Just Win Baby!

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Preseason Week 2

Raiders @ Titans

QB Vince Young looked good in limited play. There are plenty of question marks behind him though. No one looked particularly good for the Raiders.

1st Quarter

QB Vince Young hits WR B. Jones for a 16yd TD

TEN 7 OAK 0

free agent kicker Mike Vanderjagt hits a FG

TEN 10 OAK 0

2nd Quarter

no scores

3rd Quater

no scores

4th Quarter

TEN Punter Craig Hentrich comes in and hits two more FGs

TEN 16 OAK 0

Outstanding Performers:

TEN QB Vince Young 6/7 for 67yds TD
TEN WR B. Jones 3 rec for 48yds TD
TEN DE Kyle Vanden Bosch 10 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks
OAK DT Tommy Kelly 7 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 sacks

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Raiders Trade News

Oakland sends their 7th round pick in 2010 to the Cardinals for TE Leonard Pope. Pope wasn't the Raiders first choice, but the Jaguars wanted at least a 3rd round choice for TE Marcedes Lewis and there was no way that was going to happen.

Raiders sign rookie RG Andrew Crummey to a 1yr $290K deal (leaving me $380K in the FA budget.) Crummey is seen as a developmental player.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Preseason Week 3

Cardinals @ Raiders

OAK QB JaMarcus Russell makes his preseason debut, and looks weak, drowsy and one might even say in an altered state of consciousness. Russell threw 3 interceptions before being replaced at the half. Needless to say, things didn't go well for the Raiders.

1st Quarter

ARI K Neil Rackers kicks a FG

ARI 3 OAK 0

2nd Quarter

OAK QB throws 3 ints on his way to posting a QB rating of 14.7 for the game.

3rd Quarter

OAK QB Andrew Walter struggles completing only 2 out of 9 passes.

OAK Rookie K Brandon Coutu shanks a 20yd FG

OAK HB Justin Fargas runs for a TD to take the lead

ARI 3 OAK 7

4th Quarter

ARI backup RB Kenneth Darby runs for a TD, but Neil Rackers misses the PAT

ARI 9 OAK 7

Top Performers

OAK SS Stuart Schweigert 11 tackles, int
ARI CB Antrel Rolle 2 ints
ARI HB Edgerrin James 22 carries for 83yds

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Raiders Trade Update

The Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans have come to terms on a deal that will send RT Eric Winston to Oakland in exchange for the Raiders 4th round pick in 2009.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Season Goals and Expectations

Owner Al Davis has let it slip that he's not that confident in his new coach. Davis is said to be expecting the Raiders to not even break .500 this season.

When told about this lack of confidence, Coach Joslin had this to say, "We'll I don't know where you heard that. Mr. Davis certainly hasn't expressed any negativity to me. I think we have the building blocks in place, and realistically think we can improve on last year's record of 7-9. In fact, I'll go ahead and garauntee it, we will be above .500 this season."

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Preseason Week 4

Raiders @ Seahawks

Another lethargic performance by OAK QB JaMarcus Russell leads to yet another loss.

1st Quarter

SEA QB Matt Hasselbeck finds first rounder TE Dustin Keller for a 4yd TD

SEA 7 OAK 0

2nd Quarter

OAK QB JaMarcus Russell responds with a TD throw to TE Zach Miller

SEA 7 OAK 7

SEA QB Matt Hasselbeck takes back the lead with a TD throw to WR Bobby Engram.

SEA 14 OAK 7

A Russell int sets up the next QB Hasselbeck TD, this one to WR Deion Branch.

SEA 21 OAK 7 at the half

3rd Quarter

SEA backup QB Seneca Wallace finds HB Chester Taylor for a TD

SEA 28 OAK 7

4th Quarter

OAK backup QB Andrew Walter finds backup TE Leonard Pope for a TD, Justin Fargas takes the pitch for the 2pt conversion.

SEA 28 OAK 15

An interception by Walter ends the chances of a comeback. Seattle wins and the Raiders finish the preseason at 1-3.

Top Performers

SEA QB Matt Hasselbeck 13/19 for 168yds 3 TDs, 2 ints
SEA WR Deion Branch 4 catches for 66yds and a TD
SEA DT Rocky Bernard 2 TFL, 2 sacks

OAK SS Stuart Schwiegert 2 ints

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Raider Free Agent Signing/Trade Update

The Raiders sign rookie C John Sullivan of Notre Dame to a 1yr deal worth $290K (this leaves me with $80K left and basically done signing FA's)

The Raiders added another pass rusher to the DE rotation when they sent their 7th round pick in 2009 and their 3rd round pick in 2010 to Arizona for DE Chike Okeafor.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell Arrested

Oakland QB, JaMarcus Russell was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

The substance? Codeine Syrup.

Codeine syrup when mixed with Sprite and Jolly Ranchers becomes a narcotic beverage known as Purple Drank, Lean or Sizzurp. ESPN’s "Outside the Lines" just did a feature on the beverage. It's said to make those who abuse it feel drowsy, weak and in an "altered level of consciousness." Perhaps not coincidentally, many Oakland Raider fans felt that Russell always played as if he was drowsy, weak and in a state of altered consciousness.

This may explain a lot about Russell’s stats last season and his recent behavior. Oakland selected LSU QB JaMarcus Russell #1 overall in the 2007 draft. After failing to reach a contract agreement with the Raiders, Russell held out through training camp and into the first week of the 2007 NFL season, until September 12, when he signed a six-year contract worth up to $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed.

Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin did not immediately name Russell a starter, saying, "That way we can really control what he is doing, play for this set amount of time for this many plays. He doesn't have to have everything mastered," noting that Russell had missed all of training camp and other quarterbacks, like David Carr, should have been brought along more slowly.
Russell played in only four games as a rookie, with a record of 1-3. Russell finished his rookie season with 36 completed passes on 66 attempts, 373 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. After the San Diego game, Kiffin named Russell the starting quarterback for the upcoming 2008 season.

In March of the 2008 offseason, NBC Sports ran a report describing Russell as "incredibly overweight", saying he arrived at mini-camp weighing 290 pounds, up from his initially reported weight of 271. By April, National Football Post reported him at 300 pounds. However, Cam Inman of The Oakland Tribune said that Russell had "a good first minicamp" and "is in great shape" in the team's first training camp in late April. In an interview during camp, Russell said "I'm going to keep coming out, work my tail off, and show everyone why I was the #1 pick last year."

Here's more on the arrest from aol.com:

Myles said Russell was arrested at his home early this afternoon during an undercover investigation. He was booked into Mobile Metro Jail at 4:22 p.m. Russell was released minutes later after making $2,500 bail, according to online records.

Russell is scheduled to appear in court on September 20. A bond hearing is set for September 7.

A source within the Raiders organization had this to say about the arrest, “Let’s face it, it was inevitable that JaMarcus Russell would be busted for something. It was just a matter of what he would be busted for. Would he hit a woman one night after she made fun of how much money he invested in diamond chains and how little he invested in his body? Would he accidentally set fire to a Shoney’s as he indulged in their all-you-can-eat buffet? Or would he be busted for possession, as he would be tragically too large to run away from the authorities?”

Oakland Head Coach Ken Joslin had this to say when asked for comment, “He won’t be playing for us, simple as that.”

Peter King, of Sports Illustrated, had this to say about the choice to release Russell, “Even though Al Davis was rightfully peeved to have gotten only a single win for his $39-million investment in the lazy Russell, he did the right thing in cutting his losses rather than forcing Russell down the throat of a coach, Ken Joslin, who clearly didn't want him.”

The question remains if anyone else will give the former #1 pick a second chance.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

GM Al Davis has let Coach Joslin know that by cutting QB JaMarcus Russell and taking a $25M penalty, he's put the team in serious salary cap trouble.

He let it be known in no uncertain terms that any further transactions that result in a cap penalty will result in his termination. "Coach Joslin is to immediately stop his reckless style of roster management. This is the final warning, next time he's done!", said Davis.

Raiders Salary Cap Status:

NLF Salary Cap: $116M
Team Salary Cap: $87.92M
Salary Cap Room: $27.88M
Current Penalties $200K
Potential Incentives: $0
Next Year Penalties: $34.62M

Year/Salary Cap Room (estimated)
2008/ $27.88M
2009/$1.02M
2010/$55.38M
2011/$76.61M

When asked for comment, Coach Joslin had this to say "I know that the decision to cut JaMarcus hurt the team, and I'm sorry for that, but I'm not having a guy like that on my team. Having him around, would be a distraction and send the wrong message. I don't care how much you make, I expect you to act like a professional...If you don't, you're not going to be here."

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Raiders Depth Chart Revealed

Oakland Raiders Depth Chart - 2008
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	D. Tyree 74/74	K. Robinson (R) 75/89	M. Monk (R) 69/76
TE	Z. Miller 81/90	L. Pope 60/72
LT	T. Tucker 75/75	A. Crummey (R) 58/88
LG	B. Albert (R) 81/92
C	D. Woody 77/77	J. Sullivan (R) 71/83	A. Steponovich 73/76
RG	E. Winson 82/84	C. Terry 75/75
RT	M. Wilson 86/89
WR	R. Curry 75/75	J. Cribbs 69/78
QB	K. Dorsey 69/69	A. Walter 79/88
FB	J. Griffith 80/80	O O'Neal 73/78
HB	J. Fargas 79/80	K. Faulk 85/86	D. Savage (R) 67/79	M. Bush 71/82
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	D. Burgess 83/83	C. Okeafor 83/83	C. Ortiz (R) 74/77
LDT	T. Kelly 84/85	G. Warren 80/80
RDT	T. Sands 80/81
RDE	J. Richardson 84/84	J. Savage 78/79
WLB	T. Howard 90/93	B. Redd (R) 77/81	R. Thomas 75/75
MLB	A. Ayodelle 84/85	K. Morrison 83/84	R. Brown 73/75
SLB	S. Fujita 79/79	S. Williams 78/78
CB	N. Asomugha 89/90	F. Washington 79/83	J. Bowie 70/74
SS	K. Hamlin 86/87	S. Schweigert 82/82
FS	M. Huff 88/92	C. Johnson 83/83
CB	D. Hall 85/85	S. Routt 78/82
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	S. Lechler 76/84	B. Coutu (R) 76/83
P	S. Lechler 76/84
PR	J. Cribbs 92	D. Hall 87	C. Johnson 79
KR	J. Cribbs 92	D. Hall 87	C. Johnson 79
LS	D. Woody 77	A. Stepanovich 73	J. Sulivan (R) 71

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Approval Rating and Season Goals

Approval Ratings:

Overall: 48

Fans: 21
Media: 44
Owner: 51
Players: 57
Staff: 72

Season Goals:

The fans want me to crush the Broncos in week 1

The fans want me to win on Monday Night Football vs. the Broncos in week 1

Owner Al Davis wants us to get off to a fast start and win 3 of the first 4 games.

Owner Al Davis thinks I should re-sign CB Nnamdi Asomugha and RT Mark Wilson

The Media think that GM Al Davis should be replaced (only going to happen if Al retires...since I don't get to call the shots on GM hire/fire, I have to follow the owners recommendation.)

The Media think that I should bring back DC Rob Ryan

Owner Al Davis wants me to have an approval rating above 65 by the end of the season.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Week 1

Broncos (0-0) @ Raiders (0-0)

Key Matchups:

OAK WR Ronald Curry (OVR 74) vs DEN CB Champ Bailey (OVR 92)
OAK HB Justin Fargas (OVR 79) vs DEN MLB DJ Williams (OVR 83)
OAK LT Torrin Tucker (OVR 75) vs DEN RE Bertrand Berry (OVR 81)

DEN WR Brandon Marshall (OVR 89 ) vs OAK CB Nnamdi Asomugha (OVR 89)
DEN HB Julius Jones (OVR 80) vs OAK MLB Akin Ayodele (OVR 84)
DEN LT Ryan Harris (OVR 82) vs OAK RE Jay Richardson (OVR 84)

As far as football rivalries go, Broncos vs. Raiders has to be up there with the best of them. There is no team that Denver fans love to hate more than the Raiders, and no team that Oakland fans enjoy despising more the Broncos.

Many Broncos and Oakland alike don't care if their team loses every other game they play in a given season, as long as they win these games.

In fact this hate-hate relationship is arguably the most intense rivalry in all of football. The reasons are many and varied, but they have stood the test of time and like the Hatfields and the McCoys; it is a feud that will never find its end.

These two teams know each other very well, and always come to play each other. But both teams have changed significantly since they last met.

1st Quarter

The Broncos start with the ball, but can't get anything going. Same goes for the Raiders.

2nd Quarter

Raider QB Ken Dorsey connects with WR Ronald Curry for a 16yd TD.

DEN 0 OAK 7

Oakland's defense is holding DEN QB Jay Cutler in check and getting the ball back for their offense. The Raiders show off their run game to move the ball down the field and end the drive with a TD by backup HB Kevin Faulk

DEN 0 OAK 14

The Broncos manage to drive to the goal line, but a big defensive stand by the Raiders makes the Broncos settle for a FG.

DEN 3 OAK 14

With 32 seconds on the clock, KR Josh Cribb takes the kickoff 97yds for a TD to end the half.

DEN 3 OAK 21 at the half

3rd Quarter

The Broncos put up a stout defense and force the Raiders to punt. QB Jay Cutler wastes no time moving his team down the field, but another goal line stand leaves the Broncos settling for a FG.

DEN 6 OAK 21

The Raiders come back with a dominating run game. Oakland adds another TD on a 13yd run on a pitch play.

DEN 6 OAK 28

4th Quarter

OAK P Shane Lechler misses a 20yd FG and a 44yd FG

DEN HB Julius Jones finally breaks free and goes 60yds for a TD. The Broncos fail on the 2pt. conversion.

DEN 12 OAK 28

Oakland runs out the clock

DEN 12 OAK 28 Final

Key Performers

DEN QB Jay Cutler 12/17 for 172yds
OAK QB Ken Dorsey 11/17 for 160yds TD

DEN HB Julius Jones 13 runs for 110yds TD
OAK HB Justin Fargas 25 runs for 172yds TD

DEN WR Brandon Stokely 5 catches for 45yds
OAK WR Ronald Curry 2 catches for 36yds TD

DEN DE Tim Crowder 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
OAK OLB Thomas Howard 7 tackles, 5 TFL, 5 sacks

Coach Joslin had this to say after the game "It was a hard fought game and we are glad to come away with the victory."

The Raiders travel to Arrowhead to face the 0-1 Chiefs next week.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Raider Trade News

The Raiders send their 2009 3rd round pick to Cleveland for LB Leon Williams. Oakland decided they wanted some insurance at LB when OLB Scott Fujita was injured in the Broncos game.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Side Note:

I played the 2nd game vs the Chiefs and was pretty pleased with the difficulty, but am going to make a change to the defensive sliders to slow down my defense a little.

New Defensive Sliders will be:

User/CPU
AWR- 30/50- dropped my Awareness slider 20 points
KND- 85/85- kept the same
INT- 31/31- kept the same
BRB- 30/56- dropped my Break Block slider 26 points
TAK- 38/46- dropped my Tackle sliker by 8 points

Still deciding if I want to ramp up the CPU defensive sliders, we'll see. Hard to make too many decisions based on games played against the Broncos and Chiefs.

Thanks for following. Also, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

[kdmajoslin]

Re: Just Win Baby!

Week 2

Raiders (1-0) @ Chiefs (0-1)

1st Quarter

Neither team can get anything going in the first quarter and trade punts.

2nd Quarter

OAK QB Ken Dorsey moves the Raiders down the field through the air, capping the drive with a 13yd strike to WR Ronald Curry.

OAK 7 KC 0

KC QB Brodie Croyle throws an interception to free agent acquisition SS Ken Hamlin. This sets up another Ken Dorsey to Ronald Curry TD.

OAK 14 KC 0

Another defensive stop by the Raiders gives them the ball back and this time the Raiders attack on the ground. Speedy OLB Derrick Johnson is shutting down the outside runs, so Coach Joslin send HB Justin Fargas up the middle. The Cheifs are totally unprepeared. HB Fargas ends the drive by catching screen pass and going 12yds for the TD.

OAK 21 KC 0

With less than two minutes left in the game, KC QB Brodie Croyle is intent on getting his team on the boards. He masterfully throws his way down the field, but once he gets in the redzone is stopped cold, and even driven back by the blitzing Raiders. Chiefs settle for a K, Rob Bironas FG.

OAK 21 KC 3 at the half

3rd Quarter

KC Coach Herm Edwards must of lit into his guys at halftime, because they are looking like a whole new team in the 3rd. They start the quarter with an interception by OLB Donnie Edwards. QB B. Croyle turns this into points when he finds TE Tony Gonzalez for a 21yd TD.

OAK 21 KC 10

The Raiders on the other hand look to have lost some of their mojo and have to punt. QB Croyle brings the Chiefs into FG range but that is as far as he gets. Chiefs settle for another Bironas FG.

OAK 21 KC 13

KC OLB Donnie Edwards intercepts QB Ken Dorsey again and this time goes 37yds for the TD. The Chiefs try for the 2pt conversion but get stuffed at the line.

OAK 21 KC 19

4th Quarter

Oakland shows some life as they effectively move the ball down the field on the ground. HB Justin Fargas bulls his way into the endzone from 1yd out. The Raiders try for 2pts but fail.

OAK 27 KC 19

A stop by the Raiders gives them the ball back and they turn it into a FG by P, Shane Lechler.

OAK 30 KC 19

KC WR Dwayne Bowe puts on a show, adding an 11yd TD. The Chiefs try for the 2pt conversion but come up short on the pitch play.

OAK 30 KC 25

The Raiders are just trying to run out the clock now, but when faced with a 3rd and very long due to penalties, Coach Joslin opts for a throw. HB Kevin Faulk goes on a go route, QB Ken Dorsey is feeling the pressure, he sidesteps KC DE Tamba Hali and sees HB Faulk all alone behind the secondary and throws. It's a catch with no one in front of him, HB K. Faulk goes 68yds for the TD.

OAK 37 KC 25

The Chiefs move down the field then they hit a defensive wall. Four tries to get 10 yards and they can't, turnover on downs. The Raiders pound the ball with HB Justin Fargas who turns a run of the mill counter play into a 24yd TD run. P, Shane Lechler misses the PAT!

OAK 43 KC 25

Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle gets them into the redzone, but time expires. Game over.

OAK 43 KC 25 Final

Key Performers:

OAK QB Ken Dorsey 12/25 for 219yds 4TDs, 2 ints
KC QB Brodie Croyle 20/35 for 234yds 2TDs, int

KC HB Larry Johnson 13 runs for 9yds
OAK HB Justin Fargas 32 runs for 223yds 2TDs

OAK WR Ronald Curry 3 catches for 48yds, 2TDs
KC TE Tony Gonzalez 7 catches for 66yds, TD

KC OLB Donnie Edwards 7 tackles, 2 ints, TD
OAK SS Ken Hamlin 8 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 sacks, int

Time of Possession: OAK 31:55/ 28:02 KC