Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Divisonal Round - Midweek News

Drew Brees throws for 307 yards as the Saints push past the rival Falcons.

Ben Rothlisberger threw 4 TD passes against the Ravens en route to a 35-17 Steelers victory.

Wild Card Round Scores:

Broncos def. Patriots 28-25
Packers def. Seahawks 45-27
Steelers def. Ravens 35-17
Saints def. Falcons 27-21

Divisional Round Matchups:

Broncos @ Texans
Packers @ Eagles
Steelers @ Raiders
Saints @ 49ers


Raiders News

HB Julio Caulder is cleared to play and will be in the starting lineup.

QB Colt McCoy was named the starting quarterback in the Raiders upcoming rematch with the Steelers.

Coach Lyle indicated that he go with a base 3-4 look, but use a variety of blitzes and alignments, especially on passing downs. "We were too conservative defensively in our first meeting. That won't be the case this time, " Lyle spoke. Sources say Ash will be the 4th linebacker to start. Olsen will likely be assigned to the outside to handle Heath Miller, as he's by far the best cover linebacker on the team.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Attack. Attack. Attack. Win.
Raiders' Aggression Spots Offense 14-Point
Lead, and They Took Care of the Rest.
Raiders Advance, 30-19

The defense gave the Raiders a quick two touchdown lead before McCoy stepped on the field. The aggression caught the Steelers by surprise, causing a fumble against Mendenhall (Jake Olsen) and then a pick-six by Paris Cooper.

After that, the defense did indeed keep attacking, blitzing from a variety of sets and formations, trying to confuse the protections. The results had to please pretty much everyone.

Rothlisberger was held to just 48% completion percentage and was sacked 3 times. That doesn't include the pressures and near-misses by some defenders that forced hurried throws and thrown away passes. He did rack up 252 yards, hitting some throws in succession and finding Andre Roberts for a TD after a couple missed tackles in the secondary. For the most part, however, the Steelers' pass attack was inconsistent.

The Raiders run game was equally inconsistent for much of the game. Steven Grant could get nothing going, and even after getting a little room later, he was clamped down to just 51 yards on 17 carries. Julio Caulder got the running going, including in "Caulder Time" as the team calls it - late in the 4th with a lead.

The Raiders had a 27-19 lead with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Caulder's hard running put the Raiders in position for 3 points and took 3:45 off the clock while also draining the Steelers of their timeouts. Caulder's day amounted to 81 yards on 15 carries.

McCoy had a very efficient day. He 'managed the game', throwing for 60% completion percentage and 199 yards. He hit Cobb for a touchdown and didn't get sacked or throw an interception. The offense in general "managed the game", but questions will abound about the meager 16-point output. Without the defensive scores, the Raiders were out-scored by 3 points.

Defensively, the stats are harder to evaluate on an individual level. McClain had just 7 tackles, but that lead the team, tied with Shaquille Carillon, a high total for him. Was that due to the attacking style or was he just picked on while Brandon Madison was avoided for the most part?

None of the other linebackers really put up much in the way of numbers. Sergio Kindle, who didn't even play every down, had the most tackles of the other linebackers with 4. He also forced a fumble, but the Raiders could not recover. Perhaps, that's a sign that Kindle is one who should be out there every down.

In the sacks department, Worilds, Bailey and Houston tallied a sack.

One interesting development was that Tomlin was not present during the postgame press conference. One of his assistant coaches fielded questions as did some of the players. No word on why Tomlin didn't appear - as that is an unusual behavior from one of the class acts in the league.

Box Score:

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)	0	10	3	6	19
Oakland Raiders (12-4)	17	7	3	3	30

Team Stats Comparison
	PIT	OAK
Total Offense	333	341
Rushing Yards	106	142
Passing Yards	227	199
First Downs	18	15
Punt Return Yards	20	29
Kick Return Yards	74	121
Total Yards	427	491
Turnovers	2	0
3rd Down Converstion	4	5
4th Down Conversion	0	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/1 (50%)	0/1 (50%)
Penalties
Posession Time	31:56	28:04

Pittsburgh Steelers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ben Rothlisberger 21/43 (48%) 252 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Rashard Mendenhall 26 106 4.1 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Andre Roberts 7 80 11.4 1 Ted Ginn 5 71 14.2 0 Heath Miller 4 43 10.8 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Perry Riley 10 0 0 0 Troy Polamalu 8 0 0 0 Lawrence Timmons 6 0 0 0 LaMarr Woodley 6 0 0 0 Kevin Barnes 5 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Billy Cundiff 4/4 48 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Mat McBriar 6 264 44.0 0

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Colt McCoy 18/30 (60%) 199 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Steven Grant 17 51 3.0 0 Julio Caulder 15 81 5.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Randall Cobb 6 59 9.8 1 Tony Moeaki 4 41 10.3 0 D'Andre Ware 2 28 14.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain 7 0 0 0 Shaquille Carillon 7 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch 6 0 0 0 Paris Cooper 4 0 1 1 Tevin Ash (1 FR) 2 0 0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 3/3 52 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 6 251 41.8 1

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Conference Championship Week - Midweek News

Now we know why Tomlin wasn't at the podium for the press conference after last week's game. He was sacked by the Steelers ownership immediately following the game.

LeSean McCoy rushed for 163 yards in the Eagles win last week.

Knowshawn Moreno picked up 2 TDs to lead the Broncos onward.

49ers are looking to reach the Super Bowl once again as they got by the Saints 20-17.

Match-ups:
Eagles @ 49ers

McCoy and the Eagles will look to keep that running attack going, but that will be tough against a 49ers defense that shut down the Saints offense last week. They should be fired up and ready to attack. The 49ers are the NFL's best team at 13-3, and are playing like it so far in the postseason.

Broncos @ Raiders

This heated rivalry will continue with the largest possible stakes as the winner represents the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Raiders swept the Broncos this season, though the last game was decided by one point. Both teams tend to feature their running attack, but the Raiders' will need to stop Skelton as well.


Raiders News

Nothing is expected to change for this weeks tilt against the Broncos.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Third Time is No Charm For Denver
The Raiders Defend Their AFC Title With
Convincing 30-7 Win.

The Raiders' last game at the Coliseum treated the home fans to a nearly perfectly executed game plan. The Raiders stuck to the run and pushed the Broncos around most of the game. That was a big part of the team success in this game.

This also happened without Steven Grant. The rookie HB left the game after a hard hit in the hole, straining his back. He was held out of the game for precautionary reasons as team doctors did not clear him to return. The next play, Caulder went down with a high ankle sprain, but he refused to come out.

"Hell, no, " Caulder said, "You are not keeping me out with Steve [Steven Grant] already hurting. We need a running attack, and I'm going out there. Tape it up, and let me go."

Go he did, and Caulder ran with that ferocity all game long. Caulder took the ball 26 times, picking up 133 yards on the day, including breaking a 27-yard run for a TD in the 4th quarter.

Until that run, the lone rushing TD came from a Colt McCoy 4-yd run in the early stages of the game.

Meanwhile, the defense went to work. The mission was first to slow down Moreno, and then get after Skelton. Both missions were accomplished.

Forced into long down and distance, the Raiders came aggressively after Skelton in many situations, mixing up zone and man behind the blitzes. The big recipient was Tevin Ash who put Skelton on the ground four times in the game. In all, the Raiders picked up 6 sacks.

When Skelton did throw the ball, the defensive backs were ready. This time, Brandon Madison was attacked, and he grabbed an interception on an overthrown ball. Archie Bracey grabbed an interception on a pass where he attacked the ball with Madison having the coverage on the receiver.

Skelton was then content with shorter passes. However, the Raiders jumped on most of the completions and allowed little running after the catch. The Denver QB completed 67% of his passes, but managed just 157 yards.

Colt McCoy picked up just 187 yards and also threw an interception. He completed a touchdown pass to D'Andre Ware, beating a Broncos blitz in the process.

Defensively, McClain, Branch, and Bailey all had 7 tackles, making for 14 from the inside linebackers combined. McClain forced a fumble and Archie Bracey nearly had the recovery, but the ball squirted off his fingertips as he tried to scoop it, and the Broncos ended up recovering.

The defense made just one mistake, letting Brian Hartline break free deep down the field and was all alone in the end zone. Branch and Bracey, the two safeties, could only look at each other as they tried to figure out what happened. Apparently, they did since the Broncos never got a sniff after that point.

The win puts the Raiders in the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. Last season, the offense collapsed under the weight of the 49ers defense, and lost 13-9 despite holding Alex Smith to 71 yards.

"I hope they make it so we can get our revenge, " Rolando McClain spoke, "We've got the stuff to take them out. I want that chance so bad."

Box Score:

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Denver Broncos (11-5)	0	7	0	0	7
Oakland Raiders (12-4)	0	17	6	7	30

Team Stats Comparison
	DEN	OAK
Total Offense	198	404
Rushing Yards	76	224
Passing Yards	122	180
First Downs	11	19
Punt Return Yards	25	38
Kick Return Yards	112	31
Total Yards	335	473
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	3-13 (23%)	7-13 (53%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/0 (0%)	1/0 (100%)
Penalties
Posession Time	24:01	35:59

Denver Broncos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT John Skelton 21/31 (67%) 157 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Knowshon Moreno 14 38 2.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Knowshon Moreno 8 9 1.1 0 Jacob Tamme 6 33 5.5 0 Demaryius Thomas 3 34 11.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Von Miller (1 FF) 9 0 0 0 Jim Leonhard 9 0 0 0 Joe Mays 9 0 0 0 Elvis Dummervil 6 1 0 0 Tracy Porter 5 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Matt Prater 0/1 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Britton Colquitt 6 273 45.5 0

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Colt McCoy 18/24 (75%) 187 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 26 133 5.1 1 Stevan Ridley 9 53 5.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 4 47 11.8 0 Randall Cobb 4 47 11.8 0 Marcel Reece 4 10 2.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain (1 FF) 7 0 0 0 Tanner Bailey 7 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch 7 1 0 0 Archie Bracey 5 0 1 0 Tevin Ash (1 FF) 5 4 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 3/3 58 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 4 191 47.8 2

Notes:
The Broncos never reached the red zone. First time the Raiders defense managed to achieve that...

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Super Bowl - Midweek News

Coach Andy Reid retired following the Broncos' loss to the Raiders.

Eagles knock off defending champions 23-13 to advance to the Super Bowl. Michael Vick threw for 266 yards and a TD while McCoy ran for 96 on just 15 carries.

NCAA Football News:

Virginia Tech SS James Caruso has been asked about moving to Free Safety, but the player has been very reluctant to make the move.

Washington WR William Dowd continues to struggle with his hands. He had more drops than catches in his Senior Bowl outing.

Illinois LT Wade Gasper continues to struggle against speed rushers. His blocking against the run looks very strong, but a tackle who can't pass block?


Raiders News:

Scouting resumes this week, and there's a lot of disagreement in the Raiders' war room as the organization watches a "finesse quarterback" that many consider downright average lead the way to the Super Bowl.

The debate is over Wade Schumacher and whether or not the team should pay to move up to get him. There is also no certainty he'll fall to (or remain projected at) 13th overall, so the team might have to go up to the upper reaches of the top 10 to make sure they get him, which would cost a lot...assuming a trade could be made.

The Reshard Watson supporters, though, are trying to convince folks that he's not Terrelle Pryor, part II. For one, Watson's awareness is at an NFL level. His accuracy is likely better, or at least will be over time. However, he lacks the cannon arm, and some say, if we like Watson, why not just stick with McCoy until a true top QB is available?

A lot of discussion, some of it not so civil, is going on.

However, Wade Schumacher is no longer on the draft board provided by the league. An interesting turn of events...

CB Corey Fanning is also not listed, so the team looked closer at CB Heston Hill, and can't find much they don't like.

SS Preston Robinson (South Carolina) might be interesting. He grades out with good speed and coverage. Also looks like he hits very hard as well.

MLB John Lugo returned to the scout board, but didn't really impress the team scouts. "He's not bad, but for someone who's so notorious, I thought he'd be a harder hitter or have more raw strength, " one scout spoke, "At this point, I think we like Adrian McGruder better."

WR William Dowd was looked at, but scouts agree with the consensus that his hands are poor. He still might attract attention as a kick returner. Maybe.

Speaking of return specialists, Taiwan Jones might be out of time if the team picks up Kasen Blake from West Texas A&M. Blake looks like he's got excellent speed and the instincts and vision to do well running back kicks. Scouts will likely look more at him next week to try to get a more exact read on that speed.


Injury News

HB Steven Grant's injury was indeed just a mild strain in the back. He will be active for the Super Bowl.

WR Denarius Moore returns to the active roster in time to play in his second Super Bowl. How sharp he'll be after 6 weeks down with an injury is somewhat up in the air, however.


Roster News

Moore will be placed in the #1 WR spot, but Randall Cobb will probably see a lot of action.

Caulder and Grant will remain as they were, so Grant will get another chance to start. His performance as starter has been somewhat up and down, but overall still solid - and perhaps more importantly, Caulder seems even better in the #2 role, though he handled the full duties just fine in the Conference Championship game.


Super Bowl XLIX Matchup

Matchup Preview | January 1, 2014
	@
Philadelphia Eagles (12-4, Away)		Oakland Raiders (12-4, Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 6219 Total Offensive Yards 5943 34 Passing TD 26 22 Rushing TD 11 13-15 Red Zone TD-FG 28-17 82% Red Zone Percentage 84% 28.2 Points Per Game 23.0 Defensive Stats Comparison 5581 Total Yards Allowed 5775 40 Sacks 54 10 Fumble Recoveries 14 26 Interceptions 16 68% Red Zone Percentage 87% 25.1 Points Per Game 22.1 Injury Report RG Danny Watkins (ACL) 2 weeks CB Fred Marshall (elbow) IR C Jason Kelce (chest) 2 weeks Game Notes Eagles scored more points on fewer red zone trips, indicating a big play style of offense...Raiders' offense will need to watch out for interceptions...Eagles defense was tied for 2nd in interceptions...Raiders pass rush will need to come to bear against Vick...but protections will need to hold up to help McCoy avoid mistakes...

[Cre8]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

This is going to be a tremendous match-up for you. I really hope McCoy and Co. can prove to be the right mix to take out those Eagles.

[JaymeeAwesome]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

McCoy brought you this far....I have faith that he'll give you that Lombardi Trophy.

[bhurst99]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Interesting SuperBowl match-up. Good luck.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Raiders Fall in Overtime
Caulder Wills His Team to Overtime, but
Eagles Have Enough to Overcome, Win 23-20.

Julio Caulder tried to carry it all on his back, and it almost broke his back, literally. The young power back picked up where Steven Grant couldn't go. Grant was just out of sync all day, although he connected with McCoy on some receptions and then ran in a short TD, he dropped two chances at TD passes in the first quarter. He then couldn't get anything going on the ground.

Coach Lyle made the switch, putting Caulder in, and suddenly, the offense started moving. McCoy used Caulder's energy to lead a 15-play drive to get the tying TD in the second quarter just before the half, knotting the score at 10.

The Eagles countered with a well-engineered 10-play drive from Michael Vick, culminating in a Lesean McCoy TD run.

Meanwhile, the Raiders offense started suffering injuries. Denarius Moore left with another major injury, his third one of the year and just returning from the last severe injury. Then Tony Moeaki went down for some plays, along with Grant.

With the score 17-10, the Raiders again got a drive together to make the score 17-13. The Eagles kicked a FG, also leaning on their running game with the lead. Then in the 4th, McCoy put together another long drive, thanks largely to three powerful Caulder runs.

Caulder pushes ahead for a first down.


Caulder fights for 1st and Goal


He finishes the drive for the tying touchdown.

In the third quarter, perhaps some nerves were setting in. Cobb muffed a punt for the first time this season. The Eagles recovered, but couldn't do anything with the turnover. Raiders made two turnovers, but only 3 points came as a result.

The Raiders defense held the Eagles and forced overtime. The Raiders got the ball first, but were stopped when another injury occurred, this time to Caulder. He had to leave the game with a major back injury. He couldn't move and had to be carted off the field.

This seemed to deflate the Raiders. Cold Steven Grant couldn't make yards and McCoy wasn't totally right himself, just being slightly "off" on his throws all day.

The Raiders had to punt and then it was up to the defense. The Eagles moved down the field to the edge of field goal range. Brandon Madison nearly had an interception along the sideline, but he was ruled out of bounds...or so that's the assumption. The booth did not review the play. Later, Vick throw one nearly at Carillon, but it slipped out of his hands.

Then Tanner Bailey went down with an injury. He would not return for the game.

The defense held strong, putting the Eagles in third and long after two good plays by Olsen. However, Vick barely squeezed a pass past Tyvon Branch and into Brent Celek's hands. It did not net a 1st down, but the field goal attempt became much easier.

That 41-yard attempt went through, and the Raiders again suffer defeat at the Super Bowl.

As the Raiders watched the celebration, McClain kicked over the Gatorade table and stormed off into the locker room. Colt McCoy made a slow dejected walk off the field. Cobb and Lesean McCoy met in the middle of the field for some friendly words and then Lesean accepted the Pete Rozelle trophy for Super Bowl MVP.

"Last time, it was easy to see what the issues were. This loss, it's hard to really point fingers or at any one player or group. It was just a hard-fought game on both sides. We made a couple mistakes, but I think they just played a little better, and sometimes - that's enough in the NFL, " Lyle spoke.

The Raiders again exceeded expectations. Most were happy with a repeat playoff appearance, let alone winning the division and making the second consecutive Super Bowl trip. Twitter was buzzing about the game, calling it an instant classic and one of the best Super Bowls in history.

The Raiders will have to lick their wounds and hope McClain doesn't kill someone or break his foot kicking tables by next training camp.

"Don't talk to me, " McClain spoke, "Go away. I'm mad as **** and I don't want to hear any lame *** questions about 'how do I feel?' or ****. How do you think I feel? Just leave me be."

Some will question the use of the 3-4. While the defense performed - McClain's tackles were cut in half. Perhaps if he had all 17 interior linebacker tackles, a fumble would have been forced, might have made a difference. Though others will point to Branch - the supposedly good man coverage safety who got beat twice on deep out routes on the final drive in overtime. And of course, the QB. Colt McCoy didn't cost the team games like Pyror has, and he makes good things happen...if he has a run game, but can he win games as well? Is the deep threat what the Colt McCoy offense lacks? Many questions to answer as the offseason looms.

Box Score:

Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Philadelphia Eagles ()	0	17	0	3	3	23
Oakland Raiders ()	3	7	3	7	0	20

Team Stats Comparison
	PHI	OAK
Total Offense	365	375
Rushing Yards	198	150
Passing Yards	167	225
First Downs	16	21
Punt Return Yards	18	32
Kick Return Yards	87	100
Total Yards	470	507
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	5-17 (29%)	12-21 (57%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1 (100%)	2/1 (100%)
Penalties
Posession Time	31:08	37:27

Philadelphia Eagles PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Michael Vick 17/30 (56%) 170 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lesean McCoy 29 129 4.4 1 Michael Vick 7 53 7.6 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jason Avant 5 54 10.8 0 Brent Celek 5 46 9.2 0 Desean Jackson 3 31 10.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD James Gabor 11 0 0 0 Mychal Kendricks 11 0 0 0 Oshimogho Atogwe 7 0 0 0 Akeem Jordan 7 0 0 0 DeMeco Ryans 7 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG David Buehler 3/3 48 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lincoln Anderson 7 329 47.0 3

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Colt McCoy 23/36 (63%) 241 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 22 95 4.3 1 Steven Grant 17 41 2.4 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Randall Cobb 6 92 15.3 0 Steven Grant 5 27 5.4 0 Corey McCants 3 38 12.7 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain 8 0 0 0 Tanner Bailey 7 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch 7 1 0 0 Paris Cooper 5 0 0 0 Tevin Ash 5 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 2/2 57 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 7 291 41.6 2

[preaceps]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Ouch, sorry man.

Caulder - ROAR!!!!

And you just send America into another recession due to excess spending by corporate America during overtime commercial spending.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Offseason Stage 1

Ander Lyle reaches level 4 and is free to search for teams. (I guess..? It kicked him off the team). He re-upped with the Raiders for 3 years.


Retirements
Saints QB Drew Brees has retired.
Carolina WR Steve Smith retired.

Comebacks
MLB Takeo Spikes returns from retirement.
WR Santana Moss has announced his un-retirement.
QB Matt Hasselback has retired.
QB Donovan McNabb has retired.

Contract News
Lions placed a tag on DT Ndamukong Suh. He is one name the Raiders were planning to attack heavily this offseason.

Jaguars FG Greg Jones is franchise tagged.
Dolphins DT Randy Starks is franchised.
Chiefs place the franchise tag on OL Branden Albert.
Bengals place the franchise tag on LB Geno Atkins.
Patriots extend DT Richard Seymour for 6 years @ $36 M.
Saints DT Tyson Alualu rejected an extension offer.
Titans QB Josh Freeman rejected the latest contract offer.
(this went unreported...?) Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was franchise tagged.

Coach Lyle's reaction ->

Stage 2

Coaching Chages:
Rex Ryan goes from Jets to the other New York team, the Giants.

Mike Tomlin takes the gig at Denver to be head football coach.

Rookie coach Marcus Rodgers takes the helm in Pittsburgh.

Ravens hire a familiar face. Marvin Lewis returns to Baltimore as head coach.

Raiders News:

The plans the Raiders had for the offseason were dashed before they began. Aaron Rodgers got franchised with the team sacrificing Clay Mathews to do it (11 teams are after the all-pro linebacker, including Oakland). Offers the Raiders made for the stage:

QB Colt McCoy, 2 yrs, $5 M
CB Patrick Peterson, 5 years, $42.5 M
LB Clay Matthews, 4 years, $35.2 M
WR Randall Cobb, 4 years, $20.4 M
WR Demaryius Thomas, 5 years, $27.5 M
RE Da'Quan Bowers, 2 years $1.8 M
FS Archie Bracey, 1 year, $650 K
HB Mikel Leshoure, 4 years, 6.84 M

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Ouch, sorry man.

Caulder - ROAR!!!!

And you just send America into another recession due to excess spending by corporate America during overtime commercial spending.

Caulder owns. Love that kid. I love power backs in general, but he's something else.

LOL, well, hey - at least they got to watch a great football game.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Offseason Stage 4

Major Signings:

HB Ahmad Bradshaw joins the Saints for 5 years, $24.65 M.

Raiders Transactions:

QB Colt McCoy returns to the team, signing a 2-year, $4.1 M contract.
FS Archie Bracey signs on for 1 year at $600 K

Raiders offers at this stage:

LB K.J. Wright, 5 years, $27.5 M (new)

Raiders withdrew their contract offer to Clay Matthews, fearing a bidding war even above the nearly $9 M per year quoted.

Scouting:

QB Wade Schumacher is climbing up the projected charts. He's now expected to go 11th overall.

HB Kasen Blake's speed is for real. Scouts gave him a 99 grade and loved his acceleration as well.

DT Keiwone Waters is attracting team interest. Should the Raiders forego a QB in the first round, this 317 lb defensive end might be the target.

FS DaVonte Chappelle's wonderlic score had scouts laughing...and not in a good way. His awareness grade as a result? 10.


Offseason - Stage 5 & 6 (I swear it skipped Stage 5...)

Major Signings:

Bengals nab QB Jake Locker for 3 years and $6.2 M. Skip Bayless thinks the rest of the league will regret passing on Locker.

Raiders claimed HB Mikel Leshoure for 4 years and $6.8 M, a surprising - and considered good - move by experts.

Texans signed mysteriously good QB John Skelton to a 4-year, $22.0 M deal.

Patriots picked up DT Alualu for 4 years and $12.4 M

Raiders locked up LB K.J. Wright, leaving LaVar Arrington stunned on Twitter.


Interest in Clay Matthews went from 11 teams...to 1, the New York Giants...

Raiders' targets WR Randall Cobb, CB Patrick Peterson, DE Da'Quan Bowers, and WR Demaryius Thomas all have an additional suitor.

Raiders Offers:

CB Patrick Peterson, 5 years, $44.5 M (increased)
WR Demaryius Thomas, 5 years, $31.0 M (increased)
WR Randall Cobb, 4 years, $22.0 M (increased)

Scouting:

Supporters of the team paying up to get QB Wade Schumacher got more ammunition from the latest scouting reports. Scouts confirmed that Schumacher throws perfect spirals more often than not and seems to have an excellent sense of when he's forcing passes. Scouts are a little concerned about how he'll fare with pressure around him, however.

Another poor wonderlic score - this time from UTEP's WR Bobby Jackson. The team became interested in him with his fearlessness in going after the ball in traffic and his quick release off the line, but his awareness scores a whopping 27...


Offseason - Stage 7

Prospects News:

San Jose State FB/HB Hank Delany doesn't seem to distinguish himself as either backfield role.

Virginia Tech SS James Caruso had better than expected workouts. This likely boosts his draft stock.


Major Signings:

Jets signed MLB David Harris to a 4-year, $27.2 M contract.

Giants signed OLB Clay Matthews for 6 years and $52.4 M.

Former Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor joins the Eagles after signing a 4-year contract.

Saints have QB Andy Dalton to replace Drew Brees.

Browns landed veteran linebacker James Farrior to a 1-year, 9 M deal.

Redskins signed WR Roddy White for 6 years and $50.5 M.

Packers picked up out-of-retirement MLB Takeo Spikes for 1 year at $4.5 M.

QB Carson Palmer agrees to terms with the Titans.

Jets added LB Lance Briggs for 2 years and $14.4 M.

Carolina grabbed HB Willis McGahee to add to their backfield power.

Saints picked WR Devin Hester - terms undisclosed.

49ers land CB Chris Gamble for a total of $38.4 M.

WR Michael Crabtree lands with the Jets for $18 M total.

Raiders bolster their secondary by snagging CB Patrick Peterson for 5 years and $44.5 M.

The Colts give wily veteran LB Bart Scott a $7.5 M, 1-year deal.

Manny Lawson was picked up by the Bills for $20 M, a contract Bayless called DUMB.

Da'Quan Bowers chose Oakland as the Raiders add to their defensive line depth.

Packers add MLB Desmond Bishop for 4 years and $30.7 M.


Trade Rumors:

Tanner Bailey supposedly did not "request" a trade, but the Raiders are fielding offers for him. Again.

Power HB Nathaniel Pennix was placed on the trade block by the Browns.

Breaking News: Raiders agree to the Rams' submitted offer to send Tanner Bailey to the Rams for STL 1st round pick in the upcoming draft.

The Raiders are also checking with league officials about the pick they acquired from the Bucs last season for McFadden. That pick is listed at 9th Overall.

Should that stand, every thing could change as far as the Raiders draft board. The Rams pick is listed as 10th overall. Raiders could end up with back-to-back picks in the top 10. One would think Schumacher is "in the bag" at this point...

"Last year, we were told that pick was 18th overall. Now it's 9th overall?" Lyle commented.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Offseason - Stage 8

The NFL Draft has arrived. The Raiders were unable to land Demaryius Thomas or Randall Cobb. That could leave them looking for a WR in the draft.

QB Eric Rancour is expected to go first overall, though little has been said about him during the year. Same for HB Rannell Moore, despite the fact he's slotted to go Top 5.

The Raiders top-desired prospects:

QB Wade Schumacher - Big arm, solid accuracy for the NFL level. Decent enough instincts to work with.

QB Reshard Watson - Most cerebral prospect, lacks raw arm strength and needs some work on mechanics.

RE Keiwone Waters - Big and powerful, this young man could make the hybrid defense sing up front.

CB Corey Fanning - Well-rounded corner. Would really solidify the dime and quarter packages, allowing them to be more aggressive. Physicality is a concern.

MLB Adrian McGruder - This heavy hitter has the eyes of the team. Could fill the Worilds/Kindle role.

CB Heston Hill - Solid man cover corner. Could do worse and is reachable in round 3. Like Fanning, questionable physical will.

HB Kasen Blake - Can you say return specialist? With 99 SPD, 94 ACC and solid KR and BCV projections, I think you can. Wouldn't trust him with a key carry out of the backfield, though.

HB Tyrone Dore - Not sure what kind of HB is good at trucking and elusiveness with solid speed and carrying as well. Is he a faster Caulder? A more powerful Grant? An Alfred Morris clone? For a 7th, it's worth finding out.

WR Bobby Jackson - You might can forgive the occasional mental hiccup on a 6'4 WR that's quick off the line and moves well for his size...and can use that body to box out defenders.

C Sergei Wainwright - Would be a nice young center to groom behind Wisniewski...and maybe someone who can secure RT in the meantime.

[preaceps]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

nice job getting peterson, though should have stuck with matthews. Went for under the 9m a year you thought didn't he? Oh well. McGruder is a physical beast, much like Jay Dwyer if you used him even. I recommend him. Good luck finding a WR though, tough losing Cobb I know you wanted him.