Raiders to make playoffs in 2009 (1 Viewer)

[Bri]

ALAMEDA — Tom Cable is back, and so are the Raiders. Managing general partner Al Davis made official the first part of the equation in a news conference Wednesday. Cable made clear the latter in an unprompted proclamation.

The process of putting behind them the 2008 season and shifting their attention toward the 2009 season and beyond kicked off with a 55-minute question-and-answer session at the team's year-round facility.

"The Oakland Raiders are back," Cable said in response to his being promoted from interim coach to full-time boss. "They're back. We're going to go win football games, and we're going to be a playoff team. You hear me? I'm not afraid to say that. All that negative aura; it's done. It's our time now."

The past 37 days were Davis' time to decide on how best to shape the future of a franchise that has lost at least 11 games each of the past six seasons and 72 of 96 overall.

In the end, Davis opted for Cable over New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Green Bay Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss and two other undisclosed candidates.

Cable's passion and lifelong admiration of the Raiders won over Davis despite strong competition from Gilbride, Davis said, without naming Gilbride.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/raiders/ci...?nclick_check=1

 

[Sinrman]

 

[puckalicious]

What do I not like about the Raiders? How about the lunatic running the show, that alone practically guarantees mediocrity at best. They are the Lions with slightly better players.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I think they could finish 2nd in the AFC west this season.

 

[Anonymous Internet User]

I think they could finish 2nd in the AFC west this season.

well, three of the AFC west teams canned their head coaches ... so i think Oakland coming out the better of those three isn't a longshot. still not playoff-capable though. do they have a QB yet? WRs? they're like a mini-Titans team .. good defense, good RBs .. not much else.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Its not that far fetched and I'm not just talking about it from a "if the Cardinals can do it anyone can" standpoint. The Raiders have a very solid defense that kept them in most games last season. The o-line seems to be improving and they have a trio of RBs that compliment eachother's skillset very well.

Johnnie Lee Higgins is developing into a nice deep threat and Zach Miller is a solid TE. A solid possession type WR (maybe a vet like Bobby Engram) would surely help.

The key is Jamarcus Russell. He will be entering his trrid season and second as a full time starter so those that just dismiss him and state "he sucks" are a little premature. You may be surprised if you look up his numbers during the last three weeks that he performed pretty well.

This team went into Tampa Bay with the Bucs playoff life on the line and beat them after being down in the game.

Do I think they are going to make the playoffs? I wouldn't predict it, but I wouldn't find it shocking either. I dislike the Raiders (mostly because of Davis and the semi-rivalry the Jets had going with them earlier this decade), but lets face ot. Its better for the NFL when the Raiders are relevant.

 

[Silver & Black]

I think the key to Oakland having a good season in 2009 is the addition of a top flight WR. Oakland tried to do that last year when they added Walker, and well, not so good!

I am a huge Jamarcus fan. He has such enormous potential. With a very good rushing attack and a very solid defense that I think can be even better this year, I think the addition of a top flight WR could be the missing piece to the puzzle on offense. Obviously, the O-Line needs to continue to improve on pass protection, but with McFadden and/or Fargas and Bush keeping defenses honest, I think Russel can really take that next step with a solid WR to spread the field.

I think Chad Johnson is my #1 choice. He's obviously done in Cinci and if they can trade him away, Housh may stay. Despite his being a loony, Chad has awesome skills and is exactly what Oakland needs. He'd clearly be THE go to guy in Oakland, which is exactly what he wants to be. Plus, imagine the chip on his shoulder he'd be playing with in Oakland with a guy like Russel throwing him deep balls all day long!

After Chad, I'd love to see Boldin or Housh or :deepbreath: Owens come to Oakland. Owens wouldn't have to worry about other guys stealing his catches in Oakland, and love or hate him, he's got awesome skills.

 

[Hoss_Cartwright]

I think the key to Oakland having a good season in 2009 is the addition of a top flight WR. Oakland tried to do that last year when they added Walker, and well, not so good!

I am a huge Jamarcus fan. He has such enormous potential. With a very good rushing attack and a very solid defense that I think can be even better this year, I think the addition of a top flight WR could be the missing piece to the puzzle on offense. Obviously, the O-Line needs to continue to improve on pass protection, but with McFadden and/or Fargas and Bush keeping defenses honest, I think Russel can really take that next step with a solid WR to spread the field.

I think Chad Johnson is my #1 choice. He's obviously done in Cinci and if they can trade him away, Housh may stay. Despite his being a loony, Chad has awesome skills and is exactly what Oakland needs. He'd clearly be THE go to guy in Oakland, which is exactly what he wants to be. Plus, imagine the chip on his shoulder he'd be playing with in Oakland with a guy like Russel throwing him deep balls all day long!

After Chad, I'd love to see Boldin or Housh or :deepbreath: Owens come to Oakland. Owens wouldn't have to worry about other guys stealing his catches in Oakland, and love or hate him, he's got awesome skills.

You don't think there's the potential of a similar attitude as Moss (remember him lying down on the bench?) after week 9 when Oakland has 2 or 3 wins? Teams like Oakland need to distance themselves from prema donnas, at least until they are an established good team. Having Cancers on a bad team is NEVER a good idea. I would hope that Oakland learned from the Moss experience.

 

[Silver & Black]

I think the key to Oakland having a good season in 2009 is the addition of a top flight WR. Oakland tried to do that last year when they added Walker, and well, not so good!

I am a huge Jamarcus fan. He has such enormous potential. With a very good rushing attack and a very solid defense that I think can be even better this year, I think the addition of a top flight WR could be the missing piece to the puzzle on offense. Obviously, the O-Line needs to continue to improve on pass protection, but with McFadden and/or Fargas and Bush keeping defenses honest, I think Russel can really take that next step with a solid WR to spread the field.

I think Chad Johnson is my #1 choice. He's obviously done in Cinci and if they can trade him away, Housh may stay. Despite his being a loony, Chad has awesome skills and is exactly what Oakland needs. He'd clearly be THE go to guy in Oakland, which is exactly what he wants to be. Plus, imagine the chip on his shoulder he'd be playing with in Oakland with a guy like Russel throwing him deep balls all day long!

After Chad, I'd love to see Boldin or Housh or :deepbreath: Owens come to Oakland. Owens wouldn't have to worry about other guys stealing his catches in Oakland, and love or hate him, he's got awesome skills.

You don't think there's the potential of a similar attitude as Moss (remember him lying down on the bench?) after week 9 when Oakland has 2 or 3 wins? Teams like Oakland need to distance themselves from prema donnas, at least until they are an established good team. Having Cancers on a bad team is NEVER a good idea. I would hope that Oakland learned from the Moss experience.

I don't necessarily disagree. Problem is, many of the high caliber WR's are divas.CJ is an elite guy who needs the spotlight all to himself. Same for TO. In Oakland, they would have that. They already have a very good defense and a star poential rb in McFadden. If they draft O-Line and continue to improve on the line, adding CJ or TO could go a long way to ensuring Oakland doesn't have 2-3 wins in week 9.

Remember, Oakland was very competitive this year and lost a lot of close games. The have to re-learn HOW to win and Cable seems to have the right attitude. Whoever it is, Oakland needs a star at WR to come in and give Russell a chance to shine.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

I think they could finish 2nd in the AFC west this season.

... with 11 losses ?

 

[The Kansas Comet]

I think they could finish 2nd in the AFC west this season.

... with 11 losses ?

Beat me to it.ETA: Adding a real diva WR like Ocho or TO would be a terrible idea for the Raiders. It would be refusing to learn from the mistakes of the past. If it was a guy like Housh or Boldin, it might be a better idea because they seem like less me-first guys than either of the other two. Regardless of whom they bring in, how on Earth can any head coach really establish any kind of discipline when everyone knows all the authority rests with Senile Al? Cable? The guy was a decent o-line coach at UCLA, a lousy head coach in college, and now he's an NFL head coach? Only because he was the only guy Davis could get. Sad that one of the historic football franchises has come to this.

 

[One]

They'll be back, the haters will always pile on whether Oakland's winning or loosing.

Edited for spelling cuz I ar dum.

 

[Whiplash Inc.]

I'm not prediciting a playoff berth at all, but fact is there are several pieces in place already and I feel that if they upgrade the lines, manage to retain Nnamdi and Lechler and get an upgrade at receiver they definitely should be able to at least compete for a division title.

 

[timschochet]

I'm not prediciting a playoff berth at all, but fact is there are several pieces in place already and I feel that if they upgrade the lines, manage to retain Nnamdi and Lechler and get an upgrade at receiver they definitely should be able to at least compete for a division title.

I love Nnamdi and Lechler is a more valuable player in the NFL than people think, but come on. I think your main problem is JaMarcus. Kid has a killer arm but I don't think he gets it or ever will.

 

[Whiplash Inc.]

I'm not prediciting a playoff berth at all, but fact is there are several pieces in place already and I feel that if they upgrade the lines, manage to retain Nnamdi and Lechler and get an upgrade at receiver they definitely should be able to at least compete for a division title.

I love Nnamdi and Lechler is a more valuable player in the NFL than people think, but come on. I think your main problem is JaMarcus. Kid has a killer arm but I don't think he gets it or ever will.

You don't have to agree with the first statement and you're awefully premature with the last one.

 

[puckalicious]

They'll be back, the haters will always pile on whether Oakland's winning or loosing.

Edited for spelling cuz I ar dum.

 

[SierraKiloBravo]

5-11.

 

[One]

They'll be back, the haters will always pile on whether Oakland's winning or loosing.

Edited for spelling cuz I ar dum.

Comes out sounding like Dezi Arnaz

 

[madd futher]

Quoted from Rotoworld:

Raiders named former 49ers QBs coach Ted Tollner passing coordinator. He will essentially be Oakland's offensive coordinator, although head coach Tom Cable will call the plays.

Tollner's last stint as an OC was with Detroit in 2005. The Lions ranked 27th in total offense that year.

Cable's assistants, are among the least impressive in the league after Oakland's staff was purged by Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, DC Rob Ryan bolted to the Browns, and OC Greg Knapp left for Seattle.

It's hard to imagine the Raiders winning more than five games in 2009.

 

[Mikey16x]

Raiders will never make the playoffs with Russell as their QB. Take that to the bank and cash it. I understand that everybody has to mature but this kid has shown me absolutely nothing to indicate he will be able to play at a high level in the NFL. The Raiders can't do anything about it right now because they have so many holes to fill but once they start plugging those holes in and they realize that Russell is still stinking the joint up, they'll have to change it up. His job is safe as a Raider for the next 2 seasons.

 

[The Jacket]

No QB, horrible WRs and OL, terrible DL and mediocre LBs. Clueless coach and absolutely garbage coordinators just hired.

Maybe their DBs will carry them.

If Asomugha doesn't manage to get out of that dump.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I'm not prediciting a playoff berth at all, but fact is there are several pieces in place already and I feel that if they upgrade the lines, manage to retain Nnamdi and Lechler and get an upgrade at receiver they definitely should be able to at least compete for a division title.

I love Nnamdi and Lechler is a more valuable player in the NFL than people think, but come on. I think your main problem is JaMarcus. Kid has a killer arm but I don't think he gets it or ever will.

After one full season as an NFL starter you're willing to say this? Did Aikman, Manning or McNabb get it after one year? I'm not saying Russell will be that good - not even saying he can't bust - but most QBs take some time to develop. Matt Ryan may have spoiled some people.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Raiders will never make the playoffs with Russell as their QB. Take that to the bank and cash it. I understand that everybody has to mature but this kid has shown me absolutely nothing to indicate he will be able to play at a high level in the NFL. The Raiders can't do anything about it right now because they have so many holes to fill but once they start plugging those holes in and they realize that Russell is still stinking the joint up, they'll have to change it up. His job is safe as a Raider for the next 2 seasons.

I don't want to come across as a Russell defender, but why is it everyone is so quick to bury a young QB nowadays? He showed you nothing. Look at his late 3 games (all against teams that finished at least .500):13 15 Sun Dec 14, 2008 box L OAK NWE 26 49 17 31 242 2 1 7.8 54.8 88.4 14 16 Sun Dec 21, 2008 box W OAK HOU 27 16 18 25 236 2 0 9.4 72.0 128.1 15 17 Sun Dec 28, 2008 box W OAK @ TAM 31 24 14 21 148 2 1 7.0 66.7 98.9 That's not a bad way for a QB to finish his first season as a starter.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Raiders will never make the playoffs with Russell as their QB. Take that to the bank and cash it. I understand that everybody has to mature but this kid has shown me absolutely nothing to indicate he will be able to play at a high level in the NFL. The Raiders can't do anything about it right now because they have so many holes to fill but once they start plugging those holes in and they realize that Russell is still stinking the joint up, they'll have to change it up. His job is safe as a Raider for the next 2 seasons.

I don't want to come across as a Russell defender, but why is it everyone is so quick to bury a young QB nowadays? He showed you nothing. Look at his late 3 games (all against teams that finished at least .500):13 15 Sun Dec 14, 2008 box L OAK NWE 26 49 17 31 242 2 1 7.8 54.8 88.4 14 16 Sun Dec 21, 2008 box W OAK HOU 27 16 18 25 236 2 0 9.4 72.0 128.1 15 17 Sun Dec 28, 2008 box W OAK @ TAM 31 24 14 21 148 2 1 7.0 66.7 98.9 That's not a bad way for a QB to finish his first season as a starter.

Russell played very well down the stretch and Oakland basically ended TB and Denvers playoff hopes. The D is under rated and would be alot better if the O improvesI think they could hover near .500 next year

 

[puckalicious]

Quoted from Rotoworld:

Raiders named former 49ers QBs coach Ted Tollner passing coordinator. He will essentially be Oakland's offensive coordinator, although head coach Tom Cable will call the plays.

Tollner's last stint as an OC was with Detroit in 2005. The Lions ranked 27th in total offense that year.

Cable's assistants, are among the least impressive in the league after Oakland's staff was purged by Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, DC Rob Ryan bolted to the Browns, and OC Greg Knapp left for Seattle.

It's hard to imagine the Raiders winning more than five games in 2009.

Ted Tollner? Seriously? As a Lions fan I feel really bad for Da Raiders. Tollner really, really blows. This does not bode well for Russell. Well at least Cable will be calling the plays so maybe there's hope.

 

[Cookiemonster]

No QB, horrible WRs and OL, terrible DL and mediocre LBs. Clueless coach and absolutely garbage coordinators just hired.

Maybe their DBs will carry them.

If Asomugha doesn't manage to get out of that dump.

Now that's just hatin'. What little fandom I have left for the Raiders hates them as much as anyone, but I've got to say that their LBs are stellar. The D line does them no favors, but AsoSoup is stud, Morrison is stud and T.Howard is stud. Russell missed all development time early in his 1st year and really only had one full season of preparation. He showed flashes at the end of last year, and has had no quality WRs to throw to. As a dying Raiders fan, Boldin would make huge improvements for this team. As a Boldin fantasy owner, that's the last thing I want. Housh would be 2nd on my list & Crabtree would make a nice draft prize. I don't want Chad anywhere near the Bay. Cable is a good line coach, but I'm afraid making him the head coach will take away from what he does best, and what this team needs most.

 

[The Jacket]

No QB, horrible WRs and OL, terrible DL and mediocre LBs. Clueless coach and absolutely garbage coordinators just hired.

Maybe their DBs will carry them.

If Asomugha doesn't manage to get out of that dump.

Now that's just hatin'.

Howard is a nice chase-'backer. Not much more but a nice sideline-to-sideline player. Morrison is a tackling dummy who makes next to no big plays. If you ever see Morrison he's five yards down the field. Who is Oakland's other starter? Like I said, very mediocre. If Morrison had stepped up since his rookie year, and could be counted on to make a big play every now and then, they might be a little better.

 

[Cookiemonster]

No QB, horrible WRs and OL, terrible DL and mediocre LBs. Clueless coach and absolutely garbage coordinators just hired.

Maybe their DBs will carry them.

If Asomugha doesn't manage to get out of that dump.

Now that's just hatin'.

Howard is a nice chase-'backer. Not much more but a nice sideline-to-sideline player. Morrison is a tackling dummy who makes next to no big plays. If you ever see Morrison he's five yards down the field. Who is Oakland's other starter? Like I said, very mediocre. If Morrison had stepped up since his rookie year, and could be counted on to make a big play every now and then, they might be a little better.

Howard is big, strong and fast. He likes to hit and hit big and he has been a monster in coverage. Morrison just makes tons of tackles despite playing behind a sub-par pair of DTs. Ricky Brown is nothing special, but the other two are All-Pro if they could get a D-line... Gerard Warren??? Jay Richardson??? Kalimba Edwards??? Tommy Kelly is decent, but he needs help.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Quoted from Rotoworld:

Raiders named former 49ers QBs coach Ted Tollner passing coordinator. He will essentially be Oakland's offensive coordinator, although head coach Tom Cable will call the plays.

Tollner's last stint as an OC was with Detroit in 2005. The Lions ranked 27th in total offense that year.

Cable's assistants, are among the least impressive in the league after Oakland's staff was purged by Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, DC Rob Ryan bolted to the Browns, and OC Greg Knapp left for Seattle.

It's hard to imagine the Raiders winning more than five games in 2009.

Ted Tollner? Seriously? As a Lions fan I feel really bad for Da Raiders. Tollner really, really blows. This does not bode well for Russell. Well at least Cable will be calling the plays so maybe there's hope.

Just another of many strange decisions in Raiderland over the years.