Stinkin Ref
IBL Representative
I was just backing you up.....although there is a good chance most years that a team on one of the coasts is probably going to lead the league in air miles...
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2021 Las Vegas Raiders - PLAYOFFS!!!! (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Hankmoody
- Start date
Stinkin Ref
IBL Representative
Eastern: (18) FALCONS RAVENS BILLS PANTHERS BENGALS BROWNS LIONS COLTS JAGUARS DOLPHINS PATRIOTS GIANTS JETS EAGLES STEELERS BUCCANEERS TITANS REDSKINS
Central: (7) BEARS COWBOYS PACKERS CHIEFS VIKINGS SAINTS TEXANS
Mountain: (2) BRONCOS CARDINALS
Pacific: (5) RAIDERS CHARGERS 49ERS SEAHAWKS RAMS
good chance the league leader in air miles and 1 PM EST standard time games (besides EST teams) is going to come from the teams in the Pacific time zone each year....since well over half the league is in that zone.....and especially if it is their year to play the divisions mostly occupied by the (18) teams in the EST.....but let's not let that or those facts get in the way of a good excuse/conspiracy theory....
Central: (7) BEARS COWBOYS PACKERS CHIEFS VIKINGS SAINTS TEXANS
Mountain: (2) BRONCOS CARDINALS
Pacific: (5) RAIDERS CHARGERS 49ERS SEAHAWKS RAMS
good chance the league leader in air miles and 1 PM EST standard time games (besides EST teams) is going to come from the teams in the Pacific time zone each year....since well over half the league is in that zone.....and especially if it is their year to play the divisions mostly occupied by the (18) teams in the EST.....but let's not let that or those facts get in the way of a good excuse/conspiracy theory....
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Hankmoody
Footballguy
Nothing can be done about air miles, the schedule and opponents are predetermined, it's not like anyone is intentionally adding a couple extra 3k mile games except for that London BS that I hope is dead. And the short rest ones are tougher too - first because of a ton of logistics that have to balance out (made worse by potential COVID regulations) plus they originate mostly from getting prime-time games, so if we didn't have those we'd be complaining about that instead of short rest.
But F them for all the 1:00 starts. They should ban those for any Pacific or Mountain teams. There's just no reason to have games not start at 4:00 Eastern, that's far less disruptive to home teams than the extra three hours are on top of the travelers. If they did that I'd be fine with the rest but really F them all around.
But F them for all the 1:00 starts. They should ban those for any Pacific or Mountain teams. There's just no reason to have games not start at 4:00 Eastern, that's far less disruptive to home teams than the extra three hours are on top of the travelers. If they did that I'd be fine with the rest but really F them all around.
Stinkin Ref
IBL Representative
this part has some to do with TV and some of the moving parts there...if they move the EST 100 to the later time slots.....lots of things change coverage wise and maybe too many games in the late afternoon slots, etc.....interfering with the "big" late afternoon game that day and viewership, etc.....
Silver & Black
Footballguy
Raiders play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving day. Now that is going to be drunken turkeytastic! 
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
richard on the way out? makes sense, saves 3.5M
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Looking to go down to Indy for New Years and catch the Jan 2nd game. I am suppose to be in Vegas sometime in Nov I think.... need to see if I can swing a home game.
kaso
Footballguy
Have you seen the ticket prices?! Might be cheaper to become a high end gambler and get a ticket comp'd from a hotel!
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Ticket prices are NUTS. Wish I’d bought season tickets at this point. My friends loge seats are going for 8k, for the opener.
JamboTaylor
Footballguy
Thoughts on Ruggs this year?
32 Counter Pass
Footballguy
https://twitter.com/jerrymcd/status/1392704549916266496?s=21
Fan bases from good teams don't complain much about schedules because they don't care. They figure their team will win. Fan bases from bad teams? Looking for miles traveled, short rest, conspiracy . . . we'll know #Raiders are good again when schedule arrives and it's quiet.
Truth
Fan bases from good teams don't complain much about schedules because they don't care. They figure their team will win. Fan bases from bad teams? Looking for miles traveled, short rest, conspiracy . . . we'll know #Raiders are good again when schedule arrives and it's quiet.
Truth
DocHolliday
Footballguy
While it does seem the schedule makers don’t do the Raiders any favors, that is true. The horrible defense was the cause of many if not most losses last year. The defense was bad home and away. The Raiders need to worry about the D more and the schedule less.
ICON211
Footballguy
I agree and I don't think it's a vast conspiracy, but I like to complain from time to time and the Raiders do get screwed a lot with the schedule. And don't get me started with stuff like the tuck rule game. I'm too young to be enraged about the immaculate reception, but I will never get over the tuck rule.
DocHolliday
Footballguy
I will never get over the tuck rule game either. The worst part about that call was that the call wasn’t correct even when using the obscure rule. Brady was not moving his arm forward or tucking it. It was held above his shoulder.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Chadstroma
Footballguy
I expect a jump in production.
There is a reason why Gruden has favored vet WR's since his system is not rookie friendly in general and even more so for WR's. Add in the COVID year of screwing everything up for the learning curve and some time off for injury, having time to learn and practice should help him and Edwards get into the offense and be more effective.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Literally the biggest swing of emotions I think I ever experienced in my life..... being anxious to pure joy to crushing depression in the matter of like two minutes.
I have experienced awesome highs and horrible lows but never the skyrocket high and following depths of hell that that damn play made me go through.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Raiders DE Maxx Crosbyy has 93 pressures since being drafted
After an incredibly strong rookie season, Maxx Crosby took a step backward for the Raiders in 2020. Or so it would seem.
Crosby saw his sack totals drop from ten in 2019 to seven in 2020. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Crosby had more pressures in 2020 and was actually the more complete player despite lesser sack numbers.
He’s had quite the start to his career, totaling 17 sacks. He has the 15th-most sacks since entering the NFL and no player drafted in 2019 has more sacks or pressures than Crosby.
Entering Year 3, the expectation is that Crosby will continue to be a starter with Yannick Ngakoue and Clelin Ferrell all competing for snaps at defensive end. The 23-year old rusher continues to get better with every snap and should be one of the team’s best defenders during the 2021 season.
After an incredibly strong rookie season, Maxx Crosby took a step backward for the Raiders in 2020. Or so it would seem.
Crosby saw his sack totals drop from ten in 2019 to seven in 2020. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Crosby had more pressures in 2020 and was actually the more complete player despite lesser sack numbers.
He’s had quite the start to his career, totaling 17 sacks. He has the 15th-most sacks since entering the NFL and no player drafted in 2019 has more sacks or pressures than Crosby.
Entering Year 3, the expectation is that Crosby will continue to be a starter with Yannick Ngakoue and Clelin Ferrell all competing for snaps at defensive end. The 23-year old rusher continues to get better with every snap and should be one of the team’s best defenders during the 2021 season.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Silver Minings: Dez Bryant says Raiders ‘got a steal’ signing UDFA rookie WR Dillon Stoner
The All-Pro has high praise for the fellow Oklahoma State product
By Bill Williamson @BWilliamsonNFL May 14, 2021, 7:02am PDT
One of the players from the Las Vegas 10-player undrafted rookie class who is getting a lot of publicity is Oklahoma State wide receiver Dillon Stoner.
A lot of people around the league were surprised Stoner went undrafted. This week he get perhaps his biggest dose of hype when Oklahoma State legend and former Dallas Cowboy star receiver Dez Bryant pumped Stoner up on Twitter with this sizzling tweet: "Huge Steal!"
Wow.
Now, that’s an endorsement.
We all should be excited to see how Stoner develops in training camp and in the preseason. My biggest concern for him is how deep the Raiders’ wide receiver group is. He’ll have a hard time cracking the 53-man roster, but the practice squad is a real possibility for this Dez favorite,
The All-Pro has high praise for the fellow Oklahoma State product
By Bill Williamson @BWilliamsonNFL May 14, 2021, 7:02am PDT
One of the players from the Las Vegas 10-player undrafted rookie class who is getting a lot of publicity is Oklahoma State wide receiver Dillon Stoner.
A lot of people around the league were surprised Stoner went undrafted. This week he get perhaps his biggest dose of hype when Oklahoma State legend and former Dallas Cowboy star receiver Dez Bryant pumped Stoner up on Twitter with this sizzling tweet: "Huge Steal!"
Wow.
Now, that’s an endorsement.
We all should be excited to see how Stoner develops in training camp and in the preseason. My biggest concern for him is how deep the Raiders’ wide receiver group is. He’ll have a hard time cracking the 53-man roster, but the practice squad is a real possibility for this Dez favorite,
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Well said. This is the night I knew I would marry my eventual wife. She helped me get through this night and my emotions better than I thought was possible. I will never get over the Tuck Rule.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
https://www.raiders.com/video/the-raiders-report-coach-gruden-talks-2021-offseason-alex-leatherwood
Kennedy interview with Leatherwood
Erin's legs
Allen interview with Gruden
Schedule release video with Woodson
Kennedy interview with Leatherwood
Erin's legs
Allen interview with Gruden
Schedule release video with Woodson
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Las Vegas Raiders Nick Kwiatkoski Receives Career-Best Grade
Nick Kwiatkoski received a career-best 75.3 coverage grade for the 2020 season, possibly the most underrated player on the Las Vegas Raiders.
HIKARU KUDO
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski made big strides for the Las Vegas Raiders last season.
Kwiatkoski had a total of 81 tackles, including 53 solos. He booked three tackles for losses and two quarterback hits. Kwiatkoski also added an interception and one forced fumble.
His performance earned him a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 75.3, a career-best for the linebacker.
Kwiatkoski also had three pass breaks up, career-high, as well as 30 defensive steps, also a career-best.
He outperformed expectations so well last season that he was named the most underrated player on the Raiders by PFF.
It was impressive on Kwiatkoski’s part, as it was his first season in Silver and Black. He also had to work with a new defensive coordinator midway through the season, as Paul Guenther was fired. Rod Marinelli served as the interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the 2020 season before Gus Bradley was hired from the Los Angeles Chargers as the permanent replacement.
That Kwiatkoski is underrated also is apparent when it is taken into account that he is the playmaker on the defense. He is the one leading the defense on the field.
Considering he did all of this in only 12 games, as he missed a couple of games due to injury, is impressive.
Raider Nation, don’t sleep on Kwiatkoski.
Nick Kwiatkoski received a career-best 75.3 coverage grade for the 2020 season, possibly the most underrated player on the Las Vegas Raiders.
HIKARU KUDO
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski made big strides for the Las Vegas Raiders last season.
Kwiatkoski had a total of 81 tackles, including 53 solos. He booked three tackles for losses and two quarterback hits. Kwiatkoski also added an interception and one forced fumble.
His performance earned him a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 75.3, a career-best for the linebacker.
Kwiatkoski also had three pass breaks up, career-high, as well as 30 defensive steps, also a career-best.
He outperformed expectations so well last season that he was named the most underrated player on the Raiders by PFF.
It was impressive on Kwiatkoski’s part, as it was his first season in Silver and Black. He also had to work with a new defensive coordinator midway through the season, as Paul Guenther was fired. Rod Marinelli served as the interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the 2020 season before Gus Bradley was hired from the Los Angeles Chargers as the permanent replacement.
That Kwiatkoski is underrated also is apparent when it is taken into account that he is the playmaker on the defense. He is the one leading the defense on the field.
Considering he did all of this in only 12 games, as he missed a couple of games due to injury, is impressive.
Raider Nation, don’t sleep on Kwiatkoski.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Around 70 Raiders players attend Monday’s voluntary OTAs
This is becoming a league-wide trend despite NFLPA’s request to boycott
By Bill Williamson@BWilliamsonNFL May 17, 2021
As the NFL began phase two of the offseason program (on-field work) on Monday, players from around the league have decided to forego the NFL Players Association’s requested boycott and attend the sessions anyway.
There were reports across the league saying that most of the players are attending the workouts on Monday. The majority of the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster have joined that movement and are working out at the team’s Henderson, Nevada, facility, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Raiders have 90 players on their roster, so the vast majority of the team are attending the OTAs. In most years, attendance at voluntary OTAs around the NFL is near 100 percent. While we are not quite there yet, but having around 70 players working out is a win for Raiders coach Jon Gruden considering the Raiders’ were one of many rosters around the league to previously say as a group that most players would skip the OTAs per the urging of the NFLPA. The union had asked players to keep their OTA work virtually for the second straight year.
Recently, Denver Broncos’ tackle Ja’Wuan James was seriously injured while working out away from the team. Per NFL rules, teams are not required to pay a player’s salary for the season if they are injured away from the club. James was released by Denver last week.
Surely that has served as a cautionary tale for players throughout the NFL. So I’d expect the trend of seeing the majority of rosters attending OTAs will continue for the rest of the spring in Las Vegas and everywhere in the NFL.
This is becoming a league-wide trend despite NFLPA’s request to boycott
By Bill Williamson@BWilliamsonNFL May 17, 2021
As the NFL began phase two of the offseason program (on-field work) on Monday, players from around the league have decided to forego the NFL Players Association’s requested boycott and attend the sessions anyway.
There were reports across the league saying that most of the players are attending the workouts on Monday. The majority of the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster have joined that movement and are working out at the team’s Henderson, Nevada, facility, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Raiders have 90 players on their roster, so the vast majority of the team are attending the OTAs. In most years, attendance at voluntary OTAs around the NFL is near 100 percent. While we are not quite there yet, but having around 70 players working out is a win for Raiders coach Jon Gruden considering the Raiders’ were one of many rosters around the league to previously say as a group that most players would skip the OTAs per the urging of the NFLPA. The union had asked players to keep their OTA work virtually for the second straight year.
Recently, Denver Broncos’ tackle Ja’Wuan James was seriously injured while working out away from the team. Per NFL rules, teams are not required to pay a player’s salary for the season if they are injured away from the club. James was released by Denver last week.
Surely that has served as a cautionary tale for players throughout the NFL. So I’d expect the trend of seeing the majority of rosters attending OTAs will continue for the rest of the spring in Las Vegas and everywhere in the NFL.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Jon Gruden Sends Clear Message About QB Derek Carr
Despite a number of different options available to him in recent years, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has stuck with longtime starter Derek Carr at quarterback. And he’s making it clear just how much trust he has in Carr to get the job done.
In a recent interview for the Raiders, Gruden stated that Carr is “very underestimated” and doesn’t get enough credit for how well he played. He said that Carr is continuing to get better and that the progress he’s made is there to see.
“Derek is very underestimated,” Gruden said. “He doesn’t get much credit for how good he’s playing, but he completes a lot of passes. He changes plays at the line of scrimmage. He’s starting to make more and more plays with his legs now. We’ve put some pretty good players around Derek. I think it shows.”
Carr is coming off his best season since 2016. He threw for a career-high 4,103 yards for 27 touchdowns while completing over 67-percent of his passes.
But Derek Carr’s on-field success couldn’t overcome the team’s defensive shortcomings. Despite leading a top-10 offensive unit that averaged 27.7 points per game, the defense was bottom-3, allowing just under 30 points a game and a franchise record 478 points.
They finished 8-8, missing the playoffs for the third straight season under Jon Gruden.
The debate as to whether Derek Carr really deserves to be the future of the Raiders under center can be debated for a while. But most honest analysts would agree that he’s far from the team’s biggest problem right now.
The Raiders have done a lot to put him in a position to succeed. Now they just need to fix all of their other weaknesses to really start contending.
Despite a number of different options available to him in recent years, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has stuck with longtime starter Derek Carr at quarterback. And he’s making it clear just how much trust he has in Carr to get the job done.
In a recent interview for the Raiders, Gruden stated that Carr is “very underestimated” and doesn’t get enough credit for how well he played. He said that Carr is continuing to get better and that the progress he’s made is there to see.
“Derek is very underestimated,” Gruden said. “He doesn’t get much credit for how good he’s playing, but he completes a lot of passes. He changes plays at the line of scrimmage. He’s starting to make more and more plays with his legs now. We’ve put some pretty good players around Derek. I think it shows.”
Carr is coming off his best season since 2016. He threw for a career-high 4,103 yards for 27 touchdowns while completing over 67-percent of his passes.
But Derek Carr’s on-field success couldn’t overcome the team’s defensive shortcomings. Despite leading a top-10 offensive unit that averaged 27.7 points per game, the defense was bottom-3, allowing just under 30 points a game and a franchise record 478 points.
They finished 8-8, missing the playoffs for the third straight season under Jon Gruden.
The debate as to whether Derek Carr really deserves to be the future of the Raiders under center can be debated for a while. But most honest analysts would agree that he’s far from the team’s biggest problem right now.
The Raiders have done a lot to put him in a position to succeed. Now they just need to fix all of their other weaknesses to really start contending.
Sarlakticacid
Footballguy
Warren Sharp has done some very interesting research into the schedule this year. Dropped a few nuggets on the Ross tucker podcast
Cold Dead Hands
Footballguy
The last 20 years has convinced me that the devil is real, he hates the Raiders, and he purchased Tom Brady's soul circa 2000.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Las Vegas Raiders All-Time Top Five: Quarterbacks
The Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas Raiders have an outstanding legacy of great players and today we look at the all-time great quarterbacks
TOM LAMARRE
1. Kenny “Snake” Stabler, 1968-1979
Kenny Stabler was an All-American who helped Alabama win the 1965 National Championship and was selected by the Raiders in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 1968 National Football League Draft. However, the Raiders also drafted quarterback Eldridge Dickey, who eventually was moved to wide receiver, but it still took Snake until the fourth game of the 1973 season to finally take over as the starting quarterback for the Silver and Black. It wasn’t eye-popping, but Stabler completed 19-of-31 passes without a touchdown and threw an interception in a 17-10 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in that game, and it was the first of many. And as a sign of things to come, Stabler drove the Raiders to a game-winning one-yard touchdown run by Marv Hubbard in the fourth quarter, one of 23 times he brought the Raiders from behind to win in the final quarter of regular-season games. He did it three more times in the post-season, in the memorable “Sea of Hands” game to dethrone the two-time Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins in 1974, in the famed “Ghost to the Post” game against the Baltimore Colts in 1977, and by running one-yard for a touchdown in the final seconds to beat the New England Patriots, 24-21, in 1976. Of course, those Raiders weren’t behind in the final quarter that often, as Stabler compiled a 69-26-1 record in Oakland, including eight consecutive winning seasons. Snake also had a 7-4 post-season record for the Raiders, but that became very frustrating for him, and all of Raider Nation, when the Silver and Black lost three straight AFC Championship Games—to the Dolphins in 1973 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974 and 1975, with all of those other teams going on to win the Super Bowl. “We developed the tag of a team that couldn’t win the big one,” Stabler said. “And, I guess we couldn’t. But we knew we were good enough and that one year we were going to get to the Super Bowl—and win. We had that tag around our necks and had to get rid of it.” In 1976, the Raiders did, going 13-1 during the regular season before that aforementioned victory over the Patriots and by defeating the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, 24-7, in the AFC Championship Game. The Raiders were underdogs against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, but Snake orchestrated a brilliant offensive game plan and the Raiders won going away, 32-14, for their first Super Bowl victory. Stabler completed 12-of-19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown to tight end Dave Casper, plus three throws to wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff that set up TDs. The Raiders turned to their ground game behind tackle Art Shell and guard Gene Upshaw, with Clarence Davis, Mark van Eeghen and Pete Banaszak, who ran for two short-yardage touchdowns. Cornerback Willie Brown put the final touches on the victory by returning an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. Biletnikoff was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player but said: “Snake could have been the MVP. I would have voted for him.” Unfortunately, the Raiders never got back to the Super Bowl with Stabler at quarterback, and after a falling out with owner Al Davis, he was traded to the Houston Oilers in 1980 and later finished his career with the New Orleans Saints. Snake passed for 19,078 yards and 150 touchdowns for the Raiders, and 27,938 and 194 scores in his career. Stabler should have been a first-ballot Hall of Fame, but a sportswriter on the HOF committee with grudge kept him out until 2016, a year after Snake died of colorectal cancer.
2. Jim Plunkett, 1978-1986
Plunkett was beaten up, physically and emotionally, after seven seasons with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers when he came to the Raiders in 1978, so owner Al Davis told him to take his time getting himself together and Plunk didn’t even practice with the team for a while. The move paid off a few years later when Plunkett led the Raiders to victories in Super Bowls XV and Super Bowl XV. It seemed that Plunkett, whose parents were blind, always seemed to have to prove himself. The 6-3, 230-pound Plunkett played quarterback and defensive end at James Lick High in San Jose, making the North-South Shrine Game as a senior at the defensive end. He weight close to 240 at the end of his freshman year at Stanford, so they sent him home and told him to gain some more weight so he could play on the defensive line the next year. Instead, Plunkett went into the equipment room and grabbed a bag of footballs before spending the summer throwing to James Lick receivers virtually every day. When he reported back to Stanford in the Fall, he weighed about 215 and was made the sixth-string quarterback, but was the starter by the opener against San Jose State. On the first play, he dropped back and threw a bomb down the right sideline to Gene Washington, the former starting quarterback who became a star wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, and it resulted in an 80-yard touchdown pass. After leading Stanford to a 27-17 victory over Ohio State in the 1971 Rose Bowl, Plunk was named winner of the Heisman Trophy and drafted first overall by the then-lowly Patriots in 1971. Although he was selected 1971 Rookie of the Year, things didn’t go so well overall in five seasons, or in 1976 and 1977 with the 49ers. However, two years after he joined the Raiders, quarterback Dan Pastorini went down because of a broken leg in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 32-year-old Plunkett came on and threw five interceptions in the game, but he led the Raiders to nine victories in the next 11 games for an 11-5 record and a wild-card berth in the playoffs. Then Plunk guided the Raiders to three straight victories in the playoffs over the Houston Oilers, the Cleveland Browns, and an upset of the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl XV, Plunkett completed 13-of-21 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named Most Valuable Player as the Raiders upset the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, to become the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl. He also was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Three years later, Plunkett again was the backup quarterback for the Raiders, having been benched in favor of younger Marc Wilson, but he was back in the starting lineup when Wilson sustained a broken left shoulder. Plunkett started the last 13 games of the regular season, with the Raiders winning 10 of them to finish with a 12-4 record and win the AFC West title. In the playoffs, Plunkett led the Raiders to a 38-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 30-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks, before they trounced the favored Washington Redskins, 38-9, in the Super Bowl XVIII as Plunkett completed 16-of-25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. Plunkett is the only eligible quarterback with two Super Bowl victories not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His head coach in Super Bowls was Tom Flores, another great Raider quarterback who barely missed making this list. Plunkett passed for 25,882 yards and 164 touchdowns in his career, and rushed for 1,337 yards and 14 touchdowns, although his detractors point out that he also threw 198 interceptions. However, 117 of those picks came with the Patriots and 49ers, and only 81 with the Raiders. In addition, he had an 82-82 record as a starter, but was 38-19 with the Raiders, and had an 8-2 record in the playoffs. “Jim Plunkett had the biggest heart, the most courage of anybody I ever played with,” Raiders tight end Raymond Chester said. “He had a great throwing arm … and he was so tough and he could make plays, big plays. He had the will to win.” Jim Plunkett might be the most underrated player in NFL history.
3. Daryle Lamonica, 1967-74
Lamonica was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 24th round of the 1963 American Football League Draft (No. 188 overall) by the Buffalo Bills and in the 12th round of the (No. 168 overall) of National Football League Draft by the two-time NFL Green Bay Packers out of Notre Dame. The 6-3, 218-pound Lamonica, who grew up in Clovis in California’s San Joaquin Valley, backed up quarterback Jack Kemp in his first four seasons before Al Davis traded quarterback Tom Flores and wide receiver Art Powell to the Bills for Lamonica and wide receiver Glenn Bass in 1967. Some people thought the Raiders gave up too much to get Lamonica, but as soon as he arrived in Oakland, he became the famed “Mad Bomber.” Recalled Lamonica: “In March (of 1967) I had a talk with Coach (Joe) Collier and he assured me an equal shot at the No. 1 job (with the Bills). So, 10 minutes before the common draft. the Bills traded me to the Raiders.” Lamonica, an avid hunter, was on a hunting trip in California when the trade was announced, and bagged a 35-pound bobcat that day. He promptly named the catch “Raider” and had its head-mounted so that it would be a “constant reminder of one of the greatest days in my life.” In his first season with the Raiders, Lamonica was an instant sensation, completing 220-of-445 passes for 3,228 yards and 30 touchdowns in 1967, leading the Raiders to a 13-1 record that was the best in AFL history. Said quarterback Len Dawson of the Kansas City Chiefs: “The Mad Bomber,” they named him right. He was going after it. He went back and unloaded that ball. He was going for broke on every play.” The Raiders routed the Houston Oilers, 40-7, in the 1967 AFC Championship Game as Lamonica threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, before losing to the Green Bay Packers, 33-14, in Super Bowl II even though Lamonica threw two scoring passes to wide receiver Bill Miller. However, Lamonica and the Raiders were handicapped by the loss of their most explosive player, dual-threat running back Clem Daniels, who was out because of a knee injury. Although the Raiders went an astounding 62-16-6 over eight seasons with Lamonica starting at quarterback, second-best in NFL history, they didn’t return to the NFL’s biggest game until quarterback Kenny Stabler led the Silver and Black to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI after the 1976 season. Lamonica had a .900 winning percentage in the AFL, the highest in the league’s 10-year history. “The Mad Bomber” completed 1,138-of-2,248 passes for 16,655 yards and 148 touchdowns in his eight seasons with the Raiders. “Our long passing game on the Raiders came from Al Davis,” said Lamonica, who guided the Raiders into the playoffs every year he was a starter except for 1971, but his 8-4-2 playoff record as a starter wasn’t quite good enough to get them back to the Super Bowl. “Al convinced me that the vertical game would work. He wanted me to throw the ball downfield. It was an exciting time. We were innovative in the AFL. We brought the passing game more into play than the NFL did. AFL fans wanted to see the ball in the air.” Longtime members of Raider Nation remember Lamonica fondly and even in the Raiders’ last season in Oakland two years ago, many fans would wear his familiar No. 3 jersey to games at the Coliseum. And on some, the name on the back was not Lamonica, but “The Mad Bomber.” Lamonica was the AFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1967 and 1969, was a three-time AFL All-Star, a two-time All-Pro after the merger, made the Pro Bowl in 1970 and 1972, and is another AFL star who has been overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4. Rich Gannon, 1999-2004
Gannon was a journeyman quarterback when he came to the Raiders in 1999 at the age of 34, having played previously for the Minnesota Vikings, the Washington Redskins, and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Gannon had plenty left in the tank, as he made the Pro Bowl in each of the next four seasons, was a two-time All-Pro, led the NFL in passing in 2002, when he also was AFC Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Most Valuable Player. Oh, and Gannon also led the Raiders to their fifth, and for now, the last appearance in the Super Bowl. The 6-3, 210-pound Gannon was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (No. 98 overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft, and the Patriots wanted to move him to running back but instead traded him to the Vikings before the start of his rookie season. Gannon backed up Wade Wilson for three seasons before finally becoming the official starter in 1992 when he led the Vikings to an 11-5 record and a berth in the playoffs. Still, he moved on to the Redskins the next season and the Chiefs a year later but started only 23 games in the next five seasons before winding up in Silver and Black as a free agent in 1999. Gannon passed for 3,840 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season with the Raiders, who went 8-8, but in the next three years, they made the playoffs with a record of 12-4, 10-6, and 11-5. In 2002, he completed 418-of-618 passes for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 156 yards and three TDs. In addition to being selected MVP, Gannon led the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Unfortunately, All-Pro center Barret Robbins, who had drug and alcohol problems, freaked out when told he might not play in the game because of a knee injury, and went off on a binge in nearby Tijuana, Mexico. In 1999, Robbins and the Raiders' offensive line dominated the Buccaneers, 45-0, but this time without one of the best linemen in football they were pounded, 48-21, as Gannon threw five interceptions. Gannon started only 10 games in his last two seasons, going out with a shoulder injury in Week 7 in 2003, before a serious neck injury in Week 3 the following year virtually ended his career. The Raiders were 2-1 before Gannon was injured in 2004, but lost 10 of their last 13 games. In those six seasons in Oakland, Gannon became the second-leading passer (although he is now No. 3) in Raiders history behind Kenny Stabler, completing 1,533-of-2,448 passes, 62.2 percent, for 17,585 yards and 114 touchdowns, with 50 interceptions. The Raiders had a 45-29 record during the regular season with Gannon as their starting quarterback and were 4-3 with him in the playoffs. After retiring, Gannon served as an analyst on the NFL on CBS for 16 seasons through 2020.
5. Derek Carr, 2014-Present
California’s San Joaquin Valley has been a fertile breeding ground for outstanding Raiders quarterbacks, with Tom Flores and Daryle Lamonica growing up in the Fresno area, while Carr grew up in Bakersfield as a Raiders fan before playing at Fresno State. The Raiders selected the 6-3, 210-pound Carr in the second round (No. 36 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft after he led the Bulldogs to the 2013 Mountain West Conference Championship, was selected All-MWC Offensive Player of the Year, and to the All-MWC team in his last season, and won the 2013 Sammy Baugh Trophy. Carr, whose older brother, David, also played quarterback in the NFL and is an analyst for the NFL Network, passed for 12,843 yards and 113 touchdowns while leading Fresno State to a 24-15 record in his three years as a starter, including an 11-2 mark as a senior. Carr became the Raiders starter as a rookie and is entering his eighth season at the helm for the Silver and Black. Even though he has broken all of Kenny Stabler’s franchise passing records, Carr has taken criticism for the Raiders’ 47-63 record during his seven seasons, even though he hasn’t had nearly the talent around him that Stabler, Lamonica, Flores and Jim Plunkett had with them for the Silver and Black. Carr did lead the Raiders to the playoffs in 2016, when they were 12-3 before he was knocked out for the last regular season game and the playoffs because of a broken leg. Without Carr, who led the Raiders to seven comeback victories in the fourth quarter that season and has 24 in his career, the Houston Texans beat the Raiders, 24-17, in the first round of the playoffs and the Silver and Black has not been to the post-season since. Carr was selected to the Pro Bowl after each of his first three seasons, although he obviously couldn’t play in 2016, and has been very durable, starting 110 of the Raiders’ 112 regular-season games during his career—missing two because of injuries. The Raiders were 8-8 last season but seemed on their way back to the playoffs when they won three straight games to reach 6-3, but they lost five of their last seven and were on the outside looking in again. Carr had another big season, passing for a career-high 4,103 yards and 27 touchdowns with only nine interceptions, and for his Raiders career, he has completed 2,468-of-3,830 passes for 170 touchdowns and 71 interceptions. When he started breaking Stabler’s records, Carr said he didn’t know how his father would feel, because Snake was his favorite player. For the record, Stabler said he thought Carr had what it took the be a Raiders quarterback before Snake passed away in 2016.
The Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas Raiders have an outstanding legacy of great players and today we look at the all-time great quarterbacks
TOM LAMARRE
1. Kenny “Snake” Stabler, 1968-1979
Kenny Stabler was an All-American who helped Alabama win the 1965 National Championship and was selected by the Raiders in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 1968 National Football League Draft. However, the Raiders also drafted quarterback Eldridge Dickey, who eventually was moved to wide receiver, but it still took Snake until the fourth game of the 1973 season to finally take over as the starting quarterback for the Silver and Black. It wasn’t eye-popping, but Stabler completed 19-of-31 passes without a touchdown and threw an interception in a 17-10 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in that game, and it was the first of many. And as a sign of things to come, Stabler drove the Raiders to a game-winning one-yard touchdown run by Marv Hubbard in the fourth quarter, one of 23 times he brought the Raiders from behind to win in the final quarter of regular-season games. He did it three more times in the post-season, in the memorable “Sea of Hands” game to dethrone the two-time Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins in 1974, in the famed “Ghost to the Post” game against the Baltimore Colts in 1977, and by running one-yard for a touchdown in the final seconds to beat the New England Patriots, 24-21, in 1976. Of course, those Raiders weren’t behind in the final quarter that often, as Stabler compiled a 69-26-1 record in Oakland, including eight consecutive winning seasons. Snake also had a 7-4 post-season record for the Raiders, but that became very frustrating for him, and all of Raider Nation, when the Silver and Black lost three straight AFC Championship Games—to the Dolphins in 1973 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974 and 1975, with all of those other teams going on to win the Super Bowl. “We developed the tag of a team that couldn’t win the big one,” Stabler said. “And, I guess we couldn’t. But we knew we were good enough and that one year we were going to get to the Super Bowl—and win. We had that tag around our necks and had to get rid of it.” In 1976, the Raiders did, going 13-1 during the regular season before that aforementioned victory over the Patriots and by defeating the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, 24-7, in the AFC Championship Game. The Raiders were underdogs against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, but Snake orchestrated a brilliant offensive game plan and the Raiders won going away, 32-14, for their first Super Bowl victory. Stabler completed 12-of-19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown to tight end Dave Casper, plus three throws to wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff that set up TDs. The Raiders turned to their ground game behind tackle Art Shell and guard Gene Upshaw, with Clarence Davis, Mark van Eeghen and Pete Banaszak, who ran for two short-yardage touchdowns. Cornerback Willie Brown put the final touches on the victory by returning an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. Biletnikoff was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player but said: “Snake could have been the MVP. I would have voted for him.” Unfortunately, the Raiders never got back to the Super Bowl with Stabler at quarterback, and after a falling out with owner Al Davis, he was traded to the Houston Oilers in 1980 and later finished his career with the New Orleans Saints. Snake passed for 19,078 yards and 150 touchdowns for the Raiders, and 27,938 and 194 scores in his career. Stabler should have been a first-ballot Hall of Fame, but a sportswriter on the HOF committee with grudge kept him out until 2016, a year after Snake died of colorectal cancer.
2. Jim Plunkett, 1978-1986
Plunkett was beaten up, physically and emotionally, after seven seasons with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers when he came to the Raiders in 1978, so owner Al Davis told him to take his time getting himself together and Plunk didn’t even practice with the team for a while. The move paid off a few years later when Plunkett led the Raiders to victories in Super Bowls XV and Super Bowl XV. It seemed that Plunkett, whose parents were blind, always seemed to have to prove himself. The 6-3, 230-pound Plunkett played quarterback and defensive end at James Lick High in San Jose, making the North-South Shrine Game as a senior at the defensive end. He weight close to 240 at the end of his freshman year at Stanford, so they sent him home and told him to gain some more weight so he could play on the defensive line the next year. Instead, Plunkett went into the equipment room and grabbed a bag of footballs before spending the summer throwing to James Lick receivers virtually every day. When he reported back to Stanford in the Fall, he weighed about 215 and was made the sixth-string quarterback, but was the starter by the opener against San Jose State. On the first play, he dropped back and threw a bomb down the right sideline to Gene Washington, the former starting quarterback who became a star wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, and it resulted in an 80-yard touchdown pass. After leading Stanford to a 27-17 victory over Ohio State in the 1971 Rose Bowl, Plunk was named winner of the Heisman Trophy and drafted first overall by the then-lowly Patriots in 1971. Although he was selected 1971 Rookie of the Year, things didn’t go so well overall in five seasons, or in 1976 and 1977 with the 49ers. However, two years after he joined the Raiders, quarterback Dan Pastorini went down because of a broken leg in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 32-year-old Plunkett came on and threw five interceptions in the game, but he led the Raiders to nine victories in the next 11 games for an 11-5 record and a wild-card berth in the playoffs. Then Plunk guided the Raiders to three straight victories in the playoffs over the Houston Oilers, the Cleveland Browns, and an upset of the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl XV, Plunkett completed 13-of-21 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named Most Valuable Player as the Raiders upset the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, to become the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl. He also was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Three years later, Plunkett again was the backup quarterback for the Raiders, having been benched in favor of younger Marc Wilson, but he was back in the starting lineup when Wilson sustained a broken left shoulder. Plunkett started the last 13 games of the regular season, with the Raiders winning 10 of them to finish with a 12-4 record and win the AFC West title. In the playoffs, Plunkett led the Raiders to a 38-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 30-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks, before they trounced the favored Washington Redskins, 38-9, in the Super Bowl XVIII as Plunkett completed 16-of-25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. Plunkett is the only eligible quarterback with two Super Bowl victories not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His head coach in Super Bowls was Tom Flores, another great Raider quarterback who barely missed making this list. Plunkett passed for 25,882 yards and 164 touchdowns in his career, and rushed for 1,337 yards and 14 touchdowns, although his detractors point out that he also threw 198 interceptions. However, 117 of those picks came with the Patriots and 49ers, and only 81 with the Raiders. In addition, he had an 82-82 record as a starter, but was 38-19 with the Raiders, and had an 8-2 record in the playoffs. “Jim Plunkett had the biggest heart, the most courage of anybody I ever played with,” Raiders tight end Raymond Chester said. “He had a great throwing arm … and he was so tough and he could make plays, big plays. He had the will to win.” Jim Plunkett might be the most underrated player in NFL history.
3. Daryle Lamonica, 1967-74
Lamonica was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 24th round of the 1963 American Football League Draft (No. 188 overall) by the Buffalo Bills and in the 12th round of the (No. 168 overall) of National Football League Draft by the two-time NFL Green Bay Packers out of Notre Dame. The 6-3, 218-pound Lamonica, who grew up in Clovis in California’s San Joaquin Valley, backed up quarterback Jack Kemp in his first four seasons before Al Davis traded quarterback Tom Flores and wide receiver Art Powell to the Bills for Lamonica and wide receiver Glenn Bass in 1967. Some people thought the Raiders gave up too much to get Lamonica, but as soon as he arrived in Oakland, he became the famed “Mad Bomber.” Recalled Lamonica: “In March (of 1967) I had a talk with Coach (Joe) Collier and he assured me an equal shot at the No. 1 job (with the Bills). So, 10 minutes before the common draft. the Bills traded me to the Raiders.” Lamonica, an avid hunter, was on a hunting trip in California when the trade was announced, and bagged a 35-pound bobcat that day. He promptly named the catch “Raider” and had its head-mounted so that it would be a “constant reminder of one of the greatest days in my life.” In his first season with the Raiders, Lamonica was an instant sensation, completing 220-of-445 passes for 3,228 yards and 30 touchdowns in 1967, leading the Raiders to a 13-1 record that was the best in AFL history. Said quarterback Len Dawson of the Kansas City Chiefs: “The Mad Bomber,” they named him right. He was going after it. He went back and unloaded that ball. He was going for broke on every play.” The Raiders routed the Houston Oilers, 40-7, in the 1967 AFC Championship Game as Lamonica threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, before losing to the Green Bay Packers, 33-14, in Super Bowl II even though Lamonica threw two scoring passes to wide receiver Bill Miller. However, Lamonica and the Raiders were handicapped by the loss of their most explosive player, dual-threat running back Clem Daniels, who was out because of a knee injury. Although the Raiders went an astounding 62-16-6 over eight seasons with Lamonica starting at quarterback, second-best in NFL history, they didn’t return to the NFL’s biggest game until quarterback Kenny Stabler led the Silver and Black to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI after the 1976 season. Lamonica had a .900 winning percentage in the AFL, the highest in the league’s 10-year history. “The Mad Bomber” completed 1,138-of-2,248 passes for 16,655 yards and 148 touchdowns in his eight seasons with the Raiders. “Our long passing game on the Raiders came from Al Davis,” said Lamonica, who guided the Raiders into the playoffs every year he was a starter except for 1971, but his 8-4-2 playoff record as a starter wasn’t quite good enough to get them back to the Super Bowl. “Al convinced me that the vertical game would work. He wanted me to throw the ball downfield. It was an exciting time. We were innovative in the AFL. We brought the passing game more into play than the NFL did. AFL fans wanted to see the ball in the air.” Longtime members of Raider Nation remember Lamonica fondly and even in the Raiders’ last season in Oakland two years ago, many fans would wear his familiar No. 3 jersey to games at the Coliseum. And on some, the name on the back was not Lamonica, but “The Mad Bomber.” Lamonica was the AFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1967 and 1969, was a three-time AFL All-Star, a two-time All-Pro after the merger, made the Pro Bowl in 1970 and 1972, and is another AFL star who has been overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4. Rich Gannon, 1999-2004
Gannon was a journeyman quarterback when he came to the Raiders in 1999 at the age of 34, having played previously for the Minnesota Vikings, the Washington Redskins, and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Gannon had plenty left in the tank, as he made the Pro Bowl in each of the next four seasons, was a two-time All-Pro, led the NFL in passing in 2002, when he also was AFC Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Most Valuable Player. Oh, and Gannon also led the Raiders to their fifth, and for now, the last appearance in the Super Bowl. The 6-3, 210-pound Gannon was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (No. 98 overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft, and the Patriots wanted to move him to running back but instead traded him to the Vikings before the start of his rookie season. Gannon backed up Wade Wilson for three seasons before finally becoming the official starter in 1992 when he led the Vikings to an 11-5 record and a berth in the playoffs. Still, he moved on to the Redskins the next season and the Chiefs a year later but started only 23 games in the next five seasons before winding up in Silver and Black as a free agent in 1999. Gannon passed for 3,840 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season with the Raiders, who went 8-8, but in the next three years, they made the playoffs with a record of 12-4, 10-6, and 11-5. In 2002, he completed 418-of-618 passes for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 156 yards and three TDs. In addition to being selected MVP, Gannon led the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Unfortunately, All-Pro center Barret Robbins, who had drug and alcohol problems, freaked out when told he might not play in the game because of a knee injury, and went off on a binge in nearby Tijuana, Mexico. In 1999, Robbins and the Raiders' offensive line dominated the Buccaneers, 45-0, but this time without one of the best linemen in football they were pounded, 48-21, as Gannon threw five interceptions. Gannon started only 10 games in his last two seasons, going out with a shoulder injury in Week 7 in 2003, before a serious neck injury in Week 3 the following year virtually ended his career. The Raiders were 2-1 before Gannon was injured in 2004, but lost 10 of their last 13 games. In those six seasons in Oakland, Gannon became the second-leading passer (although he is now No. 3) in Raiders history behind Kenny Stabler, completing 1,533-of-2,448 passes, 62.2 percent, for 17,585 yards and 114 touchdowns, with 50 interceptions. The Raiders had a 45-29 record during the regular season with Gannon as their starting quarterback and were 4-3 with him in the playoffs. After retiring, Gannon served as an analyst on the NFL on CBS for 16 seasons through 2020.
5. Derek Carr, 2014-Present
California’s San Joaquin Valley has been a fertile breeding ground for outstanding Raiders quarterbacks, with Tom Flores and Daryle Lamonica growing up in the Fresno area, while Carr grew up in Bakersfield as a Raiders fan before playing at Fresno State. The Raiders selected the 6-3, 210-pound Carr in the second round (No. 36 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft after he led the Bulldogs to the 2013 Mountain West Conference Championship, was selected All-MWC Offensive Player of the Year, and to the All-MWC team in his last season, and won the 2013 Sammy Baugh Trophy. Carr, whose older brother, David, also played quarterback in the NFL and is an analyst for the NFL Network, passed for 12,843 yards and 113 touchdowns while leading Fresno State to a 24-15 record in his three years as a starter, including an 11-2 mark as a senior. Carr became the Raiders starter as a rookie and is entering his eighth season at the helm for the Silver and Black. Even though he has broken all of Kenny Stabler’s franchise passing records, Carr has taken criticism for the Raiders’ 47-63 record during his seven seasons, even though he hasn’t had nearly the talent around him that Stabler, Lamonica, Flores and Jim Plunkett had with them for the Silver and Black. Carr did lead the Raiders to the playoffs in 2016, when they were 12-3 before he was knocked out for the last regular season game and the playoffs because of a broken leg. Without Carr, who led the Raiders to seven comeback victories in the fourth quarter that season and has 24 in his career, the Houston Texans beat the Raiders, 24-17, in the first round of the playoffs and the Silver and Black has not been to the post-season since. Carr was selected to the Pro Bowl after each of his first three seasons, although he obviously couldn’t play in 2016, and has been very durable, starting 110 of the Raiders’ 112 regular-season games during his career—missing two because of injuries. The Raiders were 8-8 last season but seemed on their way back to the playoffs when they won three straight games to reach 6-3, but they lost five of their last seven and were on the outside looking in again. Carr had another big season, passing for a career-high 4,103 yards and 27 touchdowns with only nine interceptions, and for his Raiders career, he has completed 2,468-of-3,830 passes for 170 touchdowns and 71 interceptions. When he started breaking Stabler’s records, Carr said he didn’t know how his father would feel, because Snake was his favorite player. For the record, Stabler said he thought Carr had what it took the be a Raiders quarterback before Snake passed away in 2016.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Raiders may have had bad intel on 2021 first-round pick
By AUSTIN NIVISON
When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Alabama offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, it surprised many around the league. It felt like the Raiders might be reaching with that pick, and it might have been because they had incorrect information.
In his Football Morning in America column, NBC Sports’ Peter King addressed the idea that the Raiders drafted Leatherwood because the Ravens were going to do it later in the first round. King’s sources told him that the Raiders may have been misinformed about how much Baltimore liked Leatherwood as a prospect.
“I think I’d say this in response to the Raiders’ belief that the Ravens were lying in wait for tackle Alex Leatherwood to get past mid-first-round so Baltimore could pick the Alabama tackle late in round one: My belief is the Ravens had a round-three grade on Leatherwood. So they’d never have considered him late in the first,” King wrote in his Football Morning in America column.
In the aftermath of the 2021 draft, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock fielded many questions about the pick. Mayock revealed that Las Vegas had the opportunity to trade down in the first round, but the team was worried that it wouldn’t be able to draft Leatherwood if it did execute the swap.
"Just when we got on the clock a team did call us and inquired about moving up but they gave us a very poor trade offer and it was a team that needed a tackle," Mayock said, according to ESPN. "So the combination of the poor offer and their need kind of pushed us away from that. There's a risk/reward scenario and, in this case, we didn't feel that it was worth it."
Mayock himself admitted that he knew the selection of Leatherwood would be “controversial.” Ultimately, the Raiders’ front office didn’t care about public opinion because coaches and scouts were in agreement that Leatherwood was their top option along the offensive line.
“Coach Cable has been all over him for months now,” Mayock said. “(Jon) Gruden loved this guy. Our scouts loved this guy. And what I like is, when the second floor in our building, which is all the coaches, and the third floor, which is all the scouts, when we’re united on a conversation like Leatherwood, that makes me feel really good about the pick.”
Last fall, Leatherwood averaged an overall blocking grade of 91.5 by the Alabama coaching staff, as well as a 99.7 on his assignments. That led to Leatherwood becoming the Crimson Tide’s fifth Outland Trophy winner and the co-recipient of the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy, pairing with Landon Dickerson.
Leatherwood was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2017 signing class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.
By AUSTIN NIVISON
When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Alabama offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, it surprised many around the league. It felt like the Raiders might be reaching with that pick, and it might have been because they had incorrect information.
In his Football Morning in America column, NBC Sports’ Peter King addressed the idea that the Raiders drafted Leatherwood because the Ravens were going to do it later in the first round. King’s sources told him that the Raiders may have been misinformed about how much Baltimore liked Leatherwood as a prospect.
“I think I’d say this in response to the Raiders’ belief that the Ravens were lying in wait for tackle Alex Leatherwood to get past mid-first-round so Baltimore could pick the Alabama tackle late in round one: My belief is the Ravens had a round-three grade on Leatherwood. So they’d never have considered him late in the first,” King wrote in his Football Morning in America column.
In the aftermath of the 2021 draft, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock fielded many questions about the pick. Mayock revealed that Las Vegas had the opportunity to trade down in the first round, but the team was worried that it wouldn’t be able to draft Leatherwood if it did execute the swap.
"Just when we got on the clock a team did call us and inquired about moving up but they gave us a very poor trade offer and it was a team that needed a tackle," Mayock said, according to ESPN. "So the combination of the poor offer and their need kind of pushed us away from that. There's a risk/reward scenario and, in this case, we didn't feel that it was worth it."
Mayock himself admitted that he knew the selection of Leatherwood would be “controversial.” Ultimately, the Raiders’ front office didn’t care about public opinion because coaches and scouts were in agreement that Leatherwood was their top option along the offensive line.
“Coach Cable has been all over him for months now,” Mayock said. “(Jon) Gruden loved this guy. Our scouts loved this guy. And what I like is, when the second floor in our building, which is all the coaches, and the third floor, which is all the scouts, when we’re united on a conversation like Leatherwood, that makes me feel really good about the pick.”
Last fall, Leatherwood averaged an overall blocking grade of 91.5 by the Alabama coaching staff, as well as a 99.7 on his assignments. That led to Leatherwood becoming the Crimson Tide’s fifth Outland Trophy winner and the co-recipient of the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy, pairing with Landon Dickerson.
Leatherwood was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2017 signing class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
PFF: Raiders RB Josh Jacobs ranked among best running backs in NFL
Since entering the NFL, all Josh Jacobs has done is produce.
In 28 career games, he has totaled 2,619 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns. On top of being a workhorse on the ground, he’s one of the better blocking and receiving running backs in the league. But where does Jacobs stack up against the rest of the top running backs in the NFL?
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top-32 running backs in the NFL. Not surprisingly, Jacobs came in high at No. 8. Here is what Monson had to say about Jacobs entering Year 3:
“Over the past two seasons, only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb have broken more tackles on the ground than Josh Jacobs, who has been the best first-round pick the Raiders have had in a number of years.”
It’s worth noting that the site also ranked Kenyan Drake inside the top-32, giving the Raiders one of the best running back duos in the NFL. With Jacobs’ ability to win between the tackles and Drake’s speed, this should be among the best backfields in all of football this year.
Look for Jacobs to continue to get the most work out of the backfield and to produce another 1,300-yard season for the Raiders.
Since entering the NFL, all Josh Jacobs has done is produce.
In 28 career games, he has totaled 2,619 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns. On top of being a workhorse on the ground, he’s one of the better blocking and receiving running backs in the league. But where does Jacobs stack up against the rest of the top running backs in the NFL?
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top-32 running backs in the NFL. Not surprisingly, Jacobs came in high at No. 8. Here is what Monson had to say about Jacobs entering Year 3:
“Over the past two seasons, only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb have broken more tackles on the ground than Josh Jacobs, who has been the best first-round pick the Raiders have had in a number of years.”
It’s worth noting that the site also ranked Kenyan Drake inside the top-32, giving the Raiders one of the best running back duos in the NFL. With Jacobs’ ability to win between the tackles and Drake’s speed, this should be among the best backfields in all of football this year.
Look for Jacobs to continue to get the most work out of the backfield and to produce another 1,300-yard season for the Raiders.
dcgangstas
Footballguy
He can't help but be a little bit better, but I do not see Ruggs as a #1 alpha WR. The depth of routes that Ruggs is given by Gruden doesn't seem to mesh with Derek Carr's propensity to throw short and intermediate routes.
I really wanted CeeDee Lamb and Patrick Queen in the 2020 Draft. I didn't think Ruggs was a Tyreek HIll clone. Didn't even think he was the best WR on his Alabama Team.
I will be cautiously hopeful that Ruggs will be given an opportunity to get more touches, even if they manufacture touches for him on jet sweeps. I won't project more than 600 yards and 4 TDs though.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
That is pure BS.
11.8 YPC last year. Who do you want to compare to? Brady? 11.6 Rodgers? 11.6 Mahomes? 12.2 Watson? 12.6
Nelson just got a big fat over priced contract basically because he was getting long ball catches from Carr. In fact, he has the second highest yards per catch at 18.7! And if you were watching the games those were not from some slant he broke long every time.
What was Ruggs? 17.4 YPC
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 20.9
Nelson Agholar 18.7
DJ Moore 18.1
Gabriel Davis 17.1
Have your bias but have it based in some reality please.
DocHolliday
Footballguy
So you think Ruggs becomes a true WR1 for the Raiders this season? Is he going to outperform Lamb, the WR that should be a Raider? Is he going to catch up to Jefferson in production? I think Brown has more playing time than Ruggs but Ruggs will get his chances since Brown seems to miss a fair amount of games due to injury.
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
sadly, ruggs was only a factor in one game last year. in that chiefs game, he looked great! i'm not counting the jets game.
however, slightly built, little wrs don't have a history of success in the NFL. the raiders have plenty of them now, so here's hoping they can change that storyline.
if ruggs and brown simply stay healthy and play a full season, i'll considerate a win. throw renfrow's tough ### in there too. he's tiny.
however, slightly built, little wrs don't have a history of success in the NFL. the raiders have plenty of them now, so here's hoping they can change that storyline.
if ruggs and brown simply stay healthy and play a full season, i'll considerate a win. throw renfrow's tough ### in there too. he's tiny.
kaso
Footballguy
Quote "I think I'd say this in response to King's best guess on most things NFL related: My belief is King is an idiot." kaso wrote in response on the FBGs forum.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
I bolded exactly what I was replying to.DocHolliday said:
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Just reporting the news not making it.kaso said:
32 Counter Pass
Footballguy
I think you are talking about this article: https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/which-nfl-teams-have-been-most-impacted-by-scheduling-inequalities/
There are some teams at a serious disadvantage due to the schedule. The Raiders aren’t one of those teams.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
It is more than staying healthy, it is learning a system that is complicated. There is a reason Gruden has favored vets at WR in the past.
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
staying healthy is the most important thing, just ask saquan barkley.
-------------------------------------------------
i was curious as to gruden's record with wrs over his coaching tenure.
inherited tim brown(2). signed the best wr ever to play football, in jerry rice.
inherited keyshawn johnson. keenan mccardell. michael clayton(rookie) joey galloway(3). antonio bryant
inherited amari cooper(traded him) jordy nelson. ty williams, nelson agholor
hunter renfrow(rookie)(2) darren waller(2)*
----------------------------------------------------
*renfrow had more catches than williams and agholor, but they were more impactful. waller dwarfed all of them
-------------------------------------------------
i was curious as to gruden's record with wrs over his coaching tenure.
inherited tim brown(2). signed the best wr ever to play football, in jerry rice.
inherited keyshawn johnson. keenan mccardell. michael clayton(rookie) joey galloway(3). antonio bryant
inherited amari cooper(traded him) jordy nelson. ty williams, nelson agholor
hunter renfrow(rookie)(2) darren waller(2)*
----------------------------------------------------
*renfrow had more catches than williams and agholor, but they were more impactful. waller dwarfed all of them
LawFitz
Footballguy
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Saying it is more than just staying healthy isn't negating the importance of staying healthy in any way, shape or form. It is just saying there is more to it than that.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
David Irving was cut.
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Of course it is. But if you’re not on the field, you do nothing for the team.
Other than jones, Edwards and Waller, the wrs are a buncha pip squeaks. I just want them to stay healthy.
DocHolliday
Footballguy
It is most important for the Raiders for Waller to stay healthy since he is the best “WR” on the team by an extremely large margin. The WRs are nothing special and are role players. Brown and Ruggs are interchangeable as the field stretchers. Renfrow, Jones, and Edwards are complimentary players and not vital to the O like Waller.DA RAIDERS said:
nittanylion
Footballguy
I dunno, Doc...would you be open to the idea that you're selling Brown a little short? If he plays a full 16, or even most of one, I think you're going to be pleased to find that John Brown has a lot more to his game than 'field stretcher'. While he's nowhere near a Top 10 guy, his reasonable range of outcomes probably peaks somewhere around overall WR18-24 as the Raiders WR1, alongside Waller winding up as a Top 4 TE. Brown has some game besides deep speed, from what I've seen. I'm a huge fan of Tyrell Williams, but I think Brown is more complete a player than both him and Agholor, and right now, more complete than Ruggs.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Chadstroma
Footballguy
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