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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with The Oakland Raiders

Posted on September 13, 2012 at 12:07 AM.

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The New Era of Excellence

Al Davis IS the Oakland Raiders. Despite being put under a magnifying glass in the latter part of his career, there is no denying what Al Davis meant not just to his Oakland Raiders, but to professional football in whole.

In 2011, Al Davis passed away- leaving the Oakland Raiders in very unfamiliar hands. Mark and Martha Davis, Al Davis' son and wife became owners, Mark Davis knew instantly he needed help.

"With something as big as the Raiders, I knew I needed to get help." Mark said as he rocked a white Raiders' cap forward.

"I consulted with my father's long time friend.. John Madden and Ron Wolf, both told me I needed to get someone in there to get the team back on track." Davis said, with a smile.

That man was a former Raider; Reggie McKenzie. McKenzie was drafted by Al Davis in the 10th Round in 1985, Reggie grasped the mentality of Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders. Working under the very successful Green Bay Packers banner as the Vice President of Player Personnel, McKenzie was heavily referred by ex-Raider and Packer success story Ron Wolf who helped gather talent for the Raiders such as Art Shell and Gene Upshaw.

"Mistah Davis, he was a outlaw." McKenize's thick southern accent said as he nodded. "He took chances, that's how he won all those games. The Raiders are a proud franchise, I plan on continuing where Mistah Davis left-off."

McKenzie is a man of few words- but one man on the roster isn't.

"C'MON BOY! YA'LL GOT **** FOR ME!?"

That's Tommy Kelly. An undrafted defensive tackle that was signed in 2004, and since then he's become one of the more outspoken men on the roster-

"Yeah I'm outspoken.. I know I got a chip on my shoulder. When you 6'6" three-twenty, ain't a lot of people that can shut you up."

Tommy Kelly is joined in the Raiders' 4-3 defensive scheme by future Hall of Famer, ex-World Champion with the New England Patriots, Richard Seymour. Acquired via trade, Seymour's impact in Oakland was instantly felt as his influence and leadership on the defensive line. Held as one of the best in the NFL- youngsters Matt Shaughnessy and Lamarr Houston make up the defensive-ends, a very strong front four.

"I've been with the Raiders for a few years and I've always said this team has the chance to be something great. All the speed, all the talent, every year we're capable of going to the big game.. But things don't work out like we'd like."

It doesn't. Aside of leading the NFL in penalties and breaking the record last season- the Oakland Raiders struggle to stay healthy.

"Darren McFadden, Arkansas Razorbacks." spoke the humble voice of one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL- Darren McFadden.

Nicknamed "Run DMC" due to his constant churning motor, Darren McFadden was a top draft pick but has been plagued with injury.

"Man, I don't even pay attention to that. I run hard, I take shots.. If someone has a way to stay healthy, let me know.. I'd like to hear it. It ain't like I'm fakin' it, if I'm hurt- I'm hurt. When I'm good though, my legs don't stop movin' 'til I'm down.. Dem boys- they know that. I love the fans, I love my team-mates but when it's game-day, I make sure to let'em know we ain't out there to play flag or two hand touch football. I'll run you over.. yeah."

A shot of McFadden hitting ex-Raider, Quentin Groves last preseason is shown, which resulted in a fractured orbital bone.

"I take bein' looked at as a leader on this team seriously. With Carson under center, there ain't nobody we can't beat."

Carson Palmer- a Heisman Winner from USC. Palmer came to Oakland last year after retiring from the Cincinnati Bengals. Palmer refused to play for the Bengals, and after the then starting quarterback for the Raiders; Jason Campbell went down for the season with a broken collarbone- Mark Davis made the move.

"It was a tough decision for us. A lot of the heat is put on Hue Jackson, but it was my call. Hue was comfortable with Boller, he worked with him in Baltimore. I didn't like having just Boller and of course, Terrell who was coming off suspension. After talking it over with John [Madden] and Hue, I decided we'd make a move to see if Carson was available, and he was."

Laat year Carson Palmer threw 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. His first game as a Raider came against the Kansas City Chiefs. Already down in the game, Palmer- who was brought in a few days earlier was thrown into the fire and the end result wasn't good.

"Yeah.. I threw a pick six.. I misread a simple Cover 2 defense, the corner jumped the route and took it back."

Palmer had struggled with interceptions his entire career, but he never let it bother him.

"In football you've gotta put the ball where it needs to be. If I see something, I'm taking the chance. My wideouts- between Denarius.. Darrius, Jacoby or even the new kids like Rod and Juron, they've got play-making ability and I'm not gonna waste it, you know?"

After the schedule was released for the 2012-13 season, an interesting match-up between the Raiders and Bengals would go down, marking Palmer's return to Paul Brown Stadium.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge." remarked Palmer. "It's always fun to go back and see if you can beat your old team. Granted I never had to try that before, I'll take the challenge. They've got a talented squad on both sides of the ball- very different than how it looked when I was there.. I wish them the best.. Coach Lewis, all of them."

That game would have to wait though as first, the roster needed to be trimmed for the preseason. The Oakland Raiders have been known as a team to rely primarily on speed. Even an ex- offensive tackle- Bruce Campbell, who was traded to the Carolina Panthers for halfback Mike Goodson ran a 4.4 fourty yard dash.

"Oh I definitely know I'm fast- nobody wants to race me."

One of the fastest men on the roster #12, Jacoby Ford. After battling a foot injury last year, Jacoby Ford wants to take off where his 2011 season ended- a lethal kick returner and a very, very valuable asset in the passing game.

"I tried to coax Darrius into a race, he doesn't want it with me. I almost got Taiwan, he said he doesn't wanna embarrass me.. I've even tried getting DMac, but they all know what's up."

Speed, that was what Al Davis was all about. As former Raiders' head coach Jon Gruden said, Al Davis was a master at drafting and evaluating speed. In Oakland's history, they've had arguably the fastest, most athletically gifted players in history but new head coach- the former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator; Dennis Allen agrees- yet, disagrees with Al Davis' philosophy on players.

"Oh, Al Davis was a genius. He's built three world champion football teams but times change, you know? I'm here to continue Mister Davis' success, but also to put a new spin on the Oakland Raiders. I plan on instilling discipline, focus and making sure that all players under our banner make that commitment to excellence. I don't want it as a figure of speech, I want it to be a reality- something our players really do."

As the youngest head coach in the NFL at 39, Dennis Allen may look like he's inexperienced but he's got a decade of NFL experience under his belt.

"I welcome the challenge. I know last year the Raiders' struggled defensively, that's my area of expertise. To help me change that I brought in Jason Tarver and we're looking to change the foundation that the defense is currently sitting on." Dennis Allen's face was free from emotion- even a smile.

Jason Tarver formerly worked at Stanford, serving as the linebackers coach under then head coach of the Cardinals, Jim Harbaugh. Originally Harbaugh wanted to bring Tarver with him to San Francisco but Tarver declined, returned to Stanford now- finds himself across the bay from his ex-boss.

"Offensively, we retained the service of Al Saunders who's.. possibly one of the greatest offensive minded coaches in the NFL. He's my assistant head coach- he oversees Coach Knapp and the offense."

Greg Knapp isn't a new face to the Oakland Raiders- he served as the offensive coordinator during what the fans call "the dark era" when infamous draft bust; JaMarcus Russell was under center. Being a co-worker with Dennis Allen while working with the Atlanta Falcons, Knapp's second run as offensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders is completely different- with a veteran signal caller in Carson Palmer, an explosive halfback in Darren McFadden and some of the quickest wide receivers in the NFL in Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford, it's hard to see how this wouldn't strike fear into hearts of the opposition.

As the Raiders hit the field for their first day of training camp, the atmosphere is already different. The media who was loosely monitored in previous years are standing in line for press-passes, even ex-players who work as reporters- such as Bill Romanowski notices the differences.

"It's a whole new vibe now. People just can't walk onto the field, they're expected to go through the proper channels which is a good thing."

One massive bomb-shell that dropped from the Raiders' camp however, came in the form of the coaching. One of the most popular and widely respected Raider greats- Tim Brown, a future Hall of Famer who had issues with Al Davis had time and time again volunteered his services to work with the young receiving core, but Al Davis respectfully declined- today though, that changed. As announced via their website, Tim Brown has been brought in as the official coach of the wide receivers.

"It's a great day, not just for me- but for Raider Nation. I get to help these talented guys make the most of their potential. I don't want to be the leader of receptions for the Raiders- I want to see DHB.. Moore.. Ford.. Criner.. Streater- I want these guys to shatter my records, ya know? I want the new generation to go above and beyond what I've managed to accomplish."

Tim Brown isn't the only ex-Raider to get a call for a coaching gig. The Raiders' front office also apparently approached Bill Romanowski to help develop the linebacking corps.

"Yeah I was offered the job, I jumped at it. I can't wait to jump in and get to work with these guys. I know my reputation in the NFL is smudged due to a few petty incidents here and there but that's fine- I plan on using these men as a way to express my inner-anger. I'm gonna ride these guys until they can't take it, I've gotta toughen'em them up- it's what Mister Davis would of wanted." With a smile, Romanowski winked- things would no doubt get interesting at Raider Camp, especially defensively.

**ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF HARD KNOCKS**

As the Raiders prepare for their first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, things are slowly beginning to set in that this is a business as much as it is a sport as some cuts are made. Plus, the first look in on new Raiders' coaches- from Dennis Allen, to Greg Knapp.. Jason Tarver- Tim Brown and Bill Romanowski..

"YOU BETTER GET YOUR **** TOGETHER ROLANDO! WE'RE NOT HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS AND HAVE A GOD DAMN TEA PARTY, YOU'RE GONNA HIT SOMEBODY AND YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT COUNT!"