Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Stage 6

Notable League Signings:

STL: QB Tony Romo - 1 yr/$7.56 M
BAL: RG G. Reynalds - 4 yrs/$5.52 M
PHI: WR R. Lake - 4 yrs/$9 M
MIA: LB Larry Foote - 1 yr/$1.1 M

Raiders Signings:
None

Raiders Offers:
RT Sean Locklear: 1 yr/$1.1 M
P Shon Richardson: 3 yrs/$1.8 M


Stage 7

Draft News:
DE Willie Burns (Arizona), is going to make the switch to outside linebacker. He made the decision after his individual workout.

Notable League Signings:

DAL: DE Ray McDonald, 4 yrs/$46.8 M
MIA: HB Chris Johnson, 4 yrs/$28.0 M (not bad after being totally unwanted last year)
NO: FS Louis Delmas, 4 yrs/$21.2 M
IND: HB Rashard Mendenhall, 4 yrs/$19.5 M
TEN: DL Luis Castillo, 4 yrs/$25.3 M
MIN: QB Mark Mallett, 3 yrs/$11.34 M
NO: OL Jason Brooke, 5 yrs/$30 M
MIN: SS Kenny Philips, 5 yrs/$31 M
SEA: QB Vince Young, 2 yrs/$6.4 M
SD: WR Pierre Garcon, 4 yrs/$18.8 M
ARI: LB Curtis Lofton
TB: DE Cameron Wake, 5 yrs/$54.9 M
SD: DL Alvaro McClain, 5 yrs/$49.5 M

Raiders Signings:
P Shon Richardson, 3 yrs/$1.8 M


Transactions:
Offers have been coming in for Paris Cooper, but nothing exciting, according to team officials. No other interests have come in just yet for the other players, although a bevy of offers have come in for Taukei Griggs, ranging from 1sts this year, 1sts next year, and everything in between. However, the Raiders show no inclination to deal the HB. The interest is likely from the utter lack of HB talent in the draft.

McClain has been shopped around with the Seahawks, Vikings, and Saints among the most interested teams. The Saints have the biggest need for the linebacker.


Stage 8

WR Jamal Bonner is considered the clear 1st overall prospect. However, in recent drafts, that designation hasn't come to pass.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

2017 NFL Draft

Storyline Selections

IND 1.1 - QB Austin Duncan
CLE 1.5 - HB D'Cota Bell
CLE 1.23 - CB Arik Casher
OAK 2.13 - WR Akia Green
CIN 3.8 - HB Bull Griggs
KC 4.14 - CB Rodney Maye
OAK 5.15 - QB Danny Martens
OAK 5.31 - LE Kooper Cosbert


First Round Picks

1.1 IND: QB Austin Duncan
1.2 ARI: LOLB Asa Davidson
1.3 JAX: WR Jamal Bonner
1.4 DAL: QB Jordan Norwell
1.5 CLE: HB D'Cota Bell
1.6 CHI: DT Andre Jackson
1.7 NO: LT Keenan Vincent
1.8 IND: LE Demetre King
1.9 NE: QB Justin Paskorz
1.10 CLE: TE Dylan Brown
1.11 GB: HB Jamel Ramsey
1.12 BUF: ROLB Willie Burns
1.13 CHI: C Josh Morgan
1.14 SEA: LG Kain Wilcoxson
1.15 CLE: DT Keith Malone
1.16 GB: WR Tercel Dean
1.17 BAL: LOLB Leonard Washington
1.18 ARI: RT Darian Robinson
1.19 SF: DT Kendall Jones
1.20 CLE: SS Mike Gates
1.21 CLE: LE Jamille Buchanan
1.22 CLE: RE Jeremy Whiteside
1.23 CLE: CB Arik Casher
1.24 ATL: CB Andrew Smith
1.25 DEN: TE Eric Derise
1.26 IND: DT Austin Amerau
1.27 PIT: CB Andrew Brown
1.28 PIT: C Zachary Rotenkolber
1.29 PIT: RT Jonathan Lewis
1.30 JAX: TE Ryan Johnson
1.31 OAK: LT Zac Foster
1.32 KC: LOLB Tommy Weissling


Raiders' Picks

1.31 OAK: LT Zac Foster
2.13 OAK: WR Akia Green
2.22 OAK: FS Lamel Seawood (traded FS Barker, 2017 OAK #5 to Falcons)
4.31 OAK: CB Lorenzo Hopkins
5.10 OAK: MLB Earl Williams (traded DT Keon Howard to Washington)
5.15 OAK: QB Danny Martens (traded 2017 OAK #7 and 2018 OAK #5 to Colts)
5.31 OAK: DE Kooper Cosbert

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

2018 Dawns

Already going to be chaotic it seems. Teams are pushing on Griggs, and suddenly, the rest of the trade block players got interesting to teams. Then there's players like Aaron Maybin and Clint Boling on the trade block. Perhaps this will be a bit of a "retooling" year for the Raiders - shifting to a 3-4, hashing out the offense, while keeping the needed playmakers in tact.

Expectations have come down a bit, now the team is projected to reach (not win) the AFC Championship Game. Uncertainty around the offense likely is part of that, not to mention the Super Bowl loss.

The Raiders seemed to make the most of a lackluster class, especially in the need areas for the team. Many of the players drafted will push, and perhaps trigger the trade of, other players that held slots last season.

Lastly, the team's cap room is no longer dripping with excess. Gone are the days of $60 M of cap space. Now, the Raiders are more like other teams, around $10-$15 M, which is still decent enough to manuever, but tight enough to perhaps add a little urgency to those trade talks, especially regarding players the team would rather keep like Veldheer and Houston...though Cosbert might have pushed...or at least made palatable...a deal for Houston.

The McClain drama rolls on, but the selection of Earl Williams, who graded out well (details to come) during training camp, might have written the conclusion. McClain sees it as well if rumors are true that he is willing to take on a "mentor" role as well as hold the right outside linebacker slot. Williams doesn't need much mentoring, and Ashe is ready to take that spot and K.J. Wright has proven able as well. Suh said "forget it", but in a more...colorful...manner.

Paris Cooper is a bit of a saga as well. Selecting CB Hopkins in the draft rankled Cooper, who sees himself losing playing time to Carillon and playing out of position at safety...and now they drafted Seawood.

And what of the push for Taukei Griggs? Does the team deal the HB that might be a bit of refinement away from being a fast version of Julio Caulder? Can the team resist first round picks for a 2nd string HB, no matter how good he may be?

Lastly, can the kid of which Trey Wingo's most memorable moment is the fact he had bulbous eyes, push to be a starter in his first year. QB Danny Martens might want to loosen up that arm.

Oh and Kaepernick is around. His accuracy grades are not the best (actually, they stink) but this is a team that had success with Terrell Pryor and Colt McCoy. So, anything is a possibility at QB. Schumacher might want to get that arm warmed up, too.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Its funny that 3 of the guys you've mentioned I drafted in this draft. We must look for the same set of skills when evaluating players.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Probably so. Pretty interesting, though not surprising from what I remember when you were telling me about your Denver team.

[Gronk4M13]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Great draft and offseason. Kosbert, Martens and Lamel Seawood are all great in my current CCM with the Ravens, I drafted them all.

[tdawg3782]

Just gotta say you are gonna love Cosbert. He's a playmaker especially if you do decided to run that 3-4.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[DeadlyVirus o_o]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Been following your franchise for a while now and loving it! Also tried out your sliders, which have got me back to playing Madden.

[Raider510]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Wow, Cleveland had 7 1st round picks in your draft? Wonder what they gave up to get those.....

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Wow, Cleveland had 7 1st round picks in your draft? Wonder what they gave up to get those.....

I was thinking the same thing. I kept seeing CLE pick up picks left and right.

Better them than someone in the division, though, and this wasn't the best draft in the world for them to do it in (unlike the current draft - it's the J.J. Smoke draft for those scoring at home, or as I call it, the Kendle Maeweather draft). Speaking of Smoke, if he stays a corner, I might not be too broken up about not getting him (our corners are solid overall), but if he turns wideout...that might change things... Smoke and Moore, and if Akia Green develops, along with Kruger at TE...

Speaking of Cleveland, I need to go see about QB Blaine Giles again. Maybe they developed him and he would be worth giving up stuff for, or he's faltered and now they'll deal him cheap, and remember to pick up that former top prospect OLB Robins that I remember wanting back in the first draft (where Tevin Ash and Jake Olsen came from). Hopefully, someone else didn't when I turned it over to the new season.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

McClain, Other Key Players Traded to Kick Off Preseason

The Raiders kicked off the preseason with a flurry of moves as teams fought for the chance to get some pieces from Oakland to bolster their teams.

The Dolphins landed MLB Rolando McClain and Oakland's 6th round pick in 2019 in return for the Miami's 1st round pick in 2018.

The move fills a gaping hole in the Miami defense while getting the Raiders another 1st round pick for the coming draft. McClain becomes the building block in the Miami, easily the best linebacker on the team.

For the Raiders, normally, losing someone like McClain would hurt, but they've already proven just fine without the all-pro linebacker...because they have would-be all-pros right behind him.

Other teams reportedly interested in McClain included: Bengals, Browns, Bucs, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Titans, Steelers, Saints, Ravens, Pats, Lions, Jets, Jaguars, Falcons, Eagles and the Cowboys.

CB Paris Cooper moved in a similar deal, netting the Raiders one of the 1st round picks from the Titans in return for the young cornerback and Oakland's 6th round pick in 2018.

Titans filled a hole with this move as well, as Cooper should fit in well with the team's stable of corners. He and Jason McCourty should do well as starting corners for the team.

Meanwhile, the Raiders grabbed their fourth 1st round pick in the coming draft, with this one maybe being high up, according to some analysts.

Several teams were interested in Cooper as well, and the Lions were one, but they did not want to give up a 1st in 2018.

"We know what the Raiders are trying to do, because we're trying to do the same thing, " a Lions' official smiled, "Needless to say, when we're both trying to load up for the 2018 draft, it makes talks a tad difficult."

The Lions have 4 first round picks in the draft as well, with two potentially being top 10.

LE Lamarr Houston was moved in order to fill a hole on the Raiders' roster at RT. The team agreed to a swap of similarly aged players by grabbing Redskins RT Gabe Carimi.

Carimi could work well in the Raiders' power run system. It seems that Oakland was higher on the veteran tackle than Washington was, and that helped make the trade go more easily. Carimi features a lot of size (6' 7", 316 lbs) and has 96 STR according to scouts. He's also a monster in run blocking and not terrible in pass blocking.

"We see Houston is a big upgrade to our front seven. He's versatile and should adapt well to our 3-4 system, " the Redskins' GM commented.

Meanwhile, on the Oakland side, they feel like they talked the Redskins into giving up the better player.

"We were interested in Carimi and another tackle. We thought Carimi was their starter and asked for who we thought was their #2. Turns out, we had it backwards. That's fine as we think Carimi is better all around, " Coach Lyle spoke.

With the acquisition of a right tackle, Jared Veldheer was pulled from the trade block, according to officials. The only gray area is with HB Taukei Griggs. There seems to be debate within the organization as to whether or not to keep him or deal him.


Trade Summary

Raiders dealt:
MLB Rolando McClain
LE Lamarr Houston
CB Paris Cooper
OAK 2019 #6
OAK 2018 #7

Raiders acquired:
1st round pick in 2018 (currently slotted at #3)
1st round pick in 2018 (currently slotted at #19)
RT Gabe Carimi

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Wow, Cleveland had 7 1st round picks in your draft? Wonder what they gave up to get those.....

Cleveland's tapped out for the 2018 draft, basically. They have a 2nd and 2 4ths right now.

So it seems they depleted their 2017 picks and 2018 picks, and have needs in many places (probably trading players as well), so they definitely rolled the dice.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Just gotta say you are gonna love Cosbert. He's a playmaker especially if you do decided to run that 3-4.

Looking forward to seeing him in action.

We'll be running the 3-4 and he'll be the starter at LE.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Roster Invitees

The Raiders have a talented core group, but depth is at a premium. That was the focus for the roster invitees this preseason - not so much looking for starters in the rough, but depth to round out the bench and kick coverage units.

LOLB Cedric Robins - Uncertain as to why he didn't make the Bucs' roster after breaking out for 94 tackles and an interception last season. Perhaps he was a cap casualty like Wisniewski.

LG Chris Kemoatu - The veteran guard fits in with the team's run-first offense, still showing power (94 STR).

RT Corey Hilliard - A veteran RT that's relatively balanced between run and pass blocking with enough strength to make it happen.

TE Nico Emig - UDFA with the makings of a possible receiver/run blocker that the team has been looking for...other than by putting Reece at TE. Problem? He's got really low awareness in general. He'll need to make strides.

TE Jed Bennett - This UDFA from Virginia as regarded to be as strong as an offensive lineman, but has the potential to make some plays as a receiver. Like Emig, needs a lot of film study to really show what he can do going forward.

TE Chris Cooley - Team returns the veteran after testing the FA market. He'll be the #2 TE.

RE Jared Crick - A versatile 3-4 end that delivers big hits and can do a decent job in pursuit. Injury history is a concern.

LE Brian Carson - Not the prototypical 3-4 end, but the team might can see him using his exceptional speed and pursuit in some situations. Conditioning is a major concern, which will definitely limit his use.

LE Marlon Oduh - Much more like your usual 3-4 DE. Mostly oriented around run stopping and filling space. Good head on his shoulders that really helps him overcome a lack of sheer athleticism and power.

CB Adam Jones - Attacks the ball and has the hands to catch some interceptions when he does. Question is: Can he do anything else well enough?

SS Bob Sanders - Veteran safety can still hit hard enough to cause some damage and his instincts should help him survive his aging physical ability.

ROLB Devyn Brown - Pretty much a lesser version of Tevin Ash.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Rookie Ratings Report

MLB Earl Williams
Top 5 ratings: POW (90), SPD (88), ACC (88), TAK (84), BSH (84)

CB Lorenzo Hopkins
Top 5 ratings: AGI (96), JMP (96), SPD (95), AGI (93), PRC (85)

LT Zac Foster
Top 5 ratings: IBL (95), STR (90), RBK (80), AWR (80), PBK (75)

WR Akia Green
Top 5 ratings: SPD (97), ACC (95), JMP (95), RET (90), RLS (88)

FS Lamel Seawood
Top 5 ratings: SPD (93), POW (93), ACC (90), AGI (90), ZCV (82)

QB Danny Martens
Top 5 ratings: THP (94), DAC (90!), PAC (84), RUN (83), SAC (82)


Notable Progression:

LB Davarius Bullock
STR: 77 to 78
BSH: 86 to 90
STA: 82 to 84

CB Patrick Peterson
PRC: 84 to 87
AWR: 83 to 86

LG Cale Welch
AWR: 89 to 90

SS Tyvon Branch
POW: 84 to 85
PUR: 84 to 85

WR Justin Blackmon
RTE: 75 to 77
AWR: 70 t0 71

WR Denarius Moore
CIT: 84 to 86

HB Taukei Griggs
TRK: 66 to 68

DT Ndamukong Suh
FMV: 78 to 80

HB Julio Caulder
CAR: 87 to 88

DE Keiwone Walters
BSH: 86 to 87

QB Wade Schumacher
MAC: 83 to 84

CB Brandon Madison
AWR: 72 to 74

LB K.J. Wright
PRC: 79 to 80

TE Karl Kruger
RBK: 66 to 68

[tflash81]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Damn, looks like you had a goldrush in this most recent draft, and 4 1st rounders in the next draft (which in my experience is one of the best drafts in the game)? Looks like your Raiders are on the verge of forming a dynasty.