Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

2019 Offseason

The Raiders find themselves a bit under the cap this year, so that's some good news. Still, the task to defending the crown is always a difficult one.

Stage 1

The Raiders tendered contracts to the following players:

TE Tim Willison (signed): 2 yrs/1.8 M
DT Immanuel Dawn (rejected): 4 yrs/17.6 M

Non-tendered:

HB J. Hampton
C J. Bundrick
DT P. Winkenwerder
DT N. Lassing
LB B. Smith
LB T. Gooden

Raiders have a few million under the cap. Maybe they try to make some sort of value play on a player under the radar.


Stage 2

Retirements:

CB Asantei Samuel
WR Brandon Marshall
HB Maurice Jones-Drew
HB Arian Foster
TE Heath Miller
WR Jordy Nelson

(More NFL greats leaving the league)

Coaching Changes:
Redskins hire Rex Ryan.
Cardinals hire Brian Billick.
Steelers hire Larry Woods.
Jets hire Jim Schwartz.

Franchise Tags:
HOU: Duane Brown
BUF: Mario Williams
CLE: Alex Mack
TB: Michael Koenen
KC: Dwayne Bowe
SF: Dashon Goldson

Contract Rejections:
Saints could not sign MLB Jonathan Vilma


Top Free Agents
DT Marcell Dareus
WR A.J. Green
QB Jay Cutler
LT Riley Reiff
MLB Rolando McClain
OLB Davarius Bullock
LE Brian Robison
LE Justin Tuck
DT Immanuel Dawn
HB Xavier Slaughter
MLB Tanner Bailey

A LOT of impact players in the free agent pool this time, and this is just the major marquee players.


Stage 3

Retirements:

HB Frank Gore (again)


Stage 4

Major signings:

BUF: QB Russel Wilson - 4yrs/29.8 M

Looks like most of the big name guys are still trying to bleed teams dry...er...I mean are driving a hard bargain.

The Raiders have made a couple offers to some under-the-radar DTs given that Suh is the only one on the roster right now. With nothing much expected out of the position in the draft, the Raiders can either try a trade or try to find some warm bodies and hope they pan out like Tim Willison did.


Stage 5/6

Steelers sign QB Alex Smith - a move pretty much panned by all analysts that have Twitter accounts.

Packers sign DT Ahtyba Rubin to upgrade the defensive line. He received 5 yrs/$38.3 M to play on the frozen tundra.

Steelers also grabbed DT C. Jones for 5 yrs at a whopping $52.5 M.

Bengals ink LB Jonathan Vilma for 1 year at $4 M

Cardinals land QB Lejon Johnson to a 5-year, $66 M deal. The Falcons rebuffed offers from the Raiders to trade the mobile QB and end up with nothing to show for it in the end.

The Falcons picked up WR A.J. Green for 7 yrs/$89.2 M (!) - Will they have someone to target him?

Bills land Jermichael Finley - terms were not disclosed.

QB Jay Cutler returns to the Bears after testing the market. He signed a 1-year deal worth around $13 M.

Colts grab MLB Rolando McClain for a contract including 4 years for about $23 M.

Vikings get a possible replacement for Adrian Peterson as they take HB Xavier Slaughter out of the AFC West.

Texans ink QB Sam Bradford for 4 years and $36 M. Too bad he won't have Foster to support the offense.

Patriots pick up DT Marcell Dareus for a $42 M contract over 4 years.

Jets grab DT F. Cox for a $42 M contract over 5 years, a move Bayless called "DUMB" (emphasis his).


Stage 8

The Raiders made their one signing of DT T. Coleman for 4 yrs at $5 M.

Many defensive linemen went unsigned, including Justin Tuck. If that remains the case during preseason, perhaps the Raiders can fill spots in that regard.

Next up is the draft, and maybe the Raiders can find one of the few decent talents at DL there. Otherwise, the season will open with a big question mark on the defense for the first time in a while.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

2019 NFL Draft

Storyline Picks:

OT/DE	Rodney Morgan		1.17 DET
QB	Stephen Diaz		4.29 CHI
WR	Trent Platt		2.2 CIN
MLB	Logan Bollinger		1.9 CAR
HB	Latrell Robinson		1.18 WAS
WR	Andre Gibbons		1.10 GB
DE	Kade Snyder		3.8 TB

NFL Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	CAR	TE Christopher Balom
2	SEA	LT Demonte Nixon
3	ARI via BAL	RE David Rozier
4	BAL	FS Eddie Dyer
5	PIT	HB Sean Moorhouse
6	HOU	DT Tevin Bryson
7	IND	LE Kevonte Starr
8	DAL	CB Jarvis Morgan
9	CAR	MLB Logan Bollinger
10	GB	WR Andre Gibbons
11	KC	WR Christopher Miller
12	CAR	DT Derrick Majors
13	NE via KC	HB Ryan Landry
14	SD	WR Blair Scott
15	NE via TB	LG T.J. Mattocks
16	MIA	RE Jaron Archer
17	DET via WAS	RE Rodney Morgan
18	WAS	HB Latrell Robinson
19	TEN via SD	QB Don Leoni
20	TEN via BUF	TE Drew Spencer
21	BUF	HB Ja'Mario Ward
22	OAK	ROLB K'Twon Wilcox
23	KC	WR Jonathan Jean-Louis
24	CHI via SF	ROLB Keifer Carter
25	DET via BAL	RE Deshawn Oliver
26	NYG	RF Taylor Kanda
27	MIA	MLB Quinston Williams
28	DET via BUF	ROLB Brent Swanson
29	NYG	TE Jordan Cosgrove
30	BUF	WR Serderius Jennings
31	SF	WR Avius Allen
32	MIA	HB Ahotoetu'u Lasco

NFL Draft - Raiders' Later Picks
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
2.4	DT Maka Lafontant
2.32	CB Jaron Odom
3.17 (via TB)	WR Armond Chappelle
5.32	FB Lajarvis Goodall
6.32	LE Davian Woods

Raiders Draft Trades:

OAK trades OAK 3rd round pick and 2020 OAK 4th round pick to TB for TB 3rd round pick. (WR Armond Chappelle)

[SabbysDaddy]

Hey did u ever look into the Vick Ballard from the colts? 91 carry and 93 trucking. I have him backing up Chris Johnson on my titans dynasty

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

2020 Dawns!
Raiders Expected to Repeat as Champions

The offseason dust has settled and now the 2020 Preseason is about to begin.

First, here's a look at the fruit of the draft for the Silver and Black.

1st Round
OLB K'Twon Wilcox - As expected, the Raiders grabbed Wilcox with their 1st round pick. Wilcox is a ready-now prospect that should start out of the gate at weak linebacker, displacing Jake Olsen, who will likely be relegated to nickle linebacker - and he may have to fight for that if Wilcox is what the team hopes. Wilcox features all the athletic ability you want in a LB with plus speed, strength, size, and awareness. He's a natural in zone coverage and should only get better from here - he's got a Derrick Brooks type look to his game at this point.
Projection: Starting OLB, possible rookie Pro-Bowler.

2nd Round
DT Maka Lafontant - This pick was all but "forced" by need, but the Raiders could be happy with what they have in the future. He has room to improve his technical skills and desire to make the play, but he has the size and power, two things you can't teach, to be a good defensive lineman. He'll probably start and should pick up some pointers by having Suh right there with him. He's a step down from Immanuel Dawn for sure, but, with time and luck, Lafontant should be at a similar level in a couple seasons.
Projection: Starting DT.

CB Jaron Odom - Odom reminds some folks of J.J. Smoke. In fact, run support and pursuit in general might be better than Smoke's and Odom's man coverage is right there as well. Odom doesn't have quite the awestriking speed and quickness, but everything else is close. If the Raiders stay determine to play a zone scheme this year, Odom will have some film work to do, but even with that, he might threaten Brandon Madison for nickle corner this preseason.
Projection: Possible nickle corner either now or in the very near future.

3rd Round
WR Armond Chapelle - Armond is here for one reason and one reason only - kick returns. He has high-end speed and top-shelf acceleration, posting the best 10-yard split at the Combine among wide outs. His tape includes several long returns for New Mexico, but it also reveals his rawness as a true receiver. He'll probably never be a natural pass catcher and looks more like Jacoby Ford than Tim Brown, but if he can take the ball on returns and keep Peterson or Ray from even thinking of going back there, Lyle will be happy.
Projection: Return specialist.

4th Round
No selection

5th Round
FB Lajarvis Goodall - Not many teams make getting a fullback prospect a priority, but the Raiders know that Marcel Reece is in the twilight years of his career, and they also have been spoiled by his versatility and exceptional lead blocking. When Reece was hurt or tried at TE, the team immediately saw the difference in the lead blocking and run game as a whole. Enter Goodall. He doesn't have the athleticism of Reece (not many FBs will), but he's got a good start on being a potent blocker. He reads the line well and makes solid decisions on where to lead his halfback. He's an impact blocker at the point of attack and just needs to work on sustaining blocks against nastier defenders. He has enough mobility to be useful on outside runs and perhaps in the passing game as well.
Projection: Future starting fullback. Depth for Reece right now.

6th Round
LE Davian Woods - It's always anyone's guess at this point of the draft, and the team opted for some speed rushing depth. Woods is perhaps able to start, and might push Tevin Ash - a dark horse candidate indeed. Woods features a tenacious motor that has him tracking ball carriers like a wolf and speed to close and cover ground. He has the making of being a strong finesse rusher and he can get off the ball crisply. He is prone to mental lapses, however, so that might be the one thing that slows him down early in his career.
Projection: Potential starting DE, but likely depth in the near future.

7th Round
No selection



Roster Cuts:
FB K. Hinder

Roster Invites:
MLB Nathan Stupar
C Brent Grimmitt
LG Luke Walker
K Justin Tucker
P Dylan Litchfield

Trade Rumors:
As always, teams are trying to get Max Justice on the cheap, seeing Aaryn DePriest not playing and thinking the Raiders will want to make room for him. They also see Justice "behind" Cale Welch. However, Lyle isn't listening.

He's not listening on Tevin Ash, though the drafting of Woods doesn't make it totally impossible. But Lyle sees no reason to split up the tandem that combined for 37 sacks last season...and that's with Ash missing games due to injury.

He is listening on Bull Griggs. At one point, Griggs looked to make Caulder expendable, but Caulder has seen a resurgence and Ray nearly rushed for 1,000 yards as a rookie and is a big play waiting to happen. That leaves Griggs not looking too special. He's a faster Caulder or a slower Ray - neither option seems all that appetizing. Offers run the gamut, including 1st round picks.


Notable Training Camp Progression:

LB Kendle Maeweather
Clutch: No to Yes
AWR: 91 to 96
TAK: 91 to 93
ZCV: 80 to 81

CB J.J. Smoke
CON: 0 to 1
ZCV: 85 to 88
PRC: 87 to 88
CTH: 64 to 67
AWR: 84 to 86

WR Akia Green
CIT: 87 to 90
RTE: 89 to 90
AWR: 84 to 87
ELU: 75 to 76

LB Tevin Ash
BSH: 88 to 90
POW: 86 to 90

DE Keithen Lett
CON: 1 to 2
BSH: 75 to 80
PRC: 60 to 64

C Patrick Seaver
PBK: 81 to 86
AWR: 86 to 87

HB DeRay Ray
RTE: 33 to 37
JKM: 88 to 89
ELU: 82 to 83
SPM: 84 to 85

CB Brandon Madison
AWR: 80 to 85
ZCV: 85 to 87

WR Denarius Moore
AWR: 89 to 90
STR: 59 to 61

RG Max Justice
STR: 85 to 86
AWR: 87 to 88

FS Shyquawn Johnson
PRC: 70 to 73
ZCV: 81 to 84
CTH: 73 to 74

K Rocco Vinopal
KPW: 86 to 87

QB Robert Griffin III
(evidently, he's doomed to never have a tight spiral again...the trait is not there)
Force Passes: Aggressive to Ideal
DAC: 86 to 87

TE Tim Willison
AWR: 23 to 28
RBK: 76 to 78

HB Julio Caulder
BCV: 88 to 90

WR De'Aarius Bumpers
RTE: 69 to 74

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

In case anyone is interested, this is how I decide when to give traits to players when they next reach the require XP. When eligible, the player "rolls" against his development chance in a separate roll than the one to determine if he's "allowed" to spend his XP. Also, in "training camp" (i.e. develeopment before first preseason game) ALL players develop, so only the traits roll is done.

Clutch - the player has to make plays in crucial/important situations even without the Clutch:Yes. Also has to be relatively consistent with few mistakes.

Consistency - If the player has a solid year stat-wise and "on tape" (i.e. watching him play during games) he makes few mistakes in judgment or execution, then he's earmarked for a point. Getting more points IS possible provided the player has plenty of XP and goes above and beyond for his position and responsibility in the scheme. Hence how Maeweather went from 0 to 4 as a rookie - his stats and he literally played near perfect, especially given Madden's LB limitations. Smoke kicks himself in the teeth here by sometimes just flaking out for whatever reason.

Sense Pressure - If the QB doesn't take a lot of sacks and isn't already Ideal, then he can be considered for a boost here. A bad OL is no excuse.

Force Passes - This is related to INT % and how the QB responds when making a throw into coverage (yes, this means I might throw some balls into coverage). If the QB throws a "bad" ball (i.e. one that's just incomplete and no one could get it, almost like a throwaway), and does it consistently, I'll up his Force Passes trait. Also, if the INTs thrown are good plays by the defender, but otherwise the correct decision, then those INTs are not held against the QB for purposes of this judgment.

Big Hitter - The player must have either STR over 65 or POW over 80 OR force at least 3 fumbles. So why didn't Shyquawn Johnson get it (95 POW, more than 3 FF)? Bad luck.

Pass rush moves - Player needs to have over 80 in PMV/FMV (whichever is required for the move in question), good number of sacks, and (this is where Lett failed) an 80+ PRC. Why PRC? I use it to simulate reading how the OL is trying to block him. Otherwise, success is just based on pure athleticism (which Lett has plenty of). It is why Tevin Ash DOES have pass rush moves as well - his PRC is sold from his OLB experience.

Fight for Yards - The ball carrier has to cause weaker tackles on him consistently without bracing/giving up. It's best if players come with it since it's hard to do given my sliders - probably more realistic as players probably don't "learn" how to fight for extra yards - they just do...or don't.

High Motor - A DL with a lot of tackles (for his position) is a candidate for this. Best of a player has it with my sliders typically oriented to NOT let DTs get a ton of tackles - so those that do...they deserve it.

Drops Open Passes - A player has to have a sizable stretch of games where either all drops were caused DIRECTLY by contact (not the game's CIT check where guys drop a ball just because the defender was CLOSE but with no contact), or the player has to drop no more than 1 pass every 10 targets (90% catch rate).

Catch In Bounds - player needs high AGI (body control), AWR (knowing where he is on the field), and CTH (actually catching the ball), and few to no mistakes even with this trait at No in order to earn it.

Covers the Ball, Tight Spiral - a player can just save up XP for this (represents spending time working almost exclusively on this). He'll get it when he has the XP, but forgoes all development chances in the meantime.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Pre-season Wrap Up


Week 1:

Raiders traded Bull Griggs to the Eagles for PHI 2022 #1.

HB Maurice Jones-Drew was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

WR Brandon Marshall was a surprise snub at the gates of Canton.

TE Heath Miller was denied induction on his first ballot.

Raiders sign HB Christian Pearson to fill the open roster spot.

Raiders jump on the Jags 42-24, with RG3 throwing for 5 TDs.

49ers HB B.J. Graves ran for 2 TDs.

Steelers QB Alex Smith silenced critics this week with a strong game.


Week 2:

Trade offers for Raiders players are coming fast and furious. Teams won't stop offering on Justice and Ash, and now Ramonn Majors and Javia General are gaining interest.

The Raiders did make a trade, picking up a young DT from the Ravens. The Raiders acquired DT Houston Pruitt from the Ravens in return for Oakland's 3rd round pick in 2022.

Pruitt is a 4th-year player out of FIU and features tremendous raw strength. Scouts think he's one of the strongest players in the league. He's more a 3-4 nose tackle type, a space filler, but the team thinks that can work as he could help stop the run should he win the starting job against Maka Lafontant. Otherwise, Pruitt can work on being more of a 4-3 DT.

Lions sign MLB Tanner Bailey for 1 year at about $5 M.

The Raiders lost to the Texans 34-24. The run defense struggled badly in this one, allowing Darius Sherman 98 yards and Gary Pruitt (another Pruitt) to run for 79 yards and the duo combined for 3 rushing TDs.

Week 3:

49ers WR Eric Decker caught 2 TDs and HB B.J. Graves ran for 2 TDs once again.

The Browns racked up 7 sacks against the Chargers.

Robert Griffin III looked bad in the Raiders 28-17 loss to the Bucs. He threw four interceptions.


Week 4:

The Bears acquire WR Ramonn Majors from the Raiders. In return, the Raiders received the Bears' 3rd round pick in 2022.

Cuts:
K Justin Tucker
P Je-Marc Gibbs

Raiders close preseason with a 38-31 win over the Falcons. However, the defense will have a hurdle to overcome as Ndamukong Suh dislocated his hip and will miss the next six weeks.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 1- Midweek News

NCAA Football News:

Arizona's DE Marcus Bane is already considered the best player in the class. His athleticism is drawing comparisons to a young Julius Peppers.


NFL News:

Bears finish the preseason at 4-0.

QB Terry Carter led the Jets to victory over the Jags with a 5-TD performance, the second the Jags gave up in the preseason.

Bills sign MLB Earl Williams for 1 year at approximately $3 M.




Raiders News

The Raiders will kickoff the season by facing the team they just beat in the Super Bowl last year, the 49ers. This heads up what looks like an interesting schedule with the positioning of the divisional games and some teams the Raiders don't often get to face.

Here's how the slate of games looks for the Raiders:

Week 1 - vs 49ers
Week 2 - vs Ravens
Week 3 - vs Bengals
Week 4 - @ Browns
Week 5 - @ Steelers
Week 6 - @ Chargers
Week 7 - Bye
Week 8 - vs Broncos
Week 9 - @ Chiefs
Week 10 - vs Rams
Week 11 - vs Chiefs
Week 12 - @ Cardinals
Week 13 - @ Titans
Week 14 - vs Chargers
Week 15 - vs Patriots
Week 16 - @ Seahawks
Week 17 - @ Broncos

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
DT	Ndamukong Suh	Out 6 weeks (dislocated hip)

Preseason injuries are often rough and the questions along the defensive line just got magnified with this injury. Suddenly, that pickup of Houston Pruitt looms much larger. It will be up to him and rookie Lafontant to hold the middle and keep Maeweather clean.


Roster News:

Jake Olsen doesn't like the idea of being on the bench. He showed it by beating James Hazzard for the LOLB slot. This was unexpected, but it also shows the bit of a disappointment Hazzard has been so far.

The defensive tackle battle is now moot, but Lafontant impressed coaches with his play this preseason.


Notable Progression:

LB K'Twon Wilcox
ZCV: 83 to 85

QB Robert Griffin III
SAC: 86 to 87

RG Max Justice
AWR: 88 to 89

WR De'Aarius Bumpers
RTE: 74 to 76

FS Shyquawn Johnson
CTH: 74 to 75

DT Maka Lafontant
PRC: 80 to 81
BSH: 80 to 81

LB Kendle Maeweather
ZCV: 81 to 82



Scouting News:

WR De'Adrian Dixon of BYU seems like a solid prospect. At the minimum, he has a reputation for being an ace kick returner. In addition to his special teams play, he looks like a true wide out with solid hands and not afraid to absorb contact to make a catch. He's similar to Akia Green in that he doesn't try for a lot of special catches and is also quicker than he looks at first.

The Raiders took a bit of an early look at Marcus Bane. So far, the comparison to Peppers seems a bit overblown in our opinion. He's a solid finesse rusher, but, for now, that athleticism isn't there to be compared to Peppers.

[fins]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

KB, I find it completely phenomenal that you have gone this far in your franchise. Great job and great encouragement and motivation for me to go deeper in my madden 25 franchise with the Dolphins.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Thanks - and it's not dead - just into Tales of Xillia and MLB the Show also

[JaymeeAwesome]

Thanks - and it's not dead - just into Tales of Xillia and MLB the Show also

KB is was an honor to share the dynasty boards with you for Madden 13. Can't wait to see what you do with Madden 25.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Raiders-Niners Down to the Wire
Clutch Shoestring Tackle by Maeweather Forces
Failed 57-yd FG Attempt. Raiders Squeak By 20-19.

These Bay Area Battles have been fierce affairs.

This one joins the list as it came down to, literally, the final play of the game.

Before that, it looked like it might be a rare "high" scoring game between these two. RG3 put two passes into the end zone in the first half - one to Denarius Moore from 17 yards out and then another to De'Aarius Bumpers from a similar distance.

Meanwhile, Blane Giles, the new QB in San Francisco, lead his squad to a 1-yd TD run by Josh Morgan (not THAT Josh Morgan) that was surrounded by 2 FGs, one set up by ex-Raider Karl Krugar making the biggest gaining play of the day, a 43-yd pass reception - one that was stopped by Maeweather from being a touchdown. Those two would lock horns all day.

The offense for the Raiders stalled after the pass protection again broke down around RG3. The QB took 5 sacks in total, but made just one mistake, an interception by Donte Whitner.

Giles was kept contained, both on the ground and in the air. The zone scheme seemed to keep Giles from being brave on breaking the pocket while also limiting options downfield. Most of his passes were short or intermediate strikes, failing to complete all but one long pass.

In addition, the Raiders didn't wilt under the relentless rushing attack of the 49ers. They ran the ball a total of 35 times, with Graves getting 30 of those carries. The Raiders held him just short of 100 yards despite the rushing workload.

The Raiders weren't getting much on the ground either. Willis and company kept Caulder from doing much of anything, picking up just 50 yards and coughing up the football on a hit by Willis. DeRay Ray got 5 carries and at least the change of pace worked as he picked up 35 yards. Griffin ran four times for a modest 15 yards.

The second half was all about the defenses on both sides. The 49ers marched down the field with the score 17-13, looking to take the lead, but came up short, settling for a FG to make it 17-16.

The Raiders were struggling to do much better, and scoring nothing in the 3rd quarter. They managed a FG in the 4th to make it 20-16.

From there, both teams were jockeying for field position, looking to get the points that could decide the game.

With about 6 minutes left to play, the 49ers were forced to punt. The Raiders couldn't pick up a first down. So the 49ers regained possession with about 4 minutes on the clock.

Giles started using the short passes and whatever they could get on the ground to move the ball slowly up the field. They crossed into Raiders territory before the drive bogged down. However, the 49ers went for it on 4th and 2.

They called for a run, and the Raiders sniffed it out relatively well, but Maeweather was blocked by Mike Iupati, who was putting Raiders on the ground all day. That left room for Graves to slide through. Although he was tackled by Wilcox, it was after a gain of 5 and a first down.

Forced to regroup after failing to get off the field, the 49ers looked for the touchdown.

But the secondary wasn't having it. In fact, it nearly generated a key turnover.

Tyvon Branch looked to jar the ball loose from WR Stephen Hill, but the booth said he was down by contact.

However, the defense would still manage to stop them, forcing a FG and a 20-19 score. Raiders' lead was cut to one, but they still had the lead.

The Raiders got the ball with a bit over 2 minutes left. Caulder had a tough run on 3rd and short to push the ball past the first down marker. However, the Raiders couldn't quite run the clock out, so the 49ers got the ball back with 43 seconds left.

From their own 14 yard line, Giles and the offense went to work. After taking a throw for 6 yards in front of Maeweather, Giles spiked the ball as the 49ers were out of time outs.

Giles then found Hill for a 36-yard pass play that really got the 49ers in good position. Another spike stopped the clock. The next play was a big sack by Lett that burned a lot of time as well as crucial yardage. With 15 seconds left, Giles found Karl Kruger with some space Kruger looked to make a quick cut to get the first down quickly, but Maeweather grabbed a foot and cause Kruger to lose balance, stopping him short. With it being 3rd down and clock running with no time outs, Giles was forced to spike the ball. Maeweather's 15th tackle was perhaps his biggest of the game.

The set the 'Niners up at the Raiders' 40-yard line, making it a 57-yard FG attempt. The kick a plenty of distance, but was well wide of the mark. The Raiders would escape with the win.

"If anyone likes hard-hitting football, just watch your schedules for when we [49ers and Raiders] get to together. You'll get your big hit fix on!" Shyquawn Johnson commented after the game.

Indeed, this was a game for lovers of linebacker play. The top six tacklers were all linebackers. Maeweather had 15, Willis and Bowman combined for 14, and OLBs Olsen, Wilcox, and Nicholas all had at least 5 tackles with Nicholas picking up 2 sacks, Willis with a forced fumble, and Maeweather with a sack.

Also interesting - both teams had 429 total yards.


Box Score:

San Francisco 49ers at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
San Francisco 49ers (0-0)	3	10	3	3	19
Oakland Raiders (0-0)	7	10	0	3	20

Team Stats Comparison
	SFO	OAK
Total Offense	312	285
Rushing Yards	101	102
Passing Yards	211	183
First Downs	14	14
Punt Return Yards	7	22
Kick Return Yards	110	122
Total Yards	429	429
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	5-16 (31%)	6-13 (46%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/2 (100%)	2/0 (100%)
Penalties	2-25	1-10
Posession Time	37:00	23:00

San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Blane Giles 17/26 (65%) 210 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD B.J. Graves 30 99 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Karl Kruger 6 108 18.0 0 Stephen Hill 3 50 16.7 0 Eric Decker 2 13 6.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Patrick Willis (1 FF) 8 0 0 0 Navarro Bowman 6 0 0 0 Stephen Nicholas 5 2 0 0 Dashon Goldson 5 0 0 0 Fernando Douglas 4 2 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Terrence Seastrunk 4/5 50 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Andy Lee 5 213 42.6 2

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Robert Griffin III 16/28 (57%) 214 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 16 50 3.1 0 DeRay Ray 5 35 7.0 0 Robert Griffin III 4 15 3.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 5 71 14.2 1 Akia Green 4 49 12.3 0 Tim Willison 3 21 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kendle Maeweather 15 1 0 0 Jake Olsen 8 0 0 0 K'Twon Wilcox 6 0 0 0 Shyquawn Johnson 5 0 0 0 Keithen Lett 5 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Rocco Vinopal 2/2 53 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Dylan Litchfield 5 219 43.8 2

[Gronk4M13]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

What a game.

[SabbysDaddy]

Amazing game. Wish I could get games to turn out like this for me

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 2 - Midweek News

NCAA Football News

UNLV QB Donte Callaway is said to be a Randall Cunningham clone.


NFL News:

Chiefs sign LB Tamba Hali for 1 year at $8 M.

RE Jason Pierre-Paul rejects the latest contract offer from the Giants.

Broncos sign LB Von Miller for 5 years at $44 M total value. The team also extended QB Josh Freeman for 5 years at $70 M in total value.

Bills were unable to get DE Mario Williams to agree to terms.

Rookie head coach L. Woods won his first career game with the Steelers.


Raiders News

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
DT	Ndamukong Suh	Out 5 weeks (dislocated hip)

Suh remains the team's lone injured player.


Contract News:

SS Tyvon Branch might be spending his last year in Oakland. The number reportedly coming from Branch's agents is around $55 M for 5 years. That might be too rich for Oakland's liking. So far, no offer has been made, according to sources.

MLB Jake Olsen might be on the way out also. While the team likes the idea of Olsen on the outside, they may not want to pay $5 M a year for the privilege. James Hazzard might start looking better after all - and might start playing again...


Roster News:

There are reports of James Hazzard being named the starter this week. Publicly, the team is saying that this is still a position battle, so Hazzard gets the start this week. However, many think it has to do with the contract situation. So far, no comment from Olsen or his agent on the situation.


Notable Progression:

LB Kendle Maeweather
PUR: 91 to 92

LB Tevin Ash
FMV: 90 to 91

DE Keithen Lett
PRC: 64 to 67

WR De'Aarius Bumpers
RTE: 76 to 77


Scouting News:

Scouts spent a lot of time this week evaluating QB Donte Callaway (UNLV). Early reports are that he does show solid mobility, though they hesitate to call it top-tier, and he does seem to have a very strong arm. His accuracy is a concern, however. He does best on intermediate routes as he tends to short arm the ball on short routes and has a hard time gauging the deep ball.

LT Becket Boswell (Fresno State) impressed scouts with his reads on tape, but opinions turned sour in regards to his footwork and "get off" on the snap. "He has a hard time just firing out and getting on the defender. He's also slow getting into position to pass block as well. He's like a guard trying to play tackle. Not for us, " one scout spoke.

FS Furious Foster (Pitt) garnered attention for more than just having a fun name. He plays "furious" on the field as well. He shows a top end speed that's able to cover ground and he hits like a ton of bricks. He's solid at deciphering route combinations, but sometimes plays undisciplined in regards to his coverage responsibilities. He's also completely lost in man coverage.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Rumbling Run Game
Raiders Run Game Sparks 31 Unanswered Points.
Ravens Rally, but Raiders Hold on 36-26.

The Ravens came out with all the energy at kickoff. The Ravens offense started marching down the field with the veteran John Skelton looking sharp and on point.

The coverage was not able to stop any sort of pass and the pass rush didn't help matters any by allowing a clean pocket. D'Andre Ware, a former Raider, was the recipient of early targets from Skelton, beating Patrick Peterson with good cuts and good hands.

Skelton capped off the drive with a pass to Max Simpson to put the Ravens on the board 7-0.

Meanwhile, the Raiders offense was looking out of sync. Griffin wasn't getting any time to throw. Griffin took a sack. Denarius Moore dropped a 3rd down pass. It was time to punt and hope for better next possession.

The Ravens offense didn't cool off from being on the sideline. They worked a methodical 16-play drive that lead to Michael Crabtree making a 5-yard TD reception between Maeweather and Hazzard. Ravens led 14-0.

The Raiders' second possession went slightly better as the ground game looked to get something going. But, still, another punt and nothing really going.

Ravens were stopped on their third possession as they tried to get Ray Rice in the mix, but Maeweather was having none of that, and Keithen Lett was putting on the makings of a good game. More on him later.

Raiders got the ball back and finally hit something downfield. Griffin found Akia Green for a 29-yard pass play....but....Green fumbled on the hit from Bernard Pollard. Ravens recovered and the Raider offense walked off the field under a chorus of boos - something not often heard recently.

The defense did stop the Ravens from capitalizing on the turnover.

Then the Raiders got the spark they needed. DeRay Ray took the hand off and the Ravens were crashing inside. Ray saw this and cut outside. He got a good seal block from Tim Wilison to give Ray his pleasure on the outside. Pollard looked to come in to make the hit, but Ray did a spin to quickly reverse field and that threw Pollard off balance enough to fall behind on the play. Ray's speed did the rest as he bolted down the sideline for an 80-yard TD run.

Pollard couldn't keep up with the elusive DeRay Ray here and it cost
the Ravens six.

Suddenly, the Raiders offense gained confidence and momentum.

Next Raiders possession saw RG3 get things going. He started hitting Green and Moore to move down the field along with mixing in a few good hard Caulder runs up the gut, including one that nearly got into the end zone. Caulder pounded it in two plays later to tie the game at 14. The dynamic duo in the backfield did it once again.

The half would end with the score tied at 14.

Raiders received the second half kickoff, and the offense picked right back up where they started. Griffin starred as he got the passing game working for the whole drive. The end result was an 8-yd TD pass to Moore along the back of the end zone.

The Ravens had no answer for the resurgent defense either. The pass rush was beginning to crank up, helping the coverage make plays. Keithen Lett picked up a sack along the way and the drive was halted when Shyquawn Johnson laid a big hit on Ray Rice to force a fumble. Peterson recovered the fumble.

"I just got past Maeweather barreling at me like a maniac only to get rocked by their safety. I should have just gotten down and not tried my luck, but I was just trying to make a play, " Rice commented after the game.

The Raiders could not capitalize on the turnover, however.

The defense stayed strong and kept the Ravens in check, not letting them gain any momentum or even time to breathe.

Before the Raiders took their next possession, they were set up in good field position thanks to Armond Chappelle doing the very thing was drafted to do.

Chappelle's 29-yard punt return started the Raiders off in scoring position.

Griffin went back to work, and this time he finished a drive with a short pass to Akia Green. The WR had a rough series leading up to that touchdown. He left the game twice on the series and left earlier on the hit from Pollard. He came back each time.

"People might think I'm crazy or that my coaches are, but I'm a football player. You're gonna get knocked around. Can't sit out just because you hurt a little, " Green spoke when asked about his return in the locker room.

The Raiders tacked on a field goal as well to make the score 31-14.

The streak of 31 unanswered points ended when the Ravens managed a field goal early in the 4th quarter to make the score 31-17.

Then things got really hard-hitting. Desperation closing in on the Ravens and seeking closure on the Raiders side.

Keithen Lett really cranked up the pass rush. He suddenly became an unstoppable force in the 4th quarter. He picked up 3 sacks on one series to score a safety. At that point, he had 10 tackles and 4 sacks. The tackles marked a personal best for him. Tevin Ash was also close on a couple of those sacks, so it could have gone either way on who got credit.

However, the Ravens got a big break. On the ensuing free kick, Sam Jackson took the return. He was facing three Ravens coming at him. Jackson tried to get cute, and he was stripped of the football. Glover Quin, Jr. scooped up the ball and ran it in for a Ravens TD. That closed the score to 33-26.

The Ravens tried for the two-point conversion, but Maeweather picked up a sack to deny the attempt.

With the score 36-26 and in the waning minutes of the game, the Ravens went for it on fourth down. Skelton hit Rice on fourth and long since the Raiders were covering deep with zones. Rice couldn't get around Maeweather this time and the attempt was stopped short.

Ravens did get one last gasp, but Patrick Peterson picked off the pass in the end zone to ice the game.

While the Raiders offense got going and the defense worked out its issues, there's the start of some disturbing trends. The turnovers are going up - the Raiders gave away the ball three times - all on fumbles. The other trend is the inability to get the offense off the field. For the second week in a row, the Raiders were beat handily in time of possession. At times, the defense looked helpless, especially the coverage. The 16-play drive was a prime example. Lyle might have some work to do going forward to get the play tightened up, despite the wins.


Box Score:

Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Baltimore Ravens (0-1)	7	7	0	12	26
Oakland Raiders (1-0)	0	14	17	5	36

Team Stats Comparison
	BAL	OAK
Total Offense	288	381
Rushing Yards	62	204
Passing Yards	226	177
First Downs	16	13
Punt Return Yards	0	47
Kick Return Yards	122	110
Total Yards	410	538
Turnovers	3	3
3rd Down Converstion	6-17 (35%)	3-12(25%)
4th Down Conversion	1-2	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1 (100%)	3/2 (83%)
Penalties	3-35	2-25
Posession Time	35:41	24:19

Baltimore Ravens PASSING C/A YDS TD INT John Skelton 26/41 (63%) 286 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ray Rice 25 64 2.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D'Andre Ware 7 109 15.6 0 Ray Rice 6 38 6.3 0 Michael Crabtree 5 39 7.8 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD DaVonte Jackson 10 2 0 0 Bernard Pollard (2 FF) 8 0 0 0 Mason Foster 7 0 0 0 Vaetuitonga Taue'etia (1 FR) 4 0 0 0 Eddie Dyer 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Nate Kaeding 2/2 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Sam Koch 5 225 45.0 0

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Robert Griffin III 15/26 (57%) 193 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 18 83 4.6 1 DeRay Ray 5 100 20.0 1 Robert Griffin III 4 20 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Akia Green 7 93 13.3 1 Denarius Moore 4 58 14.5 1 Tim Willison 4 42 10.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kendle Maeweather (1 FF) 14 1 0 0 Keithen Lett 10 4 0 0 Patrick Peterson (1 FR) 6 0 1 0 Houston Pruitt 4 1 0 0 K'Twon Wilcox 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Rocco Vinopal 2/3 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Dylan Litchfield 5 208 41.6 1