Al davis oakland raiders’s raiders team al

Raider Card Addict has read through the media’s preaching, and has
decided if you want your team to be better than us….then bring it.

Well, as the Giants game winds down, and the start of the NFL season
is here, the Raider Nation has to ask itself, are we ready?

The media, the ESPN people, and the haters, they like to crow “no.”
There’s no way this team will win more than four games this season,
and those are the comments that can be published.

What’s truly funny though is that a lot of these writers, reporters,
and media junkies constantly trumpet that the cause of the Raiders’
turmoil is Al Davis.

Funny. Last time I checked, he wasn’t our quarterback. Or our running
back. Or our wide reciever.

Saying that Al Davis is the reason we lose is like saying Mike
Shanahan is the reason Denver wins games. Neither actually goes out on
the field and scores touchdowns.

In the end, it comes down to the players who go out on the grass and
enter the field of play.

So, for all those mockers and haters, I’ll simply say this: If your
team thinks it can win…bring it.

Our first game is against Denver. A lot of the Shanahan disciples have
Denver picked to win. How they came up with this, I have no idea.

Somehow, after all this, Denver’s going to win in Oakland in front of
a rabid crowd? If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you,
too.

You’re right RCA, Al Davis is not on the field. However, it is fair to
say he set the chessboard.

Drafting McFadden will turn out to be a masterstroke, despite the many
who felt it would have better to draft Glenn Dorsey.

True enough, JC. Although, at times I feel Al Davis walks the line
between Genius, and Madness. Remember the team he assembled back in
2000? He brought in all those Vets, for one good run, and managed to
get 3 decent years out of the lot. The only downside, is that once the
expiration dates hit, the team ground to a halt, couldn’t stop anyone,
and then we had to put most of our team on the IR. I remember watching
the Chicago game, in 2003, thinking to myself, if we could keep them
from kicking a field goal…..but to no avail. But, as for the man who
doesn’t like to use the R word….this squad Al has constructed, is a
unique bunch. It’s got some solid bricks to work with, both this year,
and into the future. I see McFadden giving us at least several seasons
of highlights, plus more, if we can lock him down to a longer deal.
Russell, same deal….and Miller reminds me tons of Christensen.

Al Davis has the Raiders ready to make a run at the AFC West this
season, and for seasons to come. Our team consists of a lot of
extremely good, young talent. These guys will be together for a while
and grow into a dominant force.

Bottom line is that they have to run, run, run. The O line is pathetic
in pass protection. It’s running and defense with the occasional play
action. Of course this strategy depends on flawless execution because
they cannot afford to play from behind, or get penalized very much. If
they can keep their holding penalties at one or two for the game then
they have a shot, and of course the defense, or special teams have to
force a couple of turnovers.

The haters and ESPN have been saying this about AL ever since the
raiders moved back from LA, Until the Gruden Ara, then they jumped
back on the on the bandwagon. Back then we went through the same shit
with the coaches, Mike White, Joe Bugel and so on. It’s just a matter
of time before they jump back on again. mark my words, Al will shut
this idiots up again.

Think a lot of it will tell shortly after the Broncos game. If we win,
ESPN will probably consider it a abberation, that we didn’t really
win, we just didn’t lose. As well, if we lose, ESPN will trumpet Al’s
failures again, and try to make them sound like geniuses. So pretty
simple. Win, make it impactful, and solid.

I have mentioned this on other places but it fits in well here. The
problem is the O-line was never sufficiently repaired. We used to have
excellent players (think Lincoln Kennedy). When that generation
dropped off, we never adequately replaced the talent. The next
generation did not come through. We wasted the high draft pick on
Gallery who was supposed to play Tackle. We still have not found his
replacement while his lack of talent is disguised at guard. Who are
these other bums on the line? Why did Al recruit castoffs like Cornell
Green, Kwame Harris, etc. who would not even be in the league if not
for Al misjudging their abilities. Al likes to think he sees things
others don’t. Well, sometimes yes. In this case, NO

Like John Madden says, it all starts with the O-line. Why has there
been such little attention paid to stocking that role with talent? It
is obvious the line stinks and I don’; care about a zone blocking
scheme or cut blocking or lack of fullback help or whatever.

The O-Line is the problem, has been for a while and it has not been
fixed in YEARS now. So that is it in a nutshell.

Actually, something must be working on the O-line. Otherwise, why did
we finish as the 6th best rushing club? That line has to be held, for
the transfer from QB to RB, and then for the same RB to find a hole. I
remember in the truly horrid 2006 season, you couldn’t even get that,
because usually as the handoff occurred, there’d be one or two
opponents in the backfield….that, was having no O-line. Now, as for
a passing O-line, we need to work on it. Russell needs time to have
his receivers go deep, and if he’s got company inside of 3 seconds,
that’s good for about 8-10 yards, depending on the route. Miller helps
in cases like this, acting as the extra lineman, but it’ll come down
to Russell, those recievers, and possibly a little duck and weave for
it all pan out. First test is less than 3 days out….anyone else
excited?

I can heaqr what youre saying but like Addict said, something is
definbately working for this line.

Gallery is now a prolific guard and Harris is still developing. Its
the running game that this team made lasty year that probably
convinced AL not spend too much big bucks on replaciong and finding
new Olinemen in free agency.

Al your right! running ok we’re good, but you need to throw the ball
in this league. I don’t see us throwing the ball unless we use play
action. By the way play action doesn’t work if your down by 10 points.
Defenses don’t give a sh!t about letting you run the clock out.
Russell will have blitzes coming from all directions not just because
he is in his first starting year, but because the line has not proven
it can pick up anything other than an overpriced pay check.

Amen brother. In the decades that the Raiders were a dominant team
they’re Oline beat on teams, pushed them around & enabled the offense
to impose its will on opposing defenses. “offenses in the NFL have
always had the philosophy of take what the defense gives, but not the
Raiders, we take what we want.”-Al Davis- It was because of those old
Raider Olines that the Raiders could “take what they want”, but for
now, because of the Oline, we must take what we can get.

Al Davis likes to be diffrerent and its his desire to be that renegade
that defines the Raiders and makes us a Raider fan. Personally I
believe that why the Raiders have such die hards in their fanbase is
simply because the Raiders have a personality of their own. A
personality that meshes into those only destined to be forever
Raiders, win or lose; A personality of defiance, struggle and
ultimately victory through that effort.

Thats what Raider Nation and the Raiders are all about. U couldnt have
said it any better when talking about “Walkinbg a fine line of Genius
and madness”. Its what make us Raider Nation so fustrated at times as
well. Look at Plunkett, Gannon, Kennedy, and the list can go and on if
I want.

There comes a point when the term ‘haters” is tossed around so much it
sounds like whining. While there are bandwagon detractors against the
raiders, it is legitimate to criticize and be skeptical of a team with
the Raiders record and behavior as of late. Don’t fret over or label
all detractors as “haters”. just sit back and let the wins, quickly
silence them all.

Whet that silence comes it will be venomous. The talk will be about
what a great coach Kiffin is, how he must be a mastermind to be able
to turn around a Raider team while being caged & beaten daily by the
evil coach hating mad man who knows nothing about running an NFL team,
Al Davis. I think it was Joe Bugle that said being the head coach of
the Raiders is the best job in football, if you win you get all the
credit, if you lose Al gets all the blame. Remember the ’02 superbowl?
Gruden was the genius that built the team that the dottering old fool
Al Davis was hoping could win, by all sports writers accounts. The
wins will come & the hate will remain, but in the end we will still be
One Nation.

Last offseason, Oakland improved at positions that were already strong
(think Deangelo Hall and Darren McFadden) and largely ignored their
weaknesses (no, cornell green, Kwame “turnstyle” Harris, William
Joseph who I think has been cut, Kalimba Edwards, and Greg Spires are
not good enough to compensate for Oakland’s severe weaknesses in the
trenches.)

I am also weary of the Raiders’ receiving core, which now relies on a
decent but not amazing Ronald Curry (had a 10 catch game against
Detroit but exceeded 4 catches only twice afterwards), an injury prone
and overly cocky Javon Walker, and insert late draft pick here
(probably a guy like Todd Watkins or Armon Shields, maybe Higgins if
he can get his act together).

That problem is made worse by the fact that they have a largely
unproven quarterback (yes Jamarcus Russel is very talented but until I
see him perform for a full season I’m lukewarm on him) playing behind
a line that can’t pass block to save its life. The running game is
very deep with McFadden, Bush, and Fargas but a winning team needs to
be able to throw the ball effectively and the Raiders won’t be able to
do that.

The Hall and Wilson signings (loved the Wilson signing even if he is a
tad overrated) strengthened an already solid secondary.,but the run
defense, which ranked 31st in the league last year, has not improved
much personnel wise. Also, although Hall is very talented, he gets
burned very frequently for a player of his caliber. The most loaded
secondary in the league is useless if teams can simply run the ball
down your team’s throat, especially in a division that has Ladanian
Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, and Denver’s always solid rushing attack.

The Raiders have a lot of talent on their roster but they can’t pass
or stop the run, and unless they improve significantly in those areas,
I can’t see them winning more than 7 games. Give it a couple years and
a draft/FA signing period dedicated to shoring up their weaknesses and
the Raiders should be able to contend for a wild card spot, but this
sin’t the year in my opinion.

Also, I agree with Greb, the term “hater” has become analagous to the
political term “flip-flopper”. It has become so overused that even if
someone did fit that label, nobody takes the use of the word
seriously. If the Raiders win 9-10 games this year I’ll gladly eat
some crow, after all, that would mean I was clearly wrong about them,
but until that happens, my answer to the questin at the top of your
article is a resounding no.

Max, you’re a little late on the Arman….he’s already IRed with
injury, so it’ll be Watkins and Schillins filling in behind Curry,
Walker, Higgins and Lelie. One aspect that people also forget, is that
the most reliable talent for passing on the team, isn’t a WR. It’s
Miller, who actually led the rookie TEs with 44 catches last year. It
also set the team rookie record for receptions, as things go. Granted,
we might not have recievers like the Colts, or even the
Patriots….but then, that’ll be to our advantage. How? No one will
expect us to get TDs with these guys. Secondly, if we’re relying on
the run, at 80 percent of our offense, why worry about a pass every 4
plays? Russell will either find someone, check off to Miller, or if
all else fails, play Pink Floyd, and Run like Hell. With this weak of
a schedule, I can see 10 wins. After all, games are against playoff
clubs, two in the division already. Then the Bucs at the end, and the
Patriots, in December…but in Oakland.

O-line O-line O-line ………..it is painfull to watch. That and only
that is the reason the Raiders will not be any type of threat what so
ever in this league. It frustrates me to no end that with all this
talent, the simple fact the offence can’t get anything going is a lack
of time after the snap. Trust me folks, the entire season will be
displayed in the first quarter.

Nah, you don’t have to say it. Simply because, if our line is so
bad….how’d we finish 6th in the league for rushing? Sure, it takes a
different formation to pass. But as well, with a passing formation,
the TE can stick around, as an extra man. Also, both teams know, that
a Denver-Oakland game isn’t an everyday game. This usually has
something extra brought to the grudge match. You can bet Shanahan’s
looking through every bit of film he can. And I wouldn’t say it’ll be
over in the first quarter. Unless Fargas, McFadden, and Nmandi all
break for TDs.

Denver is favored by 3 points, talk about no respect!I cant wait for
this game, I feel DMac is going to have a HUGE game.

That’s true. Although, Betus.com has the Raiders up, and making the
spread. Playing the simulation, we win 16-8, with denver only breaking
through in the 4th quarter. I doubt it would be that close, and I
doubt McFadden will have 35 yards, too.

This is sooooooo hilarious. McFumble is going to have a HUGE game!
16-8!! It won’t be that close!! You were right about that!
hahahahaha!!! McFumble had 48 yards dudes, 48! Oh my goodness, this is
why I never predict outcomes, you end up looking silly

THE RAIDERS F****** SUCK it is funny how a crappy team that should not
even be mentioned in the same breath as the NFL are going to
apparently make it to the super bowl and beat god in a game. on a good
day i would only say that they are a mediocre 4-12 team. honestly i
think a college team could beat oakland because when u come down to it
that is all they are

Funny Matt, that your memory forgets the last time we played. We owned
you, and your coach. Now who is the fool?

every day another mindless raiders fan writes another meaningless
article advertising these washed up oakland raiders. just please wake
up and smell the roses folks, the raiders are the laughing stock of
the league (other than the rams) and all they know how to do is lose.
the raiders have a rich history of winning and it seems that the
raiders hopeful think that at the start of every season that the
raiders will restore that tradition. look if the raiders have a shot
in hell of having a record of over .500 then they are going to have to
pray for a few more natural disasters to throw their opponents off. i
beg you raiders fans pull your heads out of the smokey raiders
atmosphere and watch monday night football and watch jay cutler and
company tear the roof down

Um, Josh, I’ve read some of your drivel….and it’s nothing to write
home about. Maybe when you put together an article, and have it read
over 2000 times, then i’ll consider you past third grade. Until then,
go away, and finish high school….you need it.

ok havent is spelled wrong and read what the guy said i was asking who
is ” you” and who did ” you own” so read what people write first and
see if it DOSE make sense

Still don’t make sense. You said dumb. Not only is haven’t spelled
wrong all theses punctual errors you got. Us raider fans are not dumb,
Its like a hooker calling anther girl a whore. Go back to following
Baseball by the way when was the last time Yankees won the World
Series? Seems like the Sox being owning your ass.

ya terry ur right the yankees are playing like shit but unlike little
bitch fans i can admit when they are not doing so good and “seems like
the sox being owning your ass” ya and im the one not making any sense

ok raider card first my team is the ravens and like i said im not
going around like an idiot saying that they are gonna be the best team
of all time because i know they may be lucky to get 5 wins and i was
never afraid to say that but nobody asked and second it is funny how
your using the past tense to describe oaklands sucess but you are
right about one thing arguing about this is immature so how about you
wait untill week 8 or 9 when the raiders will have maybe won 2-3 games
and then have a discussion

well so much for the 16-8 victory huh i guess so much for the great
corners so let me know what the excuse is for being killed this week
is

ok im waiting for a response but seriously i thought about it and u
are right they are a great team i mean a lot of teams drop the season
opener with a score that big ( i was being sarcastic in case you
idiotic fans cant tell)

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The al davis raiders walker offseason kiffin

(09-06) 16:13 PDT — Call Javon Walker overweight during the
offseason, and the Raiders’ wide receiver won’t mutter a word. Say he
tried to quit in the middle of training camp, and he won’t dispute the
point. Wonder out loud what really happened when he got robbed and
beaten in Las Vegas, and he turns a deaf ear.

Tell Walker he has something to prove this season, and those are
fighting words. The way he sees it, criticism coming from fans, media
and coaches – former and current alike – is unwarranted and unfounded
on every level.

“They don’t look at stuff realistically,” Walker said. “I say it so
ya’ll can write about it and they can read it.

“If Lane (Kiffin) wants to be hard on me, that’s fine because I’ve
always had coaches be hard on me. I know what I can do. Shoot, he seen
me on tape. He seen me in full effect last year.”

Walker is referring to when he ripped the Raiders with eight catches
for 101 yards in a Week 2 game at Denver. That gave Walker 220
receiving yards in two weeks.

The performance caught the attention of Raiders owner Al Davis. It
served as a genesis to Davis personally negotiating the deal – six
years, $55 million, $16 million guaranteed – that brought Walker to
Oakland.

That’s also the last time Walker played a game with healthy knees. He
underwent surgery two weeks later and rushed back to catch seven
passes in the final five games.

Ever since then, Walker believes people have wrongfully questioned his
knees, his talent and his mind. Never mind that he admits to trying to
retire last month, only for Davis to talk him into staying. Forget two
knee surgeries in three years, and how Broncos coach Mike Shanahan
suggested microfracture surgery was in his future.

Walker said he is misunderstood. When the lights are on, everyone will
see that the old No. 84 is back, even if he doesn’t think he has to
show anyone anything after seven NFL seasons with two 1,000-yard
seasons and one Pro Bowl appearance.

“It’s funny when you’re listening and you’re reading … last year
wasn’t a down year,” Walker said. “I was third in the league in
receptions and yards but I got hurt. I think people forget that. It’s
not like a decreased talent or your plays have dropped.

“Maybe it wasn’t productive in other people’s eyes as far as catching
the ball, but it was productive in getting other people open, being
there as a decoy.”

Kiffin demands more than a decoy, especially at these prices. Walker
was signed to be the No. 1 receiver for quarterback JaMarcus Russell,
who needs a downfield threat to match his strong right arm.

Kiffin has been brutally honest about Walker, and sometimes just plain
brutal, going back to the start of organized team activities.

“Javon has had a tough offseason,” Kiffin said. “He was heavy during
the offseason. His altercation in Las Vegas and then coming back. And
then he has missed some practices due to injury. So it has not been a
very good offseason.”

Walker said he wasn’t overweight, that he has been 220 pounds in
offseason training his entire career. He wonders why that’s such a
problem now, and why no one talked to him about if before going public
with any concerns.

He remains just as put-off at how the Broncos treated him. He doesn’t
think the team diagnosed his knee injury correctly and that the
Broncos didn’t appreciate the way he returned from surgery last year
and played hurt – all to help the team win games.

Shanahan refused to talk about Walker in a phone interview, saying,
“Well, I’m not going to go getting into those types of details. I just
wish Javon the best and, uh, leave it at that.”

“I think he felt like he was kind of pushed out,” Broncos quarterback
Jay Cutler said. “He feels like he has something to show this team, so
I’m sure we’ll get his best shot.”

Walker hopes so. He has been limited in practice all week with a
slight hamstring pull but practiced at full speed Saturday and is
expected to start Monday night.

Briefly:Darren McFadden practiced as a kick returner last week.
Johnnie Lee Higgins is the starting kick returner but Kiffin said
McFadden remains an option. … Defensive end Kalimba Edwards, who
plays on passing downs, practiced Saturday for the first time all week
after injuring his groin. He is expected to play Monday night.

Not many homes in Northern California have basements that area under
the main floor, below ground level, that builders leave…

In a Union City factory that twists out 150,000 pounds of Red Vines
licorice a day, plant manager John Nelson is betting that…

Al davis raiders’s kirk captain whispering

The effect of Al Davis in the Star Trek era of the Raiders, brought to
you by Mike Sommers.

kirk: Spock, what the hell is in that thing your looking into?? Is
that a mini tv or somethin?spock: No captain, I am looking at my
Fantasy Football team and trying to figure out who to play.Uhura:
Captain, (holding that little blue tooth thing in her ear) I am
receiving a signal from earth.Kirk: Put it on the screen please(the
screen lights up and it is a giant Al Davis head) the whole crew jumps
back!Kirk: WHAT THE F*CK?Screen: Kirk, this is Al Davis…I own this
friggin ship and all in it…you will listen to my commands, no matter
how crazy or unorthodox…NOW ARE YOU LISTENING?

Kirk: yes sir (still leaning back in his command chair).Spock:
(whispering to kirk) captain, it is 100% pure senility.Kirk:
(whispering back to spock) is there any way to stop him?Spock:
(whispering) no captain, he has the ultimate power and our fate in his
wrinkly hand.Kirk: (mumbles) SH*T!!screen: WHAT DID YOU SAY?Kirk:
uhhhh nothing sir…. d d did you have a command for us?screen: YES, I
have given your young assss control of my ship (team), but I give you
no real authority…you will do as I say and drive this ship right
into the ground…regardless of the crew (the nation) and its
feelings…AND DO IT NOW!!(Screen turns off)Kirk: ok crew, gather
around and take a hit of spock’s stuff (takes joint from spock and
hits it) (in a smoke inhaled, hold it in, voice…) F*CK THAT GUY…we
are going to fly to Buffalo and fulton torpedo those new yahkers back
to reality!!! Sulu: to buffalo sir? Kirk: Helll friggin
yeah…(calling scott)Kirk: Scotty?Scott: aye captain?kirk: hey drop
your c**k and pick up the rocks (di lithium crystals) and get this
hoopdy ride to buffalo…

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Bettis show players in al davis raiders

TUESDAY’S SHOW: SI Writer Tom Verducci … CNBC Sports-Business
analyst Darren Rovell …NFL Network analyst Adam Schefter … Cowboys
TE Jason Witten … Titans QB Chris Simms.

Jerome Bettis said that as bad as the Patriots played against the
Dolphins, New England has a tendency of bouncing back and playing like
a different team in its next game.

Bettis says that teams are ganging up on the underneath passes. Matt
Cassel has to start throwing downfield to make defenses adjust. But
he’s not sure Cassel will be able to do that.

Bettis had a strong take on the Raiders. He said whoever takes over
for Lane Kiffin will have no real power. Players will never buy into
the coach when Al Davis is running the show. Davis doesn’t support the
coach, so the players are more concerned about the owner.

The al davis raiders kiffin raiders team

So at least we have a common theme for the 49ers and Raiders in terms
of what’s ahead this weekend:

Because you must admit, right now, both teams stink. If you combine
the 49ers and Raiders rosters, as they performed in their openers, you
get the smell of a moldy liverwurst sandwich that has been sitting in
the luggage bin of John Madden’s bus for five days in 100-degree heat.

And please make that sandwich the size of Robert Gallery or Jonas
Jennings, huh? Because it’s a very large smell.

The question is, which team will eradicate the stink faster? Like,
say, this Sunday? The 49ers at Seattle? Or the Raiders at Kansas City?

Or if you want to be more negative: Which team is worse, with the
least chance of turning things around?

To glean an answer, it was instructive to attend this week’s day-after
media sessions by both coaches. Mike Nolan did his Monday, following
the 49ers’ ugly loss to Arizona. Lane Kiffin did his Tuesday, after
the Raiders’ embarrassment against Denver.

Normally, the Q-and-A sessions are rote affairs, full of tortured
spin. But this time, it was more like looking at two sick patients
trying to diagnose their own diseases. The take here, after sitting
through both, is this: Kiffin has more of a handle on what’s wrong
with his team. Nolan still appears to be searching.

Nolan was more into clinically dissecting the problems. And whether
either man can take corrective action that succeeds is an utter coin
flip. But one team is in better position to do better. Which one?
Sorry. You’ll have to wait a few more paragraphs.

What you need to know, first and foremost, is that neither Kiffin nor
Nolan will be fired this month. Beyond that, who can say? But both
Kiffin and Nolan are sons of NFL coaches.

They know the rules of the game. You put your head down and do the
work. Then take the consequences.

For the moment, Nolan probably has more front-office support. Although
that wouldn’t be difficult, because Raiders owner Al Davis supposedly
asked Kiffin to resign after last season (rather than firing him and
having to pay him more money).

Also, before this season began, you had to wonder if the coaching
tumult of the Raiders’ off-season — when Kiffin wanted to part
ways with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan but Davis intervened and
forced Kiffin to keep Ryan — might make its way onto the field
somehow.

“I don’t know,” Kiffin said Tuesday, when asked that question
directly. “If it does, I can’t go back and change that. So I don’t
know what that has to do with the penalties and missed coverages. But
if it did, I can’t change it.”

He’s right about the last part. However, Kiffin surely has been around
the game long enough to know that players who must constantly guess
which person is really in charge — Kiffin, Ryan or Davis?
— can lose their focus.

At certain points during those long television timeouts, they have to
think: “What’s going on here?” Especially when expensive new defensive
acquisition DeAngelo Hall commits a brain-dead penalty at a crucial
time. If you were a lesser-paid player, wouldn’t you ask yourself
which person was so eager to give Hall so much dough?

Kiffin’s best hope: That the man he wanted to ditch, Ryan, can rally
the defense out of the ditch. Because it’s clear that quarterback
JaMarcus Russell and running back Darren McFadden can move the
offensive needle. And the Raiders’ schedule does get soft in the
middle portion.

The 49ers’ issues are skewed much more toward Nolan’s ability to
convince the 49ers they are good enough to win — especially
because they might not be. He was working the angle hard Monday,
though.

“We’re going to be a better football team than we were last year,”
Nolan promised. “I believe we already are. We were 2-0 last year, but
we had our issues.”

Of course, if they are not 1-1 after Seattle, issues will return. But
give Nolan’s team credit. In the opener, it was at least able to keep
the game close for more than three periods. Unlike, say, Kiffin’s
team. And the NFC West looks stunningly mediocre.

To sum up, then: The Raiders have far more potential to get better.
But the 49ers actually might.

Get back to us next week, though. Because there’s suddenly a big
weekend ahead. Odor-Eater Sunday! Catch the olfactory fever!

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The al davis raiders chargers raiders play

Union-Tribune columnist Nick Canepa will be commenting on developments
live online during the Chargers’ game this afternoon against the
Raiders in Oakland.

Well, gang, we thought we had ourselves a scoop this morning. My
longtime colleague, Jerry Magee (covering his final game after nearly
52 years on our paper) and I were stadiung outside our local hotel. A
Town Car was parked in front, with a sign on the dashboard that had
“Millen” written on it.

Naturally, we figured Matt Millen, the recently bounced GM of the
Lions, was here to meet with Al Davis, Millen’s former employer.

Alas, a woman got into the car and they sped off. Still doesn’t mean
it wasn’t Millen’s ride. Just remember, if Millen gets a job on these
chaotic Raiders, you read it here first.

Looks like a gorgeous day here. It’s supposed to be around 80 at
kickoff. But even the sunshine doesn’t brighten up this dump. — 10:53
a.m.

The Raiders stadium PA guy just gave out stadium evacuation plans.
Interesting. There are about 50 people in the seats. I don’t know what
the other 50 fans who show up at game time are going to do in case of
an emergency.

Can’t go by injury (now participation) reports, but the Raiders are
pretty banged up, and that’s just in the front office. — 11:55 a.m.

This place has a long way to go to fill up. Thousands of empty seats
20 minutes prior to game time.

The Raiders pregame music used to be the worst in the NFL. The
Chargers are No. 32 now.

Looks like the Chargers have fixed kickoff return coverage. Johnnie
Lee Higgins returns opening kickoff 37 yards to Oakland 48. Russell
finds Walker wide open on 29-yarder to 18.

Chargers defense looks as bad as its special teams, and that’s not
good. Russell has about an hour to throw and still gets sacked by
Phillips at the Chargers 8. Bad play call. Raiders stopped at 5.

Janikowski kicks a 22-yard field goal. Nothing like making a bad team
look good right away. — 1:13 p.m.

Darren Sproles just made a cardinal mistake. He didn’t catch a Lechler
punt, so it rolled to the Chargers 5. If it’s not going inside the 10
on the fly, you catch it, if you can. Punt returning 101.

The Raiders play “Hells Bells” up here. I look for Trevor. The
Chargers can use someone to save them.

LT gets whacked in the end zone, fumbles, and Rivers recovers. Safety.
5-0. A terribly botched play.

Guess the Chargers know the Broncos are losing so they don’t want to
make up any ground. Once again, another fast start by the locals. —
1:29 p.m.

Sproles just caught a punt on his own 5-yard-line. I can’t convince
these kids. You don’t catch a punt inside the 10.

Rivers gets sacked. Chargers TE Manumaleuna is injured on the play.
He’s OK. He runs off the field. SD is going to punt again as quarter
ends.

Chargers had 29 total yards and one first down in 1st quarter. No
blocking for LT today. Offensive play-calling is very suspect thus
far. These aren’t the ’75 Steelers the Chargers are playing. LT is
averaging about 1.3 per carry and he usually eats these guys up.

Russell just completed a 63-yard touchdown pass to TE Zack miller who
was so wide open he couldn’t be caught from behind.

Can’t remember when the Chargers played so poorly in all phases. Now
we get a chance to see what they’re made of. This isn’t exactly a
hostile place anymore. — 2:00 p.m.

Chargers finally reach midfield and Rivers underthrows Buster Davis.
Raiders CB Chris Johnson is more than willing to intercept it, and he
does.

Raiders driving. Linebacker Derek Smith falls down. All the Chargers
are falling down. Janikowski kicks a field goal on fourth and one from
the 13, but Chargers are flagged for an illegal formation (Wilhelm
getting leverage on the kick) so the Raiders pull the points off the
board. Raiders get to the one and are going for it on fourth down. Why
not? Raiders score but are called for holding. Janikowski kicks a
28-yard field goal.

It’s almost inconceivable the Chargers can play this poorly against a
bad team. What, is Oakland trying to win one for Lane Kiffin? At least
they’re playing for him. — 2:15 p.m.

Chargers are driving at 2 minute warning. First time today they
crossed midfield. Of course, they were helped by Rivers getting
horsecollared. A stupid (what else is new?) penalty on the Raiders’
part.

Huge sack on third and four. Richardson goes around Clark and gets him
for 9-yard loss back to the 23. He’s sacked again, this time by
Edwards. Kaeding badly misses a 44-yard field goal try, so now he’s
officially in on the action. It didn’t appear to get tipped.

Janikowski tries a 76-yard field goal, his miss putting an end to the
first half of this debacle. — 2:30 p.m.

Chargers came out 4 minutes early for the second-half kickoff. Guess
Norv did a Knute Rockne and they tore down the locker room door on
their way out. — 2:42 p.m.

Chargers finally amount what appears to be a drive. They’ve decided to
pound it for a while. Then Rivers hits Jackson over the middle, nice
catch, 24-yard gain to the Oakland 15. Will they screw this one up,
too?

LT drops a swing pass that probably would have been a touchdown. He’s
by himself. The Chargers score! The Chargers score! Kaeding kicks a
28-yard field goal. The drive lasted over 7 minutes. That’s OK, when
you’re not down by 15. — 2:53 p.m.

What gets into a coach to try a 76-yard field goal at the end of the
half? Cromartie could have returned that thing. How can Big Al even
think about firing genius Kiffin?

Rivers just got sacked again. O line is awful. Rivers overthrows
Jackson and is picked by Hall, who returns it 21 yards to the San
Diego 38. I don’t know if Stephen King can make up something this
ugly. Wish he were writing this blog.

Chargers catch a huge break when Dobbins picks a bad screen attempt by
Russell. An enormous play. — 3:09 p.m.

Chargers finally score when Rivers, running right, finds Gates in the
end zone. It’s 15-10 now, with 14:12 to play. If the Chargers were
playing anybody else …. — 3:18 p.m.

So here we go. Harris sacks Rusell and he fumbles it away to Harris on
the Oakland 13. Almost the exact same play the refs blew in Denver. LT
then runs 13 yards for a score. Sproles makes a fine catch and somehow
manages to score on the two-pointer. 18-15. Tucker (hamstring) is out
and Harris is making things happen.

Norv’s getting conservative with a three-point lead. Jerry Magee,
sitting next to me, thinks he should be conservative. I’m a jugular
guy. Rivers runs for a first down and can’t even fall down gracefully.

Rivers has pass battened down on short one to Gates that would have
made big yardage. A terrible pass. A little loft is all he needed. Now
they have a third-and-10 at the Raiders’ 36 with 8:56. LT draw gets 7.

Kaeding in to try a 47-yard field goal and he misses it. Didn’t like
the choice of plays there. Chargers should have gone for the throat.
Now Oakland gets the ball on their own 37. — 3:41 p.m.

The Raiders had the ball for 2:26 in the third quarter and they very
much are a part of this thing. Raiders now easily within field-goal
range. That’s two penalties on Cromartie on this drive, both of them
good calls. Raiders at the SD 18. A big third and 6 at the 14 or
Oakland.

Russell’s pass incomplete with 2:52 to go. Janikowski hits a 32-yard
field goal. It’s tied at 18. They’re playing that song again. — 3:50
p.m.

Sproles a wonderful 67-yard kickoff return to the Raiders’ 35.
Chargers have a third-and-four at the 29 at the two-minute warning.
How tough is Sproles. If only he could learn what to do with punts.

Screen to Sproles fails. Now it’s up to Kaeding to try another
47-yarder. and he makes it with 1:51. 21-18.

The Raiders have been terrible this half, reverting to form. But they
have plenty of time here and all three timeouts.

Zach Miller is wide open again for 15 yards to Raiders 39. Third and
five at their own 44. This is the ballgame. Chargers got some pressure
on Russell’s last throw. Castillo gets to Rusell and forces a bad
throw. Chargers take over at the 44 with 1:17 to play, but Oakland
still has three time outs.

So LT runs 41 for a score. He took a false step to the left and there
was no one on the other side.

Why don’t Chargers challenge that 1st period time ran out before the
3rd down play ? ? ?

Denver loses we think we are great. Loosers. Chargers are not a good
team. We should not let ourselves get into this position. I see a
loosing year

look at it this way at least the game is in rivers hands….he is more
and more getting to be their best player

75 yards and a field goal. Please Chargers lets be more creative in
our play calling. Defense come up with a stop.

Good posession for the first second half drive but LT has to catch
that ball it was a clear TD. At least we got three and had ball
control for over 5 minutes. Lets hope the lard azz raiturds D will get
tired then we run all over em…I hope

LT needs to sit. He obviously isn’t himself. And what a return for
picking Hester in the 2nd round. The guy adds nathan!

I am just getting rid of frustration I am not a troll just a fan who
gets mad and happy at the same time

I knew it MNF hangover…..folks, the coaches can’t play the game, but
they do need to motivate the players and make them focus….they
failed!

Come on Charger Nation….no way is this game over for us fans. We
will come back and win it just be patient.

I did not think the Chargers could look this bad I am afraid they will
be awful

I hate not getting the game up here. CBS has decided to air Mtn Biking
instead of the NFL. WTF!?

bbbb September 28, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. Suggest removal 0 of 0 people
found this comment useful. Did you find this comment to be useful? Yes
No Please be ware the Chargers are just horrible today possibly the
season? I see 4-12 record

There ya go Charger Nation….gates TD Rivers is such a leader under
so much duress. He still hangs in there and makes it 10-5. No doubt we
are in this game.

Finally I am at least relived. Ok the Defense needs to hold them or
come up with another turnover

Knock it off yourself I just get upset when the Chargers don’t play
well. This helps me vent

bull moose you sound like a chick..please be ok phillip please be ok
phillip….how many times are u gonna make that wish?

What they should start doing is when the Off coach calles play x then
they should do the opposite and do play y.

century mark for lt baby! i called it. yahoo! game over. LT is still
da man, he owns da faiders still!

OK all you nay sayers…hang your head I preached patience and you had
none. Donkies lose to the Queffs and we win against the Faiturds.How
sweet it is and how fast the standings turn. As they say on any given
Sunday!

Really happy with the way the D played today a lot of 3 and outs no
running what so ever and Jamal is BACK. I am not so worried about him
anymore as it seems he was just rusty because they spared him early in
the season and pre-season.

BUT I DO HATE THESE CLOSE ONES. THERE HAVE BEEN TO MANY THIS YEAR. IT
WOULD BE NICE IF THE BOLTS CAN PLAY BOTH HALVES OF THE GAME
CONSISTENTLY.

My kid said it best, “The raiders lost…that’s a good thing!” And he
won’t be 5 yrs old til next month!!

agree WA, u gotta take em though any way u can get em. They have some
work to do. w is nice though.

Now Miami. Lets hope they do not look past the Dolphins. This year
proves there are no give mes in the NFL.

The Chargers have a tough schedule in October, with three long road
trips and a home game vs. the Patriots. What will their record be?

The al davis raiders davis kiffin idiot

San Francisco, CAMale 28 years old
About Me:I’m not what you think I am. By which I mean I am. Wait,
what?

Buckle up folks, because this afternoon Al Davis gave his side of the
Lane Kiffin story and my oh my, did Davis ever go off. But in a pretty
intelligent and convincing way. So let’s get to it. First off, Davis
directly accused Kiffin of trying to get himself fired (and therefore
still get paid) by complaining constantly about his authority in the
organization. According , Davis during the press conference revealed
a letter (which he actually put on an overhead projector for the press
corps) that he wrote to Kiffin prior to the Kansas City game outlining
the former coach’s faults and his bad personnel moves. The letter was
prompted by one of Kiffin’s continual comments that he had no
involvement in the defense. Davis did reveal that while while Kiffin
did have much say in terms of defense, he had a great deal of control
on offense. Davis said that Kiffin called every play on offense during
his time with the team, and that he split the play-calling duties with
an unnamed assistant coach on Sunday against the Chargers. But it
gets more interesting According , after the Week 3 loss to the
Bills, Davis said that he asked Kiffin point-blank why he didn’t
use his final two time outs in the game, allowing the Bills to end the
game on a field goal with no time remaining. Definitely a valid point.
Davis then made a snide remark regarding the 76-yard-field goal
attempt at the end of the first half of the Week Four loss to the
Chargers, which prompted us to question whether Kiffin was trying to
get himself fired. Asked whether Kiffin was daring Davis to fire him,
Davis said, “That’s a good question.”

Apparently the Davis/Kiffin feud has been going on for 7 months, and
started because Kiffin wanted his father, Monte Kiffin, to run the
Raiders defense. Davis claimed that the Raiders opted not to pursue
the elder Kiffin because he was under contract with the Bucs. Davis
also said that Lane Kiffin didn’t want to draft JaMarcus Russell
(which actually probably would have been the right thing to do at this
point). And last of all, in regards to reports that Kiffin was
presented with a letter of resignation last season, Davis said that
the document was an attempt to resolve Kiffin’s situation if he
were to get another job, specifically at the college level (Kiffin
actually did want the Arkansas job, which went to Bobby Petrino).
According , Davis said that Kiffin, whom he called a
“professional liar,” then turned that into a claim that
Davis had presented him with a resignation letter. And I guess
that’s pretty much it. But as crazy as Al Davis may have appaeared
during this press conference, you can’t exactly say he didn’t come
prepared. He brought the heat, to say the least. By the way, we
should all recognize that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Kiffin isn’t as innocent as he appears, nor is Davis as crazy as he
appears. And this thing is far from being over. Davis, as of right
now, owes Kiffin $3.5 million, which Davis is refusing to pay. The
good news now is that at least the Raiders on the field no longer have
anything to worry about. Well, except constantly losing. Al Davis want
to get a few things off his chest [] Davis accuses Kiffin of lying,
propoganda []

al davis is an idiot, has always been an idiot, and will leave this
earth an idiot. at least he is consistent, just like his raduhs, he
loses again

joebloom53 wrote:
al davis is an idiot, has always been an idiot, and will leave this
earth an idiot. at least he is consistent, just like his raduhs, he
loses again

Not sure if he always been idiot. He was once a VERY good
owner…remember he gave us John Madden. A RAIDER!! But yea, now he’s
not best owner – but for you to say he’s always been idiot is a IDIOT
move…..oh yea, IT WAS A FUMBLE!!!

I had to laugh at Al Davis’s pause for effect after he read the line
of the letter stating that Kiffin didn’t want to draft Russell, like
the people in the room were supposed to gasp in horror, as if Kiffin
having a differing opinion on the pick was grounds for firing. If
there were any gasping in the audience, it would have been due to the
reanimated corpse addressing the room.

AL is at it again man…he has had the raiders in the pitts since his
troubles with Marcus Allen…..he better hope they don’t kick the
raiders out of Oakland…they might end up like the sonics. can u even
imagine no Oakland raiders…WOW

Al davis raiders’s davis al raiders

Al Davis has shocked the football world once again with a firing no
one expected. Gobears2008 describes the scene at the press conference.

Alameda, CA – In a twist that has shocked even long-time Raiders fans,
Al Davis has announced that he will fire himself.

Davis’ press conference, attended by major sports reporters from
across the country, apparently began with an attempt to justify the
firing. “First off, I fired Al Davis today for cause,” Davis began.
“I’ve given him every chance to win, but no championships in 25 years
…I couldn’t just stand by and watch my team not win.”

“Al Davis has shown no sense of respect for the Raiders organization,”
he continued. “It wouldn’t have mattered even if Oakland had won it
all last year, because Davis is such low-class, lying, cheating, just
plain no good, stain on spotless model of integrity of the shining
beacon of hope to all of humanity that the Raiders franchise
represents to all of us as human beings. Plus he drafted a kicker in
the first round, a

“It was within my grasp, the trophy was mine,” Al recalled. “But just
as I was about to grab it, I was sucked into a black hole. Then I woke
up. I knew that my time was up.” Then Davis jumped up and shouted “the
dark forces of ESPN have temporarily defeated me, but I’ll be back!”

Davis disappeared for a few minutes, then came out again to announce
that he was suing himself for wrongful termination. But he then
aggressively asserted, “As long as I am with the Raiders, that lying
scum Al Davis will never get a dime of Al Davis’ money.”

Davis has kept his successor a tightly-guarded secret, but word has
already leaked to the press that he has already interviewed himself
for the job.

Go BEARS…stick to writing about your team…last time i checked it’s
been about the same amount time since the bears have won a
championship as well….

I assume you mean the Chicago Bears (funny how no one assumes I’m a
Baylor fan). Anyway, I’m a Cal Bears fan (last championship: 1922),
and a Niners fan, but I don’t hate the Raiders, and would be glad if
Al Davis removed himself from power (realizing that of course this
would never actually happen). Anyway, it’s not meant to be serious.

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Cable davis offensive in al davis raiders

(09-30) 21:20 PDT — Raiders owner Al Davis visited with offensive
line coach Tom Cable during training camp, trying to see what it would
take to keep Cable for a third season.

Less than two months later, Davis introduced Cable as the team’s
fourth head coach in six years, and 17th in franchise history.

“The more I talked to him, the more I felt there were some things
there that I liked that I thought the Raiders needed,” Davis said
Tuesday in a news conference at team headquarters in Alameda.

Cable will coach the final 12 games of the season on an interim basis.
To get the permanent gig, he must do what no coach has done since Bill
Callahan took the Raiders to the Super Bowl six years ago.

Cable has been a head coach once, going 11-35 at the University of
Idaho from 2000 through ’03. He came to Oakland last season to salvage
an offensive line that allowed an NFL-worst 72 sacks in 2006.

With a bye this week, Cable has 10 days to get the Raiders (1-3)
through an in-season transition before they leave for their Oct. 12
game at New Orleans.

“I have a friend who’s lost a job,” Cable said. “It’s difficult in
this business, but as we know, this is a business. It’s time for us to
move on.”

Davis said he considered everyone on the coaching staff, including
defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp,
advance scout Paul Hackett, receivers coach James Lofton and running
backs coach Tom Rathman.

Ryan interviewed for the job in the previous two openings. Davis said
Ryan was bypassed yet again because he did not want to disrupt the
defense.

“I’ve always considered Rob,” Davis said. “What we needed right now
was someone who can lead men. Rob can lead men but I think he’s more
important right now over there on the defense, handling that.”

Cable will continue to lead the offensive line. Offensive coordinator
Greg Knapp – who worked with Cable in Atlanta in 2006 before both came
to Oakland – will take over play-calling with input from Cable.

Davis interviewed Cable on Tuesday morning and settled on him shortly
after informing Kiffin of his dismissal. Cable met with the coaching
staff after the news conference.

Players had the day off and return for practice today. Davis doesn’t
think they’ll have any problem getting behind their latest head coach.

“I watch him work with the players and he dominated that offensive
line,” Davis said. “They do like him and they do love him.

High school:Three-sport athlete at Snohomish (Wash.) High. Won first-
team all-conference honors as an offensive and defensive tackle and
was a first-team all-state offensive tackle.

Not many homes in Northern California have basements that area under
the main floor, below ground level, that builders leave…

In a Union City factory that twists out 150,000 pounds of Red Vines
licorice a day, plant manager John Nelson is betting that…

Linehan rams team in al davis picture

San Francisco, CAMale 28 years old
About Me:I’m not what you think I am. By which I mean I am. Wait,
what?

Being in the Bay Area, I’m keenly aware of what a mess the Raiders
are. They are a HUGE mess. And while I don’t think anyone will quite
get to their level of ridiculousness, the Rams are starting to get
close. As anyone who’s been unlucky enough to watch the Rams play in
their first three games of the season knows, it’s painfully apparent
that this team gives two ##### about head coach Scott Linehan. I mean,
the team isn’t exactly star-studded, but they’re definitely a lot
better than they’ve played so far. And their habit of rolling over
every week is so bad that they’re even making the Chiefs look good. At
least the Chiefs are trying. Linehan is already on the hot seat
anyway for underperforming, but now it appears that the team is more
than happy to help push Linehan off the cliff. Apparently a number
of Rams players are pissed that Linehan has benched Marc Bulger for
Trent Green, and Rams running back Steven Jackson is more than happy
to let everyone know about that. On Jackson’s own radio show, no less,
he said
“He’s our general,” said Jackson, who then pointed out that you don’t
pay someone “$60-something million” and then sit him on the bench.

And if you think that’s bad, it gets even worse. Team sources said
on Thursday that Bulger no longer wants to play for Linehan. Judging
by that picture above, I think I can understand why. At this point,
I’m not even sure who’s on Linehan’s side, if anyone. His original
starting quarterback hates him, his running back hates him, his
defense won’t play for him, and his offensive line seems to be trying
to determine how many sacks they can possibly give up in one game.
In all honesty, that’s worse than the Raiders. At least JaMarcus
Russell and Darren McFadden aren’t talking smack about Lane Kiffin.
I’m not sure what the hell the Rams are waiting for, maybe for the
entire team to tar and feather Linehan. But seriously, at this point
in time, it’s pretty clear that the bridges have been burned.
Although who knows, maybe the Rams and Raiders are playing a game of
chicken to see who can go the longest without firing their coach. My
money’s actually on the Raiders. Al Davis hates losing, even if it’s a
contest to see who can run his team into the ground the longest.
Jackson blasts QB benching []

Jay Zygmunt is on Linehan’s side and Jay Zgymunt has majority owner
Chip Rosenbloom’s ear, despite the fact he put the coach and the team
on notice after the Giants game. This story actually gets even more
worse. Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett dont get
along and Linehan pissed him off even more by cutting Fahkir Brown,
who happens to be one of Haslett’s favorites and is the Rams best
cornerback, in favor of over-rated Tye Hill, who is another in the
long line of Rams first round draft picks that has turned into a bust.
Linehan is grasping at straws to try and save his own hide and is in
the process throwing everybody else under the bus and taking everybody
down with him. If the Rams organization were a movie, it would be the
Titantic

Being a long time Ram fan and watching this unfold as it is doing
right now is very painful.The benching of Bulger is totally
ridulcious. I can remember watching the first game of the season when
Linehan started his first coaching game as a Ram a few years ago. I
felt then his coaching job was terrible then as I hope i remember they
only got field goals in that game and have slowly but surely the
offense has been going downhill ever since plus no improvement on
defense. I felt then it was a mistake getting rid of Martz as the Head
Coach even though his offense was cinsidered high risk but at least
they could score points in bunches. Now they can hardly get field
goals. Linehan has ruined this team. They do have important proven Pro
Bowl players at a lot of key positions(QB, RB, WR to name a few). So
it oblioulv has to start with the Head Coach. I am not saying they are
the best in the league or anything like that but at least 9 or 10 wins
and maybe playoffs. The fact he is benching Bulger is more of a sign
he is trying to save his job than anything else. Nothing wrong with
Trent Green as quarterback but bottom line is Bulger is not having any
time to throw the ball . No Qb can sustain that kind of pressure and
play good. Obvioulsy their is a lot of blame to throw around even
other players not playing well with Bulger . Bottom line is FIRE
Linehan now and maybe we can salvage at least a few wins, with Linehan
looks very bleak if he stays on the rest of the way. Jackson , Holt
and Bulger have plenty of reasons to revolt. I really cant blame them
for feeling the way they do at least they are honest about it and
trying to do their best.