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2014 Oakland Raiders Regular Season Thread (1 Viewer)

32 Counter Pass said:
DA RAIDERS said:
It all could have been avoided with the franchise tag early
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I wanted to use the TRANSITION tag on Veldheer. Issue solve. Reggie would have sent a message to JV's bother to pound sand and take his emotional baggage elsewhere for a deal. The Raiders would then have had the choice to match or decline the offer without getting emotional. I was pretty pissed when they lost JV.

The signings of Howard is an upgrade at RT over Barnes /Pathos. Saffold is penciled in at LT for now, but it would not surprise me if Watson wins the job. Watson will only be a bust if he remains injury prone. He has a great feet and explosion. Saffold provides vesitilty as he can play guard ( maybe his strongest position). I don't know much about Howard but if the Jets were trying hard to re-sign him it indicates he has some ability. Did Reggie botch Veldheer's negotiations? Yes. Did Reggie pay above market price for Saffold and Howard? Seems so. Did the Raiders get better across the oline after yesterday's flurry of activity? Quite possibly.

Sparano will be very busy this season.

Looks like the focus now turns to defense. Can Woodly and Tuck still play? I would be much happier signing Jared Allen than Tuck. Allen has a consistent track record of production and good health. I think he would also be a great mentor in teaching the young pups how to compete. Add in Revis, bring back Sims and this woould start to feel like a big step foward for the defense.
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:goodposting: except the revis part ;)

 
massraider said:
http://overthecap.com/cap.php?Name=Rodger%20Saffold&Position=LT&Team=Raiders

Saffold's deal.

Really interesting, front loaded deal. Well, not front-loaded, per se, but his cap number this year is 12 mill. His cap number never gets above 8.425 mill the rest of the way.

A long term deal that the player may actually see the end of.
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I expect to see a few more deals like this where OAK eats a chunk of the cap in the first year in order to hit the cap floor, but reducing the cap hit in year two to give some leverage in 2015 FA signings.

 
massraider said:
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/03/12/oakland-raiders-free-agency/
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Reggie McKenzie: Oakland Will Spend Money, Just Not All at Once

by Andrew Brandt


These are salad days for NFL owners. Forbes values 23 of the 32 franchises at over $1 billion, record-level television contracts are kicking in, and there are seven years remaining on a favorable CBA. With young players being squeezed (drafted players must sign four-year contracts at fixed rates) and older veterans being purged (just look at this week’s waiver wire), those now carrying the banner for improved plater economics are the “sweet spot” free agents emerging from rookie contracts who are between the optimal ages of 25 to 27. Two days into free agency, the team to watch is the Raiders, who are flush with salary cap room like no other in 2014.

Under the leadership of the late Al Davis, the Raiders were reluctant to pay market price for coaches, executives and front office staff. But they were always willing to pay—and overpay—players. In the agent community, the best call one could receive was from Davis. He loved players: picking them, counseling them and paying them.

In Davis’ later years, many of those contracts had consequences when the players didn’t perform well. When new general manager Reggie McKenzie entered the picture two years ago, he turned the page on dozens of contracts with years remaining, leaving about $56 million in “dead money” in their wake. While other teams operated on a $123 million cap in 2013, the Raiders were left to compete with 60% of that number, roughly $75 million in negotiable dollars for their active players.

That was then; this is now.

Having atoned for previous contractual sins, the Raiders are now playing at an advantage compared to the rest of the league. They entered the 2014 league calendar with close to $60 million in cap room. And with their minimal spending last year and team minimum spending accounting ahead for 2013-2016, all eyes are on the Raiders’ checkbook.

In its new financial era, Oakland allowed Jared Veldheer, Lamarr Houston and Rashad Jennings to leave while acquiring tackles Rodger Saffold ($42.5 million, $21 million guaranteed) and Austin Howard ($30 million, $15 million guaranteed). Hopefully, with their ample cap room, the Raiders structured the deals with disproportionate cap containment this year, allowing them to exit the contracts later, if need be, with little pain.

Raider Nation, judging from Twitter and media reaction, was not impressed. After a two year grace period, fans are restless. In their minds, it’s time for a referendum on McKenzie. While I am not qualified to evaluate Saffold and Howard compared to Veldheer or anyone else, I can comment on the man who made those decisions.

I worked closely with McKenzie for nine years in the Packers’ front office. When negotiating contracts, I would often rely on him for unfiltered views on players that both the agent and I were using as comparables. He had vast knowledge of players from every team and made it very clear whom he liked and whom he didn’t.

Reggie had his terms of endearment for players. He valued brute strength in linemen, both offensive and defensive, and would slow the film down to watch plays that showed one lineman physically overmatching another. In his Tennessee drawl he’d say, “Look at this big joker…BAM!” When Reggie referred to a player as “country strong,” I knew that was a high compliment. He felt that way about several of the offensive linemen we had in Green Bay, especially Chad Clifton, and I’m certain he feels that way about Saffold and Howard.

And the slow teardown that the Raiders just endured fits Reggie well. If Reggie is anything, he is deliberate. He walks slowly, he talks slowly, he eats slowly and he will build slowly. Saffold and Howard are the first expenditures of the $60 million in cap room, and there will be more, with reports of veterans Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley set to visit. Cap room doesn’t have to be exhausted in March; it can be spent through December.

Reggie mirrors some elements of the two general managers we had in Green Bay. He has the courage of his convictions about players that Ron Wolf had, including blunt assessments of their talent. But Reggie also has the patience of Ted Thompson; he adheres to the draft-and-develop model of team-building. The latter means trusting scouts to constantly fill a pipeline of young talent, empowering coaches to play and develop young players, and identifying core players to secure contractually for the future.

I know the last thing Raider Nation wants to hear is a plea for more patience, but a new era of cap prosperity has just begun. I admit to bias, but Reggie is consumed with finding the right players for his team, no matter how long it takes or where he finds them. Saffold and Howard, however uninspiring, are just the start of the book on 2014. Let’s see how the chapters play out.
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One said:
massraider said:
http://overthecap.com/cap.php?Name=Austin%20Howard&Position=RT&Team=Raiders

Austin Howard's cap numbers the next 5 years:

8.0

7.0

4.5

5.0

5.0

If he is a legit starter, this was really well done.

Can anyone think of a team front loading contracts like this?
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I can't, then again we're in a unique situation with all the mandatory cap burning we need to do this offseason.
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I just glanced at it, and now I am realizing they didn't give him a signing bonus. If he is a bust, he can be cut after next year with no cap hit, at all.

 
@AdamSchefter: After a disagreement in OAK on OT Rodger Saffold's physical condition, he is returning to STL to sign a 5-yr contract with the Rams.

 
WOW! :)

Didn't see that coming.

I do think he can be a very good guard, not sure what the terms will be in STL.

He was reportedly offered in the $6 mil range, with incentives (playing time?) that could get it to $7.5 mil.

* Any possibility the GM got cold feet due to the near universal criticism for overpaying?

 
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Uh oh. First sign that Tommy Boy is starting to meddle.

Options appear to be Orher, coach up Watson, grab a tackle in the draft.

For the love of God use that money on Allen!

 
krsone21 said:
Retweeted by Levi Damien

Michael Silver‏@MikeSilver7 mins
According to a Raiders source Mark Davis pulled plug on Saffold deal. Could have had surgery and been ready for training camp. Mark said no

:wall:
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But he passed the Rams physical. I haven't heard anything about surgery from the STL side? Maybe this can be chalked up to different team's medical staffs seeing things differently (unless he had an injury and sustained damage to the shoulder in between physicals)?

Or buyer's remorse?

 
Jim Thomas‏@jthom118 mins

All Rams get exit physicals by the team at the end of the season and Saffold passed his physical.

This just keeps getting better and better, lol.

 
Mike Silver
Last thing: If you think Reggie's job isn't in jeopardy, you are naive. We'll see if he survives to draft day.
12:26am - 13 Mar 14

 
Stunning!

Rotoworld take:

NFL.com's Mike Silver reports it was Raiders owner Mark Davis who nixed the Rodger Saffold deal.
Davis apparently had concerns about the shoulder Saffold injured last preseason. Per Silver, Saffold "could have had surgery and been ready for training camp," but Davis wouldn't have it. It's a troubling development for many reasons. It shows a lack of faith in GM Reggie McKenzie, and is an indication that, despite his protestations to the contrary, Davis has some of his father's management style to him. Davis has left egg on his GM's face, and his offensive line without a left tackle. It's a sad state of affairs in Oakland.

Related: Raiders

Source: Mike Silver on Twitter
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krsone21 said:
Mike Silver

Last thing: If you think Reggie's job isn't in jeopardy, you are naive. We'll see if he survives to draft day.

12:26am - 13 Mar 14
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If Davis made a command override, that doesn't bode well for the GM.

You can't make this stuff up. Somebody should sell tickets.

 
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krsone21 said:
Bob Magaw said:
krsone21 said:
Mike Silver

Last thing: If you think Reggie's job isn't in jeopardy, you are naive. We'll see if he survives to draft day.

12:26am - 13 Mar 14
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If Davis made a command override, that can't bode well for the GM.You can't make this stuff up. Somebody should sell tickets.
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Raiders the gift that keeps on giving.
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Not piling on, but with STL agreeing to terms on a five year deal with Saffold IMMEDIATELY after the fiasco, you think the OAK ownership and front office could face a credibility problem with potential future free agents (well, I mean more than usual :) ).With players and their agents horsing around for a day or so and meanwhile other jobs are getting filled in the game of NFL musical chairs, OAK might now be perceived as a risk to have second thoughts and than use the old "phantom failed physical" excuse to renege on the deal?

 
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Bob Magaw said:
krsone21 said:
Bob Magaw said:
krsone21 said:
Mike Silver

Last thing: If you think Reggie's job isn't in jeopardy, you are naive. We'll see if he survives to draft day.

12:26am - 13 Mar 14
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If Davis made a command override, that can't bode well for the GM.You can't make this stuff up. Somebody should sell tickets.
Click to expand...
Raiders the gift that keeps on giving.
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Not piling on, but with STL agreeing to terms on a five year deal with Saffold IMMEDIATELY after the fiasco, you think the OAK ownership and front office could face a credibility problem with potential future free agents (well, I mean more than usual :) ).

With players and their agents horsing around for a day or so and meanwhile other jobs are getting filled in the game of NFL musical chairs, OAK might now be perceived as a risk if they have second thoughts to use the old "phantom failed physical" excuse to renege on the deal?
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Yea, it can't help that is for sure.

 
Vic Tafur‏@VicTafur3 mins

Not a done deal, but I think #Raiders fans will be a lot happier in the morning. Especially if you like pass rushers.

A cryptic message by Tafur. Makes me wonder if the Raiders are close to signing Woodley, Tuck, or both maybe?

 
Jim Thomas reported Saffold bench pressed 400 lbs. just the other day.

It was also reported that after the disagreement about the state of his shoulder's health, the agent's had their doctor take a look at the MRIs and he confirmed from his perspective there was nothing structurally wrong with the shoulder.

I think the Rams bullet dodging in this case was as miraculous as Samuel Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.

 
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Saffold and Howard are the first expenditures of the $60 million in cap room, and there will be more, with reports of veterans Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley set to visit. Cap room doesn’t have to be exhausted in March; it can be spent through December.
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Obviously not needed to start the season.

 
oh boy.......

what a disaster.

please don't traDE up to get robinson. and if y'all thought we overpaid for a tackle before, we are totally and completely without leverage now. and i do think this makes the raiders even less desirable than before.

if this really is tommy boy throwing his weight around, this team is in much much worse shape than any of us ever thought it was.

coulda just transition tagged JV......this one is gonna stick with me. :bag:

 
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32 Counter Pass said:
Uh oh. First sign that Tommy Boy is starting to meddle.

Options appear to be Orher, coach up Watson, grab a tackle in the draft.

For the love of God use that money on Allen!
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I do not think Jared Allen would even consider the Raiders. The teams you hear he was interested in were teams like Denver and Seattle. I would like to see a big play for Melton.

 
I don't get it. I would think a lot of you would be happy to be out from Saffold.

All I read in here after he signed was "Too much money", "He's a better guard" etc.

Maybe it is a good sign for Watson, maybe it gives them more options on draft day, maybe they sign Oher or Collins (both of whom are as good as Saffold at LT and probably not as big a step below JV as most would believe).

 
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massraider said:
http://overthecap.com/cap.php?Name=Austin%20Howard&Position=RT&Team=Raiders

Austin Howard's cap numbers the next 5 years:

8.0

7.0

4.5

5.0

5.0

If he is a legit starter, this was really well done.

Can anyone think of a team front loading contracts like this?
Click to expand...
There is an upside and a risk to this strategy I suppose. The upside is future flexibility and the ability to cut players without a big cap impact. The risk is players holding out after the first couple years of the deal after they have already been paid a ton and more than they probably should have been.

 
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