Commitment to Excellence: An Oakland Raiders Dynasty (Madden 25)

[Gronk4M13]

I played the first preseason game last night, I will edit this post in a few minutes to kick off this dynasty!

I will be doing the real-life player cuts to the best of my ability, and am thinking about doing suspensions that will occur in real life this season, as Desalbert is doing.

Something pretty frustrating: the default Madden rosters don't have some rookies. Notably, for the Raiders, no Matt McGloin. So, the QB battle is between Flynn, Pryor and Wilson.

[Gosens6]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gronk4M13

I played the first preseason game last night, I will edit this post in a few minutes to kick off this dynasty! I will be doing the real-life player cuts to the best of my ability, and am thinking about doing suspensions that will occur in real life this season, as Desalbert is doing. Something pretty frustrating: the default Madden rosters don't have some rookies. Notably, for the Raiders, no Matt McGloin. So, the QB battle is between Flynn, Pryor and Wilson.

Flynn For The Wynn!

Hmmm... A new motto? Hahhaa

[Gronk4M13]

Welcome Back to Football

Football is back...well preseason at least. Before the preseason kicks off, let's look at the top storylines heading into the 2013 season, according to EA Sports.

1. Can Alex Smith resurrect his career with Andy Reid in Kansas City?

Spotlight on Quarterbacks: Flacco, Ryan, Romo and Stafford facing huge expectations following big contracts. Jay Cutler, Phillip Rivers and Josh Freeman face contract years.

Rookie Preview: How will Geno Smith, Tavon Austin, and Manti Te'o perform?

Seahawks have a ton of hype, will it translate into success on the field?

Adrian Peterson has sights set on breaking the rushing record.

Can the Ravens repeat as champions despite losses?


Lions have to make the playoffs or Jim Schwartz is gone.

Greg Jennings and the Vikings vs. the Packers makes must see TV.

QB Battles: Smith vs. Sanchez, Gabbert vs. Henne, Manuel vs. Kolb, Vick vs. Foles, the Oakland Raiders (Flynn vs. Pryor vs. Wilson)

[Gronk4M13]

Preseason Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders

Matt Flynn is the presumed starter for Oakland at quarterback, but Terelle Pryor and rookie Tyler Wilson have a legitimate chance of winning the job. Flynn started this game, Pryor playing with the second team and Wilson with the third team.

The Cowboys, led by Tony Romo, started on offense. On the second play of the game, new Raider Pat Sims sacked Tony as the Dallas quarterback tried to escape the pass rush. DJ Hayden had a great debut, deflecting a third down pass and forcing the Cowboys to punt.

Enter Matt Flynn. Flynn was inconsistent in his first game as a Raider. First, an off target pass resulted in an incompletion. Then, a Josh Cribbs catch in traffic resulted in a first down. Next, Jacoby Ford held on in traffic for another first down reception. Flynn was driving Oakland downfield, until he was sacked by Demarcus Ware. Josh Cribbs dropped a pass, and then Matt Flynn was intercepted by Sean Lee. Boos rained down from the Oakland crowd, as Flynn was uneven on his first drive.


DJ Hayden, the first round rookie, continued to impress with a tackle resulting in a Dallas punt. Rookie tight end Nick Kasa also played well, with consecutive catches resulting in a first down for the Raiders to end the first quarter. Matt Flynn was unimpressive in the first quarter, and Terelle Pryor took the field, hoping to capitalize. Pryor attempted to throw deep on third down, to halfback Darren McFadden. McFadden drooped the pass, and the Raiders settled for a field goal.

Kyle Orton drove the Cowboys down field, with multiple completions to tight end James Hanna as well as a thirty yard rush by Joseph Randle. Orton finished the drive with a one yard touchdown pass to Terrence Williams to give the Cowboys a four point lead. Juron Criner fell to an injury, with a strained tricep removing him from the game. The preseason is a bad time to get hurt, as most players are fighting for roster spots. Danny McCray sacked Pryor, who then overthrew a wide-open Rod Streater as Oakland punted. Terelle Pryor was playing worse than Matt Flynn.An Usama Young tackle for loss led to a Dallas punt, where Jacoby Ford fell to an injury on the return. This injury hurts the Raiders, as Ford could be a top receiver if he could stay healthy. Luckily, the injury was not serious (swollen elbow) and Ford was substituted out.


Pryor was playing poorly as the Raiders punted again. Dwayne Harris dropped a wide open pass, and the next play new Raider Tracy Porter intercepted a deep pass in the end zone. Rod Streater was impressive, with two back to back first down receptions. On Pryor's last snap of the game, he overthrew an open Streater, and rookie Tyler Wilson entered the game. Poor play by Matt Flynn and Pryor put Wilson in a great position to possibly take the lead in this quarterback battle.

Wilson played the entire second half. First, the rookie threw a very accurate pass on the run and under pressure, completed with a Streater catch.Then, Tyler Wilson found halfback Rashad Jennings in the backfield for a first down. Wilson built chemistry with fellow rookie, tight end Mychal Rivera, with several first down completions. Rod Streater was very impressive, despite a dropped pass. A holding penalty on wideout Andre Holmes drew back a first down play. Back to back completions to Rod Streater resulted in a seven yard touchdown Tyler Wilson pass to Rod Streater! Vance Walker, an offseason addition for Oakland, exited the game with an injury. Cole Beasley burned the Oakland secondary with a sixteen yard catch and run touchdown.


The Cowboys led 14-10 after three quarters. Denarius Moore had a great kick return all the way to the Cowboys 45 to start the fourth quarter. Rookie TE Mychal Rivera continued to impress, displaying great catching ability and chemistry with Tyler Wilson. Wilson was on fire, until an Orlando Scandrick interception. The Cowboys ran down the clock some, but still had to punt with 2:40 left.

Something many coaches like to see is how a quarterback responds after an interception. Wilson responded magnificently, driving the team downfield resulting in a Mychal Rivera ten yard touchdown reception with 50 seconds left. What a drive by Wilson' if Rivera and Wilson continue to perform this well, it will be near impossible for the Raiders not to put them on the field. The Cowboys made the Raiders defense look bad, easily driving down the field and kicking a field goal as time expired, tying the game and sending it to overtime.

The Raiders got the ball first. The home crowd was electric, eager to see how the rookie Wilson would perform in overtime. The Raiders ran the ball a few times, including a Taiwan Jones twenty yard rush. The Raiders kicked a field goal, and if the defense stopped the Cowboys, the Raiders would win. Vance Walker sacked Orton, but exited play with an injury for the second time. The defense looked awful, as Kyle Orton found Jason Witten for a touchdown with less than thirty seconds left. The Cowboys won, 23-20.

Spoiler

Cowboys win 23-20 in overtime.

And that's the ball game, Cowboys win in overtime. Poor play by Flynn and Pryor, and great play by Wilson makes this quarterback battle closer than many think.

Press Conference from coach Dennis Allen:

Question: Coach, what are your general thoughts on the game? Any takeaways?

Allen: Overall, I thought the team played well. Biggest takeaway? The rookies. The rookies played very well. Tight end Mychal Rivera, several catches, some for first downs and one for a touchdown. Tight end Nick Kasa, a few catches. He played well with the starters. DJ Hayden, played like an experienced veteran at cornerback. Tyler Wilson....Wow. He played almost like a true starter. This game was only so close because of him. The interception is disappointing, but otherwise solid play.


Question: Any negatives, bad things you saw?

Allen: The quarterback play, other than Wilson. Matt Flynn started, was uneven. Terelle Pryor, who's had a good camp, played poorly. Also, the defense. Rookie Sio Moore, linebacker. He's outspoken, a leader among the rookies. Yet he only had one tackle this game. The defense played poorly, mainly the second and third stringers. Dallas easily drove downfield, first to tie the game, then win. This loss is on the defense.


Question: Thoughts on the quarterback battle?

Allen: As I said, Flynn and Pryor disappointed me.Wilson played excellently, and he has moved to second string quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. That's right. Terelle Pryor is now the third string quarterback. Barring an impressive performance by Pryor, this battle is now between Flynn and Wilson.

You heard it here first: Terelle Pryor is now the third string quarter back. From the mouth of Dennis Allen himself: Barring an impressive performance by Pryor, this battle is now between Flynn and Wilson.

Next, Oakland travels to New Orleans to face the Saints.

Around the League:

DeAngelo Williams runs for two touchdowns in Panthers win.

In a Lions victory, Matt Stafford threw four touchdowns, two of them to Calvin Johnson.

Wes Welker has two touchdowns in Broncos debut, Broncos win.

Ravens narrowly beat Buccaneers in Tampa.

Browns win preseason opener.

The Falcons tied in their preseason opener, but lose Tony Gonzalez to injury in a big blow to the offense.

The Giants, Packers and Bears all won.

Julius Peppers falls to injury, weakening Chicago's defense.

Drew Brees is glad to be playing football, but Chad Henne wants it to be the regular season.

Patriots win in Philadelphia.

Chargers lose both their preseason opener and starting running back Ryan Matthews (injury.)

[Desalbert]

Awesome stuff! Great write up.

I'm concerned about one thing though! Please don't tell me if a game is simmed the teams don't follow pre-season depth-chart switch rules?

I notice Stafford threw 4 touchdowns in pre-season. It makes me wonder if any of the 2nd team gets playing time.

If not, it will make it very difficult for anyone to do a position battle system when controlling 32 teams, if not every backup gets a shot in the pre-season.

[NewscasterNews4]

Quote: Originally Posted by Desalbert

Awesome stuff! Great write up. I'm concerned about one thing though! Please don't tell me if a game is simmed the teams don't follow pre-season depth-chart switch rules? I notice Stafford threw 4 touchdowns in pre-season. It makes me wonder if any of the 2nd team gets playing time. If not, it will make it very difficult for anyone to do a position battle system when controlling 32 teams, if not every backup gets a shot in the pre-season.

Yeah I saw a lot of that when I simmed the preseason as well.

[Gronk4M13]

Quote: Originally Posted by Desalbert

Awesome stuff! Great write up. I'm concerned about one thing though! Please don't tell me if a game is simmed the teams don't follow pre-season depth-chart switch rules? I notice Stafford threw 4 touchdowns in pre-season. It makes me wonder if any of the 2nd team gets playing time. If not, it will make it very difficult for anyone to do a position battle system when controlling 32 teams, if not every backup gets a shot in the pre-season.

No, the second teams get to play. For position battles, I'll just adjust the depth charts manually as to who I see the better player/more likely to start.

[Gronk4M13]

Preseason 2013 Week 2: Raiders @ Saints

After falling to the Cowboys in overtime last week, the Raiders travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of Superbowl 47, to take on the Saints. Matt Flynn was still the starter, but this week rookie Tyler Wilson played with the second team as opposed to the third team. Could another impressive performance from Wilson win him the job? The Raiders, led by Flynn, started on offense. Last week, the Raiders barely ran the ball, wanting to see how the quarterbacks played. This week, Oakland ran a more balanced offense. On the first series, Darren McFadden ran for fourteen yards, then five more, but exited the game with an injury. Luckily, McFadden was only suffering from muscle crampas and was substituted out. Reshad Jennings was stopped on third and short, and the Raiders punted after only running their first series.


Drew Brees, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, took the field. Vance Walker sacked the former Superbowl winning quarterback on the first play of the game. The Saints would not get anything going on offense, and punted. Nick Kasa could not hold on to a Flynn pass, but the next play Rashad Jennings took a halfback screen sixty-two yards for a touchdown. The Saints were back on offense, but again could not get anything going. Kevin Burnett sacked Brees, Jimmy Graham dropped the ball, and Maiava tacked Sproles on third down, resulting in a punt. Rookie Nick Kasa had three drops in the first quarter, as Matt Flynn was also off target. After the third drop, Kasa was replaced with fellow rookie Mychal Rivera, who had a great game last week. The Raiders would punt, up 7-0 after one quarter. Flynn played decently, but did not impress. His lone touchdown was due to Jenning’s speed and good blocking. Rookie Tyler Wilson, after a great game last week, entered the game.


Luke McCown’s first pass for the Saints was an Usama Young interception. Similar to Flynn, on Wilson’s first series the Raiders only ran the ball, and Jennings was stopped on third down, resulting in a punt. A great tackle on third down by Vance Walker resulted in another Saints punt. Tyler Wilson continued to build chemistry with Mychal Rivera with several completions to the rookie tight end. Josh Cribbs had an 18 yard catch, but then Wilson was off target with an incomplete pass. Wilson recovered, finding Rod Streater for a five yard touchdown pass! With that, it seemed that Flynn and Wilson were even

The Saints second string offense was abysmal, punting again. Streater continues to impress for Oakland, looking like a #1 receiver. A holding call on Alex Barron, an overthrown Wilson pass intended for Streater, and the Raiders punted. At the half, the Raiders led 14-0. McCown drove the Saints downfield, finding Ben Watson for a touchdown to reduce the deficit to seven points. On Wilson’s last snap, he found Juron Criner for eight yards. The rookie played well again, and may have done enough to edge Flynn in this quarterback battle this week. Terelle Pryor, relegated to third string quarterback, entered the game. Pryor was a man on a mission, as he took his second snap, a read option, 17 yards for a touchdown! If Wilson is great at throwing, Pryor is great at running. Pierre Thomas took the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Oakland 42.

Reggie Smith intercepted a McCown pass, the backup quarterback’s second interception in the game. Pryor ran for another ten yards, then failed a read option, resulting in the Raiders settling for a field goal. Sio Moore, the rookie linebacker, exited the game with a bruised sternum. Darren Sproles caught a ten yard touchdown to make the game closer. The Raiders recovered an onside kick, but were held to a field goal. The Saints drove down field, but failed on fourth down, and the game was over. The Raiders won 27-14.

Spoiler

Raiders win 27-14, move to 1-1 in preseason.

Press Conference with Dennis Allen

Question: How does it feel to win your first preseason game (this season?)

Allen: Winning always feel good. The whole team, myself included, was really disappointed after losing such a close game at home last week. This week, the entire team practiced harder, and it showed as we won prettily handily.

Question: What are your thoughts on the quarterback battle this week?

Allen: The battle is much closer than after last week's game. Flynn threw a touchdown, Wilson threw a touchdown, and Pryor ran for a touchdown. The rotation will be the same for next week: Flynn will start, Wilson will play the second and third quarters and Pryor will play the fourth quarter. I hope to announce the winner of the battle, the starting quarterback of this team, after next game.

Around the League:

The first day of cuts has arrived: see all the cuts here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...l-32-nfl-teams

Delano Howell falls to injury, which does not bode well for the Colts.

Russell Wilson throws three touchdowns in Seahawks victory, but wants it to be regular season.

Eagles win in a close one.

The Ravens tie with the Falcons, the second week in a row the Falcons tied.

Lions, Bears, Jets and Packers win.

Carson Palmer is glad to be playing football, preseason or not.

Bengals win, and Andy Dalton hopes it translates to success in the regular
season.

Titans linebacker Kamerion Wimbley falls to a broken collarbone.
Steelers dominate Redskins in victory.

**Author's note-

To Relocate, or Not to Relocate, That is the Question:

Hey guys, as you may know Owner Mode gives you the ability to relocate teams. I want to make this realistic, as I am playing as all 32 teams, but I also want your feed back. So please comment what to do with the following teams, who EA thinks need to relocate.

Raiders, Rams, Saints, Titans, Vikings,Jaguars, Falcons, Dolphins, Chargers and Bills.

Comment what to do: rebuild (new stadium) renovate (fix stadium) or relocate (move to new city.)