Oakland Raiders Blogs

 

If you only managed to catch the first quarter or so of Saturday night's preseason game, you saw some pretty fugly football from Lovie Smith's Bears.  The offense was mediocre, the defense was bad and the special teams were awful. It's still a preseason game and therefore meaningless, but here's what I took from the Bears' 32-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Continue reading "Bears hit early snags against Raiders"

 

Forgive the extremely abbreviated posting, but I'm in the midst of a crazy nerd-filled weekend at Chicago Comic-Con and simply don't have the requisite time to fully flesh out a preseason game with the Raiders. Never fear though, I will be live-tweeting the game and posting a recap for all of you. Now let's get to a few of the things I'm looking for during Saturday night's contest.

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Raiders at Bears"

If your jaw dropped five feet from the amount of Jahri Evans’ new contract, understand a smile of equal distance stretched across the face of Logan Mankins’ agent Frank Bauer.

 

Continue reading "Market Value Set for Mankins"

 

It's finally here. The 2010 NFL Draft is upon us and I couldn't be more excited to hunker down for two nights and another day of coverage. With the new format, tonight will only cover the first round, bringing the drama of the top picks to primetime television. 

Continue reading "2010 NFL Draft: What to Watch for on Day One"

Friends and Countrymen,

 

I know that you have missed me so much over the last month or so and I want to apologize for my extended absence.  I have several ready made excuses for why I haven’t been actively blogging and I am sure that you will accept all of them at face value.  For one thing, there hasn’t been anything going on in the world of sports.  I mean other than the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, the start of the MLB season, the return of Tiger Woods, the transgressions and subsequent suspension of Ben Roethlisberger (I did it! I spelled the damn thing), etc. 

Continue reading "The NFL Rock Draft!"

New England Patriots players and coaches expressed their support for embattled wide receiver Randy Moss this week after he played like a pathetic moose-knuckle in their 20-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers last Sunday in Foxboro.

Continue reading "Randy Moss Is a Moose-Knuckle Who ..."

The 2009 Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding NCAA college football player by the Downtown Athletic Club at an annual ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on December 12. 

Continue reading "Heisman Winners Who Couldn't Hack The NFL"

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden announced this week that he intends to return to ESPN Monday Night Football as a color analyst next season and he will not seek any other job opportunities that would have him reappear on the sidelines in 2010.

Continue reading "Jon Gruden Should Stay Off The Sidelines"

The Yankees, Not the Red Sox, Were the Team of this Decade

The New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 Wednesday night in the Bronx to win their record 27th World Series championship in team history.

Continue reading "Mike Tyson, Ricky Hatton, UFC, Tom ..."

Pro Bowl balloting is open to the public. Choose wisely.

 

This year New England fans will have a tough time rationalizing Patriot players worthy of being selected. The offense’s big three of QB Tom Brady and WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker will get their share of votes. Beyond them…good luck.

Continue reading "Pro Bowl Ben?"

This Sunday the Cowboys will return to Philadelphia in an attempt to try and avenge last season’s beating (hence the word crime) against the Philadelphia Eagles.  There is a lot of hype leading up to this game and it is well deserved.  The winner of this game will gain sole possession of the NFC East.  Both teams are playing extremely well at this juncture of the season.  And, via the embarrassing loss to Philly at the end of last year, the Eagles are currently the Cowboys biggest rival.  In fact, since 2003 there is only one team in the NFC that has more wins than the Cowboys and it is most conveniently those hated Eagles. 

Continue reading "Mid-Season NFC Championship Game?"

Embattled Oakland Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable was accused Sunday on the ESPN show Outside the Lines of physical abuse by both of his divorced wives and an ex-girlfriend.

 

Cable, 44, a former offensive lineman for the Idaho Vandals and a scab replacement on the 1987 Indianapolis Colts strike team, released a statement in which he admitted that he hit a woman “on only one occasion in my life.”

Continue reading "Tom Cable is a Scumbag and the Perfect ..."

The New York Jets destroyed the putrid Oakland Raiders 38-0 Sunday afternoon at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Unfortunately for New York (4-3), their dominating triumph came at a great expense.

Continue reading "With Shonn Greene and Danny Woodhead, ..."

In a crazy week six in the NFL, we saw both New York teams fall, one squad completely give up, and three teams continue their undefeated ways. The Final Drive of week six starts right now! 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

Any Cowboys fan who watched Sunday’s game had to be ready to throw themselves out of a 3rd story window when they saw that the Cowboys were getting beaten by the Chiefs nearly the entire game.  I, myself, wasn’t able to watch the game but I constantly monitored the score which may be even more maddening.  

Continue reading "250 Miles between Austin & Kansas City"

A lot of thoughts went through my head as Lawrence Tynes lined up for the game-winning 37 yard field-goal last night.  I though about how the Cowboys had turned the ball over four times to the Giants zero, yet they still led with 4 seconds on the clock.  I thought about the sheer buffoonery, gluttony, and excess that is Cowboys Stadium.  I thought about that 1.5 million pound screen being suspended over the football field and how it should be the scariest thing ever considering the tragedy that occurred earlier in the summer at a  Cowboys facility.  But none of these was the dominant thought in my mind as certain defeat loomed over America’s team. With 4 seconds left and the Giants on the verge of ruining the opening of the greatest venue in sports history I realized why I felt uneasy the entire game.  I realized then, why I had a sneaky suspicion that fate was not on the Cowboys’ side.  The ‘Boys were doomed from the coin toss.  George W. Bush was given the esteemed honor of tossing the first coin in Cowboy’s Stadium regular season history.  Jerry Jones let George W. Bush christen what was supposed to be one of the greatest triumphs in Dallas history.  I’m not a superstitious man, but every thing George Bush touches turns into a grammatically incorrect mess.  But it is neither analytical or politically correct (no pun intended) to blame George Bush for a Cowboys loss.  That would be like blaming Bill Parcells North Korea’s development of

Continue reading "Doomed from the coin toss?"

 

Pre-season predictions are probably one of my favorite things about the NFL off-season.  I love this time so much because it absolutely validates my opinions of specific football analyst as well as football analysis as a whole.  I mean seriously, has anyone listened to Mark Schlereth talk football.  I’ll credit him on being a handsome and well spoken former football player, but he is no analyst.  Same goes for “Dat Dude” Marcellus Wiley.  I know he went to an Ivy League school, but I’m starting to seriously question this guy’s football intelligence.  But I am digressing.  Pre-season predictions are great because nearly everyone is wrong at the end of the season (not just Mark and Marc…that would be a great show huh?).  There might be one or two people that actually predict the outcome of the Super Bowl, but to try and anticipate what will happen at the top end of the National Football League is nearly impossible.  Notice I say “top end” because there are some teams that are guaranteed to be at the bottom of the food chain: Lions, Raiders, Rams, Bills, Chiefs, Broncos, Buccaneers, etc.  But, predicting who will make the playoffs and who will ultimately win the Super Bowl is about as close to a crapshoot as you can get in professional sports.  This is why I like that the Dallas Cowboys are ranked no higher than 15th on any major power rankings. 

Continue reading "The Toughest Season"

If you thought Mike Vrabel was upset when he was shipped to the rebuilding project known as the Kansas City Chiefs, you can only imagine how Richard Seymour felt this morning when he was told he had been traded to Oakland.

Continue reading "Richard Seymour: Shipped to the Black Hole"

OK...Now I'm impressed! The Niners did what I thought they SHOULD have...WON! 

It wasn't just a good game, it was a GREAT day at the "Stick". The parking lot situation was a little annoying but, most of us got through it. It seemed like the Raider fans tried to buy up all the Pre-Paid parking passes for this one. I can't remember the time it took me almost an hour before I could get my car in. BUt once I was in, it was business as usual at Club 49.

Continue reading "Oakland Game"

A team strength just got a tiny bit weaker. The Patriots traded DL Le Kevin Smith to Denver for a 5th round pick. That selection was then sent to Oakland to complete the Derrick Burgess trade. The agreement was New England gave the Raiders 3rd and 4th round selections unless the Pats could get Oakland a 5th round pick. If the Pats came through with the fifth rounder, then that would replace the fourth round pick.

Continue reading "A Few Small Transactions"

OK, now I’m sold.

 

Since the end of the regular season I’ve been waiting for the Patriots to get a rush linebacker I could believe in. Whether it was a rookie day one draft pick, a free agent, or by trade, I wanted someone that could get to the quarterback better than Mike Vrabel did in 2008. His trade to Kansas City made the need urgent.

Continue reading "A Burgess Believer"

Well Mike Reiss predicted there would be a move at OLB and fast after the Pats let go of Vince Redd. Shawn Crabel is still MIA and Tully Banta-Cain's missing time with an undisclosed injury. So the Pats finally got Derrick Burgess from the Raiders for a 3rd rounder in 2010 and a 5th rounder in 2011. Pretty solid deal for both teams. If Burgess can stay healthy he should be able to improve the pass rush immediately. Pierre Woods should still be an early down run stopper with Burgess bringing the heat in the sub-packages. Surely Bill Belichick will use Burgess smartly, keeping him healthy and productive. Below a video from his dominant 2005 season.

Continue reading "Derrick Burgess Becomes a Patriot"

I’m not much of a poker player, but since the beginning of training camp, head coach Bill Belichick has been exchanging cards, looking for a full house.

 

They looked at QB Cleo Lemon. DE Kevin Carter seems to be getting serious consideration. QB Matt Gutierrez was cut and QB Andrew Walter signed to replace Gutz.

Continue reading "Ninkovich in the Cards"

The Patriots could have a full-blown rivalry with the Oakland Raiders, but it would be restricted to the front office.

 

Former Missouri DE Stryker Sulak was at Gillette Stadium yesterday, as he was worked out by the Pats. The 6-4 251-pound rookie will then travel to Carolina and do the same. If Sulak shows the athleticism to make the switch from college defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker, New England would be very interested in signing him.

Continue reading "Another Oakland Okie-doke?"

 

  There's a saying about every sport that goes "Love the game first, the league second, your team third, and the players last". This saying poignantly displays that all fans are interconnected by their love for the game, no matter which team they support. I'm going to identify 3 teams that every NFL fan should be rooting for this season (of course unless they face your favorite team) and 3 you should be rooting against (unless they are your hometown team).

Continue reading "3 NFL teams to love (and 3 to hate!) this season"

Last week I wrote a column after DE Jason Taylor signed with the Miami Dolphins. My take was after losing out on Taylor, the Patriots lost their chance of finding a competent veteran replacement for LB Mike Vrabel.

Continue reading "Derrick Burgess Not a Big Deal"

The NFL Draft was going according to plan until the Browns went on the clock after Aaron Curry was selected the pick before. They ended up trading their pick to the New York Jets in a mammoth deal in

Continue reading "What a first day of the NFL Draft ..."

It is April 3rd 2009 and I have officially kicked off my NFL blog.  I can finally rant and rave to the best (and worst) of my abilities to whoever wants to listen.  Nothing profound will app

Continue reading "Welcome NFL fans, this is the moment ..."

     According to ESPN the Dallas Cowboys have released Terrell Owens. Thank God!!!

   

    There are a few things to look at over the next few weeks. One, where will Owens end up? Two, how will this affect the draft and Roy Williams? Three, who will become the replacement in the Cowboy's receiving courps?

Continue reading "T. O. is Released From the Dallas Cowboys"

There was something about September 7th, 2008 that felt wrong from the start.

The New England Patriots, coming off the almost-perfect season of 2007, took to their home turf for the season opener at Gillette Stadium, however they weren’t wearing their usual home blue jerseys.

Continue reading "GU! The New "Doh!" for New England Patriots Fans"

By halftime of Saturday's Ravens-Titans game, the sense of Deja Vu was too strong to ignore. Was it 2009 or 2001?  Either way, the result was the same: a divisional round upset of a 13-3 Titans squad that completely dominated us on paper yet couldn't translate its offensive output into points. On Saturday, Tennessee passed for over 100 more yards, ran for over 60 more yards, racked up twice as many 1st downs, held the ball for nearly 10 more minutes ... and lost by 3 points. And that's not even the crazy game: In 2001, Tennessee held nearly identical advantages in passing and rushing yards, gained nearly four times as many 1st downs, held the ball for over 20 more minutes ... and lost by 14 points.

Continue reading "Baltimore Ravens-Tennessee Titans ..."

While calling Bill Belichick a genius seems like a true statement, there was one time, recently, that makes me want to disagree with any statement of such. On December 14, when the Oakland Raiders pla

Continue reading "Bill Belichick, New England Patriot ..."

Continue reading "Merry Christmas mine came a little early...lol"

Well it's a clear as day now. In order to get in, the Patriots must win out and get some much needed help.

Assistance wasn't provided last night as Dallas gave away their final game at Texas Stadium to visiting Baltimore. And how the Ravens won was unbelievable. Two consecutive runs gained 159 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys looked more like security detail clearing the way through the paparazzi than defenders going in for the tackle.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 16"

Week 16 is off and rolling as the NFL season continues to wind down. Due to a busy schedule and some internet difficulties I was not able to bring you a Week 15 prediction post. But have no fear I'm back this week with a Week 16 post (yip yip hooray!) I went a miserable 1-3 in Week 14. With the season winding down, theirs several big games with playoff implications on the line. So without further a due....let's take a look at the games and predictions of the week.

Continue reading "NFL Week 16 Predictions"

I don't like this match-up. This isn't paranoia carried over from last week's comeback win over a bad Seattle Seahawks team. Oakland is about as bad as the Seahawks. This Patriots-Raiders game has me very concerned because the Raiders can run the ball.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 15"

From bostonsportz.com: 

Here we are, only three games left in the demento 2008 season and the Pats are hanging on to their playoff hopes by a thread. Three things need to happen for New England to make the playoffs: Pats go 3-0, Jets lose one, Dolphins lose one. At least one of these is guaranteed since the Jets and Dolphins play in the regular season finale so it should be an exciting last few weeks of the season.

Continue reading "5 Keyz: Pats vs. Raiders"

This season is the chance Matt Cassel had been waiting eight years for. He was finally starting and after about a month of regaining his feel, Matt was playing great and showing everyone the player he's always been.

Continue reading "It Will Be An Emotional Game Sunday"

When Tom Brady went down in the first quarter of the first game this season, the first thought of Patriots fans was if the team could still contend without their biggest star. What they didn't realize was that Brady's injury was a harbinger of things to come all season long.

Continue reading "Patriots Enter the Home Stretch Battered ..."

So as I’m slowly pulling covers from my head and gingerly getting out of bed, on the Fri. morning after one of the most embarrassing games a Raiders’ fan could bear to watch, I count my bl

Continue reading "My feelings about the Raiders on ..."

Continue reading "Thursday night football"

I'm getting sick and tired of the needless "roughing the passer" penalties in NFL games this season...I realize that the QB is probably the biggest player investment for a team, but this foo

Continue reading "Too Many "Roughing the Passer" Penalties ..."

Continue reading "3-D Football coming soon"

Another 3-1 weekend. Not bad, the goal is to be 4-0. Going perfect is hard ask Tha Titans or better the Patriots. Lets take a look see and then The Monday Night Madness Pick.

The Denver Broncos decided they really do not want the division. They are going their best not to win it. They let The Oakland Raiders look like playoff contender. Now, they had several chances but penalties hurt them alot. There was a play to Brandon Marshall in 2nd quarter was called back for receiver doing a pic, Making third and long instead of first they had to punt. Then in 4th Quarter when game was still a little close they went for 4th and 10. Brandon Marshall has a catch for 15 yards. Offsetting penalties they have to do it again and this time Cutler over threw. I know the Broncos are banged up but man they need some Def help.

Continue reading "Monday morining wakeup"

My interview with Bill Romanowski is on Real GM. You can read the trimmed for print edition or go to the end of the article and read the full interview.

Or watch the interview as it happened. Your choice.

Continue reading "The Romanowski Interview"

When you ask any NFL fan to name players from his or her favorite team who could play for another team, the list usually has 15-20 names on it. But, when you ask a Raider fan to come up with their list, unless you include Punter Shane Lechler and place kicker Sebastian Janokowski, there’s a struggle to come up with 10 names, let alone 15.  What do the Raiders have?

Continue reading "What outstanding players do the Raiders ..."

Texas Tech is better than U. The Red Raiders pulled the upset of the year beating the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns Saturday night in a bar fight of a football game that any fan of college footbal

Continue reading "Red Raiders raiding BCS"

Holy crap, the Oakland Raiders suck! How do you take a once proud franchise and systematically drain it down the toilet? John Madden, put down the turkey leg and race your Winnebago straight to Oakland and do something about this please!

Continue reading "The Blackest of Holes"

Well for right now Alabama and Texas Tech fans are really happy as they stand one and two in the latest BCS Standings, but how much longer will that last. Texas Tech this week must travel to Norman Oklahoma to take on the Sooners which will not be an easy task. The last two games for the Red Raiders were at home and that sure helps out a lot. Meanwhile Alabama has a SEC championship game with Florida waiting for them. What could be interesting about all this is Boise State and Utah could be the country's only undefeated and not make it. I look for Alabama and Texas Tech to lose somewhere down the line. If we have a bunch of one loss teams than the BCS will have to give a bunch of bad news to a lot of teams. In fact it should be very interesting. I am praying for a lot of one loss teams so eventually we can get rid of the BCS and put in a playoff system.

Continue reading "Alabama, Texas Tech Sit One And Two ..."

He just keeps ticking, worn out old Greg Maddox won his 18th Gold Glove this past week. 

The playoff seedings in the MLL are set now.  Argonaut as the number one seed gets the 3rd place team in the WAC, Calaveras in the number 2 spot gets to drive down to Escalon and Summerville travels to Modesto for a game with Central Catholic.  Prospects don't look too good for an advance to the second round of any of the three teams, but as my good friend Ben always says, "You never know."

Continue reading "Saturday Ramblings"

Dear Bay Area,

Hang in there. Relationships suck. They do. Don’t argue with me, I don’t want to hear it. Even if you’re in one and you love it, eventually they suck; it’s a fact of life. They make you sick to your stomach, they give you migraines and they age you to the point that you start looking like Steven Adler on Celebrity Rehab. So why, why, WHY do we all love them? Why do we put ourselves on this roller coaster of emotions knowing that every single relationship fails and never fails to inflict excruciating pain upon us like the crazy guy from the Saw movies?

Continue reading "Open letter to the Bay Area about ..."

 There is a rumor floating around the nfl about Deangelo Hall getting released.  First of all the raiders are crazy if they release this guy.  Is he really that bad that you feel the need to release him?  This is one of the fastest players in the NFL.  Use him on returns or have him as a nickel corner.  I will tell you what Al Davis Please release him.  That way the Patriots can take another player from you that has had the life sucked out of him and turn him back into a pro bowler.  Deangelo Hall is very talented and for a while was considered one of the better corners in football. He is still young and has alot of football to play yet.  With the right atmosphere Deangelo Hall can get back into pro bowl form.  I think that he would love to be a patriot. 

Continue reading "Deangelo Hall would look good as a Patriot"

Thus ending Brad Johnson's NFL career. Both would be the correct move and this team's season is hanging in the balance. No sooner than Cowboy fans could rejoice over a great one-handed Roy Williams gr

Continue reading "The Brooks Bollinger Era Should Begin ..."

This week, news reports have been circulating that Daunte Culpepper, former quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, and (most recently) Oakland Raiders, has been working out for the Detroit Lions, and Detroit coach Rod Marinelli is considering Pep to replace the struggling Dan Orlovsky.  Gus Frerotte is the starting QB for the Vikings.

Continue reading "Blast(s) From The Past"

MID-SEASON ALL-ROOKIE RECOGNITION

2ND TEAM

QB = Joe Flacco (BAL): 1216 YDS 3 TD 7 INT 62% CMP 70.5 RTG, 24 CAR 75 YDS 2 TD, 1 CTH 43 YDS

RB = Steve Slaton (HOU): 104 CAR 476 YDS 5 TD 4.6 YPC, 22 CTH 125 YDS 1 TD

Continue reading "MID-SEASON NFL ALL-ROOKIE TEAMS"

After another scary roller coaster ride on Wall Street last week, we at least have the weekend and sports to bring back some sanity to our life. Unless of course your motto is "Go Blue" and you hail from the great state of Northern Ohio or as most of you know it, Michigan.  Who says there's no such thing as karma?

Continue reading "Another Sunday Morning"

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

   The Oakland Raiders defeated the San Francisco 49ers Friday night at Oakland 18 - 6.  Everyone was waiting to see JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden, and each played a brief time in the Raiders first exhibition game.  Russell play less than anticipated.  In previous press releases Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin stated that it was possible that Russell could play into the second half; however, he started the game and only played two series completing 2 of 5 passes for 13 yards.  Russell was also sacked once.  McFadden played a bit longer and gained 48 yards on 12 carries.

Continue reading "Raiders defeat 49ers"

We have been patient the entire summer and September means we are finally rewarded with football… glorious football.  This season brings new hope for thirty-two NFL teams and while San Diego, New England, Indianapolis and Dallas are overwhelming favorites to win a championship, the Giants proved last year that the Super Bowl winner can be anyone’s guess.

Continue reading "A 2008 NFL Preview (in 750 words or less)"

The Oakland Raiders opted to not improve their horrendous defense in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Instead they went with another offensive playmaker in Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. Was McFadden so desirable that a team with a defense as bad as Oaklands really couldn’t pass him up? I guess so. Still their defense needs work and without a strong defense their hopes of making it to the playoffs will be shot down. For Oakland is too easy to run on and they are even easier to pass on. They play in a division that is praised for their respective running games and if Oakland can’t stop them, they don’t stand a chance. They finished last season with a 4-12 record. Last season, was a horrible display of both offense and defense, but I think that they’re offense was better then they were given credit for. Their running game was fantastic. 3 running backs from Oakland had 100 yard games last season and I don’t see that changing much this year. Their offense will be much improved and maybe that can make some noise, but it takes a whole lot more to make the playoffs.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #17: The Oakland Raiders"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

1-15. The worst team in the league last season. The Miami Dolphins are looking to get back to relevance and what a chore that is for them competing in the same division with Tom Brady and the Patriots and also having Ladainian Tomlinson and the Chargers on their schedule. The Dolphins are going to have to dig deep and put in the work that is needed to make any sort of impact this season. However, perhaps the point of this season is not to make an impact. Perhaps the point of this season is just to get some wins to their record and rebuild a franchise that was once great.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #2: The Miami Dolphins"

As all of us Raiders fans are already aware Al Davis has been on a spending spree this off-season the likes we have rarely seen in Raiderland.  We have retained some key players and members of the coaching staff, and there also have been some departures.  The main question is will all these off-season moves make the Raiders a better football team this fall.  My question today for Raider fans is which of the following will have the biggest impact on improving the Raiders when it comes time to play for real in September and why?

Continue reading "The Oakland Raiders, Better by Addition, ..."

Okay, first of all. How awesome is the fact that the NFL football season might be extended to 17 games? I mean, for any avid football fan, he/she knows the importance of just…that….one…more game to get them and their team into the playoffs. I know that if the Indianapolis Colts had one more game to play, well, let’s just say it would have been a completely different outcome, than those darn New York Giants.. Pfft.

Continue reading "NFL Season Extension"

Oh my lamb! If it isn't bad enough that our beloved Dodgers are looking to extend their championship-less streak to 20 years, the Lakers...The Lakers...what can we say? That was sick, knots forming in the stomach type television watching. HD did not help me in that debacle. Actually would've preferred to watch that second half in some rabbit-ear antenna inducing, snowy, Low D. Give me the old, chunky graphics that take up half the screen to cover up that mess.

Continue reading "BEAT L.A.!"

Unlike most guys who reminisce about their high school football playing days I actually get worse as more time goes by. And as much as I stunk, our team was even more of a travesty.

 

Let me put it this way, after transferring to a new high school and missing all of double sessions, I was recruited by the Assistant Dean/Assistant Coach ten days before the season started because they were low on numbers.

Continue reading "In Football, the Coach is King"

Below is a paper I wrote for a course I took about Los Angeles. My paper focuses on the highly unique atmosphere of Los Angeles and more specifically how it affects LA's sports culture.  

Continue reading "Some easy reading..."

Once Matt Walsh handed over the sought-after video evidence the league wanted, most fans thought the door would be closed on Spygate and the controversy sounding the Patriots.

Continue reading "Specter Needs to Get Over Spygate"

A fourth-round draft pick must be the going rate for National Football League malcontents these days.
That's the price that the New England Patriots paid to take Randy Moss off the Oakland Raiders' hands before the 2007 NFL Draft. The move worked out pretty well if you consider Moss' league-record 23 touchdowns and his role in New England's record-setting offense. 

Continue reading "Jones, Cowboys gobble up Pacman"

NFL commissioner Roger Godell wasted little time handing out penalties after head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots were caught with the poorly hidden camera. Besides the monentary fines, he docked the Pats their first round pick.

Continue reading "Got 'till it's gone"

March 26, 2008 - From Chargers' press release:

Chargers center Nick Hardwick had surgery on March 14 to repair a sprained right foot. He is expected to undergo a four-to-six month recovery perio

Continue reading "From March 26, 2008 Press Release ..."

March 26, 2008 - From Chargers' press release:

Chargers center Nick Hardwick had surgery on March 14 to repair a sprained right foot. He is expected to undergo a four-to-six month recovery perio

Continue reading "From March 26, 2008 Press Release ..."

It could just be talk, it could be serious, or it could be fishing.

Latest word is the Miami Dolphins have opened negotiations with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long. Considering the condition of the team, this would be a smart move to solidify a porous offensive line to protect likely a new starter in John Beck (42 sacks allowed) and add a road grader to pave the way for the running game that will depend on two ball carriers coming off injuries (Ronnie Brown torn ACL and Ricky Williams torn chest muscle).

Continue reading "Miami bluff"

http://wizbangsports.com/2008/04/what_we_have_and_havent_learne.

Today, MLB.com has an article outlining the first week of the MLB season speculating what these early days of the season may portend for the rest of the season.

Continue reading "What we have (and haven't) learned ..."

http://wizbangsports.com/2008/04/ed_mccabe_im_not_a_football_he.

Another story from the wild and wacky world of Florida.

JUPITER -- For years, Ed McCabe has worn the No. 29 jersey of the Oakland Raiders to raise money for charities benefitting sick children and cancer research.

Continue reading "Ed McCabe- I'm not a football hero."

as announced by the AP:

The New York Giants will host the NFL East rival Washington Redskins in the season opener Sept. 4, continuing the tradition of the Super Bowl champion hosting the Thursday night season opener. Kickoff will be 90 minutes earlier than usual because of the Republican National Convention.

Continue reading "Opening weekend prime time games"

That's right, the Raiders signed former Giant first round pick, William "Lionel" Joseph, an el busto from the U.  We thought Lionel would be good after a standout Junior year at the U, but we were wrong.  He stunk it up for 4 seasons here in New York and then was on IR the entire 07 campaign.  Perhaps he is best known as pulling a prank on Michael Strahan as stated in his book.  Strahan said Joseph almost got him to sign his game helmet as a gift for a friend, and Strahan almost fell for it.  Oh well, Joseph we hardly knew ye.

Continue reading "Oakland signs another former Giant"

http://wizbangsports.com/2008/02/predicting_dark_horses_in_febr.

College football is almost seven months away and people are already making predictions?

In his defense, Olin Buchanan writing at Rivals.com does admit early in the article that predicting National Championship teams this early is ridiculous but he does it anyway.

Continue reading "Predicting Dark Horses in February?"

You don’t have to go too far back to recall games where one team was somehow “robbed” of a championship while the other basked in glory.   To this day, I’m sure guys like Bill Buckner and Scott Norwood still deal with the inner turmoil that made them household names.   Thankfully, what’s still nice about the increasingly tarnished image of professional sports is that no matter what the outcome is, the books are shut -- end of story.  That is until now, where former St. Louis Rams’ player Willie Gary, along with two Super Bowl XXXVI ticket holders and a Rams seat license holder, have filed a $100M law suit against the New England Patriots.  Gary, who for the past six years has earned a living playing for the Arena Football League’s Georgia Force, alleges that the outcome of Super Bowl XXXVI, where the heavily favored Rams were beaten 20-17 by New England, would have been different had the Patriots not illegally videotaped a Rams practice earlier that week in February 2002.

Continue reading "LITIGATING LOSERS"

Part of me thought that Commissioner Goodell coming out today and answering a bunch of direct questions about "Spygate" would do something to cool off the conspiracy theorists. But alas it has not. I shouldn't be surprised. It is in our roots to want to take down the guy on top. It just so happens that my favorite team is on top right now and thus Spygate will never die. The facts are out there and the New England Patriots received a significant punishment, fans can believe what they want to.

Continue reading "Patriots Fans Embrace the Hate!"

I wrote the following article during the 2005 season for my campus newspaper. It is still very true today and I think most people will get a kick out of it. And just for the record, I am a Raiders fan.

Continue reading "I HATE TOM BRADY"

Yeah, you heard me – the Los Angeles Raiders. This is the team that still lives in my mind. The only team to bring my hometown a Super Bowl win. Sure, I follow other clubs in the NFL now. It is hard not to when yours has deserted you! At any rate, I drive around town in my black car with the black Raiders license plate frames in honor of days long passed…

Continue reading "The Los Angeles Raiders"

NFL Playoffs!? That can only mean one thing – bandwagon season! Now that my team #1 and #2 are done for the season, its time to jump on the way only a true NFL football fan can.

My Tampa Bay Buccaneers played an exceptional first quarter today and then decided to fall asleep on me. Too bad the game has four quarters! Argh! I really thought they could make something happen this year. My #1 team(s) the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders never even made it to the playoffs - so the time has come for auxiliary cheering methods – jump on the bandwagon! I have planned out who I will be rooting for next week for sure (remaining season afterward to be determined):

Continue reading "Bandwagon Season!"

I was working on the computer when I heard the sound. It was that unmistakable sound that a football game was about to start. That wonderful feeling of excitement flushed over me and I mused that I am much like a subject in Pavlov’s experiments. Play that music and I salivate.

Continue reading "Random NFL Rumblings…"

Some girls have guilty pleasures like chocolate or shoe shopping – well, I somehow missed the chocolate gene (hate it!) and I openly admit my shoe addiction without remorse. So, pray tell, what is my guilty pleasure? The Bucs! Ohmigosh! I loooove the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! Why do I feel guilty? Well, being a Los Angeles native that comes from a pedigree of Raiders-Rams-Niners, I always feel I need to explain myself when I root for them. I get that feeling like I was caught listening to Michael Bolton or something (not that I would do that but you get my drift).

Continue reading "My Guilty Pleasure"