Chaka
Footballguy
After two teams giving up first round picks for him I think you are overstating things a lot.
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2015 Oakland Raiders Thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Raiderfan32904
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Chaka
Footballguy
Indy is a laughing stock for giving up a first for him, but a contract under $2 mil is low end FA RB money and we aren't even sure he got that much or how much is guaranteed so I doubt people are laughing at Oakland for getting him as a cheap FA.
Kool-Aid Larry
Footballguy
Kool-Aid Larry
Footballguy
Chaka
Footballguy
massraider
Footballguy
I equate this to the DMC deal in Dallas. I hope there is the same number of guarantees.
Really hoping that they can cut him before September with minimal hit, if they don't like what they see.
Really hoping that they can cut him before September with minimal hit, if they don't like what they see.
Kool-Aid Larry
Footballguy
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ICON211
Footballguy
I said signing him was not a big deal, it's just the type of signing that is easy to mock especially given that he was not expected to get above the league minimum. I doubt any other team was willing to give him a deal like this.
The signing that does actually mean something and sucks is Nate Allen.
The signing that does actually mean something and sucks is Nate Allen.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
As long as the deal is a team friendly show me deal- then why the heck not? This guy has done nothing in the NFL but it was not that long ago that he was heralded as the next Adrian Peterson. Give him a shot to show some of that talent and if he doesn't we cut him. I can't see our conservative GM going out and spending a lot of money we can't get back on this guy.
silentmark
Footballguy
Easy son, easy ...Glad we could distract you from living in ****y new jerseyThis thread is great when I get gloomy about the Bears mess.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/109202442624/
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RaiderBones
Footballguy
I like the signing. A low risk/high reward signing. I'm sure RM gave a contract that the Raiders can get out of easily with little to no cap ramifications.
Kool-Aid Larry
Footballguy
kaso
Footballguy
While his yards per rush haven't ever broken the 4.0 mark in the NFL, he did score 13 total TDs for Cleveland in his rookie year. And the majority of the 'experts' had Richardson tagged as the top RB prospect in the 2012 draft. 3 years later he's being given a shot at proving his worth. He's not even 24 yet. This is a no harm/no foul signing if I've ever seen one.
It's not like the Raiders held a press conference and announced him as the new starting RB. And it's not like they traded away a 1st round pick.
It's not like the Raiders held a press conference and announced him as the new starting RB. And it's not like they traded away a 1st round pick.
BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
all that money to spend and thats what they spend it on.................. 
32 Counter Pass
Footballguy
Chaka
Footballguy
Weren't some people suggesting (either in here or on PFT, or both) that the Raiders should hold onto Matt Schaub to help get them closer to the minimum cap limit? Matt Schaub! At $5.5 mil!
Now it is outrageous to maybe pay Trent Richardson less than $2 mil per year (still not even sure that any of it is guaranteed)?
It feels like there is a disconnect about this signing.
Now it is outrageous to maybe pay Trent Richardson less than $2 mil per year (still not even sure that any of it is guaranteed)?
It feels like there is a disconnect about this signing.
DocHolliday
Footballguy
The TRich signing is not that bad when you put it like that.
And, the Raiders are actually in much better shape now than they have been for a few years at the RB position. TRich is the RB3.
L Murray has potential to be a true RB1. Helu makes a solid RB2. If TRich makes the team, he will be fortunate to get 5 touches/game.
ICON211
Footballguy
The Schaub thing was in the LaConfora article. No one in here suggested keeping Schaub,
The Trent Richardson signing is not outrageous, but I doubt he was getting more than league minimum anywhere else and there should be very little guaranteed money. I am fine with "overpaying" good players. Trent Richardson, Lee Smith and Nate Allen are bad players that got more than they should have.
ICON211
Footballguy
You would think so, but it seems like he was brought in to compete for the starting job based on everything I am reading.
Chaka
Footballguy
At this point we should take all comments like that with a grain of salt.
OTOH while Murray clearly flashed tons of potential towards the end of the season I don't think he saw enough action to anoint him the unquestioned #1 RB spot. Plus most teams are trending towards reduced touches for RBs so you need at least three on the roster.
He doesn't need to morph into the RB people thought should go in the top 5 of the NFL draft to add value to the Raiders, he just needs to improve his ypc. We know he can catch, we know he can block and we know he can handle a large workload, if he can somehow manage to become a consistent 3.9 ypc guy then signing him is a big win for Oakland.
And, again, people were calling Mark Ingram a bust going into his fourth season and suddenly he became one of the most buzzed about fantasy backs in the game. T.Rich has #### the bed, no doubt, worse than Ingram to this point but he won't even be 24 years old until July so the book isn't quite closed on his entire career just yet.
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DocHolliday
Footballguy
It really comes down to "want to" at this point for TRich. He will never be great but he needs to lose some weight and turn up his training just to a RB in the NFL. Maybe I do not know that much about TRich but I doubt he is a training maniac.
massraider
Footballguy
Hardy essentially gets his same deal as last year, minus game checks/bonuses for the (supposed) inevitable suspension.
Amazing. He's going to get franchised two years in a row, essentially. I thought I read somewhere that Dallas couldn't franchise him next year. Don't know that for sure, tho.
No discount here for Dallas. People were daydreaming about some team-friendly contract that lands a 12 sack guy for 5-8 mill (at least I was).
Power of video cameras, people. Luckily for Greg Hardy, no one has video of him dragging his girl out of a tub by her hair, grab her by the throat, or tossing her on his Semi-automatic-covered-Futon (<------good fantasy team name).
Amazing. He's going to get franchised two years in a row, essentially. I thought I read somewhere that Dallas couldn't franchise him next year. Don't know that for sure, tho.
No discount here for Dallas. People were daydreaming about some team-friendly contract that lands a 12 sack guy for 5-8 mill (at least I was).
Power of video cameras, people. Luckily for Greg Hardy, no one has video of him dragging his girl out of a tub by her hair, grab her by the throat, or tossing her on his Semi-automatic-covered-Futon (<------good fantasy team name).
Stompin' Tom Connors
Footballguy
Agree. Would have rather seen them overpay with the money they need to spend for a guy in his prime that can add impact Day 1 than a low risk flyer on a guy where jury is still totally out. That said, this is the kind of reclamation deal the Raiders sometimes have had success with, and the deal here is imminently reasonable.all that money to spend and thats what they spend it on..................
Chaka
Footballguy
Yeah you're right actually Hardy did manage a great deal. I get the feeling that Hardy was always hoping to get in the door of a team that felt it was close to a championship. Jerry Jones was probably bidding against himself.
ETA: But I bet Hardy puts up a monster year.
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BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
im not sure its really complaining as much as its a head scratcher...the guy sux ...plain and simple...spend the money on a position of need ...IMO
LawFitz
Footballguy
Only risk in TRich is the opportunity cost of the roster spot. That said, I'm sure Reggie will bring in competition if the right guy(s) come(s) available for the right price. I think it's a minimal and worthwhile risk to see if this guy has any fire left in his belly.
Raiders new RB Trent Richardson: Perspective from SB Nation's RollBamaRollBy btbama22 @btbama22 on Mar 17, 2015, 6:22p 54
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
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I am a recruiting analyst over at the SB Nation site RollBamaRoll. Take this with a grain of salt, as I am a little biased, but I take pride in trying to be objective. I have been watching Trent Richardson since he was in high school, and here is what I can tell you about the maligned running back:
Back in high school, he set all kinds of records and was the #2 overall back that year (behind Bryce Brown). He played in the 205-210 range, and had sub 4.5 speed. To me, his best trait then was not his strength nor his speed, but his lower body balance. It seemed that no matter how he got hit, he always kept his feet under him.
Richardson High School Highlights
He came into Alabama with a lot of hype as a freshman, but didn’t get too much playing time his first few games as Mark Ingram was exploding for the start of his heisman season. In the first game Richardson got some meaningful carries, this happened:
He also got to do some kick returns (and returned one for a TD) based on his speed and open field ability
In 2010, the Tide returned pretty much everyone on offense from the 2009 championship squad, but things went awry. The OC got pass happy, and Mark Ingram had knee surgery. The offense was based around Julio Jones that year (understandably), but Richardson was better than Ingram at pretty much everything. Faster, stronger, and more aggressive at the LOS.
In 2011, the entire offense left. Alabama lost Julio, most of the offensive line, Ingram, and two year starter at QB, McElroy. In 2011, Trent Richardson was the offense. He brute force carried the team that season, at it showed in his play style. He bulked up to around 225-230, and became a monster (just slightly slower). I have never seen anything like it. He was stopped only because of forward progress or out of bounds lines, not because he touched the ground. What always impressed me more than his big flashy plays (LIKE THIS ONE) were the plays that never made highlight reels. His ability to push all four d-lineman for an extra two yards when they beat the inexperience offensive line into the backfield. At some point in his junior season, he was squatting well over 700 poundsand benching over 500. He said he could easily do more, but the coaches wouldn’t let him for health/flexibility/speed reasons.
As a person, he always seemed to be a very standout guy and hard worker. He was quiet off the field, raised his daughter affectionately, and one time some media person found him going to prom with a cancer survivor girl from some small high school in Alabama. He had a reputation around campus for spending all of his time in the weight and film rooms.
He had great open field lateral ability and acceleration to go along with well-above average top end speed. He struck defenders harder than they could hit him, always kept his feet pushing in piles, and could make anything out of nothing. Coming out of Alabama at the time, I thought he had only one weakness: no patience at the line of scrimmage. It often led to him charging headlong into the offensive lineman’s butts. (though he often pushed the O-lineman and D-lineman forward 3 yards with the violence of it).
When he was drafted as high as 3rd, I was ecstatic. I didn’t see much of his play at the browns other than the highlights (he had some pretty impressive ones, but also only had like 3.9 YPC), but it was also revealed he played almost the whole season with broken ribs. When he was traded to the Colts, I got worried. How could a player go from a team mid season to another (who not only had a different playbook, everything, but also a different running/blocking scheme) and still be expected to perform at a 3rd overall level? The colts gave him very few chances in the first year, and he was extremely hesitant in his running in the few chances he had. I expected it and thought that it was understandable, given the situation. Then 2014 happened. I watched as many colts games as I could, and I really don’t know what happened to Richardson. The blocking was improved this year but he got worse. He seemed to go lateral every run, rather than north and south. He looked like he was running in molasses, rather than the powerful acceleration I was used to seeing. He went down easily to leg tackles, and missed when he tried to lower his shoulder into defenders. The one game I watched that he seemed to be getting a bit of a spark, he inexplicably fumbled (which he NEVER did in college… like 3-4 his whole career) and was benched for a while.
I don’t know if the old Richardson is still in there. I personally believe (playing armchair psychiatrist) that the trade and lack of impact with the colts in his first season led to confidence issues. In order to remedy, he did what many men turn to: lifting weights. At Alabama, he was banned from becoming too muscular. I would be willing to bet a pro team didn’t place such restrictions on him, and he lost all of his flexibility and movement while trying to bolster his ego in weight lifting.
I am hoping the Raiders can resurrect him. I am a Seahawks fan NFL-wise, and remember both the offseason and regular season game against you guys. Derek Carr left all kinds of good impressions on me, as did your teams general attitude towards the game. They looked like they were having fun. It would be really cool for Richardson to have his former tenacity lit back under him, and see him become a weapon for an upstart, hot team… Rather than the internet whipping boy that I’ve seen him become.
His play in 2013 wasn’t good, but I thought there was still potential and talent and that the Colts were more to blame than him. 2014 was terrible, and he was given all the chances in the world to make plays. He looked like a terrible back in 2014, and theres no way around it, even from my rose colored glasses. But for a minimum risk deal to a team with the cap space and need for a playmaker, I think he’s a perfect fit for you guys. Maybe he doesn’t regain his old self, and if he doesn’t I hope your coach is not an idiot and keeps trying to feed him the ball and waste valuable plays.
But maybe he does. He may just become a league-average back, or maybe just turn into the next LeGarrate Blount (Its not the worst thing in the world). Or maybe he becomes who he had the talent to become. If he does, the Raiders are laughing at the entire nation for years to come. To me, its a win-win situation. Its not like you’re losing anything by giving it a shot.
Thats my spill, feel free to chastise me in the comments. I'll monitor for a while and do my best to answer any questions you might have that I didn't cover. Go Raiders, and good luck with Trent!
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RaiderBones
Footballguy
Raiders have like $22.3 million left in cap space and not many decent free agent options left out there. Why not spend the money on Richardson? Chances are he will be below average but who knows maybe Musgrave can get something out of him. Time will tell.
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ICON211
Footballguy
At this, point sure what the hell. I was looking today and there is no one left worth signing really. Hard to believe that with $70 million in cap space all they could manage was getting a good DL, a modest upgrade at center and a couple decent LBs.
LawFitz
Footballguy
They're using the Green Bay model. Go look at Green Bay's roster and check how many of them were free agents. Hint: almost zero. It takes quite a bit longer to build a roster this way (possible longer than Reggie really has), but it's a proven model of sustainable success as long as you draft well. So far, I think Reggie gets a C and an A+ in his two drafts. Let's see how this next one goes.
cstu
Footballguy
massraider
Footballguy
This is pretty mind-boggling to me, My first thought is he priced himself out, it's not like there aren't center jobs out there, or even guard jobs, which he has done as well. As fans, we probably overrated him, but he is young and average at least, Visited Seattle, sure seems like there's a hole there.
I am disappointed in free agency, although mainly about Cobb, but also no edge rusher-type. Cobb was handled the way we wanted, moved quick, offered the most money, not much else you can do, guy took multiple millions to stay home. A veteran defensive end, to my mind they were out there and the prices seemed reasonable. Derick Morgan, Brandon Graham, these kind of guys. 12 sack guys? Maybe not, but I would argue defensive end is a bigger need, a much bigger need, than wide receiver. Mack was playing as a DE every passing down late last year because we had Tuck and little else. Shelby Harris is the only upside guy on the roster, and that's a longshot. Have to assume he can maybe fill a rotational role. Tuck, you'd like to have a replacement on the team this year. Also, solid rookie WRs can be found in the mid to late rounds every year. Not so much with pass rusher.
I'm warming to the idea of a pass rusher (or Leo Williams, obviously) at #4, and finding a WR elsewhere. The top of this D-line crop is pretty strong, and the WR crop is deep (strong at the top as well). I like the chances of finding a reliable receiver in the mid rounds a LOT more than pass rusher. The team has to find contributors this year from at least their first three picks. That has to be the plan--starters.
The way free agency was attacked, it feels like a defense-heavy draft, with a WR, or two, added. Offensive backfield filled out, 2nd tight end, line is set, really. Defensively, there's a ton of spots, where a rookie could get some snaps right off the bat. TWO edge rushers could be used, a pass-rushing DT, a MLB, a corner, and even a safety. Always room for another cornerback.
RaiderBones
Footballguy
I didn't overrate him. I have been vocal for two years now in another Raiders forum that Wis is a average Center at best. I was all for letting him walk and picking up Hudson.
RaiderBones
Footballguy
We need a RG in the draft as well, unless Barnes or Watson can play RG. I would target DE, WR, OG in the first three rounds of the draft. Not necessarily in that order.
Raiderfan32904
Footballguy
massraider
Footballguy
I could see that. If Williams IS there when we draft, it might very well be because the Jags took Fowler.
massraider
Footballguy
Leonard Williams. Versatile, plays a position that's tough to fill later in the draft and free agency, think he grew up a Raiders fan, has been productive for multiple years.
