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PocketSizeSun · 01-04-2011, 12:02 PM

Team Rating (2010) Overall: 79
Difficulty: All Madden w/ custom sliders
Quarter Length: 9:00
Game Used: Madden 11 (PS3)
Draft Classes: Imported from NCAA 11

2010 Outlook

At times sports teams mirror their cities, and in this case that happens to be a good thing. In the past few years, seemingly, while nobody was really paying much attention, the city of Oakland has begun to turn itself around. Likewise, the Raiders seem to be a team on the rise.

Finally admitting to themselves what the football world figured out two years ago, Oakland bid farewell to quarterback JaMarcus Russell this offseason and replaced him with former Washington Redskins starter Jason Campbell.

The Raiders have been less than competitive for the last several years. In fact, they've lost at least 11 games each season from 2003 to 2009. The last time Oakland had anything to play for was 2002, when Rich Gannon led the silver and black to an AFC West title and eventual berth in Super Bowl XXXVII. That team was made up of a gang of veterans, many of whom were on their last legs in the NFL: Gannon, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Bill Romanowski, and Rod Woodson to name a few.

But emerging running back Darren McFadden leads a group of young pups who are ready to make their mark on the league, and maybe sneak in a division crown in the process. McFadden is 23. The uber-fast Jacoby Ford is also 23. Ditto on wideout Louis Murphy. Stud tight end Zack Miller is an old man at 25. Despite the fact that Campbell seems like he came into the league at the same time as Doug Williams and James Lofton, he's still only 28.

Defensively, Oakland has found a solid player in rookie linebacker Rolando McClain. Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy is only 24, and safety Michael Huff, despite some flaws is only 27. Fellow safety Tyvon Branch is just 24. Corner Nnamdi Asomugha, 29, was Darrelle Revis before Darrelle Revis -- maybe better. The Raiders, as a whole, have only four regular starters on either offense or defense that have hit the magic age of 30, and only one is over 31.

For the first time in years, the franchise has stability. Tom Cable will be the coach come 2011. The Raiders need to gel, they need to mature, and they need some breaks, but every year there’s a team that finds a way to end up winning more games than it should.

PocketSizeSun · 01-04-2011, 12:03 PM

2010 Season Schedule

Roster (2010)

Oakland Raiders Depth Chart - 2010
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	L. Murphy	C. Schilens	J. Higgins
TE	Z. Miller	B. Myers
LT	J. Veldheer	M. Henderson
LG	R. Gallery	D. Loper
C	S. Satele	B. Campbell
RG	C. Carlisle	B. Campbell
RT	L. Walker	K. Barnes
WR	D. Heyward-Bey	J. Ford	N. Miller
QB	J. Campbell	B. Gradkowski	K. Boller
FB	M. Reece	B. Myers
HB	D. McFadden	M. Bush	R. Cartwright
Base 3-4 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	T. Scott	L. Houston	J. Moss
NT	J. Henderson	T. Kelly
RDE	R. Seymour	M. Shaughnessy
LOLB	T. Howard	Q. Groves
LILB	R. McClain	T. Goethel
RILB	R. Brown	B. Davis
ROLB	K. Wimbley	S. Williams
CB	N. Asomugha	S. Routt	J. Ware
SS	T. Branch	M. Mitchell
FS	M. Huff	H. Eugene
CB	C. Johnson	W. McFadden
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	S. Janikowski
P	S. Lechler
PR	J. Ford
KR	J. Ford

PocketSizeSun · 01-04-2011, 12:06 PM

NFL Standings - Updated: Nov 14, 2010 (Week 10)

NFC EAST W L T PF PA HOME ROAD DIV
New York Giants
6
3

255
196
4-1
2-2
2-0

Philadelphia Eagles
4
5

189
188
2-2
2-3
2-0

Washington Redskins
4
5

163
170
3-2
1-3
1-2

Dallas Cowboys
3
6

174
235
2-2
1-4
0-3

NFC NORTH W L T PF PA HOME ROAD DIV
Green Bay Packers
7
3

247
2-3
4-1
3-2
2-2

Chicago Bears
6
4

223
195
5-0
1-4
3-0

Minnesota Vikings
5
5

200
242
2-3
3-2
1-3

Detroit Lions
1
8

103
178
0-4
1-4
1-2

NFC SOUTH W L T PF PA HOME ROAD DIV
New Orleans Saints 8
1

246
131
5-0
3-1
3-1

Atlanta Falcons
5
4

211
179
4-1
1-3
1-1

Carolina Panthers 4
5

166
183
3-2
1-3
3-1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3
6

187
247
2-3
1-3
0-4

NFC WEST W L T PF PA HOME ROAD DIV
St. Louis Rams
7
2

228
172
5-0
2-2
2-1

San Francisco 49ers
6
3

182
151
4-1
2-2
2-0

Seattle Seahawks
2
7

186
246
2-2
0-5
1-3

Arizona Cardinals
2
7

160
238
1-3
1-4
1-2

NFL Standings - Updated: Sep 26, 2010 (Week 3)
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV
New York Jets	5	4		184	171	2-2	3-2	3-0
New England Patriots	5	4		228	196	2-2	0-1	2-1
Buffalo Bills	2	7		169	194	2-3	0-4	1-2
Miami Dolphins	2	8		155	245	2-3	0-5	0-3
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV
Pittsburgh Steelers	5	4		166	154	2-2	3-2	2-1
Cincinnati Bengals	5	4		198	182	3-1	2-3	2-1
Cleveland Browns	4	5		181	240	3-2	1-3	1-2
Baltimore Ravens	4	5		181	176	2-2	2-3	1-2
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV
Jacksonville Jaguars	8	1		240	163	4-1	4-0	3-0
Indianapolis Colts	6	3		230	220	4-0	2-3	2-1
Houston Texans	3	6		216	256	2-3	1-3	0-3
Tennessee Titans	3	6		197	207	2-2	1-4	0-1
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV
Denver Broncos	6	3		234	205	4-1	2-2	1-1
Oakland Raiders	6	3		211	206	4-1	2-2	2-1
San Diego Chargers	6	3		189	139	3-1	3-2	1-1
Kansas City Chiefs	3	6		232	223	2-2	1-4	1-2

Notable Injuries (Week 3)

Josh Sitton - RG Packers - Broken Ankle - Out for season
Donald Penn - LT Bucs - Fractured Elbow - Out for season
Santana Moss - WR Redskins - Broken Jaw - Out for season
Koa Misi - LOLB Dolphins - Broken Tailbone - Out for season
Davone Bess - WR Dolphins - Torn Pec Muscle - Out for season
London Fletcher - MLB Redskins - Torn Tricep - Out for season
Leonard Davis - RG Cowboys - Compound Fracture - Out for season
Miles Austin - WR Cowboys - Broken Jaw - Out for season
Santana Moss - WR Redskins - Fractured Elbow - Out for season
Jay Cutler - QB Bears - Broken Tibia - Out for season
Karlos Dansby - Partial ACL Tear - Out for season
Brian Cushing - ROLB Texans - Torn Hamstring - 10 weeks
Jamaal Charles - Herniated Disk - 10 weeks
Eli Manning - Dislocated Hip - 10 weeks
Demarcus Ware - Broken Collarbone - 7 weeks
Richard Seymour - Broken Collarbone - 4 weeks

Power Rankings (Week 10)

1. Saints
2. Jaguars
3. Rams
4. Broncos
5. Colts
6. Giants
7. Packers
8. 49ers
9. Raiders
10. Chargers

Playoff Picture

*TO BE ANNOUNCED AFTER WEEK 10*

PocketSizeSun · 01-04-2011, 12:11 PM

Greetings true believers. Very excited about getting this dynasty up and going. Something I've always found to be extremely fun was to take a franchise in the dumps (hence Oakland) and build them into a powerhouse.. or DIE TRYING.

My plan is to rebuild the Oakland Raiders to some sort of prominence in the AFC again. All typical franchise goodies will be here, but ultimately, my aim is to take a realistic approach at running an NFL franchise and the business that goes with that.

First, a few facts.

1. No easy road. I'll be playing on the absolute hardest mode, so anyone reading this looking for 16-0 and a Raider Superbowl every season will be sorely disappointed.

2. Everything will be done manually. I will scout, build the depth chart, draft players, and play every single game with zero simulation.

3. It will be realistic. There will be a salary cap, trades will only happen if it's a logical situation, and moves will be made according to the actual NFL standard. (No trading a few picks for Sam Bradford, for example.)

4. The ultimate goal. The goal of this franchise is to have the Oakland Raiders in the SUPERBOWL by at least Superbowl 50. That gives me 5 years, and with solid drafting and developing, something that's possible.

*HOUSE RULES*

1. No Special Teams - Controlling the return man on special teams is not allowed on offense or defense. With the speed Oakland has, I could easily take back 7-10 kicks a year with Jacoby Ford on punt returns alone. So, I will let the CPU handle ALL returns. On the defensive side, it's way too easy to smash into the CPU PR just as they get the ball based on the CPU AI, so I will also only let my CPU teammates make that play. On kickoff returns, the only player I am allowed to control is the kicker, because if the CPU breaks free for a big gainer, I feel it's only fair I have a chance to stop him with the kicker.

2. Gameflow - I use 100% gameflow no matter what. The ONLY exception is when I need to audible out of a run play when it's a visible blitz coming (which any normal QB would do), or when I'm down late in the 4th quarter with only 1 timeout, gameflow doesn't feel it's necessary for me to go for it on 4th and 2. In that situation, again I will take over, but besides that, I will stick with the calls 100%.

Keep an eye out, because I have some very cool stuff planned layout wise and content wise.

Also I'm dumb, so I'll probably just skip the pre-season stuff this year, because I advanced to the regular season not realizing I couldn't go back and get the scores/stats.

Oh well, to the regular season we go!

PocketSizeSun · 01-04-2011, 12:39 PM

Nashville, TN -- The Titans suffered their first setback in the home opener against the Oakland Raiders, falling 31-21. In what could have easily been a Titan victory, the self-inflicted wounds turned out to be insurmountable.

One quick look at the score/stat sheet of the first 3 quarters would show domination by Tennessee. You wouldn't be wrong, as the smothering secondary forced Jason Campbell to connect on only 7 passes all day.

Oakland was unable to get anything going until the 4th quarter, when costly mistakes began to give them life. First, a missed Rob Bironas field goal set them up an excellent field position, later leading to a score. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, a Titans fumble set up the Raiders for another score. Finally, Nate Washington took a vicious shot over the middle, causing a fumble that Oakland picked up and ran back for the dagger.

PocketSizeSun · 01-04-2011, 01:07 PM

(I know you haven’t looked at the film yet, but when you do, will you be surprised that this wasn't a loss?)

I'll just say this.. I thought our offensive line did well establishing the line of scrimmage. When you're calling plays, that's something I particularly pay a lot of attention to. I thought our defensive line struggled, but we knew this was going to be a battle that started up front and I don't need to see the film to say that we definitely didn't play our best.

(Considering what the special teams did for you, does it feel like a big win?)

Absolutely. Every game you win at this level is a big win. Everybody knows what the score is. We're at one win, and we're happy about it.

(You've seen your quarterbacks have some bad performances over the past couple years, but how would you characterize this one, considering what Jason went through?)

Well, it wasn't one of his better ones, because I pay more attention to the decisions and the ball accuracy. I thought he was off all day, but we had a few drops as well, and that didn't help matters. Although he definitely needs to play better.

(The positives?)

I was proud of how our special teams played, because we knew we had to do a very good job there. We were able to get a few turnovers, put ourselves in good field position, and when it mattered in the end we executed. Turnovers are always a big emphasis in meetings, and today the takeaways came and the game fell in place for us.

packabacka19 · 01-04-2011, 09:02 PM

Wow. Those graphics are really, really good. Congrats on the win. I'm definitely going to be following. BTW I loved that dagger reference.

Also, too bad about San Diego State haha...

mnwildgophers · 01-04-2011, 10:23 PM

Man, these updates are just beautiful, are you going to post scores from around the league too I assume? The first graphic is phenomenal, I'll be following. Presentation looks great.

01-04-2011, 12:02 PM	#1
PocketSizeSun Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Brew City	Back in Black: A Raiders Story Team Rating (2010) Overall: 79 Difficulty: All Madden w/ custom sliders Quarter Length: 9:00 Game Used: Madden 11 (PS3) Draft Classes: Imported from NCAA 11 2010 Outlook At times sports teams mirror their cities, and in this case that happens to be a good thing. In the past few years, seemingly, while nobody was really paying much attention, the city of Oakland has begun to turn itself around. Likewise, the Raiders seem to be a team on the rise. Finally admitting to themselves what the football world figured out two years ago, Oakland bid farewell to quarterback JaMarcus Russell this offseason and replaced him with former Washington Redskins starter Jason Campbell. The Raiders have been less than competitive for the last several years. In fact, they've lost at least 11 games each season from 2003 to 2009. The last time Oakland had anything to play for was 2002, when Rich Gannon led the silver and black to an AFC West title and eventual berth in Super Bowl XXXVII. That team was made up of a gang of veterans, many of whom were on their last legs in the NFL: Gannon, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Bill Romanowski, and Rod Woodson to name a few. But emerging running back Darren McFadden leads a group of young pups who are ready to make their mark on the league, and maybe sneak in a division crown in the process. McFadden is 23. The uber-fast Jacoby Ford is also 23. Ditto on wideout Louis Murphy. Stud tight end Zack Miller is an old man at 25. Despite the fact that Campbell seems like he came into the league at the same time as Doug Williams and James Lofton, he's still only 28. Defensively, Oakland has found a solid player in rookie linebacker Rolando McClain. Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy is only 24, and safety Michael Huff, despite some flaws is only 27. Fellow safety Tyvon Branch is just 24. Corner Nnamdi Asomugha, 29, was Darrelle Revis before Darrelle Revis -- maybe better. The Raiders, as a whole, have only four regular starters on either offense or defense that have hit the magic age of 30, and only one is over 31. For the first time in years, the franchise has stability. Tom Cable will be the coach come 2011. The Raiders need to gel, they need to mature, and they need some breaks, but every year there’s a team that finds a way to end up winning more games than it should. Last edited by PocketSizeSun; 01-08-2011 at 10:20 AM.

01-04-2011, 12:11 PM	#4
PocketSizeSun Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Brew City	Re: Back in Black: A Raiders Story Greetings true believers. Very excited about getting this dynasty up and going. Something I've always found to be extremely fun was to take a franchise in the dumps (hence Oakland) and build them into a powerhouse.. or DIE TRYING. My plan is to rebuild the Oakland Raiders to some sort of prominence in the AFC again. All typical franchise goodies will be here, but ultimately, my aim is to take a realistic approach at running an NFL franchise and the business that goes with that. First, a few facts. 1. No easy road. I'll be playing on the absolute hardest mode, so anyone reading this looking for 16-0 and a Raider Superbowl every season will be sorely disappointed. 2. Everything will be done manually. I will scout, build the depth chart, draft players, and play every single game with zero simulation. 3. It will be realistic. There will be a salary cap, trades will only happen if it's a logical situation, and moves will be made according to the actual NFL standard. (No trading a few picks for Sam Bradford, for example.) 4. The ultimate goal. The goal of this franchise is to have the Oakland Raiders in the SUPERBOWL by at least Superbowl 50. That gives me 5 years, and with solid drafting and developing, something that's possible. *HOUSE RULES* 1. No Special Teams - Controlling the return man on special teams is not allowed on offense or defense. With the speed Oakland has, I could easily take back 7-10 kicks a year with Jacoby Ford on punt returns alone. So, I will let the CPU handle ALL returns. On the defensive side, it's way too easy to smash into the CPU PR just as they get the ball based on the CPU AI, so I will also only let my CPU teammates make that play. On kickoff returns, the only player I am allowed to control is the kicker, because if the CPU breaks free for a big gainer, I feel it's only fair I have a chance to stop him with the kicker. 2. Gameflow - I use 100% gameflow no matter what. The ONLY exception is when I need to audible out of a run play when it's a visible blitz coming (which any normal QB would do), or when I'm down late in the 4th quarter with only 1 timeout, gameflow doesn't feel it's necessary for me to go for it on 4th and 2. In that situation, again I will take over, but besides that, I will stick with the calls 100%. Keep an eye out, because I have some very cool stuff planned layout wise and content wise. Also I'm dumb, so I'll probably just skip the pre-season stuff this year, because I advanced to the regular season not realizing I couldn't go back and get the scores/stats. Oh well, to the regular season we go! Last edited by PocketSizeSun; 01-08-2011 at 10:38 AM.

01-04-2011, 12:39 PM	#5
PocketSizeSun Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Brew City	Re: Back in Black: A Raiders Story Nashville, TN -- The Titans suffered their first setback in the home opener against the Oakland Raiders, falling 31-21. In what could have easily been a Titan victory, the self-inflicted wounds turned out to be insurmountable. One quick look at the score/stat sheet of the first 3 quarters would show domination by Tennessee. You wouldn't be wrong, as the smothering secondary forced Jason Campbell to connect on only 7 passes all day. Oakland was unable to get anything going until the 4th quarter, when costly mistakes began to give them life. First, a missed Rob Bironas field goal set them up an excellent field position, later leading to a score. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, a Titans fumble set up the Raiders for another score. Finally, Nate Washington took a vicious shot over the middle, causing a fumble that Oakland picked up and ran back for the dagger.

01-04-2011, 01:07 PM	#6
PocketSizeSun Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Brew City	Re: Back in Black: A Raiders Story (I know you haven’t looked at the film yet, but when you do, will you be surprised that this wasn't a loss?) I'll just say this.. I thought our offensive line did well establishing the line of scrimmage. When you're calling plays, that's something I particularly pay a lot of attention to. I thought our defensive line struggled, but we knew this was going to be a battle that started up front and I don't need to see the film to say that we definitely didn't play our best. (Considering what the special teams did for you, does it feel like a big win?) Absolutely. Every game you win at this level is a big win. Everybody knows what the score is. We're at one win, and we're happy about it. (You've seen your quarterbacks have some bad performances over the past couple years, but how would you characterize this one, considering what Jason went through?) Well, it wasn't one of his better ones, because I pay more attention to the decisions and the ball accuracy. I thought he was off all day, but we had a few drops as well, and that didn't help matters. Although he definitely needs to play better. (The positives?) I was proud of how our special teams played, because we knew we had to do a very good job there. We were able to get a few turnovers, put ourselves in good field position, and when it mattered in the end we executed. Turnovers are always a big emphasis in meetings, and today the takeaways came and the game fell in place for us.

01-04-2011, 09:02 PM	#7
packabacka19 Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: CA	Re: Back in Black: A Raiders Story Wow. Those graphics are really, really good. Congrats on the win. I'm definitely going to be following. BTW I loved that dagger reference. Also, too bad about San Diego State haha... __________________ Leave It All On The Field \| Coaching Career of Brandon Gallagher Currently: Defensive Coordinator of Northwestern Wildcats (2012 season)

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01-04-2011, 10:23 PM	#8
mnwildgophers Rookie OVR: 9 Join Date: Nov 2010	Re: Back in Black: A Raiders Story Man, these updates are just beautiful, are you going to post scores from around the league too I assume? The first graphic is phenomenal, I'll be following. Presentation looks great.

More Links

Back in Black: A Raiders Story