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[sohi 23]

Roquan still hasn't declared for the draft. The deadline is tomorrow

 

[raider5]

Roquan still hasn't declared for the draft. The deadline is tomorrow

Bruh. lol. Don't even know where to go after that.

I don't know if I trust Reggie with taking another DB with a 1st round pick. Maybe things go differently with a new coaching staff. The DL from Washington seems koo, I'm down for a beast at 350lbs eating ****** on the line.

Not even sure if dude is rated to go as high, but I'm lookin for that kinda dude to make an immediate impact.

 

[albooboo]

Bruh. lol. Don't even know where to go after that.

I don't know if I trust Reggie with taking another DB with a 1st round pick. Maybe things go differently with a new coaching staff. The DL from Washington seems koo, I'm down for a beast at 350lbs eating *****s on the line.

Not even sure if dude is rated to go as high, but I'm lookin for that kinda dude to make an immediate impact.

I would go with Da'Ron Payne DT from Alabama.

 

[sohi 23]

I bet RM takes Chubb the DLineman if he falls to 9/10 if Roquan doesn't come out.

 

[village1600]

Murray won

You know @kayzeezay pulled out his Murray jersey after that victory lol

 

[raider5]

Murray is 25-7 the last two seasons (not including playoffs)

 

[sohi 23]

Roquan declared #FutureRaider

 

[raider5]

The coin flip will be done:

 

[village1600]

I just hope we win that damn coin flip

 

[Deleted member 185039]

albooboo If we do get a point in front of SF after the coin toss do we take the LB or the DT?
Seems like we can't lose drafting defense. Do we draft another RB this offseason?

 

[njavier03]

albooboo If we do get a point in front of SF after the coin toss do we take the LB or the DT?
Seems like we can't lose drafting defense. Do we draft another RB this offseason?

i think we need a new RB. i'm tired of Richard and Washington.

 

[HNL HI]

I'm sure we will draft a RB, think Richard bounces back with Gruden.

Washington ain't got no jukes tho.

 

[laker4lifeman]

Richard also cant hold onto a ball. Elijah Hood hopefully is ready.

 

[raider5]

If by some miracle happens and Saquon Barkley somehow slips down to 9, gotta take him.

Roquan is obviously on the radar, but I keep seeing Minkah Fitzpatrick (DB from Bama) too. Not sure how I feel about a Bama DB tho.

 

[njavier03]

If by some miracle happens and Saquon Barkley somehow slips down to 9, gotta take him.

Roquan is obviously on the radar, but I keep seeing Minkah Fitzpatrick (DB from Bama) too. Not sure how I feel about a Bama DB tho.

Well we got Bama’s DB coach so...

 

[Deleted member 185039]

Cool to see Josh McDaniels get another stab at Head Coach.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders mailbag: Who the new coaching staff hurts and helps, plus the obligatory Aldon Smith question

By Vic Tafur Jan 14, 2018

Looks like the Patriots are rolling to the Super Bowl again. I know that’s hard to take for Raiders fans, especially given all the help that New England gets: the scheduling (annual Saturday game before the AFC Championship), ridiculous officiating and game clocks that magically stop with one second left.

I don’t think Tom Brady needs all the help … eh, maybe he does.

Whatever. There has been a lot going on with the Raiders since the season ended, so we hit the mailbag.

Here goes:

Mike Bettio asks, you wrote that the Tom Cable signing is good for Marshawn Lynch. But, is Lynch coming back actually good for the Raiders?

Lynch ran for 625 yards the second half of the season, and take away center Rodney Hudson and you could definitely make the case that Lynch was the Raiders' best offensive player last season. I talked to general manager Reggie McKenzie about Lynch after Jon Gruden’s press conference and he loved the way Lynch ran.

There were some issues with Lynch being late for meetings at times and kind of marching to his own drummer, but one could argue that’s on the former coaching staff. His teammates loved him.

This quote from receiver Cordarrelle Patterson last week is telling — in every way:

Lynch “is the best thing that ever happened to that whole organization,” Patterson told Barstool Sports. “He’s a God around there. He can do whatever he wants.”

Matt T. asks, What exactly did Michael Crabtree do to fall out of favor? I just don’t see how they are going to replace him for less than the 7 mil he’s due. What other reliable receivers will be available?

There were some whispers that he took himself out of games, which Crabtree denied after the season finale. The fight with Aqib Talib was not looked upon favorably. And most importantly, his production fell off.

The Raiders should draft a receiver in the first two rounds. We can discuss that later.

Matthew S.L. asks, why does it seem that the sentiment has turned to “the sky is falling” as far as the roster goes? I understand they had a down year, but the team was 12-3 in 2016 (Derek Carr out for the final game). Doesn’t the firing of (Jack) Del Rio speak to the fact that those in charge are confident that the coaching staff should be able to get the job done, largely, with the roster that’s in place?

There is obviously still a lot of talent on the offensive side of the roster, but does anyone know what they really have on the defensive side besides Khalil Mack? Even Bruce Irvin is kind of a question mark, when you look at his two halves of the season.

Gruden and new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will have to quickly decide who fits and who needs to be replaced. And what to make of all those underwhelming draft picks the last two years.

Angelo L. asks, with the Cable hire and his zone schemes not complementing our o-line, is it possible that he can coach power run scheme too?

Yes. We touched on that in yesterday’s story, but Gruden and Cable will coach to the talents of the line and not vice versa.

George DeLeon asks, which four starters do you not see on the roster next year?

Crabtree, Lee Smith, Justin Ellis and TJ Carrie. I think the last three get decent offers elsewhere and there is just not enough on tape to get the new staff excited enough to have McKenzie match.

Ryan Reeves asks, I haven’t heard much about Patterson and Gruden. Seems like a player he would love. Thoughts?

Maybe. Patterson is a definite playmaker at times, but his lack of a route tree hurts if he is more than a gimmick guy.

@coachmezee on Twitter asks, Will Gruden keep the Aldon Smith hope alive for Raiders fans or you think he squashes dreams?

This is still one of the guys I am asked about the most. My answer is the same and simple: It’s on Aldon to take care of what he needs to, for his own good and then his football career.

Manny Vice asks, I thought Gruden was calling the plays. Why hire an offensive coordinator then?

Because Greg Olson is a great communicator with players, and can play Good Cop to Gruden’s Bad Cop when it comes to Carr. He knows Carr well from their time together in 2014. Plus, Olson knows some of the Rams’ cool plays from last season.

Vinny T. asks, Has your opinion changed on Reggie McKenzie staying general manager past next year?

Not yet. It could work out, and McKenzie and Gruden are saying all the right things. But the Raiders will add someone to the front office in the next month or so, and we’ll see how the chemistry and personnel structure works out. Not to mention all of Reggie’s picks from the last two years.

@NYRaider88 on Twitter asks, do you think Gruden keeps Janikowski around at least for one more season?

Another popular question. Seabass is already gone. He emptied his locker early last season and his contract is up. I guess they could bring him back, but rolling with a solid, cheap kicker in Giorgio Tavecchio seems like the much safer bet.

@Cvbowlr on Twitter asks, do you think we will target a free agent defensive end or roll the dice with Mario Edwards and Denico Autry?

I think they will have to because Autry will get a nice offer on the market. He is a versatile hard worker who other teams will think the Raiders didn’t get enough out of.

Jason Crigger asks, when was the exact moment the season went off the rails?

When they replaced offensive Bill Musgrave with Todd Downing. If it ain't broke …

And then the train exploded in Washington, D.C., when the Raiders got punched in the mouth and neither the staff nor the leaders on the field had any answers.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders bring back Tom Cable, which, among other things, is a good sign for Marshawn Lynch

By Vic Tafur Jan 14, 2018

The Raiders are getting the whole family back together again. Their family of ex-coaches.

New (and former) coach Jon Gruden is bringing back former coach Tom Cable to run the offensive line. The deal was finalized late Friday night, league sources said.

There are a lot of questions coming from the surprising move, including what about Cable’s history of violence off the field? And what does this mean for Marshawn Lynch’s possible return for a second season?

We’ll get into those questions in a second. (The Raiders aren't talking until they hire their entire staff.)

On Wednesday, Cable was fired as the Seahawks' offensive line coach, a job he held since 2011, and that changed Gruden’s plans. Gruden had already interviewed former Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin for the offensive line position and had Dolphins OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo coming in for a talk on Monday.

But when Cable was made available, Gruden was “all-in” on him at that point, sources said.

Cable, 53, took over as the Raiders interim coach after Lane Kiffin was fired four games into the 2008 season and went 4-8, including a win over Gruden’s Bucs in the season finale. (That would be Gruden's last game before getting fired.)

Cable then received the full-time job and went 13-19 the next two years, with an 8-8 record in 2010 that led him to telling his players “we’re not losers anymore.” Owner Al Davis didn’t care for Cable anyway, hated that line and replaced him with his offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson.

And now Cable is back.

OK, the big questions:

1. Is Mark Davis thumbing his nose at his late father?
Mark Davis has worked hard to mend the fences that Al Davis had torn down. He brought back Gruden and Marcus Allen to light the Al Davis torch in recent years, then hired Gruden last week after pursuing him for six years.

Mark Davis also obviously doesn’t share his father’s philosophy that players are more important than coaches, because he just gave Gruden $100 million.

As far as Cable, Mark Davis never shared his dad’s feelings on him. He has always gotten along well with Cable and respects both his coaching skills and leadership ability.

2. What does this mean for Marshawn Lynch’s return?
It is a very good sign. Lynch and Cable had a strong relationship in Seattle.

Lynch ran for 891 yards after a slow start last season with the Raiders, while some members of last year’s staff thought he had a bad effect on the locker room with his laid-back approach and antics (leaving the sideline to defend opposing players, practicing with high school kids, and more).

Gruden said last week he looks forward to meeting with Lynch, and would probably have to take a stricter approach than Jack Del Rio did last season. Cable could help with that.

Gruden always did love veteran running backs, especially ones that move the pile.

3. What happened to Mark Davis’ “zero tolerance” policy on domestic violence?
It has wiggle room.

In 2009, Cable allegedly broke the jaw of Raiders assistant Randy Hanson, but no criminal charges were filed. Cable was also accused of being physically and verbally abusive toward his ex-wife and a former girlfriend.

Cable released a statement then saying that he “only once touched a woman inappropriately” during his first marriage. His second wife later issued a statement saying Cable never had been violent, despite her earlier allegations.

Cable was never disciplined by the league and, again, Mark Davis likes him.

The Raiders' “zero tolerance policy” would have been exposed last year at the NFL Draft, because the Raiders would have picked running back Joe Mixon if he fell to them in the second round. Mixon was shown punching a woman on camera, but general manager Reggie McKenzie knew the Oakley native’s family and friends well, and … Mixon is extremely talented.

4. Is Cable’s zone-blocking scheme a good fit for the Raiders’ massive front line?
The Raiders ran less of offensive line coach Mike Tice’s power and gap schemes this year to help Lynch get comfortable. Tice added more outside-zone runs, as the Raiders already used some inside-zone. The results were mixed.

Lynch enjoyed his best years in Seattle running behind Cable’s zone-blocking scheme (essentially smaller, more athletic linemen creating lanes as opposed to maulers moving straight ahead).

The Raiders have the biggest (and most expensive) offensive line in the NFL, so Cable will likely mix zone and power principles. As Gruden said at his press conference on Tuesday, he will base his scheme on what best suits the talent on his roster, and the offensive line will be no different.

After years of piecing together offensive lines out of scraps, Cable is thrilled to be working with three Pro Bowlers (guard Kelechi Osemele, center Rodney Hudson and tackle Donald Penn) and a future one in guard Gabe Jackson.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have also hired former Alabama assistant Derrick Ansley (defensive backs), former Colts assistant Jemal Singleton (running backs) and former Packers assistant Edgar Bennett (receivers coach).

 

[Deleted member 185039]

Another DB?

 

[raider5]

One of them DB's will be our guy eventually

 

[sohi 23]

The more I think about it the more I doubt Reggie takes a LB in the top 10.

It makes more financial sense to take a position that commands big money in free agency with a top 10 pick.

Positions like LT/QB/CB/WR/EDGE are typically the highest paid positions in free agency. Linebackers don't really get paid.

With that said, Roquan is a beast and it wouldn't surprise me to see him as a Raider. Just saying, given the way Reggie operates, I don't see it likely.

 

[ThePeoplesChamp_]

 

[Deleted member 185039]

sohi 23 There's your guy...

 

[albooboo]

albooboo If we do get a point in front of SF after the coin toss do we take the LB or the DT?
Seems like we can't lose drafting defense. Do we draft another RB this offseason?

Sorry for the delayed response.
If we pick 9th I would go LB. Gruden just stated that MEJ will be playing DT. I would prefer we trade out. Maybe a QB falls and we trade with the Bills for both of their 1rd picks 21st and 22nd. If we trade with the bills I would target Edmunds LB VT and maybe RB Guice, CB Ward or Davenport DE.


Long term wise I think we should trade out. We should try and accumulate as many picks as we can within the first 4 rds. This is out best chance to stack this team with young talent. With Gruden as HC this team should never be picking this high again.

 

[albooboo]