Raidertopia

That’s what everyone must be saying after details of the Rich Gannon ban became public.

I’ve got to agree with Jerry Mac, David White, the AP’s Dubow, and even Tim Kawakami on this one.

Gannon was a truth machine.  His comments were based on facts and his experiences with the team.  Sure, the truth hurts, especially when you’ve been so bad for half a decade.  It’s the man’s job as a broadcaster to comment on these things and what he said had mostly already been said on Raider blogs and by loyal Raider fans everywhere.  Yes, I said loyal.  You can be critical and yet still be loyal.

This Herrera guy should shut up.  Is Davis actually sanctioning what this guy’s saying?  The word “clown” comes to mind whenever this guy talks. First there was the bizarre Kawakami press conference incident last year, now this.  The Raiders really need some competent PR people.  Here’s a sample of what he said:

“Rich Gannon is not welcome here.”

“He was one of the least popular players with his teammates that we ever had here and he still can’t seem to get over the fact that he played the worst game in Super Bowl history.  He threw five interceptions and three of them were returned for touchdowns. He has blamed everyone else for that.”

“I guess it’s our fault he threw five interceptions.”

“He’s attacked us on a regular basis since becoming a member of the media,” Herrera said. “After affording him the opportunity to establish a career here, he has since gone on to attack us in a way that’s totally unacceptable.”

No, Herrera.  What is totally unacceptable is the way Oakland handled this situation. Banning one of their all-time greats because he hurt their pride is unacceptable.

What does Gannon’s Super Bowl meltdown have to do with him being brutally honest? His brutal honesty was probably the reason he was unpopular with his teammates.  The team was full of slackers and underachievers and Al Davis scholarship players.  He came to the Raiders at a time when they desperately needed his leadership.  And I’ve never heard him deflect the blame for that Super Bowl performance.

Herrera also used Gannon’s “they should just blow up the building and start all over again” quote as a reason to ban him, citing that it’s improper to use such words in a post 9/11 society.  I think the fact that Herrera related that quote to 9/11 is more inappropriate than Gannon’s words.

In the end, the Raiders relented and lifted the ban.  Well, they had to anyway because of NFL rules.

I think I speak for many Raiders fans when I say that I was proud of the Rich Gannon years and what he did to lift the team to greatness.  He was simply doing his job when he was critical of the team.  He always qualified his comments by saying it hurt him to watch the team in its current tailspin.  I wish Rich was still at QB or at the very least in a coaching capacity with the team.  His knowledge and dedication to the game is sorely needed.  I guess that will never happen.

Now….banning Warren Sapp?  I’m all for that.

Winning Ugly?  This was absolutely hideous.

The Raiders had no business winning this game.

A 13-10 victory at Kansas City.

But hey, it’s so much better on the winning side of a game like this.  I recall a game against Carolina last year where Delhomme had almost as bad a game as Russell did today and the Panthers won by 11.

Maybe this is a sign that things are changing.

All my fears about Russell are unfortunately looking to have validity – he’s terribly inaccurate, has little pocket presence, and stares down his intended receivers.  I think the inaccuracy is the biggest concern.  Do QBs really ever improve in that area?  Or is it innate?  You have it or you don’t?  Name one QB who improved in that area.  I hope I’m wrong, but these are real concerns.  We heard about it all through training camp and he’s looked bad these first two games.  What is he, something like 17 for 50?

Today, he missed wide open receivers on numerous occasions.  One was a potential Louis Murphy TD.  TE Miller never caught a pass and he was open several times.  How do you not complete a pass to Miller in an entire 60 minutes?  Russell was also very, very fortunate that an easy interception-for-a-TD was dropped by KC.  That could have been ball game.  Also disturbing was the fact that he wasn’t getting all that much pressure from the KC pass rush.

Heck, he was having great difficulty even completing screen passes and dump offs.

As for the rest of the offense, the running game disappeared today when they needed it most.  Though he scored the game winner, McFadden gets tripped up way too easy, whether it’s his own lineman or a defender’s hand.  What’s up with that?

166 yards to over 400.  11 first downs to 25.  21 minutes of possession to 38.  How do you win a game like that?

Thank you Michael Huff for finally playing up to your first round potential.  His two interceptions were huge.

The Raider special teams were half very good (Lechler, Jano and the kick coverage), but half scary bad.  By that I mean the return teams were just there to catch the kicks and not make mistakes.  One punt late in the game was muffed and almost lost.

More huge though, were the Chiefs ineptness.  They did things the old Raiders used to do.  They let the clock run out at the end of the half in the red zone.  They committed some bad penalties.  They dropped interceptions.  Their special teams watched punts roll into the end zone.

Lastly, why was dehydration such a factor with Raider players in 75 degree weather?

Nevertheless, a win is a win.  Just expect every team on the schedule to play at least eight in the box and dare him to throw and beat them with his arm.  It should be interesting.  I hope I’m wrong about him, but right now his name is being discussed with Ryan Leaf’s.  Not good.

First, I’ve got to say, those throwback uniforms were stellar.  Can the Raiders wear those every week?Makes those USFL-style Bronco and Patsy unis look like a joke.

Like any good Raider fan, I can’t let it go.  I’m talking about the most recent horrendous call that may have cost the Raiders a big win.  What is fuelling me know is the NFL’s attempt to justify it with the supposed rule that they applied.

First, let me say that if the defense, and especially the defensive coordinator, had done their jobs there wouldn’t be as big a controversy.  They allowed San Diego to drive 89 yards in the last 2 minutes to win.  They used the vaunted prevent defense with linebackers playing back 15 yards to allow scatback Sproles to get the ball in huge, open spaces.  What were they thinking?

Back to the rule.  Nancy Gay shows here anti-Raider bias once again with the sarcastic blog title, Sorry, Raiders Fans: Rule Book Backs Reversal of Louis Murphy TD.

No, sorry Nancy. That rule was mis-applied.

First, the rule

“A player is in possession when he is in firm grip and control of the ball inbounds. To gain possession of a loose ball that has been caught, intercepted or recovered, a player must have complete control of the ball and have both feet completely on the ground inbounds or any other part of his body, other than his hands, on the ground inbounds.

“If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any other part of his body to the ground or if there is any doubt that the acts were simultaneous, there is no possession. This rule applies to the field of play and in the end zone.”

Thanks for that reprint, Nancy. It seems that the “a player must have complete control of the ball and have both feet completely on the ground inbounds” part was plain to see.

So why doesn’t it stop there?

Because Nancy and the NFL are just reaching t find something….anything….to justify the bad call.

They decide they can use Note 1 of this rule:

“A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.

The problem with this part of the rule is that it does NOT apply here. Murphy had total control going to the ground (both feet, a hip) and even controlled the ball until the tail end of his time ON the ground, when he started to get up to celebrate.  The snapshot above shows Murphy with the ball secured AFTER two feet, a hip, and even an elbow touched the ground.  In the video freeze frame, you can see his left hand starting to push himself back up to get to his feet and celebrate, where I admit, he then lets the ball slip out of his hands…well after the play is completed, using plain common sense.

And what constitutes the end of a play, anyway?

Total stillness?

Louis Murphy said it best and the way most reasonable humans saw it:

“They told me I had two feet and my rear end was down,” Murphy said. “Honestly, when I fell, I was pushing myself to celebrate. I didn’t think I ever lost control of the ball.”

And whatever happened to undisputable video evidence needed to overturn a call? They were in that booth so long, Raider fans just knew it was going to be bad news. If it was so undisputable for those inept zebras, why were they searching so long? I say searching because they were probably searching the rule book for something to validate their scheme.

Want to hear the most hilarious quote?

Referee Carl Cheffers said in an interview after the game that the ruling was “pretty clear-cut.”

No surprise that the idiots (Florio, Mortenson) over at PFT and ESPN are backing the NFL’s ludicrous reading of the “rule”.

The NFL and their rules are a joke. They’re going to ruin a great game.

Halftime thoughts….

Wonder how the NFL is going to spin the horrendous call (a reversal on instant replay, no less!) that took a TD away from rookie Louis Murphy.  Inexcusable.  Really makes you wonder about those idiots.

Don’t worry, Louis, you’ll have plenty more in the future.

This game just better not come down to 4 points.

Have to say I like how this team looks.  Need to work on getting the ball to the WRs, but run game looks very good….and Richard Seymour is a difference maker.  Period.

This game should not be tied. Not even close.

It’s called Raider Nation and I hear that they’re going to unveil it on MNF. Hopefully it pumps up the team and distracts them from the fact that the game isn’t a sellout. That’s right. The season opener! Not in five years has any team not sold out their home opener.

It’s cool how he wrapped the late, great John Facenda’s awesome voice (“The Voice”) from the Autumn Wind into the tune. Good to see that he’s a true, loyal fan and hasn’t jumped ship.

So, this is where the Raiders stand.

How things have changed.

Players don’t want to come and play here any more.

They ignore the great and glorious history and superbad uniforms and instead believe the hate-hype from mediots on ESPN and the like.

Granted, Al Davis has mostly himself to blame for this.  For making crap personnel and coaching decisions and putting an inferior product on the field.  But I don’t think any other sports organization gets as much negative pub and is the subject of outright attack journalism than the Oakland Raiders.  Jealous revenge for all those years when they were among the best, maybe?

Forbes put another nail in the Raider coffin when they recently rated the Raiders the most worthless NFL franchise.  They are actually losing money.  Hard to do with the popularity of the NFL and income sharing.

If Seymour really never arrives, it will just perpetuate the current image of the Raiders as dysfunctional losers.  I don’t know what will turn that around.  Oh yeah – winning.  But that will be more difficult when you can’t make moves to improve your team because that player will just refuse to play for you. Meanwhile, the mocking and jokes are coming from media outlets everywhere.

On the lighter side, Just Blog, Baby has a funny article from Al Davis’ diaries about the Seymour situation.  And an astute post on the trade being vintage Al:

Going from the Pats to the Raiders is tough pill to swallow. If given the choice, playing for a winning cheater is much more appealing than playing for a legendary owner turned captain of a sinking ship.

What Seymour doesn’t realize is that if he becomes a part of the Raider resurrection then he’ll be held in reverence with some of the all-time greats that have played for a franchise that is a pillar of the NFL and has a fan base as faithful and dedicated as any in sports.

Here’s hoping that he will realize this and report, but he looks lost for the critical opener v San Diego and I don’t have a very good feeling about this whole situation. The Raiders resigned DT William Joseph who they had cut to make room for Seymour – bad sign.

Worst case scenario (which could very well happen since this is the bad luck Raiders we’re talking about): Seymour announces his retirement which means he basically remains property of the Raiders and they’re still out the #1 pick in 2011. Another free gift for the Patsies. And if he ever does decide to come back and play, he’ll just be older and that much less effective. Or the Raiders can trade him to another team, but who’s going to give a desperate team another #1?

Sad thing is, if this guy can still perform at a high level, he can plug a huge hole in the Raider font four. Trevor Scott is, at best, a situational player and a real weakness at RDE. Seymour can actually make them a fairly formidable line – three top 10 draft picks (Warren was a 3, Seymour was a 6, Ellis was an and Tommy Kelly, who’s being paid like a #1.

(Hat tip to Calico Jack for the inspiration on the play on words for the blog post title)

When I first heard of the big Richard Seymour trade, I thought it was a bad deal.  It was panned by some scouts.  Personally, I thought he was a bit overrated and perhaps over the hill.  I was surprised to learn that he was still under 30, though barely, and I didn’t recall he had that many Pro Bowls to his credit.  I also hate getting Patsy cast offs.  Biggest thing  was the fact that the Raiders are giving away a 1st rounder in 2011…..too much in my opinion.

My thinking started changing some when I read about his character in the locker room as a leader and his strength at holding the point of attack against the run, both things that the Raiders desperately need.  Raider players also sounded excited about getting him, which will boost morale and team spirit.  Didn’t realize he was so big either, at 6’6″ and 310 pounds.  When I thought about that lost draft pick….what the heck….the Raiders evidently don’t know how to draft in the first round anyway, so why not use it to pick up a known comodity?  Plus, the hope is that the pick in 2011 won’t be all that high as the Raiders will have improved.

Still, a first rounder is too high.

Upside is that it gets Trevor Scott off the field at least until obvious passing downs.  He’s just looking too much like a non-factor we had playing DE named Tyler.

We’ll see if the haters in the media are right about Seymour not wanting to report.  If those stories are true, it gives them more fuel for their fires.  They’re all playing that “from the best team to the black hole” angle and it pisses me off.  As it stands now, this situation gives them all another rich opportunity to join that idiot Rodney Harrison to ridicule this once great organization.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the trade, but if he doesn’t want to come and play, I’d rather see them void the trade and send him back.  And if this drags out past Thursday and he misses the first, very important, game?  I’d rather Seymour stay in New England.

An article in the Boston Post started with this gem….. thankfully for Walter, he’s starting to see some light after four-plus years buried in Oakland’s “Black Hole.”

And included these quotes from their new 2nd string QB, Andrew Walter.

“This is a complicated offense, with terminology different than anything I’ve been exposed to,” he said of the fourth NFL offensive system he’s learned.

“As far as the organization goes, you can tell it’s run very efficiently. Coming from where I came from, I sense the differences and see them.”

“Coming to New England, I don’t look at it as trying to rectify the past, or attach my name to something different. You work so hard and spend so much time to prepare every week, if you’re a part of a team that wins, it makes it that much better. That’s my motivation – to be part of something great, as opposed to working so hard the last four years and not having much to show for it in regards to wins and losses, specifically wins.”

I suppose I’d be more pissed if there wasn’t a lot of truth to it.

As if that dagger wasn’t painful enough, I hear Derrick Burgess is looking awfully good for them at DE.

Postscript:  Surprise!  Walter was released and the Patsies only kept two QBs, the other being a rookie, free agent from Michigan State, Brian Hoyer.  Maybe he just isn’t that good.

After the second preseason game, it appeared that run D is the Raiders’ biggest problem.  The 49ers absolutely manhandled them throughout the game.  Even the first team defense was horrid as their rookie 3rd rounder had about 130 yards in a quarter and a half.

I don’t know if the soluution is as simple as Zennie Abraham says, but I hope so.  It must be fixed before the season starts and the Raiders face San Diego and Kansas City or those games are already lost.

And as I watch the first half of what they say is the most important, third preseason game, the problem seems to be all over the defense as New Orleans passed at will throughout and had three long TD drives (so far).

Granted, New Orleans has a great offense that mixes it up really well, but the Raiders showed no improvement in run defense, had very little pressure on the QB, covered downfield poorly, and did not tackle well.  Plus, the Saints were missing their top 2 running backs, including Reggie Bush.

Some specific things I didn’t like, on both sides of the ball:

• I thought the Raiders finally unloaded Tyler Brayton?  Trevor Scott looks like his twin and looks weak.  He gets swallowed up by the LT when he rushes and misses tackles way too often.  He had a chance to tackle a back at the 5 on one of the Saints drives andjust rolled off him, allowing him to score.  Why did they give away Derrick Burgess again? The homer Raider announcing team were talking him up during the game, totally oblivious to what was going on down on the field.
• Why doesn’t a veteran offensive tackle know that he’s lining up too far off the line of scrimmage.  Talking about RT Cornell Green, who did the exact same thing last week.
• Louis Murphy needs to work on securing the ball after the catch. Seriously!
• Stanford Routt looked shakey and there were too many guys running around wide open back there.  Where’s this Mitchell guy that’s supposed to intimidate people from crossing the middle?
• The linebackers looked pedestrian.  Ricky Brown?  John Alston?  Are these guys anything more than special teamers or 3rd stringers anywhere else?  You’re telling me there wasn’t a LB free agent available that could help? Brown managed to get called for defensive holding on a play where he blitzed and was stonewalled (surprise) by the running back.
• Tackling was atrocious.

On the bright side, undrafted free agent DT Desmond Bryant from Harvard looks great!  He’s big,  pushes the pocket back, and shows some tenacity. Terdell Sands better get an injury soon or he’s as good as gone.

The defensive meltdown is not only bad for them, but bad because the offense didn’t get much work in between those drives and they need it.  Jamarcus needs it.  The rookie wide receivers need it.  Frankly, the whole offense needs it.

At least the defense is getting work.

So much for seeing more of Michael Bush.  He got the start and I think he had one carry in the first half.

31-0 at the half.

1 rushing yard.

Outgained 344-60.

Outfirst-downed 19-3.

Hopefully not a sign of things to come, like another opening week embarassment on national TV.

More drama in Raiderland.

Pretty much all bad.

First, the guy having the best camp gets a broken foot.  Chaz Schilens was looking great at perhaps the most critical skill position – WR.  Or at least, the skill position that needed to be improved the most.  Even more important when you consider the fact that the #7 overall draft choice, Heyward-Bey, looks to have hands of stone.

Then, there’s the beat down the Raiders evidently received from the 49ers in a recent scrimmage.  That was truly depressing to read about.

Lastly, the news that Tom Cable punched out an assistant coach and might be charged with something or suspended by the league.

Cable….Bumaye! might be funny, but definitely not what the Raiders needed to start a season – more distraction and controversy.  And more fodder for the Raider-hating media.