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2014 Oakland Raiders Regular Season Thread (1 Viewer)

Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat10 mins

--> @mike_uva: BREAKING NEWS: Simonson signed by the Raiders http://www.mike-uva.com/1/post/2014/05/breaking-news-raiders-sign-simonson.html …



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat13 mins

--> @BonaguraESPN: Shayne Skov has signed with the Oakland #Raiders, per a Stanford source.



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat14 mins

--> @VicTafur: RB/returner George Atkinson III has indeed just signed with #Raiders as free agent.



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat25 mins

--> @Dominic_Shelden: Appears former #Griz OT Danny Kistler has signed an undrafted FA deal with the Oakland #Raiders



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat27 mins

--> @VT_Football: Reports coming in that D.J. Coles has signed a free agent deal with the Oakland #Raiders.



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat30 mins

--> @AlexDunlapNFL: Breaking: Former #Longhorns WR Mike Davis to join Oakland #Raiders as undrafted free agent.



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat36 mins

--> @HBCUGameday: WSSU's Carlos Fields to sign with the Oakland #Raiders as a UDFA. pic.twitter.com/Ux2zcf35Vt



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat51 mins

--> @caplannfl: FB Karl Williams agreed to a deal with the #Raiders, according to his agent, @davidcanter.



Raiders Beat‏@RaidersBeat2 mins

From his school --> @acgreyhounds: Congrats to Hounds FB tight end Scott Simonson, who signed as a free agent with the Oakland #Raiders!

 
Raiders sign tight end Scott Simonson from Assumption college, in my home town of Worcester, MA. Never heard of him, but my scouting report: Can do a 15 second keg stand, drinks 4 Dunkin Donuts a day, and has an Irish temper.

 
Raiderfan32904 said:
massraider said:
Nice! Skov is deciding between 9ers and Raiders.
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@RaidersBeat: --> @BonaguraESPN: Shayne Skov has signed with the Oakland #Raiders, per a Stanford source.
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Early reports had the Raiders signing former Stanford standout linebacker Shayne Skov as an undrafted free agent according to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.

He was said to be deciding between the49ers and Raiders and in the end he did decide on the 49ers.

 
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Oakland Raiders

5. Khalil Mack, linebacker/end, Buffalo.
36. Derek Carr, quarterback, Fresno State.
81. Gabe Jackson, guard, Mississippi State.
107. Justin Ellis, defensive tackle, Louisiana Tech.
116. Keith McGill, cornerback, Utah.
219. Travis Carrie, cornerback, Ohio.
235. Shelby Harris, defensive tackle, Illinois State.
247. Jonathan Dowling, safety, Western Kentucky.

Overview: I've been down on GM Reggie McKenzie ever since he traded for Matt Flynn, but it is a haul like this one that can change opinions. Oakland entered this draft lacking both a franchise quarterback and franchise pass rusher. McKenzie obtained the latter by staying true to his board at the fifth pick. Mack is a relentless, violent outside-edge rusher offensive coordinators will have to scheme specifically to stop. Carr's struggles in muddied pockets are a big concern -- and the reason he wasn't a first-round pick -- but his arm strength and athleticism were every bit worth grabbing toward the top of round two. I expect Jackson to start at left guard as a rookie, upgrading on Khalif Barnes. Fourth-rounder Ellis is a 334-pound space eater with plus movement. McGill and Carrie are classic press-corner prospects, at least one of whom I would bet becomes an NFL starter. I thought McKenzie knocked it out of the park right down to the seventh round, where Dowling is a rangy, long-armed, 6-foot-3 and 190-pound safety with 4.52 wheels. He could prove to be Charles Woodson's heir apparent. I'm giving this draft a B+ only because my view of Carr is pessimistic. If Carr does reach his ceiling, McKenzie will have plucked an A+ draft.

Grade: B+

per Rotoworld

 
Rotoworld:

Raiders DC Jason Tarver is expecting a breakout season from second-year CB D.J. Hayden.
The No. 12 overall pick of last year's draft, Hayden was overwhelmed after getting a late start on his rookie season. "He's honing his technique, he looks explosive and he's put on weight and strength," Tarver said. "And he's really focusing in on learning the little things in the defense so that he can play faster and be more aggressive on certain types of routes." This is undoubtedly part wishful thinking on Tarver's part, but being healthy could make all the difference for Hayden in his sophomore season.

Source: Vittorio Tafur on Twitter
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Faust said:
Rotoworld:

Raiders DC Jason Tarver is expecting a breakout season from second-year CB D.J. Hayden.
The No. 12 overall pick of last year's draft, Hayden was overwhelmed after getting a late start on his rookie season. "He's honing his technique, he looks explosive and he's put on weight and strength," Tarver said. "And he's really focusing in on learning the little things in the defense so that he can play faster and be more aggressive on certain types of routes." This is undoubtedly part wishful thinking on Tarver's part, but being healthy could make all the difference for Hayden in his sophomore season.

Source: Vittorio Tafur on Twitter
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Having first round draft picks play at a high level for a change is very important for the Raiders to get back on track. The team will never get back to winning if the draft picks continue to be misses. Waiting to grade drafts for three years makes sense. Last year's draft seemed shaky on paper. This year's draft looks fantastic on paper. Simply too early to tell how they went.

 
@AdamSchefter

Former Browns WR Greg Little was claimed by the Raiders, per source.
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@MikeClayNFL

Jones-Streater-Moore-Little-Holmes-Criner-Butler-Jenkins-Davis. Competition of a lot of underwhelming WRs going on in Oakland.
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@RapSheet

#Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie loves the waiver wire and believes player acquisition is never over. And so, they just claimed WR Greg Little
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@PFF_Pete

Greg Little to the Raiders, and I'm suddenly getting Darrius Heyward-Bey flashbacks.
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krsone21 said:
I like the Little pickup. Its a low cost move. If he plays well in preseason great if not cut him, no big deal.
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Yup- it doesnt hurt us to take a look at him. Maybe being teaches his hands how to catch the ball? I dunno.... crazier things have happened. And if not? We cut him. No biggie.

But damn, if he actually figured out how to stop dropping the freaking ball? That is a real life #1 WR. He has everything you want in a WR..... er, well.... except the somewhat important catching part.

 
Good draft. Hard to say Carr is the key to the draft after getting a player as good as Mack, but he is pretty important. The main question, can he throw under pressure (didn't fare well against USC). If so, he is a steal. Went in the neighborhood of recent successful QBs Kaepernick and Dalton.

* Don Banks from SI.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20140514/2014-nfl-offseason-superlatives-desean-jackson/

The Raiders go on a (very) veteran spending spree: Oakland should be better than last year's 4-12 debacle, but investing in older free agents is a recipe for short-termed success in the N(ot) F(or) L(ong). While the Raiders failed to retain younger building block starters like offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive lineman Lamarr Houston in free agency, refusing to franchise either player, the team instead went big for aging talents. Defensive end Justin Tuck, running back Maurice Jones-Drew, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, defensive end Antonio Smith, cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown, receiver James Jones, offensive tackle Donald Penn and quarterback Matt Schaub are all entering at least their eighth season in the league, with the vast majority of those players age 30 and beyond.

So the mystery is: What in the world were the Raiders thinking? Of course, we know what they were thinking: We had better win right now or someone besides head coach Dennis Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie will have to deal with whatever aftermath is to come in 2015.
 
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Chadstroma said:
krsone21 said:
I like the Little pickup. Its a low cost move. If he plays well in preseason great if not cut him, no big deal.
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Yup- it doesnt hurt us to take a look at him. Maybe being teaches his hands how to catch the ball? I dunno.... crazier things have happened. And if not? We cut him. No biggie.

But damn, if he actually figured out how to stop dropping the freaking ball? That is a real life #1 WR. He has everything you want in a WR..... er, well.... except the somewhat important catching part.
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Greg Little is the worst WR ever. Absolute headache. SO happy he left Cleveland (Cleveland homer)

 
Oakland Raiders — Defensive tackle Justin Ellis

Yes, the selection of Khalil Mack with the fifth overall pick will graphically improve Oakland’s linebacker rotation. But that’s a bit of a no-brainer, and the Raiders were still on the lookout for a legitimate long-term replacement for monster defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, who departed in free agency. Ellis was an undervalued commodity at Louisiana Tech, but at 6-2 and 334 pounds, he could possibly do what Houston used to do for the Raiders as quite possibly their best overall player — wreak havoc in multiple gaps. Far from a simple block-stuffing nose tackle, Ellis has the speed and agility (especially for his size) to disrupt in different roles.

per SI

 
That looks like the writer's projection, and he is discounting the possibility that Watson will win the job. I have higher hopes for Watson so my best guess now is: LT: Penn / LG: Jackson / C: Wizz / RG: Howard / RT: Watson.

If Watson is not ready to start then Howard would prolly move to RT and Boothe or Barnes fill the guard position.

Biggest question about the Oline: What does Penn have left? If he can anchor the left tackle spot then I think we will see a much better product on the field. If he can't then it will set the oline (and offense) back.

Looking at the defensive side of the ball I think we have really improved our pass rush. Last year I wasn't really sure who could count on for a consistent rush. Sio was inexperienced and an unknown and Houston was the only player that offered a consistent push. Tuck, Woodley, and Smith have all shown the ability to push the pocket in the past. And Sio and Mack offer some potential edge rushers.

Thinking back to last year the defense played really well until the Eagles game, then they ran out of gas. The coaches have much more to work with this year (more pass rushers and Branch returns) so I am pretty excited about seeing this defense in action.

 
32 Counter Pass said:
Biggest question about the Oline: What does Penn have left? If he can anchor the left tackle spot then I think we will see a much better product on the field. If he can't then it will set the oline (and offense) back.
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I'd like to think he's got some fire left and maybe a chip on his shoulder from last year. But honestly, I don't trust that he does. I'm glad that we have Barnes back, even though he's no more than just an average swing tackle. I never bought into Penn being the solution at LT and if he fails, it will be a huge black eye on the regime that they let go a very much above average LT in his prime go in free agency. I hate to dwell on the negative after so many positive moves this offseason. But letting Veldheer go like they did still stings.

 
Raiderfan32904 said:
32 Counter Pass said:
Biggest question about the Oline: What does Penn have left? If he can anchor the left tackle spot then I think we will see a much better product on the field. If he can't then it will set the oline (and offense) back.
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I'd like to think he's got some fire left and maybe a chip on his shoulder from last year. But honestly, I don't trust that he does. I'm glad that we have Barnes back, even though he's no more than just an average swing tackle. I never bought into Penn being the solution at LT and if he fails, it will be a huge black eye on the regime that they let go a very much above average LT in his prime go in free agency. I hate to dwell on the negative after so many positive moves this offseason. But letting Veldheer go like they did still stings.
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Agree 100%

 
Burnett, Smith only players absent from first OTABy Steve Corkran

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014 at 1:15 pm in Oakland Raiders.

ALAMEDA – Coach Dennis Allen on Tuesday got his first on-field look at the players that mostly will comprise the 2014 Raiders, and he came away impressed.

With good reason, too. Defensive lineman Antonio Smith and linebacker Kevin Burnett were the only players from the 90-man roster absent, and Smith wasn’t at the workout only because of a recent surgery.

It’s unclear why Burnett opted to miss the workout, though he isn’t required to be here per the collective bargaining agreement.

“I’ve had communication with Kevin this whole time,” Allen said. “This is a voluntary camp. Players can make their own decisions, and they have families and things in their personal lives that they have to make sure they take care of. I’m not concerned about that at all.”

Allen declined to say whether Burnett’s absence has anything to do with the Raiders selecting linebacker Khalil Mack with the No. 5 pick in this year’s NFL draft.

Burnett played weak-side linebacker for the Raiders last season. Mack figures to get most of his time at the strong-side position. However, many of the team’s linebackers are versatile enough to play more than one position.

“My focus is really on the guys that are here,” Allen said, “and we’re working to try to do everything we can to get better as a football team.”
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Trade Burnett to Dallas. Take anything.

 
Observations from OTA today

By Steve Corkran

Monday, June 2nd, 2014 at 5:06 pm in Oakland Raiders.

Remember wide receiver Juron Criner? Anyone? Yes, that Juron Criner, the one who burst on the scene two years ago and flashed during offseason workouts as if he was going to be the next Cris Carter.

Somewhere along the way to stardom, Criner crashed back to reality, was seldom used his rookie season and almost vanished last season.

He got passed by undrafted free agent Rod Streater, unheralded Andre Holmes and seventh-round draft pick Brice Butler.

Fast forward to today, and Criner looked like the Criner who caught anything he got his hands on for several practices his rookie season.

On Monday, Criner made a handful of eye-opening catches despite tight coverage, including a few in which he left his feet. Far and away, Criner looked like the best receiver on the field.

Before we get carried away again, it’s important to remember that Criner failed to duplicate his jaw-dropping feats in training camp his rookie season.

Still, Criner is a sight to see when he is at his best. Perhaps that’s what coach Dennis Allen was trying to bring out in Criner last season when he suggested that Criner needed to work harder and be more consistent in practice.

It’s also possible that Criner didn’t fully get the message until last season slipped away and now he is worried about his career slipping away.

– Last year’s offensive line, when everyone was healthy, featured: Jared Veldheer, Khalif Barnes, Stefen Wisniewski, Mike Brisiel and Tony Pashos.

Veldheer signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency. The Raiders cut Brisiel and opted against re-sighing Pashos.

In their place, the Raiders signed Donald Penn, Austin Howard and Kevin Boothe from the free agent market. Now that the dust has settled, here’s how the starting line projects, from left to right: Penn, Barnes, Wisniewski, Howard and Menelik Watson.

– Derek Carr made several nice throws into tight windowns in red-zone drills Monday. Befitting a rookie, Carr also misfired on a couple of passes, including one in which his pass sailed directly off the hands of cornerback Taiwan Jones in the back of the end zone.

All in all, it’s difficult to assess quarterback play when there isn’t contact and defenders aren’t there to wave their arms, bat down passes and make life more difficult in the pocket.

Therefore, you look for accuracy, arm strength, tightness of spiral, footwork, decision-making, among other things, when breaking down quarterbacks at this time of the season.

To that end, Carr, projected starter Matt Schaub and last season’s part-time starter Matt McGloin fared well today. If you’ll recall, it was about this time last season when Matt Flynn, Terrelle Pryor and the other quarterbacks struggled mightily.

General manager Reggie McKenzie dismissed the criticism, which, as it turned out, was spot on and a harbinger for the regular season.

– Allen remains steadfast in his approach that he is going to put the best players on the field when the regular season starts. Hence, every position is up for grabs right now.

Second-year linebacker Sio Moore, therefore, is being looked at potentially as a starter at the weak-side position, with Khalil Mack sliding into Moore’s strong-side spot.

“I did this in college,” Moore said, when asked about the potential switch. “Moving from (strong side) to (weak side), that’s nothing abnormal. I just try to use my versatility and continue to show my coaches and my teammates that I can do anything on the field and I want to continue to work at it, no matter what position.”

What happens to Kevin Burnett in this scenario remains to be seen. He could become a backup, the Raiders could go to a 3-4 base defense or the Raiders could trade Burnett.

“When we get into games, the more things guys can do, the more we’re able to adjust,” Allen said in touting Moore’s versatility. “He has the skill set to play that position, and we’ll continue to work with him through the rest of OTAs and training camp. We’re going to put the best three guys on the field, and whoever those guys are will be on the field and play.”

Burnett wasn’t at last week’s OTA that the media were permitted to watch. He was here today but an ankle injury kept him out of practice. He was not available to the media.
 
32 Counter Pass said:
Chaka said:
DJ Hayden in a walking boot.
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uugh! I am beginning to see a pattern with Hayden I do not like. Hopefully this is an aberration and not a trend.
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I'm worried about Hayden as well. Hopefully we can get him back for training camp and the ankle isn't anything to worry about. But you never know. The Raiders aren't very forthcoming with foot injuries. It could be a lis franc and you would never know until the day they put him on IR. The lack of honesty always makes me suspicious of foot injuries. I'd also be worried about Latavius Murray. He battled through ankle injuries last year, so a repeat of the same injury has to make you wonder if he structurally is cut out to take the punishment.

 
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