***2009 Official OAKLAND RAIDERS Offseason Thread***

[justwinbaby]

 

[jpzx]

 

[clevelandsprince23]

MICHAEL MITCHELL WHAT UP!!!! OU ATHENS, O-H-I-O rep it up boy

 

[justwinbaby]

UGA FOOTBALL... CLEVELAND CAVALIERS... BALTIMORE RAVENS... ILLINOIS BASKETBALL...

nothing like home town love cleveland's prince

 

[starkyl0ve]

Change the title you bum

 

[justwinbaby]

Originally Posted by StarkyL0ve

Change the title you bum

im hoping one day the raiders do what the bills do in toronto and bringa game down here to the coliseum once per season

just for old timessake. ahh the memories

 

[ooiron manoo]

Originally Posted by JustWinBaby

im hoping one day the raiders do what the bills do in toronto and bring a game down here to the coliseum once per season

just for old times sake. ahh the memories

Pass. Notice what it says in the end zones,

. Let'skeep it that way.

, @ LA Raider fans that can't let go. It's like a woman marrying you because of your money, leaving you high and dry for another man, yet you stilllong for that woman because she used to be good in the sack.

The Raiders and the Rams abandoned Los Angeles, so %!*$ them.

 

[justwinbaby]

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Originally Posted by JustWinBaby

im hoping one day the raiders do what the bills do in toronto and bring a game down here to the coliseum once per season

just for old times sake. ahh the memories

Pass. Notice what it says in the end zones,

. Let's keep it that way.

, @ LA Raider fans that can't let go. It's like a woman marrying you because of your money, leaving you high and dry for another man, yet you still long for that woman because she used to be good in the sack.

The Raiders and the Rams abandoned Los Angeles, so %!*$ them.

dont tell me ur a cowboys fan now

i will always love my team, i cant want one game a yr. at home liek the bills do???? whats so wrong with that ??? get out of here with that analogy +**%

 

[executive76]

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

Dude leave the haters alone some of the guys here are kids and don't understand that when it comes to professional Football the Raiders are LA's team.

my brother is the same way he is mad at Al Davis for taking the team up north but it was a busines issue between the city council (none of them are still atcity hall) and al davis.

Plus the Raiders are a Nation. So even if i was from Tennesse or North Dakota I would be a Raider. Even if LA got a new colorful kiddy football team I wouldstill be a Raider.


cue the raider theme.

 

[justwinbaby]

AFL Legacy Games Announced
May 5, 2009
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Season Tickets | 50th Season Merchandise
The NFL announced today the 16 AFL Legacy Games that will be played during the 2009 NFL season with The Oakland Raiders participating in four of the 16 Legacy Games.
This season marks the 50th season for the eight original American Football League teams. As part of the celebration, the eight original AFL teams will wear historic uniforms during Legacy Games.
Eleven Legacy Games will be match-ups between the eight original AFL teams. The other five Legacy Games include the Dallas Cowboys playing the "Dallas Texans" in Kansas City (October 11, 1:00 PM ET). In addition, three of the Legacy Games feature the Miami Dolphins who joined the AFL in 1966.
To kick off the slate of Legacy Games, the Bills will take on the Tennessee Titans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Sunday, August 9. The game will be televised nationally by NBC at 8:00 PM ET.
On Monday night, September 14, ESPN will host a Monday Night Football doubleheader that will be part of the NFL's celebration of the 50th anniversary season of the AFL. The four clubs competing that night began playing in the inaugural 1960 AFL season. The first game (7:00 PM ET) will send the Buffalo Bills to Foxboro to visit the New England Patriots.
The MNF nightcap (7:15 p.m. PT) will be an AFC West battle as the Raiders host the San Diego Chargers.
On Sunday, October 25, (1:05 p.m. PT), the Raiders host the New York Jets (formerly known as the Titans) in the second of the Silver and Black's Legacy match-ups.
Sunday, November 15th, the Raiders vs. the Kansas City Chiefs (formerly the Dallas Texans) at 1:05 p.m. PT, marks the third Legacy Game for the Silver and Black.
The Raiders visit to Dallas to face the Cowboys in the Raiders' first Thanksgiving game since 1970 (November 26, 1:15 p.m. PT) is the fourth Legacy game for the Raiders.
The American Football League, which merged with the NFL in 1970, played its first season in 1960 with eight teams. The original eight AFL teams were the BUFFALO BILLS, DENVER BRONCOS, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (played as the Dallas Texans), NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (played as the Boston Patriots), NEW YORK JETS (played as the Titans of New York), OAKLAND RAIDERS, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS, and TENNESSEE TITANS (played as the Houston Oilers). The MIAMI DOLPHINS became the ninth AFL franchise and played its first game in 1966. The CINCINNATI BENGALS followed as the 10th AFL team playing its first game during the 1968 season.
http://www.raiders.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=63086


anyone got pix of the new unis

 

[in yo nostril]

away jerseys have silver lettering. thats the only difference. oh and the logo has a silver background.

they wore the jerseys back in 94 i believe for the nfl 75th anniversary

 

[vctry20]

I thought I saw black pants too

 

[mamaco]

Originally Posted by AJIIIpLATINum

Dude leave the haters alone some of the guys here are kids and don't understand that when it comes to professional Football the Raiders are LA's team.

edit: hmmm I thought you were trying to say the Raiders were LA's team opposed to Oakland's.

 

[smokey1212]

 

[vctry20]

nevermind I guess it was the black hoodie on the table, that thing looks clean!

 

[nawlinsjunkie]

yall know that the raiders were in oakland before LA right?
anyways
raider nation idgaf where the fans are from

 

[justwinbaby]

Originally Posted by Smokey1212

the changes might be small and subtle, but they make the jersey lookthat much more sick.
btw i just found this old +*@ article on Nnamdi, i bet most of yall had no idea just how cool of a guy aso is.

---

The Raider with the big heart
By Anna Katherine Clemmons
ESPN The Magazine

OAKLAND, Calif. -- She could tell by his fifth birthday. That's when Nnamdi Asomugha's mother, Lilian, says she knew her son was special. But she's not talking about his status as one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Lilian is referring to her son's work off the field. "I remember several occasions where, after his birthday or Christmas, we had to reprimand him for giving his toys away to kids in the neighborhood," Lilian says. "He was only 5 or so but he said, 'Mom, they didn't have that and I thought they should.' He didn't think to act any differently." Asomugha's e-mail signature also offers a hint. Each message ends with a Bible verse, Galatians 6:9: "Be not weary in well doing; for in due season ye shall reap, if you faint not." [table][tr][td][/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td][font=verdana, arial, geneva]Asomugha, here with Jamal Jackson, has become a mentor to many at the East Oakland Youth Development Center.[/font][/td] [/tr][/table]That mindset has stayed with Asomugha, 27, through his six seasons with the Oakland Raiders, and the one-year, $9.75 million contract extension he signed this past summer secured his status as one of the team's veteran leaders. Since his breakout season in 2006, when he had eight interceptions, quarterbacks have mostly thrown away from him. And being on a losing team means Asomugha has worked as of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league -- a lack of attention that's fine by him. Because while the soft-spoken Asomugha loves football, he's just as focused on his community efforts at the East Oakland Youth Development Center, at Narbonne High School in Los Angeles and across the ocean in his parents' native Nigeria. Like his three siblings, Asomugha learned from the philanthropic example set by his mother, a pharmacist, and his late father, Godfrey, a petroleum engineer. Asomugha's parents met in Nigeria, before moving to the U.S. for college and eventually raising children in Los Angeles. "Even when we were little, we were always helping, going to feed the homeless, community drives, that type of stuff," Nnamdi says. Nnamdi and his older brother, Chijioke -- they are 18 months apart -- grew up playing Pop Warner football and idolizing Deion Sanders. When their father died of a heart attack when the brothers were 12 and 13, "sports were a great outlet for us," says Chijioke, who played cornerback at Stanford. As a senior coming out of Narbonne High, Nnamdi was a highly recruited defensive back. He chose to play for Cal, where he continued his charity efforts. "My freshman year, I started working with a group called Touchdown for Kids," Asomugha says. "However many tackles I got at safety, [the school would] donate a certain amount of money to help the underprivileged youth in Berkeley. We did it every year and I became the spokesman." When Nnamdi became a Raider as the 31st overall pick in the 2003 draft, he continued the program in Oakland. During his senior year at Cal, Asomugha had a chance meeting with Regina Jackson, the president of the East Oakland Youth Development Center. The community-based nonprofit Center, which began in 1973 as a job training facility, has transformed under Jackson's tutelage into an educational, academic and recreational haven for children ages 5 to 20. A major distinguishing factor is the Center's hands-on mentality, which puts its youth in operational roles. "My first time there during my rookie year, when I saw the secretary was a 12-year-old and the head chef was a 14-year-old, I was drawn to that style of leadership and wanted to help out," Nnamdi says. It's not surprising Asomugha would be drawn to a charitable activity that stresses education -- his older sister, Chisara, earned a B.A. from Stanford, a medical degree from Duke and is working on a pediatric fellowship at Yale; Chijioke graduated from Stanford with two degrees and is currently enrolled at Columbia Business School; and his younger sister, Udodirin, graduated from the University of California-San Diego and is working toward a masters in public health at the University of Michigan. Their mother and father both earned doctorates. As the family likes to joke, Nnamdi is the least-educated, with "only" a degree in corporate finance from Cal. [table][tr][td][/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td][font=verdana, arial, geneva]Thanks to Asomugha, kids were able to take a tour of colleges on the East Coast, including Brown University in Rhode Island.[/font][/td] [/tr][/table]Asomugha became a regular at the Center, speaking to students about their work ethic or shooting hoops with them after practice with the Raiders. "He's like a friend we've known for a long time, so it's not like we're out here with a Raiders player," says 16-year-old Jasmine Williams. "He keeps in touch with everyone and doesn't forget them, so you know he's really doing it for us and not for the publicity." Two years ago, Asomugha suggested taking several of the teens on a college tour to Atlanta. He financed the trip for four students, some of whom had never flown on an airplane or visited a college campus. He repeated the odyssey last year, expanding the group to six and traveling to Boston. "Nnamdi opened my eyes," says Adarious Payton, 16. "If he wasn't here, I never would've gone to Boston, never would've been to the East Coast." Asomugha made individual time for each student, like the night he stayed up with Yehoshua Jackson until 1 a.m., listening to Jackson -- who is the Center's 18-year-old head music teacher and hopes to attend Boston's Berklee College of Music -- playing his favorite melodies. Of the teens Asomugha has taken thus far, all say they want to attend college. Because of the Center's Pathway to College scholarship program, and Nnamdi's help, that goal can become a reality. While he may be quiet on the field, Asomugha shows his true colors at the Center. "I'm a class clown," he says. "Once you get me in my element, it's bananas." He finds as much enjoyment as the kids, like last June, when he took several students on a two-day fly-fishing trip. Most had never heard of fly-fishing, much less tried it. "I still say it was the best experience of my life," says Jamal Jackson, Regina's 14-year-old son. "Each year, he tries to do something different," Regina adds. "Last year, he started a holiday party where he rewards kids for academic improvement or excellence. He has fun while emphasizing the importance of education." Jackson points out that Nnamdi isn't the first athlete to frequent the Center. A portrait of Gary Payton was recently hung above the basketball court, which Payton helped finance with a $100,000 contribution, and Antawn Jamison was a regular visitor during his five seasons playing for Golden State. Still, she says, "Relationships like the one we enjoy with Nnamdi just don't happen. He's a living legacy. He's not waiting 20 years to figure out what he'll be known for. He's doing it now." That legacy that doesn't stop in Oakland. At his former high school, Asomugha distributes backpacks to the incoming freshmen each year. He also outfits the football and basketball team with shoes, a mandate he wrote into an endorsement contract he signed with Nike. "Whatever else I can get my hands on in L.A. to help out, I do it," Nnamdi says. [table][tr][td][/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td][font=verdana, arial, geneva]Times are tough for the Raiders, but Asomugha remains a hero to many kids.[/font][/td] [/tr][/table]Then there's his family's foundation work. Throughout Nnamdi's childhood, the Asomughas took trips to visit relatives in eastern Nigeria. In a country that ranks among the top 20 in infant mortality rate, the family began providing food and medicine to widows and orphans victimized by poverty or abuse. In 2005, the family officially sanctioned the nonprofit OWIN (Orphans and Widows in Need) Foundation, with Lilian serving as the Director and CEO from her home in Los Angeles. Having added an educational component as well, the Foundation receives hundreds of thank-you letters from recipients each year. Occasionally, the letters are addressed to Nnamdi, the Foundation's primary donor. "It's a big deal [in Nigeria]," he says of OWIN. "You'd never know about it here, but most people in Nigeria know what we've been doing for years." Currently, OWIN has two centers in Nigeria and hopes to expand to other parts of Africa. Dr. Agatha Chukwurah, who helps run the program in Nigeria, describes how the organization tries to visit a different village in Nigeria each month, offering women and children workshops on basic life skills. The villages often have no water, schools or medical help. They bring doctors and nurses to help train the women. "Our ultimate goal is to help the children and the women and build a stronger center where we plan by the grace of God to be able to do what we know -- we can train them, feed them, see their progress, see them become somebody useful to their self and to the nation," Dr. Chukwurah says. "There are times I cry -- one time, there was a woman with no leg -- a widow with four children -- and she said she came to one of our programs that she'd heard about, and she was so surprised, she said, 'There are other people that even think about us?'" Says Asomugha's Nigerian teammate Isaiah Ekejiuba, "He does so much for the community here, back home in L.A. ... He's just an all-around community guy, but doesn't brag about it." That quiet demeanor carries over to the field, where Asomugha lets his play do the talking. "I don't think I've seen a corner with a greater talent than his," says former teammate Jarrod Cooper, who retired in August. "He makes it look so easy that you almost hate him for it. I'm over here running and sweating and he's just taking two steps, knowing where the play is going. He's very smart about the game." When his football days are over, Asomugha says he's interested in a career in broadcasting or entertainment. For now, though, he'll keep helping wherever he can. "I've always felt that I'm successful for a reason," he says. "So I can help, whether that's one individual or a group of people. That's why I keep going with football. I love the game and I'll keep playing as long as I can, but ultimately there's a different purpose." Last season, Nnamdi was given the Raiders Commitment to Excellence Award and was recognized by Home Depot for his charity work. "It's in his blood," Lilian says. "You can say your children are good, but you really see when they are little how they'll do when they're older by how they act. He is gracious. That is him."
Anna Katherine Clemmons is a reporter for ESPN The Magazine.

http://sports.espn.go.com...d=3642906&type=story

 

[beatjunkie5]

I posted this in the other Raiders thread, but I figure it will do it more justice here...

Lorenzo Neal to Oakland?
Unsubstantiated Internet rumors are floating out there that Pro Bowl fullback Lorenzo Neal will sign with the Raiders, though no sources are cited and, for the life of me, I can't tell where it started.

After checking into it, because this is how the Jeff Garcia-to-Oakland scenario first popped up, a few interesting things came to the surface.

I called a mutual friend in Frsno (finally, my lifelong Fresno connections have paid off at the NFL level), and he spoke with Neal (a Fresno State alum) last week. Neal told him and others he was in discussions with the Raiders.

On top of that, a source within the organization confirmed he has been discussed as a potential addition.

The move makes perfect sense. Oren O'Neal is back, but still recovering from major knee surgery. Luke Lawton is also on the payroll but isn't considered an ideal starter.Tom Cable made a point to say after the draft that fullback needed to be addressed.

Justin Griffith won't come back because the two-year Raiders starter recently signed with the Seahawks. Remember, when Neal was a free agent last year, former coach Lane Kiffin said Neal was not a fit for the zone-blocking run game?

It looks like Tom Cable thinks different.

Neal is a 16-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler who is just one season removed from his last trip to Honolulu.

He spent last season as a backup with Baltimore, where the running backs raved about his mentoring and leadership. Neal wants a 17th season in the NFL, and Oakland would allow him to return to his homestate where he played with the Chargers from 2003-07.

If he signs indeed, he would be reunited with Raiders running backs coach Kelly Skipper, who was Neal's position coach at Fresno State a very, very long time ago.

If this move is going to be finalized, expect it before the May 8-10 minicamp.

Posted By: David White (Email) | May 01 2009 at 07:26 PM

 

[justwinbaby]

Originally Posted by BeatJunkie5

I posted this in the other Raiders thread, but I figure it will do it more justice here...

Lorenzo Neal to Oakland?
Unsubstantiated Internet rumors are floating out there that Pro Bowl fullback Lorenzo Neal will sign with the Raiders, though no sources are cited and, for the life of me, I can't tell where it started.

After checking into it, because this is how the Jeff Garcia-to-Oakland scenario first popped up, a few interesting things came to the surface.

I called a mutual friend in Frsno (finally, my lifelong Fresno connections have paid off at the NFL level), and he spoke with Neal (a Fresno State alum) last week. Neal told him and others he was in discussions with the Raiders.

On top of that, a source within the organization confirmed he has been discussed as a potential addition.

The move makes perfect sense. Oren O'Neal is back, but still recovering from major knee surgery. Luke Lawton is also on the payroll but isn't considered an ideal starter.Tom Cable made a point to say after the draft that fullback needed to be addressed.

Justin Griffith won't come back because the two-year Raiders starter recently signed with the Seahawks. Remember, when Neal was a free agent last year, former coach Lane Kiffin said Neal was not a fit for the zone-blocking run game?

It looks like Tom Cable thinks different.

Neal is a 16-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler who is just one season removed from his last trip to Honolulu.

He spent last season as a backup with Baltimore, where the running backs raved about his mentoring and leadership. Neal wants a 17th season in the NFL, and Oakland would allow him to return to his homestate where he played with the Chargers from 2003-07.

If he signs indeed, he would be reunited with Raiders running backs coach Kelly Skipper, who was Neal's position coach at Fresno State a very, very long time ago.

If this move is going to be finalized, expect it before the May 8-10 minicamp.

Posted By: David White (Email) | May 01 2009 at 07:26 PM

this would do wonders for the younger backs (DMC/Bush) just look at howmuch of an (alleged) impact neal's impact had on players like leron mcclain.

 

[justwinbaby]

mini camp starts tomorrow

are the fans allowed to attend??? I may just have to make a specialtrip up to the bay.

 

[la213espg]

http://www.raiders.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=63112


Mini-Camp Coverage Preview

May 7, 2009
The Oakland Raiders will hit the practice fields at their Alameda, Calif., facility for a mandatory three-day mini-camp. The first of five practices isset for Friday morning as Head Coach Tom Cable and the coaching staff lead the Silver and Black through their first full team on-field work since the end ofthe 2008 season.
The mini-camp will give the coaching staff and the Raider Nation their first look at the 2009 Draft class, undrafted rookie free agents and veteran freeagents acquired since the signing period opened on February 28.

Veteran linebackers Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard are anxious to get back on the gridiron and continue the progress that was made at the end of the 2008season. They are also eager to meet their new teammates.

"It's good to have all the teamates, especially the new guys that we brought in from the Draft, and see the nucleus of the team get together to getus on the right track going into [this] year," Morrison said.

Howard added, "It's going to be good to have everybody back on the team all together. With a few new faces here I want to check them out, from thedraft picks and some new free agents too. It is going to be fun to get out there with the fellas and run around and have some good tempo practices and see whatis going on."

 

[la213espg]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4152424


[h2]Raiders to sign fullback Neal[/h2]

By Bill Williamson
ESPN.com



ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders have added some experience and toughness to theiroffense in the form of fullback Lorenzo Neal.

Neal

Neal had been discussing a contract with the Raiders and apparently a deal has been consummated. While the Raiders have yet to make an announcement, Nealwas participating in the team's mandatory minicamp Friday morning wearing No. 41.

Oakland will be the 38-year-old Neal's eighth NFL team since he entered the league in 1993. Known as one of the best blocking fullbacks ever to play inthe NFL, Neal spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens and the previous five with theSan Diego Chargers.

Oakland did not have a settled fullback. Neal will now be the lead blocker for Oakland's talented threesome of running backs, Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas and Michael Bush.

The Raiders also signed running back Gary Russell, who was most recently withPittsburgh and Cincinnati.

 

[kayzeezay]

Good signing for The Raiders if he can stay healthy

 

[CP1708]

I think that's a GREAT signing as long as he and McFadden stay healthy.

Dude is automatic for 1200+ yards.