. Yeah, if we fall down, we get up. If we stumble, we get back on track. So we’re going to continue to do that, hit the reset button where we need to, but we’re looking to sustain excellence, looking to sustain a high level of play and that’s what we’re striving for. Again, it’s coming together. I think we’ve sputtered a little bit throughout this week where the offense would have the upper hand, the defense would have the upper hand. It’s gone back and forth and that’s normal for a training camp, but what we want to see is our effort on both sides continue to elevate.”

Q: What is the significance of the term “Unpaid Debt” on the T-shirts?

Del Rio: “We heard from a guest speaker who – the guy was outstanding. He came in and shared a message. Rob Lively was his name. He had a tremendous message about the sacrifices that are made, and he was talking from a military perspective, but how it relates to what we’re doing here on the football field. It’s really about doing it for your brother, doing it for the guy to your right, doing it for the guy to your left. The accountability for each other. And certainly, I think the message was right on time for us. It was a moving kind of speech that he gave and a talk, and I think it resonated with our guys. So that unpaid debt is something he referred to and it’s something when we see that, we reflect on those words that we heard. It was awesome.”

Q: How many guest speakers have you had in camp?

Del Rio: “We’re trying to touch guys how we can, different areas, and that was one.”

Q: Any thoughts on Tim Brown’s induction into the Hall of Fame?

Del Rio: “Well, he certainly earned it. A terrific player, a great Raider, and I’m really happy for him. I think everybody that’s associated with the Raiders is proud to have another member going into the Hall of Fame.”

Q: How has Austin Howard done filling in for Menelik Watson?

Del Rio: “I think our line has been pretty good. I think, like I said earlier I think last week, I feel good about the group. I think we have a good group. They’ll be competitive for what roles will end up being determined, but they’ll get game time on Friday to really kind of put it all together. I think the line is working great right now and I think it’s been a pretty solid start for them”

Q: Mike Tice had said earlier this week that he was going to take the Monday off day and maybe reevaluate how that first team has done and maybe move some pieces around. Is there any thought to doing that with other position groups?

Del Rio: “We’ll do that as a staff, take the time that we have when the players are off to be real thorough going through the tape. A lot of time to kind of catch our breath, go back and evaluate the roster and talk about the roster, and if we feel the need to alter anything then we’ll do that. That’s pretty normal for this time of year.”

Q: You said you liked the way the group is forming right now, but do you think when Menelik Watson comes back that he’ll be stepping back into his first team role? Or will you just stick with these guys?

Del Rio: “I’m just going to continue to coach the guys that are out here and guys that aren’t ready, they’ll get the treatment and get back as soon as they can. We’ll come out here and compete every day. I’m not going to get into specific discussions about whose rep and whose role is what at this particular time. Right now we’re trying to create competition, so everybody is getting significant reps, turns and opportunities.”

Q: When the first depth chart comes out, what significance should we attach to that?

Del Rio: “I think the biggest thing you can get out of the depth chart that’s going to be released tomorrow is how much [Raiders senior director – media relations] Will [Kiss] has been paying attention. I’m just going to be honest with you, it’s Will taking a stab at it and it’s going to be fine until the season gets here. It’s not going to really be my list until the season gets here, so whatever he put down, good for Will. If he’s been watching we’ll be in good shape.”

Q: Besides Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, what have you seen out of the receivers so far?

Del Rio: “I like the approach. I think we’ve had some outstanding catches and separation and attention to detail. I think we started fast in that area with the receivers connecting with the quarterbacks. I think having that early time helps a little bit, and then it hasn’t been as consistent throughout the week as it needs to be. There are a lot of numbers there to work through for us, so that will be a good position to evaluate. Getting some game reps against other people will be good for us and seeing how that position continues to grow. We feel like we have some options there; some guys that maybe will develop beyond what they’ve been in the past. We’ll see how that goes.”

Q: What about your backup quarterbacks? How have they been?

Del Rio: “Pretty solid. I think quarterback play has been pretty darn solid to start camp. Obviously having Derek [Carr] lead the way, he provides a great example, even as a young player, of what it should look like.”

Q: What has Lee Smith brought to the team?

Del Rio: “He’s a great veteran presence, he’s a physical guy and he loves football. To me, we want to collect as many guys that love football as we can.”

Q: He’s a nice guy off the field. It seems like he has a bit of an edge to him on the field.

Del Rio: “He’s a tough guy. He’s a man, he’s a tough guy and he’s a great addition.”

 

[monstar]

Training camp today on family day was awesome got to meet c wood mack and tuck and carr

Mack and king are hilarious. Really excited for this year. Ken norton jr gr8 motivator out there for our defense shud have em ready and murray is a beast

Richardson looks like he has lost a step

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Richardson isn't making the roster I bet. Which is good, we don't need a used up spot for someone who's done.

 

[laker4lifeman]

Dyer took his spot but I think he's injured now

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Bragging rights on the line for Raiders’ offense, defense
By Vic Tafur August 11, 2015

View media item 1668555

Khalil Mack (left, black shirt) and offensive lineman Khalif Barnes (right, white shirt) take part on 1-on-1 drills during the Raiders' training camp in Napa. Photo: Tony Gonzales, Oakland Raiders Photo: Tony Gonzales, Oakland Raiders Khalil Mack (left, black shirt) and offensive lineman Khalif Barnes (right, white shirt) take part on 1-on-1 drills during the Raiders' training camp in Napa.

Season-ticket holders who come to training camp in Napa have watched a lot of special-teams work: kicks, return routes, coverage schemes, more kicks …

Fans who survived the doldrums of those drills have been rewarded. They have seen Derek Carr connect with new receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, and last weekend, they got a nice treat when about two dozen 260-300-pound gentlemen trudged to the end of the field.

One-on-one matchups between the offensive linemen and defensive linemen. If the defensive lineman can’t get to the scared-looking coaching intern holding the ball, he has to go again. And then again.

“There’s always bragging rights,” center Rodney Hudson said. “You try to win at everything you do, but you’re also trying to get better at the little things.”

Defensive end Khalil Mack is one of the rising stars in the league, but on Saturday afternoon, he got stuffed by left tackle Donald Penn not once but twice.

“I have to come back better tomorrow and give him some,” Mack said. “He knows I can switch it up on him, but it’s all good for now. I’m a competitor, but it’s all good for now. ... You brought it back up for me, thanks.”

Rookie defensive linemen Mario Edwards Jr. couldn’t care less about bragging rights at this point.

“I just don’t want to do the push-ups,” he said. “The losing side has to do push-ups after the drill.”

The 6-foot-3 lineman is playing both defensive end and tackle at camp, and you can see the burst that excited Oakland scouts. He’s down to 285 pounds after being as high as 310 at Florida State.

He had to do push-ups Saturday, but it wasn’t his fault. Edwards and Khalif Barnes split the first two reps, and defensive line coach Jethro Franklin ruled the third one a draw.

“Yeah, we tied,” Edwards said. “It could have been worse. But Khalif is a 10-year vet. I was trying different things but some of the things I do, he’s already seen.

“Now I have to go back and watch the film, see what hand he throws on a certain kind of punch and things like that.”

When a player is done, he drinks a lot of water and then watches his teammates go at it.

“You watch the other guys, see what they’re doing, especially the young guys,” Hudson said. “You try to help them.”

Sometimes you just watch the man who is lining up next to you, and admire the skill set. Hudson was a big-money free-agent signee from Kansas City, and the other offensive linemen are impressed.

“Rodney is a stud,” Barnes said. “You first see him, he looks like a malted-milk dud. But then you see him on the field, he runs like a gazelle.

“He runs, he pulls, he’s smart, he’s nasty. He’s awesome.”

One of the most-used cliches in football is that the game is won in the trenches — that’s true. Carr is an exciting prospect and Crabtree has been the star of camp, but they aren’t going to do much if Carr is on his back. Same with running back Latavius Murray. He is going to need the line to open some holes.

“It all starts with the offensive line,” Hudson said. “When you have five guys (who) have to work together, you know that’s going to be an important position.”

On defense, Justin Tuck thinks Mack is set to become one of the elite pass-rushers in the NFL.

“Last year, he was playing checkers,” Tuck said. “This year, he is playing chess.”

Tuck does his part to make sure the Raiders’ offensive linemen are ready for Mack, saying how they whisper to him in practice to tell Mack to take it easy on them.

Hudson laughed for a few minutes when he heard that one.

Mack rolled his eyes. Penn is 315 pounds, and doesn’t need any extra motivation.

“Tuck and Mack are two beasts, and going against beasts makes you better,” Penn said. “I need that. The team needs that. We are tired of losing.”

Mack said Penn better get used to losing the next time they line up against each other in Napa.

“I told Donald one of these days I’m going to continuously beat him consistently, but he won’t let me put that in his head,” Mack said. “It’s something we look forward to every day, coming out here and getting better.”

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Seth Roberts bidding to join Raiders’ wide-receiver corps
By Vic Tafur August 12, 2015

View media item 1670035
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr invited the Raiders’ receivers to his family’s spread in Bakersfield a few weeks before training camp, and Seth Roberts was blown away.

Not by the field or weight room where Rodger Carr developed his sons into two NFL quarterbacks, but by the living room.

“His family has chalkboards all over the place, even in the living room,” the second-year receiver said. “I was, like, man ... this is what they do. Serious business.”

Roberts spent last year, his rookie season, on the practice squad, and his hard work is starting to pay dividends. On a team suddenly deep at receiver with newcomers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, Roberts has gotten reps with the first- and second-team units at training camp in Napa.

“I just listen to my coaches, Crab, Cooper and get better every day,” Roberts said. “I don’t look at the depth chart. I just do everything everybody tells me.”

Carr said he didn’t have the best first impression of the skinny 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver last year.

“It was rough at the beginning, but you just saw him keep working and he just keeps going like this,” Carr said, motioning upward. “He makes a whole bunch of plays down the field. I remember last year, he literally made a top-10 catch in practice every single day. We’ll look forward to seeing what he can do during the preseason.”

Roberts has had good hands, and now he has a year of experience under his belt.

“He’s very sudden in and out of his breaks,” Carr said. “He’s the kind of guy (who) knows what he’s doing, and that’s huge.”

Roberts smiled when he heard Carr’s description of the rough beginning. Roberts was certainly green last year and didn’t put up big numbers in college. West Alabama ran the ball a lot and he finished with 52 catches, 1,169 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons.

Even though his parents were excited about the NFL draft, Roberts knew he wasn’t going to get selected and waited for a call for supervised work at his craft.

“I am just a lot more comfortable with the playbook and I am not timid anymore,” Roberts said. “The field feels like home. It’s a great feeling.”

Roberts is standing his ground better also, as he put on 2 pounds of muscle, and feels much stronger after a summer of working out at Cal.

He plans to carry a strong training camp into Friday night’s preseason opener against the Rams at the Coliseum.

“No pressure,” Roberts said. “I am ready. Going to the Black Hole and just ready to have some fun with my guys.”

Vic Tafur ‏@VicTafur 5h5 hours ago
Carr: "It's not the same team, it's not the same feel. You can already see it." #Raiders

Vic Tafur ‏@VicTafur 5h5 hours ago
Carr said Walford "is easy to throw to. Very quarterback-friendly."

Vic Tafur ‏@VicTafur 6h6 hours ago
Guys are better, smarter than they were in college, Amari Cooper said. "Have to use things I haven't used before." #Raiders

Vic Tafur ‏@VicTafur 7h7 hours ago
Murray thunderous rumbling. [emoji]128276[/emoji][emoji]128004[/emoji]

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Tafur says before the draft he compared Cooper to Torry Holt.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Asher Mathews ‏@AsherMathews 29s30 seconds ago
Through 11 practices, Cooper has at least two fumbles. Both I recall were receptions that were immediately knocked loose by McGill #Raiders

 

[dmxfury]

Watching 'football life' of Al Davis

Dude was legendary

Need characters like him, NFL is missing that


His story in vouching for Terry and getting Noll to start him

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Watching 'football life' of Al Davis

Dude was legendary

Need characters like him, NFL is missing that

You ready to say goodbye to the AFC Raiders? It's coming.

 

[raider5]

You ready to say goodbye to the AFC Raiders? It's coming.

Still don't understand why the Raiders are the team that are being optioned to leave the division. IF they do share a stadium, why can't the Chargers be on the move?

 

[laker4lifeman]

Because Mark is weak and just wants a new stadium.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

You ready to say goodbye to the AFC Raiders? It's coming.

Still don't understand why the Raiders are the team that are being optioned to leave the division. IF they do share a stadium, why can't the Chargers be on the move?

I think it's going to be a gentleman's agreement between Mark and Dean Spanos when it's all said and done. Spanos is doing almost all the legwork in getting this Carson stadium done, and the league recognizes this. Mark is the one tagging along and wanting to be second team headed to LA. He's mentioned being willing to go to the NFC as a concession I bet.

 

[laker4lifeman]

The 1 positive would be that it cuts down on traveling.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

The 1 positive would be that it cuts down on traveling.

I don't know. Losing those rivalries is going to be really bitter.

 

[laker4lifeman]

The 1 positive would be that it cuts down on traveling.

I don't know. Losing those rivalries is going to be really bitter.

I know but Mark doesn't care. The worst scenario for me is the Raiders ending up in STL :x

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders' stadium plan faltering without Oakland support

By Matthew Artzmartz@bayareanewsgroup.com
POSTED: 08/12/2015 07:08:38 PM

View media item 1670322Alameda County leaders said Wednesday that the best hope for building a new Raiders stadium in Oakland is for the city to buy out the county's stake in the sprawling Coliseum complex and handle the deal itself. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group archive)

OAKLAND -- As plans for Los Angeles-area football stadiums progress, this much has become clear: For all their talk about wanting to keep the Raiders in Oakland, neither the local political establishment nor the team is taking the lead on a plan to make that happen.

Conversations this week among NFL owners in Chicago about new stadiums for three teams -- the Chargers, Rams and Raiders -- are only the latest in which prospects in Oakland were little more than an afterthought. St. Louis and San Diego are aggressively pitching plans to keep their teams from moving. And Oakland?

"There's no champion to get a stadium deal done," said former Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who led negotiations to bring the Raiders back from Los Angeles two decades ago. "The Raiders haven't worked very hard on it. And neither has the city."

View media item 1670320Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis laughs while responding to a question from a reporter at the NFL owners meetings at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, in Schaumburg, Ill.

So far the city has been on the losing end of the stadium blame game. Even Raiders icon John Madden on Wednesday demanded action from local officials.

"They have to come up with some plan," the Hall of Fame coach told KCBS. "So far it's been 'we're not going to do this, we're not going to do that.' But they haven't said ... 'we want to keep the Raiders, and this is how we can help.'"

City officials have said they are willing to lease public land for a stadium and pay for infrastructure costs, but a lack of financial resources remains a stumbling block on both sides of the negotiating table.

Oakland officials reiterated Wednesday that they have no intention of matching the $350 million that San Diego is offering to put toward a new stadium for the Chargers or the roughly $500 million that St. Louis and Missouri are offering the Rams.

Meanwhile the Raiders remain one of the leanest NFL organizations, devoid of the development industry talent required to spearhead a stadium project the way the 49ers did in Santa Clara, said Robert Boland, a professor of sports business and law at Ohio University.

"The 49ers really armed up when they were building their stadium," he said. "You really need four or five people in house who are sought-after development experts, and I don't know if the Raiders had the ability to take on that level of cost at the time they needed to get the ball rolling."

It's still too early to bid the Raiders farewell. The city is continuing to meet with team officials. And later this month an outside developer will submit his final proposal for a mega development at the 120-acre Coliseum complex that would include a new football stadium, even though an earlier version was widely panned. Also, there's a chance that voters in San Diego and St. Louis could reject stadium subsidies, evening the playing field with Oakland.

But it's still unclear whether team or city leaders are willing to go out on a limb to strike a deal in Oakland.

Unlike her counterpart in San Diego, who has been the point person on a new Chargers stadium, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has kept a low profile on stadium talks. Schaaf, who wasn't available for comment Wednesday, didn't attend a recent meeting with the NFL's top stadium official and has turned over negotiations to an assistant city administrator.

Meanwhile, despite his repeated mantra that he wants to stay in Oakland, Raiders owner Mark Davis continues to act as if Los Angeles is his preferred choice, Boland said.

De La Fuente said Schaaf should take a bigger profile in stadium talks, but that the onus is on the Raiders, who four years ago showed him a rendering of a new Oakland stadium but never sought out a financial partner and pursued it.

"I told them that they have to be the ones to push it," De La Fuente said. "Look at the 49ers. They did it themselves. They were the drivers. The Raiders have been waiting. They expect people to somehow send them a plan."

A phone Wednesday to Raiders President Marc Badain was not returned. While the team hasn't shut the door on Oakland, it is working with the Chargers on a $1.7 billion stadium in the Southern California city of Carson.

That proposal is competing with a nearly $2 billion Inglewood stadium proposed by Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Only one of the stadiums is expected to win NFL approval; however, the Raiders could still wind up in Los Angeles as the Rams' tenant.

There still isn't a viable stadium plan in Oakland, NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman said after Tuesday's owners meeting. The Raiders say a stadium can be built for $900 million, but have only pledged $500 million between the team and the league.

Most NFL cities have plugged that type of gap with public funds, but Oakland and Alameda County voters have shown no interest in going that route especially with taxpayers still on the hook for nearly $100 million for renovations to O.Co Coliseum that brought the Raiders back from Los Angeles 20 years ago.

Back then, De La Fuente said, politicians such as himself and former Senate Pro Tempore Don Perata "took the bull by the horns" to bring the team back, and were lauded publicly for their aggressiveness.

But the stigma of that deal complicates any effort to keep the team now, he said.

"Politicians now are more shy about it," De La Fuente said. "They don't want to be accused of making the same mistake. That is part of the issue here."

 

[whoyouthink]

 

The 1 positive would be that it cuts down on traveling.

I don't know. Losing those rivalries is going to be really bitter.

they should change their name then cause the Raiders would of died

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

 

The 1 positive would be that it cuts down on traveling.

I don't know. Losing those rivalries is going to be really bitter.

they should change their name then cause the Raiders would of died

Cause they won't play against other AFC West teams?

Nah. We define ourselves, no one else does that for us.

 

[whoyouthink]

Raiders were in the AFL and the fact that they would switch to the NFC would be a travesty IMO.


Throw All the rivalries and tradition out the window

 

[HNL HI]

who would they switch with? i havent been following